Higher Ed Spotlight

Susan D. Blum is one of a growing number of educators questioning the role of grades in learning. She's a professor and the editor of "Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead)." She advocates for a sweeping pedagogical shift based on the practice of 'ungrading' - not assigning a number or letter value to a student's work.

Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg's Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.

The state of boys and men in higher education looks grim. That's one of the key takeaways from Brookings fellow Richard Reeves' latest book, "Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It." He discusses ways to help men and boys achieve equity in education, how focusing on men doesn't mean you don't care about women's equality, and how ignoring men's struggles can lead to further political polarization.

Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg's Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.

Amit Sevak is the CEO of ETS - the leading testing organization behind the GRE and the College Board's SAT. While higher education grapples with the role of tests in admissions, Amit defends the importance of assessments as crucial learning tools in and beyond the classroom, while also arguing for revolutionizing what they look like today.

Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg's Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.

Sheila Sarem is the CEO and founder of Project Basta - an organization that builds the social capital of first generation graduates of color. Sheila argues that degrees aren't translating into good first jobs for some because of a gap in social capital - the invisible networks, information, and informal coaching that some students have access to and that others don't, depending on their background. It's often the missing piece, including the 'it's not who you know but who knows you' part of it, that helps kick start a career.

Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg's Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.

We get a sneak peak into education and workforce expert Ryan Craig's upcoming book, "Apprentice Nation." In it he argues that more and better apprenticeships, beyond the trades, will help narrow the opportunity gap in America. He also believes apprenticeships can work with higher education in innovative ways to help students thrive in their careers.

Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg's Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.

Welcome back to Higher Ed Spotlight, a podcast about the big questions driving the future of higher education. In our second season, we continue to wade into major debates shaping higher education with the country's leading thinkers. Our biweekly podcast starts March 28, 2023.

Hosted by veteran journalist and higher education policy expert Ben Wildavsky. Sponsored by Chegg's Center for Digital Learning.

Even before the pandemic, campus mental health struggles were on the rise – one 2021 study found 60% of undergrads met the bar for a psychological disorder. Nance Roy, the chief clinical officer at mental health organization, The Jed Foundation, explains why students are under more stress than ever, and why hiring more counselors is only a small part of the solution.

Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg's Center for Digital Learning, and aims to explore the future of higher education today.

Despite more women attending – and graduating – college than men, the average American woman still earns just 83 cents to every dollar a man does. In her latest book, "Career and Family", economic historian Claudia Goldin says that, contrary to popular belief, discrimination doesn't actually explain the wage gap. And that unless the structure and culture of work shifts, wage inequality is unlikely to go away.

Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg's Center for Digital Learning, and aims to explore the future of higher education today.

With hundreds of thousands of alternative credentials on the market, but little data on how effective they are, how can students know which ones are worth their time? Sean Gallagher, the Director of the Center for the Future of Higher Education and Talent Strategy at Northeastern University, has spent years trying to answer that question. And while he thinks alternative credentials could be the key to lifelong learning, he also says we need to be thinking more deeply about what's working in the space – and what's not.

Higher Ed Spotlight is a new podcast, sponsored by Chegg's Center for Digital Learning, that aims to explore the future of higher education today.

When 48,000 grad students and other academic workers at the University of California went on strike, it garnered attention far beyond California and raised questions about the very structure of higher ed labor. Nelson Lichtenstein is a labor historian with a first-hand view of the UC strike, and he says what happened in California reflects bigger problems in an increasingly precarious workforce – not just in academia, but all over the country.

Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg's Center for Digital Learning, and aims to explore the future of higher education today.