This post comes from Crains Detroit Business.

“Michigan ranks second among all states for policies and practices to encourage online learning and proficiency among students prior to graduation, according to a report by the Center for Digital Education.

The Folsom, Calif.-based research and advisory institute on K-12 and higher education ranked only Florida above Michigan among the 50 states, in its 2008 Online Policy and Practice Survey of the States.

“Michigan has provided significant leadership for the rest of the nation in online learning and is routinely looked to as a pioneer,” said Marina Leight, director of the center, in a statement this week about the survey.

The state in 2006 adopted the Michigan Merit Curriculum, a plan to retool qualifications to graduate high school including a requirement for students to successfully complete an online course or learning. Michigan was the first state in the nation with such a requirement.” Click here to read the rest of this article.

This post comes from The New York Times.

“They have little in common: Ron Jones, 52, short and strong, a union carpenter with decades of work experience; and Jerome Grant, 20, tall and thin, a Jamaican immigrant with a degree in culinary arts. But the economy has pushed them to the same difficult place.

On a recent morning, they sat across from each other at a one-stop career center here, feverishly applying for two months of temporary work with United Parcel Service. The pay was $8.50 an hour. There were 150 slots, and more than 300 applicants.

“You just hope you get your name called,” Mr. Grant said, eyeing the interviewers. Mr. Jones agreed, saying, “You got to get in where you fit in.”

If a fit can be found anywhere, it would probably be here at one of 2,942 one-stop career centers that Congress established 10 years ago. They each play host to a web of federal programs for the needy or unemployed, offering training, job listings and, in most states, access to welfare programs like food stamps and unemployment insurance.” Click here to read the rest of this article.

This post comes from Lubbock Online.

“In seven weeks, when the Texas Legislature is back in session, school officials are expected to ask for much more money than they got last year.

After all, the explosive student population growth of the last two decades plus record fuel prices for most of the past two years forced schools to spend more money than what the lawmakers gave them for the current two-year cycle.

And then there are the four-year colleges and universities. With a growing number of legislators calling for the repeal of the 2003 tuition de-regulation law, or, at least for a two-year moratorium on the skyrocketing tuition increases of the past five years, Texas Tech, West Texas A&M University and the state’s other public institutions are also expected to ask for more money.

But what about Amarillo College, South Plains College and the other 48 community colleges in the state, which now account for seven of every 10 new students at all higher-education institutions in Texas.

Will Austin give them what they need?” Click here to read the rest of this article.

This post comes from Market Watch.

“When the nation’s economy faces rocky times, the first concern of many is job security. With last month’s announcement by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that over 10 million American’s were jobless — the highest rate in over 25 years — career development and guidance for both students and adults is now more critical than ever to successfully manage this challenging situation, according to organizers for the 100 Year Celebration of Career Guidance and Education.

During November’s National Career Development Month, Steering Committee members strongly advocate for the importance of Career and Technical Education (CTE) in continuing to build the U.S. workforce as well as helping Americans plan for turbulent times ahead. CTE programs prepare students to be flexible, adaptive, and have transferrable skills, all of which are tremendously important with a job market shifting daily.” Click here to read the rest of this article.

This post is from Inside Higher Ed.

“Researchers who study online education tend to believe that the staggering growth in enrollments seen over the past several years can’t continue apace forever. According to a study released Wednesday, they’ll have to wait at least another year for the predicted flattening.

In fall 2007, the study reports, some 3.94 million students enrolled in at least one online course, an increase of 12.9 percent over the previous year. That falls between the 9.7 percent growth for fall 2006 and the 19.7 compound annual rate since fall 2002. In comparison, total student enrollments increased 1.2 percent in the year leading up to last fall, while the compound annual rate for all enrollments since 2002 was 1.6 percent.

“Clearly there will be a limit on the growth of online enrollments; however the current data show that this limit has not yet been reached, as double-digit growth rates continue for yet another year,” says the report, part of an annual survey by the Sloan Consortium, which tracks online learning trends.” Click here to read the rest of this article.

This posts comes from Inside Higher Ed.

“The current model of higher education was several centuries in the making. That leaves colleges adapting to online learning, a viable option for only about a decade, with a monumental game of catch-up.

As online courses’ popularity continues to rise, many administrators are struggling with a steep learning curve, one whose ultimate end point is far from being determined. Questions such as how such courses should be taught (by adjuncts or full-time faculty?) often depend on institutions’ missions (expand access or generate extra revenue?) and can lead to clashes and tensions between proponents of online learning and those who remain wedded to the traditional classroom.

But it’s often the existing campus faculty that administrators rely on to develop and teach online courses, a reality that informs their approaches to determining who should teach the courses and how they should be compensated. In many cases, the models are relics of outdated distance programs that gradually became the basis for courses offered over the Internet. No two models are exactly alike, but as colleges experiment with ways to keep their faculty happy and their courses high in quality, evidence of some common practices is emerging.” Click here to read the rest of this article.

This post is from The Taiwan News.

“A top official of the world’s oldest publisher, the Cambridge University Press, said on Friday that digital online learning is the future trend for education. “All countries in the world are looking at ways to provide education online and in a digital format. This is the trend of education in the future, ” said Christopher Boughton, Asia Pacific Managing Director of the Cambridge University Press, who was speaking to the Central News Agency during a visit to Taiwan to review Cambridge University Press local office operations.

He pointed out that the United Kingdom, for example, has provided funds to schools to purchase digital whiteboards to replace the traditional chalkboard, in addition to many other software and hardware.” Click here to read the rest of this article.

This post is from The Wall Street Journal.

“Seconds after exiting Interstate 10 in Phoenix one afternoon last month, Joe Cockrell saw a state trooper signaling him to pull over. But instead of demanding his driver’s license and registration, the patrolman asked, “What’s Jobing.com?”

Mr. Cockrell breathed a sigh of relief. His Ford Escape was wrapped in an ad for the specialized employment-listing site and it had been attracting a lot of attention.

The trooper “said his wife had just got laid off and they have a baby on the way,” recalls Mr. Cockrell, who until two weeks ago was director of public relations for Jobing.com. He gave the trooper his business card and a company pamphlet listing job-search tips. He says the trooper thanked him — and added: “Be sure to turn on your blinker when exiting the freeway.”

As the nation’s unemployment rate soars, professionals who provide job-related services — such as career coaches and executive recruiters — say their advice is in high demand. Layoff victims ranging from clients and business associates to family and friends are seeking their help in finding jobs. And while they’re trained to keep an emotional distance, some say the reverberating fear coming through people’s voices is starting to tug a little too tightly at their heart strings.” Click here to read the rest of this article.

This article is from Inside Higher Ed.

“Researchers who study online education tend to believe that the staggering growth in enrollments seen over the past several years can’t continue apace forever. According to a study released Wednesday, they’ll have to wait at least another year for the predicted flattening.

In fall 2007, the study reports, some 3.94 million students enrolled in at least one online course, an increase of 12.9 percent over the previous year. That falls between the 9.7 percent growth for fall 2006 and the 19.7 compound annual rate since fall 2002. In comparison, total student enrollments increased 1.2 percent in the year leading up to last fall, while the compound annual rate for all enrollments since 2002 was 1.6 percent.

“Clearly there will be a limit on the growth of online enrollments; however the current data show that this limit has not yet been reached, as double-digit growth rates continue for yet another year,” says the report, part of an annual survey by the Sloan Consortium, which tracks online learning trends.

And the growth might continue thanks to a stagnating economy, according to most of the survey’s respondents, which would align with previous experience in which a deteriorating job market leads to more enrollments. The trend also reinforces reports earlier this year that community colleges, especially, were encouraging students to take courses online to save on commuting costs.

The study, “Staying the Course: Online Education in the United States, 2008,” was produced with the College Board and the Babson Survey Research Group at Babson College. The results were compiled from an annual College Board survey with over 2,500 responses, a response rate of 57.4 percent.” Click here to read the rest of this article.

This post is from Market Watch.

“The past, present and future of Wall Street West came together for the initiatives fourth regional meeting at the TEK Park Campus today. Joined by Wall Street West funding recipients, committee members and regional stakeholders, the event was highlighted by the announcement of 10 new workforce development projects totaling more than $1.6 million.

Serving as Keynote Speaker was Alan Berman, Executive Director, DRI International. Mr. Berman leads the premier organization for educational and certification programs for business continuity planning and management. His presentation, entitled “The Future of Business Continuity Education,” discussed the types of changes that will need to be made by the business community in order to be successful in this and future economic climates.” Click here to read the rest of this article.