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Jul
11
Photo by Cyfer13. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0
Registration for on-line courses has increased 35% to 114% this past year. With gas costing more than $4.00 a gallon, more and more students are opting to take on-line courses to try to save money. Even though many students prefer the campus experience, many feel have little choice. The cost of gasoline can be as much as 50% of the cost of tuition. Basically for some students, what it boils down to is taking courses on-line or not at all.
While taking courses on-line enables students to get around the high cost of gas, there are still some problems. Not all courses are offered on-line. Only a small fraction are and manyof those have waiting lists. Education institutions are having to train new staff as quickly as possible to meet the new demand.
The other problem for students hoping to take on line courses is that in some places like rural areas the high speed internet connections that on-line courses require is not available. Then, it becomes a question of equity.
I wonder if high speed internet access is going to be considered a common good and just like access to electricity in an earlier day, there will be a political will to make it available to everywhere everywhere. Maybe it’s a case of when big business is ready, the internet will come. I try not to be too cynical, but at my age it’s hard.
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Stumble It!
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If the high cost of gas is getting you down too try working on your continuing education with Knowledge Delivery System. I rushed to send in my paperwork for teacher recertification just before the due date. Sadly, I received notice that I didn’t have as many credits as I thought. I frantically scoured the internet trying to find quick, inexpensive courses accepted by my state, Georgia. I happened across KDS (Knowledge Delivery Systems.) I was able to get the credits I needed from the comfort of my own home for only $60 a course. I watched an online video, took a quiz and proceeded on to the next lesson. At the end of the course I sent in a “final” exam and was awarded the credit for that course. I was able to get the credits needed for my recertification in the short amount of time I had. Check it out at http://www.kdsi.org.