Engineering Degree Online | The college textbook scam

Posted by bposton on November 10th, 2006 — Posted in engineering degree online

OK, it’s time for me to jump up on my soap box again… :-)

No, it’s not about diploma mills (but don’t get me started on that one…)

This tirad I’m about to start is about the ripoff regarding college textbooks.

Ripoff? Absolutely…

Get this - the basic introductory physics textbook for college students has remained pretty much the same in the past 100 years, or longer. So it really bugs me when a freshman physics student has to buy a new textbook that’s about $160., even though the one he used in high school probably has the very same material.

Students all over the US are struggling as it is. So add to that whammy of college costs increasing, now they have to beg, borrow and steal to afford the textbook that the good ‘ol professor tells then they need, and then NEVER uses it in class!!!

:-(   In fact, double :-( :-(

Here are the facts, my dorm room buddy…

There are thousands of textbooks published each and every year, and add them all up and it’s a $6.5 billion dollar a year business.

That’s “Billion” with a B

Don’t take my word for it. That figure comes from the National Association of College Stores.

Fact - The cost of the average college textbook increased 186 percent between 1986 and 2004, according to a study by the Government Accountability Office.

And why, pray tell did the costs go up so mucn? well, according to the GAO, it was “explained” that expenses of developing and bundling additional materials like CDs, DVDs, and websites that supplement the traditional pages kept going up.

Gimme a break…

So now, the sad fact is that the average book bill for the typical student is about $900 a year.

Of course it’s even more if you’re enrolled in like sciences or art history, which use required reading that is particularly expensive to produce.

Boy. these tirads make me tired… :-)

More in my next post
Ben

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engineering degree online : Another success story…

Posted by bposton on October 23rd, 2006 — Posted in engineering degree online

Here’s another success story about a schoolteacher who was able to
“have his cake and eat it to” with an online degree program:

David Bergan was caught between a rock and a hard place…

He was a 25-year-old seventh grade mathematics teacher at Mason (OH) Middle School and he felt like he had to choose between his career and his passion.
  
He knew that to keep his career as a teacher moving forward, he needed a master’s
degree in education.

Problem was, if he when back to school on a part-time basis it would force him to stop doing what he loved, which was coaching the high school swim team during the school year, and his local Evendale Community swim team during the summer.

But Bergan found a solution that let him do both.

He enrolled in the University of Cincinnati’s (UC) online Master of Education in
Education Leadership degree program.

Here’s what he had to say about his experience:
“When I was looking for a master’s in education, my top choice was the
University of Cincinnati because I knew it was a great program,”
Since the only thing I was familiar with was the on-campus program,
I knew there was no way I could get my degree and continue coaching.
The online program was the only way that I could do both.”

David is on track to get his degree in March of 2007. He has set his sights on an
administration position as his top career choice.

Another benefit is that his master’s degree will allow him to keep up with the educational demands of his profession and the standards currently being adopted by the state of Ohio.

And he can continue with his passion for swimming, which he’s been doing since he eas five. The flexibility of the online program has allowed him to share that passion with the kids he coaches.

This is just one of many succes stories of students who are able to continue their
education through the convenience of an online learning programs like UC’s Master of
Education in Educational Leadership.

Ben

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