Lowering the cost of college

[CosmicCowboy]

I would support the creation of a free government backed online university which as a minimum offers all the "basic" classes. This would allow those that choose to get the first 50-60 hours for free. Universities that get any state or federal funds would be required to accept the credits. The system would also offer the opportunity to test out of classes. Motivated high school kids could do their online work ahead of time and graduate their undergraduate stuff in a couple of years at half the cost. I would even be ok with doing the full 4 years online for free.

[SpursforSix]

I would support the creation of a free government backed online university which as a minimum offers all the "basic" classes. This would allow those that choose to get the first 50-60 hours for free. Universities that get any state or federal funds would be required to accept the credits. The system would also offer the opportunity to test out of classes. Motivated high school kids could do their online work ahead of time and graduate their undergraduate stuff in a couple of yea rd s at half the cost. I would even be ok with doing the full 4 years online for free.

I'm certainly not against the idea of lowering education. I do like the idea of testing out of classes. Put out some kind of syllabus and recommended reading and then let the kid be able to test out. Especially if its a basic class and not part of the kid's major.

As to your 4 year play, would a degree from the U.S. online university be worth much? You could have hundreds of thousands of kids spending time studying and passing these tests and then getting into the job market and competing with kids with traditional degrees.
But I do like the idea of getting

[CosmicCowboy]

I am NOT ok with making the current atrociously expensive system "free"

[CosmicCowboy]

I'm certainly not against the idea of lowering education. I do like the idea of testing out of classes. Put out some kind of syllabus and recommended reading and then let the kid be able to test out. Especially if its a basic class and not part of the kid's major.

As to your 4 year play, would a degree from the U.S. online university be worth much? You could have hundreds of thousands of kids spending time studying and passing these tests and then getting into the job market and competing with kids with traditional degrees.
But I do like the idea of getting

Why would an online degree be worth less? Knowledge is knowledge.

[Pavlov]

I would support the creation of a free government backed online university which as a minimum offers all the "basic" classes. This would allow those that choose to get the first 50-60 hours for free. Universities that get any state or federal funds would be required to accept the credits. The system would also offer the opportunity to test out of classes. Motivated high school kids could do their online work ahead of time and graduate their undergraduate stuff in a couple of years at half the cost. I would even be ok with doing the full 4 years online for free.https://media0.giphy.com/media/Y9lrwe7pFO3Xa/giphy.gif

Guess I've seem worse proposals though....

[SpursforSix]

Why would an online degree be worth less? Knowledge is knowledge.

You don't think the kid with a degree from UT is going to have an advantage over one with a degree from the U.S. University of Online Brilliance?

[spurraider21]

Why would an online degree be worth less? Knowledge is knowledge.
grad schools consider where you went to college during admission considerations. if you are trying to get a job after a 4 year degree, employers will consider what school you went to.

it matters more in some fields than others

[CosmicCowboy]

You don't think the kid with a degree from UT is going to have an advantage over one with a degree from the U.S. University of Online Brilliance?

Not if it's done properly. The education doesn't have to be sub-standard.

[spurraider21]

I am NOT ok with making the current atrociously expensive system "free"
- well you obviously exclude private schools from this, and no vouchers
- i think you can start with community colleges for sure, as they tend to be very cost effective to begin with. or just the first 2 years of a 4 year school, when you are mostly knocking out GE's and lower division stuff anyway
- would probably be controversial, but imo you have to exclude certain fields of study

[SpursforSix]

Not if it's done properly. The education doesn't have to be sub-standard.

If it's a U.S. online program, sub-standard is what you'll end up with. I think it could easily turn into an "everyone's a winner" situation.

[CosmicCowboy]

- well you obviously exclude private schools from this, and no vouchers
- i think you can start with community colleges for sure, as they tend to be very cost effective to begin with. or just the first 2 years of a 4 year school, when you are mostly knocking out GE's and lower division stuff anyway
- would probably be controversial, but imo you have to exclude certain fields of study

Why? As long as the testing is legit, I see no reason it couldn't work.

[SpursforSix]

Why? As long as the testing is legit, I see no reason it couldn't work.

How are you going to deal with labs or in the field study?
Or on hands experiments, engineering projects, etc?

[ElNono]

I much rather we spend the money is a solid trade school system, tbh

[CosmicCowboy]

You don't think the kid with a degree from UT is going to have an advantage over one with a degree from the U.S. University of Online Brilliance?

Do you think the kid with the online degree would have an advantage over a kid that couldn't afford a four year degree from UT so didn't go?

[CosmicCowboy]

How are you going to deal with labs or in the field study?
Or on hands experiments, engineering projects, etc?

I did nothing in my engineering stuff that couldn't have been done on-line except for a surveying class.

[SpursforSix]

I did nothing in my engineering stuff that couldn't have been done on-line except for a surveying class.

Thanks for the anecdote. What about the rest of my question? Labs, field studies, etc.

[CosmicCowboy]

I'm not saying you should be able to go to med school online, but you should be able to get the undergraduate biology degree online.

[SpursforSix]

Do you think the kid with the online degree would have an advantage over a kid that couldn't afford a four year degree from UT so didn't go?

You're moving the goalposts. The kid with the online degree is competing with the kid with a traditional college degree.

[CosmicCowboy]

You're moving the goalposts. The kid with the online degree is competing with the kid with a traditional college degree.

so?

[boutons_deux]

Alamo Colleges Developing Free Tuition Program for All Bexar County HS Grads

https://therivardreport.com/alamo-colleges-developing-free-tuition-program-for-all-bexar-county-hs-grads/

[SpursforSix]

so?

Go back to my original posts. It's clear you haven't thought this through and instead of discussing the problems with it, you're just saying you think it would work.

[spurraider21]

Why? As long as the testing is legit, I see no reason it couldn't work.


grad schools consider where you went to college during admission considerations. if you are trying to get a job after a 4 year degree, employers will consider what school you went to.

it matters more in some fields than others

[CosmicCowboy]

Go back to my original posts. It's clear you haven't thought this through and instead of discussing the problems with it, you're just saying you think it would work.

And you are being a degree snob automatically assuming the education would be inferior.

[SpursforSix]

And you are being a degree snob automatically assuming the education would be inferior.

I'm not being a degree snob at all. Just being realistic. And the education would be inferior if the students aren't able to do labs, field studies, etc.

[CosmicCowboy]

I'm not being a degree snob at all. Just being realistic. And the education would be inferior if the students aren't able to do labs, field studies, etc.

You just want to argue to argue don't you? Let UT accept the hundred hours of online non lab, non field trip etc. classroom work and the kid can take the 20 hours that require that at UT. He graduates with $20,000 of debt and not $200,000 of debt.

[SpursforSix]

You just want to argue to argue don't you? Let UT accept the hundred hours of online non lab, non field trip etc. classroom work and the kid can take the 20 hours that require that at UT. He graduates with $20,000 of debt and not $200,000 of debt.

Wtf dude. All anyone did on here (including me) was simply point out problems with your idea. Mainly as you applied it offering a 4 year degree across any field of study

[Spurminator]

The idea definitely has potential. I'm on board.

[koriwhat]

schools need to get rid of the mandatory basic courses unless they coincide with your degree. english for non english majors is stupid just like math is for non math majors and electives are dumb altogether. indoctrination stations are a waste of money!

[spurraider21]

The idea definitely has potential. I'm on board.
would certainly be a massive upgrade to our current system. i do think we can eventually catch up to other countries like germany and sweden and have it apply to campuses too (at least for public universities)

[Trainwreck2100]

It could work but more likely we'd have a "Teach to the test" system we have in HS, and students will continue being unable to have basic critical thinking.