Dont download degrees? March 21
My local University paper, The Daily Tar Heel ran an article a few days ago flaming the concept of online education like a pittsburged steak.
The editorial board claims that it would devalue the prestige of the University. A letter to the editor by a student advocates that a true education cannot come from a computer program. In fact this student claims: The purpose of the University is to create a tangible environment where people can personally interact together through discussion, collaboration and action. True education cannot come from a computer program and virtual interaction is no substitute for authentic human contact.
The article also claims that it would make obtaining a degree “to easy” and further states that “[We] want to become the nation’s leading public institution, not another pop-up ad”.
O’RLY?
Well now, if an online education devalues prestige then why is MIT offering online courses? There is no charge to learn the same course and content the students take in residence. About 1400 of MIT’s classes are available online for free right now, by the end of the year all of MIT’s classes (nearly 1800) will be freely available. A lot of Universities are also moving to selling their courses on iTunes for a very minimal cost (podcasts). Some of the Universities that participate in the iTunes podcasts are Berkeley, UCLA, Purdue, Stanford, NC State, Rice, Duke Law, Georgetown, Harvard, and many more nationally ranked Universities.
When referring to “tangible environments where people can personally interact together through discussion, collaboration and action,†the internet movement that has revolutionized communication as we know it is completely ignored. I was taken back to hear this statement from a college student. If there is ANY place more conducive for the aforementioned it surely IS the internet. Social networking websites like myspace.com and facebook.com have revolutionized interpersonal, social, and cross cultural communication. College message boards like CampusBlender.com (to include partyheels.com, partyeastcarolina.com, and partyapp.com among 100 other college sites) facilitate an environment open for students at local universities or nationwide. In this website people share their thoughts, views, and opinions with each other on various topics in various forums, thus developing themselves further than the borders of one institution or local environment. What better environment can you ask for?
The internet itself is devoted to the free exchange and dissemination of ideas and information. To chastise such an institution in its use as an educational tool is not only foolish, but a very poor and ignorant decision. So with all due respect, “True Education†is not confined within the borders of any classroom or University. It is only confined to the limits you place upon yourself to learn from.
In closing I find the absurd yet hypocritical accusation that online academia would make it “to easy” to obtain a degree quite interesting. The University has increasingly become interested in combating GPA inflation. Some blame the Liberal Arts Curriculum, some say it is the result of good teachers and good students, others waive off the issue and say it doesn’t warrant any drastic action. If there is one thing that is for sure, grade and GPA inflation still perterbs officials, because high marks remain a concern, and as long as there are a surplus of high marks, grade inflation is still an issue. In case you haven’t caught on by all the links, it already seems easy enough to obtain a degree from UNC. The only thing you really have to do is get in. Financial aid meets 100% of students requested financial aid needs, so in reality cost isn’t even an issue, only admission.