Indian college graduates need some training in English

I came to India in order to access its workforce and I expected that all college graduates have strong language skills in English. After I spent a couple of months, I found that Indian college graduates have a lot of potential to become great workforce; however, they need some training when jobs require them to speak and write in English especially when they work for companies headquartered in US, UK, Australia and Canada(and other English speaking countries). The followings are areas in which they need some training.

Indian college graduates tend to write incomplete sentences and make many grammatical mistakes. Also they omit commas, periods and apostrophes. They often forget to capitalize certain letters, too. When they are instructed to not make those mistakes, they make a lot less mistakes. Also in most cases, they can find mistakes that they make. However, some training is definitely needed in this area so that they write properly subconsciously. All courses in college are taught in English expect for language courses like Hindi, Chinese and Spanish, but after all, they are not used to speak and write in English as a part of their daily life; this is probably the reason why they make mistakes that even they recognize.

Another common problem is spelling; more specifically, too many words are spelled in the way that they are often used in chartrooms and text messaging. While they understand that they cannot use spellings used in chartrooms and text messaging when they write official documents, they subconsciously use those spellings because it is a habit. Some training is needed in this area also.

Also Indian college graduates have a recognizable accent. It it not absolutely necessary for them to change their accent, but they should learn how to speak slightly differently. For example, they can speak slowly. They can imitate Americans and British (and other English speaking people). While having an accent is not a technical problem, it can result in a communication problem. It is rather important that they recognize that they are not making any technical mistakes in this regard, but it is also important that they need to change the way in which they speak slightly when they speak with Americans and British (and other English speaking people).

Over all, Indian college graduates have good language skills in English, but they are a bit rough. They have a lot of potential, but if they want to become competitive, some training in English is needed.

Edit: This article is written by J. Watanabe.

US education system gets something right

Many criticize US education system for right reasons, but US education system gets something right. It is a kind of education system that everyone has a chance to get education. Some might argue that the average college tuition is too high; others might argue that minority groups such as African Americans do not get equal opportunities in education. They are all correct, but it is very possible for everyone to get at least a Bachelor degree in US education system. This becomes very apparently when US education system is compared to education systems in other countries.

US education system does not really have a mandatory selection process applied to young students (e.g., students in 9th grade or 10th grade); many young students in US get K-12 education at private schools in order to enter top universities, but private school education is not necessary to get a Bachelor degree. They can even get degrees from top universities even if they do not go to private schools. This is because no university requires you to be younger than a certain age in order to apply or select a subject to study. It is totally up to you to decide when you want to enter a university. It is also totally up to you to decide what subject to study. All choices are more or less up to individuals. This is not exactly the case in countries like India. Students take an exam in 10th grade; the result of the exam is a part of mandatory selection process, and this more or less determines their future career. For example, if a student does well on the exam, he/she can study science and engineering. If he does modestly, then he can study practical subjects such as accounting and business. If he does not do well, he can only study one of remaining subjects such as History. There is nothing wrong with studying History, but the point is that there is a very rigid selection process, and students have to go through that process at a very young age. There are alternative paths, but the whole education system is definitely not as flexible as US education system.

Student loans are easily available in US. I do not encourage anyone to get any loan, but student loans are easily available. In other words, not having any money does not prevent anyone from getting education in US. Furthermore, number of scholarships are available; scholarships essentially give out free money. It takes a certain effort to get a scholarship, but every student has a fair chance to get a scholarship or two. There are ways to get around the problem of lack of finance to get education in US. This is not exactly the case in many countries. For example, in Japan, the word "scholarship" does not mean free money; it is simply another loan. More specifically, student loans are generally not available; one needs to get a scholarship in order to borrow money. There is a tremendous difference between (real) "scholarship" in US and "scholarship" in Japan.

Finally, there is virtually no discrimination in US education system. I am quite certain that many people in US disagree with the statement, but being compared to the education system in India, US education system has virtually no discrimination. For example, IIT, India Institution of Technology is the top university in India. It is a fine university, but it only accepts students from certain classes (castes). Is there anything like this in US? Not exactly. Anyone can get a degree from Cal Tech, MIT, Stanford or Princeton as long as he/she studies hard enough.

The current administration is not making a great effort to improve US education system, and I do not disagree with critics of the current administration in this regard. However, by comparison, few education systems in the world can match the flexibility of US education system. US education system gets something right.

Something online universities cannot offer you

Online universities offer students an opportunity to complete a university degree program while they work full time. Many of online university degrees are accredited; many of them are offered by traditional universities such as University of Massachusetts schools, so they are as marketable as traditional university degrees (i.e., university degrees that student obtain while they attend physical classrooms) when university graduates seek employment opportunities. However, there are certain things that you cannot learn in any online university; in specific, you cannot really learn perspectives that many different people have in any online university. Traditional university's campus is a very diversified place; the campus is diversified ethnically, culturally and economically. University campus is 'diversified ethnically'; this is self-explanatory. There are African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, Whites and foreign students. 'Culturally diversified' means that fellow students go pursue many different careers after they graduate. 'Economically diversified' is also self-explanatory; some are born rich while others work a couple of different jobs to pay tuition. Some have parents who make millions of dollars while others might not even have a single parent who has a descent job.

Ethnical boundaries in US are becoming weaker slowly; however, ethnical boundaries are still rather visible in US. For example, you can clearly recognize African American community in Los Angeles. You can clearly recognize Chinatown in San Francisco. You can also recognize that a part of New York has increasing Korean population. So, chances are you grow up inside an ethnical boundary up until you finish school. Though you can identify that some students stay with those of the same ethnical groups in a typical university campus, boundaries are blur.

If you attend one of major universities that offer dozens of degree programs, you get to meet those who study different subjects such as engineering, literature, chemistry, political science, mathematics and business. You can certainly learn about all these subjects by reading books and watching online lectures, but talking with them and hearing their perspectives is a totally different experience. This is actually a rare opportunity. Once you start working, you tend to spend most of your time with those who work in your field. If you are a software engineer, you tend to spend a lot of time with other software engineers. If you are a lawyer, you tend to spend a lot of time with other lawyers. You tend to hear only one set of perspectives once you start working.

Lastly, whether you'd like to believe or not, there are classes in the society; more specifically, there are classes divided by income. It's a sad reality, but it is a reality. It is unlikely that you have a friend who works as a janitor once you become a hedge fund manager and start making half a million dollars a year. It is also unlikely that you have a fortune 500 CEO friend if you decide to open up a video store and become your own boss (and not own any other store). However, you and your friends are more or less equal in university. For example, even if your friend's father is Microsoft's executive and you work two jobs to pay tuition, your friend and you get same assignments; it is highly unlikely that your friend gets a higher score simply because his father makes millions of dollars a year. Your other friend might drive Mercedes and you might just ride a bicycle. There is no reason why you cannot get straight As while your friend gets B- average. Meeting people in different classes is another way to get different perspectives, and going to a traditional university gives you this unique opportunity.

Some may argue that online campus does not discriminate students, and thus, you can interact with different people. This is true to a certain extent, but meeting people face-to-face is totally different from meeting people online. Also what you can learn from people online is totally different from what you can learn from people whom you meet face-to-face. I actually host a website about online education, and I am certainly not devaluing online education, online university or online university degree. However, getting a university degree is a big investment in terms of time and money. It can also make a huge difference in your life, so it should not be taken lightly. You should make a well-informed decision. The point of this article is to inform you of one of major advantages of getting a university degree at a traditional university. I highly recommend that you get as much information as you can and make an informed decision whether you decide to study online, you decide to attend a traditional university or else.

College tuition has been going up

College tuition has been going up for some time, and a lot of young college students have been complaining about this. Also many of them have been taking huge loans to finish school. Now it is true that college tuition has been going up for some time and the rise has been beating inflation. However, is this the sole reason why a lot of young people end up taking huge loans today. Isn't this partly because a lot of young people have been taking up loans without much consideration or thinking about other options such as working, saving money and then going to school?

It might not be fair to say that only young college students are responsible for their ending up with huge loans by the time they finish school today, but it's probably inaccurate to say that this is solely caused by the rising college tuition cost.

University education insurance policy

I actually learned about this today.

How about an education insurance policy?

It covers costs in event student leaves school

MARSHALL LOEB

MarketWatch

Most people realize that education is an investment. Despite the astronomical tuition charges at private high schools and universities, parents and students know that the money they are spending should and will lead to more job opportunities and room for growth after degrees are received.

And yet what most people don't recognize is that the costs of education can be insured.

Tuition and room and board at private institutions of higher learning have soared to an average of more than $20,000 a year. Prominent schools at the college-prep and elementary levels aren't much cheaper.

Source - Charlotte.com (Click the link to read the rest of the story)

The following is a related news article.

Insurance for college drop outs

The high cost of putting young people through university is prompting some parents to take out insurance against students dropping out.

Many students are leaving university with debts in excess of £10,000 - and if students leave university without graduating, this money will be lost.

As such insurance companies are offering policies which protect parents against the financial losses of students failing to complete courses.

Source - BBC (Click the link to read the rest of the story)

I looked for actual education insurance policies, but I could not find any. I will look for insurance policies again later, and if I find any, I will post the link(s).

Florida Metropolitan University under investigation

I wrote that for profit universities have a place in higher education and they would facilitate to make higher education more dynamic. Though I briefly mentioned about structural problems of for profit institutions, I was pretty optimistic about profit universities in general. Now I am wondering whether I have to rethink.

State launches investigation into career university

Jane Meinhardt

Florida's Attorney General's Office is investigating Florida Metropolitan University.

FMU has four campuses in the Tampa Bay area.

The university is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Corinthian Colleges Inc., a for-profit company based in California.

The publicly traded company (NASDAQ: COCO) stated in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Tuesday that it received "an investigative records subpoena" from the State Attorney General's Office on Nov. 17.

Source - Tampa Bay Business Journal

Florida Metropolitan University (also Florida Metropolitan University) states that they are in compliance with applicable regulations, but when SEC launches investigation, the business is doing something problematic. It is rare that SEC investigates just because they want to obtain information or understand how the business operates.

The subpoena apparently involves FMU's (also FMU) advertising and marketing practices. Many for profit institutions' (companies) advertising and marketing practices have problems; it is unfortunately not inaccurate to say that advertising and marketing are done in such a way that they manipulate consumers, in this case, potential students. Advertising and marketing have changed fundamentally over the last 10 years or so. Advertising and marketing are so much more sophisticated today; for profit institutions (companies) hire psychologists. They experiment different patters. They conduct elaborate research in order to get a certain response from consumers (in this case, potential students). Given resources that many companies have, consumers are often no match; they can be manipulated. It seems that the dark side of for profit institutions can be seen in for profit universities as well.

Capella University Scam

#1 online university in terms of the size is University of Phoenix (also University of Phoenix) and #2 is Devry University (also Devry University); I wrote about these two universities in this column. #3 is probably Capella University (also Capella University). There are number of happy online students, but there are also number of unhappy online students. Many of those who enrolled in University of Phoenix and Devry University complain about the quality of the education that these universities provide, and many of students who enrolled in Capella University complain about the quality of education that the university provides. Many even claim that Capella University's education programs are scam. Since there are a fair number of complaints, I'd like to reference some websites and some claims, though they do not necessarily reflect my opinion. "Crapella University Sucks" is probably the prominent website that claims that Capella University is a scam. The website lists lawsuits filed against Capella University, and the following is one of them.

Former Student Claims Online University Discrimination

June 30, 2005

A former student claims online University discriminated against him on the basis of his disability, and dismissed him from the university after he sought reasonable accommodation. Read the Complaint in La Marca v. Capella University now pending in the United States District Court for the central district of California.

Click here for the Verified Complaint

An article about this case appeared in the August 4th issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education

Click here to View this Article

Source - Thomas & Associates

The lawsuit is not directly related to the quality of education; nonetheless, I reference the lawsuit to give you some idea of what information the website, "Crapella University Sucks" provides and what kind of lawsuits Capella University are defending against. CapellaUniversitySucks.us is another website.

While the purpose of the column is to make reference to information about Capella University scam (if the university did such a thing) so that those of you who are thinking about enrolling in Capella University can be better informed, I make a reference to the following comment because it is factually correct and it is posted on one of the trusted news sources of higher education, "The Chronicle of Higher Education".

I guess I want to clarify some things. As a former employee at an online university, I can tell you that online universities such as, AIUonline, Univ. of Phoenix, Capella University, Jones International University, Touro University, and CTUonline are all accredidate by regional accredidators. AIUonline is accrediate by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, so the degree you receive from here or the other schools listed above are valid degrees. However, one could argue that the curriculum is not on par with traditional universities, given that most of these programs are on a very accelerated pace and the requirements to be accepted are having a hearbeat and a wallet, although you do need to have a certain GPA. For example, you can earn a graduate degree in as little as 10 months. But, that's probably a different conversation.

Source - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Summing up:

Number of lawsuits have been filed against Capella University, and many students are unhappy about what they got after they paid the tuition; this is a fact. However, Capella University is a regionally accredited online university. This is also a fact. I highly recommend that you check sources referenced and other sources before you make a decision about whether you study at Capella University.

Online universities cannot offer life style

Online universities cannot offer "Life style"; I feel like I am stating the obvious, but it's pretty important, so I'll point this out. Studying business online and get MBA; studying online enables you to keep working full time. You will earn MBA in 3 years, and MBA will enable you to take your career to the next level. Managerial position, higher income, design a project instead of just follow what your boss tells you to you. All sound great, and marketing pitch like this isn't exactly a lie. Many online universities offer MBA. You can keep working full time if you study online because you have very flexible schedule. MBA (or any other online degree, online associate degree, online bachelor degree, master or PhD) probably gets you to earn more. More interesting job tasks. It offers you a lot. However, there is one thing that online universities cannot offer, that is "life style." There are number of differences between studying online, in virtual classroom and studying in physical classroom. In addition to that, there is a certain life style that you live when you go to a traditional university. When I say life style, it does not just mean partying or procrastinating at a coffee shop. Intelligent stimulating conversations with fellow students. Discussions with professors and other faculty members. Make friends and meet people. Rare books sold at book stores around the campus. Reading club, dance club, hiking club, Karate club, etc. The package really makes three years, four years or often longer worthwhile and makes it a memorable time in your life. That is something online universities cannot offer.

When is lecture video search coming?

Internet search giant, Google, is apparently in discussions with CBS for video search and on-demand video. While I understand that Google is a public company after all and the company's main objective is to generate profit, it is rather disappointing that the company does not seem to be enthusiastic about providing education content to the public, specifically, lecture video search and on-demand lecture video. Not just Google, but all other companies seem to lack enthusiasm toward education. All public companies have obligation to serve their shareholders, but I just wish that they behave a little differently. If profitability is absolutely essential, perhaps, the government can give incentives. For example, Google gets tax deduction as they enable university lecture video search. As I mentioned in this column, a couple of universities already offer free online education, and free online education includes lecture video. There are substantial amount of lecture video, and I am quite certain that this benefits a lot of people. People are more educated; this improves productivity and improves economy. Even if the government allows tax deduction, over all benefits in the economy will pay back for tax deduction given to a couple of companies, Google, Yahoo and maybe Ask. This is not a very complicated scenario, and it would be really great if the government, public companies or both lighten up a little more.

It is perfectly ok for the University of Kansas to teach creationism and intelligent design

Univ. of Kansas takes up creation debate

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Creationism and intelligent design are going to be studied at the University of Kansas, but not in the way advocated by opponents of the theory of evolution.

A course being offered next semester by the university religious studies department is titled "Special Topics in Religion: Intelligent Design, Creationism and other Religious Mythologies."

"The KU faculty has had enough," said Paul Mirecki, department chairman.

Source - seattlepi

US university system is one of the best university systems in the world, and it is partly due to the fact that there are variety of universities for students to study at. There are private universities, national universities, state universities, city universities, religious universities and for profit universities. Given the current US university system, the University of Kansas's decision to teach creationism and intelligent design only adds a choice for students. If they prefer not to study the subject, they can take other courses. If they prefer that the university not teach creationism and intelligent design, they can study at some other university. There are number of universities just within the state of Kansas. However, the decision to teach creationism and intelligent design at a high school can be troublesome because students do not have many choices to begin with. Ted Forstmann, Chairman & CEO, Children's Scholarship Fund, claims that US high school education is monopolized by US government, and that is a fair point. It is rather dangerous for US high school to teach a certain doctrine since it does not facilitate to think and analyze freely.

For profit university

Previously were there private universities, national universities, state universities, city universities and religious universities. Many online universities are for profit universities; this has added another category in the list of US universities. For profit institutions have been criticized severely after we saw scandals such as Enron and WorldCom; movies like The Corporation criticize structural problems of profit institutions and they make good points. We have to wonder if for profit university is a viable model and if the university can provide quality education. I think that the honest answer is that we don't know the answer yet. While criticism on the structural problems of the for profit institution is more than fair, I think that it is too quick to say that for profit university cannot provide quality education. It is possible that for profit university cannot provide the best quality education in the world; none of for profit universities can become like Harvard, Stanford, Yale or Northwestern. However, I am pretty optimistic that for profit universities find its niche.

Accredited online degree

If you are looking to study online and get an online degree, you probably hear and read a lot about "accredited online degree". I'd like to explain what it is in lament terms because "accredited college degree" is not something you hear so often. Suppose that you live in New York city and that you do not have any college degree. Suppose that you decide to go to college and get a degree one day. Suppose that you decide to go to CUNY (City University of New York) City College. You simply do not think about "accredited college degree" because schools that you hear and read about are generally accredited. All CUNY schools are accredited. All State University of New York schools are accredited. All Cal State (California State) schools and UC (University of California) schools are accredited. IV league, Pac 10 and all schools that you hear and read about are accredited. This is why the term "accredited" sounds so foreign. You start hearing and reading about the term "accredited" all of the sudden when you start looking to study online because not all online schools are accredited.

"accredited" simply means that the school is accreted by a regional accreditation body, which is recognized by US Department of Education. There are number of accreditation bodies, but generally speaking, truly "accredited" means to be accredited by a regional accreditation body; in other words, the school is accredited like all other schools (Harvard, Yale, University of Michigan, etc.) that you hear about.