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

• Type-A students give podcasted lectures an F. "Lecture capture less popular among competitive students," a June 14, 2011 eCampus News article reports. "Student respondents in a Clemson University study of the campus’s lecture-capture use gave the recording technology rave reviews, but among the minor critiques was concern that simply watching a lecture online wouldn’t let students academically preen like they do in class."
• Summer vacation? Who needs it? A June 14, 2011 StateNews.com article reports that "Students use summer classes to advance college progress." "Many MSU [Michigan State University] students studying this summer have chosen to take advantage of online course offerings to give them an edge when they return to campus in the fall."
• Even world leaders owe money to Uncle Sam. A June 14, 2011 Forbes blog post asks, "Obama's Loans Paid Off, Will Yours [sic]?" "At a White House briefing for online personal finance writers last week, President Barack Obama was asked what money advice he himself had found most valuable. The President riffed on his Kansas born grandmother, who worked her way up from bank secretary to vice-president and taught him about the importance of saving and the 'magic of compounding interest'. Then he segued to the value of 'investment' -- both by the federal government and individuals."
• The brains behind the badge. "Long Arm of the Law: Criminal Justice Degree Program a Boon to Georgia." "AccessNorthGa.com reports that North Georgia College and State University has started a new, online-only graduate degree program in criminal justice. The program is aimed at those students interested in working in the law enforcement field."
• A June 14, 2011 NBCPhiladelphia.com story breaks down "College Terms for Parents." "The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (known as FAFSA) -- A form that must be filled out annually by current and anticipating university students (both undergraduate and graduate) and sometimes the student’s parents in the United States to determine their eligibility for federal student financial aid such as grants, loans, and work-study."
• A June 10, 2011 Washington Monthly Blog post reveals that "University of Phoenix Graduates Earn More." "But it’s no surprise that graduates of Phoenix end up doing reasonably well financially. The reason for this is simple; virtually everyone who attends the university successfully is already employed in one of those highly bureaucratic jobs where pay raises and promotions depend on education, no matter where it’s from. That’s why the University of Phoenix works for the people who actually do graduate; they have the sort of jobs where they get paid more directly as a result of earning a degree."
• A June 12, 2011 Moral Liberal post reports, "Record number of OSU [Oregon State University] students graduate via online degree programs." "Ecampus will graduate 386 students Saturday, nearly twice as many as last year when 210 received their OSU diplomas. This year’s graduates span 40 states and six countries, including China, Germany and the Bahamas, evidence that the demand for online courses continues to rise at OSU."
• A June 10, 2011 Wired blog post asks, "Do You Get Better Grades With Better Attendance?" "This is my favorite quote from the article: 'One of the greatest benefits students may receive when they come to class, he says, is that they can pick up on the subtle hints professors drop about what may be the most important material to know.'"
• And of course no linkpile would be complete without mention of the recent "gainful employment" rule imposed on career colleges. "Quality Is Job One: 'Gainful Employment' Rule's Impact (or Lack Thereof)." "The gainful employment rule is nothing new: It’s been used for close to 40 years as a result of the Higher Education Act. Only recently has it been speculated that for-profit universities would be disproportionately hurt by the application of the gainful employment rule. But as it stands, the watered-down gainful employment rule has set the bar for full compliance so low that almost every school, not matter how seemingly corrupt, will be able to meet it."