November 1, 2013
Higher Ed News Roundup
UNC institution may cut physics, political science, history
Elizabeth City State University, a historically black college in North Carolina, may discontinue its physics, political science, and history degree programs because they are considered “low productive.” Many higher education leaders are alarmed by this move, claiming that history education is fundamental to American higher education, particularly at a historically black university in the South. Read more about the potential cuts here.
Complete College America analyzes states’ performance funding models
Complete College America, a proponent of linking state funding for higher education to student outcomes like degree production and completion rates recently released a report that details and scores how states are implementing performance-based funding formulas. Sixteen states currently have performance funding strategies; the majority account for universities’ unique missions and reward institutions that help underserved student populations succeed. The report argues that there is now enough knowledge about how to implement a successful performance-based funding program that such strategies could be adopted nation-wide. Check out this Inside Higher Ed article for more.
Coursera and U.S. government partner on world-wide MOOC service
One of the largest MOOC providers, Coursera, announced on Thursday that it is partnering with the federal government to establish “learning hubs” around the globe, where students can access MOOCs and attend weekly, in-person class discussions facilitated by local instructors. The learning hubs are intended to remedy the lack of reliable internet in certain countries as well as address the growing opinion that students are more successful when they discuss classwork and meet with their teachers in person. Read more at an article by the NY Times.
Flipping the classroom may have its limits
Flipping the classroom, a practice in which students listen to pre-recorded lectures at home and then engage in hands-on learning exercises in class, has gained popularity and esteem as a way to improve student performance. However, an experiment at Harvey Mudd College compared the outcomes of students in flipped STEM courses with those of students in traditional STEM courses and found no demonstrable differences. Professors also claimed they spent much more time preparing for the flipped classes (creating videotaped lectures and engaging classroom activities) than they had preparing for traditional classes. The findings are still preliminary, and the sample at Harvey Mudd is very small. The study could, however, highlight the fact that flipped classrooms may not be well-suited for every context or class type. Certain conditions are likely to produce better results than others. Read more here.
UC President announces aid for illegal immigrants
Janet Napolitano—former Secretary of Homeland Security and current president of the University of California (UC)—said Wednesday that the UC system would put $5 million toward special counseling and financial aid for students living in the country illegally. The NY Times reports the move is “aimed at disarming critics who worried she would be hostile to the small but vocal student population.”