,
5 tweets,
2 min read
Read on Twitter
UMass prepares to flush massive amounts of cash and time down the toilet in chasing a phantom. This will definitely turn out badly. Guaranteed. bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/03/… h/t @roopikarisam
Institutions are right to be concerned about demographic changes, particularly in the Northeast, but smart institutions will be identifying their core proposition and consolidating and strengthening around that. Taking a swing like UMass proposes is institutional malpractice.
UMass's rationale for making this move is self-defeating. They will not be able to compete with SNHU. The promise of MOOCs as job training has not materialized. This is beyond obvious. 
This rationale for being able to compete in this space is truly truly foolish. UMass has no reputation for online education, none, zero. To build something that will compete with those already doing it will take massive expenditures. Massive.
Every dime spent on this folly will, by necessity, draw resources away from the core functions of UMass. They will erode the quality of what they do have a reputation for in order to pursue an entirely illusory future. They better talk themselves out of this.
