Editing Herzing Issues: Faculty Instruction and Curriculum Design (section)

=== HU-102: No physical textbooks provided in MSN-DE program; students receive modules only; required to purchase outside study resources (YourBestGrade, NAXLEX, Simple Nursing) at additional cost to compensate ===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
! style="width:14em" | Severity
| Medium
! Status
| CONFIRMED
|-
! Issue type
| Curriculum Resource Inadequacy
! Date added
| 2026-05-05
|-
! Owner
| colspan="3" | Program Chair / Academic Affairs
|}
'''Finding.''' Per the tracker's evidence, the MSN-DE program provides no physical or digital textbooks as standalone learning materials; all content is embedded in Sherpath and Canvas modules. This creates two compounding problems: students cannot access content independently of the LMS platform, so platform outages ({{HU|HU-041}}, {{HU|HU-092}}) eliminate access to all study materials, and because the modules do not adequately prepare students for HESI exams ({{HU|HU-088}}), the effective curriculum requires students to independently purchase outside resources such as YourBestGrade, NAXLEX, Simple Nursing, Bootcamp, and Nurse Sarah tutorials at costs ranging from about $30 to more than $300 per resource.

'''Evidence.''' Handle 11 (Dec 29, 2025) confirmed there are no books, only modules. Anonymous member 533 (Jul 12, 2025) said students need to purchase outside software and materials to study for and pass the HESI exams. Student D (Jul 10, 2025) said the student focuses study time on non-Herzing materials. Student AE (May 29, 2025) described YourBestGrade as the closest study resource for most students, though pricey. Multiple students consistently recommended YourBestGrade (about $30 to $100 or more per month), NAXLEX, Simple Nursing, Level Up RN, and Bootcamp as necessary supplemental resources. Source Group: Herzing Direct Entry MSN Facebook Group Export (Dec 2022 to May 2026), Exhaustive Line-by-Line Review, Volume 7.

'''Reported statement.''' According to the tracker, Student CG asked whether there were books available with an access code that could be added to the VitalSource bookshelf, and Handle 11 replied that there are no books, only modules. Anonymous member 533 said students will need to purchase software and materials outside of Herzing coursework to study for and pass the HESI exams, adding that there is a financial aspect to consider.

'''Standards.''' 34 CFR §668.71-75 (Misrepresentation): prospective students are not informed that the program's own curriculum is insufficient to pass required examinations and that additional paid resources are effectively mandatory. ACEN Standard 4: curriculum must adequately prepare students for program outcomes including HESI passage. A curriculum that requires systematic student purchase of outside resources to pass its own required examinations is not adequately designed. 34 CFR §600.2 (credit hour): credit hours imply access to sufficient learning materials; a modules only structure with no standalone textbooks may not meet this standard. Consumer protection principles: the effective additional cost of outside study resources, roughly $100 to $500 or more per student, is an undisclosed program cost that affects the total cost of attendance.

'''Impact.''' Students who cannot afford outside study resources are at a competitive disadvantage within the program because the curriculum alone does not prepare them for HESI examinations. The pattern of modules only content combined with HESI exams covering untaught content ({{HU|HU-088}}) creates a structural dependency on paid third party resources, and this financial burden falls disproportionately on lower income students. Platform dependency also means a Sherpath or Canvas outage eliminates access to all study materials simultaneously.

'''Notes.''' This issue connects to {{HU|HU-078}} (systematic third party resource reliance documented in the Facebook group), {{HU|HU-088}} (HESI covering untaught content), and {{HU|HU-077}} (80-20 self teaching expectation). The modules only structure is consistent with the 80-20 characterization: if 80 percent of learning is student driven using self sourced materials, the institution is effectively outsourcing curriculum delivery to commercial study platforms while charging full tuition. Cross-reference: {{HU|HU-047}} (tuition increase), {{HU|HU-048}} (financial aid cap).

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