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 […]
Breaking Down “Breaking Bad” University at Buffalo Taught by SUNY Distinguished Professor and James Agee Professor of American Culture Bruce Jackson, also a filmmaker who served, in 1966, as a senior consultant on President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Crime Commission Here’s how the course is described: “ ’Breaking Bad’ was one of the most spectacular narrative […]
When Colorado legalized marijuana for recreational use in January, many people also noted a simultaneous jump—nearly 30 percent—in out-of-state student applications to the University of Colorado, Boulder. The reason, says Director of Admissions Kevin MacLennan, was not the pursuit of “higher education” but merely the fact that the state also began allowing the Common Application. […]
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, […]
College football players from Northwestern University in Illinois, along with the National College Players Association, have petitioned to unionize in an effort to bring attention to athletes’ brain trauma risks, sports-related medical expenses, scholarships and academic success. But do they have a case? And what would unionizing mean for college athletics? The NCAA is confident […]
Fourteen years ago, as a Victor E. Cameron professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rice University in Houston, Richard G. Baraniuk was frustrated that he couldn’t find the ideal book for his class. He knew there were tens of dozens of other professors out there with the same concern, so rather than write a […]
Gone are the days when university CIOs filled their time with trouble-shooting computer bugs and managing servers. While today's university IT staff are still technical experts, they are now expected to be much more than on-campus tech support. "CIOs are at the center of a campus conversation about the proper relationship between technology and education," […]
As one who enjoys reading history, I often ponder those moments of missed opportunity by myopic individuals or organizations. History is rife with such tales. Consider the executive at Decca Records, for example, who nixed a recording contract with the legendary Beatles because he didn’t see the group’s musical style and compositions as unique or […]
The very thought of drone aircraft makes many people uneasy. After all, drones carrying out attacks on terrorist groups and conducting police surveillance have been in the headlines recently. Now, they are showing up on college and university campuses but, to paraphrase Obi Wan Kenobi, “These are not the drones you are looking for.” Researchers […]
While details of President Obama's college affordability proposals are not fully known, what is clear is that higher education is going under the microscope to prove its value. Add to that a growing chorus of pundits who believe that a liberal arts education is a waste of time and a relic of the past. But […]
