Posted on 2/23/2011, 12:34:25 PM by decimon
In his recent State of the State address, Texas Governor Rick Perry called for the state’s universities to begin offering a bachelor’s degree with a total cost (including tuition, fees, and textbooks) of only $10,000, in contrast to the current $26,800 to $45,300. If we include the cost to taxpayers, the total bill (at UT-Austin) runs to at least $95,000.
Can we really reduce that cost by nearly 90%, while maintaining or even improving quality? Yes, we can, if we do two things: intelligently exploit the huge economies of scale in higher education in Texas, with 950,000 students in college; and take full advantage of technology.
Students in our state universities spend most of their academic careers in large lecture courses. The word “lecture” dates from the Middle Ages, meaning “reading.” In the days before the printing press, when books were rare, it made sense for students to fill lecture halls so they could hear their teachers read aloud — this standard operating procedure of higher education is now 500 years old. With the availability of high-speed streaming, downloading, and wifi, the old methods make less and less sense.
At our state universities, there are as many as 100 different bachelor’s programs available, from Portuguese to textiles and apparels. There are few required classes in most majors: instead each university offers thousands of electives, each course being designed and delivered by individual faculty on an ad hoc basis. The vast cafeteria of offerings generates the need for thousands of different textbook titles, burdening students with hundreds of dollars of additional expense.
(Excerpt) Read more at pajamasmedia.com ...
Just so this new University has a top 25 football program and is BCS eligible....
Higher education — including secondary education — is not managed for the benefit of the student, but the learning institutions. The grading process creates many opportunities for teachers to arbitrarily reward certain students, and penalize those whose learning styles and speeds are simply different from what the course favors. I would like to see grades eliminated, except perhaps in comprehensive exams leading to the reward of a degree, for which students may prepare at their own pace and in their own way.
That’s brilliant, and it’s the kind of thing which could free large numbers of people from wanting to be demoKKKrats.
That's not the problem. The problem is changing the textbook every year or two. When I was in college, over a four year period there were three different editions of my Calculus textbook, at $75 a pop.
What ground shaking breakthroughs occurred in Calculus over those four years that demanded three rewrites of the book?
None. Publishers (and authors) come out with revised editions just to maintain the new book market, and to kill the used book market.
As for cost of a four year degree, most Community Colleges seem to be able to deliver the first two years at a very low cost vs. a typyical four year institution. But they aren't financing research labs, and they don't pay a senior professor $150,000 per year to teach two courses.
There's a bachelor degree for Portuguese?!? Seriously, can I make money from being fluent? Jeez, try dating a few Brasilians, if you don't get married you can save yourself $10K...or $35K at a commie university, and it's more fun.
..but is still Title IX compliant.
I signed up for a Calculus course in 74 which required a new book. By the time I went to buy the book, all the bookstores were out and even the Library didn’t have a copy. Try taking a math course without a book.
A couple years ago my Daughter took two introductory -ology courses at the local junior college. The 2 used books from the school bookstore ran $350.
Now she got smart and is renting as many of her books as she can from Chubb. Much cheaper.
I just took a class in Contract Law at a junior college. The book cost more then the tuition for the class.
No, it’s probably a degree in Romance languages, which I have.
It’s not good for much but I am fluent in Spamish, pretty good in French, and I have the joy of reading things like Platero Y Yo and Cervantes in the original which makes it all worth it.
And I agree with this article, we could lose half of the big higher education establishment and not miss it.
I’d be thrilled if my son’s textbooks were $75 a pop!
Oops Spamish-Spanish
Don’t apologize — “I am fluent in Spamish” may win funniest post of the day today.
A huge part of the problem is that tuition is not market driven. Universities take advantage of federal and state funding and increase tuition when aid increases.
If the parents had to make a true market decision on the value of a $100k tea-sip education or a $50k community college/tea-sip versus a community college/satellite university at $20k it would force the issue that the $100k education probably isn't going to be any better for little Johnny.
Especially when even in high school Johnny needs a daily cattle prodding to move from C territory to B territory where the more expensive school is even an option.
There are few degrees, issued today, that couldn’t be had by starting with 2 years of community college. (well over 50%!)
Yeah, I forgot to mention that this was in the 1981-85 time frame.
I don't think you can get that for ten grand. Yet, those things are usually self-funding.
Will the parties be attended online? Video conference? Will Facebook become the new Greek Organizations? Are dates included in the $10,000. Questions, questions, questions?
Quite the contrary. University tuition is precisely following market principles. The fact that universities can charge all that the market will bear shows that demand is still far outstripping supply. I don't know of a single major public university that is hurting for students.
The problem is the very high barriers to entry for competitors. You can't just go out and open "Yo-Yo University" on a whim. It has to be licensed by the state, and usually accredited by a private accrediting body.
Then you have the value issue. As an employer, are you more going to view a candidate with a degree from the University of Texas more favorably than one with a degree from YYU?
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