Online Courses and the $100 Graduate Degree

First time accepted submitter GCA10 writes "Forbes reports on the latest project of Google Fellow Sebastian Thrun (the proponent of self-driving cars.) He's moved on to education now, believing that conventional university teaching is way too costly, inefficient and ineffective to survive for long. So he started Udacity, which aims to deliver an online version of a master's degree for $100 per student. From the article: 'Udacity’s earliest course offerings have been free, and although Thrun eventually plans to charge something, he wants his tuition schedule to be shockingly low. Getting a master’s degree might cost just $100. After teaching his own artificial intelligence class at Stanford last year—and attracting 160,000 online signups—Thrun believes online formats can be far more effective than traditional classroom lectures. “So many people can be helped right now,” Thrun declares. “I see this as a mission.”'"

I took his AI class

[John Courtland]

I thought his whimsical attitude and passion for teaching were amazing and I learned a lot for zero dollars. I'd easily pay 100 bucks to have him teach me more stuff.

Re:I took his AI class

[snkline]

I didn't care much for the AI class (I took the Machine Learning class at the same time, which I felt was far superior), however his Robot Car class was really good. It took the practical application aspect the Machine Learning class had, making it far more engaging. I love Udacity, Coursera and MITx, the problem is I think I'm a little ADD, I sign up for just about everything and can't keep up given the limited time I can devote to them outside work.

We need more Tech schools / apprenticeships

[Joe_Dragon]

We need more Tech schools / apprenticeships as yes you do need some training but CS is not IT and 2-4 years is a long time to sit in class room with at times learning very few skills needed to do the job.

Split the teaching from the testing.

[khasim]

Right now we have testing centers for vendor-specific certifications.

Run the classes on-line for whatever price.
Those who just want to learn can stop there.
Those who want a degree can pay to take the tests at the testing centers.

For more complex tests either offer them in central locations or have traveling test sites. These would be more expensive than the other tests, but probably a LOT cheaper than the current model.

Re:You get what you pay for

[paiute]

Look at it this way; in the future an employer needs to select a new hire. 2 people apply, both with master's degress. One paid $40,000 a year for it, one paid $100 a year. Which is the smarter one?

So one went to Harvard and the other watched some Youtube videos and maybe emailed in a couple of tests and a thesis of some sort to an advisor of such demand that they charged nothing for their services.

In the grand scheme of things, yeah, the second one might be "smarter", but as a real employer I will have to go with the first person.

Re:You get what you pay for

[Missing.Matter]

As part of that $40k you're also getting contacts and connections. You think Prof. Thrun is going to recommend you to a colleague who might be hiring, or provide a reference for you? Because I know my master's advisor certainly will.

Re:You get what you pay for

[LilGuy]

Which one is going to stick to the job because he sold his first born child to cover the debts?

Re:I took his AI class

[Johnny Mnemonic]

160,000 students @ $100 each is $16M.

$16M at $32k buys 500 TAs / year.

160K students / 500 TAs is 320 students / TA.

One TA could give each student one dedicated hour every other month and maintain a regular 40 hr per week year round schedule.

That's not that far off from being reasonable.

If you pay the TAs only $15K-20K you would have budget for overhead and profit, or more TAs for more FTF time.

Re:You get what you pay for

[flyingfsck]

If that was true then immigrants will never find work, since they leave their fraternal network behind. I am now working in my third country.

Re:You get what you pay for

[khipu]

The business case here is that it is expensive (time-wise) to develop content for 100 students, but becomes much cheaper to do so for 200,000.

But many other costs of education, grading, feedback, etc., are proportional to the number of students. The amount of personal time you get from instructors for $100 is at most a few hours. For some students, that's enough. For most, it isn't.

Re:You get what you pay for

[vlm]

The amount of personal time you get from instructors for $100 is at most a few hours. For some students, that's enough. For most, it isn't.

I'd strongly disagree with "most". 200 students and one hour of office hours and the guy doesn't speak english anyway is not an unusual situation.

There is nothing wrong with people who have learning problems going to special schools that cost $50K/yr and everyone else goes to the $50/yr school.

The purpose of higher ed is not to hold your hand like a kindergartner anyway, its to teach you how to teach yourself. Look at the environment you'll be in when you graduate.

Re:Look at it this way ...

[__aaeihw9960]

Panflation is an interesting theory - one that there is more truth to than I would like to think about. I also employ people, or rather used to, before I got my soul back.

What I find most interesting about panflation, though, is that it is directly related to the baby-boomer lesson of 'you're special, there's never been anyone like you' that we've been force fed for the last 50 years or so. It starts with participation trophies in youth sports. It is highlighted by inflated grades, and the relative inability to hold a student back in today's educational system. I say relative inability, because this is how it goes: The school says, 'this child isn't learning anything - s/he needs to be held back,' which causes the parents to squawk 'NOPE,' while flailing their arms. Why? Because all of the research states that holding students back isn't effective (in minority and students in poverty), is over applied (in minority and students in poverty), and has alternatives that are as simple as increased parent participation (for minority and students in poverty) and even as simple as better classroom management practices! You hear that? It's not your fault!!! It never was!!! What's the issue here? -----The people who are reading this research are generally White, Suburban, Middle- to Upper-Middle Class folks. NOT the folks living in poverty, or minority groups that it is intended for.

What we are seeing with grade inflation at brick and mortar universities is the end result of two facts: (a) no one wants to be the bad guy anymore, so no one fails, and (b) we have been fed, for 50 years or so, that if we don't agree with a decision, we can FIGHT THE POWER, and DESERVE to get our way; and if we can't get our way, just call Mommy and Daddy, so they can threaten the school with lawsuits or some other bullshit.

I'm not sure where that came from, but there it is. I'm not saying that I disagree with you, I'm just saying that when articles point out whole-life inflation, but refuse to call attention to the underlying problem, I get a bit steamed.

I wish there was an online option for when I went through graduate school. At least then I wouldn't have needed to play monkey-boy for a Faculty Member to pay for it (yes, those words are capitalized; he made that abundantly clear to me).