Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Robocolleges 2025
Overall, enrollment numbers for online robocolleges have increased as full-time faculty numbers have declined. Four schools now have enrollment numbers exceeding 100,000 students.
Here's a breakdown of the key characteristics of robocolleges:
- Technology-Driven: Robocolleges heavily utilize online platforms, pre-recorded lectures, automated grading systems, and limited human interaction.
- Focus on Profit: These institutions often prioritize generating revenue over providing a high-quality educational experience.
- Aggressive Marketing: Robocolleges frequently employ aggressive marketing tactics to attract students, sometimes with misleading information.
- High Tuition Costs: They often charge high tuition fees, leading to significant student debt.
- Limited Faculty Interaction: Students may have limited access to faculty members for guidance and support.
- Questionable Job Placement Rates: Graduates of robocolleges may struggle to find employment in their chosen fields.
Concerns:
- Student Debt Crisis: The high tuition costs and potential for low job placement rates contribute to the student debt crisis.
- Quality of Education: The emphasis on technology and limited human interaction can raise concerns about the quality of education students receive.
- Ethical Considerations: The aggressive marketing tactics and potential for misleading students raise ethical concerns.
Here are Fall 2023 numbers (the most recent numbers) from the US Department of Education College Navigator:
Southern New Hampshire University: 129 Full-Time (F/T) instructors for 188,049 students.*
Grand Canyon University 582 F/T instructors for 107,563 students.*
Liberty University: 812 F/T for 103,068 students.*
University of Phoenix: 86 F/T instructors for 101,150 students.*
University of Maryland Global: 168 F/T instructors for 60,084 students.
American Public University System: 341 F/T instructors for 50,187 students.
Purdue University Global: 298 F/T instructors for 44,421 students.
Walden University: 242 F/T for 44,223 students.
Capella University: 168 F/T for 43,915 students.
University of Arizona Global Campus: 97 F/T instructors for 32,604 students.
Devry University online: 66 F/T instructors for 29,346 students.
Colorado Technical University: 100 F/T instructors for 28,852 students.
American Intercontinental University: 82 full-time instructors for 10,997 students.
Colorado State University Global: 26 F/T instructors for 9,507 students.
South University: 37 F/T instructors for 8,816 students.
Aspen University 10 F/T instructors for 5,195 students.
National American University 0 F/T instructors for 1,026 students
*Most F/T faculty serve the ground campuses that profit from the online schools.
Related links:
Wealth and Want Part 4: Robocolleges and Roboworkers (2024)
Southern New Hampshire University: America's Largest Robocollege Facing Resistance From Human Workers and Student Complaints About Curriculum (2024)Robocolleges, Artificial Intelligence, and the Dehumanization of Higher Education (2023)
AI-ROBOT CAPITALISTS WILL DESTROY THE HUMAN ECONOMY (Randall Collins, 2023)
Guild Education: Enablers of Anti-Union Corporations and Subprime College Programs (2021)
The Growth of "RoboColleges" and "Robostudents" (2019)
Guild Education: Enablers of Anti-Union Corporations and Subprime College Programs (2021)
The Growth of "RoboColleges" and "Robostudents" (2019)
Monday, February 3, 2025
Don't Panic--Organize (Kari Thompson, Labor Notes)
The Trump administration has swept into office with a volley of attacks: Gutting programs that acknowledge race and gender inequality. Freezing funding for a wide swath of programs (though that order has already been rescinded). New work rules. Immigration raids. Replacing career civil servants with political lackeys. A mass email inviting federal employees to resign. The firehose of bad ideas over the past week is alarming and overwhelming. It’s never been more important for organizers to remember: workers do have power.
Please continue reading at Labor Notes.
Sunday, February 2, 2025
The Death of DEI (Margaret Kimberly, Black Agenda Report)
Black people must be discerning about racist attacks on DEI programs while also acknowledging that “diversity” can be a con that damages Black politics, just as it was meant to do.
The sight of Al Sharpton holding a protest at a New York City Costco store is a sure sign that very problematic politics are being practiced. In this instance, Sharpton’s theatrics were inspired by the corporations which discontinued their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. DEI has been in conservative crosshairs with conservative think tanks and activists filing numerous lawsuits claiming that the programs are discriminatory. The same corporations who joined in the performative DEI programs when it was convenient have now run for cover. Costco is one of the few who didn’t and so got the seal of approval from Reverend Al.
Corporate DEI programs came into vogue in 2020 in the wake of nationwide protest after the police killing of George Floyd. The fact that both white police and corporate CEOs were “taking a knee” allegedly in sympathy with protesters should have been a sign that anything emanating from these gestures was a joke at best and a betrayal at worst.
According to a 2023 report ,
only 4% of chief diversity officer positions in U.S. corporations were
held by Black people, who also had the lowest average salaries. DEI
mania was a public relations effort intended to stem Black protest while
doing nothing to improve the material conditions of Black workers, even
for those who were involved in this project. The usual hierarchies
remained in place, with white men and women getting the top jobs and the
most money. Also Black people were not the only group subject to DEI
policies, as other “people of color,” women, and the LGBTQ+ community
were also competing for a piece of the questionable action.
In addition to the right wing legal attack, Donald Trump is so obsessed
with ending DEI in the federal government that all employees connected
with such programs were placed on administrative leave after one of his
many executive orders were issued. Federal workers were instructed to report
on their knowledge of any DEI activity that hadn’t been ferreted out.
The Trump administration DEI ban means that agencies are being told not
to even allow for any affinity events or celebrations. Although that
idea might not be bad if it prevented the FBI from claiming to honor Martin Luther KIng , a man they surveilled, harassed, and encouraged to commit suicide. Not to be deterred in the Trumpian witch hunt, the Air Force
briefly deleted information about the Tuskegee Airmen and Women Army
Service Pilots (WASPs) from a basic training curriculum, only to return
the information after public outrage emerged when military heroes,
usually revered, were getting the usual rough treatment meted out to
Black people.
Yet it is difficult to ignore the Trump anti-DEI frenzy. At its core it is an effort to disappear Black people from public life altogether under the guise of protecting a white meritocracy which never existed. However, it would be a mistake to embrace a failed effort which succeeds only at liberal virtue signalling and creating a more diverse group of managers to help in running the ruling class machinery.
DEI was a repackaging of affirmative action, a term which fell into disfavor after years of complaint from aggrieved white people and which was undone by Supreme Court decisions. Like affirmative action, it was a calculated response to serious political action, action which threatened to upend a system in dire need of disrupting and bringing the justice and the democracy that are so often bragged about yet that remain so elusive.
As always, Black people are caught between the proverbial rock and hard place, not wanting to ignore Trumpian antics while also being wary of any connection with the likes of Al Sharpton. The confusion about what to do is rampant and mirrors the general sense of confusion about Black political activity.
When the Target retail outlet ended its DEI programs there were calls for boycotts. Of course others pointed out that Target sold products created by Black owned companies which would be harmed by the absence of Black shoppers. All of the proposals are well meaning, meant to mitigate harm and to help Black people in their endeavors. Yet they all miss the point.
The reality of an oppressive system renders such concerns moot. Racial capitalism may give out a crumb here and another there, and allow a few Black businesses some space on store shelves. If nothing else it knows how to preserve itself and to co-opt at opportune moments. Yet the fundamentals do not change. DEI is of little use. But by ending it, Trump evokes great fear in a group of people whose situation is so tenuous that it still clings to the useless and discredited Democratic Party to protect itself from Trump and his ilk.
It is absolutely necessary to leave the false comfort of denial that gives the impression Trump is offering some new danger to Black people. The last thing Black people need is for the CIA or the State Department to hide their dirty deeds behind King birthday celebrations or Black History Month events. Black History Month should be a time when plans for liberation are hatched, making it unattractive to enemy government agencies to even consider using for propaganda purposes.
The death of DEI should not be mourned. Its existence is an affront to Black peoples’ history and valiant struggles. DEI is just one of many means to keep us compliant and to give legitimacy to what isn’t legitimate. If Al Sharpton is marching anywhere the best course of action is to stay very far away.
Margaret Kimberley is the author of Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents . You can support her work on Patreon and also find it on the Twitter , Bluesky , and Telegram platforms. She can be reached via email at margaret.kimberley@blackagendareport.com
Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles? Please click here, and help us out, if you can.
Saturday, February 1, 2025
Report from Eloy Detention Center (Rebel Diaz)
A report about mass incarceration in Eloy, Arizona, from Rebel Diaz, the Chilean American political hip hop duo of Rodrigo Venegas (RodStarz) and Gonzalo Venegas (G1). For 18 years, Rebel Diaz has used their music to educate, agitate, and organize working class folks across the globe. Much of their music is here.
Un informe sobre el encarcelamiento masivo en Eloy, Arizona, de Rebel Diaz, el dúo de hip hop polÃtico chileno-estadounidense formado por Rodrigo Venegas (RodStarz) y Gonzalo Venegas (G1). Durante 18 años, Rebel Diaz ha utilizado su música para educar, agitar y organizar a la clase trabajadora en todo el mundo.
Related links:
Rebel Diaz: A musical legacy of activism
Department of Justice stops federally-funded legal aid, affecting detained Arizona immigrants (AZPM)Before the Movement: The Hidden History of Black Civil Rights (Dylan C. Penningroth)
From the Stanford Humanities Center:
Higher Education Inquirer: Increasingly Relevant
The Higher Education Inquirer continues to grow. Last month the number of views rose to more than 45,000. And our total number of views has increased to more than 440,000. While we had added advertisements, we have not received any SEO help, and we do not pay Google for ads.
We believe our growth stems largely from our increasing relevance and in our truth telling, which other higher education news outlets are unwilling to do in these times.
Our devotion to transparency, accountability, and value for our readers guides us.
We invite a diverse group of guest authors who are willing to share their truths. The list includes academics from various disciplines, advocates, activists, journalists, consultants, and whistleblowers. We back up all of this work with data and critical analysis, irrespective of politics and social conventions. We are willing to challenge the higher education establishment, including trustees, donors, and university presidents.
Our articles covering student loan debt, academic labor, nonviolent methods of protest, and freedom of speech are unparalleled. And we are unafraid about including other issues that matter to our readers, including stories and videos about mental health, student safety, technology (such as artificial intelligence), academic cheating, and the nature of work. And matters of war, peace, democracy, and climate change.
Our focus, though mainly on US higher education, also has an international appeal.
Some of our work takes years to produce, through careful documentation of primary and secondary sources, database analysis, and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. We share all of this information for everyone to see at no cost.
Of course, we could not operate without all your voices. We welcome all your voices. Something few other sources are willing to do.
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Colombia, first nationals deported under the Donald Trump administration arrived (TeleSur English)
The first flights carrying migrants deported from the United States to Colombia. The Colombian government confirmed on Tuesday that two planes
carrying migrants had landed. Some were reportedly shackled. A total of 201 migrants: 110 sent from
California and 90 from Texas were on board. Among the deportees were two pregnant women and more than 20 children. The cost to US taxpayers is estimated to be $100,000 to $700,000 per flight. The long-term costs and consequences of this program with Latin America, like many others over the last century, have not been estimated.
TOMORROW: "Are Working Class Voters Done with Democrats?" (CUNY School of Labor and Urban Stidies)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Stop Campus Hazing Act: What You Need to Know (Clery Center)
UPDATE: The Stop Campus Hazing Act was signed into law by President Biden on December 23, 2024. We have edited the below blog to reflect this update.
The Stop Campus Hazing Act (SCHA) amends section 485(f) of the Higher Education Act, otherwise known as the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). Notably, the bill also changes the name of the Clery Act to the “Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act”, representing the Act’s evolution in addressing broad campus safety needs.
Clery Center partnered with Gary and Julie DeVercelly, whose son, Gary DeVercelly, Jr. died by hazing in 2007, to begin advocating for federal anti-hazing legislation in 2014. These efforts led to the introduction of the Report and Education About Campus Hazing (REACH) Act in 2017, which was combined with elements of the END ALL Hazing Act to create the Stop Campus Hazing Act.
What will campuses be required to do?
The Stop Campus Hazing Act has three primary components: Inclusion of hazing statistics in annual security reports: Colleges and universities will need to include statistics for hazing incidents that were reported to campus security authorities or local law enforcement, as defined by SCHA, in their annual security reports.
Implementation of hazing policies, including those specific to hazing prevention: Colleges and universities will be required to have a hazing policy with information on how to make a report of hazing and the process used to investigate hazing incidents. They must also have a policy that addresses hazing prevention and awareness programs, which includes a description of research-informed campus-wide prevention programs and primary prevention strategies.
Compilation of a Campus Hazing Transparency Report: Each institution must compile and publish on a prominent location of their public website a hazing transparency report that summarizes findings concerning any student organization found to be in violation of the institution’s standards of conduct related to hazing. The report will include: The name of the student organization; A general description of the violation that resulted in a finding of responsibility; and Related dates (the date of the alleged incident, the date of the initiation of the investigation, the date the investigation ended with a finding, and the date the institution provided notice to the organization of the finding).
When will implementation start?
The timeline for implementation is as follows: January 1, 2025: Institutions should begin collecting hazing statistics to include in the annual security report.
June 23, 2025: Hazing policies must be in place.
July 1, 2025: Institutions must have a process for documenting violations of the institution’s standards of conduct relating to hazing.
December 23, 2025: The Campus Hazing Transparency Report, which includes the violations that institutions begin documenting in July, must be publicly available. The Campus Hazing Transparency Report must be updated at least two times a year.
October 1, 2026: Hazing statistics will first be included in the 2026 annual security report (2025 statistics).
How can I start planning for these changes?Register for our three-part Stop Campus Hazing Act training series:February 26 - Session 1: Hazing as a Clery Act Crime Statistic
March 5 - Session 2: Hazing Prevention Programming Requirements
March 12 - Session 3:Campus Hazing Transparency Report
Review your process for notifying and training campus security authorities on their responsibilities, as well as forms or systems used for incident reporting. Plan to update these materials to include hazing.
Determine what hazing policies already exist on campus and whether they address hazing prevention and awareness.
Bring together roles that will be involved in implementation of these requirements (including conduct professionals, public safety, and prevention educators) to discuss what policies or procedures may need to be updated.
View Clery Center's and StopHazing's free webinar to learn more about the Stop Campus Hazing Act.
Stay tuned for more information about our training series launching this winter.
The Stop Campus Hazing Act (SCHA) amends section 485(f) of the Higher Education Act, otherwise known as the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). Notably, the bill also changes the name of the Clery Act to the “Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act”, representing the Act’s evolution in addressing broad campus safety needs.
Clery Center partnered with Gary and Julie DeVercelly, whose son, Gary DeVercelly, Jr. died by hazing in 2007, to begin advocating for federal anti-hazing legislation in 2014. These efforts led to the introduction of the Report and Education About Campus Hazing (REACH) Act in 2017, which was combined with elements of the END ALL Hazing Act to create the Stop Campus Hazing Act.
What will campuses be required to do?
The Stop Campus Hazing Act has three primary components: Inclusion of hazing statistics in annual security reports: Colleges and universities will need to include statistics for hazing incidents that were reported to campus security authorities or local law enforcement, as defined by SCHA, in their annual security reports.
Implementation of hazing policies, including those specific to hazing prevention: Colleges and universities will be required to have a hazing policy with information on how to make a report of hazing and the process used to investigate hazing incidents. They must also have a policy that addresses hazing prevention and awareness programs, which includes a description of research-informed campus-wide prevention programs and primary prevention strategies.
Compilation of a Campus Hazing Transparency Report: Each institution must compile and publish on a prominent location of their public website a hazing transparency report that summarizes findings concerning any student organization found to be in violation of the institution’s standards of conduct related to hazing. The report will include: The name of the student organization; A general description of the violation that resulted in a finding of responsibility; and Related dates (the date of the alleged incident, the date of the initiation of the investigation, the date the investigation ended with a finding, and the date the institution provided notice to the organization of the finding).
When will implementation start?
The timeline for implementation is as follows: January 1, 2025: Institutions should begin collecting hazing statistics to include in the annual security report.
June 23, 2025: Hazing policies must be in place.
July 1, 2025: Institutions must have a process for documenting violations of the institution’s standards of conduct relating to hazing.
December 23, 2025: The Campus Hazing Transparency Report, which includes the violations that institutions begin documenting in July, must be publicly available. The Campus Hazing Transparency Report must be updated at least two times a year.
October 1, 2026: Hazing statistics will first be included in the 2026 annual security report (2025 statistics).
How can I start planning for these changes?Register for our three-part Stop Campus Hazing Act training series:February 26 - Session 1: Hazing as a Clery Act Crime Statistic
March 5 - Session 2: Hazing Prevention Programming Requirements
March 12 - Session 3:Campus Hazing Transparency Report
Review your process for notifying and training campus security authorities on their responsibilities, as well as forms or systems used for incident reporting. Plan to update these materials to include hazing.
Determine what hazing policies already exist on campus and whether they address hazing prevention and awareness.
Bring together roles that will be involved in implementation of these requirements (including conduct professionals, public safety, and prevention educators) to discuss what policies or procedures may need to be updated.
View Clery Center's and StopHazing's free webinar to learn more about the Stop Campus Hazing Act.
Stay tuned for more information about our training series launching this winter.
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Raw Deals in Higher Education
In a 2022 interview with Gary Stocker of College Vialbility App, we discussed the idea of bad deals in higher education. And as the College Meltdown advances, we expect many more bad deals to occur, both for institutions and consumers.
Already, in early 2025, we have seen documentation of the collapse of St. Augustine University, a 146-year old HBCU in North Carolina. We expect many more collapses and closures like this, and difficult mergers, to occur in the coming years. The immense greed we saw in for-profit higher education a decade ago we'll see in public and non-profit private education.
HEI will attempt to document these events not merely as news, but as part of a larger pattern of criminality in US higher education, not just at the institutional level, but at the state and federal level, and with predatory banks and other investors who are working on these deals behind the scenes. We also plan to explain how this predatory behavior damages communities. Communities with people.
HELU's Wall-to-Wall and Coast-to-Coast Report – January 2025
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)