News that Arizona State University and edX have archived 10 of their 14 Global Freshman Academy courses raises questions about the viability and purpose of credit-eligible MOOCs.
When it launched in 2015, the Global Freshman Academy was marketed as a low-cost way for students to complete their first year of college by taking open online classes backed by the ASU brand. Yet only 1,750 out of 373,000 people who enrolled paid to receive college credit for finishing a course and fewer than 150 pursued full degrees at ASU, reports Inside Higher Ed.
Now, only four Global Freshman Academy classes remain active, and ASU is shifting its focus to Earned Admission, a program designed to help transfer students and employees at Starbucks and other partner companies qualify for admission to the university by passing online classes.
The lackluster credit procurement rate may be due to the fact that online courses are “not a good way to hook in” freshmen, says Marie Cini, president of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning. She suggests that first-year students may need more academic and social supports and wraparound services than a la carte MOOCs provide.