Daily Lumina News 021723

More colleges and universities are investing in interdisciplinary programs that send students away from campus for weeks or months at a time in an effort to strengthen students' connections to their education. Others are revamping general-education coursework so that entering students can immediately dive into age-old questions that help them find their place in the world.
And some schools are creating immersive-learning courses and building them into majors, so that time-pressed students—or those hesitant to take on a less-structured or more time-consuming class—know that it will count toward graduation.

The benefits of tech training in prison were already known in 1970. People are less likely to return to prison if they have marketable skills that lead to jobs in high-demand fields with livable wages.
But despite the promise of such programs, the pitfalls also remain the same: They can be costly; they can be difficult to scale; and they are subject to the whims of tech-averse prison officials.

Amid a renewed nationwide focus on police qualifications following the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, a Portland lawmaker is introducing a bill that would require law enforcement officers to complete at least two years of higher education.
Reform advocates say that continuing education past high school can equip officers with critical life skills that could help improve their interactions with the public.

Higher education is facing a multitude of challenges these days, from enrollment declines to persistent socioeconomic disparities.
Reporter Jon Marcus of The Hechinger Report weighs in on the current state of higher education—and what some schools are doing to meet the changing needs of today's learners.

One of the most significant barriers that students encounter when transferring between institutions is getting earned academic credit to count at their new institution.
If learners are unable to count previously earned credit, it becomes a "demotivator" for their ability to finish a postsecondary education credential, say education watchers. Instead, they're faced with the burden of repeating courses, paying again for the same courses, and perhaps lengthening the time to degree. Or, they drop out.

Since the onset of the pandemic, more instructors at schools and colleges seem to be embracing “flipped learning,” the approach of asking students to watch lecture videos before class so that class time can be used for active learning.
Proponents say the model improves student outcomes by encouraging more interaction among students and professors. But a recent analysis may cast doubts on that assertion.