Higher education just got cheaper — for one course.National Louis University on Tuesday will offer a Groupon for a graduate-level introduction to teaching course, officials said.With the Groupon, prospective students can save nearly 60 percent on tuition for the single, three-credit course and earn credit toward a graduate degree, said Jocelyn Zivin, the vice president of marketing and communications for the Chicago-based, private university. "There are all kinds of factors in the K-12 world that are really discouraging teachers and people seeking teaching degrees," Jocelyn Zivin, vice president of marketing and communications for National Louis, told the Chicago Tribune. The idea behind the deal, she says, is to encourage prospective teachers to "understand what the realities are, whether you are committed to this profession ... and see if you have what it takes." The deal, set to go live Tuesday, will discount the cost for the three-credit introductory course from $2,232 to $950. The deal will tip with 15 buyers and run through Wednesday, Julie Mossler, Groupon's communications director, confirmed. The class will meet for three hours on Monday evenings, from late September to December.Although the course will count toward a graduate degree, it's only worth three of the 36 credits students need to graduate, Zivin said.
– Is Groupon the future of financial aid? Probably not, but National Louis University is taking the site for a spin, offering prospective grad students almost 60% off its introduction to teaching course, the Chicago Tribune reports. The course is specifically designed for Groupon, and assumes students have no prior teaching experience. It’s open to anyone with an undergrad degree, but if students want to take more courses they’ll have to go through the normal admissions process. “There are all kinds of factors in the K-12 world that are really discouraging,” the school’s VP of marketing says. “We'd like (potential students) to understand what the realities are, whether you are committed to this profession ... and see if you have what it takes.” The Groupon deal goes live today: It offers the $2,232 course for $950 and will run until tomorrow, or until 25 people sign up, according to Mashable. Once students complete the class, they'll have three of the 36 credits they need for a degree.