University of the People - Providing Low Cost Online Degree Courses Worldwide
Email advertising blanketed the edublogs community today (I got four) announcing the 'University of the People', purportedly the "the world's first tuition-free, internet-based academic institution." The New York Times, which also got the same press release, channels it uncritically into an article. The term "tuition-free" is just a nicety; students will still have to pay to register and take tests. The term "university" is also a misnomer; it still seeks accreditation. None of this means that the venture won't work. It's just you don't get to call yourself "first" until you've actually done what you say you've done.. Seb Schmoller, Fortnightly Mailing, January 26, 2009. [Link] [Tags: Assessment, Marketing, Academia, Tuition and Student Fees] [Previous][Next]Comments
Re: University of the People - Providing Low Cost Online Degree Courses Worldwide
It may be of interest to note that the UoP founder Shai Reshef's main enterprise, cramster.com, appears to be a website designed at least in part to facilitate cheating on homework.
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Re: University of the People - Providing Low Cost Online Degree Courses Worldwide
First, the market is those currently priced out of the "market", third world students. quality is maintained by brick space testing and demonstration of competency. As such its a perfect model of Clayton Christensen's disruptive technology. And it is also an example of Anderson's "Long Tail". If it works, in the spirit of web 2.x, it will change, profoundly, the entire post secondary education system, particularly the mid-range public institutions and community colleges.
Second, Cramster.com is as much a cheat site as any "help desk" in an institution is or the virtual service offered through universities, Smart Thinking. If Cramster is an indication, as other sites, such as Live Mocha, the community of those wanting to learn and exchange knowledge will prove UoP as a success
Third, Accredting may never be needed if the graduates prove to be equal or better than those who are graduating from today's accredited institutions and who can't write or do math and have to be retrained on the job at great expense. Never-the-less, UoP will seek such.
The founder has hit the nail on the head. The primary purpose of a university, today, is certification. The courses are just preparation for passing tests along the way and there is no reason, as many universities now acknowledge, that a student can't get advanced standing by showing knowledge skills obtained outside of the institution. The university "as community", for many, is an illlusion since they are collecting credits while holding down jobs and other obligations. Yes, there are some institutions where there is a faculty/learner community but they are few and far between and one pays to play there.
tom
tom abeles,
tabeles@hotmail.com [Comment]
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Re: University of the People - Providing Low Cost Online Degree Courses Worldwide
It is disheartening to hear people call cramster.com a place for people to cheat. Cramster.com has a strict anti-cheating policy and have removed users who were abusing the service.
If students don't understand what their professor or textbook author is saying, who better to turn to than other experts and students taking the classes. They may be able to provide a different spin on the problem which helps the student understand how to get to the solution.
Cramster.com is a community of experts, students, and educators which supports the 24-hour needs of students. It provides students tools such as a Q&A board moderated by subject matter experts and educators alike, a bank of practice exams and lecture notes, and step-by-step solutions to math, science, and business problems. Cramster.com provides the student a different avenue than waiting in line to see the professor to get answers to their questions.
-kim
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Re: University of the People - Providing Low Cost Online Degree Courses Worldwide
In what way is this different from a diploma mill? On the website, if you dig deep enough, they say "At the present time, the University of the People is not recognized by any quality assurance organization or public body which regulates higher education. The University of the People is not accredited, and at the present time academic credits awarded by the University of the People are very unlikely to be accepted on transfer by any accredited institution in the United States." If no one recognizes it or the degrees it gives, then what kind of university is it?
I think this organization is an insult to the concept of open education. [Comment]
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Re: University of the People - Providing Low Cost Online Degree Courses Worldwide
Attaining accreditation can take up to 3 years. A university has to be up and running for at least one year before they can apply. Therefore there is a slight catch 22. Does that mean no one dare try to improve education? [Comment] [Permalink] [Previous][Next]
Re: University of the People - Providing Low Cost Online Degree Courses Worldwide
The Free Open University has been around since 1999 and has graduated students and even has Doctoral Candidates. Free Open University is totally Free and open to learners who have not completed high school such as those in the developing world. University of the people costs as must as you local community college and is run by an organization that has helped students cheat for years.
The Cramster cheat booklets have been outlawed at every respectable institution and serve only to help students circumvent the requirement to read the textbooks.
There is even a law suite pending against Cramster and the owner of University of the People for deaths of workers related to an incompetent engineer that cheated his way through college with Cramsters.
So now you can add lying to cheating and murder. Why would anyone go to a schools run by a company that's business is cheating? [Comment]
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Re: University of the People - Providing Low Cost Online Degree Courses Worldwide
The univerity of the people is still in trial stage, it has yet to even start classes officially. Whether or not their is a lawsuit against them is nothing new for learning institutions, it's engraved in schooling history.
As human beings we always fight change whether it's good or bad!!!! [Comment]
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Re: University of the People - Providing Low Cost Online Degree Courses Worldwide
I would like to remind everybody that you must operate for a time before seeking accreditation, always. Therefore, the lack of a credential is acceptable for a certain amount of time and perhaps permanently for an endeavor like this. It is literally impossible to become accredited for quite some time and to become accredited you MUST operate and have a faculty and STUDENTS. No exceptions.
Additionally lack of accreditation does not make a school a diploma mill, lack of educational value does. Accreditation seeks to make it easier to tell, but does NOT determine if a school is a mill. Period.
I think this is a wonderful idea. [Comment]
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