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

U.S. Universities Increasingly Enroll the World, Report Shows

International students are becoming a major trend in American higher education.  This new report claims, "A record 819,644 studied at American colleges in 2012-13, an increase of 7.2 percent."

http://chronicle.com/article/US-Universities-Increasingly/142911

Differing Attitudes on Value of College

Not everyone finds a four-year degree to be a key to success.  This recent report breaks down the percentages of those who do based on race.  Check it out, you might be surprised by the results.

http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/11/08/differing-attitudes-value-college

Battle brewing over cost comparison site for colleges

Some are raising questions about a new site called College Abacus.  It is supposed to help students decide on a college based on price comparison, but they are charging people for it.  Some institutions are claiming that it shouldn't charge for information that is free on the institutions website.  What are your views?

http://money.cnn.com/2013/11/07/pf/college/collegeabacus-com/index.html?iid=HP_LN

Is College Worth It? 2 New Reports Say Yes (Mostly)

"Researchers note that getting that college degree has become increasingly risky, mostly because of the cost of education."  Many are asking the question of whether a college degree is even worth it given the rising cost of education.  Several studies still confirm the worth of a degree.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/bottomline/is-college-worth-it-two-new-reports-say-yes-mostly/

Time to Change the Rules?

Times are changing and the academe is being faced with the reality that the traditional education system is not always working for students.  More and more options are coming up to teach today's student.  "A growing number of reform-minded lawmakers on Capitol Hill want to see more of online “innovations” like competency-based education."

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/11/01/calls-washington-streamlined-regulation-and-emerging-models

Encouraging first-generation college students

Sometimes, the only thing a potential student needs to get in to college, is a little encouragement.  "The American College Application Campaign began at a single high school in Siler City, N.C., and has since spread across the country. This year, about 2,000 schools in 39 states and the District of Columbia are participating."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/31/education-college-students-income/3324393/

Americans lacking in basic skills

A new report shows that American colleges are having to start at a disadvantage because more and more students are lacking in the basic skills they should learn in grade school. "American adult proficiency in literacy, numeracy and problem solving ranks as some of the lowest among developed countries, despite a relatively high level of education."

http://money.cnn.com/2013/10/24/news/economy/american-skills/index.html?iid=HP_LN

College Counseling Matters

A recent study shows that some simple counseling for college could have major benefits for low-income students.  "A nonprofit group that focuses on college counseling in Minneapolis-St. Paul had a significant impact in increasing the rate at which low-income students enrolled in four-year colleges, including competitive institutions."

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/10/29/study-tracks-impact-counseling-low-income-students

Qualified in Their Own Minds

"Questions about the employment value of a college degree have intensified, so too has concern that new graduates are not equipped to function in the work place and are not meeting employers’ expectations."  Are we doing enough in higher education to prepare students for the world after?

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/10/29/more-data-show-students-unprepared-work-what-do-about-it

Americans lacking in basic skills

A new report shows that American colleges are having to start at a disadvantage because more and more students are lacking in the basic skills they should learn in grade school. "American adult proficiency in literacy, numeracy and problem solving ranks as some of the lowest among developed countries, despite a relatively high level of education."

http://money.cnn.com/2013/10/24/news/economy/american-skills/index.html?iid=HP_LN