A fundamental flaw in DeVry's approach was to blame the instructors for the lack of student learning, rather than realizing that most students lacked the skills to succeed in higher education, and that the DeVry classes were not structured to help students learn. Thus the company expected instructors to be tutors and instructor time was viewed as a costless asset.
The combination of a lack of student skills, the poor design of classes, and the profit pressure from the management combined to create a true diploma mill. When I taught for DeVry I was asked to "reconsider" grades, asked to change grades, asked to assign scores for work that had not been submitted, asked to allow all students to turn in work late at any time during the class (which makes managing the class impossible), and was reprimanded for student evaluation scores lower than normal. Once I stopped applying any type of real criteria to the student work and simply passed all students through regardless of what they submitted, my evaluation scores went up and management was happy. The students were the ones being cheated but most did not care as all they wanted was the degree, even if it was worthless.
The system in which DeVry functions allows it to be the very definition of a predatory company. Realizing this, the managers took full advantage of the ignorant students and sold them sub-par "classes" and a degree that is viewed with derision by industry. Retention at any cost, be it asking the instructors to tutor students to make up for a lack of basic skills, eliminating academic integrity, or providing poor class design, was paramount.
Well said, @Qs50UUP-spb.