4 critical areas in higher education that get the least support

A new report highlights the four student need areas two-year MSIs serve; discusses need for support and growth.

MSI-MSIsAccording to new research, two-year minority-serving institutions (MSIs), which are tasked with educating students-in-need, are given the fewest resources.

This revelation is concerning, say researchers, since MSIs are uniquely positioned to play an important role in educational attainment and the workforce, according to On Their Own Terms: Two-Year Minority Serving Institutions, a new report examining MSIs’ potential for students and society.

A large number of all students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities attend two-year MSIs. In fact, two-year MSIs enroll 30 percent of Hispanics/Latinos, 26 percent of Pacific Islanders,
22 percent of Asian Americans, 12 percent of American Indians, 10 percent of blacks/African
Americans, and 6 percent of whites.…Read More

The college transformation you should know about

How high-tech internet courses and government-recognized credentials could solve a massive student problem, according to The End of College: Creating the Future of Learning and the University of Everywhere.

college-cost[Editor’s note: This editorial originally appeared in The Charleston Gazette.]

Going away to college and learning in the academic beehive of a university campus is a wonderful way for teens to transition into adulthood.

However, extreme cost denies this benefit to millions of young Americans. For them, an alternative system is needed at a tiny fraction of the expense.…Read More

State’s community colleges make transfer history

Answering White House call, California community colleges lead way for students to gain access to national educational opportunities.

colleges-HBCUCalifornia community college transfer students who meet certain academic criteria will be guaranteed admission to nine historically black colleges and universities, thanks to an agreement between the California Community Colleges Board of Governors and the leaders of the institutions.

The agreement supports a White House initiative to strengthen and expand the capacity of HBCUs to provide quality higher education to students, and supporters say the agreement opens up new ways for students to gain access to educational opportunities.

“California community college students and the nine participating schools will benefit immensely from the agreement,” said George Cooper, executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, who is leading the initiative. “The schools will have an even larger pool of gifted students knocking on their doors and California community college students will be guaranteed transfer to four-year institutions with rich histories, traditions and track records of success.”…Read More

Website aims to replace community colleges

More than a new brand name, ACE-approved Study.com is trying to combat rising tuition costs by giving students an alternative to earn college credit online.

study-com-collegeCould an online education resource eliminate the need for community colleges? Such an undertaking might seem drastic, but it’s exactly what the newly re-launched Study.com aims to accomplish.

More than just a trendy name, Study.com offers 19 exclusive courses accepted for credit by the American Council of Education (ACE), and another 30 are currently under review. Students can also submit their scores to more than 2,900 accredited colleges for transfer credit.

Founded four years ago as Education-Portal.com, the website was initially launched to accommodate a boom of students looking for inexpensive and flexible learning-reinforcement resources online, which they could use to study for exams or to learn for fun.…Read More

20 SXSWedu higher-ed sound bites

SXSWedu offered a wide variety of thought-provoking and innovative higher-ed sessions–see what panelists and attendees had to say.

higher-edDoes the traditional major-minor course design have a chance of surviving as today’s college and university students demonstrate a desire to design their own courses and competencies across a wide range of disciplines?

Can learning management systems evolve with education, or is it time for a new way to bring together instructors, students, and learning materials? How can investing in MOOC design yield benefits when it comes to student engagement and course completion?

During SXSWedu in Austin, Texas, panels of higher education instructors, technology staff, and industry experts debated a variety of technology and innovation challenges facing the university community.…Read More

Think writing skills are important? Why teaching online is a great option

Found in translation: How teaching an online course taught me we are all Shakespeare Language Learners

writing-skills-online“Unless you’re in Taiwan,” I wrote in my introduction to my classes, “we won’t meet in person this semester.” I posted a picture from a trip my family and I took down the east coast of the island; behind me, steep mountainsides plunged into the Pacific Ocean. “This is my back yard,” I wrote. “Just kidding.”

I knew I was risking a bad first impression as a tourist in a t-shirt, but I didn’t know how to present myself to my students that first semester, fall of 2012. I could hardly believe what I was doing in the first place. As an educator, I want to have a “connection” with my students—I want to get to know them, listen to them, learn from them—but now I was as distant as I could possibly be, online and on the other side of the globe. When I look at this picture now, however, I see myself as yet unaware of how this unusual circumstance would change my perspective on what “connectedness” means, both as it regards my students, and as it regards the teaching and learning of my subject, Shakespeare.

What brought my family and me to Taiwan is that my wife, a Ph.D. student, received a grant to study Chinese. We have two children, a daughter who was then 15 months and a son who was then four, so this was the last year we could re-locate without the added question of where he would go to school. I don’t have any on-campus obligations as an adjunct faculty member, so my boss allowed me to spend a year teaching online.…Read More

How is Obama’s plan affecting community college practice?

Community college leaders say aligning daily practices with Obama’s two years free plan furthers mission to help all students excel.

community-accessPresident Obama’s proposed “free community college” plan sounds great in theory, but how does this proposal affect community colleges? Will key characteristics like mission, administrative duties, and even curriculum, need to change?

According to Obama’s plan, U.S. students would get two free years of community college if they attend at least half-time and earn good grades. Rather than see this call-to-action as a challenge, many higher education leaders, like Dr. Karen Stout, say the plan actually helps their institutions further their missions.

Stout, president of Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pa., said the proposal–which, if passed, would provide $1.36 billion to the America’s College Promise proposal–is “At the heart of our community college mission, which is access and affordability. The America’s College Promise proposal hits both of those.”…Read More

4 innovations from exceptional community colleges

New report identifies specific IT-enhanced characteristics of successful community colleges across the country.

tech-community-collegeAccording to a new report, a handful of community colleges across the U.S. are incorporating technology-based innovations that are revolutionizing access to postsecondary education for nontraditional students—and these best practices can be applied to a diverse number of institutions.

The report, “Community Colleges Online,” by Rachel Fishman, senior policy analyst with New America’s Education Policy Program, recognizes—like the Obama Administration—that the open access of community colleges is one of the country’s greatest postsecondary strengths, but also one of its greatest challenges.

“While community colleges provide access to higher education, they can perpetuate the barriers to success faced by [nontraditional] students who have lives outside the classroom that often interfere with academics,” writes Fishman.…Read More

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