Dual enrollment has drastic state-by-state differences

A large majority of dual enrollment students (88 percent), those who take community college courses while still enrolled in high school, continue college after high school, and most earn a degree within six years.

Studies show that high school students in dual enrollment–taking community college courses at the same time as high school courses–are more likely to graduate high school, go on to college and complete degrees than other students. But the number of dual enrollment students varies widely across the country, and their success rates are not consistent.

A new study from the Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Teachers College, Columbia University and the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center examines each state to gauge how many high school students are taking community college classes and how they do when they move on to college.…Read More

This is how you measure the viability of academic programs

One of the most frequent questions I hear when visiting colleges and universities is, “What about a tool for measuring the viability of our academic programs?” Institutions are seeking greater insight into the true value of programs beyond traditional metrics or accounting methods, especially as budgets continue to shrink and regulatory accountability for student outcomes increases.

This is difficult to achieve through traditional higher education accounting, in which revenues, program needs, and student success initiatives are often opaque to each other and treated as discrete functions.

To gain greater insight into program and institutional ROI, more institutions are looking at the way businesses use activity-based costing to determine the bottom line value of products and services. The goal is to tie the cost of these discrete functions to the big picture of operational and student success.…Read More

Is this the field best suited for the flipped classroom model?

In a flipped classroom, course content is introduced outside the classroom then followed up with in-class activities that reinforce the material. Pre-work, such as viewing a video lecture explaining select concepts, is completed before a student walks through the classroom doors. This lets students recoup valuable time that was previously spent in lectures, allowing them to instead focus on applying their new-found knowledge to solving cases and practice problems, engaging in teamwork and gaining research experience.

Because it provides both academic and clinical benefits, the flipped classroom model is particularly helpful for medical students for its ability to enhance training—not to mention the growing body of literature indicating that students who engage in this type of active learning perform at higher levels.

Traditional vs Flipped Classroom …Read More

What do collaborative classrooms really look like on campus?

Learning spaces change the way faculty teach and the way students learn. Tables and chairs are no longer seen as only places to sit or a surface to write on. They are used as learning tools. This shift in thinking has ignited a culture change across campus in support of collaborative learning.

“I am trying new ideas in the Collaborative Learning Space that I have never tried in my 10 years of teaching. It has been fun for me. The classroom has become a ‘partner’ in the learning process,” said Richard Harper who teaches in the School of Government and Public Policy at the University of Arizona (UA). The campus has begun to transform the way educators and students view the physical classroom space.

The Case for Collaborative Learning…Read More

New postsecondary schools to provide cutting-edge STEM diplomas

As part of the commitment of Philadelphia’s String Theory Schools to cultivate an educational environment where students become the world’s next creative leaders, String Theory is now looking to ensure students have the opportunity to advance in studies beyond high school. A fully STEM + Arts program where students select majors starting in middle school, the plan is to expand education during high school years to provide college courses available in their same school environment.

Jason Corosanite, Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of String Theory, announced the development of ”String Theory U”, a post-secondary school which will offer 400-hour diploma based programs in high demand areas such Computer Science, Biotechnology, and Nextgen prototyping & design. “The school will ultimately mature into a four-year degree-granting institution” Corosanite said.

String Theory is applying to the PA. Dept. of Education and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools to develop these programs, and they would be open to current students enrolled at String Theory-managed schools with the hope of offering college credit to students at other area high schools at no-cost/low cost. The first program will be offered later this year at String Theory’s Vine St. campus.…Read More

7 ways studying abroad helps students land sought-after jobs

Studying abroad can lead to significant increases in critical 21st century workplace skills, according to a new survey from IIE.

IIE’s study, Gaining an Employment Edge: The Impact of Study Abroad on 21st Century Skills & Career Prospects, investigates the connection between study abroad programs and the development of skills that contribute to employment and career development in today’s workforce.

The survey looked at what specific features of study abroad programs contribute to career success, in order to help educators better develop programs that prepare students for the global workforce.…Read More

The top skills career-minded students need in today’s digital workforce

For soon-to-be college graduates, it’s a tough job market out there–in many fields, perhaps the most competitive ever. To stand out from their peers, tomorrow’s grads will need to show that they have the skill sets that businesses value most. [Read: “World-renowned futurist Michio Kaku: This is what higher ed should be teaching students right now.“]

Here are four of the skills that top the wish lists of many major employers:

1. Critical Thinking Skills…Read More

6 characteristics of an innovative university

Just like 2016’s improvement trends, academic program creation and evaluation was top-of-mind with institutions. However, this year colleges and universities looked to diversify their program portfolios, either through offering online or blended learning offerings, through offering micro-credentials, or by placing their bets on emerging programs.

This is just one of the trends highlighted in Hanover Research’s 2017 Industry Trend Report, which studies the impact of these improvement trends across the 800 research projects commissioned by over 300 higher education clients (Hanover’s client list includes Georgetown University, Gonzaga, Johns Hopkins, Texas A&M, and Wake Forest to name a few). Hanover’s research work spans all institutional type—four-year, community college, business schools, law schools—as well as departments like marketing, academic affairs and finance/operations.

What’s also noteworthy this year is that Hanover has gone a step further in identifying the overarching improvement trend of academic program creation and review by including a list of the top high-growth and emerging programs in higher ed at the moment.…Read More

6 reasons why course visuals are a must for today’s college students

The higher education landscape is shifting and institutions are facing a decline in overall enrollment. Rather than opting for a traditional classroom experience, students today have come to expect greater flexibility in deciding when, where and how to learn. In fact, it is predicted that by 2019 at least 50 percent of all classes will be delivered online and that percentage will only continue to increase. To adjust to student expectations and keep enrollment up, higher education institutions must offer online courses or blended classrooms to compete with other colleges that already have those options.

Using technology in the classroom is beneficial as it can serve as a solution for meeting students’ expectations while also keeping enrollment up. For example, instructors can use technology to engage with students through visual communications and learning. Visual communication can broadly be defined as the use of images, photos, videos, animation, text, voice narration, and music to clearly convey a message, story or information.

In education, visual communication is especially important, as 90 percent of all information transmitted to the brain is visual. Using technology to create visual educational content can set a solid foundation for students to succeed. Here are six reasons why course visuals are an important part of learning today:…Read More

The US and UK: Comparing higher education in the two top ranking nations

While the US and the UK may share dominant placement when it comes to international rankings for higher education degrees, programs and institutions, the similarity often ends there. From the cost of higher education to key performance indicators like dropout rates and employment outcomes, these two world powers have each charted their own unique paths.

Enrollment Statistics in the UK and US

Roughly 2.28 million students are enrolled in higher education any given year, representing approximately 3.5 percent of the total population. In contrast, about 20.4 million students are enrolled in US colleges and universities each year. This represents an uptick from the 5.1 million students enrolled in higher education in the year 2000.…Read More

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