For tuition value, look to community colleges amid COVID-19

College students and their families are wondering about the comparative value of education at different colleges in these changing times of pandemic and its economic aftermath. 

Consumers of higher education may question the cost of high tuition and the benefits received from online teaching due to the pandemic. Lawsuits against colleges have already started around the country, with students claiming that online-only teaching denies them the other college-related experiences they paid high tuition for. 

Some of these lawsuits include claims of “diminished value” due to conversion to online classes and pass/fail grades. At least 100 suits have been filed against U.S. colleges and universities. Concerned families are apprehensive about sending their students back to their colleges and into crowded dorms in the fall, when some if not all college classes may go online again.

Families are wondering what the value difference is between online courses at high-cost colleges and other colleges offering high-quality teaching. Enter in local community colleges as a smart money alternative.

Community colleges offer several clear advantages. They employ dedicated professors devoted to college teaching whose performance is primarily evaluated on teaching quality, not their research. Community college professors tend to focus on teaching and professionally train in the best practices for it. 

Read more via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.