Topics last week include college rankings, credit hours, civility, rankings, competency-based assessment, nanodegrees, rankings, unbundling, and rankings. Oh, and ratings, because the proposed federal government system will only rate institutions, not rank them. They're very particular about that.
Why 'Nano-Degrees' Can Never Replace Liberal Arts Colleges, The Atlantic
Sebastian Thrun, CEO of Udacity (formerly known for promoting the MOOC as a disruptive innovation that would reduce the world of higher education to 10 universities worldwide, then turned around and called it "a lousy product") unveiled the company's newest product, called "nanodegrees." Aiming to avoid traditional lengthy programs in higher education, nanodegrees target one specific skill needed by an employer. "It is like a university, built by industry," he says. Not surprisingly, the idea has been heavily criticized by those Thrun claims to be disrupting (again), with Wesleyan University president Michael Roth arguing that nanodegrees lack the virtue of "broadening [students'] thinking while sharpening their skills."
Umbrella Group Backs Unbundling: ACE will create a pool of 100 low-cost courses, some from non-college providers, Inside Higher Ed
Higher Ed lobbying group the American Council of Education announced a that it will offer credit recommendations to institutions for a pool of 100 free online courses. It expects to form partnerships with as many as 50 institutions to provide credit, so that bachelors-degree seeking students at those schools will have up to two years of coursework complete before enrolling. The courses are offered by both higher education institutions and "non-accredited, non-institutional providers" such as StraighterLine, which partners with McGraw Hill to incorporate the publisher's material into complete courses.The EdPolicyGroup, incidentally, calls this "another sign that the traditional model for higher education is cracking — opening the door for innovation and experimentation." But it fails to mention the for-profit providers and consequent privatization effects, an interesting insight into the political economy of "disruptive innovation."
Pleas for Civility Meet Cynicism, Chronicle of Higher Education
A backlash against administrators' demands for civility in academic discourse has emerged in the wake of the University of Illinois' controversial dismissal of/rescinding of a job offer to (depending on who you ask) Professor Steven Salaita over his tweets on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Civility was the reason given by the administration, but critics have argued that civility is being used as a pretext to silence controversial views, in particular criticism of Israeli policy. Calls for civility by administrators at other institutions, which the administrators have stated are meant only as routine reminders of academic ethics, have been taken as attempts to stifle academic freedom. The potential role of donors in the UIUC case, documented in emails released by the university, adds to the perception that institutions are increasingly hostile to controversial ideas.Ranking and Rewarding Access: AN Alternative College Scorecard. Center for Minority Serving Institutions, Penn Graduate School of Education
This alternative to the federal PIRS framework, while lacking detail, meets the criticism the PIRS will systematically rate institutions serving underrepresented students, especially HBCUs, less favorably. The summary of PIRS' critics alone is worth the price (which is free), but the methodology of providing customized data based on predicted and actual performance is the heart of the proposal.Tugged in Two Directions (on accreditors' role in competency-based education). Insider Higher Ed
Three leaders of regional accreditors (HLC, SACS, and Middle States) argue that competency-based programs, especially direct assessment programs (which are not tied to the credit hour) are posing significant problems even where accreditors have taken steps to support such programs. All three said that their organizations are enthusiastic about quality competency-based programs. All three emphasize "methods of assessment, the qualifications and role of faculty, and what student supports are in place" in accrediting such programs, and find technical programs easier to accredit than liberal arts programs. They were very critical of the Department of Education, which has moved very slowly on experimental site approvals necessary for direct-assessment to be eligible to offer federal financial aid. The accreditors also suggested that a specialized accreditor for such programs might be valuable.Best College Rankings, US News and World Report, and The Most Economically Diverse Top Colleges, the New York Times
Both rankings were released this week, and both were heavily criticized, unsurprisingly. UVU was ranked on neither list, but was ranked in the top third of baccalaureate colleges in the Washington Monthly College Guide released last month. Details on the rankings and methods of the major providers are in my post on Rating the Rankings.60 Divided by 12 Equals… (Nudging students toward 15 credits). Inside Higher Ed
Matt Reed, IHE's community college blogger, argues that encouraging students to complete 15 credits per semester through plateau pricing may backfire, helping students who already have the least commitments outside of the classroom. He suggests as an alternative a 30 credit year model that takes advantage of summer and intersession classes as a better solution, but notes that this presents problems for financial aid.Thanks to this week's contributors: @tressiemcphd, @higheredrachel, @jenebbler, @todmassa, @libbyanelson, and @deandad.
