By Anastasia Salter. We never teach the same course twice. Some of the changes are out of our control: new students, new classroom, new time. A move from early morning to late at night can change the whole feel of a topic, while a group of students with strong camaraderie might take on collaborative assignments very differently from a group that includes many non-traditional students or a range of disciplines. Read more...
Ends of Electronic? A Report from ELO2015
By Anastasia Salter. I spent last week at the Electronic Literature Organization Conference 2015, a gathering of scholars interested in work that plays with technology towards literary ends. The international festival is always a showcase of both scholarly and artistic work, and thus never fails to provide me with inspiration for next year’s projects. Read more...
From the Archives: Getting Ready for the New Semester
By Natalie Houston. Sooner or later, the fall semester will start — and of course for some of us it already has. Here are some tips from the ProfHacker archives to help you navigate the transition. Read more...
Pioneer of Ed-Tech Innovation Says He’s Frustrated by Disruptors’ Narrative
By Jeffrey R. Young. George Siemens is a key innovator in higher education, having coined the term “MOOC” and worked to study the effectiveness of online learning. So it’s no surprise that he was invited to a recent closed-door gathering at the White House to discuss “innovation and quality in higher education.” More...
‘Machine Teaching’ Is Seen as Way to Develop Personalized Curricula
By Mary Ellen McIntire. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin at Madison say they are getting closer to designing a system to deliver the ideal lesson plan for each student, through a process they call “machine teaching.” More...
Following the Money in Ed-Tech Investment: Number of Mergers Grows
By Mary Ellen McIntire. Investors are rushing to buy into higher-education-related companies these days, and there’s plenty of consolidation in the market as well. More...
3 Military Psychologists Accuse Torture Investigator of ‘Bias’ and ‘Grandstanding’
By Beckie Supiano. Three Army psychologists have harshly criticized an independent investigation that found that the American Psychological Association had colluded with the Department of Defense in shaping ethics rules related to torture, accusing its author of “prosecutorial bias” and “grandstanding rhetoric.” More...
Fafsa Change Would Prevent Colleges From Seeing Where Else Students Sent Data
By Beckie Supiano. The U.S. Education Department has opened the comment period for a draft version of the 2016-17 Free Application for Federal Student Aid. One notable change: Admissions officers will no longer be able to view the list of colleges to which aid applicants send their Fafsas. More...
Student Says He Lost Facebook Internship After Shedding Light on Privacy Flaws
By Nick DeSantis. A student at Harvard University says he lost an internship at Facebook after an application that he created revealed privacy flaws in the social-networking giant’s messaging app, The Boston Globe reported. More...
U. of Texas to Move Jefferson Davis Statue to Campus History Center
By Nick DeSantis. The University of Texas at Austin will move a statue of the Confederate president, Jefferson Davis, from its prominent position on the campus to a history center there, but will leave statues of other Confederate leaders in place, the Austin American-Statesman reported. More...