The proportion of international students to the total student population in the United States has grown over the last 60 years, with 5.5% of students now coming from abroad. Where do most of them come from? Check out these data visualizations from Visual Capitalist to find out. (September 2023). …
Leave a commentIn the U.S., where an undergraduate degree typically takes four years, a national pilot program is graduating students a year early. By taking classes in the summer, students save time and money by doing so, and students who are adrift can benefit from the extra academic push. Jon Marcus has more for The Hechinger Report. (September 2023) …
Leave a commentWest Virginia University, the flagship public institution in one of America’s poorest states, has announced a plan to get rid of all foreign languages and creative writing, and fire about 7% of its academic staff. The move is unprecedented among large American schools, and faculty and students are not happy. Nick Anderson of The Washington Post takes a deeper look at the controversy. (August 2023) …
Leave a commentThat’s according to Inside Higher Ed’s annual survey, which finds that most officials think that the end of affirmative action will reduce racial diversity on campus. Read the rest of the findings in this report from Liam Knox. (September 2023) …
Leave a commentMany of the students say they use ChatGPT to organize their notes and make outlines, not to cheat. But other students have used the AI chatbot to do just that. Confusingly, some students who don’t use ChatGPT are being flagged for plagiarism by AI-detection services, often because their work is of a suspiciously high standard. Read more about the dilemma in an ABC News report. (September 2023) …
Leave a commentColleges often require letters of recommendation, especially from a teacher who knows your academic work well. Ilana Kowarski and Cole Claybourn review what makes a good letter stand out in U.S. News & World Report. (August 2023) [[ ]] …
Leave a commentThe University of Texas system, one of the largest in the U.S., is “betting big” on microcredentials, or academic certifications short of a degree. UT is partnering with Coursera to do so, as well as big tech firms like IBM and Google. The goal for the 30,000 students expected to participate is to help them build skills employers want. Lauren Coffey of Inside Higher Ed reviews the new program. (September 2023) …
Leave a commentPresident Joe Biden on Wednesday announced another $9 billion in student debt relief through improvements to existing programs, a move that will affect 125,000 Americans, and which he touted as leading to economic improvement. Wednesday’s announcement focuses on three programs: one for borrowers who have worked in public service for more than a decade; another for those who paid down their loans continuously for 20 years, and who now get credit for past payments and forgiveness on the balance; and another effort targeted at disabled borrowers. The announcement comes just days after the expiration of a three-year pandemicmore
Leave a commentFlorida’s 12 state universities will now accept the Classics Learning Test (CLT), a controversial standardized testing alternative to the SAT and ACT, this fall. They also will continue to accept the more-established SAT and ACT test results. The CLT focuses on the “classical” Western and Christian canon, according to Inside Higher Ed. The move comes as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has attempted to reshape higher education in the state, banning diversity programs and fighting with the national College Board over classes like psychology and African American studies. Juliana Kim reports for NPR. (September 2023) …
Leave a commentU.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings have been criticized for inaccuracy and exclusivity. The magazine tried to fix this year’s undergraduate rankings by measuring social mobility and graduation rates for first-generation students. It also dropped several indicators, such as alumni giving, that critics say have more to do with prestige than with the quality of education. Jeremy Bauer-Wolf has more for Higher Ed Dive. (September 2023) …
Leave a commentChina is one of the world’s largest source countries for international students, but it just entered a “demographic deficit,” meaning that its population is likely to decline. In a shrinking future, Chinese leaders, and those in other countries, might not want to let young talent go to other countries, especially if the move is permanent. The result, according to one sociologist, will be a boom in long-distance and online education, as governments try to keep their best students at home. John Ross of Times Higher Education reports. (August 2023) …
Leave a comment“Gen P,” the cohort of students who went online for much of the pandemic, demands more in-person experiences and high-quality digital ones. Colleges across the country are adjusting their orientation programs as a result. Read more from Colleen Flaherty of Inside Higher Ed. (September 2023) …
Leave a commentAisha Lakhani, a graduate student at Anna Maria College, talks about the path that led her from Pakistan to the school in Paxton, Massachusetts. She’s studying counseling psychology and working with students as a residential specialist, a role in which she creates events and supports students. She talks about her experiences here. (September 2023) …
Leave a commentMany colleges no longer require admissions tests like the SAT. They say the tests don’t meaningfully measure intelligence and are easily gamed by wealthier or more privileged students. However, it seems wealthy students are still taking the tests, while poorer ones are forgoing them. Since the tests are still weighed in admissions, the result may be an even larger admissions gap. Maggie Bigelow argues for getting rid of the tests altogether in The Hechinger Report. (August 2023) …
Leave a commentWriting in the Baltimore Sun, Jay A. Perman, chancellor of the University of Maryland system, says that despite falling enrollments and public trust in universities, graduates still earn more, live longer and happier lives, and even volunteer more often. Read the op-ed here. (September 2023) …
Leave a commentInternational students at Michigan State University talk about workplace culture shocks in the U.S. Sophomore Shreshta Sinha of India, who’s studying computational and cognitive neuroscience, says that unlike India, the U.S. tends to stress work over education. Read the full story here. (September 2023) …
Leave a commentSyllabi used to be an intellectual map, showing students what they could expect to learn. But academic and video game designer Ian Bogost argues that syllabi have become boring, rote and describe college policies and regulations instead of academic material. Read his argument in The Atlantic. (August 2023) …
Leave a commentLabor unions are finding support among graduate students at U.S. colleges and universities, according to a new report. Graduate students, upset by working conditions and pay, have held a series of organizing votes in the past two years, Times Higher Education reports. (September 2023). …
Leave a commentOnly about 4 in 10 Americans say they have a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education. Sarah Wood of U.S. News & World Report examines why and offers some solutions. (August 2023) …
Leave a commentBetween a third to half of all students admitted to the University of Pennsylvania and the California Institute of Technology feature high school research projects in their applications, and the MIT application even has a dedicated section for them. Such projects can be “both a differentiator and an equalizer” in the admissions process: they can show your own individual drive and creativity, while also being accessible to students of all races and incomes. Read Janos Perczel’s argument in The Hechinger Report. (August 2023) …
Leave a commentAn op-ed in Politico argues that Chinese international students are often reluctant to discuss their country’s politics. They suggest two reasons. First, they fear punishment for themselves or their families by the Chinese Communist Party. Second, as anti-Chinese sentiments surge in many countries, they worry about discrimination. Read the piece by Jianyi Yang and Leslie Fu. (September 2023) …
Leave a commentJohns Hopkins University, a prestigious research institution in Baltimore, Maryland, boosted its racial diversity by expanding outreach and financial aid, as well as getting rid of “legacy” admissions — those admitted because they have a relative who previously attended the school. However, the U.S. Supreme Court banned affirmative action in college and university admissions earlier this year. Now Johns Hopkins, and other schools, must find a way forward. Susan Svrluga and Nick Anderson report for The Washington Post. (August 2023) …
Leave a commentTo cut costs, many colleges, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, are using robots to deliver food in dining halls and at sports games. Students can order food with an app, and the robot will deliver it to them. According to the robot’s manufacturer, 64% of students surveyed say the service has kept them from skipping meals. Lauren Coffey of Inside Higher Ed has more. (August 2023) …
Leave a commentMany thousands of international students come to study at American universities and colleges each year. VOA’s Laurel Bowman met four students who have just landed at campuses in the Washington area. Camera — Adam Greenbaum and Saqib Ul Islam. …
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