Did You Know? Without Foreign Students, NC Schools Would Take a Big Hit

Jul 30, 2020 · · No Comments on Did You Know? Without Foreign Students, NC Schools Would Take a Big Hit

On July 6, the Trump administration announced new guidelines that would revoke the  F-1 visas of international college students if their schools did not hold in-person classes in the fall. After much public outrage and criticism of the guidelines, the White House rescinded its plan a week later. The Chronicle of Higher Education notes that … Continue reading “Did You Know? Without Foreign Students, NC Schools Would Take a Big Hit”

Fall Uncertainty: College Leaders Have Left Students, Professors in the Dark

Jul 27, 2020 · · No Comments on Fall Uncertainty: College Leaders Have Left Students, Professors in the Dark

Colleges across the country are preparing for potential spikes in coronavirus cases in the fall. As some students return to campus, schools are making plans to protect the health of students, faculty, and campus workers. Universities want to shorten face-to-face exposure on campus during the fall and winter. By starting the semester early, as many … Continue reading “Fall Uncertainty: College Leaders Have Left Students, Professors in the Dark”

Fall 2020: The Semester of Isolation

Jul 20, 2020 · · No Comments on Fall 2020: The Semester of Isolation

Universities’ frantic struggles to create fall semester plans that bring students back to campus often hinge on social distancing. While students are excited about the promise of an on-campus fall, many detailed university plans have made it clear that freshman year will hardly resemble the bustling experience it was before. Instead, strict social distancing standards … Continue reading “Fall 2020: The Semester of Isolation”

Did You Know? The Partisan Split in Re-opening Colleges

Jul 16, 2020 · · No Comments on Did You Know? The Partisan Split in Re-opening Colleges

About 67 percent of four-year colleges plan to re-open in the fall for in-person classes, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. Those re-openings tend to be in states with Republican governors, who have been more willing to reopen their states. Although 26 states have a Republican governor, only 41 percent of colleges and universities … Continue reading “Did You Know? The Partisan Split in Re-opening Colleges”

No Housing Refunds Put UNC System Students in Tough Spot

Jul 13, 2020 · · No Comments on No Housing Refunds Put UNC System Students in Tough Spot

Two UNC system schools, Western Carolina University and UNC-Greensboro, have announced that they will not offer students housing refunds if the university closes due to another COVID-19 outbreak. Both schools added an addendum to their housing contracts relieving them of liability should campus shut down again. The addendum states that “in the event of such … Continue reading “No Housing Refunds Put UNC System Students in Tough Spot”

Did You Know? With Remote Classes, Universities Breach Student Privacy 

Jul 9, 2020 · · No Comments on Did You Know? With Remote Classes, Universities Breach Student Privacy 

As schools have moved online due to the coronavirus, they have partnered with proctoring services to monitor online exams and prevent cheating. Those services go by names such as Respondus LockDown, ProctorU, Proctorio, and Examity, among others. What gets overlooked as the contracts are signed, however, is student privacy. Forbes compared such proctoring measures to … Continue reading “Did You Know? With Remote Classes, Universities Breach Student Privacy “

Covid-19 College Shutdowns: Making Professors More Empathetic

Jul 3, 2020 · · No Comments on Covid-19 College Shutdowns: Making Professors More Empathetic

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an equalizer among parents of school-aged children across the United States. As Americans learn to juggle jobs, families, and their children’s education, this experience is revealing what “normal” looks like for many college students who have done the same long before the pandemic hit. In 2015, for example, my brother … Continue reading “Covid-19 College Shutdowns: Making Professors More Empathetic”

Goldstein: Research Universities Have a Duty to Reopen 

Jun 29, 2020 · · No Comments on Goldstein: Research Universities Have a Duty to Reopen 

Although colleges across the country plan to reopen for the fall semester, much is still unknown about how to best proceed. Leaders are grappling with how to best safeguard public health while attempting to re-establish some sense of normalcy on campus. Despite the uncertainties that lie ahead, a professor at the University of North Carolina … Continue reading “Goldstein: Research Universities Have a Duty to Reopen “

If We Jettison Standardized Testing, What’s Its Replacement?

Jun 26, 2020 · · No Comments on If We Jettison Standardized Testing, What’s Its Replacement?

The COVID-19 pandemic probably won’t kill the SAT, but will no doubt leave it in a badly weakened condition. Both the SAT (and its close competitor, the ACT) have had to cancel administration of their tests for the last few months and, according to this Washington Post story, universities have decided that they will make … Continue reading “If We Jettison Standardized Testing, What’s Its Replacement?”

Did You Know? What Makes Faculty Happy with Online Classes

Jun 25, 2020 · · No Comments on Did You Know? What Makes Faculty Happy with Online Classes

The spring semester saw college campuses close and rush to remote instruction. With many schools planning to keep using remote classes in some form for the fall, their benefits need to be understood—as well as their costs. In a recent article published by Studies in Higher Education, Shelly Marasi, Brian Jones, and Janna M. Parker … Continue reading “Did You Know? What Makes Faculty Happy with Online Classes”