So, Minnesota would rather people not be able to advance themselves without the officiating organization paying a...
So, Minnesota would rather people not be able to advance themselves without the officiating organization paying a fee, first?
Do libraries have to pay a fee to lend books? Do documentaries put together by universities have to pay a fee first? If I move into the state and give away old college text books, do I have to pay a fee first?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/evapereira/2012/10/19/minnesota-bans-free-online-education/
Do libraries have to pay a fee to lend books? Do documentaries put together by universities have to pay a fee first? If I move into the state and give away old college text books, do I have to pay a fee first?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/evapereira/2012/10/19/minnesota-bans-free-online-education/
Comments
They better tax the internet. There's free learning all over that thing.
It just means we have to change the laws. It is a old and out of date law on the books. I suspect the law will be changed real soon because the University of Minnesota has shown interest in offering free course online.
*ducks and runs*
And let's be fair, a degree costs absolutely nothing monetarily. Teachers, facilities, books -- these things cost money.
And, I never said the value of a degree was nothing, I said a degree has no monetary value. If it did, you could, in reality, exchange money for the degree with no other effort put forth.
You can buy degrees! LOL, they're not legit, but they are out there.
So is MN is being a bitch? Sure, saying hey, pay up to be licensed or don't offer course services in our state
I see nothing wrong with it at all. Information may be free, but education is not, intrinsically...not at all.
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Bobbi Jo Woods 2:30 PM
I mean, come on. This Coursera service...is a business, no? Put yourself in the shoes of a business owner...do you expect to run one without any expense like this? Even the smallest sole proprietorship should register an assumed name, which is $25 here in MN. So yes, the state can do what it wants in this case, and I see nothing wrong with Minnesota wanting the service to pay to register with the state to offer degrees.
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Wikipedia is a business, no? It may be a foundation but a foundation is really nothing more than a not for profit business.
That aside, Coursera is a business and offers a service. So is Amazon. Is Amazon registered to provide goods in the state of Minnesota?
The aforementioned Google is a business, did Google pay a fee to operate in Minnesota? AOL? Yahoo? How about the New York Times? Can they not be delivered in Minnesota without NYT paying a fee in the state?
But, let's look at States' rights. The 10th Amendment of the Constitution allows states to make their own laws where the Constitution does not reserve responsibilities to the Legislature, the Executive or the Judicial branches.
While Minnesota's law might have made sense for a hundred years (or, however old that law is), the internet and e-services are inter-state commerce. Only the federal Congress has the right to regulate inter-state commerce. And by adding a fee to an out of state business so they may do business in your state is inter-state commerce violation.
Now, if Coursera (which itself doesn't offer any degrees, it merely facilitates the school/student relationship) were to register as a business in Minnesota, then perhaps we'd be having a different conversation. However, even if they did, since they themselves do not provide degree, we may not, especially since, per the article, Minnesota wants to charge each individual school associated with Coursera the fee to operate within the state, even when they have no presence within the state.
Also, does Minnesota's policy apply to the Khan Academy?
I don't think Coursera is the cause of plagiarism, but rather their enrollment numbers are just larger than the average university.
lulz j/k