Is There a Relationship Between 2U and Instructure News?

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Two days ago my interview on the The Higher Ed Geek podcast was published, and you can access the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at the home page. Below I have shared the transcript (lightly edited for clarity) for my response on one key topic.

Is There A Common Trend Relating 2U’s Bankruptcy and Instructure’s Sale Agreement?

Dustin Ramsdell: Do you see these as part of a larger trend happening in EdTech, of incentives of being this venture capital startup and trying to grow, and whatever else, maybe being incongruence to how higher ed works or maybe just higher ed for this moment?

Phil Hill: Well, as with most things, I think there's a little bit of both.

2U Bankruptcy

To start out with the differences, I mean, 2U was created in late 2000s an online program management (OPM) company, and they really became the poster child for revenue sharing online program management. They really broke open the ability for elite institutions to feel comfortable saying, we're going online.

UNC's online MBA, University of Southern California, Yale, Syracuse, etc. Basically 2U is one of the main areas along with MOOCs that opened up all institutions to looking at online education as a strategy, not just as what other people do. They were very successful, but perhaps too successful. What I mean by too successful is twofold.

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