Opinion

I talk to a former student about being an English major and having a job at graduation, as well as a new writing/tutoring program she's launching in Greenville, S.C.

Nate Kreuter writes about the frustration of receiving unsolicited review copies -- and the impact of marketing efforts on the curriculum.

The best institutions for helping students turn into future leaders may be those that aren't focused on career preparation, writes Mark Peltz.

It’s funny. Tuesday night I wrote a blog post addressed to students in a course I teach about why I find Twitter such an indispensable tool for keeping up with new developments of professional interest. They had fanned out across campus to interview faculty and pretty much determined that I’m a freak. Nobody else used Twitter for keeping up. Last night, I updated that blog post with a good example: before calling it a night, I checked my Twitter feed and learned that a decision had finally been handed down in the GSU case. This is big news.

With the proliferation of free educational resources, why pay for school? Why pay to learn? Sure, there's the argument about college credits and certification. There's the argument too that "you get what you pay for." I'm particularly interested in the question of free learn-to-program resources (along with what works and what doesn't work -- paid or free -- for learners) in part due to the pivot that the folks at the startup Bloc have made.

In my state, as in many, there’s a move afoot at the state level to impose greater “accountability” throughout public higher education, but especially on community colleges. (In the words of Spider-Man’s uncle, “with small appropriations come great responsibility.” No, wait...) A few legislators heard a few anecdotes, and bad ideas are starting to snowball.

In early May, my wife, our two small children and I will pack up our serendipitously named 2003 Honda Odyssey and travel 262 miles from our home near Indianapolis to the campus of Michigan State University. There I will proudly don my newest prized possession: my master’s hood. However, unlike many others who will also walk through such a ceremony this spring, this trip is different in that it will be just my third time on campus as 100% of my degree has been completed online.

It’s no secret that "innovation" has become a buzzword in education. Organizations are looking for new ideas to pursue, or inventive tweaks to existing products and services. Where do these innovative strokes of genius come from?