From The Chronicle. Textbook publishers argue that their newest digital products shouldn’t even be called “textbooks.” They’re really software programs built to deliver a mix of text, videos, and homework assignments. But delivering them is just the beginning. No old-school textbook was able to be customized for each student in the classroom. The books never graded the homework. And while they contain sample exam questions, they couldn’t administer the test themselves.
What’s happening right now is that xMOOCs are moving backwards into replicable content from the interaction and assessment pole while textbooks are  are moving forward into interaction and assessment from the replicable content pole. Read more...

Sur le blog de Michel Abhervé pour Alternatives économiques.A côté de la Cour des comptes et  des Inspections générales, dont celle des Finances, la richesse de notre organisation administrative comporte un Contrôle général économique et financier qui a pour mission d’optimiser la gestion de l’argent public.
C’est à cette instance que le Ministre délégué en charge de l’ESS, Benoît Hamon, a confié une mission afin de se prononcer sur les 3 points suivants:
- les modalités de reconnaissance de certaines des entités de l’ESS,
- les modalités d’institutionnalisation des acteurs de l’ESS,
- l’identification des leviers à disposition des pouvoirs publics en faveur des entités de l’ESS, notamment dans le champ de la commande publique.
Alors que cette mission a un site, il serait trop simple de penser qu’on y trouve le rapport qui peut, par contre, être consulté sur le site de la CRESS Basse Normandie. Sur plusieurs points ce rapport fournit au Ministre des éclairages, complétant ceux qui ont été donnés par le Conseil Economique Social et Environnemental (voir L’avis du CESE balise le projet de loi sur l’ESS). Suite de l'article...

La Commission Européenne a publié en janvier un rapport sur l'entreprenariat dans l'Union européenne, et en particulier sur la vision qu'ont les Européens de ce statut professionnel particulier. Une chose est sûre: malgré les efforts des institutions européennes pour inciter les travailleurs à innover et à entreprendre, les mentalités restent difficiles à changer. Car si l'entrepreneur bénéficie toujours d'une image positive dans l'opinion, les européens préfèrent en grande majorité (21 des 27 pays de l'UE) le statut d'employé à celui d'indépendant.
Source: Entrepreneurship in the EU and beyond - Rapport Eurobaromètre n°354 Janvier 2013. Suite de l'article...

Der Müll muss raus, Oma braucht mal wieder einen Anruf und der Freund ein gebasteltes Geburtstagsgeschenk: Stehen Uni-Aufgaben an, werden Studenten besonders kreativ darin, sich abzulenken. Faulheit muss das nicht sein, sagen Experten - und warnen vor tieferliegenden Problemen.
Nachrichten lesen statt Fachliteratur, auf Facebook surfen statt im Bibliothekskatalog, mit der Freundin telefonieren statt mit dem Bafög-Amt: Es gibt immer etwas, womit man sich von lästigen Pflichten ablenken kann. "Aufschieben ist normal", sagt Hans-Werner Rückert, Diplom-Psychologe und Studienberater an der Freien Universität Berlin. "Aber nur bis zu einem bestimmten Punkt."
In der Regel seien Aufschieber nicht faul, im Gegenteil. "Wer faul ist, würde die Anstrengung vermeiden und nichts anderes tun." Der typische Aufschieber hingegen räumt auf, putzt oder geht einkaufen. Aber er setzt sich eben nicht an den Schreibtisch und lernt oder schreibt an der Hausarbeit. "Er macht auch ungeliebte Tätigkeiten, solange er dadurch etwas Belastenderes vermeiden kann", sagt Rückert.
Prokrastination, also krankhaftes Aufschieben, ist zu einem echten Problem geworden unter den Studenten in Deutschland: Forscher diagnostizieren bei jedem zweiten Studenten eine Eher-morgen-statt-heute-Mentalität. Etwa 20 Prozent zählten zu den chronischen Aufschiebern, sagt Rolf Schulmeister, Bildungsforscher an der Universität Hamburg. Mehr...

By Kristen Domonell. The University of Connecticut ranked at the top of a list of the most sustainable campuses in the world, according to results of the University of Indonesia’s GreenMetric Ranking of World Universities, released this month. Four other American universities ranked in the top 10: Northeastern University (Mass.); the University of California, Los Angeles; The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and the University of California, Merced.
This is the third year UI has released the ranking, which is one of several sustainability rankings in higher education. It scores institutions’ efforts in categories including green statistics, energy and climate change, waste management, water usage, transportation, and energy. Read more...

By R A Johnston. The New York Senate released its report on the state of higher education in New York on January 28, 2013, as reported by David Lombardo of the Schenectady Daily Gazette. Higher Education Committee Chairman Ken LaValle gave his committee members credit for a year of sound oversight of post-high school education. He said in his statement that:
“I want to thank the committee members for their continued support and commitment throughout the 2012 legislative session. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on the committee and in the entire Senate as we strive to make New York State higher education the best in the world.”
State licensing requirements and regulation of privately-run trade schools were chief among the state’s concerns in 2012. Read more...

Like many proud citizens of the world today, there are times when you might feel like the country you live in is one of the best on Earth—and there are times when you might feel that your country could make some improvements. When it comes to education in particular, some countries are ahead of the game. What does a “well-educated” country look like? Things like high school graduation rates, number of citizens with a college degree, and even things like employment and rate of pay, can be combined together to serve as a reasonable meter for educational success. At the end of 2012, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) calculated what proportion of residents in 34 countries had obtained a college degree or the equivalent of one. From there, the top 10 “most educated” countries were determined. Some countries are more surprising than others, but all seem to have their own unique way of ensuring that their citizens are educated properly. While not all countries have the same resources available to create wonderful education opportunities, those countries that use their highly-educated citizens to further world progress and assist those countries who have less can do amazing things for the future. Take a look at the stats behind these well-learned nations. Read more...

Financial fallout from a decision to leave the EU would, in reality, be minimal for higher education institutions, argues Alison Wolf.
We will give the British people a referendum with a very simple in or out choice," announced David Cameron last week: to stay in the European Union on the terms our government negotiates or to "come out altogether".
Suppose the UK population chooses "Out". How much should universities, as universities, care? And how much would we even notice?
For Britain as a whole, the consequences are large. Given academics' views and voting patterns, it is hard to believe that most would be in the "Out" camp. But for our institutions it is not obvious that the change would be dramatic. And I can think of some university finance directors who would be grinning widely.
It has been an article of faith in Brussels that, within the EU, states will converge in every way. A few years ago, I co-authored a report for the European Commission on "convergence and divergence" in European education. Our sponsors took it for granted that we would find convergence, and we had a hard time even getting "divergence" into the contract title. Read more...

By David Matthews. More than 300,000 people have signed up to the University of Edinburgh's free massive open online courses (Moocs) since they were first announced in July 2012, it has been revealed.
The university is offering six courses on the Coursera platform, which hosts Moocs primarily from universities in the United States.
For every student physically studying in Edinburgh, there are now ten online learners, a statement from the university says.
Timothy O'Shea, Edinburgh's vice-chancellor, said he was "delighted" that the courses had "caught the imagination of the public". Read more...