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

• Keep your eyes on your own work! A May 10, 2011 Chronicle of Higher Education piece carries the headline, "Online Courses Should Always Include Proctored Finals, Economist Warns." "Online economics students do not absorb much material from homework and chapter tests during the semester -- perhaps because they expect to be able to cheat their way through the final exam. That is the lesson from a study that Cheryl J. Wachenheim, an associate professor of agribusiness and applied economics at North Dakota State University, will present in July at the annual meeting of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association."
• The "Gray Lady" has turned schoolmarm. A May 10, 2011 Huffington Post article brings word that "New York Times to Offer Online Accredited Courses." "The New York Times Knowledge Network and New Jersey's Fairleigh Dickinson University are teaming up to offer online courses in subjects ranging from homeland security studies to global health care."
• Twistin' their plight away. "Winds of Change: Tornado Brings Alabama Distance Learners Together." "Even a tornado can’t topple the dedication of some distant learners. AL.com reports that distance learning classmates came to aid of Alabama’s Cordova High School after it had been struck by a twister during the recent spate of extreme weather affecting the Southeast."
• A losing campaign. A May 9, 2010 opinion piece in the Port Huron Times Herald warns, "Military shouldn't limit online education grads." "With technology playing a major -- and growing -- role in national defense, you'd think the U.S. military would welcome computer-savvy young people into its ranks. But an increasing number of prospective recruits who have opted for online education as opposed to a traditional high school diploma are being turned away."
• Wherever you go, there you are. A May 8 Chronicle of Higher Education piece considers "Learning Today: the Lasting Value of Place." "Today a college or university increasingly is not just one place, but many places—a main campus, a satellite branch in a different city or state, an international outpost, and a virtual-learning environment. This major evolution is likely to proceed further as the demographic changes and competitive pressures facing our sector continue to intensify. As increasing numbers of working adults attend college and the higher-education marketplace becomes more global, many institutions are expanding part-time, evening, and weekend degree programs that, by definition, de-emphasize the traditional campus experience."
• More Big Government blues for higher ed on the prairie. "High Plains Pains: Nebraska Buffaloed by For-Profit College Regs." "Senator Nelson believes that many of the proposed rules are a poor fit for Nebraska, which has a large number of students in rural areas. To curtail the state’s ability to provide an education to these students via the latest distance learning technology would bring disaster. Many would find themselves forced to give up their dreams of a higher education altogether."
• Debt to sweat. A May 9, 2011 Buffalo News article observes, "Student Loans can be a burden." "We’ve entered an age where financial experts are declaring there’s a new American dream. Your house should be your home, not an investment, they now say. Reject the old truths that a student loan is always a good investment, they now warn."
• You're fired. A May 7, 2011 Forbes.com blog post profiles "Trump University's Unhappy Students." "Among the many things that Donald Trump has stamped with his brand is a little-known endeavor called Trump University. In Trump’s true exaggerational style, the university isn’t what it appears to be. It isn’t an accredited university at all, but a for-profit entity that sells classes on how to invest in and make money from real estate. Some of its students claim in a class-action law suit in federal court that the thing Trump University does best is sell its own classes."