Students question quality and transparency of Massey’s online learning space
With cancelled workshops, restricted lectures, an overreliance on study guides and slides – students are left questioning what exactly they’ve signed up for with Massey’s online classes.
The university appears to be taking a pro-digital approach, with over 1,500 courses now taught online or by distance.
But some students are pushing back, raising concerns about the lack of transparency around what online courses actually offer.
Emily Bentley, a Psychology major, said one of her courses didn’t even offer recorded lectures — only a study guide which was delivered to her as 500 loose pieces of paper.
“I have a course this semester that I was really excited to take because the topic interests me a lot. Only to find out the course is just reading through a study guide,” Bentley said, talking about class 214213 ‘Toxic Substances, Human Health and the Environment’.
“I wish the course advertised that it would be a zero-contact course as I’m struggling to understand why I paid $1000 for this.”
Deborah Wright, a Health and Promotion Major, said after a course restructure, one of her papers no longer had weekly tutorials.
“We are using yet another different online submitting software, and no weekly course tutorials.”
“We do have the opportunity to book a 1:1, but as a distance student I really like to engage with other students and the tutorials were great for that,” Wright said about 231107 ‘Social Determinants of Health’.
A Massey spokesperson explained that they’re currently rolling out a new curriculum framework, following extensive consultation with students and staff.
A key part of the implementation is creating clear expectations for course design and delivery — across both distance and internal models.
Massey is also finalising a new ‘Qualifications Lifecycle Process’ — a system to regularly monitor course and programme quality and intervene when issues arise.
But for some students, it feels like the university has logged off.
Other students, who wished to be anonymous, were overall feeling disconnected with their pricey papers. From recorded lectures available for internal students but not distance, workshops cancelled after being told there’s nothing to be taught, to self-teaching through textbooks.
Staff spoke up on the matter too, with the student association’s clubs and events lead, Ryan Oliver, feeling the students’ frustrations.
“Massey wants their cake, and they want to eat it too. They want to get rid of that on-campus social aspect because they want students to be learning in the distance space.”
“But at the same time, they want to have a strong student culture that they can use to advertise to potential students,” Olivier said.
Whether these issues stem from individual course design, or an institutional shift — students want more transparency about what they're signing up for.