Minnesota song-sharing case heads for third trial
A trade group representing the major music labels on Jan. 27 said it will reject a reduced penalty for a central Minnesota woman found guilty of sharing 24 songs over the internet and instead will begin preparing for another trial to determine new damages, reports the Associated Press.
Investment losses cause steep drop in university endowments
Reflecting the difficult financial environment for higher education, university endowments lost an average of 18.7 percent in the last fiscal year, the worst returns since the Great Depression, reports the New York Times.
Obama: College affordability a key priority
Education is one of the few areas of the federal budget that would not see a spending freeze, if President Barack Obama gets his way this year—and making college more affordable will be one of his main priorities.
Online education continues its meteoric growth
Online college education continues to expand rapidly, says U.S. News & World Report: More than 4.6 million college students were taking at least one online course at the start of the 2008-09 school year—a 17-percent increase from 2007.
Study: Social networks reflect, rather than influence, social development
A recent University of Virginia study suggests the online behavior of users of social-networking web sites reflects their childhood social development more than it influences this development, reports the Cavalier Daily.
Malware research group spins off from Harvard
A research organization that tries to warn computer users about programs that do sneaky things on their computers has spun off from Harvard University, reports the Associated Press.
A little ‘i’ to teach about online privacy
Trying to ward off federal regulators, the advertising industry has agreed on a standard icon—a little “i”—that it will add to most online ads that use demographics and behavioral data to tell consumers what is happening, reports the New York Times.
Obama to seek freeze on domestic spending to trim deficit
President Obama will call for a three-year freeze in spending on many domestic programs, including education, and for increases no greater than inflation after that — an initiative intended to signal his seriousness about cutting the budget deficit, reports the New York Times.
USDA awarding $310 million for broadband projects
The Agriculture Department is handing out another $310 million in stimulus money to bring high-speed internet connections to 14 rural communities around the country, reports the Associated Press.
Interest in hybrid courses on the rise
A growing number of schools now offer what’s known as “hybrid” courses, which mix an online experience with traditional classroom learning.