Thomas Edison State University suspended indefinitely Shmoop courses

[MSK9]

At the risk of further derailing this thread, your statement also sort of paints a big field with an equally large brush.

• Not all brick and mortar courses are hard.
  

• Not all brick and mortar courses have a high level of ensured academic integrity.
  

• Not everyone, and from reading here and elsewhere, quite a few actually find shmoop courses challenging, particularly those with no former knowledge of the topic and those that don't read long passages quickly while retaining detail and nuance.
  

Shmoop and the other online credit courses serve their purpose well for the intent of a certain demographic. There will always be system gamers, whether they live on campus, or peck their tests in remotely. A degree is no certainty the holder is worthy, just a suggestion they've applied themselves more than ones without.

I disagree and there's a bit of assumption in your post, I think.

Not all brick and mortar courses are hard.

Quite true, but statements I made were not referencing academic difficulty so much as they were referencing physical time spent in a classroom. Four years of physical classroom attendance is quite a bit different than six months in front of a screen.

Not all brick and mortar courses have a high level of ensured academic integrity

Also true, but I didn't assert this either. I was indirectly referencing proctoring as a whole, but also secure browser video proctoring as opposed to Shmoop's total lack of testing security.

Not everyone, and from reading here and elsewhere, quite a few actually find shmoop courses challenging, particularly those with no former knowledge of the topic and those that don't read long passages quickly while retaining detail and nuance.

While I understand that what's challenging for one may not be challenging for another, I do think that with some effort and a healthy combination of desire and willpower, many obstacles can be overcome. I, cannot in good conscience, discount anyone's potential for success; even when they experience a smidge of discomfort brought on by some kind of adversity. There are far more difficult things in life than this Shmoop thing, or any other academic matter as far as I'm concerned; not that you have to take my word for it.

As far as "gaming" the degree is concerned, I do agree with you. I also agree that a degree is not necessarily an indicator of worthiness. The whole point of my post was to address some of the "jumped-to conclusions" in previous posts and the accompanying attitudes of entitlement.