Straight Talk: August 3, 2011

Straight Talk:  The StraighterLine e-Newsletter Issue #16, August 3, 2011
Edited by Jeffrey Lee Simons

In this issue…

StraighterLine Reports on Taking College Courses in High School

Whether they’re taking AP courses or college courses online at StraighterLine and schools like Thomas Edison State College, Western Governors University and Capella University, today’s high school students are getting a jump on their required college courses.

Our latest StraighterLine Report shows you how these savvy students are saving money, saving time, and skipping the jarring adjustment period that can add stress to freshman year in college. Read Full Report

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Get a Perfect Fit with Our No-Risk Free Trial

Would you ever buy a new pair of jeans or sneakers without trying them on first? At StraighterLine, we want you to be sure we’re a perfect fit, too. That’s why we offer a risk-free trial of 6 StraighterLine courses. Try us on… you’ve got nothing to lose, and thousands of dollars to save.

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Intro to Criminal Justice and 14 Other New Courses

Our curriculum keeps on growing! For the 2011 Back-To-School season, we’ll be going live with 15 new courses and a new department, Humanities. These new courses will bring our total to 40, with even more planned for the future. Click here to be notified the instant they’re available:

  • Introduction to Business
  • Personal Finance
  • Introduction to Nutrition
  • Physical Education, Health & Wellness
  • United States History I
  • Western Civilization I
  • Pharmacology I
  • Pharmacology II
  • Physics I
  • General Physics I with Lab
  • Physics II
  • General Physics II with Lab
  • Introduction to Criminal Justice
  • Introduction to Sociology
  • Student Success

Best of The StraighterLine Blog

Your Resume Is Your Landing Page: Job-Hunting Advice
According to Barry Lenson, in our electronic age, your resume will work harder for you if think of it as your personal website and apply some of these strategies. You’ll find tips from creating clickable resume pages to optimizing the text of your resume so it can be found more easily on search engines, databases and job hunting websites. Read Full Post

How Online College Students Can Compete with Other Students in Job Interviews
These days, online education is getting more respect from the public and from employers (see article below). But there are still a few strategies you should consider to level the playing field when you interview for jobs, and you can find them here. Read Full Post

The American Student Bill of Rights
If you’ve been reading the news lately, you have noticed that college students have become pawns in budget discussions in states from coast to coast. Amidst all the noise about cuts to Federal student loan programs and tuition increases at state colleges, we’ve decided to create a Bill of Rights for American Students. Want to know your rights? Read Full Post

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You Can Still Win an iPad2 in Our Summer Slam Contest

On average, StraighterLine students complete one or more courses in 40 days. That means there’s still plenty of time for you to take courses at StraighterLine this summer… and to win an iPad2. iPads will be awarded for Best GPA and most courses started and completed during the contest. So while you may not have time to complete the most courses this summer, you can still shoot for the Best GPA. Get the Special Summer Slam code and contest details here.

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Online Education in The News

Online education gaining credibility in labour market: Survey Ability to work full-time while studying key benefit
Canadian HR Reporter, 7/28/11

“Online education programs from post-secondary institutions are gaining credibility in the labour market,” according to a survey by DeVry Institute of Technology in Calgary reported on in the Canadian HR Reporter. Not surprisingly, 39% of the respondents cited being able to work full-time while studying as a key benefit, with 24% saying that online college courses are more convenient. (Note: DeVry Institute of Technology is a StraighterLine partner school.)

The article goes on to say that “As online courses have developed over the years, employers have taken notice. Almost one-half of survey respondents (47 per cent) believe online education has become more credible over the last five years. Furthermore, 76 per cent believe current online education offerings are moderately (46 per cent) or highly credible (31 per cent).” Read Full Article

More schools connecting with students through online classes
Lansing State Journal, Kathleen Lavey, 7/25/11

In Michigan, more schools are turning to online courses to reach dropouts, home schoolers, teen moms and suspended or expelled students. There are also new programs for students who will age out of the High School system at 20 before completing their credits in math, language arts and career prep.

Sergio Keck, who oversees bilingual education, preschool and Advance Path for the Lansing School District, expects “online classes to become a part of the wider school curriculum.” He continues, “In the near future, these are the programs that are going to drive the educational system in our nation.” We couldn’t agree more. Read Full Article

Cal State University plans for online university education
Daily 49er, Brianne Schaer, 7/27/11

Cal State is in the planning stages of developing an online university to “address California's expanding workforce needs and to provide increased individual access to high quality undergraduate and graduate education opportunities.”

The article in the Daily 49er also reports that the most contentious aspect of the initiative by the Technology Steering Committee, which is made up mainly of campus presidents in the California State University system, is not their intention to offer online college courses, but that they are considering “hiring a business partner to provide student services such as advising, financial aid, career services and tutoring.” Read Full Article

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Refer Your Friends and Earn Gift Cards

Why not let your friends in on the StraighterLine secret and make some extra money for yourself at the same time? Get a $25 Amazon.com Gift Card when your friends sign up for a StraighterLine online college course. There’s no limit to how many rewards you can earn. Get started now.

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 StraighterLine Welcomes New Partner Schools