EMU union against online degrees

[sanantone]

http://michiganradio.org/post/faculty-un...ntract-ads

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Considering that article from Harvard Business School that paints a dire picture for brick and mortar academic institutions, many are going to try to fight a losing battle instead of adapt.

This isn't a case of refusing to adapt. This is a case of lowering the quality of courses to save money. If I wanted an academic coach, I would spend less at a competency-based school. Also, the for-profit company the school wants to contract with plans to lower admissions standards for online students. There is a reason why low-quality, for-profit schools are suffering right now. People can now attend better schools online. 

Once just about every university has a good selection of online programs, I believe the standouts will be the ones with highly-qualified instructors. I preferred having full-time professors. There was a world of difference between the adjuncts I had in undergrad and the full-time professors I had in graduate school. When I ask for a letter of recommendation, they remember my name and know who I am. I know that some people say that they prefer instructors who are still working in the field, but when you're taking online courses with no lectures, it makes absolutely no difference.