College, Inc.: Pedagogy


Posted at 12:13 PM ET, 07/24/2012

U-Va. deans hatched online plan the day Teresa Sullivan was asked to resign
By Daniel de Vise
Neither Sullivan nor Rector Helen Dragas knew how close the institution stood to joining Stanford University’s mass online partnership.

By Daniel de Vise  |  12:13 PM ET, 07/24/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Online, Pedagogy | Tags:  University of Virginia, online education

Posted at 11:34 AM ET, 06/04/2012

Why assessment is good for colleges: A rebuttal
By Daniel de Vise
Without standardized assessments, colleges will continue to operate as isolated silos, the guest blogger opines.

By Daniel de Vise  |  11:34 AM ET, 06/04/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy, Research | Tags:  college assessment, no child left behind, academic accountability

Posted at 09:29 AM ET, 05/22/2012

Five colleges where students study
By Daniel de Vise
These campuses all rate among the top 10 percent of colleges for average weekly study time.

By Daniel de Vise  |  09:29 AM ET, 05/22/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Liberal Arts, Pedagogy, Research | Tags:  University of Wisconsin, Washington and Lee University

Posted at 01:14 PM ET, 05/08/2012

No College Left Behind: A guest post
By Daniel de Vise
Looking for a ‘Holy Grail’ in the quest to measure student learning? Go see a Monty Python movie, our guest blogger opines.

By Daniel de Vise  |  01:14 PM ET, 05/08/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Administration, Research, Pedagogy, Public policy

Posted at 11:10 AM ET, 04/18/2012

UMBC’s Hrabowski named to Time ‘influential’ list
By Daniel de Vise
The magazine puts the iconic president on a list of the world’s 100 most influential people, joining Barack Obama, Jeremy Lin and Stephen Colbert

By Daniel de Vise  |  11:10 AM ET, 04/18/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Administration, Pedagogy

Posted at 10:57 AM ET, 04/13/2012

Why do women steer clear of engineering?
By Daniel de Vise
The problem is not lack of training but lack of inclination, our guest blogger opines.

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:57 AM ET, 04/13/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy | Tags:  STEM, engineering

Posted at 03:27 PM ET, 04/09/2012

The nation’s 300 best undergraduate professors?
By Daniel de Vise
A new book profiles 300 top undergraduate instructors; no one from Hopkins, U-Va. or U-Md. makes the list.

By Daniel de Vise  |  03:27 PM ET, 04/09/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy, Rankings, Students | Tags:  college professors, college rankings

Posted at 09:00 AM ET, 04/01/2012

Six tips for liberal arts colleges to produce employable grads
By Daniel de Vise
Many top CEOs received a liberal education, our guest bloggers note.

By Daniel de Vise  |  09:00 AM ET, 04/01/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Liberal Arts, Pedagogy, Students | Tags:  labor market, higher education

Posted at 11:17 AM ET, 03/27/2012

Six colleges dominate in research stature
By Daniel de Vise
Harvard, Stanford, Cambridge, Oxford, MIT and Berkeley are cited twice as often as any other university as best in various academic fields.

By Daniel de Vise  |  11:17 AM ET, 03/27/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy, Rankings, Research

Posted at 10:19 AM ET, 03/22/2012

Five universities that really are up-and-comers
By Daniel de Vise
These schools, all founded or reconfigured in the past 50 years, have quickly joined the top tier of national research universities.

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:19 AM ET, 03/22/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Admissions, Administration, Pedagogy, Public policy | Tags:  higher education, top universities, UMBC

Posted at 11:39 AM ET, 03/16/2012

College learning tests might not be the answer
By Daniel de Vise
The academic accountability movement is creeping into higher education. But there are better ways than high-stakes tests to measure learning, our guest blogger argues.

By Daniel de Vise  |  11:39 AM ET, 03/16/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Liberal Arts, Pedagogy, Research | Tags:  higher education, learning assessments, Academically Adrift

Posted at 10:04 AM ET, 03/07/2012

Watch your favorite rock stars for credit
By Daniel de Vise
New Berklee extension class sets the bar yet higher for ambitious online coursework.

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:04 AM ET, 03/07/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Online, Pedagogy, Technology | Tags:  rock music, online education

Posted at 11:50 AM ET, 02/27/2012

In search of higher education’s Best Picture
By Daniel de Vise
A guest blogger awards Oscars for best performances in a pedagogical role.

By Daniel de Vise  |  11:50 AM ET, 02/27/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Administration, Finance, Liberal Arts, Pedagogy | Tags:  Academy Awards, American Council of Trustees and Alumni, St. John's College

Posted at 01:26 PM ET, 02/03/2012

Guest post: An ‘Arab Spring’ of free online higher education
By Daniel de Vise
The writers envision a time when students access an entire college education online. But which model will prevail?

By Daniel de Vise  |  01:26 PM ET, 02/03/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Finance, Online, Pedagogy, Technology

Posted at 05:48 PM ET, 02/02/2012

Guest post: Higher education’s $64,000 question
By Daniel de Vise
The academic community should spend more time mulling whether students are learning, the guest writer opines.

By Daniel de Vise  |  05:48 PM ET, 02/02/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Attainment, Pedagogy, Research

Posted at 09:50 AM ET, 01/10/2012

Guest post: Restore civics to the college curriculum
By Daniel de Vise
A new report contends too few American college graduates know enough about history, citizenship and the world to participate in our democratic system.

By Daniel de Vise  |  09:50 AM ET, 01/10/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Liberal Arts, Pedagogy, Public policy

Posted at 10:24 AM ET, 12/22/2011

Guest post: Eight thoughts on higher education in 2012
By Daniel de Vise
Today’s guest bloggers offer four causes for concern and four reasons for hope.

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:24 AM ET, 12/22/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  For-profit colleges, Pedagogy, Public policy, Students, Technology, Online

Posted at 02:12 PM ET, 12/19/2011

An undergraduate education in one course?
By Daniel de Vise
The Floating University offers a 12-week survey of “Great Big Ideas,” taught on videotape by leading scholars, to students at Harvard, Yale and Bard.

By Daniel de Vise  |  02:12 PM ET, 12/19/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy

Posted at 10:18 AM ET, 12/13/2011

Guest post: In digital era, lectures and textbooks are secondary
By Abir Qasem and Tanya Gupta
Guest bloggers argue that there’s enough information online to give anyone a Ph.D. in “any subject they choose”.

By Abir Qasem and Tanya Gupta  |  10:18 AM ET, 12/13/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy, Technology

Posted at 11:31 AM ET, 12/12/2011

Study: Two-fifths of high school graduates are unprepared for college or the workforce
By Daniel de Vise
Fully 40 percent of graduates are ready for neither college nor the workforce, according to the authors of a new study.

By Daniel de Vise  |  11:31 AM ET, 12/12/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Attainment, Community Colleges, For-profit colleges, Pedagogy, Research | Tags:  Johns Hopkins University

Posted at 10:04 AM ET, 12/02/2011

Guest post: In defense of a liberal education
By Daniel de Vise
The president of St. John’s College argues that the liberal arts are the best preparation for life’s unpredictable course.

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:04 AM ET, 12/02/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Liberal Arts, Pedagogy, Research | Tags:  St. John's College

Posted at 11:18 AM ET, 11/18/2011

UT Austin: A model of waste, or efficiency?
By Daniel de Vise
The university wrote a point-by-point rebuttal to a critical analysis by a higher-education think tank. Suffice it to say, they reached opposite conclusions.

By Daniel de Vise  |  11:18 AM ET, 11/18/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Administration, Finance, Labor, Pedagogy, Research, Publics

Posted at 01:44 PM ET, 11/11/2011

Larry Summers on some of higher education’s ‘bad ideas’
By Daniel de Vise
The former Harvard president wonders, for example, whether it is wise for the nation’s oldest college to have so many old professors.

By Daniel de Vise  |  01:44 PM ET, 11/11/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Administration, Finance, Pedagogy, Public policy | Tags:  American Council of Trustees and Alumni

Posted at 11:45 AM ET, 11/07/2011

Guest post: Reform law schools, don’t deregulate them
By Daniel de Vise
Law schools need to focus a bit less on pedagogy and a bit more more on preparing lawyers for jobs, professor says.

By Daniel de Vise  |  11:45 AM ET, 11/07/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Accreditation, Graduate education, Pedagogy

Posted at 01:04 PM ET, 11/03/2011

Students need lessons on where to find their facts, study finds
By Daniel de Vise
Wouldn’t professors be disheartened to learn that a significant share of students are harvesting their facts from Yahoo Answers?

By Daniel de Vise  |  01:04 PM ET, 11/03/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy, Online

Posted at 10:49 AM ET, 10/18/2011

Guest post: Teaching in the world’s most isolated classroom
By Daniel de Vise
A professor from the University of Wisconsin reflects on time spent at North Korea’s first privately funded university.

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:49 AM ET, 10/18/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy

Posted at 04:58 PM ET, 10/12/2011

Guest post: A clear path to a post-collegiate job
By Daniel de Vise
No private college reaped more applications this year than Northeastern in Boston. One reason is the school’s focus on preparing students for careers.

By Daniel de Vise  |  04:58 PM ET, 10/12/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy

Posted at 10:37 AM ET, 09/13/2011

At the top of the U.S. News rankings, a five-way tie
By Daniel de Vise
More movement than usual in the annual rankings of national universities; D.C.- area schools fare well.

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:37 AM ET, 09/13/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Admissions, Liberal Arts, Pedagogy, Rankings | Tags:  Washington and Lee University, University of Virginia, University of Maryland, Georgetown University

Posted at 01:14 PM ET, 08/31/2011

Why is Northwestern University teaching journalism in Qatar?
By Daniel de Vise
It seems like a rather random choice for a Midwestern university’s first overseas satellite communications campus. But the ascendant institution has its reasons.

By Daniel de Vise  |  01:14 PM ET, 08/31/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Facilities, Pedagogy | Tags:  international education

Posted at 10:45 AM ET, 08/30/2011

Three-fifths of colleges get C or worse in general education
By Daniel de Vise
Trustee group finds that more than 60 percent of colleges surveyed require three or fewer of seven core general-education courses.

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:45 AM ET, 08/30/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Liberal Arts, Pedagogy, Research | Tags:  St. John's College, University of Maryland, University of Virginia, George Mason University, James Madison University, Johns Hopkins University

Posted at 01:33 PM ET, 08/08/2011

Prairie View A&M president to teach largest class on campus to aide budget crunch
By Daniel de Vise
Leader of Prairie View A&M University takes on a 300-student lecture class as a way to pitch in amid budget cuts.

By Daniel de Vise  |  01:33 PM ET, 08/08/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Administration, Finance, Pedagogy

Posted at 12:12 PM ET, 07/22/2011

Guest post: ‘A resounding yes’ to the degree in three
By Daniel de Vise
Three-year bachelor degrees are not for everyone. But they could bring efficiency to the academy and save students a load of money, our guest blogger reckons.

By Daniel de Vise  |  12:12 PM ET, 07/22/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Finance, Public policy, Pedagogy

Posted at 10:45 AM ET, 07/16/2011

Harry Potter as children’s literature: diminishing returns?
By Daniel de Vise
Rowling never loses her storytelling craft. But by the time we reach “Deathly Hallows,” the action increasingly resembles laser tag.

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:45 AM ET, 07/16/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy

Posted at 10:38 AM ET, 07/16/2011

Is Harry Potter classic children’s literature?
By Daniel de Vise
Some have opined that the Hogwarts Express goes off its rails in the final installment, “Deathly Hallows.” Others say the seven-book set holds up rather well, thank you.

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:38 AM ET, 07/16/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy, Liberal Arts

Posted at 06:17 PM ET, 07/14/2011

Easy A: Study finds 43% of grades are A
By Daniel de Vise
Back in 1940, A’s accounted for only 15 percent of class grades. Are we that much smarter than the Greatest Generation?

By Daniel de Vise  |  06:17 PM ET, 07/14/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy, Privates, Research

Posted at 04:51 PM ET, 06/09/2011

Iranian scholars seek rescue, support
By Daniel de Vise
Scholar Rescue Fund has seen a spike in applications from Iranian scholars since 2009 election. Group has aided 400 scholars since 2002 worldwide.

By Daniel de Vise  |  04:51 PM ET, 06/09/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy | Tags:  pedagogy, Scholar Rescue Fund

Posted at 12:23 PM ET, 05/24/2011

Study: One-fifth of faculty does most of the work
By Daniel de Vise
If the other 80 percent worked as hard as the most productive 20 percent, tuition at the University of Texas could be cut in half, the study suggests.

By Daniel de Vise  |  12:23 PM ET, 05/24/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Administration, Finance, Labor, Pedagogy, Public policy, Publics | Tags:  faculty, Center for College Affordibility and Productivity

Posted at 03:04 PM ET, 05/19/2011

10 great college novels
By Daniel de Vise
Relive the best years of your life with these exemplars of the college-fiction genre.

By Daniel de Vise  |  03:04 PM ET, 05/19/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Liberal Arts, Pedagogy, Students | Tags:  the college novel

Posted at 05:07 PM ET, 05/18/2011

Guest post: Colleges should be more worldly
By Daniel de Vise
International study is down at a time when, the author contends, colleges should be leading the way in engaging the world.

By Daniel de Vise  |  05:07 PM ET, 05/18/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Students, Pedagogy | Tags:  International education

Posted at 03:25 PM ET, 05/12/2011

Report: Va. billionaire controls hires at Fla. university
By Daniel de Vise
For his $1.5 million investment, businessman Charles Koch gets a say in who’s hired to Florida State University’s econ department.

By Daniel de Vise  |  03:25 PM ET, 05/12/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Administration, Development, Pedagogy

Posted at 04:30 PM ET, 05/10/2011

Among local universities, Georgetown pays best
By Daniel de Vise
AU, GWU rank second and third in average annual salary for full professors, according to industry survey.

By Daniel de Vise  |  04:30 PM ET, 05/10/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Finance, Labor, Pedagogy | Tags:  college faculty

Posted at 12:16 PM ET, 04/26/2011

James Madison, Georgetown, William & Mary fare well in RateMyProfessors survey
By Daniel de Vise
All three rank in the top 25 in a national survey that considers professor ratings as well as campus appraisals.

By Daniel de Vise  |  12:16 PM ET, 04/26/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Online, Pedagogy, Rankings | Tags:  James Madison University, College of William and Mary, Georgetown University, Towson University, College of Southern Maryland, George Washington University, Anne Arundel Community College

Posted at 11:46 AM ET, 01/27/2011

Academically Adrift: Ekman responds to ACTA's Neal
By Daniel de Vise
This guest post is from Richard Ekman, president of the Council of Independent Colleges, a group of more than 600 independent liberal arts schools and universities. A recent study by Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa, "Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on...

By Daniel de Vise  |  11:46 AM ET, 01/27/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy, Pedagogy, Pedagogy, Pedagogy | Tags:  ACTA Anne Neal, ACTA What Will They Learn, Academically Adrift, CIC Richard Ekman, collegiate learning assessment

Posted at 10:57 AM ET, 01/19/2011

Guest post: 'Academically Adrift,' indeed
By Daniel de Vise
Today's guest blogger is Anne D. Neal, president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a nonprofit that has challenged the academy on how little most colleges require their students to learn. A new study regrettably confirms what the...

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:57 AM ET, 01/19/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy, Pedagogy, Pedagogy, Pedagogy | Tags:  Academically Adrift, What Will They Learn, college learning, core curriculum, general education ACTA

Posted at 11:05 AM ET, 01/17/2011

The purpose of college in 2011
By Daniel de Vise
Today's guest blogger is Christopher Howard, president of Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia. Hampden-Sydney is a prestigious liberal arts school known for academic rigor, a strong core curriculum and a distinctly preppy culture. Howard, 41, is something of a rising star...

By Daniel de Vise  |  11:05 AM ET, 01/17/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy, Pedagogy | Tags:  Christopher B. Howard, HSC Christopher Howard, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney president, Millennials in college, purpose of college 2011

Posted at 12:52 PM ET, 12/08/2010

Study: Every foreign language has its niche
By Daniel de Vise
A new and definitive survey of foreign language instruction in U.S. colleges finds that every major language has found its audience, and each is showing some measure of growth, however modest. That hasn't always been so. French, German, Italian, Latin,...

By Daniel de Vise  |  12:52 PM ET, 12/08/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy, Pedagogy | Tags:  MLA study, Spanish French German Italian study, foreign language study, language study college

Posted at 12:42 PM ET, 11/30/2010

Profs threaten to walk out on rowdy students
By Daniel de Vise
Two instructors at a Canadian university have made industry headlines by threatening to walk out on classes if students become sufficiently disruptive.

By Daniel de Vise  |  12:42 PM ET, 11/30/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy, Pedagogy | Tags:  Ryerson University, professors enact three-strike rule, professors threaten to walk out, profs walk out on students

Posted at 11:34 AM ET, 11/22/2010

Some area schools rate well in general education
By Daniel de Vise
A sampling of local universities as measured in the gen-ed ratingsn a new set of college ratings that attempt to measure how well universities do in providing a general education. By that I mean ensuring students learn essential knowledge and skills in math, science, literature and composition, foreign language, history and economics.

By Daniel de Vise  |  11:34 AM ET, 11/22/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy, Pedagogy | Tags:  ACTA ratings, Johns Hopkins ACTA ratings, What Will They Learn, core college curriculum, general education ratings

Posted at 08:31 AM ET, 11/19/2010

Is 'Harry Potter' young adult literature?
By Ernie Bond
Today's guest blogger is Ernie Bond, chair of the Teacher Education Department at Salisbury University. He is the author of Literature and the Young Adult Reader (Prentice Hall 2010) and co-author of several chapters on Harry Potter. As a professor...

By Ernie Bond  |  08:31 AM ET, 11/19/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy | Tags:  Harry Potter as children's literature, Harry Potter in teacher education, teaching Harry Potter

Posted at 11:24 AM ET, 10/17/2010

Barefoot professor in Virginia preaches shoelessness
By Daniel de Vise
Daniel Howell, a biology professor at Virginia's Liberty University, is on a "crusade to challenge America's cultural addiction to shoes", according to a feature in the Richmond Times-Dispatch that has hit the wires. Howell "likens the shoe to a cast...

By Daniel de Vise  |  11:24 AM ET, 10/17/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy | Tags:  Daniel Howell, Liberty University, barefoot Liberty University professor, barefoot professor, shoeless professor

Posted at 11:13 AM ET, 10/13/2010

A state university retreats from language study
By Daniel de Vise
The State University of New York at Albany has generated a stir in the higher education industry with its announcement this month that nearly all of its foreign language offerings will be discontinued, along with the theater department, because of budget cuts.

By Daniel de Vise  |  11:13 AM ET, 10/13/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy, Pedagogy, Pedagogy, Pedagogy | Tags:  SUNY albany, SUNY albany cuts, SUNY cuts french italian classics, foreign language college, foreign language study, language program cuts

Posted at 12:07 PM ET, 10/08/2010

National Review encourages collegiate giving clubs
By Daniel de Vise
Collegiate giving clubs are a way for donors to boost the impact of their largesse and to steer the dollars toward favorite projects. This week, the National Review announced formation of its own Collegiate Giving Clubs. The goal, according to...

By Daniel de Vise  |  12:07 PM ET, 10/08/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy, Pedagogy | Tags:  Conservatism 101, National Review, college giving clubs, conservatism on campus, liberal bias in higher education

Posted at 10:00 AM ET, 09/16/2010

The 15 oddest college courses in the D.C. region
By Daniel de Vise
Nominees keep rolling in. So, here is a newly expanded list of the 15 most unusual courses offered at colleges in the Washington region. "Odd" does not necessarily connote "bad"; some of these classes actually sound rather rigorous, and I'm...

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:00 AM ET, 09/16/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy, Pedagogy | Tags:  odd college classes, oddest college courses, strange college classes, strangest college courses, zombie college course

Posted at 04:38 PM ET, 09/10/2010

The 8 oddest courses in D.C. area colleges
By Daniel de Vise
Here is a list of some of the stranger courses offered at colleges in the D.C. region. What got me started down this path was an article in Friday's Post about a new course at the University of Baltimore that...

By Daniel de Vise  |  04:38 PM ET, 09/10/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Pedagogy | Tags:  oddest college courses, strangest college courses, weirdest college courses