Blogs

I spent Thursday at the “Strengthening Developmental Education” conference presented by the MDRC at Columbia University in a shockingly hot New York City. It was an odd cluster of presentations. On the one hand, the intellectual firepower present and the quality of evidence mustered was encouraging. There was an honesty about findings, and a humility in the face of facts, that’s all too rare at academic conferences. On the other, though, that meant that many of the findings suggested that much of the student success toolkit -- learning communities, summer bridge programs, and dual enrollment, to name a few -- just won’t live up to our hopes.

The Digital Humanities and public scholarship and engagement come together in this fantastic initiative.

What do you think are the most important attributes for a successful career in educational technology?

Like most people, my first encounter with the word “Monopoly” was through the board game by that name. It would...

UNow announced today that it has raised $17.5 million in funding. Some thoughts on for-profits, new for-profits, new higher ed models, and higher ed mythologies.

Does anyone think that, for the vast majority of students, going to college isn’t ultimately about acquiring knowledge and skills to be successful in a chosen career?

We have recently learned that many women choose to leave academia after getting their doctoral degree, and women are not the only ones deciding against a career in higher education. Especially in the hard sciences, many researchers prefer to work in their respective industries or in special research institutes. More money, a shorter path between the project stage and the practical implementation, and more effective administration are some of the reasons why this is the case.

Jon B. Gould, professor of law and social scientist has written a practical and no-nonsense guide for students. He answered some of my questions about it and some other things.