Enrollments Slipped This Fall, With For-Profit Sector Hit Hardest

"Enrollments at American colleges slid slightly this fall as institutions faced a shrinking pool of high-school graduates at the same time that a slowly expanding economy was luring older students back to work."  This is compounded upon by a similar drop the year before.  This can easily leave people wondering if this slow decline could forecast problems in the future.

http://chronicle.com/article/Enrollments-Slipped-This-Fall/143573/?key=Tj0icFhrZCcRNHpiMmlAbzYHb3Y6N0kvYyZBOisjbltXGQ==

Researchers Push MOOC Conversation Beyond ‘Tsunami’ Metaphors

Researchers convened recently to discuss the use of MOOCs and the viability for institutions.  "The objective of the MOOC Research Initiative Conference, which brought together dozens of researchers from universities involved in MOOCs, was to move beyond the hype and try to begin sorting out what, exactly, the courses might mean for various parts of higher education."

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/researchers-push-mooc-conversation-beyond-tsunami-metaphors/48911?cid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en

U.S. Seeks Experiments on New Models of Higher Ed

The federal government is looking to experiment on new ways of educating higher education students. It is, “particularly interested in experiments that are designed to improve student persistence and academic success, result in shorter time to degree, including by allowing students to advance through educational courses and programs at their own pace by demonstrating academic achievement, and reduce reliance on student loans.”

http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/12/05/us-seeks-experiments-new-models-higher-ed

Average student loan debt: $29,400

"At the same time that debt has been going up, colleges across the country have been hiking tuition and fees and families' incomes have been shrinking, student loan debt has risen at an average rate of 6% per year from 2008 to 2012."  If you are paying for tuition or if you are paying for someone else's tuition, these statistics can be a bit scary.  With the ever increasing cost of tuition it is becoming more and more important to plan ahead.

http://money.cnn.com/2013/12/04/pf/college/student-loan-debt/index.html?iid=SF_BN_LN

Colleges Can Still Save Themselves. Here's How.

"Last month Clayton M. Christensen, a Harvard Business School professor and champion of disruptive innovation, suggested in a New York Times essay he wrote with Michael B. Horn that the "bottom 25 percent of every tier" of colleges will disappear or merge in the next 10 to 15 years."  These are staggering predictions, but this article focuses on bringing to light several key efforts that could be taken by institutions to keep them from being that bottom 25%.

http://chronicle.com/article/Colleges-Can-Still-Save/143305/

Academics to Udacity Founder: Told Ya

"'We were on the front pages of newspapers and magazines, and at the same time, I was realizing, we don’t educate people as others wished, or as I wished. We have a lousy product."  Udacity has had a lot of publicity in the MOOC field, but this interview with it's founder shows that the experience isn't quite ready yet.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/academics-to-udacity-founder-told-ya/48667?cid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en

Moody’s Issues a Negative Outlook for Higher Education

"The bond-rating agency’s report last week, a survey of net-tuition revenues, was grim, and its outlook for higher education in recent years has been mostly bleak."  Despite the ever increasing tuition costs of higher education, institutions are largely finding their expenses outweighing their revenue.  This all points to the need for higher education as a whole to evolve and find new ways of educating students.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/bottomline/moodys-issues-a-negative-outlook-for-higher-education/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

MOOCs Are Largely Reaching Privileged Learners, Survey Finds

MOOCS(Massive Open Online Courses) have been making a lot of news in higher education and many believe them to be the next evolution of higher education.  However, a recent survey finds that they aren't exactly meeting the target audience of people without a degree.  "Most people who take massive open online courses already hold a degree from a traditional institution."

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/moocs-are-reaching-only-privileged-learners-survey-finds/48567?cid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en

1 Million People Have Used Post-9/11 GI Bill

'"The post-9/11 GI bill is one way to help make the transition into civilian life a successful one."'  In just four years of being in effect, The Post-9/11 GI Bill has helped 1 million people go back to school and help to better their civilian life.

http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/11/11/1-million-people-have-used-post-911-gi-bill

The Promise and Peril of Outcomes Assessment

Does standardized testing work?  There is certainly a myriad of limitations that standardized tests simply cannot overcome.  This article discusses the possibilities of changing the current regime and finding a better way to assess learning.

http://chronicle.com/article/The-PromisePeril-of/141337