Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

Harvard University has roiled the academic twittersphere with its announcement today that all classes for the 2020-2021 academic year will be conducted online. What will not change is the institution's undergraduate tuition of $US 49,653. This has prompted a deluge of criticism, but support comes from an unexpected quarter - Audrey Watters saying "I don't understand why people think that tuition should be lower for an online semester." But as Ryan Cordell responds, "it's because they don't see tuition as *actually* payment for instruction—it's the membership fee to the whole college experience—they only want to pay for instruction, which feels like a fraction of what they're *actually* paying for." In fact, Harvard is inviting 40% of its students to live on campus, including its entire first year class, to "recapture the residential liberal arts and sciences experience that is core to our identity.... to build their Harvard network of faculty, advisors, and friends or learn about life in the Yard."

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Mar 29, 2024 11:28 a.m.

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