Students at George Washington University filed a class action lawsuit last week over allegations of fraud involving one of its online master’s degree programs.
U.S. Marshall Service consultant Brice Bradford told NBC4 that he enrolled in GW’s online masters program in “Security and Safety Leadership” because he didn’t have the time or means to take off from work and attend graduate school full time. He and other students have now accused the university of “fraudulent misrepresentation” after questioning whether or not the courses were taught by instructors.
Rather than professional instruction, online courses were taught using PowerPoint slides taken from in-class courses. Suspicion among students rose after they attempted to contact professors and received no response. Bradford and other students complained and even sent a letter to the university president Steven Knapp.
“They absolutely did not get what they were promised,” the plaintiff’s attorney, Hassan Zavareei, said.
GW advertised its online program as taught by “professors who specialize in online learning education.”
According to the brief, students were promised the learning experience would “be equivalent to that which students would receive in the classroom.” GW’s website promises that in it’s online programs, “You will learn the same lessons, often from the same professors, as the students on campus do [emphasis added].”
According to court documents, each plaintiff paid over $28,000 in tuition.
According to a statement from George Washington University, “since the Security and Safety Leadership program began in 2009, 341 students have graduated, and many have gone onto successful careers in the military, law enforcement and other government agencies.”
The university also cited federal privacy laws, which prevent them from responding further outside of court in cases that involve current or former students.
