‘Liking’ Facebook more than Moodle

With 850 million users and growing, and its’ recent $1 billion acquisition of Instagram, Facebook continues to solidify itself as a social media giant. One of the best things about this multifaceted website is that it’s free.

Community Colleges are currently undergoing a budget crisis with constant reduction cuts being implemented.

To help alleviate the debt the college has been digging itself into, the Pierce Online department should begin to utilize Facebook as a way for teachers to communicate with students as opposed to costly systems like Moodle.

The main purpose of Moodle is to provide students with means to interact with their teachers and classmates, as well as turn in their work for grading.

Creating a private facebook group for a course where an instructor can approve access for students enrolled in a class can function in the same way.

According to allfacebook.com, 96 percent of college students already have a facebook account.

Since students are already visiting their facebook accounts regularly, this means they are more likely to see any new posts that have occurred on their class groups page.

This can make getting school work done more efficiently, and there is less of an excuse for a student to not know about an assignment or miss a deadline.

Although not all coursework can be done via Facebook because it does have some limitations compared to a more robust eLearning platform like Moodle, some class work can be done on Facebook, and some can still be done on Moodle.

This way, less money is needed to spend on bandwidth usage for students and faculty members who visit the Moodle site.

In the Spring 2012 semester alone, there were 664 requests from faculty and staff members who needed to have courses activated.

Rather than having to pay for all of the bandwidth that is needed to support hundreds of web portals, and having to pay for information technology professionals to fix bugs and issues, why not use a free platform that students and teachers already know how to use?

On September 30, a five-year Title V grant to fund contract workers in the distance education department will be up.

The college has submitted a new request for a Title V Cooperative grant, but will not find out if they have received approval until sometime between July and September.

It currently costs $11,000 a year to fund Moodle, a relatively low cost course management system.

The expiration of the Title V grant will not affect the continuing operation of Moodle, but the three employees who where hired understanding their contract will soon be up could possibly be out of work unless the grant is renewed.

Lowering the operational costs of the online department would help ensure the continued employment of current Pierce faculty members.

The Los Angeles Unified School District is proposing to lower graduation requirements for high school students entering this fall because they fear more students might drop out.

The LAUSD is considering graduating students even if they get a “D” in the college prep courses they will be required to take, but passing with a “D” in these courses won’t meet admission requirements for California State University or University of California systems.

The amount of required credits to graduate would also be reduced from 230 to 170. There’s no problem with less credits, but maybe not 50. That’s just over a 20 percent cut in required credits.

They are also considering to cut electives to allow students more time to study for core classes. That’s fine, if you want to work on your English homework instead of taking an art class then that’s up to you. However, they should not cut both the total amount of required credits and electives. That’s too much.

They should cut back on electives to allow more study time, and keep a “C” as the passing grade.

These college prep courses are were implemented to help students get ready for their future. Employers, colleges, and life after high school aren’t going to lower their standards for these kids. Granted, not everyone goes to college, but knowledge is power and those courses would only teach kids to work harder. Everyone needs a job and extra skills look good to employers.

Lowering the standards also implies to the students that they can’t do it. Telling high school students the minimum they need to pass is a “D,” will result in students striving for a “D.”

When the students work hard to earn the “C” grade or higher that they need to graduate, they will have confidence in themselves, knowing that they are capable and ready for college because they earned it and didn’t settle for an easy “D.”

The LAUSD is worried that students who aren’t passing will simply drop out, but letting students graduate with a “D” discredits LAUSD schools. There is a reason you get a diploma- because you completed the tasks that were demanded of you and earned it. If these changes are made a high school diploma won’t be held with much regard and it already . LAUSD students should be encouraged to improve themselves, not to be held back and graduate from discredited schools because the district thinks they will fail.

I know the LAUSD is only one school district in one state, but What if other school districts made similar decisions?

California’s education rank has been slipping over the years, becoming one of the worst. The thought of districts lowering standards paints a scary picture for our country’s educational future.

Letter to the editor

From: Assembly member Bob Blumenfield

Today’s crisis in higher education funding was caused by the great recession and a disappointing lack of courage by some of my colleagues in the State Capitol to balance the pain of budget cuts with necessary revenues. However, by working together, we can bring positive change for students starting this Fall.

More than anyone, you know that cuts to higher education have reduced course offerings, making it harder to graduate. And, tuition has skyrocketed. Starting this summer, community college fees will have increased by 255% since 2003. As costs rise, many students take on crippling debt or give up on their education goals altogether.

This vicious cycle must be reversed. That is why I am co-authoring the Middle Class Scholarship Act, supported by the Student Senate for California Community Colleges.

Under the proposal, $150 million would expand fee waivers and grants covering the costs of books, transportation, or other educational expenses for community college students. It would also reduce fees at the University of California and the California State University by 2/3 for students coming from families earning up to $150,000 a year. Students would only need to fill out existing aid forms to be considered.

We aim to pay for this new scholarship by closing a tax loophole called the “elective single sales factor,” which allows out of state companies to cheat California out of 1 billion dollars each year. To add insult to injury, the loophole actually incentivizes companies to create jobs out of state. With 20 other states already having closed this loophole, the idea should be a nobrainer. But, unfortunately, we have a fight on our hands and we need your help to break through this political logjam.

The companies taking advantage of this loophole have unleashed an army of lobbyists to ensure that this scholarship never materializes. They narrowly prevented the elimination of this loophole last year. But you can help us beat them by speaking out this year. Your passion and personal stories can pressure wavering Legislators and help California make college more affordable.

This fight is chance to validate our society’s belief that hard work should be rewarded with opportunity. For more information about getting involved, please visit www.middleclassscholarship.com.