June 2013

I went to see “Monsters University” yesterday. What a great summer flick. But even though the plot is just as fluffy around the edges as Sully’s computer-generated fur, it does contain some truths about what it means to be a student today. Here’s what I mean . . . Mike and Sully don’t reach their dreams on the first try. Yup, they get into Monsters University and try to earn their dream degrees as Scaring majors.  But they get thrown out of the program, and even out of the university. Like lots of students today, they have to become adult learners outside of the university. (Actually, they’re adult monster learners, but let’s not split hairs.) A traditional university doesn’t serve them well. Monsters Universit ...

By Brittany Hege The dreaded Class Circle. When you and your peers are forced to rearrange your desks so everyone is facing, well, everyone. Thirty sets of eyes (including the teacher’s) and they’re all on you, or at least that’s what it feels like when you’re shy like me and expected to contribute to class discussions. Gives me the heebie-jeebies just thinkin’ about it! If only I had known about online education, possibly the greatest thing since sliced bread for us quiet, introverted, social-anxiety prone folks. For this group of people, here are the wonderful perks of taking your college courses online. No deduction of class participation points for “not talking enough.” At my university, as much as 30% of my grade ...

By Brittany Hege Math. Not everyone likes it, but one thing’s for sure, everyone has to endure at least one college semester of it. Avoid twiddling your thumbs in front of your professor and take your required college courses with StraighterLine. In fact, you’ll avoid the professor all together with StraighterLine online. No old man rambling on about his beloved T-bird, no too-close-for-comfort coffee breath filled chitchats, and no waiting to be dismissed to get your grilled cheese fix. (Mmmm. Grilled cheese.) Okay, so maybe you don’t mind the professor (if so, check out StraighterLine’s ProfessorDirect), but what about that heaping pile of student loans aka the elephant in the room? No one in their right mind would wish that ...

Albany State University:A top choice if you would like to attend one of America’s Historically Black Colleges A Message for You from Dr. Everette J. Freeman, President, Albany State University In 1965, The Higher Education Act designated a select group of American colleges and universities as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's). They were all institutions which, from their founding, were dedicated to identifying and educating America’s most promising young African-American students. HBCU’s remain a vibrant force in American higher education today. You have probably heard of the most famous of these institutions, such as Howard University, Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Tuskegee University. You m ...

“Seeing as how the institution itself isn’t doing a particularly good job, why can’t we be accredited as individual instructors? Have some sort of accreditation that says, yes, this person can teach these courses.” Lee Bessette writing in Inside Higher Ed.  Every now and then, an idea comes along that is so smart, all you can think is, “why didn’t anybody think of that before?” One such idea was offered in “Accrediting Individuals, Not Institutions,” a post that Lee Bessette wrote for Inside Higher Ed. Bessette writes about colleges that are in danger of losing their accreditation and notes that . . . When colleges are put on probation and are in danger of losing accreditation, the reasons for that are alway ...