Let the DATA drive: Washington community & technical college’s journey to establish OER and Low-Cost codes

March 21, 2019.Reading time 9 minutes.

In this blog, Mark Jenkins and Boyoung Chae detail the vital benefits of using a data-driven approach in OER initiatives to promote affordability and student success for Washington’s Community and Technical Colleges. Their approach helped to meet two important goals: Meet students’ needs for learning which courses use free or “low-cost” resources, which aids them […]

ED Negotiated Rulemaking: Innovation Subcommittee Completes Its Work and Makes Several Recommendations

March 19, 2019.Reading time 18 minutes.

Three women and two men are sitting at a table with microphones in front of them. Three of them have the name cards in front of them on end.

The “Distance Learning and Education Innovation” Subcommittee of the current U.S. Department of Education negotiated rulemaking process completed its work last week. While several reports highlighted that there was disagreement on issues, there has been less attention paid to the general agreement the negotiators were reaching on a long list of regulations under consideration. There […]

Developing a State Authorization Policy: It’s About the Journey

March 13, 2019.Reading time 9 minutes.

Today we welcome Lisa Siefker and Robert Griffiths from The Ohio State University to share their journey to educate their institution, assess practices, create and implement processes that connect the core mission of the university to institutional compliance for out-of-state activities for the entire university. The WCET/State Authorization Network (SAN) presents SANsational awards annually to […]

Generation Z Engaged in the Classroom

March 6, 2019.Reading time 15 minutes.

Picture of Generation Z student studying and touching a large computer screen. The computer screen contains a circular graph that shows how to increase motivation. This picture is an ideal learning environment for a Gen Z student.

Vickie S. Cook, Executive Director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois Springfield, explores the strengths of the innovative and eager Generation Z students. In her blog, she depicts the unique story and gifts offered by this generation within an academic and professional context. As invested educators, we […]

Digital Accessibility: The Partnership between Vendors and Institutions

March 1, 2019.Reading time 16 minutes.

For the past year, OLC and WCET have been partnering to better inform our memberships on better meeting student and faculty needs for accessibility. Kelly Hermann, University of Phoenix, and Cyndi Rowland, WebAIM, have provided us with tremendous guidance, including posts and webinars on the topic. Today, Kelly provides the latest in our joint accessibility […]

ED Negotiated Rulemaking: Thoughts, Updates, and New Position Papers from OLC, UPCEA, & WCET

February 27, 2019.Reading time 13 minutes.

The Department of Education has a long list of higher education regulations under consideration in its negotiated rulemaking process. As the calendar of meetings winds down, the path to agreement on most issues remains rocky, but not impossible. Lost in the reporting about disagreements has been the (at least modest) progress that has been made […]

Expanding access, success, and equitable outcomes through the effective implementation of digital learning

February 21, 2019.Reading time 12 minutes.

A picture of Every Learner Everywhere Network Partners with "Every Learner Everywhere" in the center, surrounded by the names of twelve specific partners. The partners are also listed in other locations throughout the blog.

A Sense of Urgency Many public colleges and universities have embraced the mission of increasing access to higher education by recruiting more diverse student populations. Unfortunately, institutions continue to see significant persistence and completion gaps for their low-income students, students of color, and first-generation students. In response to this problem, many two- and four-year institutions […]

Don’t Wait Out the Federal Rulemaking: These State Authorization Related Federal Regulations are Currently Enforceable!

February 15, 2019.Reading time 17 minutes.

Picture of the capitol building from the front.

Dan Silverman, WCET/State Authorization Network Assistant Director, and I are taking a brief break from the coverage of Negotiated Rulemaking as it affects State Authorization. We remembered that we needed to make good on a promise we made last summer to more fully explain several other currently effective Federal Regulations that relate to the work […]

Adventures at the Consumer Electronics Show: the world’s largest “Digital Disney World,” the higher ed perspective

February 8, 2019.Reading time 20 minutes.

Picture of the shoes of two people standing on tile that reads, "Passion Led Us Here."

Executive director of WCET, Mike Abbiatti, recently attended the massive Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. New and soon-to-be introduced electronic products are unveiled each year at the Show. The following blog contains the details and reflections of his adventure through the latest technological innovations. He also wonders what the impact of these new tools […]

A Recipe for a Successful Institutional Open Education Initiative

February 6, 2019.Reading time 14 minutes.

Rajiv never ceases to amaze me; the first time was at Nicole Allen’s (SPARC) annual OERroke party at Open Ed. Rajiv can really sing and dance. Although it is hard to top a duet performance of “I Had the Time of my Life” from Dirty Dancing with Amanda Coolidge (BC Campus), Rajiv has gone on […]