E-Learning Banishes Snow Days from Indiana Schools

Shelby County school district in Indiana has decided to experiment with their educational approach and simply just rid themselves of snow days. The ancient practice of getting days off of school and playing in the snow are almost a relic of the past. Snow days are now virtual commuting days for lesson plans, education, and homework assignments. 

Children are issued a device that has all of the assignments loaded on them if it looks like they are going to have a snow day. Most students simply work online and can chat with their teachers and complete their work. When they don’t have Internet access they still have the assignments on the device to complete and can upload them when they return to school the next day.

Snow days become great days to focus on those skills that they did not do so well in the previous year but will be tested on this year as well. It is hoped that the devices ensure that students cut down on the amount of snow days as well as raise their overall test scores for the district. 

Education must continue to adapt and develop based upon the changing of the times. When schools first started they worked around the farming and harvest times. As the decades passed the automobile brought with it bussing and larger school districts. Eventually, we made it into the present time when online education and year-round learning are possible. 

There will be many school districts looking at Shelby County Schools to see if there is something beneficial in the model.  

Information and Lessons Here

The Winners and Losers of Low Oil Prices-The Sweet Spot

There are advantages and disadvantages to oil. Some nations will capitalize on lower oil prices while others may see significant economic decline. Those dependent on exports are going to feel the most pain while those important oil are going to find the most benefits. Below is a video on the negative factors of low oil that appears to cover the issue from a shale industry perspective. Oil price has more of a sweet spot that is adjusted as technology, consumption, and production change.

The break even point of shale oil is somewhere between $60 and $80 per barrel (As cited in Bloomberg).  At present prices are between $74 and $80 per barrel; dangerously close to the break even point for shale companies. This of course means less hiring and expansion for this relatively new industry. When oil dips under $80 it puts pressure on international producers.

Despite the potential short-term damage to this new industry the general economy grows when oil is in the zone. Where the benefits of low oil push the economy forward through cheaper transactions costs, as well as put greater pressure on the shale industry to further develop. Cheaper alternatives are explored when oil prices are high and existing industries adapt when oil prices are low.

Some countries will be winners and losers in low oil prices. Those nations that rely heavily on oil to prop up their economies and maintain high oil production costs are likely to be the losers (i.e. Russia). Seventy percent (70%) the Russian Economy is dependent on oil prices and recent fiasco with bills highlight how important that oil is (As cited in The Week). This year Russia is likely to be the loser.

Nations that win from lower oil prices are already established or budding manufacturing centers where any reduction to the cost of doing business is a benefit for growth. Lower oil prices may help the U.S., China, Europe, and a few fast growing sectors in India and Asia. As with any change in prices there will be winners who are in a position to capitalize on cheaper costs and losers who will scramble to balance budgets.

Call for Papers: Advances in Management and Applied Economics

The electronic edition of a new issue (Vol. 4, issue 6, 2014) of Advances in Management and Applied Economics is available at:

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Advances in Management and Applied Economics (AMAE) is a multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal published by Scienpress Ltd.

Call for Papers

We encourage authors to submit their manuscripts electronically at:

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for peer review.

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Redefining Dropout Rates for the Working Scholar

Dropout rates have become an important educational marker of institutional success. It doesn’t matter if the metric is used to define high schools, college, or even training. A drop out is a sunk cost and administrators are concerned about its implications for the future of certain programs. However, dropout rates, like any other metric, is only part of the issue. It is a number that is redefined depending on which definition the evaluator wishes to use and the general educational environment.

An article in the International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning discussed the nature of common definitions of dropout and how these measurements are somewhat subjective (Grau-Valldosera & Minguillon, 2014). Current definitions may be inaccurate and not applicable to online education as much as it is to traditional schools. 

Students in the online system may leave and return a year or more later; they are calculated as dropouts. Under more traditional systems the instance a student leaves school they are considered a dropout. Under a traditional semester and dormitory school this is a sufficient method of calculating rates because of the re-access barriers and formal approval processes that define the educational process makes it difficult for most of these students to return.

Within an online system students may not view a drop out the same way. A person who doesn’t take an accelerated class this semester may not consider themselves drop outs. They could be taking a break, moving apartments, or changing jobs. After getting over their hectic life change they may just sign back up for another course. Tracking over a longer period would create a more accurate assessment.

Such students aren’t always lost. They are sort of in the transitioning process of working and continuing their careers. Sometimes they have the extra capital and time to go school while at other times they be too busy with work or family. The tragedy of a drop out doesn’t occur unless the person doesn’t come back or takes an excessive amount of time to fulfill their educational goals. 

That is part of the point of online higher education. It was meant to help working adults that want to go back to school and further their careers. Some of these students achieve academic excellence that other systems don't offer. For example, Master and Doctoral students offer a chance to gain practical knowledge in the working world while becoming theoretical contributors. The process may take longer but the potential contribution to society could be more.

Even if such doctor’s don’t immediately produce high levels of laboratory experimentation they do contribute to literature, science and industry knowledge. Because the online system is becoming fully established it will eventually raise doctors who will conduct high levels of applied research. Theoretical knowledge tied with practical working knowledge is a dynamite combination.

Higher education is about raising the specter of minds available to society. It improves upon an individual’s lifestyle and earning prospects. Whether they stay or leave college their knowledge goes with them. Retention could be better defined by the empirical model as outlined in Grau-Valldosera & Minguillion’s journal article that affords more flexibility in working-learners than traditional models. The online student is a highly motivated self-learner that may pop in and out of the educational system. Knowing where and when to reclassify a non-active student a drop out is open to definitional debate.

Grau-Valldosera, J. & Miguillon, J. (2014). Rethinking dropout in online higher education: the case of the Universitat Oberta De Catalunya, 15 (1).

Low Oil Prices are Good for the U.S. Economy

Lately the idea that low gas prices raise economic activity has been in the headlines. At $80 a barrel oil is at bargain basement prices that lower the cost on everything from holiday travel to manufacturing costs. Oil is just one more factor in the total cost versus rewards businesses use to project future expansion and production. Can oil continue to spur the economy?

The reason oil has declined is based on four primary factors that include 1.) lower demand during a global slow down, 2.) production by Saudi Arabia, 3.) improvements in American shale oil and alternative fuel developments, and 4) higher levels of efficiency in transportation and equipment. Oil is presently on the market with enough supply as to not demand higher prices.

Oil prices impact the global economy but could have a more profound effect on the U.S. which is not only a heavy user of oil but also a reemerging manufacturing center. According to Tom Helbling of the IMF a 10% change in oil prices has a .2% impact on global GNP (as cited in the Economist). Low oil prices encourage economic growth both nationally and internationally.

Oil prices impact the entire supply chain. It is one of those commodities that influences the cost of resources, manufacturing, transportation, and consumer disposable income in one foul swoop. This is one of the reasons why nations fight wars, create national policies, and develop alternative fuel systems over oil. Their is a good reason why oil is considered the blood of the economy.

Companies that are considering investing or expanding operations will need to take into account the oil and gas prices to determine the cost of business. Any time you can reduce fuel and energy costs it lowers the total cost of doing business. When such lower prices are localized to the U.S. then it creates significant export advantages as products become cheaper to produce.

A strong economy relies on many different factors that range from transactional costs to global demand for products. Oil, and energy in general, is one of those inputs that has a wide impact. Oil will not be a savior for the economy but is is a significant contributor. There will be winners and losers with lower oil prices but for now it appears the U.S. is using it as an advantage.