DIY U

I’ll be talking about the new CARD Act:  which has special provisions to protect college students ,
among other rules designed to halt abusive practices of credit card companies:

*retroactive rate increases *late-fee traps (like moving the due date around from month to month) *some hidden fees, *double-cycle billing (calculating interest based on last month’s balance), and *new disclosure and accountability requirements.

Shoutout goes to the PIRGs for tirelessly pursuing this important bill among a variety of other issues affecting both college affordability and Americans’ precarious financial security.

From the NYT:

According to the study, “Squeeze Play 2010: Continued Public Anxiety on Cost, Harsher Judgments on How Colleges are Run,” a growing share of Americans believes that college is essential to success — 55 percent, compared with 31 percent in 2000. But at the same time, a dwindling share — 28 percent, compared with 45 percent a decade earlier — thinks college is available to the vast majority of qualified, motivated students.

Americans believe colleges could accept more students and charge less tuition without compromising educational quality. They’re also increasingly dissatisfied with college leadership that claims it’s impossible.

The public is right. DIY U explains exactly how this can be done.

Chelsea Green has posted some preview video:

We also posted an excerpt to Scribd.com, which currently has almost 3,000 reads!

I’m Anya.

This is my site about the future of education. In the spirit of DIY U, I made it myself–with help from friends, colleagues, and Twitterfolks.

You might also be interested in my new free ebook and website The Edupunks’ Guide full of resources for independent learners, my Fast Company column Life In Beta, my Tribune Media column The Savings Game, my Book DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs and the Coming Transformation of  Higher Education, my Twitter feed@Anya1anya, or in having me come speak at a campus or gathering near you.