Tag Archives | Impact of the Economy on Higher Education

Interactive Learning Online at Public Universities: Evidence from Randomized Trials

By on May 25, 2012 in Access and Affordability, Learning Outcomes Assessment, Online Education, Technology, Trends in Higher Education

Researchers at Ithaka S+R including William G. Bowen (former president of Princeton University), Matthew M. Chingos (also a fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Brown Center on Education Policy), Kelly A. Lack, and Thomas I. Nygren, have followed Ithaka S+R’s recent report titled “Barriers to Adoption of Online Learning Systems in U.S. Higher Education” with a second that reports the findings of a series of randomized trials related to online learning conducted at six public universities. … Read the rest

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Understanding the Real Cost of a Bachelor’s Degree

By on November 28, 2011 in Access and Affordability, Cost of a Degree, Economy, Financial Aid, Trends in Higher Education

The October 2011 issue of American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research’s (AEI) Education Outlook included an interesting analysis of the total cost of a bachelor’s degree titled, “Cheap for Whom?:   How Much Higher Education Costs Taxpayers.”  The authors, Mark Schneider and Jorge Klor de Alva, go beyond a surface analysis of tuition rates, student fees, and books.  Their analysis delves deeper into the overall financial cost model to consider and analyze taxpayer subsidies as part of the cost of a bachelor’s degree. … Read the rest

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Despite Government Initiatives, US Colleges Not the Only Ones Facing Funding Challenges

By on September 26, 2011 in Business of Education, Economy, Trends in Higher Education

In March 2000, the heads of state of the European Union (EU) nations set an ambitious goal for themselves: to make the EU “’the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion’” by 2010.  Known as the Lisbon Agenda, this program aimed to revitalize the nations of the EU that had collectively experienced economic stagnation in the years preceding the agreement.  Just as President Obama has identified education in general and college graduation rates in particular (stating that “by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world”) as a vehicle for driving economic growth, the Lisbon Agenda put emphasis on the same.… Read the rest

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Is the Value of a College Degree Still Worth the Cost?

By on August 31, 2011 in Business of Education, Community Colleges, Economy, Financial Aid, Trends in Higher Education

Today’s higher education environment vis-à-vis the national economic situation has ignited a debate over whether a college degree is worth the cost.  Significant budget cuts in many states have meant that colleges are raising tuitions, increasing fees, and offering less in scholarship money to students.  Few students had enough money saved to pay for college prior to the economic downturn which has had a catastrophic impact on many schools (see my daily headline postings and links in the “Impact of the Economy on Higher Education” section of my blog for some examples). … Read the rest

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