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

• Is the technological revolution in higher education all that it is cracked up to be? "Online education innovators should be wary," warns a recent opinion piece in The Daily Cougar (the student newspaper of The University of Houston). "Online courses are a great idea, they are already being used by some degree at most universities, but implementing the online change slowly may make room for constructive criticism and ensure that the system works as well as it could."
• "Thieves Scam Aid From Online Education Sites," reports an October 5, 2011 story on NPR's Morning Edition. "The Department of Education says that as distance learning has grown so has fraud. An inspector general's report found that scam artists are taking advantage of the popularity of online education to steal federal education money." (With audio)
• Of course, learning technology will always have its boosters. "Apps revolutionize education," reports an October 5, 2011 article at TheAlmanac.net. "The advent of new technologies continues to be most effective for students of all levels and extremely beneficial to those who are vision, hearing or mobility impaired, even those with complex developmental disabilities."
• The Golden State keeps consumers in mind. State issues guide to online schools," reports an October 4, 2011 Napa Valley Register article. "A list of online programs and schools is available for each county in the state. Each listing will show a variety of information, including whether the program or school is accredited, whether its courses meet subject requirements for admission to the University of California, enrollment numbers, and curriculum information, according to the California Department of Education."
• And The Lone Star State is aiming to keep college accessible. "Student loan expansion on ballot," reports an October 5, 2011 MySanAntonio.com article. "Approval of Proposition 3 would authorize the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to expand the state's bonding capacity to $1.9 billion to continue the College Access Loan program, which provides low-interest loans to students at no cost to taxpayers."
• "US should invest more in education, technology," claims an October 3, 2011 Victoria Advocate article. "The world's most successful economies today are in Scandinavia. By using high taxes to finance a high level of government services, these countries have balanced high prosperity with social justice and environmental sustainability. This is the key to well-being in today's globalized economy. Perhaps more parts of the world – and especially the world's young people – are beginning to recognize this new reality."
• "Nearly two thirds of US student borrowers behind on repaying loans, reports an October 5, 2011 WSWS.org article. "Current American student loan debt is just under $950 billion. But only slightly more than a third of young people taking out student loans, 37 percent, are now actually able to repay them on schedule. This dismal statistic, from a recent study by the Institute for Higher Education Policy, speaks to the crisis facing a generation being systematically squeezed economically and denied decent job prospects."
• One institution plans on "Building a ‘sense of community online’," reports an October 4, 2011 Herald Bulletin article. "With Harrison’s new interface, features will be integrated with social sites, like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, making the interface feel more familiar to students."