Few people use massive open online courses, known as MOOCs, to earn college credit, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported. Though MOOCs broaden educational access, many online users already hold degrees and have little incentive to trade them in for credits. Last fall, Colorado State University's Global Campus became the first U.S. institution to offer transfer credit for a computer science MOOC that cost $89 instead of the university's $1,050. A year after the program opened, the university had not received any transfer requests. Several states are currently drafting legislation that would compel public colleges and universities to work with MOOC students in an effort to encourage higher education.
Schools must choose between arming staff and losing insurance coverage as state legislatures alter laws governing guns in schools, The New York Times reported. In the wake of high-profile campus gun violence, particularly the shooting in Newtown, Conn., over 30 state legislatures have introduced bills that permit staff members in public and private schools to carry guns, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Seven states have already enacted this legislation. Insurance companies must now determine whether to maintain coverage, increase their premiums or withdraw coverage altogether at institutions that permit employees to carry weapons. Schools that permit guns will incur high costs even if they do keep their coverage, as training and arming a single professional would cost more than $50,000.
Airline industry investigations determined pilot error to be the cause of the plane crash at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Boeing 777, operated by Asiana Airlines, approached the landing below the designated speed of 160 miles per hour, so its trajectory fell short of the runway. It hit a sea wall and lost its tail and landing gear before crashing onto the runway, where it burst into flames. This is the second Boeing 777 crash in the past four years, but data recovered from plane suggests that there were no engine or instrument problems. It appears that the crew did not react quickly enough to a warning about the plane's speed. The pilot had logged nearly 10,000 in-flight hours in total, but only 43 in a 777, and this was his first 777 landing at San Francisco's airport. Of the 307 passengers and 16 crew members traveling from Seoul, two died and another 182 were injured.
