Over the past two weeks, we’ve added our voice to the growing chorus of those who are questioning whether institutions should be investing time and money into MOOCs. We firmly believe that the hype surrounding MOOCs has obscured the real digital revolution occurring in higher education.

Students themselves are voicing their concerns about MOOCs. Why spend millions of dollars developing MOOCs when there are other unmet needs for those attending classes on-campus?

While the technology behind MOOCs is innovative, the actual deployment of a MOOC is a distraction and resource drain. Here are 3 reasons why:

·  MOOCs are expensive. Estimates for Udacity and EdX to develop a single MOOC exceed $250K. That does not include instructor time, time for instructional design, or time to monitor the course once it goes live.

Currently there are more than 150 million tuition-paying students worldwide, the majority of whom go on to complete degree programs, who would benefit from the resources currently allocated towards MOOCs.

·  Outcomes are questionable. We know that it is still early in the game. But, completion rates for MOOCs have averaged less than 10 percent. According to a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, most attendees drop out within the first 2 weeks after the start of the course. Proponents of MOOCs insist that completion rates are not a valid measurement of the viability of MOOCs. Maybe that is true. But, completion rates are a valid measurement when evaluating traditional on-campus courses as well as online or distance education course. Given  the costs to develop and launch a single MOOC, one has to question what a university is getting for that investment.

·  MOOCs aren’t serving the masses. At least in their early stages, MOOCs are not providing the revolution in access their proponents proclaim. A recent study of MOOC enrollment completed by the University of Pennsylvania shows that most enrollees are male degree holders and come from the developed world.

Universities have an obligation to tuition-paying students to offer the best learning environment possible – the type of environment that is enhanced through active learning technology. That’s where the real digital revolution is happening. The real digital revolution is playing out right before our eyes when fearless teachers flip a classroom, or engage students in new and innovative ways, or provide distance learning opportunities to students who are actually committed to completing their studies.