Comments about ‘Affordable higher education not possible with high student debt, tuition costs’

Perhaps the fact that there is not significant entrance into the market suggests that taking advantage of new technologies to deliver high quality education is not quite as cheap or easy as the article implies. I sense that online technology can do a good job of content delivery for self-motivated students. It does not, however, do a great job of motivating less disciplined students nor does it yet seem to do a great job with building some of those transformational skills that a more holistic educational approach may build. Online education is growing rapidly but it does seem to have limits at this stage of its development.

Obviously, there is little money for students.
The most important US government funding has always been for defense. The wealthy contractors and big American business love wars. Brings in monumental amounts of money.
Number 2 is close behind, riding the coat tails of defense. We find that the wealthy will never have enough money. The Republican party has repeatedly told voters this, year after year. A much needed tax break for wealthy American Royalty almost trumps defense in 2012.
Please, tho, never offend our upper class folks and request a peek at their tax returns!

In the US, student loans, and especially private sector loans (insured by the federal government) are a consequence of congress person's need to portray themselves as benefactors, and their need to repay business campaign contributors. For a more enlightened (and honest) approach to subsidizing students, look up "Tertiary Tuition fees in Australia (wiki)." There is no interest that accrues, but amounts are adjusted to reflect inflation. Repayment is based on income (ability to pay).
We ought to call our representatives and insist that they look into the Australian model for paying for college. We might need federal universities for that, although some form of subsidization of public state universities might work. It is telling that the US congress has not explored better ways to help students.

"online technology can do a good job of content delivery for self-motivated students"
-Ricardo Carvalho

This may be a reach, but I going for it. Self-motivated PEOPLE are who I would be looking for if I were an employer ... particularly in health care and technology sectors that dominate the Wasatch front, and in sales related occupation that tend to dominate Utah across all industries.

Technology in education (particularly online)separates the producers from the "C for degree" crowd. The rather large fly in the ointment is private online universities. Even accredited ones are only too happy to give passing grades to soft students to maintain profitability.

I find it puzzling that the Open Courseware Initiative hasn't gained more traction. States could go a long way toward tapping latent talent by augmenting OCW with proctoring facilities. Though awarding degrees would be nice, Higher ed "GED's" would be an interesting new competitor.

I think it very plausible that a sufficiently motivated student could be self-taught using the MIT curriculum and pass the EIT. The "study group" of the 21st century is the internet. Seems like a better option than current student loan program

When students use student loans to pay for trips, the latest upgrades in cell phone technology, and yes, in some cases vacations and not the essentials of books and housing then I have no sympathy for them.

First thing here. Subsidized student loans like I am repaying are at 3.5% which is about 460% more than the banks are paying the fed for money. They pay the federal discount rate of .75% . That's very nice of the taxpayer to set the banks up so nicely.

Imagine if you could borrow money at .75%. You could make a lot of money and I don't know - Send your kids to college.

Perhaps my age is showing, but my experience with online education has not been stellar. I have taken online classes from a provider of professional continuing education and from online providers for businesses and govt. Each has been a disappointment.

Overall, the format seems fine for relatively simple, uncomplicated material. But it seems (at least to me) to lack the ability to tackle complex material. Also, the interaction with other student and the professor is slow and less robust. Perhaps the young (used to texting and an online world) find it less so.

Either way, I would not want to pay full price for online classes. Nor would I want a degree where the majority of coursework was online.

Just my own experience.

Nationwide, college budgets are being slashed, and when there is less state money to support them, budgets get cut and tuition goes up for students. We are still very fortunate in Utah, colleges here are a fraction of the cost elsewhere, even with the state subsidy decreases and tuition increases. Colleges in Utah are offering a lot of online courses, because they are cheaper to offer and because there is a market, but it will only work well for some, and for some courses/majors.

Two things will immediately help the situation: first, expand the applied technology schools/community colleges that do so much with so little. The second is reign in the for-profit colleges. Most of these "schools" provide lousy education at exorbitant costs, mostly paid by federal grants and loans, taking badly needed resources away from students at legit schools. These for profit schools get rich on the taxpayers dime, produce graduates with minimal skills and nowhere near the job prospects to earn enough to repay their loans, resulting in a high default rate.

What do you call it when an entire "developed" world is doing the same thing that doesn't make sense?

If companies want to hire competent "white collar" workers why don't they give them a test like they often do for "blue collar" folk?

Imagine that, a boss that has to actually know something about psycology, not just have gone to a collage where he/she partied for 4 years and paid smart poor kids to do thier term papers.

Imagine some smart guy being able to pass those exams without a $100,000 tied up in a college degree. WOW.

I took CLEP and DANTES tests in the military for supposed credit. You know how much of that actually translated to credit at universities? About 18 of 60 credits I tested out of. College has become a racket and means of dividing the privleged and not privleged.

Freedom I have never had a scholarship and paid for my university education on my own no student loans. I have worked full or almost full time since my first semester. My school will cost me somewhere around a quarter of a million dollars your numbers are a bit off I think. I think it is safe to say a smart guy can pass college without tying a $100,000 in debt don't you?

I feel the pain of college costs with 2 of our family members in college this year. SUU is coming in at just under $3000. a semester now with student fees. That's before books, living expenses and other costs. Some have stated that Utah charges less, but it sure hurts on our budget! Gone are the days that a student could work a summer job & save enough for college. Also, it seems that every year the price increases! I really don't want to see our family members take on student loan debt. It's so difficult to pay back!

jrgl,

I agree. When I was in college (sometime between the stone age and the age of pirates) you could work hard over a summer and just about have enough to cover all of your college expenses (room, board, books, and tuition) at a state college.

Now? Not a chance. Maybe if you are living at home but no other way.

For my kids, both in state and BYU/BYU-I college costs are at least $13,000 per year. What kid can NET over $1,100 per week at a 12 week summer job? Even working a little part-time over the school year is unlikely to bridge the gap.

Is it still possible to get an education? Sure. But for all of us old fogies out there, the math of the situation has changed dramatically for our kids and grandkids.

You could always do what I and many other members of my family did. Work while going to school. It's hard as all get out but it is rewarding and keeps you out of debt.

Re: "What we don't see is significant rethinking of how to provide superb post-secondary training at prices families can afford."

Step One -- Cut back the deranged spending on unnecessary faculty, facilities, and programs!

When I graduated law school in the early '80s, we graduated 125 students a year. Full-time faculty? 14, including the dean, who taught several classes. There were also 3 or 4 lecturers, and half-a-dozen adjuncts from the local bar.

Today, same law school graduates about 140 a year, but lists 54 full-time professors [not including the dean and assistant deans], 12 lecturers, and 101 adjuncts.

A recent tour of the facility revealed it has grown from one building to 4. With substantial additions to the main building, net square footage has, at least, quintupled.

That's a large part of the reason my tuition was $367 per semester [including a 10% grad-student surcharge], while today's is $12,235, %19,298 for out-of-staters.

That's more than a 1000% of the inflation rate.