To strengthen our nation, and the professional potential of our youth in particular, President Obama has revealed his ambitious educational goal of raising the number of American college graduates to No. 1 in the world by 2020.
On top of this, to fill upper-level jobs in fast-growing industries with the most qualified candidates, he has challenged every American to take at least one year of higher education or post-secondary training.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/higher-education
However, while the White House says that, “Earning a post-secondary degree or credential … is a prerequisite for the growing jobs of the new economy,” and that, ”Of the 30 fastest growing occupations, more than half require postsecondary education,” many of cost-conscious students are still wary of return on investment for the expense of a degree.
Specifically, a recent U.S. News & World Report interview with conservative pundit William Bennett provided good banter about risks versus benefits on the issue. A couple of takeaways: in 2008, 81% of adults thought college was a worthwhile investment; today, only 57% do.
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2013/05/09/why-a-college-degree-no-longer-guarantees-success
That’s where online higher education comes in. So far, costs are less; no paper textbooks, activity fees, and subsidizing campus investments on building upgrades and landscaping maintenance.
In fact, a study released today by Fidelity reports that 54% of parents expect their high school students to take online college courses for credit. And Columbia University’s Community College Research Center corroborates this, noting that 6.7 million students are now enrolled online – a spike of 29% in the same period. Plus, talk about cost-chopping: Georgia Tech, for example, just unveiled a new online Master’s degree in computer science for $6,600 (compared to the on-site campus tuition of $45,000 for out of state students, and $21,000 for Georgia residents).
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/want-to-save-on-college-ditch-dorms-campus-2013-08-21
However, you only get what you pay for, and it pays to choose an online college or university with care. In particular, with all the options available, students are now searching hard for the match that gives them the most support and resources all the way through their higher education experience.
That’s why schools – higher education institutions, specific departments and course faculty, and K-12 school districts and individual grade, middle and high schools – are now upgrading their online course systems in this competitive realm. What they’re looking for is a full-scale online platform that supports the whole “student life cycle,” whether they want to start with one class or department or school and expand from there, or to implement a complete overhaul of the whole college or school district online classroom experience.
Like all of us, when facing investment vs. returns, they’re looking for the most “value added” experience.
http://pandodaily.com/2013/07/24/moocs-weve-seen-this-movie-before-and-it-didnt-have-a-happy-ending/
So, what’s the solution to increasing enrollment in higher education, and to pushing the U.S. to be No. 1 in college and university graduates by 2020?
Not just online education, with its affordability and easy access – but high-quality online education. That means a “shared learning system” with vital, thorough student and faculty support systems complemented by a complete, highly creative toolbox for virtual classroom and campus connections.
In other words, a full-scale “knowledge center” that spans the student life cycle, whether from single class registration through completion, or from major track coursework start to finish, or from college application through graduation.
And there’s only one platform that can do all that. Only one that creates a knowledge center to span the entire student experience, and can be tailored to a specific class or department or for an entire school system or campus.
Check it out.
http://www.iq-technologies.com/use-case.html
Learning is social. iQ: Simply smart social media, for education.