Online course instructors are 94 % more likely to respond to discussion forum posts by white students , according to a study by the Centre for Education Policy Analysis at Stanford University . The study of 124 massive open online courses ( MOOCs ) shows " strong experimental evidence that racial bias exists in discussion forums of online courses " , researchers concluded . But the impact was modest, with one exception -- white female students were significantly more likely to respond to posts by white women than were other students. The disparity was similar across all course subjects .
Online course instructors are 94 % more likely to respond to discussion forum posts by white students , according to a study by the Centre for Education Policy Analysis at Stanford University . The study of 124 massive open online courses ( MOOCs ) shows " strong experimental evidence that racial bias exists in discussion forums of online courses " , researchers concluded . The disparity was similar across all course subjects .