Transforming Adult Students into Scholars - Rebecca Koenig, EdSurge

The course is called Transformations. It teaches the basics of critical thinking, research and academic writing. It’s designed for students new to the University of Virginia—but not entirely new to higher education. They’re all adults enrolled in the university’s online Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies program. Each of them has already earned at least 45 college credits—equal to about three semesters—and desires to complete a degree. Yet many of the students want more than that, too. They have goals for their careers, their families, their communities. They want to read and write and think.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2022-07-07-transforming-adult-students-into-scholars

With Stressed-Out Students in Challenging Times, Faculty Must Embrace Caring Practices - Robert Ubell, EdSurge

In the bad-old days of college teaching, especially in technical subjects, professors would stand before a classroom of freshmen and say, “Look to the right, look to the left. One of them will not graduate.” The idea was fear of failure would motivate students to do whatever it takes to stay above water academically. But these days more professors take a more caring approach to teaching—a compassionate response to the collective trauma driven by the COVID pandemic and other challenges facing today’s college students 

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2022-07-08-with-stressed-out-students-in-challenging-times-faculty-must-embrace-caring-practices

What Is Mobile Learning and How Can It Make Courses More Flexible? - Alexander Huls, EdTech

Mobile learning is a means of facilitating students’ education through personal electronic devices, most commonly smartphones. M-learning can involve making course content more accessible on devices (using PDFs for documents, for example), employing mobile-friendly learning management systems (LMSs) like Moodle or Canvas, or using survey or social media apps during lectures.  This can sometimes require training faculty to understand how to better design their courses to be mobile-friendly.  Good mobile design is actually just good course design,” says Margaret Merrill, an instructional designer and educational technologist at the University of California, Davis.

https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2022/07/what-mobile-learning-and-how-can-it-make-courses-more-flexible-perfcon

The new labor market: No bachelor’s required? - Lawrence Lanahan, Hechinger Report

Thanks to a tight labor market, more good jobs are opening up to workers who lack a bachelor’s degree. A month after Maryland’s announcement, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis directed government agencies in his state to embrace hiring workers for skills, not degrees. Private sector employers have been rolling back B.A. requirements too. While the pandemic labor shortage has prompted more employers to welcome applications from workers without degrees, workforce advocates have been pushing back for years against a surge of so-called degree inflation triggered by the Great Recession.

https://hechingerreport.org/the-new-labor-market-no-bachelors-required

Public colleges’ operating revenue rose 3.1% in 2021 despite lower net tuition - Rick Seltzer, Higher Ed Dive

But revenue from students fell because of changes tied to the pandemic, according to the report, which was released last week. Enrollment declines, lower auxiliary revenue and increased financial aid contributed to the drop. Moody’s projects public colleges’ operating performance will slip back down to levels seen in recent history — or weaken because of inflation.

https://www.highereddive.com/news/public-colleges-operating-revenue-rose-31-in-2021-despite-lower-net-tuit/626571/

“Some College, No Degree”: Engaging Former Students - University Business

The growing awareness in higher education of the $6.6 billion in stranded credits has brought to light related issues of enrollment, debt, and administrative processes and policies. The attention highlights a similar situation, what some have called “some college, no degree.” While stranded credits describes the situation of students with unpaid balances and transcript holds that have not completed their degree, “some college, no degree” describes those without unpaid balances or transcript holds that have not completed their degree. They have obtained some credits but have discontinued their education before graduating

https://universitybusiness.com/touchnet-some-college-blog-lp-9

Does Zero Trust Mean Starting from Scratch on Cybersecurity? - Teri Takai, Government Tech

First, zero trust is not a set of technology tools that are strung together to solve all cybersecurity woes. Rather, it is a framework for protecting your data from a broad range of cyber attacks. It is as much about people, process, policies and procedures as it is about technology, which means it is not just a CIO or CISO issue. Rather it cuts across your complete business strategy and plans. Remember, cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility. The good news is that you likely have started to build toward zero-trust strategies with many of the actions you have already taken. You don’t need to start from scratch or completely redo your plans to be on the road to zero trust. The challenge is mapping what you have already accomplished to the zero-trust framework, and taking a risk-based approach to determining what you need to do next to strengthen defenses. 

https://www.govtech.com/security/does-zero-trust-mean-starting-from-scratch-on-cybersecurity

Strategies to Support Online Adjunct Faculty - Annie Galvin Teich, Fierce Education

Dr. Abby McGuire, from the Online Learning Consortium (OLC), and Dr. Van L. Davis, from the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET), shared the results of their recent survey to understand the practices that impact online adjunct faculty, equity, and access.  The most effective practices by online adjuncts included:

Clearly designed, well-organized course

Established connections between the instructor and students

Provided timely feedback for student work

Made connections between the content and the world

Created student opportunities for active learning

Communicated via email in a timely manner

Being available and approachable for students

https://www.fierceeducation.com/leadership/strategies-support-online-adjunct-faculty

The Failing Links in Higher Ed - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed

Higher education is suffering from the failure of a couple of essential linkages, resulting in mega-declines in enrollments—down three million over the past decade. I think of higher education as a long chain of processes, services and functionalities that are broadly designed to improve society as a whole. These include such links in the chain as teaching and facilitating the learning for the workforce, assessing and ensuring skills and knowledge, enabling continuing professional development for advancing careers, and assisting with the maturing of teenagers into responsible and engaged citizens. There are many more links in the long chain, but none more important to the success of the overall endeavor than ones linking to bringing students into college and the link of preparing them for careers in the workforce. These two links at the opposite ends of the long higher end chain are critical to the system as we know it, yet they are failing.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/online-trending-now/failing-links-higher-ed

What, Exactly, Is the Metaverse Standards Forum Creating? - Eric Ravenscraft, Wired

What do Microsoft, Epic Games, Adobe, Nvidia, and Ikea all have in common? According to nonprofit standards organization the Khronos Group, it's the metaverse. Despite there being no clear definition of what “the metaverse” even means, these companies and more are cooperating to make it interoperable. So what are they actually doing? If you've never heard of the Khronos Group, that's almost by design. The nonprofit and its 150-plus member companies manage and develop open standards that exist under a lot of technology you use today, 

https://www.wired.com/story/metaverse-standards-forum-explained/

SCOTUS Roe v. Wade decision shaking up college application process - Kristen Sze, ABC7

The end of Roe v Wade and a federally-guaranteed right to an abortion is stirring up confusion and fear in college students and those applying to college. Many students are now reconsidering their choices and where they want to spend the next four years of their lives, given the new landscape. In college discussions forums such as College Confidential and Reddit, students are discussing how universities are responding to the Dobbs ruling, and whether they want to attend schools located in states that are moving to ban abortion rights. Questions raised include what if they face an unwanted pregnancy? Will they have to travel out of state to get an abortion? Will their university offer support or assistance? 

https://abc7news.com/roe-v-wade-overturned-abortion-access-impact-on-college-students-supreme-court-decision-application-process/12007009/

This is the future of assessing soft skills and experience -Dave McCool, eCampus News

To be competitive in the workplace, you need more than a degree. As students and job seekers look to highlight their soft skills and life experience, educators and employers still struggle to evaluate these sought-after qualifications. A new type of assessment could help. Immersive simulations are an innovative approach to evaluation. These types of assessments allow people to apply what they’ve learned rather than simply recalling answers. Through simulations, students can show their knowledge and abilities. When compared to past methods of assessment like multiple-choice tests, group projects, writing a paper, or role-play exercises, immersive simulations are a more authentic assessment of complex skills.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2022/07/01/this-is-the-future-of-assessing-soft-skills-and-experience/

Online learning: a collaborative approach - Peter McGuire, Irish Times

What defines a high-quality online learning experience? We look at how student expectations are met. “Over the last two years, TU Dublin has developed expertise and knowledge of what works: guides have been created for lecturing staff to help them build pedagogically sound online courses, incorporating multi-media and plenty of continuous professional development opportunities (both synchronous, asynchronous, and on-demand) are provided to support them in their efforts,” Harvey and Boylan said. “In addition, an effort has encouraged a shift towards more authentic learning and assessment methods that will help prepare students for the world of work. These include more collaborative activities that support engagement with industry and the application of theory to practice.” 

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/education/2022/06/28/online-learning-a-collaborative-approach/

Pandemic Boost for Digital Course Materials - Doug Lederman, Inside Higher Ed

Instructors’ awareness and use of open educational resources and their recognition of the efficacy of digital texts rose sharply this year, an annual survey finds.  Many experts have been predicting for years that digital course materials would take off, replacing print textbooks and curricular supplements as the preferred choice of instructors, students and institutions alike. But despite growing concerns about the high price of print textbooks, major investments by states and foundations in open educational resources (OER), and a big push by commercial publishers for “inclusive access” programs that make digital course materials available to all students more affordably, faculty embrace of digital materials has risen slowly.

Until now, it seems.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/06/30/embrace-digital-course-materials-grew-during-pandemic

3 reasons microcredentials are poised to go mainstream - Rusty Greiff, eCampus News

Two in five working-age adults have completed a non-degree credential and more than 80 percent of executives, supervisors, and HR professionals now say that alternative credentials bring value to the workplace. At a time of significant disruption in the economy, institutions, employers, and workers are all finding they must embrace a philosophy of continuous lifelong learning. It’s a shift enabled by the proliferation of short-term microcredentials. Over the past decade, the number of such offerings has sharply risen. There now exist at least 1 million different credentials, spanning apprenticeships, certificates, digital badges, industry-recognized certifications, and licenses.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2022/06/27/3-reasons-microcredentials-are-poised-to-go-mainstream/

A world of disruption awaits: Are all universities ready? - Gary Bolles and Alejandro Caballero, University World News

The pandemic has accelerated the unbundling of higher education and opened up innovative approaches for universities and technology providers to find new, more effective ways to reach learners. Institutions that can break apart the traditional four-year bundled college experience – in which one fee pays for everything from coursework to housing, libraries and sports – and rethink a customised approach will thrive in the new paradigm. For over a decade, traditional institutions in the United States and other developed higher education markets have faced declining enrolment and rapidly increasing costs. These shifts began to call into question the long-term viability of status quo business models, such as charging premiums for four-year degrees and depending on alumni fundraising.

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20220614100738763

How two institutions tackle microcredentials - Laura Ascione, eCampus News

Microcredentials are bite-sized educational courses with a more specific focus. They could take months or weeks to complete. Because of their convenience, microcredentials appeal to employees looking for a highly personalized, flexible, and cost-effective way to further their education. Here’s how two institutions are leveraging their microcredential programs to help students with different goals, personal responsibilities, and professional obligations further their education.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2022/06/20/how-two-institutions-tackle-microcredentials/

Here’s a closer look at which stopped-out students are reenrolling in college - Lilah Burke, Higher Ed Dive

A whopping 39 million adults under 65 have left college without completing a credential. But in the 2020-21 academic year, just 2.4% reenrolled in class. That’s according to a recent report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Released early last month, it showed the number of stopped-out students grew by 1.9 million, or 5.3%, since the last time numbers were calculated in December 2018.

https://www.highereddive.com/news/heres-a-closer-look-at-which-stopped-out-students-are-reenrolling-in-colle/625253/

Full-time faculty wages fell 5% after inflation, AAUP says - Laura Spitalniak, Higher Ed Dive

Full-time faculty members’ wages decreased by 5% in 2021-22 after adjusting for inflation, according to the American Association of University Professors, which Wednesday released an annual report on the economic state of the profession. The drop represents one of the largest one-year decreases in real wages since 1972 when AAUP began tracking the measure.  After adjusting for inflation, the average salary for full-time faculty fell 2.3% below the average in 2008, the height of the Great Recession.

https://www.highereddive.com/news/full-time-faculty-wages-fell-5-after-inflation-aaup-says/625819/

Purdue Backs Off Income-Share Agreements - Josh Moody, Inside Higher Ed

Purdue University has paused new enrollments in its income-share agreement program, a financing mechanism both praised as a bold experiment to make college more accessible and criticized as a predatory scheme that traps students in dodgy and expensive contracts. Known as Back a Boiler, the program was quietly paused earlier this month, with a message posted on Purdue’s website around the same time that President Mitch Daniels announced his forthcoming retirement and a successor was selected through a secretive search process.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/06/23/purdue-pauses-new-income-share-agreement-enrollments

10 Benefits of continuous education for career advancement - Hospitality Net

Continuous education is the answer to a society that is constantly changing. To remain professionally agile, we should constantly be looking to learn and gain new skills. Improving yourself, staying current and moving up in your profession or switching sectors is what comes from investing in your education. All this is possible with a lifelong learning attitude which helps to boost morale, professional engagement, ambition and a sense of self-worth. 

https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4111167.html