NCAA Looking at Quick-Fix Online Courses
Brad Wolverton of the Chronicle of Higher Education takes a look at online courses, typically completed over the course of a couple weeks, that are used by athletes and schools for eligibility purposes. The NCAA is already on the case:
The NCAA is aware that an increasing number of athletes are taking short-format online courses. Its officials say they even keep a list of the places where players turn most often (although they would not provide The Chronicle with a copy). The association has no plans to get involved at Western Oklahoma. But that could change in coming months, one NCAA leader said, as the association weighs possible changes to its academic-fraud policies.
The best way would be to resurrect a version of the proposals defeated in 2009 regarding nontraditional courses. The proposal could be limited to courses taken at a school other than the one at which the athlete is playing. The requirements could include regular interaction between student and instructor, a defined time period for completion, appropriate security measures, and evaluation of the student’s work consistent with institutional policies.