D.C. leads the nation in student debt Reported by Inside Higher Ed, by the end of 2020, the average loan balance in the District of Columbia was $54,982, with a full 16% of the D.C. population sitting with an outstanding student loan. This compares to North Dakota’s average student loan balance coming in at about […]
What do 5G and 10G mean for the future of online education?
What do 5G and 10G mean for the future of online education? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, this pandemic brought to light the broadband access issues we still have across the country affecting so many of our students. And so, while 5G and 10G offer the promise of incredible data collection and interactivity, just making […]
Telling students college is worth it isn’t enough
Telling students college is worth it isn’t enough. Reported by EdSurge, the statistic that students with a bachelor’s degree earn 84% in their lifetime than those who don’t is likely on almost every college’s website. Yet the overwhelmingly quantitative stories alone don’t seem to be enough to rid the growing questioning of the ROI of […]
Do colleges owe their students an apology?
Do colleges owe their students an apology? Reported by EdSurge, the pandemic caught the world off-guard and ill-prepared. But does that mean that higher ed shouldn’t take accountability for any of the actions or inactions they’ve made since last March? Perhaps sitting in a financial position of weakness like most colleges are right now, those […]

AI-Empowered Instruction at Duke University
powered by Sounder How do we know precisely what students in our classes have learned? And what they haven’t? Traditional assessments don’t tell us quite enough to create a meaningful feedback loop between students and instructors. But there may be a better way. Jon Reifschneider, Director of Masters Studies, AI for Product Innovation at Duke […]
Columbia University students enter a tuition strike
Columbia University students have entered a tuition strike. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, while the institution froze their undergraduate tuition for this academic year during the pandemic at $61,000 a year, the highest private tuition in the country, students are demanding systemic changes to institutional policy, including a 10% tuition reduction, a 10% increase in […]
Is our test-optional emergency plan becoming test-optional permanent?
Is our test-optional emergency plan becoming test-optional permanent? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, Colorado lawmakers have introduced a bill which would remove the requirement for public colleges to use a national assessment score, such as the ACT or SAT, from their admissions criteria altogether. Popularized over the past five years by institutions who looked into […]
How to ensure our graduates get jobs non-grads can’t
How can we ensure that our graduates get jobs that non-graduates can’t? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, a new report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows that 41% of recent college graduates work in jobs that don’t require a degree. Which begs the question, is our curriculum truly preparing students for success […]

How Guided Pathways Can Reduce a Student’s Time and Cost to Completion
powered by Sounder Students enter community colleges at every level of preparedness. Consequently, some degree-seekers have a long way to go before they reach their goal. Those juggling jobs and families along with school often drop out along the way. What’s the solution to the completion problem at community colleges? Dr. Ann Buchele, Vice President […]
The “Common App effect” on enrollment
What is the “Common App Effect” on enrollment? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, with more than 900 institutions now participating in the Common Application, which allows students to complete one application and submit to any participating members, subject to certain additional application fees and supplemental application information. And yet, applications to the largest institutions grew […]