WASC nixes Ashford University's accreditation bid, dealing blow to for-profit Bridgepoint Inc. and signaling that accreditors may take a more aggressive stance with for-profit sector.
Backlash to "college for all" heats up, again, thanks to the recession and presidential election. The counter-narrative sells in the media, and could hurt public funding of colleges.
Higher ed group's panel calls for refining, not revamping, system of quality assurance, with emphasis on transparency and independence from the government.
Walmart is paying to send employees to the American Public University System, where they earn credits for on-the-job learning. The partnership has a big upside, but makes prior learning experts nervous.
Prior learning assessment could be higher education's next big disruptive force, and ACE and CAEL are poised to catch that potential gold rush. But many remain skeptical about academic credit for work experience.
Despite conventional wisdom, Western Governors U. did not earn approval to award federal aid by directly assessing how much students learned. It ties student outcomes to the credit hour (though not to seat time).
Study documents how Gates and Lumina -- by collaborating with government, funding intermediaries, and investing heavily in messaging -- have reshaped the philanthropic role in higher education, for better and worse.
