maggie minkin is a graduate student at columbia university in new york. she's studying to be a film director. the tuition is about $70,000 a year, but distance learning means she can't use the school's film equipment. she feels her education has been squandndered. some students are taking legal action. more than 70 colleges and universities have been hit with lawsuits demanding that they offer tuition refunds. >> not to mention the vast amount of resources thatt we lot by not being able to access campus. it certainly is not an education that warrants its original price tag. >> reporter: many colleges have responded by trying to make remote learning more rewarding for students. administrators at this college in maryland were gearing up for in-person classes in september. but a statewide spike in coronavirus cases forced them to continue with remote learning. so they invnvested inin cameras boosted internet speed to enhance the experience. >> awesome. here we go. >> reporter: this dance instructor can use a large monitor to check her students' performance.