Can VR college tours increase brand affinity?

Reported by EdSurge, many are wondering if the “If I can just get them on-campus for a tour, I can get them” might translate to the digital world?

Students are writing more than ever before, but they’re still struggling deeply in college writing courses.

Reported by EdSurge, many universities report issues with students passing introductory writing courses. The problem? Students are likely writing more than ever before in the history of the world – but primarily in abbreviated form via social posts and texts, and they may not necessarily find the five-paragraph essay the best way to communicate their ideas.

We can only choose educational technology if we first understand how we’re trying to support our courses.

Reported by EdSurge, Dr. Bryan Alexander from Georgetown University thinks about choosing EdTech in ways that will either make our existing pedagogy more effective or that will allow us to systematically change the way in which we teach.

How can we evolve the online discussion board to better mimic in-class interactions?

Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Wichita State University is doubling down on the potential power of online discussion boards. Carolyn Speer, manager of instructional design and access said, “If two people can fall in love online, they can learn American history online.”

The road to higher ed consolidation will be slower than we think.

Reported by Inside Higher Ed, with more state university systems attempting to make massive online plays, there is this ethereal belief that there will eventually be only a handful of major national online players, with a massive desire to be one of them.

Will free college end up a major issue in the upcoming election?

Reported by Inside Higher Ed, South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg spoke against the largely popular democratic party idea, claiming that he doesn’t like the idea of lower-class non-college attending tax payers subsidizing the education of higher-class college attendees.

Will state university systems figure out how to scale online growth?

Reported by Inside Higher Ed, The University of Missouri System shared plans to increase their total student enrollment from 75,000 to 100,000 over the next four years, primarily via online education growth.

Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Carnegie Mellon University is giving away the learning science tools their researchers have spent the past decade developing. While this move of generosity no doubt has some very real brand-boosting benefits as well, this sharing of thought leadership is extraordinarily common in higher education. So why do we think we keep having to invent every wheel ourselves at our institutions?

What if employers start to value skills more than degrees?

Reported by Inside Higher Ed, a new report out of Northeastern University shows that a majority of employers are actively exploring de-emphasizing degrees and prioritizing skills when hiring.

Boise State University has launched a Netflix-style higher ed subscription service.

Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Boise State’s Passport for Education program offers monthly installment plans instead of up-front fees each semester.