Better Quality Indicators for Virtual Learning � The Quick and the Ed

Better Quality Indicators for Virtual Learning � The Quick and the Ed

Better Quality Indicators for Virtual Learning

by Bill Tucker

If we want to open up public education to new providers and forms of learning, the fundamental challenges are to ensure both quality and academic integrity. And virtual education gives us an opportunity for a new approach that puts effectiveness and student outcomes at its center.
One idea to ensure quality virtual learning, from Brookings, (see Spurring Innovation Through Education: Four Ideas) is to “accredit online education providers so they can compete with traditional schools across district and state lines.” But, while offering students more access to online courses is great, accreditation is a terrible strategy to ensure quality.
BYI Independent Study, known to college sports fans as the place where Michael Oher and others went to

Gainful Employment and Bachelor’s Degrees

by Ben Miller

Trace Urdan raises a critique over in the comments on a post I wrote last week about Gainful Employment:

As someone that has lived and breathed this issue for months and listened to all three neg-reg sessions I can tell you that a core premise in your argument is incorrect. The phrase “gainful employment” applies in the HEOA to both non-degree programs as well as all for-profit programs in general. The department cannot make rules for one reference and not for all references. And so you see it’s not hysteria at all. The rules apply to regionally accredit institutions at the AA, BA, and MA level. You may be right that the department is FOCUSED on vocational programs, but the language — such that it is — that has been produced so far applies across the board and penalizes, for example, a BA or MA degree in business as it points to the same bottom-quartile salary figure as does an AA degree.

While I agree that the department will use a single definition of gainful employment, the difference between my

QUICK Hits

by Forrest Hinton

Quick Hits is a short compilation of question-raising news stories, blog posts, and video clips that Education Sector team members are reading and viewing each day.

• More golden parachutes… From school systems? (Flypaper)
• There’s a lot of talk about teacher evaluation—but how does it actually work? (Stories from School)
• How are community colleges providing adult learners more opportunities in their careers and lives?(ED.gov)
• Will new investigations into for-profit colleges result in better lending practices and improved student learning outcomes? (Washington Monthly)