University of the People (Ivy League, skills, degrees, cost)

[Alphalogica]

Has anyone heard of this university? I stumbled upon it while reading about the higher education bubble online tonight. (I take enormous personal interest in the topic)

University of the People

One hurdle that appears apparent to me is the university's lack of accreditation, but they appear to be working on this.




(As one could surmise from my post count, post history, etc. I'm not merely trying to advertise the school, I'm genuinely interested of what others think of the concept)

[ambient]

The main problem is that if you send in a resume with that school on it, people will laugh themselves sick and then blow their nose in it - and toss it in the trash.

I would steer clear until it becomes recognized as a legitimate institution. Don't care if it's free - time is valuable, too.

[Alphalogica]

Originally Posted by ambient

I would steer clear until it becomes recognized as a legitimate institution. Don't care if it's free - time is valuable, too.

Totally agreed. However, I do think once developed, it is a potentially game-changing concept.

[Alphalogica]

I should note that I'm an undergrad at a brick-and-mortar 4 year in Texas, so I'm not seriously looking at UofPeople.

[dgz]

I think this is a great idea--provided that they can get the quality of their product to the point of accreditation. I've been in the corporate training field for many years and I can tell you that the difference in performance between a employee who has a degree from 'ivy league' school or 'state' school or 'online and accredited' school is very small... Ultimately, the person who is hired is the one bringing the most experience for the least cost (salary). The degree requirement is just something that we need to 'check off' a list. At least this has been my experience in hiring and working with 9 major companies over the last 25 years.

Additionally, as more experienced professionals are going back to school for their 2nd or 3rd degree (usually MBAs or some type of Master's), they are going through accredited online schools and as they're having positive experiences with these schools, they are increasingly open to hiring people from a broader range of schools... again, providing that the schools are accredited and that the applicant is coming in with strong experience.

Also, with 'University for the People,' I would change the name...

[qaywsx]

and it is not even free as their slogan says "tuition free"

Result: lack of accreditation+ waisting your time and paying for that!?#

[a34dadsf]

Originally Posted by qaywsx

and it is not even free as their slogan says "tuition free"

Result: lack of accreditation+ waisting your time and paying for that!?#

Yea its just tuition by a different name. For example, "application processing fee" and "implement processing fee." plus I am sure there are other hidden fees found throughout.

None the less, if done right this has the potential to be a game changing idea. Unfortunately, just by the fact that you have to, "apply" shows that they are looking at this idea from the wrong direction. The university of the future will not require you to apply. Instead you will take courses and get certificates of completion for those courses. Once you get a certain amount of courses or complete a series of specific courses then you can get a degree. That would make the university accessible to everyone. Not everyone wants a degree. Some people just want to learn a specific skill quickly. The university of the future will allow people to do this quickly, efficiently and for very little cost.

I think this is a great idea--provided that they can get the quality of their product to the point of accreditation.

You don't need to get to the point of accreditation. All you need to do is get employers to accept the degrees. If the courses are of quality and help people learn the knowledge or skills then the degree/certificate is valuable. At the end of the day, employers are looking for people who can get the job done.

Also here is another company doing something similar, tablet university but they are in early stages of development. They are developing an LMS (learning management system) that allows people to easily take courses on a tablet computer. They are writing their own textbooks (to avoid forcing students to pay hundreds for a textbook) and their system adapts to the student as they progress through the course. Its pretty interesting.

I've been saying it for a while but the biggest revolution in education is going to come from some little company with a big idea. Not from, "reforming" public education.

[chickenfriedbananas]

Originally Posted by ambient

The main problem is that if you send in a resume with that school on it, people will laugh themselves sick and then blow their nose in it - and toss it in the trash.

I would steer clear until it becomes recognized as a legitimate institution. Don't care if it's free - time is valuable, too.

Well in this case, the name itself is deserving of ridicule. But that said, I don't think educational pedigree is as valuable as some in academe would like to believe.

[minibrings]

I would take classes to learn things, but would not put on my resume.

[a34dadsf]

Originally Posted by minibrings

I would take classes to learn things, but would not put on my resume.

Well you have to realize these schools are in early stage of development. In 3-5 years they will have tons of courses and will be reputable. The growth potential for a low cost online education is highly profitable because once you have designed and built the course the cost of delivering that course is basically nothing considering that storage and bandwidth are very cheap these days.

If you have 1 billion people take ONE course that cost 10$ that's 10$ billion dollars. The market for low cost, high quality education is HUGE.

Plus every person in the entire world needs a education and people constantly need to learn new skills, more technologies etc.

Low cost, high quality online education is the future. I can already see it now.

Also in the future, you will put it on your resume. Right now, these schools are not very reputable but eventually they will be reputable and trustworthy. They are going to compete against brick and mortar institutions.