Interesting article:U.S. Push for Free Online Courses

[peace123]

News: U.S. Push for Free Online Courses - Inside Higher Ed

[LatinTea]

Just now saw your post....

I would say the comments are almost as interesting as the article! Wow, I can see my tax bill escalating right now, kinda like the National Debt Clocks...

U.S. National Debt Clock

National Debt Clock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'm torn on this as it would be helpful for many responsible students that are on a tight budget, but then where does it stop? Should community colleges also be taxpayer supported like K-12 public schools? I guess with all the money poured into colleges by the government, they are close to that already.

[perrik]

I guess with all the money poured into colleges by the government, they are close to that already.

Part of the problem is that community colleges and state universities are receiving less governmental support, not more. A state university's budget gets less than a quarter of its funding from taxpayer money. Grant writing is a huge priority for universities, because they need the cash to keep operating. Out of state students are also critical, because they pay the full tuition which can be double or triple what in-state students pay. These days, more students are choosing to save money by attending their state universities, which means fewer students paying the higher non-resident tuition, which means less money coming in for the universities. It's a bit of a problem.

The for-profit schools can (and do) take advantage of this situation. Can't get into the popular community college programs for healthcare? We've got lots of room, enroll with us instead! Okay, your associates in nursing will cost $50k instead of $8k, but you won't have to compete for limited spots.

As someone who intends to do grad work in the development of e-learning systems, I do have a bit of a stake in this. The theme of my "statement of purpose" essay is the expansion of e-learning in nursing education, but it can extend out to all community college programs. If you can make more classes available as e-learning options - especially self-paced classes - more students can amass more credits in more subjects at a lower cost to both them and the college (facilities are expensive to maintain!). And I'd love to see a good selection of for-credit classes available online for little or no cost. Not everyone is able or willing to learn a semester's worth of psychology on their own in prep for taking the CLEP. Everyone here, sure, but we're a bit... different. :p

[LatinTea]

I found an article from the President of Florida's community colleges. Very eye-opening for me. Here it is:

State College Funding: Pay Now or PAY Later … » Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce Blog

On a slightly different note, here is something from Hillsdale College, one of the few colleges that do not accept government funding.

Hillsdale College

You are on to something with your grad work. The Internet and education, it's the right thing for so many. In the years to come, acceptance will become commonplace. We are definitely the pioneers!