Public universities expand online learning offerings - Neil Nisperos, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Budget cutbacks to state universities appear to be speeding ongoing efforts to increase online education as resources shrink and timely access to prerequisite classes becomes more difficult. Whether taking online course material from the comfort of home, or as an enhancement to a traditional class, online learning allows students to take courses that may be harder to find or get into, because of faculty reductions and reduced course availability. Educators are increasingly looking to online courses as a way to handle more students with less funding.

http://www.sbsun.com/ci_20714014/public-universities-expand-web-education-offerings

Stanford University launches new online courses concerning alternative energy - ANGIE BERGENSON, Hydrogen Fuel News

Those completing the program will have a solid understanding of the energy landscape in the U.S. and that of other countries. Participants will also know the fundamentals of how emerging alternative energy technologies and the opportunities that exist in the domestic and foreign energy markets. In order to participate the program, students must complete four courses out of a portfolio of six offered by Stanford University. These courses cover the topics of photovoltaics, solar energy, biofuel, and others. Completion of program will mark participants as experts! Students participating in the online program will have 90 days to complete it after their enrollment. Successful completion is marked by a professional certificate that identifies the student as an expert in Energy Innovation and Emerging Technologies.

http://www.hydrogenfuelnews.com/stanford-university-launches-new-online-courses-concerning-alternative-energy/853889/

Debt but no degree - Ylan Q. Muiand Suzy Khimm, Washington Post

As the nation amasses more than $1 trillion in student loans, education experts say a vexing new problem has emerged: A growing number of young people have a mountain of debt but no degree to show for it. Nearly 30 percent of college students who took out loans dropped out of school, up from fewer than a quarter of students a decade ago, according to a recent analysis of government data by think tank Education Sector. College dropouts are also among the most likely to default on their loans, falling behind at a rate four times that of graduates.That is raising new questions about the wisdom of decades of public policy that focused on increasing access to higher learning but paid less attention to what happens once students arrive on campus. And some education experts have begun to argue that starting college — and going into debt to pay for it — without a clear plan for a diploma is a recipe for disaster.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/college-dropouts-have-debt-but-no-degree/2012/05/28/gJQAnUPqwU_story.html

Pruning the Branches of University Campuses - Kevin Kiley, Inside Higher Ed

While the high-profile international branches of universities might be on the upswing, many higher education administrators say the old model is waning. As accreditors have enforced higher quality for branch campuses, technology has lowered barriers to delivering quality distance courses, and demand for convenient graduate programs has increased, the public and private, not-for-profit colleges and universities have begun closing bachelor’s degree programs at branch or satellite campuses.
Colleges and universities have instead begun focusing their efforts on delivering graduate programs, either by creating online programs or by setting up more comprehensive programs in attractive urban areas, sometimes in other states or regions, which can bring in more revenue and help grow national brands for recruiting undergraduates.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/05/31/shift-branch-campuses-reflects-changes-educational-delivery-and-demand

College Degrees: More and More, They're Just a Piece of Paper? - Cormac Foster, Read, Write, Enterprise

Degrees may become optional, but assessments will not. Internet Research Group’s Peter Christy sees a codified analysis of “demonstrated behaviors” as the answer. “The idea is to have someone tell you about important behaviors - how they dealt with problems previously that were thought of as important to the position in question. One can imagine a much more valuable "CV” in a modern form, in which the person made assertions about what they did of importance in a previous position and there was the opportunity for others to comment on the assertion (a more substantial form of Facebook, perhaps). Sort of like a social form of performance reviews - interesting but a little frightening… ." So don’t spend the kid’s college money just yet. Making the initial cut to get to that interview will always require a standout resume, and a degree is still a good way to start building. And that’s particularly true for folks who want to do something other than coding apps.

http://www.readwriteweb.com/enterprise/2012/05/college-degrees-more-and-more-theyre-just-a-piece-of-paper.php

Pa. considers leasing university, prison land for drilling - Laura Olson, Pipeline

A state House panel on Wednesday tweaked a measure that could expand gas drilling on state-owned lands, including on the campuses of the State System of Higher Education colleges. The proposal from Republican Sen. Don White, which passed the state Senate overwhelmingly last fall, would authorize state officials to lease rights to the oil, gas and coal beneath certain state lands. The state already has about 600,000 acres of forestland available for gas drilling, but has considered leasing other property, such as land surrounding state prisons. Under the measure, a state-owned college that hosts a gas well would be allowed to keep 40 percent of royalty payments received from gas drilling, with the remainder to be distributed among the other State System colleges. Any royalties from drilling on those campuses currently would be deposited in state coffers.


http://shale.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/news/archives/24553-pa-considers-leasing-university-prison-land-for-drilling

More companies turning to universities to educate workforce, study shows - Phys.org

Employee development is taking on strategic significance within organizations, as reflected in high-level titles such as “chief learning officer” that are appearing on more company rosters, the researchers wrote. “The chief learning officer title is a growing trend in employee development,” Li said. “The title symbolizes the importance of learning within the organization. It’s a branding effort, as is the title ‘corporate university.’ These companies are saying that employee development is much more important than the traditional personnel or training department. It’s all about how you position yourself.” While partnering with a business unit or the human resources department within the company is more common, corporate universities increasingly are pairing with academic institutions to design and deliver customized content, including noncredit courses and degree programs, the researchers found.

http://phys.org/news/2012-05-companies-universities-workforce.html

Welcome to Harvard.com - HANA N. ROUSE and JUSTIN C. WORLAND, Harvard Crimson

Students who may be skeptical about the academic merits of taking courses online would likely have some of their anxieties alleviated by the power of the institutions behind edX. “By calling it HarvardX or MITx, you’re saying that this will be close to the experience of taking a course at MIT,” said Anant Agarwal, an MIT professor who will serve as the first president of edX. “They include all the qualities, the difficulty levels, the pedagogy, and all the idiosyncrasies of what makes a quintessential Harvard course or an MIT course.” Agarwal expects a wide range of people to enroll in edX courses, from high school students looking for an alternative to Advanced Placement credit to adults hoping to further their education to college students aiming to bolster their learning experience. “It really gives the opportunity to democratize our education and make it available as a public good,” Agarwal said.

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2012/5/24/edx-virtual-learning-harvard/

Online learning students 'process information faster'- Virtual College UK

Students who use online learning can take in information faster than those who only take part in classroom-based sessions, new research has indicated. A study conducted by non-profit think tank Ithhaka S+R used two versions of a statistics course to compare the effectiveness of the two different forms of learning, Boston.com reports. One group of students received only face-to-face teaching, while the other was only allocated an hour with their lecturers and spent the remaining time being taught online. The latter group were seen to learn faster and Ithaka adviser and chancellor of the University System of Maryland William Kirwan said online learning has the potential to be a "model that can totally change the teaching and learning process while lowering costs".

http://www.virtual-college.co.uk/news/Online-learning-students-process-information-faster-newsitems-801369768.aspx

University of Missouri Press to Close - UM System

University of Missouri System President Tim Wolfe announced in April his six priorities for the coming year: focused strategic planning; attracting and retaining the best people; innovative instruction; operational excellence; expanded research and economic development; and effective communication of our value and importance. Achieving these priorities, Wolfe has said, will likely include position eliminations and program reductions across the campuses, including phasing out the University of Missouri Press starting in the 2013 fiscal year. University spokeswoman Jennifer Hollingshead said the university is currently reviewing the press’ business operations to plan and execute the phase-out. Similar to other industries, scholarly publishing is dramatically changing due to emerging technology, making traditional publishing very challenging. Typically, most scholarly presses do not generate revenue for universities—with most just trying to break even. The UM System currently provides the press with a $400,000 yearly subsidy.

http://www.umsystem.edu/ums/news/news_releases/052412_news

Grockit Wants to Build a Pinterest for Learning - Sarah Kessler, Mashable

Search engines may make it easy to find information, but they don’t necessarily do the same for learning it. That’s why the founders of social test prep startup Grockit want to re-configure online content such as YouTube videos, Wikipedia entries and ebooks into ordered lesson plans. Their new product, Learnist, works a bit like a Pinterest for learning. Soon anyone (the capability is still invite-only at launch) will be able to compile content pieces onto a board or “learning.” A nifty bookmarklet makes it easy to collect content from other sites. Unlike Pinterest, however, creators suggest a path in which to consume each content component. Users can check off each component as they go or “re-add” it to one of their own learnings.

http://mashable.com/2012/05/23/learnist/

Romney's Higher Ed Platform - Libby A. Nelson, Inside Higher Ed

The presumptive presidential Republican nominee Mitt Romney pledged Wednesday that, if elected, he would reshape or do away with two major Obama administration higher education policy initiatives: the overhaul of the federal student loan program and tighter regulations on for-profit colleges. In his education plan, the former Massachusetts governor also proposed consolidating some federal financial aid programs and changing eligibility rules for Pell Grants to ensure the program’s financial future.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/05/24/romney-unveils-higher-education-platform

College as a Service (CaaS) - Louis Soares and Amy Ostrom, Inside Higher Ed

A new “College as a Service” (CaaS) logic can help reframe a substantive debate that pulls together what seem to be very disparate strands of thinking regarding practices and policy. CaaS provides a systemic way of thinking about nettlesome challenges such as how a student’s customer profile of preferences, needs and active participation leads to student success; how information yields accountability; and how self-service can improve higher education. In this way, College as a Service is a new logic for how higher education systems behave that is distinct from a wholly financial (colleges function a certain way because of how we pay them) or political (colleges function a certain way because of who has most sway over the political process) perspective and can help us better understand how value is co-created by students and colleges and thus how it should be measured and improved.

http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2012/05/24/new-way-thinking-about-higher-education-performance-essay

The most common department cuts colleges are making - Online Colleges

Department chairs probably jump every time the provost walks by. With money tight, rare is the college that hasn’t had to do some significant belt-tightening, and many faculty members are no doubt wondering if their department will be the next to go. While some schools are experimenting with creative cost-cutting measures like outsourcing campus police or getting rid of landlines, some have had to make the difficult decision to strike at the heart of their own academic infrastructures. These eight departments are the ones that most commonly end up under the knife.

http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2012/05/23/the-most-common-department-cuts-colleges-are-making/

College Students Boost Digital Adoption, According to CourseSmart Survey - Marketwatch

Fielded by Wakefield Research, an independent research consultancy, the survey revealed that technology has become a significant part of students' everyday lives with the average using three devices daily. A majority (67%) can't go more than one hour without using some sort of digital technology, with 40% not lasting more than 10 minutes. "The survey underscores the undeniable influence technology has on today's college experience. As technology continues to evolve and digital devices become integral to the evolution of higher education, it's encouraging to see the positive impact on learning outcomes as students utilize advanced devices and digital course materials to streamline and improve their learning environment," said Sean Devine, CEO of CourseSmart.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/college-students-boost-digital-adoption-according-to-coursesmart-survey-2012-05-23

For medical students, dual degrees gain popularity - Stephanie M. Lee, San Francisco Crhonicle

A growing number of medical students nationwide are putting in the extra time to earn dual degrees in public health, academic medicine and seemingly disparate fields such as law and business. They are motivated by an interest in developing the interdisciplinary skills necessary to tackle complex issues like health care reform and global health care, educators say. "Students learn other disciplines as they are learning medicine mostly so they can understand systems of health care, the root causes of health problems, how to be more effective in education and prevention, and how to manage health care," said Gabriel Garcia, associate dean of admissions at Stanford's medical school. Nationwide, dual programs in medicine and academic research, medicine and law, and medicine and business have seen their combined enrollment increase 36 percent, from 3,921 in 2002 to 5,349 in 2011, according to data released this spring by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/21/MNN01OJKPT.DTL

Five proposals to solve $1 trillion college loan crisis - Sandra Block and Christine Dugas, USA TODAY

Outstanding student loans topped $1 trillion last year, exceeding the total amount of credit card debt. Thousands of borrowers are postponing getting married, buying a home or having children until their debts are paid off. Defaults are rising, which typically leads to larger loan balances. And the problem isn't limited to young adults. Some borrowers are older adults who went back to school. Others are parents who co-signed loans for their children. There's widespread agreement that student debt is a problem, but there's little consensus on how to solve it. Here's a look at five proposals to provide relief for existing borrowers or prevent the crisis from getting worse.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/college/story/2012-05-21/solutions-to-student-loan-crisis/55117944/1

Is college too easy? As study time falls, debate rises - Daniel de Vise, Washington Post

Tradition suggests that college students should invest two hours in study for every hour of classes. The reality — that students miss that goal by half — emerged from the National Survey of Student Engagement, a research tool for colleges that examines the modern student in unprecedented detail. The survey, first published in 2000, queries freshmen and seniors. It reveals that study time can vary widely by college and by major. Architecture majors, for example, study 24 hours a week, while marketing majors put in only 12. Colleges are not required to publish survey results. The Washington Post asked prominent colleges in Maryland, Virginia and the District to disclose their survey data on study time. Only at Washington and Lee University, in Virginia, did students report as many as 20 hours of weekly study.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/is-college-too-easy-as-study-time-falls-debate-rises/2012/05/21/gIQAp7uUgU_story.html

Ways Technology Can Reduce Higher Ed Costs - Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed

Senior campus technology leaders should be held accountable for developing and delivering on plans to:

• Increase Quality
• Increase Access
• Reduce Costs

Every project that technology touches (which now means most things we do in higher ed) should be looked at through the lenses of quality, access and costs. It is no longer adequate to address one or two legs of this three legged stool. The role that technology plays to increase quality and access is perhaps more apparent than the ability of technology to reduce costs. We are comfortable thinking about ROI invested in supporting and running our learning platforms. And to the extent that educational professional headcount (such as learning designers) falls under the computing budget we can draw a straight line between investments and results. The growth of open educational resources and open online courses are clear examples of the role that technology can play in improving access.

http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/4-ways-technology-can-reduce-higher-ed-costs

MOOCs and the Professoriate - Kaustuv Basu, Inside Higher Ed

One role that faculty groups can play is to ensure that MOOCs aren’t touted as a cost-cutting device for traditional universities, said Brown, the professor at CSU Sacramento. A dangerous scenario that Brown envisions: Super professors at elite universities replacing lectures by faculty members at other universities. “That would represent a de-skilling of the faculty. It would harm faculty morale and engagement, and it would reduce the dynamism and intellectual excitement of the classroom experience for students. It would also give administrators an excuse to increase teaching loads and reduce faculty pay,” he said. And if this happened, the faculty member would be nothing but a teaching assistant for the online professor, Brown said.

Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/05/23/faculty-groups-consider-how-respond-moocs#ixzz1vgzfQC2H
Inside Higher Ed


http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/05/23/faculty-groups-consider-how-respond-moocs

Make Publicly Funded Research Freely Available - Creative Commons

Open access advocates in the United States and around the world are rallying around a petition that urges public access to publicly funded research. The petition is now live on Whitehouse.gov’s We the People platform. Creative Commons believes in the power of the Internet to foster innovation, research, and education. Requiring the published results of taxpayer-funded research to be posted on the Internet in human and machine readable form would provide access to patients and caregivers, students and their teachers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and other taxpayers who paid for the research. Expanding access would speed the research process and increase the return on our investment in scientific research.

http://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/32727