Online-based classes continue to increase in enrollment and popularity at WSU due to the flexibility and convenience it offers students in fulfilling their General Education Requirements (GERs.)
Enrollment in online courses and in WSU’s distance degree program rises an average 10 percent each year, Debbie O’Donnell, director of marketing and student experience for the Center for Distance and Professional Education said.
“It’s a national trend that WSU will also be participating in,” said O’Donnell. “I think that the institution can expect growth in the online programs.”
In addition to online GER courses for on-campus students, WSU also has numerous online degree and certificate programs for students who are unable to attend an actual university campus.
“Overall, the appeal is the flexibility online courses offer,” O’Donnell said.
Another attraction is the quality of the online classes, she said. The same WSU professors and instructors who teach the on-campus sections of the class also teach the online ones as well.
“The reality is that an online course is as really as good as the instructor makes it,” O’Donnell said. “We have ways of making online courses very interactive and very engaging. It’s not like you sit in front of a computer and have no interaction with your classmates or instructor.”
Danica Goodman, a junior art history major, is currently enrolled in the online Spanish 101 course in order to fulfill the foreign language requirement for her major. However, she said she would not recommend a taking a language class online.
“It’s not what I expected,” Goodman said. “I realized that taking a foreign language should be done in a classroom.”
She said she chose to take Spanish to fill her language requirement because she already took two years of it during high school.
Even though she was already familiar with basic-level Spanish, she said taking the course online was much more difficult than it would be than if she were in an actual classroom.
“There is no way to figure out pronunciation unless you find someone to help you or have taken classes before,” Goodman said.
It’s a lot to learn in a short amount of time without a lot of help, she said.
Spanish 102 is also offered online, however Goodman said she plans to take it next year in an actual classroom instead.
“It’s just easier to learn a foreign language from a person than from a computer,” she said.
Spanish 101 was not Goodman’s first online course she had taken at WSU.
“I have taken online history and online math and those were alright,” she said.
Goodman is one of 70 students enrolled in either the online sections of Spanish 101 or Spanish 102. Each individual class can have up to as many as 100 students.
Laurie Heustis, the Academic Coordinator for the Department of Foreign Languages & Cultures said Spanish 101 and Spanish 102 are the only two language classes at WSU offered online.
The Spanish classes, she said, were created for students who needed to fulfill the university’s language requirement but attended WSU campuses that did not have language classes, like the Tri-Cities campus.
Overall, Heustis said had heard mixed reviews from students regarding online classes.
It’s a good way for students to get their foreign language university requirement done, especially if they have conflicts in their class schedule, she said.
She said often times however students are hesitant about taking online classes.
“I really think it depends on learning style,” Heustis said. “Some like that learning style and some would rather be in the classroom.”
In the future, Heustis said, the foreign language department may look to offer more online classes, however not for the more advanced language courses because of the importance of one-on-one interaction.
Sources
Debbie O’Donnell
Director of marketing and student experience for the Center for Distance and Professional Education
509 335-3557
Danica Goodman
509-953-3235
danica.goodman@email.wsu.edu
Laurie Heustis
Academic Coordinator for the department of Foreign Languages & Cultures
509-335-4136
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Most Telling Details
An elderly couple knee-deep in water push across a flooded street with their walkers, a military tank driving past them on the street behind.
A young woman sits on the side of a deserted highway, a shopping cart filled with her last remaining belongings - shoes and clothes - beside her.
A young woman sits on the side of a deserted highway, a shopping cart filled with her last remaining belongings - shoes and clothes - beside her.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
anecdotes and evidence - social media and athletes
1. How does the writer use personal accounts and anecdotes to enrich the story?
Burnett used the example of Isaiah Thomas tweeting, and how WSU students reacted to it.
2. What evidence does the writer provide to demonstrate the subject's story is part of a larger trend or problem?
He included information about universities hiring private companies to monitor athletes facebook and twitter.
Burnett used the example of Isaiah Thomas tweeting, and how WSU students reacted to it.
2. What evidence does the writer provide to demonstrate the subject's story is part of a larger trend or problem?
He included information about universities hiring private companies to monitor athletes facebook and twitter.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Uncertainty about the future price of tuition impacts Washington’s prepaid college tuition program
Stephanie Iris Schendel
Cost of tuition at Washington’s public universities and colleges will continue to rise and due to the unpredictability of these increases, legislators are proposing changes to the future pay-out method of the state’s prepaid college-savings program.
The Guaranteed Education Tuition (GET) Program was created to make saving for college more affordable and accessible to Washington’s families, said Betty Lochner, the director of the GET Program. The sustainability of program however depends on predictable increases of tuition prices.
“The concern about GET is really a reflection of what is going to happen to tuition predictability over the long-term,” Don Bennett, the executive director of the Higher Education Coordinating Board said.
Because the price of tuition remains unpredictable, there is legislative concern of creating a liability for future purchasers, Bennett said.
When a person buys a year of tuition with the current GET Program, they are guaranteed to receive a future pay-out that covers tuition and mandatory student fees at whichever Washington’s most-expensive public university will be at that time.
“In the way the state is moving currently they want to have much higher tuition for University of Washington (UW) and Washington State University (WSU) than the other schools,” Lochner said. “They want to de-link that (price) from the GET Program so it is not paying out at the highest tuition.”
Chio Flores, the director of financial aid and scholarships at WSU said she can understand why the state of Washington is taking the precautionary method of trying to change the pay-out of the program.
“The reality is that tuition always increases and it has always increased,” Flores said. “The types of increases that we have been seeing in the past ten years however, have been much more significant and remarkable (than before).”
The recent financial crisis caused even higher spikes in tuition than usual, she said, including the 14 percent rise to WSU’s tuition two years ago.
Another significant increase in WSU’s tuition is likely to happen again, she said.
“The amount in the past has been dictated by the state,” Flores said. “It has been capped at no more than a 7 percent increase and it takes legislative action to remove that cap.”
Currently, there is proposed legislation to remove that cap for the next two years, which would allow up to an additional 11 percent hike to tuition, she said.
Increase in the cost of higher education is not unique to Washington, Lochner said. Prepaid college programs similar to Washington’s GET Program in other states have faced the same problem.
“Texas probably is the most recent one that has restructured their program to a different pay-out,” Lochner said. “They are getting about 25 percent of the new enrollment than they got from the old program. For example, we get about 10,000 new enrollments a year that would take it down to 2,500.”
If legislation regarding the GET Program passes, it would change the pay-out method to be a “weighted average” of tuition growth of all public institutions of higher education, including community colleges, Lochner said.
“Because the community college system has so many students, about 125,000, it would weigh that top (tuition increase) way down,” she said.
The changes to the program will make it more difficult and complicated for families to plan for college, she said, especially for more expensive universities like WSU and UW.
“Our job is to run the program the best way we can and implement any changes,” Lochner said. “We don’t necessarily agree with those changes.”
She also said people who are already in the program and enrolled through March 31 of this year will not be affected by the change.
Sources
Don Bennett
360.753.7831
donb@hecb.wa.gov
Chio Flores
509.335.9720
cflores@wsu.edu
Betty Everitt Lochner
BettyL@HECB.WA.GOV
360-753-7871 (office)
Outline
Lede: Uncertainty about the future price of tuition impacts Washington’s prepaid college tuition program
First Section:
Why Washington needs to change the pay-out method
Introduce all three sources
Second section:
History and future of rising tuition prices
Third section:
How rising tuition makes it nearly-impossible for a tuition based program to exist
What that means for families planning for college
How the program would be specifically change
Other state-based university saving programs
Cost of tuition at Washington’s public universities and colleges will continue to rise and due to the unpredictability of these increases, legislators are proposing changes to the future pay-out method of the state’s prepaid college-savings program.
The Guaranteed Education Tuition (GET) Program was created to make saving for college more affordable and accessible to Washington’s families, said Betty Lochner, the director of the GET Program. The sustainability of program however depends on predictable increases of tuition prices.
“The concern about GET is really a reflection of what is going to happen to tuition predictability over the long-term,” Don Bennett, the executive director of the Higher Education Coordinating Board said.
Because the price of tuition remains unpredictable, there is legislative concern of creating a liability for future purchasers, Bennett said.
When a person buys a year of tuition with the current GET Program, they are guaranteed to receive a future pay-out that covers tuition and mandatory student fees at whichever Washington’s most-expensive public university will be at that time.
“In the way the state is moving currently they want to have much higher tuition for University of Washington (UW) and Washington State University (WSU) than the other schools,” Lochner said. “They want to de-link that (price) from the GET Program so it is not paying out at the highest tuition.”
Chio Flores, the director of financial aid and scholarships at WSU said she can understand why the state of Washington is taking the precautionary method of trying to change the pay-out of the program.
“The reality is that tuition always increases and it has always increased,” Flores said. “The types of increases that we have been seeing in the past ten years however, have been much more significant and remarkable (than before).”
The recent financial crisis caused even higher spikes in tuition than usual, she said, including the 14 percent rise to WSU’s tuition two years ago.
Another significant increase in WSU’s tuition is likely to happen again, she said.
“The amount in the past has been dictated by the state,” Flores said. “It has been capped at no more than a 7 percent increase and it takes legislative action to remove that cap.”
Currently, there is proposed legislation to remove that cap for the next two years, which would allow up to an additional 11 percent hike to tuition, she said.
Increase in the cost of higher education is not unique to Washington, Lochner said. Prepaid college programs similar to Washington’s GET Program in other states have faced the same problem.
“Texas probably is the most recent one that has restructured their program to a different pay-out,” Lochner said. “They are getting about 25 percent of the new enrollment than they got from the old program. For example, we get about 10,000 new enrollments a year that would take it down to 2,500.”
If legislation regarding the GET Program passes, it would change the pay-out method to be a “weighted average” of tuition growth of all public institutions of higher education, including community colleges, Lochner said.
“Because the community college system has so many students, about 125,000, it would weigh that top (tuition increase) way down,” she said.
The changes to the program will make it more difficult and complicated for families to plan for college, she said, especially for more expensive universities like WSU and UW.
“Our job is to run the program the best way we can and implement any changes,” Lochner said. “We don’t necessarily agree with those changes.”
She also said people who are already in the program and enrolled through March 31 of this year will not be affected by the change.
Sources
Don Bennett
360.753.7831
donb@hecb.wa.gov
Chio Flores
509.335.9720
cflores@wsu.edu
Betty Everitt Lochner
BettyL@HECB.WA.GOV
360-753-7871 (office)
Outline
Lede: Uncertainty about the future price of tuition impacts Washington’s prepaid college tuition program
First Section:
Why Washington needs to change the pay-out method
Introduce all three sources
Second section:
History and future of rising tuition prices
Third section:
How rising tuition makes it nearly-impossible for a tuition based program to exist
What that means for families planning for college
How the program would be specifically change
Other state-based university saving programs
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Apparently I stink at basic math.
1. Last year, the school spent $8,300 for office equipment. This year, it will spend 5 percent less. How much will it spend this year?
$7,885
2. The spelling and grammar test was taken by 217 students. Thirty-seven failed. What percent passed?
83 percent passed.
3. We have a company. We make crap. Some people get paid more than others.
* The CEO earns $150,000 a year. She has a nice office and thinks big ideas.
* Two top managers earn $100,000 a year for attending meetings, writing memos, etc.
* The company has three security guards. They bust heads and carry Tasers. They earn $40,000 a year.
* Finally, we have designers/engineers. They do the actual work. We pay them $35,000 and put them in cubicles like zoo animals.
Mean salary? - $67,500
Median salary? - $40,000
Which is more accurate? - $40,000
4. Desperate for revenue, the government decides to increase the tax on beer. The tax on food is 5 percent. But if you buy beer, you pay an extra percent, or a total of 6 percent. Supporters of the tax say this is only a 1 percentage increase; critics say this is a 20 percent increase. Who is right?
1 percent increase in relation to the price of beer.
20 percent increase in relation to the tax on food.
5. a. The city’s budget was cut from $2 million to $1.5 million. What was the percent decrease?
25 percent decrease
b. The city’s budget increased from $1.5 million to $2 million. What was the percent increase?
33.3333 percent increase
6. Last year, your property tax bill was $1,152. This year, it rose to $1,275. What’s the percent increase?
10.6 percent
7. We want to look at home sales in October.
* House 1 costs $225,000.
* House 2 costs $207,000.
* House 3 costs $129,000.
* House 4 costs $192,000.
* House 5 costs $3.2 million.
What’s the mean price? What’s the median?
Median: $207,000
Mean: $790,600
8. You and your four roommates have ordered a 16-slice pizza. Because you skipped lunch, it is agreed that you should have a 1/4 share of the total. The roommates divide the remainder equally. How much does each one get?
3 slices each
9. Let’s say someone wants to establish a University District. To gain support, he/she needs to establish that safety is a problem in the area. Assume the following:
* Pullman had 183 assaults last year. Spokane had 502.
* Spokane has 200,000 people. Pullman has 25,000.
Is the average person more likely to be assaulted in Spokane or Pullman? What's the per capita assault rate in each city?
10. House prices increased 40 percent this year to a median price of $210,000. What was the median house price last year?
(Credit: Poynter Institute)
$7,885
2. The spelling and grammar test was taken by 217 students. Thirty-seven failed. What percent passed?
83 percent passed.
3. We have a company. We make crap. Some people get paid more than others.
* The CEO earns $150,000 a year. She has a nice office and thinks big ideas.
* Two top managers earn $100,000 a year for attending meetings, writing memos, etc.
* The company has three security guards. They bust heads and carry Tasers. They earn $40,000 a year.
* Finally, we have designers/engineers. They do the actual work. We pay them $35,000 and put them in cubicles like zoo animals.
Mean salary? - $67,500
Median salary? - $40,000
Which is more accurate? - $40,000
4. Desperate for revenue, the government decides to increase the tax on beer. The tax on food is 5 percent. But if you buy beer, you pay an extra percent, or a total of 6 percent. Supporters of the tax say this is only a 1 percentage increase; critics say this is a 20 percent increase. Who is right?
1 percent increase in relation to the price of beer.
20 percent increase in relation to the tax on food.
5. a. The city’s budget was cut from $2 million to $1.5 million. What was the percent decrease?
25 percent decrease
b. The city’s budget increased from $1.5 million to $2 million. What was the percent increase?
33.3333 percent increase
6. Last year, your property tax bill was $1,152. This year, it rose to $1,275. What’s the percent increase?
10.6 percent
7. We want to look at home sales in October.
* House 1 costs $225,000.
* House 2 costs $207,000.
* House 3 costs $129,000.
* House 4 costs $192,000.
* House 5 costs $3.2 million.
What’s the mean price? What’s the median?
Median: $207,000
Mean: $790,600
8. You and your four roommates have ordered a 16-slice pizza. Because you skipped lunch, it is agreed that you should have a 1/4 share of the total. The roommates divide the remainder equally. How much does each one get?
3 slices each
9. Let’s say someone wants to establish a University District. To gain support, he/she needs to establish that safety is a problem in the area. Assume the following:
* Pullman had 183 assaults last year. Spokane had 502.
* Spokane has 200,000 people. Pullman has 25,000.
Is the average person more likely to be assaulted in Spokane or Pullman? What's the per capita assault rate in each city?
10. House prices increased 40 percent this year to a median price of $210,000. What was the median house price last year?
(Credit: Poynter Institute)
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Edit Your Peers
1. In the past the government was able to control public messages to Arab countries now, however, social media cannot be regulated.
2. Tunisia was the first nation to revolt against its government on Jan. 14.
3. Founding Dean of the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication and speaker Dr. Lawrence Pintak said the recorded beating of a man had taped illegal police activity.
4. Cell phone pictures of a Tunisian fruit vendor who lit himself on fire in protest of police seizing his fruit cart were broadcast online, which ignited conflict throughout Arab nations.
5. Rev. Jesse Jackson talked about lessons learned from the civil rights movement. If people became politically active, then they can change government policy.
6. The 18-day revolution in Egypt was not an expected event, the oppressed lower-class Arabs had been preparing for years, Pintak said.
7. The Arab government pulled the plug on the Internet in January.
8. “I loved the 90s,” Smith said. The 1990s resulted in more technological innovations that any decade in the 20th Century, she said.
1. In the past the government was able to control public messages to Arab countries now, however, social media cannot be regulated.
2. Tunisia was the first nation to revolt against its government on Jan. 14.
3. Founding Dean of the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication and speaker Dr. Lawrence Pintak said the recorded beating of a man had taped illegal police activity.
4. Cell phone pictures of a Tunisian fruit vendor who lit himself on fire in protest of police seizing his fruit cart were broadcast online, which ignited conflict throughout Arab nations.
5. Rev. Jesse Jackson talked about lessons learned from the civil rights movement. If people became politically active, then they can change government policy.
6. The 18-day revolution in Egypt was not an expected event, the oppressed lower-class Arabs had been preparing for years, Pintak said.
7. The Arab government pulled the plug on the Internet in January.
8. “I loved the 90s,” Smith said. The 1990s resulted in more technological innovations that any decade in the 20th Century, she said.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)