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Uncategorized Friday, October 19th 2012 at 8:40 am

Idiocracy Now: Free Online Education Deemed Illegal in Minnesota

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One might think that free online education is one of the very few things that’s looking positive in the entire education scene. The quality varies wildly, but even the basics being entirely free to peruse is a relatively new, and helpful, concept. Allowing folks the ability to educate themselves is a basic tenet of progress. That’s not how Minnesota sees it, however. The state is enforcing a law mainly meant to apply degree-granting institutions to try and curtail free online courses, because they never got permission to operate in Minnesota. Seriously.

Specifically, Minnesota has attempted to stop the massive online open course provider Coursera from operating within its borders. Considering that these are both “free” and “online,” it’s hard to say how the state intends to enforce any restrictions despite its current posturing. It’s not like the California-based startup is receiving funding from Minnesota. It’s also pretty unclear whether other similar providers were notified about the policy.

A policy analyst for Minnesota’s Office of Higher Education, Tricia Grimes, defended the decision in an email to the Chronicle. “This has been a longtime requirement in Minnesota (at least 20 years) and applies to online and brick-and-mortar postsecondary institutions that offer instruction to Minnesota residents as part of our overall responsibility to provide consumer protection for students,” she insisted, because that obviously makes sense. Clearly offering courses for free over the Internet is a fad.

In the end, this whole debacle will probably be seen as an example of just how little policymakers truly understand the Internet and what it can offer.

(The Chronicle of Higher Education via Slate, image via Amanda Tipton)

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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Bruce-E-Screws-Jr/5200506 Bruce E. Screws Jr.

    This is a pretty clear cut example of protectionism of those who already have the market. A lot of these sort of anti-free market rules surround education that protect the establishment against competition from market competition. The fact that literally free Ivy League level education is offered and is likely even better than brick and mortar only poses a threat to established schools of higher education. There is always the guise of “protecting” students from a bad experience. The net result is fewer options and greater expense and a protected tenured elite.

    Thomas Sowell writes very well about the economic protectionism inherent in higher education in “Intellectuals and Society.” It is a very thorough, well researched logical analysis of all sorts of intellectuals and the economics that pertain to them.

  • http://www.facebook.com/troyldailey Troy Dailey

    What an excellent example we have in Tricia Grimes and her state in functional retardation and willful abuse of those of lesser economic status. They should be ashamed of themselves.

  • http://www.facebook.com/troyldailey Troy Dailey

    Actually….there apparently is a neat little side story involving this. It isn’t quite the assholery that Bishop states. It does involve some legalistic protectionism…but it’s also guarding state funding that is already locked up and short of funds. That is, of course, the state not wanting to pay more for the schools–but there are other programs to consider. And after all….this will be tricky to prosecute and will end up going to a much higher court if the state tries.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=687991878 Dave Diem Martinez

    Normally I wouldn’t jump on a “fire her” bandwagon, however after researching the lead in article, reading her letter, and realizing how much willful ignorance she displayed, she needs to be fired. NOW.