Educators Wary of Tech Fixes for College Affordability Crisis

A new report by the Campaign for the Future of Higher Education warns that college administrators and politicians might be investing too much in corporate-controlled, data-driven online learning programs.

The Campaign, which was founded by higher-education faculty and staff, argues that what appears to be a trendy meritocratic educational enterprise may still lack the quality-controls and credibility of regular academic work. The report points to a dismally low completion rate—less than 7 percent, according to one analysis of 29 MOOCs—as well as the hefty costs of deploying and maintaining the technological and logistical infrastructure of the coursework.

-October 19, 2013 by Michelle Chen — In These Times

Faculty Organization Chides For-Profit Online Education Companies

The group says there should be more faculty input and more transparency in online education business arrangements

The motivating factor behind private companies venturing into online education is not to expand access to colleges and universities or reduce costs for schools and students, but rather a desire to make money. That’s according to a report released by a national group of faculty leaders on Wednesday.

The Campaign for the Future of Higher Education claims in its report, the first in a series of three being released this month examining how private funds influence higher education, that private companies involved in online education make decisions that will benefit their business bottom line, rather than the quality of online courses for students.

-October 10, 2013 by Allie Bidwell — U.S. News & World Report

Profit or Progress?

A national group of faculty leaders on Wednesday launched the first of three reports that will shine a critical spotlight at the influence of private funds on higher education. The effort is not intended to stifle the rate of change of technology in higher education, members say, but rather to broaden the conversation about the companies fueling it.

-October 10, 2013 by Carl Straumshein — Inside Higher Ed

Faculty Coalition: It’s Time to Examine MOOC and Online Ed Profit Motives

A coalition of faculty groups has declared war against online learning, particularly massive open online courses (MOOCs), because it said it believes that the fast expansion of this form of education is being promulgated by corporations — specifically for-profit colleges and universities and education technology companies — at the expense of student education and public interest.

The question at the heart of the battle is whether higher education is worthy of public investment or better suited to be an offering of big business. A report issued today by advocacy group Campaign for the Future of Higher Education examines the motives behind much of the current push for online education.

-October 9, 2013 by Dian Schaffhauser — Campus Technology