University of Pennsylvania was one of Coursera's first four partners, having started its open course initiative in April 2012. Today, it offers 25 courses from 10 of its 12 schools, and has logged 1.9 million enrollments. Edward Rock, director of open course initiatives at UPenn, is speaking on the evolution of MOOCs in higher ed […]
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 […]
Most of us would agree that Safe Hiring and Safe Contracting programs are an important part of college operations. These issues may become more difficult, though, when they are associated with employee hiring or contractor selection processes and the accompanying consideration of various risks, particularly those related to previous criminal behaviors. It can be further […]
The University of Florida's last fundraising campaign, completed in October 2012, surpassed its $1.5 billion goal and finished nine months ahead of schedule at $1.72 billion. Despite this tremendous success, the next campaign will deploy a new tactic—a fine-tuned army of the university's leaders prepared and practiced in the strategies of fundraising. "When we conducted […]
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, […]
The challenges for executives operating state-wide higher education Systems and the flagship research universities within those Systems have grown more baffling with each passing year. From UMass and UNC to LSU, Wisconsin, and Oregon, we hear regularly about frustrated and embroiled leadership. Public Systems have always been subject to strains, both within themselves and beyond, […]
In the epic Hunger Games trilogy, Katniss learns that to survive, it is not enough to know where to be—it is just as important to know where not to be. For higher education, this means knowing what programs to curtail, and what markets to stay out of. Many institutions need to reduce their reliance on […]
Many small institutions wrestle with the annual assessment of how to manage routine capital projects. A backlog of deferred maintenance items can further complicate planning. And the process often feels next to impossible when you consider ongoing discussions of how to add, renovate or replace student centers, housing, wellness or recreation facilities and academic buildings […]
Similar to their corporate counterparts, institutions of higher education have to operate in a fiscally responsible manner, which means managing budgets and achieving bottom line results. While there are many factors that contribute to success in this arena, the recent decline in state support for higher education is making it more difficult for colleges and […]
