Poor States Distance Learning

Great points.

 

IMO "Online education" requires greater self-discipline and greater motivation than traditional classroom based instruction. Simply offering more options does not make people more self-sufficient learners. I look at some of the "for profit" schools that offered easy access to funding and low admission standards. Many of those schools were providing a perfectly fine curriculum with decent instructors - but the kinds of students they were attracting were not really those best prepared to take advantage of the opportunities that those kinds of schools provided. In fact, the curriculums were often accelerated (used as a selling point- get your degree FAST!) and students who were already less than motivated found themselves overwhelmed and foundering beneath their obligations.

 

Vocational, technical or health care related schools bring added value, especially
in poor states the learned profession can be a stepping stone to rewarding career.
This has to be a part of the whole plan for the state and country.

 

If you're in a poorer state, you can still apply to an online school that has lower tuition, right? Nothing stopping someone from enrolling in WGU, for example. My preference would be that out of state tuition for online classes is removed; there is really no reason for it, and it would still be a cash cow for schools, while at the same time opening up opportunities for more people.

 

The availability, prevalence, and base concept of online programs negates the question since people can shop around for the best rates. The question in my mind for a long time has been "should online programs be less expensive, particularly for poorer students?"

Grants alone don't do it, and more student loans is definitely not the answer as that's a huge part of the problem. These tuition prices need to come WAY down in the United States and that's on the schools. Many for-profit schools charge too much, but many non-profit schools are sitting on royal endowments and would still make a killing if they charged half or less than half of their current rates which too are way overpriced, but somehow non-profit schools get a pass from the media and the general public.

 

Because some of us have brand loyalty. I grew up on Colgate. Now, the only toothpaste I buy is Colgate Optic White.

 

For that testimonial, they should give it to you free.
Post reported: advertising. (Not really.)

 

@chrisjm18 Chris, did you get any other endorsement deals with your Doctorate? Adidas, maybe?
@SteveFoerster. What's on the table for Baker College Doctoral grads? Anything from Nike?

 

Yes, I have endorsement deals from several airlines, which explains why I have taken a record (for me) 22 flights in 2022 (as of October 19th), with 6 more projected for December.

 

Awesome! I've been looking to see if Cadillac or maybe Fender Guitars will offer me some inducement - I'd like to earn a Doctorate in Rhythm & Blues. I have a Fender already - waited 55 years for it - but I wouldn't mind another. Or a Cadillac - never owned one. Been looking at schools in the Memphis area - should be one around there, if anywhere -- but so far, there isn't.

And getting back to the Bedrock of it all - The Blues -- I've said for 60+ years that "Mama Blues got somethin' for all her children" - but so far, even she isn't offering degrees. Not one, that I know of. Yes, you can study historical, musical or sociological aspects of blues - maybe a minor in those areas - but no strict 12-bar degrees. I could study for a certificate in Blues Guitar at Berklee - 12 credits for somewhere under $5K - but they could only be part of a Guitar degree. Great school, terrific blues instructors, but - no Blues degrees.

"I've got a Master's in rhythm and a minor in Soul
And a PhD in the Blues." - Lee Roy Parnell

Where'd he earn it? Oh yeah, "The Killer's five-piece band." BTW - "The Killer" a.k.a Jerry Lee Lewis, died a few days ago. Oct 28th, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Lee_Lewis

 

One school down, just 5,000+ to go.

Heh. With schools, there are some even cheaper than SUU, but people turn their noses up at those schools because they're small or have had a history of being nationally accredited. Funny to me, because schools are all teaching with similar lesson plans and from the same textbooks with the same exams from the educational packages their purchasing, sometimes even with comparably qualified instructors on staff. In my school version of the analogy, people are rejecting Aim often.

 

Or me!

 

I wouldn’t construe the due diligence that we often see here, with what occurs from a typical poor student searching for online courses. There’s a large number of arguably successful (financially) online for/profit schools charging 3-4x the tuition rates of community colleges for purportedly the same courses. Professional (persuasive) recruiters and free iPads can go a long way in encouraging students to enroll in more expensive programs…. Especially when the keys to a middle or upper class lifestyle are dangling.

From a faculty management perspective… the costs of online versus in-person are generally the same for the institution. While some tweaks can be made, many of the library services, student services, etc are required by the accreditors. The biggest cost savings is facility usage, but that can be marginal. While some schools have experimented with reduced tuition rates (ex. Georgia Tech’s amazing Masters in IT), most institutions don’t receive a significant cost savings. I’d be inclined to argue that the wider pool of non-local adjunct faculty talent is more valuable than any minor cost savings achieved.

I’m one who’s inclined to give a pass to many public non-profit schools for the student debt struggles that are impacting our society. Statistically, they’re just not the problem - from what I see.

 

Don’t say Fender too loud… I’ve had a Kingfish Telecaster Deluxe in my online cart for a few days now… struggling to avoid the final click…

 

That is an excellent point. My position isn't that they're directly comparable, just that the possibility for poorer students to utilize research is there. Of course, even if we took the typical rich person, we would still have a big leg up on them in this arena. This knowledge isn't common.

Usually they aren't the ones that need the savings because even with a reduction in tuition they still make a fortune. Larger schools often times hire lesser qualified instructors for their online programs and pay them significantly less than they do their ground-based instructors. The compensation tends to be laughable, and that to me is at least a place to start when considering cost reductions for the student, but they rarely happen.

Statistically, for-profit schools have a more significant contribution to the problem. But we also know that the problem is nearly 2 trillion dollars and millions of those students didn't attend for-profit schools. So no debate from me on which sector is responsible for the disproportionate share, I just stress that the problem is shared from both sectors. The way the media makes it seem, it's 100% from the for-profit direction and that's dishonest on their part, not that I expect honesty from them after all they've done over the years, but that's a whole other discussion.

 

Do it. I waited 55 years - and I wish now that I hadn't waited. If I had bought one right away, I'd have a 55-year-old Tele now that would be worth I-don't-even-know how many times what I would have paid! But I'm still ecstatic with the one I've got!

Just looked at a Kingfish - great choice. My Tele has two humbuckers, as does a Kingfish - but mine are Seymour Duncan double HotRails that fit in the usual Telecaster single-coil slots. I had mine built on a custom Canadian Black Walnut body - I saw the tree trunk it came from! I had two old-stock Fender / Don Lace single-coil pickups, but one of them turned out to be a dud. The replacements are SO good - I'm GLAD the thing failed - even though the replacements cost me $300 Cdn. They were worth it!

They say time spent playing tennis is not deducted from your lifespan. I think money spent buying Fender guitars should not be deducted from your bank account!

 

Telecaster prices in 1967, when I first wanted one - $204.50 for Standard, $244.50 for custom. Yeah - I could have done that. Silly me, for not doing it. How much would it be worth today? Found a blonde 1968 at $10,000. US Another - Pink Paisley (1968) $30,000 US!

Walnut Tele's like mine? Fender only made a few - in the custom shop in the 1980s. One of those goes for about $7,000 now, here.
How much was mine in early 2022? Around $1,450 and two years of running around looking for stuff. Time off for pandemic - closed stores. Only two disasters - both fixed. The dead pickup (better replacements) and the body: neck pocket was off-standard (too high) by 3/16 inch. Guy who made the body never showed, and it took me 6 months to find someone I could trust. That was my son. Perfect job. Numerical-control machining.

Custom body, custom pickups. everything else straight stock Fender. Neck is Fender US - California. Dark (pau ferro) fingerboard, dark almost no-lustre body. Looks like neck and body came from the same wood. Blow-away combo. I'm happy.

 

I used to play Gibson but when discovered Strat, never looked back.
Strat happen to have a larger headstock and more comfrtble for me to hold.