Free Republic

Online learning will continue to grow for several reasons. The first reason is because of the advent of high-speed Internet. Anybody with a home PC can now take a course online. If you have a laptop, you can take your course online and take it with you to the coffice (coffee house/office). That is where I am writing this. PCs and Macs are also becoming more affordable. For the price of one credit hour at some schools, a student can now buy a good desktop Dell or Gateway PC. There is no more driving to school, finding a parking place,...

Higher-ed accreditation practice does not have the trust it once had. Just because a school is accredited, it no longer means that the school can be relied on to deliver quality education. How many full-timers are there? It doesn't matter as much because they are not available. How many books are there in the library? It doesn't matter any more, because nearly all resources needed are now online. How much classroom space is there? It doesn't matter anymore, because students are taking classes online. How stable is the school financially? It matters a lot, because schools ought not be allowed...

The state teachers union went to court Thursday to shut down an online education program popular with hundreds of home-schooling families. Education Minnesota argues that state officials erred when they certified Minnesota Virtual Academy to receive public funding because the school relies mainly on parents to deliver the instruction while state law requires that licensed teachers do the teaching. “Is it public education or are we funding home schooling?’’ asked Education President Judy Schaubach. “Parents can make a choice to home school their children. But what we are talking about is what is the definition of public education.’’ State education...