The Other 85 Percent

As reported in Inside Higher Ed, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has given funds to an effort to stimulate the potential development of linked databases that might someday allow us to track individual students through their education pathway even if they move from state to state.  Currently, this is not only impossible but has [...]

I first wrote about the problems in the 21st Century GI Bill last July. Well, the problems are finally getting some media attention.
When asked by the reporter for Inside Higher Ed who wrote this recent article why I thought that the bill included the disincentive for distance education, my response is that I don’t know.  [...]

It is rewarding to see this article on Inside Higher Ed that students are “flocking online.” Having spent many years in various forms of distance learning and over a decade in online learning, it is interesting that many universities are just now dealing with the issues that flow from a change in delivery method.  And [...]

In June there was a meeting to “conceive a new agenda for public higher education,”
held at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.  A report of the meeting has just been released, and includes the following recommendation:
Focus on adult learning and training in response to the demands of rapid economic, technological, [...]

I have previously checked the Web sites of presidential candidates to see if they even acknowledge the other 85 percent of higher education students that are the reality today. As of July 25, 2008, neither candidate has indicated any awareness of part-time, adult, or working college students. Their focus is on PK-12 education, [...]

This study found that graduates of PhD programs are being prepared to teach only at research institutions. They do not feel prepared or confident to teach in other settings, settings where most of them actually get jobs and where most of higher education actually takes place. This unfortunately reflects the American higher education [...]

Back in March, I posted an essay by Judith S. Eaton on the future of accreditation that resulted in a number of responses. Ms. Eaton is the head of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and her essay was discussed at CHEA’s summer workshop.
It was agreed during the CHEA discussion that “colleges have [...]

Recently, I posted a review of the major presidential candidates’ positions on education. I expressed disappointment that little attention was given to higher education and, in particular, to higher education for adults and independent part-time students. On Monday, Senator Obama made a speech on competitiveness that included references to education.

This week one of the giants of higher education, and especially higher education for adults, the University of Phoenix, released its inaugural “Annual Academic Report.” The report covered student satisfaction ratings, scores on the Measurement of Academic Proficiency and Progress (MAPP), the Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) and financial information. The university [...]

Last week the higher education media reported on an important publication by Cliff Adelman, who has been cited previously in this blog.
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