Dive Brief:

• Advisers say the president should not intervene with MOOCs in order to contain college costs or improve access to education.
• In a letter, the panel says MOOCs hold promise but that the president shouldn't show any favorites and should "let market forces decide which innovations in online teaching and learning are best."
• The council's recommendations also include giving accrediting bodies flexibility to handle new education technologies.  

Dive Insight:

The letter specifically mentions the disappointing outcome of the San Jose State University-Udacity collaboration and says: "One should be mindful that the use of MOOC platforms is still at a very early stage, and, as with any new technology, it is likely that failed experiments will outnumber successful ones." The advisers note that MOOC policy shouldn't be shaped by anecdotes such as that, but rather by data.