Bernie: Hillary: Here's a Free College for All Concept:

[MineralMan]

I won't hit all the possibilities and potential drawbacks, but see what you think:

The rising availability of online post-secondary education has been pretty remarkable. Just this morning, I heard an ad for Arizona State University's program. So, how about this idea for a Federal Free University System:

Why not have the Federal Government establish a fully-staffed University that did all of its education online. Supported by tax dollars from whatever source, such as transaction fees on equity trades, it would present a full range of majors, from liberal arts to high-tech, and offer degrees up to at least the Masters level.

Any student, anywhere, could enroll at no charge whatever. Lectures by top-ranked PhD professors would be available on streaming video at any time. Students could begin at any time and work at their own pace, when as as they could. All texts would be available as free downloads for use on ereaders, PCs, tablets, or any other device with a screen. Other materials, too, could be provided online. They already are by the for-profit online schools.

Exams would be taken online as well, with essay type exams graded by paid staff. Help could be provided on online chats or Skype by appointment. Virtual laboratories are already in use online, and could be expanded for almost all disciplines.

Expensive? You bet, but not as expensive as physical campuses throughout the country. Convenient? Absolutely. There would be no bar to stop anyone from enrolling and their hard study and work could get them that degree. No computer available? You'd get one, if you needed it, free, along with broadband internet access, after demonstrating the need.

Student and group interactions could also be part of this system. The technology already exists for group seminars and discussions.

Get your degree from U. S. Federal University! It's free! Set Your Own Course!

We could do this. The groundwork has already been laid. Such online universities are already in operation. Let's start a National Free University, funded by the taxpayers.

What do you think? Tell your Presidential and legislative candidates you want it.

[tonyt53]

1. This system already exists-a union apprenticeship program, plus they get paid while they work

Many are linked to degree programs with major colleges.

[MineralMan]

2. I'm talking about a nationwide free university.

Available to everyone. You could still attend other colleges if that was your preference, but this would be a way for anyone to get a degree, regardless of economic situation or location. Zero cost degrees. Taxpayer funded. Just enroll and get started.

[Juicy_Bellows]

3. How about if we can't get free public university education we stop placing so much weight on a piece

of paper? If employers started to weigh other factors other than the applicants degree we might avoid a future of debt enslaved workers.

There are a million ways to educate yourself for free. We all know there are brilliant people without degrees.

I have a degree but it's done me little good, perhaps it helped me get me in a few doors for interviews but if I didn't educate myself elsewhere I would have never gotten my job.

I don't know about the rest of you but education rarely comes up in an interview other than a box that is checked. They then proceed to ask relevant questions about the job - never once have I been asked anything specific about my college education.

[thesquanderer]

4. I like your idea. (n/t)

[MineralMan]

5. Thanks. It could work, and would be

vastly less expensive than just paying tuition to all those other schools. One school, online, that reaches everyone. The cool thing is that faculty and staff could also be anywhere. It could draw on the very best people everywhere. What a concept!

Let's use the technology that's available to reach as many people as possible and at a cost that is manageable.

Free College for All. Just Enroll. Start Today!

[Control-Z]

6. I would love it! n/t

[MineralMan]

9. I think many people would. It would create a

higher education path for so many people who, for one reason or another, cannot attend a physical campus. It wouldn't work for everyone, because it would require a serious commitment to complete, and would lack the social interactions of real campuses, but, it would be free. That, and just that, would attract many students who would have an opportunity to get a degree who wouldn't otherwise be able to.

And isn't that the goal, after all?

[Hoyt]

7. My only concern is that it might undermine research at traditional

universities. And I think much of the college experience would be missed.

But, it would definitely offer an option for folks who can't attend traditional colleges and it's a much better option than some of the for-profit on-line schools we have now.

Maybe there are some ways around the potential problems, king of like weekend training for military reserves.

[MineralMan]

10. I don't know if it would have that effect, really.

Obviously, there would still be a place for traditional universities, since an online university would be missing some of the major attractions of being in that environment, but the fact that it would be free and open would open new possibilities for many people. So many, that it would have to be a major project that would employ a very large faculty and staff and require computer technology that would match some of the largest websites online today.

It wouldn't be easy to set up or run, but it would be easier and cheaper than paying tuition out of taxpayer funds for all those local campuses across the nation. A central facility would be very economical, and much of the faculty and staff would also be working online, too. Very compact, very effective, and free.

Did I mention free for all students?

[Hoyt]

13. It's definitely a good option for many. Of course, what happens when GOPers influence curriculum?

[ProgressiveEconomist]

8. Content already is online

at sites such as http://ocw.mit.edu. But credentialing is a big problem. An even bigger problem is the tiny percentage of those who start online courses who complete them.

A much better model is America's College Promise, the Clinton/Obama plan to make post-secondary education more affordable. and it would cost only about $100 billion a year to implement nationwide.

[MineralMan]

11. Well, the dropout rate might be rather high,

but there it is. People who really wanted the education would stick it out. I'm also thinking about students with physical or emotional disabilities. By removing the cost, people could attend from where they live now. They're already doing that.

I'm really not that concerned about people dropping out. It's an opportunity. You can seize it or not. Counseling can also be done online, using Skype or equivalent technology. There would be no reason not to offer those perks. Student peer groups could also form in local areas, with coordination via the online university.

There are so many options for this. For example, having a Nobel Laureate present lectures would be simple, and it could be attended by an unlimited number of students, or even viewed later by anyone. Further, as technology improves, virtual reality devices and other additional tools will become available, and such a university could even spur the development of such tech advances.

I have a Masters in English. That, and 1.79 will get me a cup of coffee at some coffee shops. I've learned several fields on my own and have worked in a wide variety of disciplines during my lifetime. At one point, I even gave myself a Masters level education in Mineralogy. I'm a serial autodidact. I could never have done that by attending a University. I couldn't have afforded it.

There are literally millions of capable students who would take advantage of such an opportunity, I think. Motivated and enthusiastic ones who simply cannot attend a traditional school. They deserve a chance to learn at no cost. It would benefit the entire society to have them become educated.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

14. If you don't like MIT,

there are plenty of other OCW (Open Courseware) sites: see http://www.google.com/search?q=inurl%3Aocw+inurl%3Aedu&Ct=clnk

I like these websites because they breach the paywalls around books, lectures, and articles that provide opportunities for learning.

But all these universities are very jealous of their power to award credentials for mastery of these materials. IMO they never would allow any government entity to give away for free the credentials they sell for tens of thousands of dollars. They'll tolerate questionable competitors such as University of Phoenix, but their lobbyists would go on triple overtime of what you proposed threatened to come into being.

[MineralMan]

16. Screw 'em, then.

Some things are more important than that. MIT is a great school. There's no doubt about that. There are lots of great schools.

What they would prefer, however, is none of my concern, frankly. Let them compete through the quality of the education they deliver. They want to block the free federal online university? Then let them do without federal money and research grants. That would shut them right up. Screw 'em. Instead, let them help develop this thing. Give them some federal grants to improve the online system.

I don't care about private universities all that much and their demands. They'll survive. No online university can compete with them, really. They shouldn't worry about that. The free university students wouldn't have come there anyhow, and their students wouldn't have chosen the free option, either.

[Txbluedog]

12. As someone who works on a college campus....

The problem doesn't end with free college, the college students of today want everything catered to their every whim. They want to not do the work to succeed in these courses but except the professors to give them a pass because they consider themselves "Social Justice Warriors" whose advocacy is more important than academic pursuits. Then they want to whine and cry when others, who pay more attention to academic work, and are normally of foreign origin place ahead of them.so, by providing these people with a "free" education will mean that the degrees they have won't be worth the paper they are printed on

[MineralMan]

15. That was the same in the 1960s when I attended a university.

Same story. Those who wanted an education got one. Those who wanted a useless piece of paper sometimes did too. That was Vietnam War era. We had the "social justice" population, too, and the slackers, and the hangers-on, and the students who thought they were entitled to an education without working.

Nothing has changed. Nothing would change. It would just be possible for more people to have a chance to be educated. Those who did the work would get the education. The rest? Well, I could give a crap about them, just as I felt in the 60s. I learned. I studied. I worked. What they did was of no concern to me, frankly.

They'll all be there at the free online university, too. Let them come. Let everyone come. Let the motivated succeed, whether they can afford a traditional education or not.

[Downwinder]

17. How will you fill the military ranks if you don't have

a high cost of education to drive enlistment?

[MineralMan]

18. Right now, jobs are the reason most enlist, plus

training. For the education thing, the military will have to make those jobs more attractive. The number of enistees needed is down sharply. I hope it goes down even more.