Wednesday Linkpile compiles, for your information and delight, links to noteworthy news articles pertaining to all things online and higher-educational.

• China plans to invest heavily in distance learning. "Universities to meet public demand by providing free online courses." "To improve the quality of education and balance teaching resources among different regions, the number of online open courses will increase to 1,000 during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) period, said the Ministry of Education."
• An August 2, 2011 FoxBusiness.com article offers advice on "How to Beat Exorbitant College Costs." "Today's college prices will seem cheap when compared to tomorrow's. Still, they're rising at alarming rates -- far faster than inflation. Several in-state public schools have recently increased tuition costs. As an example, the University of California announced a tuition price increase of 9.6 percent -- on top of an already approved 8 percent increase -- beginning this fall."
• Alaska's KTVA 11 offers the skinny on private sector colleges and universities. "Online Education: The Good, The Bad & The Rip-Off." Online schools can be a great way for professionals to continue their careers and get their education at the same time. But if you do some school surfing online, you’ll come across scam operations masquerading around as schools that will issue you a piece of paper with the word 'diploma' for a price."
• "Debt ceiling bill makes cuts to student loans," reads the headline to an August 2, 2011 MySouthwestGA.com article. "The bill to raise the nation’s debt ceiling passed Congress Tuesday, but at a price to college students, some of whom will now have to start paying their student loans back while in school, and all of whom will no longer receive credit for paying back on time."
• The confusions of young credit-scoreless. "Student Loan Consolidation: Even the Best and Brightest Are Befuddled, reads the headline to an August 2, 2011 Huffington Post article. "Student debt now totals $800 billion according to a May 17, 2011 NBC-TV broadcast -- surpassing the total credit card debt of all Americans -- and is the one form of debt that cannot be discharged by bankruptcy. Thousands of young professionals like one masters' degree graduate of Carnegie-Mellon University's Information Design Program find themselves caught in a costly, time-consuming bureaucratic snafu as they navigate debt consolidation under the federal student loan program Direct Loans. Her saga exemplifies the inefficiency of government and belies the Administration's repeated commitments to transparency and efficiency."
• Employers are beginning to come around to the idea of career colleges. "Worthy of Respect: Survey Finds Online Education Gaining Legitimacy." "The burgeoning distance-learning industry has made employers reconsider their attitude. They recognize that chief among online education’s advantages is its flexible curriculum, which allows employees to enrich their skills without taking time away from work. This convenient arrangement produces better workers while at the same time it preserves desired levels of productivity. Indeed, so necessary has constantly developing skills become that online education has become the most attractive option in terms of a market solution. Experts predict that enrollment in distance learning programs will grow as online institutions continue to consolidate academic legitimacy."
• And with this legitimacy comes an experience that you can only call transformative. "Practical Magic: A University of Phoenix Instructor's Triumphant Tale." "Patrong has found the latitude that University of Phoenix affords its instructors to be nothing short of inspiring. He understands that a flexible pedagogy is the one most appropriate to the mutable and fast-paced 21-century workplace, and he does his utmost to put this understanding into practice."
• One for-profit giant has added to its holdings in order to multiply its profits. "Apollo Group to Buy Maker of Math Courses, reports an August 2, 2011 New York Times story. "Hoping to keep more of its students from dropping out, the Apollo Group, which operates the profit-making University of Phoenix, said Tuesday that it would pay $75 million to buy Carnegie Learning, which offers computer-based math instruction."