Straight Talk: September 28, 2011

Straight Talk:  The StraighterLine e-Newsletter Issue #20, September 28, 2011
Edited by Jeffrey Lee Simons

In this issue…

Women and the Power of a Higher Education

By Beth Dumbauld
Did you know that researchers have linked women returning to school with a boost to self-image and self-esteem, increased personal satisfaction, greater opportunities for the pursuit of goals, more respect from others, more meaning, variety and purpose to their lives, and enhanced social and personal growth and development? In this StraighterLine Report, Beth Dumbauld discusses the challenges and opportunities for women pursuing a higher education. Read Full Report

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Stay Tuned for Our New Courses!

Your patience is about to be rewarded, and our new courses are just about ready to go. Click here to be notified the instant they’re available:

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

Best of The StraighterLine Blog

New Study: Record Numbers of College Grads Are Filing for Bankruptcy
Researchers have found college grads are filing for bankruptcy in record numbers. In fact, more college grads are filing for bankruptcy than just about anybody else. Barry Lenson takes a look at this troubling trend, and how you can make sure this doesn’t happen to you. Read Full Post

U.S. News College Rankings Hit the Stands Again
Although its new Online Rankings are far from ready (see below), U.S. News has once again published its now “classic” annual rankings of colleges and universities. Rather than jump on the bandwagon of dislike, Barry Lenson instead offers this survey of what others are saying about the rankings. Read Full Post

Busted Myth of the Week: You Can’t Start College until You’re a Civilian
If you a member of the U.S. armed services, you might have heard the common misconception that you have to delay college until after you return to civilian life. Not so, according to our latest Busted Myth. Read Full Post

Online Education in The News

Think Different? Not in Higher Ed
The Chronicle of Higher Education, Jeffrey Selingo, 9/22/11

In his recent post, Jeffrey Selingo, the editorial director of The Chronicle of Higher Education, compares the state of higher education with Apple’s “Think Different” philosophy and finds it wanting. He focuses in on the credential aspect of higher education, and a new $2-million competition from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur foundation to create and develop digital badges for lifelong learning. 

According to Selingo, “Under a badge system, colleges would no longer be the sole providers of a credential. While badges could be awarded by traditional colleges, they could also be given out by professional organizations, online and open-courseware providers, companies, or community groups.” The contest is also being supported by Mozilla, makers of Firefox. And U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called badges a “game-changing strategy”, and together with the Department of Veterans Affairs will award $25,000 for the best badge prototype for job-seeking veterans. Read Full Article

(You may also want to check out the $2-million Badges Competition: Badges for Lifelong Learning.)

Why We Aren't Participating in the U.S. News & World Report Online Education Survey
The Huffington Post, Deb Bushway, 9/19/11

The new U.S. News & World Report Online Education Survey is asking the wrong questions of online learning institutions, focusing on inputs rather than outcomes and providing no clarity on how answers will be weighted. That’s according to Deb Bushway, the interim president of Capella University, one of the leading online universities and a StraighterLine partner school.

Bushway explains: “The most commonly used measures for comparing one institution to another are focused on traditional inputs (or the qualities of students coming in the door) rather than educational outcomes (did students learn skills that will advance them in their careers). This leaves us with antiquated metrics that don't adequately measure our students.” That’s because Capella, like other online universities, have atypical student populations with atypical challenges. In Capella’s case, their average student is a 39-yer-old working mom. Read Full Article 

Online and Outsourced
Inside Higher Ed, 9/19/11

A task force’s recommendation to create a new, separate, degree-granting Nevada Virtual College is upsetting state community college faculties, according to this article in Inside Higher Ed. The task force, led by a powerful critic of government waste and former Chairman of the Nevada Spending and Government Efficiency Commission, was in response to widespread agreement that Nevada must do more to match higher education with its evolving job market. 

The task force recommended “a range of changes to the state's community colleges, including better collaboration with high schools, a focus on measurable student outcomes, outsourcing of remedial education and the creation of variable tuition rates. The overall theme of expanding student access to two-year degrees is one many faculty members and community college leaders support.”

So where is the vitriolic disagreement? It concerns the task force’s recommendation to “create an online community college and outsource its operation to a vendor, such as a for-profit or Western Governors University…” The article cites responses such as “ludicrous and without merit,” “A new institution and process is not needed,” and “should never get off the starting block.” Read Full Article

 StraighterLine Welcomes New Partner Schools