Ultra Low Cost College Degree Video

[ss20ts]

I have to watch a few TedTalk videos for one of my classes and it's about higher education. One the sidebar was one that stood out to me and I had to watch it. It's titled, "Ultra Low Cost College Degree." Sounds like what we're all looking for, right? Here's the video:

https://www.ted.com/talks/shai_reshef_an...e#t-624532

Here's the college he started:

https://www.uopeople.edu/

If I wasn't already enrolled in 2 bachelor's degree programs, I would give this serious consideration.

[scorpion]

I definitely like the ideals behind UotP and their program structure. The big problem with UotP is that it is not regionally accredited. As much else as it has going for it, a RA degree is effectively the minimum for most people's practical needs in obtaining a U.S. degree.

[PrettyFlyforaChiGuy]

I really appreciated UoP's open-access model, but the more I thought about it, I felt the way they've geared themselves toward student-oriented peer assessments shifts the burden of instructional outcomes to the student body. I understand they need some way to replace instructors/TAs checking content so that students will get assessed, but the system just didn't feel fully thought out to me since the students themselves aren't experts, any provided comments and feedback may only be superficial at best when given by students who use English as a second language, their grading rubrics seem to be followed only haphazardly if their own instructor training materials are any guide, and in general peer collaboration is different from peer evaluation anyway.

I get that it's all part of their cost-saving approach, but it seems like the students needed more training from UoP to view themselves as shared stakeholders in their class' learning process.

[rachel83az]

If that's the way it works at UoP, I imagine that no small number of students feel like they can't give a really honest grade/review/however the process works because then they might get a bad grade in retaliation and fail.

[PrettyFlyforaChiGuy]

If that's the way it works at UoP, I imagine that no small number of students feel like they can't give a really honest grade/review/however the process works because then they might get a bad grade in retaliation and fail.

I was never a student there, but I completed their instructor training process right up until missing the final deadline like a forgetful fool while on vacation. Hoping actual students might be able to chime in with their actual experiences. Students were able to reach out to instructors to reevaluate grades, though.

I did see a Youtube video from a UoP instructor who kind of maligned it all a bit. The internet is full of negativity as it is though, so always looking for more positive experiences.

[ss20ts]

I just thought it was an interesting model. Since the TedTalk took place, they have added several degrees. There were only associates and bachelor's degrees in business and computer science when it began. Now there are master's degrees and they've expanded into health science and education as well. It will be interesting to see how this grows and changes over time. When the TedTalk took place, they were not accredited at all. Now they do have an accreditation so they are moving in the right direction. Recently, the feds made it sound like they wanted to change the accreditations and make them all national. Time will tell!

[LevelUP]

Without regional accreditation, there is often a problem in transferring credits from school to school and getting licensed in states. The government may not recognize these types of degrees which you may not get hired or be promoted. And federal financial aid is tied to accreditation.

[SteveFoerster]

Recently, the feds made it sound like they wanted to change the accreditations and make them all national. Time will tell!

Well, sort of. Their interest in accreditors is solely as gatekeepers for federal financial aid programs. Through NACIQI, they either recognize an institutional accreditor as fit for that specific purpose or not. Since regional vs. national is irrelevant to that, they have no reason to keep referring to it. 

But that doesn't at all impact whether regional accredited schools will recognize nationally accredited schools for credit transfer or graduate school acceptance, since the feds don't control that and won't be any time soon.

[NoStudentNoCry]

I took 7 classes at UoPeople: completed 4 and dropped 3, and then I just washed out.

Here is why:
1) You cannot accelerate. If you start with them from scratch (no transfers), you need t spend at lest 3 years to earn bachelors (given that you have a high GPA + classes you need are available).
2) They use peer-to-peer learning model, meaning that almost all your assignments are graded by your classmates. It's not like peer-to-peer learning is not a good thing - it could be very powerful learning tool if it's properly facilitated. But that didn't work well for all 4 classes I took with them.
3) You are supposed to learn by reading the book, but assignments might have nothing to do with what you just read in a book.

[ss20ts]

Without regional accreditation, there is often a problem in transferring credits from school to school and getting licensed in states.  The government may not recognize these types of degrees which you may not get hired or be promoted.  And federal financial aid is tied to accreditation.

No financial aid needed at UofP though. It's $100 to take the exam at the end of the course. 

Many states - like mine - have ridiculous licensing requirements. Licensing goes well beyond a degree and where it's from for many licenses. Here you have to take a number of courses in this state offered by approved services for most licenses. Like to be a teacher here, you need to get 2 licenses so you HAVE to do at least your master's degree at a college in the state who offers the appropriate degree. They're kind of a pain with this nonsense. Plenty of crummy teachers are out there who went through those programs. Plenty of other states have good teachers who didn't have to go through these programs. It's really all about $$$$$ and how the government can squeeze more out of you.