Opinion: Meritocracy
is in retreat in 21st-century higher education
Once the thing that mattered most was to get a good degree: a first-class
or 2:1. Now it is more important to have been to a good university, usually
defined as one of the Russell Group elite universities, although
there are several non-Russell institutions just as good or
better. One supposed reason for this revealing shift is that with so
many universities and so many subjects, it is more and more difficult to
accept that a first is a first, whichever university awarded it.
The Guardian, Sept. 1, 2015
No love, but no
alternative
As recently as three years ago, it seemed unlikely that the existing system
of accreditation would survive the next renewal of the Higher Education Act
in anything remotely resembling its current form. From across the political
spectrum (right and left) and from various segments of higher education
itself (particularly community colleges in California and elite
universities across the country), many asserted that the system of
peer-reviewed quality control was irretrievably broken and in need of
replacement. In some ways little has changed today. Accreditors still have
enemies aplenty, and the twin (and in many ways conflicting) critiques that
accreditors go too easy on poorly performing institutions and that
accreditation is a barrier to innovation (an argument made by President
Obama and candidates on the 2016 presidential campaign trail) are not going
away.
Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 1, 2015
Ban on banning
words
Washington State University on Monday announced that it would not
allow instructors to make "blanket" bans on the use of certain
words or phrases in class, even if those words and phrases offend people.
Further, the university said that instructors could not punish students for
use of such words or phrases.
Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 1, 2015
Humanities
paradox
A new analysis published late Monday by the Humanities Indicators
Project of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences may point to a key
paradox for those trying to predict the future behavior of college
students. The data show a decline in the proportion of high school students
(as they take the SAT and as they prepare to graduate) who say they plan to
major in the humanities. But something seems to be happening to those
students when they actually enroll in college — and interest in
majoring in the humanities goes up.
Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 1, 2015
Survey finds
more students are using pot daily
A national survey by University of Michigan researchers has found that
5.9 percent of college students used marijuana on a daily or near-daily
basis in 2014. (Daily or near daily is defined as 20 or more times in the
past 30 days.) This level of pot use is up from 3.5 percent in 2007.
Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 1, 2015
Minimum-wage
work alone won’t get you through college
Politicians and pundits love to talk about the character-building
experience of working your way through college. But how realistic is that
ideal? As one way of answering that question, here’s a thought experiment:
Let’s say you’re planning to attend your state’s best-known public
university (at the in-state rate, naturally) and you’re hoping a
minimum-wage job will cover the cost. How long would you have to work at
that job to recoup a year’s worth of tuition and fees? We’ve created a
tool to show you.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, Aug. 28, 2015
Learning to
adapt
Like most community colleges that enroll large numbers of low-income
students, Essex County College has a serious graduation rate problem, with
remedial math being a primary stumbling block. Essex, located in Newark,
N.J., had a graduation rate of 8 percent a couple years ago. About 85
percent of the college’s incoming students place into the lowest level of
developmental math, and only 10 percent of those students end up completing
a college-level math course. So the college’s new leadership decided to
give adaptive math software a whirl. Adaptive learning is an increasingly
trendy form of instruction, typically featuring computerized
courseware that adjusts to students’ learning styles and levels of
achievement.
Inside Higher Ed, Aug. 28, 2015
Trend:
Crowdfunding for college tuition
As students from across Western Washington prepare for college, some are
turning to a new way to get money for their tuition. The process involves
complete strangers footing the bill through crowdfunding. On websites like
GoFundMe.com, users create profiles, set goals and then watch the
money come in. The sites allow complete strangers, as well as friends and
families, send money online.
KING 5, Aug. 28, 2015
Readers’
definitions of ed-tech buzzwords: Confusion and skepticism continue
Professors, administrators, and ed-tech vendors don’t always speak the same
language when it comes to talking about experimental approaches to teaching
and research. Terms like “flipped classroom” and “digital humanities” get
thrown around a lot these days, but different people often mean different
things by them. And some people still don’t know what they mean, despite
their buzzword status. To get a sense of the buzzword landscape, we
asked Chronicle readers to give their definitions of four ed-tech
terms. We emphasized that we weren’t looking for the perfect definitions, just
a sense of what comes to mind immediately. Though the responses were
anonymous, we asked people to give a sense of their role in higher
education to put their answer in context.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, Aug. 28, 2015
Study outlines
when in year students start substances
A new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration
reveals when in the calendar year college students are most likely to start
using various substances. June is the month students are most likely to
start using marijuana, and is also the month for people to start underage
drinking. Winter months, however, tend to be when college students start
nonmedical use of prescription drugs.
Inside Higher Ed, Aug. 28, 2015
Maryland
university to eliminate textbooks
The University of Maryland University College plans to eliminate textbooks
this fall to save students money by using resources online. Kara Van
Dam, a vice provost, said Thursday students will be able use a variety of
materials like readings and videos online at no cost.
WUSA 9, Aug. 27, 2015
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