Obama has the idea of funding it with a grant.
Source link: http://blog.mises.org/10751/yeah-this-is-what-online-education-needs/
Yeah, this is what online education needs
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The Ludwig von Mises Institute
Tu Ne Cede Malis
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Investing in one of the few growing industries of the economy. The horror. Better returns on this $500M then the asinine cash for clunkers and $8,000 first time how homebuyer giveaway. Adding a little diversity and competition to traditional campus university’s is not a bad thing…maybe even stimulate a little competition that brings down the cost of education.
The game is on again. This time its not housing, but rather education. Subsidizing education, be it loans, increases the cost of higher education. The quality of education does not change. The number of participants (students) do, increase enrollment through quick and easy subsidized governmental student loans. How is this different from the housing boom?
Except that with education the quality DOES change, because schools become dependent on the state and therefore subject to the state’s demands, which will inevitably include indoctrination when “society” is not perfect enough to our dear leaders.
“Investing in one of the few growing industries of the economy. The horror. ”
Indeed. The horror. This isn’t investment. This is forceful expropriation, and no, Obama has no clue whether it is a profitable investment or not, i.e. one directed to consumers’ most urgent wants (ranked as always subjectively.)
I am with Inquisitor on principal but the on-line schools are already depending on govenrment money. It is horrible, but as yet insignificant. These On-Line universities get their money from the local, state and federal governments indirectly through loans and grants to students. This 500 mil looks like the first installment on Washington trying to get direct involvement in picking winners and losers in this business and you can bet that it will start with the for-profit companies.
Well let’s start with perhaps the best of the on-line educators in the world – Ron Paul!
And then let’s use a blog – an online tool!
Money and Ethics
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Gold-based Banking In The Islamic World And In The Free Market!
Especially interesting was the freedom that Congressman Paul described ( http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=25969 ) when he discussed the Islamic banking system. Gold was established during the interview as the common foundation between classical liberalism and Islamic banking. Just like the errors of the Christian Church, Islam has misinterpreted interest (or usury) due to an early (non-scientific) misunderstanding of time preference which really wasn’t scientifically discovered formally until much more modern times. In fact most economic systems and their proponents (ie., fallacious economic systems and their quacks) even today are still confused about time preference.
Back to the point, Ron Paul actually encourages those in the Islamic world to develop their system of banking so to fit their cultural requirements and recognizes that any system based on gold, as is the Islamic system, has great merit!
This is a clear case of ‘Caveat Emptor’.
Many of these diploma mills aren’t worth the paper the diploma is printed on.
The gov justs wants more control over the educational focus of these mills, with a de-emphasis of critical thinking and the factory production of more drones for the corporations and grateful voters for the party.
All of these folks sitting at home in their little cubicles starring at their computer screens preparing to continue to sit in their little cubicles at work starring at their computer screens.
Oh, and let’s not forget that little gov goal of getting all of these on line folks deep in debt to keep them on the treadmill.
After all we’ve got those, as yet, unfunded liabilities pending.
Caveat Emptor!!!
A consortium of Japanese universities created their own online education system about 6 years ago. They essentially just video the lectures (including the lecturer’s Powerpoint slidesssszzzzz). Some of these “online courses” are just backups, for students who missed a lecture (or 10); some are open to registered students in other universities, and some (a few) are completely open to anyone.
This system was developed using a government grant. Recently, the consortium won another 3-year government grant to develop courses for the general public. The condition is that they are not allowed to charge the public for these. Another condition is that, although the money runs out after 3 years, the consortium MUST continue to offer public courses for a further 7 years ago, during which time all courses offered to the general public MUST be free of charge.
Inexplicably, I’m reminded of a Marty Feldman routine, in which Feldman plays an airline pilot having fun torturing his passengers with announcements like “please help us balance the plane by all moving to the rear of the aircraft immediately…. but DO NOT REMOVE YOUR SAFETY BELT!”
great. I really think grants are required to promote online education. They can really help financially backward people who want to get qualified.
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