Getting a Real Degree in Virtual Second Life
If you will walk to the campus of San Jose State University you will see students, teachers and all 16 acres of a nice campus. The only difference is that this campus exists only online, in the virtual world of “Second Life”.
Many colleges have invested in virtual lands in Second Life, but doesn’t use it all. The University of Phoenix, which is one of the largest online universities in the country, offers students virtual learning via the university own spaces, and not using Second Life.
Still, it’s considered that many of the students that gets their degree online will have to get used to these kind of virtual environments, since their usage will grow substantially in the upcoming years.
via [Daily Dispatch]
Oil Price Is Up? Students Move to Online Colleges
With gasoline at more than $4 a gallon, more students are considering getting a college degree in their home, without having to drive.
One student for example is Christy LaBadie, which is starting to learn medical administration in Northampton Community College. She estimates that getting her degree online saves her about $50 a week on gasoline. According to the Sloan consortium which represents more than 2,500 colleges and universities around the country, 20% of the students take today at least one online course.
via [Pocono Record]
80,000 students duped in $31m online college fraud
It’s seems that getting a degree could be very expensive if you don’t check who you give your money to.
Tens of thousands of students in the UK were conned by three men who opened an online college named "National Distance Learning College" and ran away with the money. The men have made millions of pounds from the students, but only 18 students got their qualifications.
The three men told students that the online degree will be accredited by national bodies – something that wasn’t true. They’ve also got some grants from the government as a result of the number of students they had – and took the money to their pockets.