It used to be that homework was done at home, and classes were devoted to lectures and discussions. But now, thanks to new tech solutions like podcasting and screencasting, university instructors are “flipping” their classroom. Traditional in-class activities are made available online and assigned as homework, freeing up class time for more individualized learning, group […]
The September 11, 2001 attacks evoked a new era of national security and anxiety. The country responded with sweeping security measures that have sparked a growing concern over perceived violations of individual civil rights and liberties. This national debate surrounding the tension between national or organizational security and individual privacy can be especially complex when […]
Despite growing interest in the higher ed community about the potential of credit being offered for MOOCs, the number of institutions that have rolled out such programs is small. And though more than 8 million people have taken a MOOC in the past three years, the number of students to take advantage of MOOC-for-credit programs […]
Vanderbilt University's medical school is among the best in the country, but its officials still wanted to create awareness of it with prospective students—those who are only in high school. The undergraduate admissions office had deployed a constituent relationship management (CRM) system, but university officials knew from the outset that the system could be used […]
A 2013 Noel-Levitz E-Expectations Report of incoming college students found that 78 percent have regular access to a mobile device. And while that number has probably crept higher for 2014, what about the approximately one in five college students who don’t have that access? For many low-income and first-generation college students, owning a smart phone, […]
Institutions in nine states are experimenting with using papers and coursework—instead of tests—to judge whether students are learning skills employers need. University representatives from these states will develop standards for judging students’ critical thinking, problem solving, intercultural competence and more. These skills were determined to be what employees most value in graduates, says Carol Geary […]
As more colleges and universities offer credit for MOOCs, one problem that has cropped up is how to authenticate the results of student assessments conducted online. A handful of companies have developed a solution: online proctoring. Using a webcam to monitor the students as they take tests, online proctors can peer into students’ living rooms, […]
Campus leaders are increasingly confronted with transformation—from students acting as consumers to universities acting more like businesses to the rapid evolution of faculty. Yet perhaps the most prominent change is the proliferation of technology-based learning methods. Online courses have created a new world of education—one where learning can occur anytime and anywhere. While technology is […]
In her 2014 State of the University of New York Address, Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher launched Open SUNY, a systemwide distance learning consortium. Over the near term, it will reduce the time it takes to complete a degree, course or certificate. What is especially distinctive about Open SUNY is that it is one of the […]
Workforce development has long been a bastion of the community college environment. But with student-loan debt topping $1 trillion and enrollments falling, many four-year colleges and universities are devoting more attention to the area, in part as a way to boost their own relevance within a challenging global economy. Because these programs tend to be […]
