Obama: Community colleges central to economic recovery
During an Oct. 5 White House summit, Obama administration officials and community college leaders discussed ways to position two-year colleges as training hubs that could be instrumental in the country’s economic recovery. And technology, they said, would be a centerpiece to enrolling more students and boosting completion rates.
Aiming to learn as we do, a machine teaches itself
Researchers are fine-tuning a computer system that is trying to master semantics by learning more like a human, reports the New York Times.
Despite rumors, MIT OpenCourseWare insists ‘no paywall’
Contrary to erroneous reports, MIT says it has no plans to implement a paywall for its free open courseware, ReadWriteWeb reports.
FCC seeks more info from Comcast, NBC
The Federal Communications Commission is requesting additional information from Comcast Corp. and NBC Universal as it reviews the cable operator’s plan to acquire a controlling stake in the media company, reports the Associated Press.
Community college grants, prizes to be unveiled at White House summit
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will announce a $35 million competitive grant program during the White House’s first Community College Summit, and two major banks will join philanthropic groups to kick off a $1 million prize for officials from education, business, and public service who lead reform efforts.
McGraw-Hill Education buys lecture capture company Tegrity
McGraw-Hill Education has bought privately held Tegrity Inc., a lecture capture software company, as it continues to shift away from its traditional textbook publishing roots, Dow Jones reports.
Ad group unveils plan to improve web privacy
As the debate over online privacy and advertiser access to users’ data continues, a group of the advertising industry’s largest trade organizations was to announce on Oct. 4 the details of a self-regulatory program that would allow users to opt out of being tracked by its member organizations, reports the New York Times.
Do students need more online privacy education?
Privacy advocates say the rules regarding internet privacy and appropriate online behavior should be stressed at colleges and universities, especially among incoming freshmen, in the wake of a Rutgers University student’s suicide after a video of him having sex was posted on the web without his consent.
Senators spar over for-profit education
A U.S. Senate committee probing allegations that some for-profit schools push students into big debt and fail to educate them likely will introduce a bill tightening rules next year, Reuters reports.
House bill would create office of STEM education
Calling the country “woefully inequipped” to teach students about science and math, Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif., introduced a bill Sept. 29 that would create an office to oversee federal efforts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, reports The Hill.