Coursera to create ‘learning hubs’ outside the US
Coursera, a California-based venture that has enrolled 5 million students in its free online courses, on Thursday announced a partnership with the U.S. government to create “learning hubs” around the world where students can go to get Internet access to free courses supplemented by weekly in-person class discussions with local teachers or facilitators.
As online education rises, financial aid fraud grows
While serving nine months in a South Carolina prison on forgery charges, Michelle N. Owens capitalized on the explosion in online higher education to tap into a new — and highly lucrative — way to profit from fake documents.
Study calls single-sex education misguided & stereotype-reinforcing
Single-sex education is ineffective, misguided and may actually increase gender stereotyping, a team of psychologists asserts in a paper to be published Friday.
Default rates for federal student loans rise sharply
The share of federal student loan defaults rose sharply last year, especially at for-profit schools, where 15 percent of borrowers defaulted in the first two years of repayment, up from 11.6 percent the previous year.
Harvard, Princeton back to early action
Harvard and Princeton each announced Thursday that they would revive their early-admission programs, allowing high school seniors who apply by next Nov. 15 to get a decision by Dec. 15 without having to promise to attend the college if admitted.
Bias found to be a persistent hurdle for women pursuing careers in science
A report on the underrepresentation of women in science and math by the American Association of University Women, released Monday March 22, found that although women have made gains, stereotypes and cultural biases still impede their success.
YouTube a new way to charm Tufts
MEDFORD, MASS. — There are videos showing off card tricks, horsemanship, jump rope and stencils — and lots of rap songs, including one by a young woman who performed two weeks after oral surgery, with her mouth still rubber-banded shut.
Children Awake? Then They’re Probably Online
The average young American now spends practically every waking minute — except for the time in school — using a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic device, according to a new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Former Admissions Dean Returns to College Game 2 Years After Scandal
Two and a half years ago, Marilee Jones, the highly regarded dean of admissions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, vanished from public sight when it came to light that nearly three decades earlier, when she was first hired there, she had lied about her academic credentials.
Regents Raise Tuition In Calif. by 32 Percent
As the University of California struggles to absorb its sharpest drop in state financing since the Great Depression, every professor, administrator and clerical worker has been put on furlough amounting to an average pay cut of 8 percent.
House Passes Bill to Increase Federal Aid For College Students
The House of Representatives on Thursday passed legislation that expands federal aid to college students while ending federal subsidies to private lenders.
College Blogs Used To Unite & Promote
Cristen Chinea, a senior at MIT, made a confession in her blog on the college Web site.
Colleges Set Degree Standards
In the first American effort of its kind, universities and colleges in Indiana, Minnesota and Utah are starting pilot projects to make sure that degree programs in their states reflect a consensus about what specific knowledge and skills should be taught.
Community Colleges Challenge Hierarchy with 4-Year Degrees
When LaKisha Coleman received her associate’s degree at Miami Dade Community College six years ago, her best bet for a bachelor’s degree seemed to be at the more expensive Florida International University.
State Colleges Balance Budget Cuts with Missions
When Michael Crow became president of Arizona State University seven years ago, he promised to make it “The New American University,” with 100,000 students by 2020.
What Recession? Universities Can Pay Non-Presidents $1M+
While generous compensation packages for college presidents have come under increasing public scrutiny, other university employees often earn far more.
Proportion of African- American Students Who Pass A.P. Exams Low
More than 15 percent of the three million students who graduated from public high schools last year passed at least one Advanced Placement exam, the College Board said Wednesday, but African-American students were still far less likely to have passed, or to even have taken, an A.P. exam than white, Hispanic or Asian students.
California State Univ. System Faces Budget Cut, Limits Enrollment
Hard hit by budget cuts, the California State University system is planning to cut its enrollment by 10,000 students for the 2009-10 academic year, unless state lawmakers provide more money.
Study Abroad Flourishes; China Attracts More American Students
Record numbers of American students are studying abroad, with especially strong growth in educational exchanges with China, the annual report by the Institute on International Education found.
Presidents’ Pay Rises Faster at Public Universities
David J. Sargent, the 77-year-old president of Suffolk University in Boston, received a $2.8 million pay package in 2006-7 — including a $436,000 longevity bonus and more than $1 million in deferred compensation — after the board of trustees, eager to delay his retirement, decided he had long been underpaid.
Congress Acts to Overhaul College Loan Regulations
Congress overwhelmingly approved an overhaul of the nation’s higher education law on July 31, adding dozens of provisions and programs to help families with soaring college costs.
Tackling Stereotype Of Asian-Americans In Higher Education
The image of Asian-Americans as a homogeneous group of high achievers taking over the campuses of the nation’s most selective colleges came under assault in a report issued Monday.
Schools Use Controversial Commissioned Agents To Recruit Foreign Students
When Xiaoxi Li, a 20-year-old from Beijing, decided she should go to college in the United States, she applied only to Ohio University — not that she knew much about it.
College Expenses Outpacing Incomes
The rising cost of college — even before the recession — threatens to put higher education out of reach for most Americans, according to the biennial report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.
Seeking Cheaper Education, Students Turning Overseas
Isobel Oliphant felt she was making an offbeat choice when she graduated from Fox Lane High School in Bedford, N.Y., and enrolled at the ancient university in this quiet coastal town of stone ruins and verdant golf courses.
For Univ. Presidents, High Compensation Leads to Give-backs
In the week since <i>The Chronicle of Higher Education</i> published its annual survey of university presidents’ pay — a week in which the nation’s economic troubles worsened — several of the highest-paid presidents said that they would give back part of their pay or forgo their raises.
Surprising Jump in Early Decision Apps To Selective Colleges
Given the current economic downturn, admissions officers at Wesleyan University thought there might be a decline in early-decision applications this year. But when the deadline passed last weekend, they found that the number had risen 40 percent.
Colleges Gave Record Amounts Of Aid, Raised Tuitions Slightly
Tuition costs rose slightly faster than the Consumer Price Index last year, and students received record amounts of financial aid, according to the annual reports on college pricing and student aid released Wednesday by the College Board.
Pell Grant Changes Proposed
A panel of education experts and researchers on Thursday proposed a broad reconfiguration of federal policies on financial aid for college, including a simpler application process, Pell grant maximums linked to the consumer price index and, most radically, federally financed college savings accounts for children in low-income families.
Pell Grants Said to Face a Shortfall of $6 Billion
Battered by a worsening economy, college students are seeking federal financial aid in record numbers this year, leading Bush administration officials to warn Congress that the most important federal aid program, Pell Grants, may need up to $6 billion in additional taxpayer funds next year.
Confusion in Student Voter Registrations
The widespread practice of students’ registering to vote at their college address has set off a fracas in Virginia, a battleground state in the presidential election.
Colleges Defend Rising Tuition In Round Table With Senators
Two dozen college presidents and policy experts defended the rising costs of tuition on Monday and argued against forcing colleges to spend more of their endowments.
American Universities Create Partnerships in Saudi Arabia
Three prominent American universities the University of Texas at Austin, the University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University — are starting five-year partnerships, worth $25 million or more, with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, a graduate-level research university being built in Saudi Arabia.
Internet Shorthand Sometimes Used in Students’ Coursework
As e-mail messages, text messages and social network postings become nearly ubiquitous in the lives of teenagers, the informality of electronic communications is seeping into their schoolwork, a new study says.
Report Urges New Focus On Math, Problem Solving In U.S. Education System
American students’ math achievement is “at a mediocre level” compared with that of their peers worldwide, according to a new report by a federal panel, which recommended that schools focus on key skills that prepare students to learn algebra.
Study: Int’l Students Added $14.5 Billion To Economy in ’06-’07
While foreign students at American colleges and universities are most often singled out for their scientific and cultural contributions, their growing numbers help make them an increasingly important economic force as well, according to a new report from the Institute of International Education.
Dartmouth Expands Board; Alumni Role Reduced by Change
Dartmouth College announced late on Saturday night that its board of trustees would expand to 24 members, two-thirds chosen by the college and one-third elected by the alumni.
Privacy Laws Restrict Mental Illness Disclosure to Parents
Federal privacy and antidiscrimination laws restrict how universities can deal with students who have mental health problems.