Author Archives: Jeff Selingo

January 19, 2012, 12:29 pm

Online Course Provider, StraighterLine, to Offer Critical-Thinking Tests to Students

As alternatives to the college diploma have been bandied about recently, one question always seems to emerge: How do you validate badges or individual classes as a credential in the absence of a degree?

One company that has been hailed by some as revolutionizing introductory courses might have an answer.

The company, StraighterLine, announced on Thursday that beginning this fall it will offer students access to three leading critical-thinking tests, allowing them to take their results to employers or colleges to demonstrate their proficiency in certain academic areas.

The tests—the Collegiate Learning Assessment, sponsored by the Council for Aid to Education, and the Proficiency Profile, from the Educational Testing Service—each measure critical thinking and writing, among other academic areas. The iSkills test, also from ETS, measures the ability of a student to navigate an…

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October 24, 2007, 4:34 pm

Antipiracy Campaign Still Causing Confusion

By Jeff Selingo

Seattle— Months after the Recording Industry Association of America became more aggressive in its nationwide crackdown on sharing of music files on campuses, there’s still plenty of confusion about how colleges should handle the wave of “pre-litigation notices” the trade group is asking institutions to forward to offending students. The topic was the subject of a packed session here Wednesday at Educause 2007.

Kent Wada, director of IT policy at the University of California, who led the session, was surprised by the size of the crowd. “I was worried no one would come,” he told the group.

But judging by the questions during the 50-minute session, an entire conference could be held on the subject. About a quarter of the 100 or so people in the room, mostly CIO’s from colleges, said they have received the RIAA notices. Of those, only four said they did not forward the notices to…