International
Students’ silent protest to highlight accommodation crisis | DCU Students’ Union, the Union of Students in Ireland along with volunteers from Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH) group gathered outside new privately owned student accommodation New Mill on Merchants Quay.
Universities need to diversify to offer more choice to students | Thirty years on from the Dawkins reforms’ dramatic changes, Australia’s higher education sector is again under the reform spotlight. Amid concern about student outcomes, the scale and efficiency of university spending and the alignment of university programs with the needs of the future economy, the sector is being challenged to demonstrate its relevance and impact.
Experienced Higher Education Leader Joins Civitas Learning to Support Growing Change Management and Analytics Services | Today, Civitas Learning announced a key expansion of its services team with the hiring of Dr. Angela Baldasare, a former Assistant Provost for Institutional Research at University of Arizona, as a Senior Strategic Consultant. A nationally recognized expert in using data and analytics for student success, Dr. Baldasare will serve as a senior member of the company’s growing Services team, which focuses on consulting and change management services for institutions using analytics and student success technology to improve students’ outcomes and experience.
U.S. National
As the Higher Ed Opportunity Act Turns 10, Here’s How the Landscape Has Changed | While the same law is on the books, much has changed in the country and in the higher education sector, and HEA is long overdue for another reauthorization. In no particular order, here’s a look back at ten key trends that have impacted the world of higher education since the last HEA reauthorization in 2008.
As college costs rocket up, unlock the data that will enable smart choices | For many prospective college students, it is nearly impossible to determine whether the cost of college is actually worth it…This is because federal law imposes a ban on the US Department of Education’s ability to collect student-level information, also called student-unit records, such as completion rates and graduate earnings that would help these prospective students and parents make the best decision for them.
The Princeton Review Has Laid Off Many Employees. But Revenue Might Not Be Its Only Problem. | After nearly 40 years in business, the company faces many challenges. In separate interviews with The Chronicle, six former employees who recently were let go by the Princeton Review described it as company in disarray, uncertain of its direction, and grasping for an identity.
Income-Share Agreement Providers Want to Woo Higher Ed. But Will It Work? | An income-share agreement (ISA) is a form of tuition financing where students pay back a percentage of their income after they graduate, rather than taking out loans or paying for tuition up-front.
Student Debt Is Worse for Women | In May, the American Association of University Women called national attention to the issue when it reported that women hold almost two-thirds of the nation’s student-loan debt, nearly $900 billion of the $1.4 trillion total, with black women holding the highest average debt of any racial, ethnic, and gender group among graduates who completed bachelor’s degrees.
The Humanities Are in Crisis | Five years ago, I argued that the humanities were still near long-term norms in their number of majors. But since then, I’ve been watching the numbers from the Department of Education, and every year, things look worse. Almost every humanities field has seen a rapid drop in majors…
U.S. States
A quality higher education stands the test of time | A 2017 report finds that graduates of Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona have median annual earnings of $50,500, nearly double those of individuals with a high school diploma alone – $27,700.
Rewarding outcomes in higher education | Outcomes-based funding is included in the list of recommendations made last year by Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter’s Higher Education Task Force…Their proposal is based on research and best practices (what is working in other states) with elements designed specifically to address priorities in Idaho.
Pennsylvania is one of the least affordable states in the country for college, GSE study shows | Pennsylvania is one of the least affordable states for higher education, according to a recent report from the Penn Graduate School of Education. The Institute for Research on Higher Education, housed in GSE, compared states in the College Opportunity Risk Assessment, the Philly Voice reported. The study ranked Pennsylvania as 48th in the nation for affordability, measured in terms of the percentage of family income that families pay for college even after students receive financial aid.
Institutional
Protesters Tear Down Silent Sam | Protesters Monday night toppled Silent Sam, the Confederate statue at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Scholars, Students React to Removal of ‘Silent Sam’ at UNC | “The students made a strong case that the monument was explicitly tied up with White supremacy, thanks to the speech by Julian Carr at the 1913 dedication that bared the monument’s racist intentions,” Beetham said. Because of a 2015 North Carolina law that prevents the removal, relocation or alteration of public monuments, memorials and plaques without the permission of the N.C. Historical Commission, and reluctance from university officials to challenge the law, Beetham added that she understands why students took action.
Who Owns Faculty Work at Purdue Global? | The agreement warns prospective employees that they can’t reveal details about Purdue Global’s “trade secret information” — research reports, marketing materials, financial information and the like — as well as details of more mundane matters such as course materials and instruction methods.
Getting Higher Education Faculty to Embrace Learning Analytics | Higher education can make great use of the data available through learning analytics. As more technology is used in the classroom, faculty at these universities and colleges will have even more information at their fingertips. They can use these numbers to help improve outcomes for their students and better the university as a whole.
8 More Colleges Submitted Incorrect Data for Rankings | The eight additional colleges reported to have submitted incorrect data follow other incidents this year, which has seen an uptick in the number of colleges whose rankings were based on incorrect information. In one of those cases — involving the business school of Temple University — officials have admitted that incorrect data were submitted intentionally and for several years for several programs. Some of the eight new colleges are blaming human error, not malice, for the flaws in their data. Others are blaming U.S. News.
Change From the Ground Up | Change is difficult in academe, particularly when it has an impact on faculty autonomy in the classroom…It can start with the faculty, but at some point, it will have to reach back to graduate school. Ph.D. students will need to develop more skills around teaching and working with assessment, and graduate schools need to start educating them about it.
Note: Posted August 31, 2018.