The Time Is Ripe for Competency-Based Higher Ed

Competency-based programs have been around for decades, in small numbers, providing plenty of lessons for schools looking to implement new programs.

 

Perkins Loan Program Dies as Alexander Blocks Funding Bill

An extension to the program passed in the House, but Alexander blocked its advance out of the Senate’s education committee.

 

Threat of Crisis at Illinois Universities Could Break Budget Impasse

A deal between the state’s legislature and Gov. Bruce Rauner could be forced by the potential that state schools won’t be able to keep their doors open.

 

U of Georgia Has Saved Students Nearly $2M with OER

The university adopted open educational resources for a number of its courses since 2013.

 

MoodleCloud Launches as Free Service

Educators can now design and host content on the Moodle platform at no cost for their classes of fewer than 50 students.

 

Carnegie Mellon Tests Impact of Blended Learning on Computer Science

A new course will experiment with techniques to help scale the class and make it effective for all learners.

 

Microsoft to Offer MOOCs through edX

The new partnership will focus on teaching IT development skills to the MOOC provider’s global audience.

 

North Carolina Higher Ed Bill Could Prove Disastrous for Research

The bill would require all professors at public institutions to teach at least four courses per semester, severely limiting research time.

 

Accreditors’ Higher Ed ‘Watchdog’ Role Called into Question

A Wall Street Journal report finds that accreditation bodies serve as consultants to colleges, helping them improve on their own metrics but keeping low-performing schools open.

 

Dropbox Expanding Presence in Higher Ed

The cloud-based file-sharing and collaboration tool was started by an MIT grad who has shifted his sights toward the education space.