Monday, December 14, 2015

From the "Good Grief!" Department

U of California Criticized for Extending Transfer Deadline
December 14, 2015
The University of California announced early this month that transfer applicants to system campuses -- who thought they had to finish applications by the end of November -- could apply as late as Jan. 4. The university said it was acting because UC campuses recently committed to admitting more transfer applicants. For students who still want to apply, this is, of course, good news.
But the Los Angeles Times reported that many of those who met the standard deadline, and the counselors who helped them, are frustrated. Mihai Gherghina, who met the regular deadline, said, "They didn't tell anyone about this extension until after the deadline. It's unfair how some lazy people were given another chance." Adding to the frustration: those who submitted their applications for the early deadline will receive no preference and will not be permitted to edit their applications between now and Jan. 4.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

And then there were ...

From Inside Higher Ed
College of New Rochelle Goes Completely Coed
December 9, 2015
Another women's college has decided to go completely coeducational.
The College of New Rochelle on Tuesday announced its plans to begin accepting men into its School of Arts & Sciences in fall 2016. The New York college has been accepting men in other programs for about four decades. Its School of Nursing, School of New Resources (for adult learners) and Graduate School are already coed -- the college's School of Arts & Sciences was the last holdout, and has been women only since the college was founded in 1904.
“This decision was made after very careful thought, evaluation of several key factors, and above all with a great reverence for the college’s mission,” Elizabeth LeVaca, chair of the college's governing board, said in a statement, adding that the board received supportive feedback on the change.
Facebook page for New Rochelle alumni contained a mix of comments, many supportive and understanding but several quite critical.

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Will Free Community College Put HBCUs Out of Business?

My colleague Sara Goldrick-Rab wrote a post saying "Short answer: No." But notes it might be because "HBCUs (both public and private) are allocated $10Billion in support under America's College Promise."  I confess to ignorance about the details of ACP, but it seems like something we should be paying attention to at tuition-driven SLACs.

See also AACC on America's College Promise Act and this brief from democrats on the Committee on Education and the Workforce. Are the potential grants to Hispanic Serving Institutions driving some colleges to try to redefine their mission?  Here are a few notes from the above document:
In order to be eligible, MSIs must have a student body that is at least 35 percent low-income, including Pell-eligible students. Additionally eligible MSIs must commit to maintain or adopt evidence-based institutional reforms designed to improve student outcomes, and to set performance goals for improving those outcomes. Eligible MSIs that enter into articulation agreements with community colleges can also receive grant funds for eligible students who transfer from those community colleges to complete their baccalaureate degrees.
This is intriguing, but one would expect a bit of careful analysis about the costs, benefits, and implications of chasing this not-yet-existing funding.
Can Free Tuition to Community Colleges Put Historically Black Colleges and Universities Out of Business? T. Ramon Stuart, Ph.D. Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, West Virginia State University December 4, 2015 I 10 am - 11:00 am Educational Sciences, Room 253, 1025 Wjohnson Street During the 2015 State of the Union Address, President Barack H. Obama announced his vision to provide American citizens free access to higher education through community colleges. While President O bama failed Lo outline the details of his plan, there is no doubt that his plan could drastically increase the number of Americans with a college degree; howeve1~ one very important detail that President Obama omitted from his statement was the cost of this initiative and the impact that fu nding it would have on other institutions of higher education - especially Historically Black Colleges and University. This study uses current IPEDS data to analyze the tuition cost of the 1890 land-grant institutions while also exploring the ave rage tuition cost of L11e community colleges in L11c respective states to see if L11ere is a substantial diffe rence in tuition cost. Please email lpittard@wisc.edu if you are interested in participating in an invitation-onlysu·ategy luncheon for graduate and professional scholars with Dr. Stuart immediately following the research presentation.

Wisconsin Center for Education Research
Can Free Tuition to Community Colleges Put Historically Black Colleges and Universities Out of Business?
T. Ramon Stuart, Ph.D.
Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs,West Virginia State University
December 4, 2015 10 am - 11:00 am

During the 2015 State of the Union Address, President Barack H. Obama announced his vision to provide American citizens free access to higher education through community colleges. While President Obama failed to outline the details of his plan, there is no doubt that his plan could drastically increase the number of Americans with a college degree; however one very important detail that President Obama omitted from his statement was the cost of this initiative and the impact that funding it would have on other institutions of higher education - especially Historically Black Colleges and University. This study uses current IPEDS data to analyze the tuition cost of the 1890 land-grant institutions while also exploring the average tuition cost of the community colleges in the respective states to see if there is a substantial difference in tuition cost.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

MOOC on Universal Design in February

Accessibility: Designing and Teaching Courses for All Learners is a free 6-week professional development course available that will help you gain a better understanding of accessibility as a civil rights issue and develop the knowledge and skills you need to design learning experiences that promote inclusive learning environments.

During this six-week course, you’ll learn how to:
     Recognize and address challenges faced by students with disabilities related to access, success, and completion.
     Articulate faculty and staff roles in reducing barriers for students with disabilities.
     Apply the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in designing accessible learning experiences.
     Analyze the benefits of Backward Design when developing learning experiences.
     Use Section 508 standards and WCAG 2.0 guidelines to create accessible courses.
     Determine which tools and techniques are appropriate based on course content.

You will have the opportunity to earn badges that recognize your mastery of these competencies.

Audience: Anyone may enroll and participate in the MOOC. It has been designed for faculty and staff in higher education at any type or level of institution.
Why take the Access MOOC? Watch this short video to find out! (Audio described version)

Access MOOC begins on February 22nd

Next steps:
1.       Register at Canvas Network
2.       Share and follow the conversation on Twitter using #AccessMOOC
3.       Follow our Access MOOC Facebook Page

The course is a collaborative effort of faculty and staff from SUNY Empire State College and SUNY Buffalo State College, funded by a SUNY Innovative Instruction Technology Grant.