Features
Confronting Higher Education Consumerism Challenges
The higher education community is well aware of the evolving demographic, economic and technological forces presenting both challenges and opportunities to colleges and universities. But one less-noticed but increasingly powerful driver of higher education change is the concept of consumerism. Cathy Sandeen writes on how the demand for more information is shaping the 21st century college campus.
Going Global
Prospects for alternative measures of institutional achievement have been welcomed by many for their potential to focus on institutional progress through the lens of student learning outcomes assessment. Several international organizations have taken an especially strong interest in this aspect of accountability, particularly the OECD, write Brad Farnsworth and Patti McGill Peterson.
U.Va. Climate Change Case Highlights Need to Protect Unpublished Research Data
The high-profile lawsuit involving former University of Virginia professor Michael Mann’s climate change research communiqués has made its way to the Supreme Court of Virginia. The case shines a light on the need for public institutions to examine whether state laws protect them against being compelled to disclose unpublished research data, scholarly communications and other internal documents.
Exploding Myths: What’s Right With Regional Accreditation
Regional accreditation—long an overlooked corner of higher education—has lately come under fire from multiple directions. It is time to address these concerns head on, and determine whether the current structure of regional accreditation, organized into six regions and seven accrediting commissions, is worth preserving or whether it is time to try something new, writes Ralph A. Wolff.
The Times Takes on STEM. What Can Higher Ed Do?
The New York Times editorial board recently took on the issue of diversity—or the lack thereof—in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as part of a larger education series. So What role should higher education play in broadening STEM participation?
Debating the Necessity for “Positive Discrimination” at the Oxford Union
The legal and societal debate over the higher education community’s use of race and ethnicity as one way to pursue diversity on college campuses isn’t confined to the United States, even if the terminology can be a bit different. Read about Ada Meloy’s experience at a recent Oxford Union debate, “This House believes positive discrimination is a necessary evil.”
Now What? Some Insights From OECD’s Adult Skills Survey
We’re not learning only in the classroom anymore—and maybe we never were. A new Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report shows that throughout the world, the workplace is a critical learning environment. The question is, what does that mean for educational policy and adult learners?
A MOOC by Any Other Name? An Online Course
“I’d aspired to give people a profound education—to teach them something substantial…but the data was at odds with this idea,” declared Sebastian Thrun, founder of the Silicon Valley MOOC platform Udacity in a recent Fast Company article. But if you have been tracking Thrun’s work over the past year, you will see his statement as nothing terribly new, writes Cathy Sandeen.
When the “Cure-All” for Creating a Global Campus Isn’t
Higher education leaders too often look to the recruitment of students from abroad as the single cure-all to create an internationalized campus. While that is one of several steps institutions can take, it’s not enough on its own. By only recruiting students from abroad, institutions are missing a vital part of campus internationalization: The experiences and preparation of U.S. students.
Higher Education Has Changed. Will the Higher Education Act?
The perennial joke about any reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) is that it’s like a Russian novel: It’s long, it’s boring, and by the end, everyone winds up dead. But as yet another HEA reauthorization rolls around, it’s a good bet that many of us will think there’s a fair amount of truth in that old chestnut, writes ACE Senior Vice President Terry Hartle.
The Emerging World of Alternative Credentials
Digital badges. Verified certificates. Alternative credentials. More and more people are finding new ways—outside of traditional postsecondary degree programs—to show employers they possess the skills and knowledge needed for a constantly changing workplace, writes Cathy Sandeen.