I know that many institutions are filled to the brim with students. That is normally great news but it is tempered as most schools are getting paid less per student from governments and other funding sources. This Inside Higher Ed Quick Takes, Impact of Scholarships on Community College Students caught my attention. The study indicates that adding extra scholarship money to students pockets encourages them to attend full-time and even go to summer school. This is good news on the surface but I also think of the impact on full classrooms. If we get students in classrooms in the summer, it may create more space in Fall classes.
Another week in the books and here are five more articles that I found interesting this week. Remember they are in no particular order.
1. iPad talk continues in the Wired Campus section of the Chronicle of Higher Education with a piece titled “Classroom iPad Programs Get Mixed Response.” I suspect the debate is far from over, so don’t judge too quick. However, I would not bet against the Apple devise.
2. The USA Today ran a piece about student fees supporting bigger and bigger chunks of athletic budgets in a piece called “How student fees boost college sports amid rising budgets.” I am an athletic supporter (poor joke intended) but schools have to look at the burden that is being placed on students. Fees need to be transparent to students and potential students. Let everyone make informed decisions.
3. The University of Florida may be considering something pretty radical by conventional standards to ease overcrowding, no fall classes. The USA Today and Inside Higher Ed had a nice piece that highlights the idea. Students could go to class in the Spring and Summer and skip the fall. Great idea if you are okay with the sacred cow of fall as being the beginning of the academic year.
4. The Des Moines Register had an article that tackles public art and nudity. I remember dealing with a professional dance troupe doing their closing number in the nude when I was in grad school. Times have not changed. But public display of art that has questionable material is a little different than event where tickets are sold. Maybe throw a warning sign up each end of the hallway and then watch the traffic increase.
5. The value of a college degree is growing according to a survey. The New York Times reported on this on September 21, 2010. Let’s consider this good news. Everyone would like to offer more value to their customers.
As our podcast is on hiatus, I thought I would post five articles that I found interesting, thought provoking, asinine, funny, or somehow caught my attention. So, here it goes in no particular order.
From the USA Today on September 16, 2010 “College bans Facebook, Twitter, all social media this week”. The break is a time to reflect on social media in our society according the school’s Provost. It is a small school that is causing a big splash by getting out of the social media pool for a week.
From Inside Higher Ed on September 14, 2010, “Women Lead Doctorates” tells the story that women are now earning more doctorate degrees than men. The most recent study has women making up 50.4% which is only a slight majority but it is significant when you look at the trending data. Women were 44% of doctorates in 2000. If this were a competition, I would say come on men, let’s get it together but for now I will say “Way to go ladies!”
Inside Higher Ed goes between the sheets on September 16, 2010 with an article titled “Fear Under the Sheets.” It’s a bedbug article so read at your own risk.
White House sets October 5 as the date for “White House Summit on Community Colleges.” Jill Biden will host the event that is supposed to “to provide an opportunity for community college leaders, students, education experts, business leaders and others to share innovative ways to educate our way to a better economy.” An Inside Higher Ed has a Quick Take on the event.
From The Chronicle on Aug 5, 2010 – Can Things Possibly Get Any Worse for the U. of Georgia.
MIT students being question in the WikiLeaks scandal. The Chronicle reported on August 2, 2010. On August 4, 2010 MIT’s The Tech has a followup to the story with additional information that clarifies exactly how the students are or in this case are not involved.
We had to push the episode back because Nicole was at Comic-Con, however there was a panel called Comics in the Classroom showing that comics can be an effective tool in the classroom.
Justice department this week announced that it is considering revising ADA regulations “to establish specific requirements for state and local governments and public accommodations to make their Web sites accessible to individuals with disabilities. Great debate in the comments below from The Chronicle on July 28, 2010
The Wired Campus blog in The Chronicle of Higher Education on July 15, 2010 posted an article that essentially says that time spent on social media sites like Facebook does not adversely affect grades. The study done at Northwestern University found no connection between academic performance and time spent with social-networking sites. Around 1000 first-year students at the University of Illinois at Chicago participated in the study.
While 1000 people is a good size, the make up of the sample pool is limited in age ranges. Can social media rot the brains of older students? Maybe the younger students have spent more time on these sites and learned how to responsibly work them into their lives. Either way, this should not be considered a free pass for students to spend all their waking moments on the social media sites. As with food, alcohol and work, gluttony is never a good thing. But at least, we know that our brains are not being rotted by social media and will have some left over for when the zombies attack.
Context is everything, especially when dealing with a YouTube clip and sensitive subject matter like rape. Inside Higher Ed explains the situation on July 6, 2010
Glen Beck University is on its way?!?!? The radio and talk show host has introduced this service for his fans that are part of the Insider Extreme service. Inside Higher Ed reported on July 6, 2010 As mentioned on the show check out a similar site with the topic of food with Top Chef University
Technology is a great teaching tool, but if you misuse it you could be left looking like a fool. Failing to disconnect your video feed then watching some adult material while still streaming to your class might not be a good idea. Inside Higher Ed has a Quick Take on July 2, 2010
Before your institution puts too many resources behind a single eReader, make sure it is accessible. The Wired Campus section of The Chronicle reviews the issue and links to the letter from the DOE. The article appeared on June 29, 2010
Slow down and actually read the words on the page. A professor becomes another voice in the cry for slower reading and increased comprehension. The article appeared in The USA Today on June 19, 2010
A cost saving measure by lawmakers is seen as an attack on academic freedom. But is asking faculty to select cheaper textbooks a good move for students or a slap to faculty? Inside Higher Ed on June 28, 2010
In the cloud space Google Apps has been dominating but Microsoft seems to be gaining traction: A french business school moved from Google apps to Microsoft live@edu From ComputerWorld on June 24
Academic libraries may need to keep changing their services to keep pace with changes in technology. The Wired Campus section of The Chronicle reports on June 22, 2010.
Text messages take over as the top quick communication method surpassing email and instant messaging (IM). Reported in the Wired Campus section of The Chronicle on June 17
Follow up to Loyola Law School in Los Angeles from episode 6. It appears that several other schools have done the same thing. Inside Higher Ed on June 22, 2010 New York Times on June 22, 2010
This week we review some of the rules that the Department of Education is considering to help students make informed decisions about school choices. Some of the highlights include having the schools disclose graduation rates, job placement rates and debt to income ratios. There were multiple articles out there this week but we highlighted three: From The New York Times on June 15, 2010. From The Washington Post on June 16, 2010. From the Associated Press on June 16, 2010.
Don’t forget that illegal file sharing will be under closer scrutiny this fall. The DOE sent a reminder letter to institutions. Inside Higher Ed Quick Takes shared the article on June 15, 2010.
A Tariff on Plagiarism? Can a new standard be adopted across all higher education institutions to punish students that lift material? Some folks across the pond would like to set the standard. Inside Higher Ed looks at the plagiarism issue on June 16, 2010.
A blogger for the US News and World Report shared her take on the 10 Best College Websites on June 15, 2010.
Amy Bishop to face charges for the 1986 shooting death of her brother. Due to the investigation of the alleged murder of colleagues about four months ago, a grand jury has indicted Ms. Bishop for the 1986 death of her brother. The Chronicle reported on June 17, 2010.
Don’t feed the meter, instead send a text message to pay for your parking space. At least that is the intent of a computer scientist at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. The Chronicle’s Wired Campus takes a look at the text to park program on June 16, 2010.
June 8th, 2011 
joe 
