Straighterline feeling pressure from MOOCS?

[IrishJohn]

Check out this article from Straighterline: Why You Should Take StraighterLine Courses Instead of Waiting for Your MOOC to Come In / College Blog - News You Can Use to Get Your College Degree - StraighterLine

They're right that MOOCS are taking longer than hoped for in being able to use them directly for college credit (save for a handful from Saylor & Coursera), but I detect some anxiety here.

[sanantone]

I thought about taking courses through Udacity and Saylor/Straighterline, but I have no interest in Coursera or edX because you have to wait for start dates and work within terms. It would help if Straighterline used open source texts and found a cheaper lab supplier. The labs for anatomy & physiology and microbiology are well over $200!

[IrishJohn]

I thought about taking courses through Udacity and Saylor/Straighterline, but I have no interest in Coursera or edX because you have to wait for start dates and work within terms.

Not for the 3 NCCRS-approved courses through Coursera. Those you can start at any time.

It would help if Straighterline used open source texts and found a cheaper lab supplier. The labs for anatomy & physiology and microbiology are well over $200!

Agreed. I was looking at taking Biology w/ Lab through Straighterline before when I was exploring different options for my degree goals, but figured out that once you factor in the course cost, lab materials, textbooks and probably at least 2 months worth of subscription rates to finish it, it would have been only a little bit cheaper than if I took it through KCTCS. For just a few dollars more I could have taken this course through KCTCS, received a letter grade from a regionally accredited school to transfer, and not have needed any textbooks or supplies (everything is provided online)! Straighterline should do something about lowering the ridiculous cost of their course if they want to remain competitive.

[Chebasaz]

I actually stopped by the Straighterline office here in Baltimore a few months back. I don't know what their operating costs are, but they do have a pretty formidable office staff. Maybe that's the reason for those course fees.

That being said, I've tried multiple times to get in touch with someone for a face to face Q&A about proctors, exams offered and the relationship they have with other schools out there. Each time I either get no answer to my Emails or, in the instance of my showing up at their door, nobody at the office that can answer those questions. /shrug

I think they're doing a good thing, but they are frustrating at times.