In the world of digital education, massive open online courses (Moocs) are here to stay. It may have been five years since The New York Times declared 2012 to be the Year of the MOOC, but Moocs are still multiplying and branching out into new forms of accredited learning experiences. All the major Mooc platforms – […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Moocs can still bring higher education to those who really need it
The cross-subsidy of research by teaching is a myth
Research is loss-making. This is perhaps the most frequently uttered mantra of modern university life in the UK. Vice-chancellors on headline-grabbing salaries, who claim to run today’s universities with the same precision chief executives employ to run multinational businesses, tell us that the only way that their institutions can afford to carry out their most […] … learn more→
Higher Ed Primary Expenditure 2025: Marketing
A recent posting about official government predictions of growth in our higher ed system by 2025, despite the fact that the vast bulk of our high school graduates already go to college today and we’ll have fewer people in that age group in 8 years, got me to thinking about the future of higher ed […] … learn more→
Can non-academics make good university leaders?
The job of university president was, until recently, a gig reserved almost entirely for the seasoned professor battle-hardened by decades in academia. Today’s US university and college leaders, however, are increasingly a different breed: among their ranks you’ll now find a former Homeland Security chief, a four-star admiral, a sprinkling of retired congressmen and senators […] … learn more→
Indiana Gives Credential Engine a boost
Last week, leaders from business, labor, and higher education celebrated the public launch of Credential Engine’s Credential Registry. A web-based system for finding and comparing education and training credentials, the Credential Registry stands to transform the way employers, institutions, and learners at all levels evaluate and compare different credentials when making education, career, and hiring decisions. […] … learn more→
Design is key in college ‘promise’ programs
In one of her first public acts as the new mayor of Seattle, Jenny Durkan signed an executive order last month to phase in a free college tuition program. The program promises up to two years of free tuition at a Seattle community or technical college for recent graduates of Seattle’s public high schools. The Seattle Promise […] … learn more→
In praise of academic spouses
Research proposals, funding applications, research trips, conference attendance, journal articles, writing up, editing, viva prep, corrections, final submission…a doctorate is a long process, physically and emotionally draining, but worth it for the degree, the postnomial letters, the graduation celebrations. But what if you don’t get these? What if, at the end of the three or […] … learn more→
Research essay topic ideas to get inspired
Wherever you live, whatever college you attend, whatever discipline is your major, and whatever year of study you are currently at, you will face a research paper writing assignment anyway. You probably have already written essays where you had to use your analytical skills. But you could have made a wrong guess and chosen a […] … learn more→
University free speech debate is really about power
The maelstrom that erupted last month at Wilfrid Laurier University has since spread far beyond the campus ground — a teaching assistant opened up a vitriolic free speech debate across Canada by showing a video of a conservative professor who opposes Bill C-16 and refuses to use gender-neutral pronouns. The incident became a national story when the mainstream media uncritically amplified […] … learn more→
5 ways the proposed PROSPER Act could impact students
For the first time in nearly a decade, the United States Congress is about to take up legislation to upgrade the Higher Education Act – the federal law that governs how the federal government supports and regulates higher education institutions. The process began earlier this month, when U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican from North […] … learn more→
