Tag: Education

  • Welcome, WINNERS, to Prosperity U (opinion/satire)

    Welcome, WINNERS, to Prosperity U (opinion/satire)

    Dear Excepted Student,

    Congratulations on your admission to Prosperity University’s class of 2026. We’re going to get you in and out of here faster and more efficiently than any of those LOSER Colleges that look like total DUMPS. You’re going to love it here. We’ve got the Best campus, the most beautiful Campus, the likes of which you’ve never seen. People are saying it’s the most Luxurious educational facility in the history of education, maybe ever.

    Our professors? Top-notch people, very Smart people. Some of the smartest people in the world, actually. They know things other professors don’t know. They teach things other universities are afraid to teach, believe me. And guess what? Our provost is None other than Neon Mush! That’s right, the greatest BUSINESS GENIUS OF OUR TIME is running our academic operations. He’s going to send our education to Mars, LITERALLY to Mars!!!

    And let me tell you, we don’t do this Ridiculous “tenure” thing here. No way. That’s for crooked lazy professors. At Prosperity U, you perform or you’re fired! Simple as that. “Academic freedom”? Just another excuse for Woke Liberal Indoctrination!!!! OUR PROFESSORS TEACH WHAT WE TELL THEM TO TEACH and it’s beautiful, believe me.

    The curriculum at Prosperity is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. We don’t waste time with the Boring stuff, failing subjects like “science” or “medicine” or “math.” No one reads anymore, so you don’t even Need to buy books. Useless BS. We teach our students to make money. You want art? We do the Art of the Deal. WINNING!

    And let me tell you, you know, some very good people have been so discriminated against in this country. Very Good people. It’s terrible, just Terrible!! We just pick the best students, and if they happen to be the wealthy good-looking ones with great hair from the best Richest families with very big hands, which they Usually are, then that’s just how it is. That’s just how Winning works.

    We don’t have any failing students here. Zero. If you’re not WINNING, you’re not trying. Everyone at the U of P is a winner. That I can tell you. If students don’t fit in with our values? They’re fired! We don’t need whiners. You either get with the Program or you’re out, folks. We have no tolerance for losers or troublemakers.

    Let me tell you about our athletics program—it’s huge, just TREMENDOUS. We only play AMERICAN sports here, none of that soccer nonsense from shithole countries. Our football team? Undefeated. We’re winning bigly. Other schools are Terrified to play us, believe me. Nobody kneels during our national anthem, that I can Guarantee you. And we don’t have any of these women’s sports taking resources away from real sports. Title IX? Neon Mush is taking care of that. Our cheerleaders are the most Beautiful women you’ve ever seen, the most beautiful. Many people say they could be models. They love me. They’ll let you do anything to them!

    The tuition? It’s not Cheap, folks. Quality costs Money. But it’s worth every penny, every single penny. And when you graduate—which everyone does, because we fire them if they don’t show up, or sometimes, even if they do—we have a 100% graduation rate, huge crowds, biggest crowds you’ve ever seen, it’s amazing—you’ll be so successful. SO SUCCESSFUL! You’ll be tired of success.

    The other universities? Total Disasters. Sad! They’re Jealous of us, very jealous. But that’s OK. We’re making education great again, and they can’t stand it. The American people have lost faith in these liberal indoctrination camps they call “universities.” At Prosperity University, we teach Real skills for real Americans who want to stop this country from becoming a BUNCH of losers. NO SAFE SPACES HERE! No trigger warnings. We’re not afraid to pull triggers!

    Believe me, folks. Believe me.

    Sincerely,

    THE PRESIDENT

    Prosperity University

    Rachel Toor is a professor of creative writing at Eastern Washington University in Spokane and a contributing editor at Inside Higher Ed.

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  • Mentoring in an Era of Uncertainty for Higher Education

    Mentoring in an Era of Uncertainty for Higher Education

    More than half of college students believe professors should take on a mentoring role to support their career development, according to a 2024 Inside Higher Ed survey. And a 2023 report from the American Council on Education showed that informal and formal mentoring can broaden pathways to graduate education for students, particularly those from historically marginalized backgrounds.

    But few faculty members receive formal training on how to be an effective mentor while also balancing teaching, research and publishing responsibilities. That’s only getting more difficult as faculty navigate a changing—and increasingly uncertain—higher education landscape marked by intensifying political scrutiny, ever-shrinking budgets, increased workloads and fewer academic job prospects for their students.

    “The conditions for mentoring continue to deteriorate,” said Maria Wisdom, assistant vice provost for faculty advancement at Duke University. “At the same time, there’s never been a greater need for truly impactful mentoring, and I think there has never been a moment at which it’s clear that we need to learn to support people without having all the answers.”

    After a decade working as an English professor at Columbia College, Wisdom turned her focus to coaching early and midcareer faculty across disciplines. She also leads mentoring workshops for faculty looking to improve their mentorship of junior researchers, scholars and colleagues.

    Last month, she published How to Mentor Anyone in Academia (Princeton University Press), a practical guide aimed at demystifying what it means to be a mentor. Inside Higher Ed spoke with Wisdom about some of the advice she lays out in the book and how it may help mentors—and mentees—navigate the higher education sector’s uncertain future.

    This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

    Q: How did your experiences as a mentee and mentor shape your approach to mentoring?

    A: Looking back, the mentorship I received was only OK. Every now and then it was really helpful. But I can also think of multiple instances in my professional trajectory where things could have gone differently and better if I would have had more effective mentoring.

    Many years later, after I had left the professoriate, I was working at Duke—first as a graduate adviser and then as a certified coach, working first with grad students and then with faculty. It was through that professional training—which was a very different kind of training than what I received in my graduate education—that I was able to understand what it means to be a professional helper and how many different roles we can occupy when we’re professional helpers. And all of those roles overlap in some way with mentoring.

    That awareness helped me realize that the majority of faculty mentors just don’t have the time or bandwidth or resources to be thoughtful about those role distinctions and what it means to actually mentor somebody in a certain context at a certain time.

    Q: In the book you write about three different approaches to mentoring: mentoring with a heart, a backbone and like a coach. Can you describe the difference between those approaches and how mentors can employ all three?

    A: They’re all connected and they’re all important.

    All effective leaders need to have both backbone—which means firmness, rigor and consistency—and heart, which is empathy, understanding and kindness. A good leader balances these two things out at the same time, and rarely is a leader a natural in both areas.

    Maybe they aren’t good at giving feedback, don’t establish clear expectations at the outset of the relationship or don’t have a system of regular check-ins with their mentee. Those are all elements of backbone. Or maybe they’re not putting enough heart into it. They may set clear expectations and give regular feedback, but they’re kind of insensitive to the needs of the mentee, or they’re just not very empathetic, and so I think you need to have both.

    And that’s where coaching comes in. Coaching is a structured conversation, one in which you need to be fully present and empathetic. So that’s how I see coaching, marrying both aspects of backbone and heart.

    Q: What are some of the common misconceptions about what it takes to be an effective academic mentor? What does it take to be an effective mentor?

    A: There’s this prevailing assumption among many academics that mentoring is just something you naturally figure out how to do as you go along. Faculty either mentor the way they’ve been mentored, or they mentor in opposition to an ineffective way they were mentored. I also see too much of what I call mentor impostor syndrome in the academy, which is this faulty assumption that you can only mentor people in the same discipline as you or who follow the same career path as you.

    We tend to underestimate the power all of us have to be helpful to each other’s professional growth in ways that have nothing to do with disciplinary expertise. Those are things like active listening, cultivating empathy, basic coaching skills and doing more listening and active questioning than talking at somebody.

    We need to stop assuming that mentoring is something you’re born with and instead think of it as a set of skills, competencies and even an entire worldview that can help you be helpful to anyone. It’s not about pouring knowledge into an empty vessel. It’s about being a facilitator and creating the space to ask provocative questions that are going to help somebody remember just how talented and resourceful they are.

    Q: How does effective mentoring benefit students and higher education more broadly?

    A: Good mentorship is upending, to some extent, all these hierarchies we have in higher education, where professors are the fountain of all knowledge, holding all the power, and graduate students are more like apprentices or vessels to be filled with that knowledge. It’s charging mentees with a much greater responsibility for their own learning, growth and development.

    That may seem like a big burden to place on the shoulders of a mentee. But if a grad student learns during their degree program how to be reflective about their own professional needs, how to ask for help in a respectful and effective manner, and how to set clear goals and work toward them in small steps, they’re going to be set up for success for the rest of their career.

    Q: The higher education landscape is changing, with faculty jobs and funding becoming more scarce. How do these realities make mentoring more challenging?

    A: Often, people aren’t taking on mentoring roles because they simply feel like they don’t have enough time. Meetings are rushed, or maybe the mentor is distracted while mentees are in their office. And that’s just a microcosm of a larger deterioration of relationships across our society.

    Nobody in higher ed has the answers about what’s going to happen three months from now, let alone three years from now. But that doesn’t mean we just give up and stop supporting my junior faculty or my graduate students. We need to think about how we can help them learn and grow even in the midst of this type of environment. And that’s the kind of mentoring that my book is trying to encourage people to adopt.

    Q: How can mentors help students navigate the changing academic job market?

    A: In academia, we still tend to assume that not only are there academic jobs to be had, but that people will stay in the same career their entire 30- to 40-year career. For plenty of senior faculty, that has been their life experience, but we can’t assume anymore. Mentors aren’t doing their students any favors by preparing them for these linear, stable, nearly nonexistent career paths. Mentors need to think about how they can support people in being nimble and adaptable in the face of unpredictable change.

    We need to make our students comfortable with trying new things, taking risks, being proactive and building relationships. These are all things that will help them to weather change. Every now and then I’ll hear about a faculty member or adviser who didn’t want their student doing an internship because it had nothing to do with their dissertation and [would] make it take longer to finish the program; they see it as a distraction. But for some of those students, internships were the most valuable thing they did in graduate school, because it led directly to their first nonacademic job after graduation.

    Q: How can mentors support themselves and each other in trying to improve mentoring?

    A: Improving mentoring can’t just happen by improving one relationship at a time. We need to think about how to build cultures that support excellent, effective mentoring. Too often, mentoring is still practiced in isolation and faculty are shy to talk publicly about their mentoring experiences. That’s kind of silly, because I think you could have many faculty members in a single program all dealing with the same mentoring challenges. But because they never sit down to compare notes, they don’t even realize it.

    I talk in the book about the importance of chairs and associate deans normalizing conversations about faculty mentoring. Faculty members should ask themselves when the last time faculty, graduate student mentoring or new faculty mentoring was on the agenda over the past year.

    These conversations are rarely happening. There’s a need for mentoring mentors. And very often, they are your peers or somebody you consider a professional mentor. There’s a lot of strength in learning to build these informal networks of support.

    Mentor burnout is also a big problem. If you’re trying to mentor somebody and you’re showing up with dark circles under your eyes at every meeting, your mentee is going to assume that’s necessary for success in the academy. Faculty need to model wellness and self-care, not just in mentoring, but in just about every area of their lives.

    Q: Does your book offer any advice for mentees?

    A: Yes. This book actually grew out of a course that I taught for graduate students, which addressed how to get the most out of mentoring relationships.

    Most graduate students haven’t had the opportunity or the luxury to sit and think about what a good mentor is or how they’ll advocate to get better mentoring. At the end of every chapter, I have a little section called takeaways for mentees, including one section on how to accept and use feedback. There’s also another on how to build an informal mentoring network if you’re not getting enough from your formal mentors.

    I wrote this book for mentees as well as mentors.

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  • How Colleges Can Increase Transfer Student Success

    How Colleges Can Increase Transfer Student Success

    Upward transfer from a community college to a four-year bachelor’s degree–granting institution is a complicated process that leaves many students behind—particularly those from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

    Last month, the Community College Research Center at Columbia University’s Teachers College and the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program published the second edition of the Transfer Playbook, a guidebook for colleges and universities seeking to eliminate barriers to transfer and increase the number of students who start at a community college and complete a bachelor’s degree.

    The report details how colleges and universities can implement three evidence-based strategies that improve transfer and includes examples of institutions that are successful in this work.

    By the numbers: Previous surveys have shown that a majority (80 percent) of community college students aspire to a bachelor’s degree, but only 16 percent earn a bachelor’s degree within six years of starting college.

    Transfer rates are even lower for some student groups, including those from low-income backgrounds, adult learners and Black and Hispanic students, according to the report.

    With the cost of higher education climbing, many students consider community college an affordable route to a postsecondary credential. However, little progress has been made over the past decade in increasing transfer rates from two-year to four-year institutions, according to the report’s authors.

    “Transfer and bachelor’s attainment rates for students who start in community colleges have remained virtually unchanged since we started tracking transfer in 2015,” they write.

    The playbook identifies colleges and universities that have achieved better outcomes for various groups using some of the recommended practices. None of the institutions or partnerships exhibited all the practices. “However, we hypothesize that by combining the exemplars’ efforts into a comprehensive, idealized framework, higher education leaders and practitioners can adapt it to meet their students’ needs and achieve strong outcomes for all—and at scale,” the report says.

    Put into practice: Researchers identified a few consistent themes that set innovative institutions apart, which include:

    • Leveraging proximity. Research shows students are more likely to enroll in college based on proximity, so creating local pathways between community colleges and four-year universities can support students who want to stay in the region.
    • Providing empathy in high-stakes decisions. Missteps in course, major or transfer destination selection can have financial and opportunity costs for a student, which can impede their attainment or push them to stop out entirely. Effective colleges offer personalized support through staff or create tools that provide guidance in a timely manner.
    • Establishing universal systems and initiatives. Some programs provide strong outcomes for historically underrepresented groups but are not large enough to reach students at scale. Exemplars instead use these programs as pilots to test effective measures and then scale them.
    • Achieving support from leaders. Grassroots efforts can help move the needle, but recognition, elevation and investment by senior leadership allow work to scale in sustained ways, regardless of staffing turnover.

    According to the report, the most effective strategies for creating sustainable transfer student success at scale are:

    • Prioritizing transfer at the executive level. A key driver in systemwide change was community college and four-year presidents who understand the central role of transfer student success in their respective institutional missions and business goals. This top-down approach allows for allocation of resources, division mobilization and partnerships across colleges, which often benefit the local community and workforce. This also allows for end-to-end redesign of the transfer student experience, and establishment of systems and processes.
    • Aligning programs and pathways. Colleges that create and regularly update term-by-term, four-year maps for each degree program can promote learning and ensure students are making significant progress toward a bachelor’s degree, such as completing college-level math and English and major-related courses. These maps should also prioritize accessibility and flexibility, understanding that student needs and priorities may shift and the way they complete courses may change. Some students may need exploratory curricula to help them identify their educational and career goals, so embedding this instruction early is also paramount.
    • Tailoring advising and nonacademic supports. “Research indicates that about half of the community college students nationally who intend to transfer do not access transfer services,” the report says. Instead, institutions should put in place inevitable advising, engaging transfer students before, during and after their transition to a university. Advisers should receive professional development and training that centers the student experience and equips them to engage with individual students and their respective circumstances. Once students land at their four-year institution, creating systems and supports that uplift the transfer experience and inspire feelings of belonging is also critical.

    Researchers call out a variety of campuses for their work, including George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College’s ADVANCE program, Tallahassee State College’s transfer pathway work, and Arizona Western College and North Arizona University’s strategy to increase bachelor’s attainment in their two-county region.

    Seeking stories from campus leaders, faculty members and staff for our Student Success focus. Share here.

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  • DHS Threatens Harvard With Loss of International Students

    DHS Threatens Harvard With Loss of International Students

    The Department of Homeland Security canceled $2.7 million in grants going to Harvard University Wednesday night and threatened to terminate its Student and Visitor Exchange Program certification, which would bar the private Massachusetts institution from enrolling international students.

    DHS’s threats came shortly after Harvard rebuffed the Trump’s administration’s demands to overhaul governance, admissions, hiring processes and more amid allegations of antisemitism and harassment tied to pro-Palestinian protests last spring. Although the Trump administration has opened a civil rights investigation into antisemitism at Harvard, that inquiry remains in process.

    Even so, the federal government has already moved to punish the university.

    The Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in research grants after Harvard rejected its initial demands, and the Internal Revenue Service is reportedly taking aim at its tax-exempt status. Now SEVP certification appears to be in the Trump administration’s crosshairs as well.

    “Harvard bending the knee to antisemitism—driven by its spineless leadership—fuels a cesspool of extremist riots and threatens our national security,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a Thursday statement. “With anti-American, pro-Hamas ideology poisoning its campus and classrooms, Harvard’s position as a top institution of higher learning is a distant memory. America demands more from universities entrusted with taxpayer dollars.”

    DHS demanded the university provide “detailed records on Harvard’s foreign student visa holders’ illegal and violent activities by April 30” or lose SEVP certification. The demand comes as the federal government has revoked visas for international students across the U.S., in some cases for political speech. (Inside Higher Ed has tracked more than 1,450 visa revocations.)

    Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton emphasized the need for due process in federal actions.

    “Harvard values the rule of law and expects all members of our community to comply with University policies and applicable legal standards,” Newton wrote. “If federal action is taken against a member of our community, we expect it will be based on clear evidence, follow established legal procedures, and respect the constitutional rights afforded to all individuals.”

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  • Judge Blocks Energy Dept. Plan to Cap Indirect Cost Rates

    Judge Blocks Energy Dept. Plan to Cap Indirect Cost Rates

    A federal judge temporarily blocked the U.S. Department of Energy’s plan to cap universities’ indirect research cost reimbursement rates, pending a hearing in the ongoing lawsuit filed by several higher education associations and universities.

    Judge Allison D. Burroughs of the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts wrote in the brief Wednesday order that the plaintiffs had shown that, without a temporary restraining order, “they will sustain immediate and irreparable injury before there is an opportunity to hear from all parties.”

    Plaintiffs include the Association of American Universities, the American Council on Education, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and nine individual universities, including Brown, Cornell and Princeton Universities and the Universities of Michigan, Illinois and Rochester. They sued the DOE and department secretary Chris Wright on Monday, three days after the DOE announced its plan.

    Department spokespeople didn’t return Inside Higher Ed’s requests for comment Thursday afternoon.

    DOE’s plan is to cap the reimbursement rates at 15 percent. Energy grant recipients at colleges and universities currently have an average 30 percent indirect cost rate. The Trump administration has alleged that indirect costs are wasteful spending, although they are extensively audited.

    The DOE sends more than $2.5 billion a year to over 300 colleges and universities. Part of that money covers costs indirectly related to research that may support multiple grant-funded projects, including specialized nuclear-rated facilities, computer systems and administrative support costs.

    The department’s plan is nearly identical to a plan the National Institutes of Health announced in February, which a judge also blocked.

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  • Southwest Wisconsin Tech Wins Aspen Prize

    Southwest Wisconsin Tech Wins Aspen Prize

    The Aspen Institute announced Thursday that Southwest Wisconsin Technical College has won this year’s Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, an honor bestowed on high-achieving community colleges that have made strides in their academic outcomes.

    The Aspen Institute commended the college for its high completion rates and wage outcomes. Southwest Wisconsin Tech’s 54 percent graduation rate exceeds the national average for community colleges by nearly 20 percentage points. The college also set a goal to reach 70 percent through various strategies, including creating career-aligned success plans for every student. Additionally, five years after graduation, alumni of Southwest Wisconsin Tech earn almost $14,000 more than new hires in the region on average.

    “Southwest Wisconsin Technical College inspires the field with how they connect every program to a good-paying job that regional employers need to fill,” Aspen Prize co-chair Tim O’Shaughnessy, CEO of Graham Holdings Company, said in a news release. “Their emphasis on work-based learning and hands-on training in every program shows how an engaging, high-quality education can change lives while strengthening a regional economy.”

    The college won $700,000 as a part of the prize. Two other institutions were recognized as finalists with distinction—San Jacinto College in Texas and South Puget Sound Community College in Washington State—for their transfer and workforce practices. Wallace State Community College–Hanceville in Alabama also earned Aspen’s Rising Star award for meaningful improvements in its student outcomes. These institutions will each receive $100,000.

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  • Two Killed and Seven, Including Suspect, Injured in FSU Shooting

    Two Killed and Seven, Including Suspect, Injured in FSU Shooting

    One suspect has been taken into custody after a shooting that left two victims dead and six injured at Florida State University’s student union on Thursday, law enforcement officials said in a press briefing.

    The suspect, who was identified as Phoenix Ikner, a 20-year-old FSU student and the son of a school resource deputy with the Leon County Sheriff’s Department, has also been hospitalized. He was shot by police after he “did not comply with commands,” according to Tallahassee Police Department chief Lawrence E. Revell.

    The two deceased victims were not students, Revell said, but he couldn’t share any other information about the victims’ identities.

    FSU president Richard McCullough called this a “tragic day for Florida State University” at the briefing.

    “We’re working to support the victims, the families and everyone affected,” he said.

    FSU students and employees received an emergency notification at 12:02 p.m. to shelter in place due to an active shooter near the campus’s student union. According to Revell, FSU campus police arrived on the scene “almost immediately” after the shooting began just before noon. Other local law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Jacksonville field office and its Tallahassee suboffice, were involved in the response to the shooting. The Tallahassee police will lead the investigation.

    Over three hours later, police notified the campus that they had “neutralized the threat” but asked the public to continue avoiding the student union and the surrounding area. Students were advised to remain indoors except to walk to their dorms or the designated reunification point.

    Revell said the handgun Ikner used was his mother’s former service weapon. The suspect also had a shotgun with him, Revell said, but it was unclear if he had used it. Revell said the police did not yet know of any motive for the shooting and that Ikner had invoked his right not to speak with police.

    At the press briefing, McCullough said he had just returned from visiting the victims in the hospital.

    “Right now our top priority is safety and well-being for all the people on our campus,” he said.

    One FSU junior, McKenzie Heeter, told NBC that the assailant shot at her with what she thought was a rifle as she was exiting the student union with her lunch just before noon, but he missed. He then returned to his car and retrieved a handgun and shot another individual, at which point Heeter began running away from the student union and back to her apartment.

    “It was just me and like three other people that noticed at first, but we were walking in the opposite direction away from the union, so we started running. I just told everybody that I could see, stay away from campus,” she told NBC.

    Another group of about 40 individuals avoided the shooter by locking themselves in a bowling alley in the student union’s basement, The Tallahassee Democrat reported.

    Classes at FSU are canceled through Friday, and athletic events are canceled through the end of the weekend.

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  • The future of IT education: beyond lectures and into the real world

    The future of IT education: beyond lectures and into the real world

    Technology is evolving faster than ever. AI is reshaping entire industries, cybersecurity threats grow more sophisticated by the day, and software engineering is no longer just about coding – it’s about solving real-world problems through innovation.

    That’s why IT education must go beyond code and empower students to create real-world solutions that drive change.

    For too long, many universities have relied on large lecture halls, theoretical coursework, and outdated curricula that struggle to keep pace with technological developments and industry needs. Meanwhile, employers are looking for graduates who think critically, adapt quickly, work hands-on and integrate the latest technology into reshaped businesses.

    The Rise of hands-on IT education: active learning on real-world challenges with expert mentorship

    Gen Z grew up with digital technology. They don’t just want to hear about AI, cybersecurity, and software engineering in a lecture – they want to learn actively, create, test, and innovate with it. The most forward-thinking IT programs today focus on:

    • Active learning and mentorship: Personalised learning in small classes, direct interaction with industry professionals, and collaborative problem-solving are replacing traditional, passive learning models.
    • Industry partnerships: Universities that integrate real-world projects, internships, and company partnerships help students gain experience that translates directly into job opportunities.
    • Agile learning environments: Rapid technological change requires adaptable curricula that evolve alongside industry advancements, rather than relying on fixed, multi-year course structures.
    • Innovation hubs and labs: The best IT programs provide students with access to the newest technologies, collaborative spaces, and the freedom to experiment, fail, and innovate.

    The innovation imperative in IT education

    Innovation isn’t just about new technology – it’s about curiosity and social networks. The world’s biggest breakthroughs come from those who know how to challenge the status quo, think creatively, leverage insights from other disciplines and turn own ideas into reality. Yet, many traditional IT programs still focus on passive learning, where students memorize theories instead of actively tackling and solving problems.

    Gen Z grew up with digital technology. They don’t just want to hear about AI, cybersecurity, and software engineering in a lecture – they want to learn actively, create, test, and innovate with it

    Tomorrow’s tech leaders need more than just knowledge – they need environments where they can experiment, fail, and iterate. That’s why forward-thinking universities are integrating IT meetups, startup incubators, and transdisciplinary collaboration into their ecosystem. Students don’t just work on assignments; they tackle real-world challenges alongside industry mentors.

    These shifts are essential. The coming generation of IT professionals won’t just apply technology; they’ll redefine it.

    The future of IT education: where innovation meets industry

    The next wave of IT education also needs to prepare students to lead in a constantly changing field. This means more interdisciplinary programs where AI, cybersecurity, and software engineering overlap. It means moving beyond tests and grades to portfolios of real-world projects. By partnering with industry leaders, educational institutions ensure a relevant curriculum, aligned with real-world needs.

    Universities that embrace this hands-on, innovation-driven approach will lead the way and shape the next generation of digital leaders.

    A new kind of IT university

    At the Munich University of Digital Technologies (MUDT), we are building an institution that embodies this future – where small classes, hands-on industry projects, and innovation-driven learning come together to create an unparalleled educational experience. Our students won’t just graduate with a degree; they’ll graduate with experience, connections, and the ability to turn ideas into impact.

    The next era of IT education is here. The question is: Are you ready for it?

    About the author: Univ. Prof. Prof.h.c. Dipl.-Ing. Dietmar Wiegand is the Rector of the Munich University of Digital Technologies (MUDT), where he leads the university’s strategic initiatives in advancing digital education. With extensive experience in engineering and management of IT projects, Prof. Wiegand has a strong academic and professional background, having led numerous research and development projects and academic initiatives. His expertise in fostering innovation and sustainability is central to MUDT’s mission to prepare the next generation of digital leaders in an evolving technological landscape.

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  • Innovation Without Borders: Galileo’s Networked Approach to Better Higher Education System

    Innovation Without Borders: Galileo’s Networked Approach to Better Higher Education System

    One of the biggest, but least remarked upon trends in European higher education in recent years is the growth of private for-profit, higher education. Even in countries where tuition is free, there are hundreds of thousands of students who now prefer to take courses at private for-profit institutions.

    To me, the question is, why? What sort of institutions are these anyway? Interestingly, the answer to that second question is one which might confuse my mostly North American audience. Turns out a lot of these private institutions are relatively small, bespoke institutions with very narrow academic specializations. And yet they’re owned by a few very large international conglomerate universities. That’s very different from North America, where institutions tend to be either small and bespoke, or part of a large corporation, but not both.

    Today my guest is Nicolas Badré. He’s the Chief Operating Officer of the Galileo Group, which operates a number of universities across Europe. I met him a few months ago at an OECD event in Jakarta. When I heard about some of Galileo’s initiatives, I knew I’d have to have him on the show. 

    There are three things which I think are most important about this interview. First is the discussion about Galileo’s business model and how it achieves economies of scale across such different types of institutions. Second, there’s how the network goes about collectively learning across all its various institutions. And third, specifically how it’s choosing to experiment with AI across a number of institutions and apply the lessons more globally. 

    Overall, it’s a fascinating chat. I hope you enjoy it too. But now, let’s turn things over to Nicolas.


    The World of Higher Education Podcast
    Episode 3.27 | Innovation Without Borders: Galileo’s Networked Approach to Better Higher Education System

    Transcript

    Alex Usher (AU): Nicolas, Galileo Global Education has grown significantly over the years. I think the group is, if I’m not mistaken, 13 or 14 years old now. Some of the universities it owns might be a bit older, but can you walk us through the origins of the group? How did you grow to be as big as you are? I think you’ve got dozens of institutions in dozens of countries—how did that growth happen so quickly?

    Nicolas Badré (NB): Thank you, Alex, for the question. It’s an interesting story. And yes, to your point, the group was created 13 and a half years ago, with an investment by Providence Equity Partners into Istituto Marangoni, a fashion school in Italy. That dates back to 2011. Since then, we’ve made 30 acquisitions.

    The growth started primarily in Europe, especially in France and Germany. Then, in 2014, we took our first steps outside of Europe with the acquisition of IEU in Mexico. Significant moves followed in 2018 and 2019, particularly into the online learning space with Studi in France and AKAD in Germany.

    There’s been a very rapid acceleration over the past five years. For context, I joined the group at the end of 2019. At that time, Galileo had 67,000 students across nine countries. Today, we have 300,000 students in 20 countries.

    Back then, the group was primarily focused on arts and creative schools, as well as business and management schools. Now, we’ve expanded into tech and health, and even into some professional training areas—like truck driving, for instance.

    What does this reflect? Two things. First, very strong organic growth from our existing schools and brands. Take ESG in France as an example. It’s been around for 40 years and is a well-known entry-level business school. Over the past five years, it’s diversified considerably creating ESG Luxury, ESG Tourism, you name it. It’s also expanded its physical presence from just a few cities to now being in 15 or 16 cities across France.

    So it’s really been a combination of strong organic growth and selective acquisitions that have helped us more than quadruple our student numbers in just five years.

    AU: It’s interesting— I think a lot of our listeners and viewers might be surprised to hear about such a strong for-profit institution coming out of France. When you think of French higher education, you think of the Grandes Écoles, you think of free education. So why would so many people choose to pay for education when they don’t have to? It’s a pretty strong trend in France now. I think over 26% of all students in France are in some form of private higher education. What do you offer that makes people willing to give up “free”?

    NB: It’s a good question, and you’re right—it’s not just about France. In many places across Europe, including Germany, the Nordics, and others, you see similar dynamics.

    That said, yes, in France in particular, there’s been a growing share of private players in higher education over the past few years. That probably reflects the private sector’s greater ability to adapt to new environments.

    I’d highlight three main factors that help explain why we’ve been successful in this space.

    First, we’re obsessed with employability and skills-based education. And that’s true across all levels and backgrounds. When we worked on our group mission statement, everyone agreed that our mission is to “unleash the potential of everyone for better employability.” 

    Because of that focus, we maintain very strong ties with industry. That gives us the ability to adapt, create, and update our programs very quickly in response to emerging demands. We know competencies become obsolete faster now, so staying aligned with job market needs is critical. That’s probably the strongest unifying driver across all of Galileo.

    Beyond that, we also offer very unique programs. Take Noroff, for example—a tech school in Norway, which is even more tuition-free than France. It’s one of the very few fee-paying institutions in the country. But the program is so strong that students are willing to pay around 15,000 euros a year because they know they’ll get a top-tier, hands-on experience—something that might be slower to evolve in the public system.

    So that’s the first point: employability and unique, high-impact programs.

    Second, we put a strong emphasis on the student experience. How do we transform their education beyond just delivering content? That’s an area we continue to invest in—never enough, but always pushing. We’re focused on hybridizing disciplines, geographies, and pedagogical approaches.

    And we’ve systematized student feedback—not just asking for opinions, but making sure we translate that feedback into tangible improvements in the student experience.

    And third, I’d say there’s a values-based dimension to all of this. We focus heavily on innovation, entrepreneurship, and high standards. Those are the core values that we’re driven by. You could say they’re our obsessions—and I think that kind of vision and energy resonates with our students. Those are the three main things I’d point to.

    AU: I have a question about how you make things work across such a diverse set of institutions. I mean, you’ve got design schools, drama schools, law schools, medical schools. When people think about private education, there’s often an assumption that there’s some kind of economies of scale in terms of curriculum. The idea that you can reuse curriculum across different places. But my impression is that you can’t do that very much. It seems like you’re managing all these different institutions, each of them like their own boutique operation, with their own specific costs. How do you make it work across a system as large and diverse as yours? Where are the economies of scale?

    NB: Well, that’s also a very good point—and you’re absolutely right. We have a very diverse network of schools. We have a culinary arts school in Bordeaux, France, with maybe 400 students, and we have universities with more than 10,000 students, whether in medical or business education.

    So yes, you might wonder: why put these institutions together?

    The answer is that we really built the group’s development around the entrepreneurial DNA of our school directors. They’re responsible for their own development—for their growth, diversification, and how they respond to the job market.

    We’re not obsessed with economies of scale. What we really value is the network itself. What we focus on is shared methodology—in areas like sales and marketing, finance, HR, and student experience.

    There are also some opportunities for synergies in systems. In some cases, for instance, yes—we use a similar CRM across several countries. But I think the real value of the network lies in its ability to share experiences and experiment with innovation throughout, and then scale up those innovations appropriately across the other schools.

    So I’d say it’s more about shared practices than about forcing economies of scale across borders—because that doesn’t always make sense.

    AU: Am I correct in thinking that you don’t necessarily present yourself as a chain of institutions to students? That each institution actually has a pretty strong identity in and of itself—is that right? Is there a fair bit of autonomy and ability to adapt things locally at each of your schools?

    NB: Yes, I think that’s true. In terms of branding, we believe that each of our schools generally has a stronger brand than Galileo itself. And that’s how it should be, because each school has its own experience, its own DNA, its own momentum and development.

    So, we see ourselves more as a platform that supports the development of all these schools, rather than a chain imposing the same standards and practices across the board.

    Of course, we do have certain methodologies—for example, how to run a commercial campaign. We provide guidance, but it’s ultimately up to each school to manage that process and use the methodology in a way that works best for their own development.

    That doesn’t mean there’s no value in having the Galileo name—there is. But the value is in being a platform that supports the schools, rather than overshadowing them.

    AU: Nicolas, I know Galileo is testing a lot of AI-driven approaches across its various institutions. What I found interesting in a discussion we had offline a few weeks ago is that you’re experimenting with AI in different parts of the institution—some of it around curriculum, some around administration, and some around student services. Can you give us an overview? What exactly are you testing, and what are the goals of these experiments?

    NB: I think we first need to frame how we’re using AI, and it’s important to look at our strategy globally. We believe there are three major trends shaping higher education.

    First, student expectations are evolving quickly—they’re demanding more flexibility and personalization. Second, there’s a rapid emergence of new competencies, which challenges our ability to adapt and update programs quickly. And third, we need to go beyond boundaries and be agile in how we approach topics, address new skills, and serve diverse learners. These are the three starting points we see as opportunities for Galileo to differentiate itself. Now, we’re not trying to become a leading AI company. Our goal remains to be a recognized leader in education—improving employability and lives. That’s our benchmark.

    With that in mind, our AI vision is focused on four areas:

    1. How do we deliver a unique experience to our students?
    2. How do we connect educators globally who are trained in and comfortable with AI?
    3. How do we develop content that can be adapted, localized, translated, and personalized?
    4. And how do we improve operational productivity?

    AI is clearly a powerful tool in all four areas. Let me walk through some of the things we’re doing. 

    The first area we call AI for Content. We’re using AI to more quickly identify the competencies required by the job market. We use tools that give us a more immediate connection to the market to understand what skills are in demand. Based on that, we design programs that better align with those needs.

    Then the next step is about course and content creation. Once we’ve defined the competencies, how do we design the courses, the pedagogical materials? How do we make it easier to localize and adapt that content?

    Take Studi, an online university in France with 67,000 students and around 150 different programs. A year ago, it would take them about four months to design a bachelor’s or master’s program. Now, it takes one to two months, depending on the specifics. The cost has been cut in half, and development speed has increased by a factor of two, three, even four in some cases. This also opens up opportunities to make programs more personalized because we can update them much faster. 

    The second area is AI for Experience. How do we use AI to enhance the student experience?

    We’ve embedded AI features in our LMS to personalize quizzes, generate mind maps, and create interactive sessions during classes. We’ve also adapted assessments. For example, in Germany, for the past two years, our online university AKAD has let students choose their own exam dates. That’s based on an AI approach that generates personalized assessments while staying within the requirements of German accreditation bodies. This wouldn’t be possible without AI. The result is higher engagement, faster feedback, and a more personalized learning experience.

    Lastly, beyond content and experience, we’re seeing real gains in AI for Operations. In sales and marketing, for example, we now use bots in Italy and Latin America to re-engage “dead” leads—contacting them again, setting up meetings, and redirecting them through the admissions funnel. It’s proven quite efficient, and we’re looking to expand that approach to other schools.

    We’re also seeing strong results in tutoring. Take Corndel, a large UK-based school focused on apprenticeships. They’re using AI tools extensively to improve student tracking, tutoring, and weekly progress monitoring.

    So, we’re seeing a lot of momentum across all these dimensions—and it’s really picked up speed over the last 18 months.

    AU: So, you’ve got a network of institutions, which gives you a lot of little laboratories to experiment with—to try different things. How do you identify best practices? And then how do you scale them across your network?

    NB: Well, first of all, we have lots of different pilots. As you’ve understood, we’re quite decentralized, so we don’t have a central innovation team of 50 people imposing innovations across all our schools.

    It’s more about scouting and sharing experiences from one school to another. It’s a combination of networks where people share what they’re learning.

    Just to name a few, we have a Digital Learning Community—that’s made up of all the people involved in LMS design across our schools. They exchange a lot of insights and experiences.

    We also hold regular touchpoints to present what’s happening in AI for content, AI for experience, and AI for operations. We’ve created some shared training paths for schools as well. So there are a lot of initiatives aimed at maximizing sharing, rather than imposing anything top-down. Again, as you pointed out, the schools are extremely diverse—in terms of regulations, size, content, and disciplines. So there’s no universal recipe.

    That said, in some cases it’s more about developing a methodology. For example, how do you design and implement a pedagogical chatbot? The experiments we’re running now are very promising for future scale-up, because we’re learning a lot from these developments.

    AU: I know that, in a sense, you’ve institutionalized the notion of innovation within the system. I think you’ve recently launched a new master’s program specifically focused on this question—on how to innovate in education systems. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

    NB: Yeah, I’m super excited to talk about this, because it’s where I’m focusing most of my energy these days.

    We’ve been working on this project for a year with four Galileo institutions. It’s called Copernia, and the name, like Galileo, is intentional—these are people who changed perspectives. That’s exactly what we want to do: change the perspective on education and truly put the student at the center.

    Copernia started the initiative, Galileo confirmed it, and it’s no coincidence we’re focusing on this.

    The first program we’re launching under Copernia is a Master of Innovation and Technology for Education. The idea is to bring together and leverage expertise from several fields: neurocognitive science, tech, AI and data, educational sciences, innovation, design, and management. The goal is to offer students a unique experience where they not only learn about innovation—but also learn to develop and apply it.

    One of the major assets we want to leverage is the Galileo network. With over 120 campuses, we can offer students real, hands-on opportunities to experiment and innovate. So the value proposition is: if you want to design and test educational innovation, we’ll give you the tools, the foundational knowledge, and, most importantly, the chance to apply that in practice—within our network, with our partners, and with other institutions.

    The goal is to help the whole ecosystem benefit—not just from Galileo’s environment, but also from the contributions of tech partners, academic collaborators, and business partners around the world. I’m convinced this will be a major tool to develop, share, and scale practical, applied innovation.

    And importantly, this isn’t meant to be just an internal initiative for Galileo. It’s designed to be open. We want to train people who can help transform education—not only in higher education, but also in K–12 and lifelong learning. Because we believe this kind of cross-disciplinary expertise and hands-on innovation experience is valuable across the entire education sector.

    AU: I’m really impressed with the scale and speed at which you’re able to experiment. But it did make me wonder—why can’t public higher education systems do the same? I mean, if I think about French universities, there are 70 or 80 in the public system—though it’s hard to keep track because they keep merging. But theoretically, they could do this too, couldn’t they? It’s a moderately centralized system, and there’s no reason institutions couldn’t collaborate in ways that let them identify useful innovations—rolling them out at different speeds in different areas, depending on what works. Why can’t the public sector innovate like that?

    NB: First of all, I wouldn’t make a sweeping judgment on this. I think there is innovation happening everywhere—including within public institutions. So I wouldn’t describe it in black-and-white terms.

    That said, it’s true that as a private organization, we face a certain kind of pressure. We need to prove that we operate a sustainable model—and we need to prove that every month. In other words, we rely on ourselves to develop, to test, and to optimize how we grow. 

    The second is that we have an asset in being able to test and learn in very different environments. Take the example I mentioned earlier, about Germany and the anytime online assessments. We were able to implement that model there because it was online and because the regulatory environment allowed it.

    Now, when we approach accreditation bodies in other countries, we can say: “Look, it works. It’s already accepted elsewhere. Why not consider it here?” That ability to move between different contexts—academic and professional, vocational and executive—is really valuable. It allows us to promote solutions that cross traditional boundaries.

    That’s not something all public universities can do—and frankly, not something all universities can do, period. But it’s an advantage we’ve built over the past several years by creating this large field for experimentation.

    AU: Nicolas, thank you so much for being with us today.

    NB: Alex, thank you very much. It’s been a pleasure.

    AU: It just remains for me to thank our excellent producers, Tiffany MacLennan and Sam Pufek, and to thank you—our viewers, listeners, and readers—for joining us. If you have any questions about today’s podcast, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at podcast@higheredstrategy.com. And don’t forget—never miss an episode of The World of Higher Education Podcast. Head over to YouTube and subscribe to our channel. Join us next week when our guest will be Noel Baldwin, CEO of the Future Skills Centre here in Canada. He’ll be joining us to talk about the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies. See you then.

    *This podcast transcript was generated using an AI transcription service with limited editing. Please forgive any errors made through this service. Please note, the views and opinions expressed in each episode are those of the individual contributors, and do not necessarily reflect those of the podcast host and team, or our sponsors.

    This episode is sponsored by Studiosity. Student success, at scale – with an evidence-based ROI of 4.4x return for universities and colleges. Because Studiosity is AI for Learning — not corrections – to develop critical thinking, agency, and retention — empowering educators with learning insight. For future-ready graduates — and for future-ready institutions. Learn more at studiosity.com.

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  • The power of online courses in our school

    The power of online courses in our school

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