State of Minnesota bans free online education [update: State relents under pressure]

reply to post by Maxmars


This is shameful conduct and shows an extraordinary and unbelievable willingness to let the country suffer for what comes down to a clear bottom line of making profits.

Naturally, that involves a fee – anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand for each university, plus a $1,200 annual renewal charge.

The key words in that article are "decades old law" -- it was most likely put in place as a consumer protection against scam diploma mills back in the 70s or 80s. You know... before the days of free classes on the Internet.

Hopefully, however, this will raise the issue and the legislature will get rid of (or revise) the law the next session. I'll send a note to whoever wins the election in my district and see what they have to say.

ETA: I sent an email to my current rep with a link, if I don't hear back from him, I'll ask the next time I run into him (I live in the middle of nowhere, so know all the politicians )

So that's nonsense.

As a side note I've signed myself up for a few of those courses. I'm actually quite impressed with that website..

What is Minnesota thinking??!

~Tenth

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
So that's nonsense.

As a side note I've signed myself up for a few of those courses. I'm actually quite impressed with that website..

What is Minnesota thinking??!

~Tenth

This probably

$$$$$$$$$

What did you sign up for if I may ask?

Originally posted by sevensheeps


Hahahahahaha

how in the love of everything will they enforce this?


I follow courses on coursera, and I love it. It's so good, you have study groups, online forums, best universities, really cool teachers, free text books, online tests, skype colleges and it's free too? I follow Astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life, Critical Thinking in Global Challenges and Introduction to Sustainability.


I get certificates that will improve my professional life for free. This looks good on my resume, this looks good on my brain

and I can learn (almost)everything FOR FREE.

Problem Minnesota?

I don't get it, why would you stop empowerment of humanity? Even my boss loves it because he doesn't have to spend a dime on me improving myself trough courses. And he will pay me more if I prove that I actually learn from it, so I can improve his business(of course). But the most important part is I improve myself.


This is a clear sign in what state the education system is in Minnesota, corrupted!

edit on 19/10/12 by sevensheeps because: typo's

Wait.. you get a certificate as opposed to a diploma? What does this certificate look like? Is this something an employer would take seriously?

Can you post a picture of a certificate?

reply to post by Maxmars

Perhaps blocking the site at a state level (is that even possible?) Maybe they can get ISPs (ever compliant since the Patriot Act) to snitch on Minnesotans who dare to use the service.

The only people who could conceivably enforce this would be Coursera through blocking sessions based on IP addresses.

Although, it doesn't sound like they will be going that route.

Notice for Minnesota Users

Coursera has been informed by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education that under Minnesota Statutes (136A.61 to 136A.71), a university cannot offer online courses to Minnesota residents unless the university has received authorization from the State of Minnesota to do so. If you are a resident of Minnesota, you agree that either (1) you will not take courses on Coursera, or (2) for each class that you take, the majority of work you do for the class will be done from outside the State of Minnesota.

Coursera T&C

.. we cant buy alcohol on sundays (have to go to wisconson for that) and now no free info on line..egads..whats next?!? gunna say we cant read web md in MN..cause ya know, we might learn something for free?? or even...gasp! ATS........

well if the state of MN decided to bring someone to court over this...i guess then the stupidity of it all would be out for all to see.....

And to think, Pawlenty could have been our POTUS

Thanks for the information, I wasn't aware of this free information. Now I can take advantage of it. Of course, I'll be hi-tailin' over to Dakota Magic if I want to learn for free. Might even win a few bucks while I'm at it.

Originally posted by JohnPhoenix

Originally posted by sevensheeps


Hahahahahaha

how in the love of everything will they enforce this?


I follow courses on coursera, and I love it. It's so good, you have study groups, online forums, best universities, really cool teachers, free text books, online tests, skype colleges and it's free too? I follow Astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life, Critical Thinking in Global Challenges and Introduction to Sustainability.


I get certificates that will improve my professional life for free. This looks good on my resume, this looks good on my brain

and I can learn (almost)everything FOR FREE.

Problem Minnesota?

I don't get it, why would you stop empowerment of humanity? Even my boss loves it because he doesn't have to spend a dime on me improving myself trough courses. And he will pay me more if I prove that I actually learn from it, so I can improve his business(of course). But the most important part is I improve myself.


This is a clear sign in what state the education system is in Minnesota, corrupted!

edit on 19/10/12 by sevensheeps because: typo's

Wait.. you get a certificate as opposed to a diploma? What does this certificate look like? Is this something an employer would take seriously?

Can you post a picture of a certificate?

On my resume I have a courses chapter and if I fill in the different kind of courses I took to improve myself in a professional way and personal I must add. It will look really good if for example I got it from Charles Cockell, Professor of Astrobiology at the University of Edinburgh. Because if anyone asks I will add this.

Charles Cockell is Professor of Astrobiology at the University of Edinburgh. He received his doctorate at the University of Oxford and was a National Research Council Associate at the NASA Ames Research Centre. He was a visiting scholar at Stanford University and the University of Arizona. Cockell is currently Director of the UK Centre for Astrobiology and his research interests focus on how microbes survive in extreme environments, including volcanic and impact crater environments.

Cockell is a Senior Editor of the journal, Astrobiology. His popular science books include ‘Impossible Extinction’ (Cambridge University Press), which explores the tenacity of microbes on the Earth, and ‘Space on Earth’ (Macmillan) which looks at the links between environmentalism and space exploration. He is Chair of the Earth and Space Foundation, a non-profit organisation he established in 1994. He was the first Chair of the Astrobiology Society of Britain.

Students who successfully complete the class will receive a certificate signed by the instructor. And that I can present with proof if anyone will ever ask, and they will.

Nobody can take that away from me, this in the real world would cost me or my employer a lot of money I and him usually are not willing to spend. Cause right now I can use the money for other things like essentials. This look insanely good on your resume, the more the better.


I had a teacher in business school, he was 50.

He did 5 master studies, and was planning on studying medicine because he thought it was fun. He told me, stay in school. Even when you work, always try to better yourself, to be a better person is why we are here.

My point is, it's free. You'll get official signed certificates, and did I tell you it's free


And I'll post a picture the second I am done just one more week to go with introduction to sustainability

Originally posted by Zarniwoop
reply to post by Maxmars

 

Perhaps blocking the site at a state level (is that even possible?) Maybe they can get ISPs (ever compliant since the Patriot Act) to snitch on Minnesotans who dare to use the service.

The only people who could conceivably enforce this would be Coursera through blocking sessions based on IP addresses.

Although, it doesn't sound like they will be going that route.

Notice for Minnesota Users

Coursera has been informed by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education that under Minnesota Statutes (136A.61 to 136A.71), a university cannot offer online courses to Minnesota residents unless the university has received authorization from the State of Minnesota to do so. If you are a resident of Minnesota, you agree that either (1) you will not take courses on Coursera, or (2) for each class that you take, the majority of work you do for the class will be done from outside the State of Minnesota.

Coursera T&C

TOR, VPN, Proxies, etc.

Problem solved

reply to post by sevensheeps


There's 0 cost actually.

And i signed up for Sociology and How To Reason & Argue.

SHould be a blast.

~Tenth

Originally posted by JohnPhoenix

Originally posted by sevensheeps


Hahahahahaha

how in the love of everything will they enforce this?


I follow courses on coursera, and I love it. It's so good, you have study groups, online forums, best universities, really cool teachers, free text books, online tests, skype colleges and it's free too? I follow Astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life, Critical Thinking in Global Challenges and Introduction to Sustainability.


I get certificates that will improve my professional life for free. This looks good on my resume, this looks good on my brain

and I can learn (almost)everything FOR FREE.

Problem Minnesota?

I don't get it, why would you stop empowerment of humanity? Even my boss loves it because he doesn't have to spend a dime on me improving myself trough courses. And he will pay me more if I prove that I actually learn from it, so I can improve his business(of course). But the most important part is I improve myself.


This is a clear sign in what state the education system is in Minnesota, corrupted!

edit on 19/10/12 by sevensheeps because: typo's

Wait.. you get a certificate as opposed to a diploma? What does this certificate look like? Is this something an employer would take seriously?

Can you post a picture of a certificate?

I don't know if they take it serious in New Orleans,

but in Europe they do.

State government seeking to control legal information, by means of law - and calling it protection? Welcome to the Brave New World. It's only about 28 years behind schedule.

What an absolute and gross example of power run amok and used to idiots for all the wrong reasons. Minnesota, congratulations, you've just become the class dunce. And in this nation, in this age? That's saying something.

~Heff

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
reply to post by sevensheeps

 

There's 0 cost actually.

And i signed up for Sociology and How To Reason & Argue.

SHould be a blast.

~Tenth

It will, How To Reason & Argue. lol.


Could come in handy on ATS Enjoy and goodluck!

I'm not 100% sure what Coursera is, but I am from MN and Minneapolis and St. Paul are consistently shuffled between spots one, two, and three of the most educated cities in America. I also know that our local private colleges (St. Thomas, St. Catherine, Augsburg, MacAlister, Hamline) offer millions and millions of scholarship dollars every year to students who cannot afford college otherwise - free-ride tuition to those who hold academic promise but no bank holdings. Furthermore, 'Coursera' kinda sounds like 'Billy Bob's Backwater School-a-Book-Learnin' to me. My guess is that it is some unaccredited phony scam and that's why it's "banned." But like I said, I've never heard of Coursera before, so maybe I'm wrong.

.

free-ride tuition to those who hold academic promise but no bank holdings. Furthermore, 'Coursera' kinda sounds like 'Billy Bob's Backwater School-a-Book-Learnin' to me. My guess is that it is some unaccredited phony scam and that's why it's "banned." But like I said, I've never heard of Coursera before, so maybe I'm wrong.

reply to post by YoungSoul


I almost sound like I work for them.. But.

You are SO wrong.

Have you seen the universities offering the courses?

Berklee College of Music
Brown University
California Institute of Technology
Columbia University
Duke University
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Emory University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Johns Hopkins University
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Ohio State University
Princeton University
Rice University
Stanford University
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The University of British Columbia
University of California, Irvine
University of California, San Francisco
University of Edinburgh
University of Florida
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of London International Programmes
University of Maryland, College Park
University of Melbourne
University of Michigan
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
University of Toronto
University of Virginia
University of Washington
Vanderbilt University
Wesleyan University

Really?

And people still think the government knows best huh?

Oh lord we're in for it.

America hits an all time low.

Would that ban apply as well to the Kahn Academy? Hell, the internet in general?

This is nuts.