Can online education be the rock that disturbs the placid waters of American higher education? Several industry experts believe it will have a significant ripple effect on colleges and universities of all sizes in coming years–but only if it’s subject to regulation, governed by a common set of accreditation standards, and widely accepted by institutions who have long clung to the traditional face-to-face model of instruction, says U.S. News & World Report…
…Read MorePodcast Series: Innovations in Education
Explore the full series of eCampus News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.
Cheaper student loans, but shortage of college grants likely in 2011 and 2012
According to U.S. News & World Report, although the federal government will hand out billions of dollars more in college grants in 2011 and 2012 than ever before, the nation’s financial aid programs as a whole are not keeping up with rising tuition, government officials and financial aid analysts say. That means for millions of America’s working and middle class families, “college is going to become less affordable,” warns Mark Kantrowitz, publisher and founder of Finaid.org and the scholarship search site Fastweb.com. The widening gap between college costs and financial resources is forcing a growing number of students into one of three bad choices, says Faith Sandler, executive director of the Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis. More students are choosing cheaper colleges that, she says, often “don’t match their capabilities.” Too many other students “borrow too, too much.” Those who can’t stomach either of those options may give up on college altogether, she fears…
…Read MoreNACAC issues first report on Best Colleges rankings
The National Association for College Admission Counseling surveyed its members on attitudes toward U.S. News’s Best Colleges rankings; recently the NACAC/U.S. News & World Report Ad Hoc Committee issued its first report on the survey, reports U.S. News & World Report. NACAC conducted the survey in May 2010. It asked various questions designed to measure the opinions among admission professionals at colleges, high schools, and independent counselors toward the Best Colleges rankings.The report contains an important disclaimer in terms of what role U.S. News played in the survey and the preparation of the report. The report says:
“…for purposes of this report, the term “Committee” refers only to the NACAC members who serve on the Ad Hoc Committee. Representatives of U.S. News & World Report meet with the Ad Hoc Committee to ensure an open dialogue with the association, but their views are not represented in this report.”
Highlights from the report include:…Read More