'a scam': fears over increased outsourced learning at murdoch university

Murdoch University is making students pay $1500 for outsourced online education units some staff and students have labelled a "scam" and "money maker" for the university.

Multiple staff and students, who do not wish to be named for fear of legal repercussion, criticised the compulsory units, titled MSP100, since they utilise Massive Open Online Course units,

which are found for free on six websites – such as Future Learn or Xuetangx – promoted by the Good Universities Guide as being a useful tool for prospective students. "The university

has pretty much jumped on that opportunity and designed a course where they can use these outsourcing [platforms], use Future Learn, and charge us $1500 for an education I can get for

free," said one student. "It’s compulsory and it’s frustrating because I come to university, I choose the degree I want to do; let me choose the units I want to partake [in].

"But their argument is, students need this because it’s necessary for them to graduate well." Another student said the units cost more than their core units. "MSP is some of

the most expensive that I pay for, and I log in from day one and I never meet my tutor face-to-face; I have no idea who they are except for a name," they said. "There is no

distinction, there is no marking, there is just: have you completed the work? Pass or fail. "MSP are, without mincing words, a scam – they’ve been called that since from day one."

Students say the MSP units require them to seek out career-related "enterprise skills" by completing MOOC courses teaching things like resume writing, LinkedIn profile creation,

and how to market themselves on social media. They involve watching YouTube videos and writing dot-point questions or discussions on their content. "And when you look at the price, the

fact it has a price, and then you look at what the content is – which is the university is linking you to external resources – I sit here going; 'Why am I paying this much money for

this? What is it teaching me?'," one student said. "They represent to me the attitude Murdoch has to its students." Murdoch University denies the allegations saying the

feedback has been "extremely positive". "This program is leading the way in embedding employability skills into university undergraduate programs, providing breadth and real

world learning, with transferable skills that enable graduates to realise their career aspirations," a spokesperson said. "Murdoch University has a rigorous governance process that

reviews and renews our courses offerings including Academic Council, the Academic Courses and Admissions Committee, our Board of Studies and a Student Evaluation Process, all of which

inform our course offerings. "Based on student feedback and our review processes, we have no concerns with our course offering. "If any students have any concerns, there are

processes available for them to take their issues up with Murdoch University, which we would welcome." However _WAtoday_ is aware of a guild survey on MSP100, which students say

delivered almost all negative responses, that has not been referred to by the university. The university said in this year’s official unit survey 83 per cent of students agreed with the

statement, “I was satisfied with the quality of this unit”. “In addition, Open University Australia (OUA) has undertaken its own research where MSP100 is rated as one of OUAs top performing

units by student satisfaction,” the spokesperson said. The University of WA, Curtin and Edith Cowan universities currently have no such compulsory units as part of their blended online

learning, and offer career mentoring and training for free as part of their service to students. Curtin and UWA, however, along with Murdoch and universities worldwide, provide free MOOCs on

various platforms as a "try-before-you-buy" option. "Unlike traditional online units and degrees, you do not have to pay a fee to take the course, although many of the MOOC

providers do charge a fee if you want your achievements officially recognised with a certificate of completion," the GUG website said. Only ECU has yet to develop MOOCs, which it says

will be developed for "online and face-to-face delivery". Monash University education affiliate Dr Chandravadan Shah has criticised these types of microcredentials as being

ineffective, piecemeal, and having short shelf-lives, with universities "just collecting rent, where the university or the providers don’t have to do much". "It should be the

normal obligation of the university that when somebody is doing a degree to provide them with career advice, and now they want to monetise that," he said. "So if you want some

advice on writing resumes you have to take a course in that, which is just ridiculous." Dr Shah acknowledged Monash, too, was listed on Future Learn; an online movement which he

believed showed a worrying trend away from face-to-face informal learning being accelerated by federal Education Minister Dan Tehan’s reforms and COVID-19. "I feel that universities are

losing their mission of what they're about," he said. "I think you may find there may be two streams, some universities will focus on traditional university education … and

they will promote that as their brand, and then there will be the other that tries to take the shortcuts and provide their services on an industrial scale." Of all the WA universities,

Murdoch University has been most ardently forging the path towards online learning by rolling out plans to permanently get rid of traditional face-to-face lectures in almost all courses by

2022. Forty academics have penned a letter lobbying the university's academic council to revoke these plans until the merits and disadvantages have been more broadly debated as,

"in our view, the prior discussion of the Technology Enhanced Learning Strategy at academic council does not constitute approval for the decision". They have requested the matter

be formally tabled at the next council meeting. Aja Styles is a senior writer for WAtoday and 2021 Arthur Lovekin winner for her investigations into higher education. Aja also served as a

national digital Culture editor at The Age.Connect via Twitter or email.