Straight Talk: July 6, 2011

Straight Talk:  The StraighterLine e-Newsletter Issue #14, July 6, 2011
Edited by Jeffrey Lee Simons

In this issue…

Special Offer for WGU Students: $50 Tuition Credit

Last issue we announced the partnership between StraighterLine and WGU Washington. But did you know that we actually have partnership agreements with WGU Indiana and Western Governors University, too? Or that WGU accepts most of our college-level courses for full credit?

Or even better, that you can get up to a $200 tuition credit* from Western Governors University for up to 4 StraighterLine courses that you transfer to Western Governors University, WGU Indiana and WGU Washington. Additional StraighterLine courses will transfer without a tuition credit.

 

*Click here for details.

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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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U.S. History, Western Civ and 13 Other New Courses

Our curriculum keeps on growing! For the 2011 Back-To-School season, we’ll be going live with 15 new online college 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

With all the news about the rising costs of traditional higher education, we thought it was important to give you some helpful tips on how you can save money and still get the education you want.

Seven Habits of Incredibly Frugal College Students
With college tuitions rising, saving money on college is more important than ever. Luckily, you don’t have to figure out how to save money on your own! Barry Lenson shows you how other college students do it in this recent post. Read Full Post

Unusual Ways to Pay for College Tactic #4 . . . Set Up a 529 Plan
Our popular series on thinking outside of the box to pay for college continues with a couple of not so uncommon strategies. Tactic #4 explains why a 529 Plan is a tool worth considering. And when you’re done with that, go back and read Tactic #3: File a FAFSA, No Matter What! Read Full Post

More Evidence that American Higher Education is Pricing Itself out of Reach
According to The College Board, tuitions and fees at public universities have surged nearly 130% over the last two decades, while Federal student loan aid has stagnated and student debt has skyrocketed. Read Full Post

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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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Online Education in The News

If you’ve been reading the news the last couple of weeks, it’s beginning to look like Online Education is reaching an acceptance tipping point. Leading universities like Stanford are expanding their online credentials, more and more universities are turning to outside providers for online support, and even U.S. News and World Report has announced that they’ll be covering accredited Online Universities. 

Stanford faculty collaborate to improve online education
Stanford University News - Stanford Report, Melissae Fellet, 6/28/11

Stanford University News reports “Several Stanford faculty members are working together to improve online education at the university by developing new software and testing it in the classroom.”

According to the article, “Online courses increase information availability for students. Prerecorded lectures can free up class time for more interaction between students and teachers. Students help each other in discussions similar to a comment thread on a social networking site. And supplemental interactive lessons can help reduce disparity among students with different educational backgrounds.” Here at StraighterLine, we couldn’t agree more. Read Full Article

Universities turn to outsourced instructors
USA Today, Didi Tang, 6/29/11 

Although virtually unheard of a decade ago, more and more universities are turning to for-profit online learning partners to help them cut costs, access bigger markets and add expertise, according to this article in USA Today. "Given the significant reduction in state support for public education, compounded by the fact institutions need to maintain quality programs, we are going to see additional innovative attempts at partnerships that will address both issues of being able to provide cost-efficient programs that are high quality," says Daniel Hurley, director of state relations and policy analysis for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.

The article cites several models of partnerships with online learning providers, including StraighterLine, who provides “…inexpensive online college courses…” and “…has direct agreements with 23 institutions, including Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kan., Charter Oak State College in New Britain, Conn., and the online Western Governors University.” Read Full Article

U.S. News & World Report to Collect Online Education Data
U.S. News & World Report, Robert J. Morse, 6/29/11 

You may already have heard that starting as early as mid-July, U.S. News & World Report will begin collecting data from all online bachelor’s and 5 online master’s degree programs in the US. But you may not have seen the letter they’re sending to college presidents to request that information. We think it makes for interesting reading… a behind the scenes look at what the most popular college ranking publication thinks is important. Read Full Article

Win an iPad2 – There’s Still Time!
Did you know you could take college courses at StraighterLine this summer? Of course you did. But did you also know that two smart, talented StraighterLine students who sign up for online college courses using the special Summer Slam code will win an iPad2 this summer? iPads will be awarded for Best GPA and most courses started and completed during the contest. Get the code and contest details here.

 StraighterLine Welcomes New Partner Schools