- This chapter begins by introducing StraighterLine, a rationally priced, online educating institution that doesn’t offer degrees. Jose Brown was only 6 math credits away from completing his general education requirements at George Washington University, so he takes these classes online and his school accepts the credits without an issue. When most people go to college, they dread taking their core classes. Would it be ideal for these types of people to take their general education classes through institutions like StraighterLine, so that when they attend their main college they can focus solely on their major?
- Selingo raises an interesting issue about the pricing of online classes. Burck Smith, the creator of StraighterLine, is bothered by the system in that “traditional universities and for-profit colleges typically charge the same price for online courses as they do for face-to-face versions, even though the online format is much less expensive to produce [79].” StraighterLines tuition only costs $99 for a month of classes! Many students can agree that an online class doesn’t leave as much impact and isn’t as rewarding as an in-person class. Therefore, the cost for online classes should be less than in-person classes.
- The process of transferring credits between two institutions is also an issue. Colleges are reluctant in accepting credits from StraighterLine courses simply because if they offer a similar course, they’d be missing out on revenue. This shows how the business aspect of higher education can be unfair to students.
- Selling makes a very interesting point when he suggests, “Degrees should be based on how much students know, not how much time they spend in a classroom [84].” Most colleges dwell on this tradition of the credit system, but knowledge should not be measured this way. The Competency-model is much more sensible in that it grants a degree to a student who earns the mastery of the subject through a series of assessment tests and allows them to go at their own pace.
- The story of Mike Russo and his ability to receive college credits for his life experiences was very interesting. It’s great how colleges can look beyond the college classroom experience and accredit students for other learning opportunities.
