ESL Lesson: Tenses (Part 2)

This blog entry is more about tenses in English. The verbs showed here in Lesson 1 are actually the exceptions. Most verbs are formed around certain rules based on tense and how they are spelled.

Consider the following verbs:
Play
In the present tense:
For plural nouns and pronouns (they/we/you/etc.) and “I”, the verb is play.
For singular nouns and pronouns (he/she/it), the verb is plays.
In the past tense, add -ed:
For plural nouns and pronouns (they/we/you/etc.), the verb is played.
For singular nouns and pronouns (he/she/it), the verb is played.
In the future tense, add the word will:
For plural nouns and pronouns (they/we/you/etc.), the verb is will play.
For singular nouns and pronouns (he/she/it), the verb is will play.
Clean
In the present tense:
For plural nouns and pronouns (they/we/you/etc.) and “I”, the verb is clean.
For singular nouns and pronouns (he/she/it), the verb is cleans.
In the past tense, add -ed:
For plural nouns and pronouns (they/we/you/etc.), the verb is cleaned.
For singular nouns and pronouns (he/she/it), the verb is cleaned.
In the future tense, add the word will:
For plural nouns and pronouns (they/we/you/etc.), the verb is will clean.
For singular nouns and pronouns (he/she/it), the verb is will clean.
Walk
In the present tense:
For plural nouns and pronouns (they/we/you/etc.) and “I”, the verb is walk.
For singular nouns and pronouns (he/she/it), the verb is walks.
In the past tense, add -ed:
For plural nouns and pronouns (they/we/you/etc.), the verb is walked.
For singular nouns and pronouns (he/she/it), the verb is walked.
In the future tense, add the word will:
For plural nouns and pronouns (they/we/you/etc.), the verb is will walk.
For singular nouns and pronouns (he/she/it), the verb is will walk
Try
In the present tense:
For plural nouns and pronouns (they/we/you/etc.) and “I”, the verb is try.
For singular nouns and pronouns (he/she/it), the verb is tries.
In the past tense, drop the y and add -ied:
For plural nouns and pronouns (they/we/you/etc.), the verb is tried.
For singular nouns and pronouns (he/she/it), the verb is tried.
In the future tense, add the word will:
For plural nouns and pronouns (they/we/you/etc.), the verb is will try.
For singular nouns and pronouns (he/she/it), the verb is will try.
Cry
In the present tense:
For plural nouns and pronouns (they/we/you/etc.) and “I”, the verb is cry.
For singular nouns and pronouns (he/she/it), the verb is cries.
In the past tense, drop the y and add -ied:
For plural nouns and pronouns (they/we/you/etc.), the verb is cried.
For singular nouns and pronouns (he/she/it), the verb is cried.
In the future tense, add the word will:
For plural nouns and pronouns (they/we/you/etc.), the verb is will cry.
For singular nouns and pronouns (he/she/it), the verb is will cry.

Do you have any questions or comments about this or any other ESL subject? Leave them in the comment section and we will answer them. Stay tuned for more free advice on this and other subjects as well as promotions and news! If you want individual tutoring and help in learning English, contact Kingston University USA today!!

If you want individual tutoring and help in learning English, contact Kingston University USA today!!

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Ginger Software Raises $6.3M For Its ESL Writing Tools

This article from Tech Crunch is about a software company investing in new ESL technology.

Ginger Software, the makers of contextual grammar and spell-checking tools, announced today that it has raised $6.3 million in series D financing, led by Israeli investment firm, Vaizra Ventures. Founded in 2007, Ginger has raised $15 million to date from investors which include serial entrepreneur and Lightspeed partner, Yoni Hefetz, and well-known Israeli angel investor Zohar Gilon, who has funded companies like Radvision, Ceragon Networks, Metalink, Radware, and Outbrain. As a result of its new investment, Shlomo Kalish of Vaizra will be joining the startup’s board.

School District Embarks On Widespread iPad Program To Close Digital Divide

This article by Christopher Sherman of the Huffington Post discusses educational technology involving the iPad. Here is an excerpt:

A Texas school district is trying to close its digital divide by distributing thousands of Apple tablet computers in a move that could make it the largest iPads program for students in the nation.

McAllen Independent School District in the southern part of the state began distributing 6,800 devices this week – mostly the iPad tablet computers, but also hundreds of iPod Touch devices for its youngest students.

By this time next year, the district says every one of its more than 25,000 students in grades K-12 will receive an iPad or iPod Touch. The district believes it's the largest to try for complete coverage and while Apple would not confirm that, other districts the company noted as having made large investments have not made ones as big as McAllen's.

Read the rest of the article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/27/texas-school-district-emb_n_1305711.html?ref=education

The Economic Advantage of Online Education

Susan Gilbert, Dean of the School of Business and Management at Thomas Edison State College, wrote this article for the Huffington Post. It discusses some of the advantages of online education. Here is an excerpt: 

When an economist refers to a "revolution", he/she means a dramatic change, not a battle; as in Industrial Revolution, Agricultural Revolution, Information Revolution. This change is often attributed to the introduction of a technology that changes the way things are done; e.g., a reaper, a steam engine, a personal computer. However, as Peter Drucker pointed out in 1999, the real revolution and resultant cost savings that occur in an industry do so as a result of industrial engineering and the teachings of Adam Smith, rather than the technology itself. (The Wealth of Nations, 1776). Yes, a sewing machine may increase the seamstress' productivity from 1 shirt to 5 shirts per day; but it is the assembly line and specialization of labor that can magnify those results. Can we apply these lessons of Adam Smith to higher education? Can colleges be compared to tee shirt factories? These are the burning questions of our times, at least for those of us in higher education.

Distance education has been around for nearly 30 years, if we go back to the first Computer Assisted Learning Center in 1982; and web-based services in the area of education
date back at least 15 years. Blackboard was founded in 1997. Around 2000, I began using Webex for Sunday night help sessions with my executive MBA students. I recall the freedom of "working" in my pajamas (no web camera, please) coupled with personal savings of time and gasoline for me and the students. There were no labor savings to the institution; the technology provided greater access.

Click on the link to read the full article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-gilbert/online-education_b_1282646.html

"The Advantages of Online Education for Professionals"

This article by careerealism addresses three of the most prominent advantages of online education for professionals. Here is an excerpt: 

How many hours are left in the day after work?

Is it enough to go to college?

Maybe not if you have to commute, but if it simply meant logging on to your school’s website, you could complete a simple reading assignment in the amount of time to watch a television show.

An estimated 6.1 million colleges take online courses, according to a report by the Babson Survey Research Center. The flexibility of online school has allowed working individuals to rise ahead, procuring a better position at a current company or even transitioning into a better working environment. Online education has really changed the game for military families and single parents as well. For these students, taking courses over the Internet really saves time and even money.

Click the link to read the full article! 

'An Opportunity, Not A Problem', Says School With Only 26 English-Speaking Students

This article by Lucy Sherriff of the Huffington Post is about a school providing a flourishing learning environment despite the obstacle of having many students of different linguistic backgrounds. Here is an excerpt:

A primary school has 26 out of 700 pupils who speak English as their native language but this has not stopped the school from receiving positive feedback from inspections body Ofsted and ranking high in league tables.

The rest of the pupils, who amount to 96.3% of the Bradford school's population, use another language, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed.

According to the FOI response, primary school children in Bradford speak 140 languages, ranging from Polish to Punjabi.

Despite the difficulties the school may face with communication and language barriers, the school ranks in the top 25% in the country based on its exam results. Nearly 80% of Year 6 pupils gaining the required English and maths standards, the Telegraph reported, a figure higher than the national average.

Defending Online Learning, Part One By Thomas K. Lindsay

This article by Thomas K. Lindsay of the National Review is an opinion piece on online learning. Here is an excerpt:

"For some time now, we’ve heard the following criticism of online education: “Its only virtue is that it’s cheap; it has little educational value compared with traditional, fact-to-face education.”
This claim no longer can withstand scrutiny.

 

In 2009, the U.S. Department of Education published a review of no fewer than 44 studies evaluating post-secondary students. The report concluded that “students who took all or part of their class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction.”

News: University Libraries Receive Technological Upgrade

This article by Andy Wright from the New York Times discusses new library technology in California.

San Francisco State University has been renovating and expanding its library since 2008, and now the overhauled building is finally finished and partly open to students. But some who enter its newly pristine doors may notice something lacking: books. In a move that has thrilled some university employees and horrified others, only 25 percent of the collection of more than a million books and other materials will be available for browsing. San Francisco State is not alone; experts say there is a national trend toward digitizing university libraries.

ESL Lesson: Tenses (Part 1)

This blog entry is all about tenses in the English language. What are tenses? Tenses are a part of speech involved with verbs (action words) that let you know what time something occurred. It is a bit complex, but tenses are very important in the English language. The three basic tenses are past, present and future tense. Past refers to events that have happened already. Present refers to events that are happening right now. Future refers to events that will happen.

Consider the following verbs with special tenses:

To be

In the past tense, this verb becomes was for singular nouns or pronouns and were for plural nouns or pronouns.

In the present tense, this verb becomes is for singular nouns or pronouns, am for the pronoun “I” and are for plural nouns or pronouns.

In the future tense, this verb becomes will be for singular and plural nouns and pronouns.

To go

In the past tense, this verb becomes went for all singular and plural nouns or pronouns.

In the present tense, this verb becomes goes for singular nouns or pronouns, and go for the pronoun “I” and plural nouns or pronouns.

In the future tense, this verb becomes will go for singular and plural nouns and pronouns.

To eat

In the past tense, this verb becomes ate for all singular and plural nouns or pronouns.

In the present tense, this verb becomes eats for singular nouns or pronouns, and eat for the pronoun “I” and plural nouns or pronouns.

In the future tense, this verb becomes will eat for singular and plural nouns and pronouns.

To have

In the past tense, this verb becomes had for all singular and plural nouns or pronouns.

In the present tense, this verb becomes has for singular nouns or pronouns, and have for the pronoun “I” and plural nouns or pronouns.

In the future tense, this verb becomes will have for singular and plural nouns and pronouns.

To see

In the past tense, this verb becomes saw for all singular and plural nouns or pronouns.

In the present tense, this verb becomes sees for singular nouns or pronouns, and see for the pronoun “I” and plural nouns or pronouns.

In the future tense, this verb becomes will go for singular and plural nouns and pronouns.

Do you have any other questions or comments about this or any other ESL subject? Leave them in the comment section and we will answer them. Stay tuned for more free advice on this and other subjects as well as promotions and news!

If you want individual tutoring and help in learning English, contact Kingston University USA today!!

Kingston University USA
Live Locally. Learn Globally.
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ESL Academy makes sense here

This article is from Hurley Dust:

I have made several submissions in the past to the local EDC, which should be on file, making the case for Lillooet being particularly well situated and favoured for the establishment of an ESL (English as a Second Language) Academy here.




Lillooet offers lower operating costs than the ESL Academies in Whistler and Vancouver, yet is situated weekend-close to Whistler recreational amenities, while providing a safer and more inexpensive locale. Lillooet also offers its own riches of alpine, horseback riding and Fraser River recreational experiences.

MCC's Adult Education Program Gets Financial Boost

This article is from Huntley Patch 

McHenry County College is getting $20,000 from the Chicago Tribune Charities to develop a new class for its Adult Education program.

The Friends of MCC Foundation received the funding through the charity’s Holiday Campaign_ a fund of the  McCormick Foundation, according to an MCC press release.

MCC will be able to develop a first year student orientation class for Adult Education students transitioning from GED or ESL classes into post-secondary education.

Second chances: Variety at Community College of Aurora ESL program knows no limits

This article  is from Aurora Sentinel 

Tara Dhimal often thinks back to his schooling in Nepal, to classrooms where cruelty seemed like a prerequisite for teachers and where corporal punishment wasn't a taboo.

"In Nepal, the teachers are so mean," Dhimal said, recalling the beating that came after he let another student use one of his assignments as a study guide. "Someone from security called me at home. They bent me down. They hit me with a big stick. I will never forget that day."

Publicly Traded Ed. Companies Are Rare

This article is from Education Week

K12 Inc., the nation's largest provider of online precollegiate education, was launched in 2000 and went public seven years later after raising about $140 million in revenue. Like other companies, it moved from being privately held to being publicly traded to raise more money quickly, increase brand awareness, and accelerate business goals.

The company now works with more than 2,000 U.S. school districts and reported $522.4 million in revenue last fiscal year. "No school district could ever invest what we do and get the productivity we get," said Chief Executive Officer Ronald J. Packard. He said his company invests about $40 million a year in new technology and programs.

Region on board with e-learning

This article is from York Region 
The province and the region continue to move forward with innovative ways to use e-learning opportunities, despite a 32-page report released by Society For Quality Education, York Region District School Board’s Todd Wright says. 
The Sky Has Limits, authored by Paul Bennett, explains how Canada was once at the head of the pack when it came to online learning, but has now fallen behind because we aren’t forging ahead with development.
Mr. Wright disagrees with the report, pointing out the local school boards have multiple pilot projects on the go and the province continues to move forward with the e-Learning Ontario project.

Ga. Senate to vote on pair of measures dealing with online K-12 education

This article is from The Republic 

The Georgia Senate will consider two pieces oflegislation having to do with online education.

Lawmakers are expected to vote on a bill Thursday that would require all high school students to take at least one online course before they graduate. If the bill is approved, Georgia would join just a handful of other states — Alabama, Florida and Michigan —that require online classes.

Ontario universities should offer 3-year degrees, more online learning: report

This article is from Guelph Mercury 

Ontario universities need to cut undergraduate degrees from four to three years, offer classes year-round and allow students to earn more than half their credits online, says a government paper obtained by the Toronto Star.

The proposals would get students through university or college cheaper and faster — the report says college diplomas should be two years at most — while still offering a quality post-secondary education.

University Report Finds Positive Academic Results for Arkansas Virtual Academy

This article is from Market Watch The Wall Street Journal

A recent University of Arkansas evaluation of the Arkansas Virtual Academy (ARVA) found that students attending the online public charter school perform very well compared to nearly identical students in other Arkansas public schools.

The study found "very positive trends for ARVA" and highlighted five conclusions:

ARVA students outperformed their comparison peers in math.

ARVA students outperformed their comparison peers in literacy.

The positive trends were apparent in nearly all grade cohorts.

Ashford University to Honor Area Educators

This article is from Market Watch The Wall Street Journal

For the third consecutive year, Ashford University will honor area educators by offering three scholarships and a "Teacher of the Year" award this spring.

"We are honored to be able to once again recognize our area's teachers in these ways," said Dr. Joen Rottler Larson, dean of Ashford University's College of Education, in announcing the 2012 program. "We encourage teachers who want to continue their education to apply for one of our scholarships and, if you have had a teacher who has made a difference in your life or the life of your child, now is the perfect time to show your appreciation by nominating him or her."

Sonoma State Offering Free ESL Classes to the Community

This article is from RohnertParkPatch 

Take advantage of this great opportunity at Sonoma State University — let your parents, friends and neighbors know that the campus is hosting free English as a Second Language classes from March 6 through May 4. 

Classes are held Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Stevenson 3044. The courses include practice conversation, listening, grammar and reading and writing skills.

McGraw-Hill Higher Education and Cambridge University Press Partner to Distribute Content for Digital and Traditional English Language Learning Programs

This article is from Market Watch The Wall Street Journal

McGraw-Hill Higher Education today announced a partnership with Cambridge University Press that will expand the reach of McGraw-Hill's leading "English as a Second Language" (ESL) teaching and learning content in the United States. This agreement brings together two leaders in education to further support the needs of English language learners, preparing students for success in an academic or career setting.

McGraw-Hill publishes more than 150 ESL titles, including Interactions/Mosaic, All-Star, Grammar, Form and Function and Excellent English, that support English instruction through both digital programs and traditional instructional models. Beginning in March, Cambridge University Press will be the exclusive distributor of all McGraw-Hill ESL content in the United States. Bringing together McGraw-Hill Higher Education and Cambridge University Press's full range of ESL titles will meet the diverse needs of learners across the field.

Bernie Paumier one of four ESL tutors in county

This article is from Lancaster Eagle Gazette 

After living in the U.S. for more than a decade, Pickerington residents Ana Maria Leal and Lupita Andreno will have the opportunity to do something this November they've never done before: vote for a U.S. president.

It was with the help of their tutor, Baltimore resident Bernard Paumier, that the two women passed their citizenship test in August after two years of weekly tutoring sessions.

ESL Classes Offer a New Opportunity in West Harrison

This article  is from Harrison Patch 

Opening doors to educational opportunity is what community colleges are all about, and it's become a part of the culture at Westchester County Community College over the years.

"Community is our middle name," said David Bernstein, the assistant dean of the English as a Second Language (ESL) at WCC, quoting a phrase he said is common on the campus.

In keeping with that theme, the college began offering ESL classes free of charge in surrounding communities almost 10 years ago. The original programs, held in White Plains and New Rochelle, have grown to a total of nearly 350 students. After the success of those programs the department has decided to expand to more communities, West Harrison being one of them.

Missouri Approves Anthem College Online Healthcare Programs

This article is from PRWeb 

The State of Missouri has approved online healthcare education programs offered by Anthem College Online for its residents.

“Online learning has become an important component for adult students,” says Darcy Richardson, Division President for Anthem College Online. “Many of the students who come to us for education and training lead very full lives, so the flexibility and convenience of online learning allows them to pursue their educational goals without disrupting their jobs and families. We are pleased to open our virtual doors to Missouri residents looking to further their careers with the help of higher education.”

Online learning and your child

This article is from NEWS 2 

No more more pencils, no more books, school is now a monitor, mouse pad and mom's stern look.

There is nothing traditional about online schooling, but it does give a child options and independence.

Holly Samuels helps you decide whether online learning is right for your child Thursday at 6 on 2 News.

Learn It Live Launches Free Online Health Symposium to Connect People to Top Experts in Health, Nutrition, Fitness, and More

This article is from The Sacramento Bee

Learn It Live, the online learning website that connects people to experts through live video-conferencing, announced today that its flagshipLearn It Live Eudaimonia Symposium is launching and available for free for people worldwide. The Symposium is a world-class online health event that features over 40 of the very top experts in health, nutrition, and fitness, and is being held from February 20 – 26.

With virtual sessions ranging from healthy cooking to heart health and even to online yoga, there's no shortage of programming available, whatever one's health interests may be. These sessions are all provided free of charge by Learn It Live.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/21/4279289/learn-it-live-launches-free-online.html#storylink=cpy

GIA: E-learning market will be worth $107bn by 2015

This article is from Virtual College

A rising interest in online learning courses will result in the value of the global e-learning sector hitting $107 billion (£67.47 billion) by 2015, a study has reported.

The investigation, from Global Industry Analysts (GIA), found distance learning is becoming more commonplace due to the development of modern innovations, including broadband internet, digital videos and personal computers.

It is the combination of all of these technologies that has led e-learning to become so commonplace, the company stated.

Strickland Appointed to Online Task Force

This article is from Bainbridge
Dr. Tonya Strickland, Bainbridge College’s vice president for Academic Affairs, was one of eight administrators appointed to a new state Board of Regents task force that will look at how the state colleges and universities currently use online learning.

Strickland’s appointment to the new Distance Education Task Force was announced on Thursday, Feb. 16, by University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby.

He said as universities and colleges continue to increase the use of distance education, “There is a lack of consistency in the effort across the state. Our campuses must take advantage of every opportunity to serve their students, faculty and staff. ”

EdR and University of Kentucky Approve Phase I of On-Campus Housing Revitalization and Expansion

This article is from Market Watch The Wall Street Journal

 EdREDR -0.97% , one of the nation's largest developers, owners and managers of collegiate housing, today announced that the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees has unanimously approved a 50-year ground lease with the company, allowing it to proceed with the first phase of the university's on-campus housing revitalization.

In Phase I, EdR will develop, construct and own a 601-bed, $25.8 million freshman honors housing community at Haggin Field. The living-learning community will include classroom and meeting space, and will be available for occupancy by fall 2013.

Columbia University and Semiconductor Research Corporation Breathe New Life into Scalability by Integrating Voltage Regulators Directly onto ICs

This article is from Market Watch The Wall Street Journal

Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), the world's leading university-research consortium for semiconductors and related technologies, and Columbia University today announced research results that place industry focus back onto voltage regulators as a solution for continued processor scalability. Having just proven a new generation of integrated voltage regulator (IVR) that features energy densities more than ten times that of present state-of-art inductors available on computer chips, the team is preparing to test a second round of prototypes.

The research team is working to solve an industry predicament where the increasing use of parallel multicore processors that enable scaling of microprocessor systems means that many different supply voltages are becoming necessary on modern computer chips. External board-mounted voltage regulators have not kept up with these scaling demands.

Justices Take Up Race as a Factor in College Entry

This article is from The New York Times

 In a 2003 decision that the majority said it expected would last for 25 years, the Supreme Court allowed public colleges and universities to take account of race in admission decisions. On Tuesday, the court signaled that it might end such affirmative action much sooner than that.

By agreeing to hear a major case involving race-conscious admissions at the University of Texas, the court thrust affirmative action back into the public and political discourse after years in which it had mostly faded from view. Both supporters and opponents of affirmative action said they saw the announcement — and the change in the court’s makeup since 2003 — as a signal that the court’s five more conservative members might be prepared to do away with racial preferences in higher education.

Sleepy Hollow Addresses 'Needs Improvement' Rating

This article is from Tarry Town 

Sleepy Hollow Middle School has already begun implementing a number of recommendations to help improve its “School In Need of Improvement” designation under the No Child Left Behind Act, officials said during Thursday's board of education meeting.

The programs address the sub-group of students in English classes that did not meet state test standards in the 2010-11 school year, which was English as a Second Language (ESL) students who have passed a language proficiency test but are still not fluent in the English language. To remove the SINI designation, the school must show that every sub-group in every subject meets standards for two consecutive years.

Cue the BCAE’s ESL Movie Club

This article is from Worldwide Public Relations
This February, the Boston Center for Adult Education (BCAE), New England’s oldest educational nonprofit, is adding an innovative program to their ESL department . Every Friday the BCAE will hold “ESL Movie Club,” designed to improve language skills and knowledge of American culture through mainstream films. 
From 1:30PM to 4:30PM movie-goers, (ESL or not) will meet in the BCAE’s state-of-the-art classrooms to view and discuss a different Hollywood film chosen for its particular portrayal of American English speakers as well as its social and cultural commentary. A wide variety of genres, ranging from psychological thrillers to films featuring the unmistakable Boston accent, will be explored. After each viewing, an instructor from the BCAE will lead the class in a discussion about the film’s use of language and its social commentary. An optional writing assignment will be given to those who wish to practice their language skills further; learning how to use movies as a tool for studying English is an invaluable skill for ESL students and is the ultimate goal of the Boston Center for Adult Education's ESL Movie Club. The cost of each session is only $10 per student, and it does not require enrollment in additional ESL classes or pre-registration.

State of Education: An innovative ESL program

This article is from YNN News

The number of ESL students in New York State has grown over 19 percent in the last 15 years. Giffen Elementary School in Albany offers this class to several students of their own

"A lot of them are refugees from other countries that do not speak English, nobody at home speaks English, so this is very valuable information to them," said Betsey Domenico, an ESL teacher.

A lot of them come from the country of Burma.

"We have had a large influx of ESL students in the Albany City School District at our school in Giffen Elementary we have sixty students," said Domenico.

So what methods are being used to help students understand the sometimes tricky English language? Well, how about, riding a public transit bus?

C-Town ESL classes help students gain confidence, better knowledge of EnglishT1

This article is from Celina

Nearly 60 Celina area residents are engaged in the American tradition of education to eventually achieve a better life.

The 60 residents are enrolled in English as a Second Language classes at C-Town in the former Celina Middle School building on Pecan Street. The classes meet Tuesday and Thursday nights for three hours. Celina High School Spanish teacher Melissa Romero and Celina school district Information Technology Director Marilyn Chambers teach the classes. The classes are funded through the $5 million Title I priority school grant the Celina ISD was awarded nearly two years ago through the State of Texas.

District To Explore Virtual Learning For High School Students

This article is from New Town Patch 

Council Rock is taking the first of several “baby steps” to introduce virtual learning to its high school students. 

According to Barry Desko, Council Rock's director of secondary education, the district has formed a partnership with the Bucks County Intermediate Unit to begin exploring options for online learning.

Desko, along with other teachers and educators, on Tuesday offered a presentation about the effort to the Council Rock School Board.

Ga. University System to Look at Online Learning

This article  is from Coosa Valley News
University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby named a task force Thursday to look for ways to improve how the system’s 35 colleges and universities provide online education. The effort will be part of an initiative aimed at increasing the state’s college graduation rate.
`The economic future of Georgia depends upon more Georgians completing some level of college education,` Huckaby said in a prepared statement. `We have to make better use of our distance education resources and ramp up our efforts to help us meet state workforce needs.`
Lisa Rossbacher, president of Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Ga., will head the 10-member Distance Education Task Force.
The panel also will include Georgia Perimeter College President Anthony Tricoli and administrators from Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State University.

Board OKs changes to Idaho online learning rule

This article is from ABC 6

The state Board of Education is approving changes to a rule requiring high school students to take online courses to graduate.

The rule hit a snag in the 2012 Idaho Legislature, where education groups protested a requirement that one of the two required online credits be taken in the form of an asynchronous course. That's a class where students move at their own pace and interact with their online teacher as needed.

With a synchronous course, students and their instructors are online together at a scheduled time.

University of Texas moves to enforce ‘slacker’ rule

This article is from The Washington Post
The University of Texas at Austin is one of the nation’s top research universities. But you wouldn’t know it from the school’s four-year graduation rate.

Just 53 percent of 2004 freshmen graduated four years later, according to the latest data from the federal government. The graduation rate jumps to 80 percent by year six. Six seems to be the magic number: UT’s grad rate improves only a few more points by eight years. All good things, as they say, must come to an end.

UT is one of many public universities where students tend to hang around. It’s set, after all, in Austin, one of the great college towns. Tuition is relatively low, living expenses modest, and many fifth- and sixth-year students can think of no earthly reason to leave. (For further study, consult the seminal Gen-X movie Slacker.)

The rich get richer, especially universities

This article is from Higher Education

FOR 99 per cent of US colleges and universities, it was a pretty good fundraising year. For the 1 per cent of super-wealthy elite, it was a much better one that catapulted them even farther ahead of the pack.

The latest annual college fundraising figures show donations to colleges and universities rose 8.2 per cent in 2011, crossing back over the $30 billion mark for just the second time ever, and improving many schools' financial footing after several lean years due to the economic downturn.

But the very richest universities accounted for nearly half the growth: of the $30.3 billion collected by colleges and universities nationwide, $8.2 billion - or 27 per cent - was raised by just the top 20 institutions. At those universities, fundraising was 15.3 per cent higher than the year before, widening an already yawning wealth gap at the top of higher education.

Irate Kean students march to office of N.J. senator who supports university president

This article is from New Jersey Real-Time News

Stung by the Kean University trustees’ vote of confidence in president Dawood Farahi — despite finding errors on his résumés — more than 100 students Thursday marched about two miles to the office of a state senator who supports Farahi.

Chanting "Hey, ho, Farahi must go," the students walked through the rain to the office of state Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union), carrying signs that read "Farahi is a fraud" and "I was a dean at Harvard. Can I have a job?"

Earlier in the day, dozens at the 16,000-student public university walked out of their classes in protest.

American University adjunct faculty vote to unionize

This article is from The Washington Post
Adjunct faculty at American University voted to unionize Thursday, following the lead of their peers at George Washington University and Montgomery College.

Adjuncts are the temps of higher education. They make up more than half of all college faculty nationwide, but most work part-time “for very low wages with no benefits, job security, administrative support or academic rights,” the labor union SEIU said in a release. (I should note that those characterizations are for adjuncts everywhere, not just at AU.)

Adjuncts are typically paid by the class and are considered relatively cheap labor. At AU, according to the union, an adjunct with a doctorate teaching three classes a semester could make as little as $18,000 in a year.