Slate informs:
The grand prize in this week’s unexpectedly heated competition for most creative use of government to stifle innovation has to go to Minnesota.
The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that the state has decided to crack down on free education, notifying California-based startup Coursera that it is not allowed to offer its online courses to the state’s residents. Coursera, founded by Stanford computer science professors Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng, partners with top-tier universities around the world to offer certain classes online for free to anyone who wants to take them. You know, unless they happen to be from Minnesota.A policy analyst for the state’s Office of Higher Education told The Chronicle that Minnesota is simply enforcing a longstanding state law requiring colleges to get the government’s permission to offer instruction within its borders. She couldn’t say whether other online education startups like edX and Udacity were also told to stay out.As the Chronicle notes, with admirable restraint, “It’s unclear how the law could be enforced when the content is freely available on the Web.” And keep in mind, Coursera isn't offering degrees—just free classes. Nevertheless, the startup appears to be playing along, posting on its terms of service a special notice to Minnesota users. It reads, in part: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.
this is just blatent; The big Education racket is trying to use unjust laws to protect itself. Too bad they are swinging at shadows in thier old age. They are getting flushed with the rest of the corrupt power structure.
ReplyDelete"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
ReplyDeleteOnce again, government displays it's truly mind numbing ability to suffocate in a self-made tomb of ignorance. Bet money the big entrenched educational monopoly is behind it.
After all, what are the huge, over priced, soon to be totally irrelevant universities to do? They are dinosaurs - extinct, but unaware - looking up uncomprehendingly as the astroid approaches. Millions of square feet of classrooms, countless professors, churning out useless degrees, to kids with borrowed money, who can't get jobs to pay it back.
Oh this is gonna work out goooood...
"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."
ReplyDelete*giggle*
The State hates competition, and Amerika continues down the toilet and back to the Dark Ages. That is what these anti-intelligence, Flat-Earth State-religionists want.
ReplyDeleteAnd the people of the Middle Ages were well aware that the Earth was round. Apparently, the famous American writer, Washington Irving, invented the myth of Middle Age flat-earth belief. I have little confidence in state schools, nor private corporate-state schools.
DeleteH.L. Mencken wrote about fallacies becoming popular and propogated truths for the masses. This is elaborated on by Tom Woods, in the introduction (Introduction: Hoaxes and History) to his "33 Questions About American History You're Not Supposed to Ask."
No doubt the internet is destroying state-education. Fake "progressive-minded" people are only interested in maintaining a large stable of dupes, to keep it all going. I couldn't agree with you more on the need for abolishing state-run schools. Heaven forbid free-market competition in every sector of human life. Even those who believe in the religion of state-worship would have to pull up their bootstraps and improve themselves. They'd be forced to lie a lot less too.
I grew up in the people's republic of Minnesota. This sort of thinking is rather commonplace up there.
ReplyDeleteYeah, probably teacher unions demanded they do this.
DeleteFor those keeping track of gov't statistics--
http://www.jammiewf.com/2012/surprise-ca-official-who-underreported-unemployment-figures-is-big-obama-donor/
I hear that one of the consolations is a lot of Swedish-American blondes. Minnesota reminded them of home. If they like northeasterners, some of them could come visit me in the slightly different police-state of New Jersey.
DeleteIs this not a commerce clause issue?
ReplyDeleteIt's free, so I would say no.
DeleteWow, that's right! For once I think it actually applies as intended!!
DeleteThere's no such thing as a free lunch, they say.
DeleteThis may be free now, but what if the organizers anticipated pricing it in the future? And more generally, could Minnesota (or other states) try to impede a priced education service like this?
"This may be free now, but what if the organizers anticipated pricing it in the future?"
DeleteSo what?
You don't have a moral RIGHT to a free education. It's a privilege.
On the other hand, nobody has the moral right to ban the offering of a non-aggressive service.
That's my point, too, Tony, re: no right to ban
DeleteIf no degree is offered, a online "course" is just free speech. Especially when no tuition is charged. Coursera could challenge Minnesota's law on 1st Amendment grounds, not that it would be worth the effort. Apparently Coursera prefers to merely give the clearly unenforceable decree lip service.
ReplyDeletePerhaps Tom Wood's Liberty Classroom will be the next target. I doubt he would give lip service to such nonsense.
Scott, don't insult the Dark Ages - when the swamps were drained, then fields planted, the manuscripts collected, the ground tilled with hope and the seeds planted for the flourishing to come! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for that part! Building a new civilization is exciting! If we can just hurry up with this decadent collapse...
...what? The government is trying to ban learning via the internet? Is that what's happening here?
ReplyDeleteI didn't think it was still possible for me to be surprised by a government decree, but this one caught me off guard by its absurdity.
@Jonathan Jaech
ReplyDeleteEven if a degree is offered it still falls under free speech.
But people learn on blogs. Does that mean Minnesota will ban blogs?
ReplyDeleteYeah, very smart, indeed. To Minnesota students: just use an anonymous proxy like Tor to get around the bone heads from your local legislature and access whatever you will like.
ReplyDeleteMinnesota students would be so glad to know that free online college classes can now be attained. :)
ReplyDeleteSome education online institution do not rate for their service.
ReplyDeleteWhoah! This is just a shocking news! But I think www.testdrivecollege.com can handle this well.
ReplyDelete