Daily Lumina News 051420

After making an unprecedented shift to move instruction online earlier this year, faculty members and college leaders are now scrambling to prepare and improve online learning options for the fall.
In this podcast, Myk Garn of the University System of Georgia discusses the potential of hybrid learning, social engagement online, and how microlearning might expand during these unusual times.

Should colleges be giving students a partial refund on tuition since their campuses were forced to shift teaching online for the COVID-19 pandemic?
Some students think so, and lately their calls for refunds have been getting louder. Petition movements at more than 200 campuses are calling for partial refunds of tuition, typically asking for 50 percent back. And some student protesters are now even filing class-action lawsuits in an attempt to force colleges to return part of the tuition money.

Around the country, and the world, college and university leadership teams are immersed in high-stakes discussions about whether and how to physically open their campuses to students this fall in a way that is both physically safe and educationally sound.
The HyFlex course model is getting buzz as one way colleges could educate students if their campuses are open but physical distancing remains. Several experts offer their thoughts on the pros and cons.

The money Jessica Tario earns—$13 an hour—as a cashier at Walmart isn’t entirely hers to keep. The high school senior uses some of it to help her family with living expenses.
High school administrators and teachers are seeing more students stepping up and working to help support their families throughout the economic downturn. For some students, the need to work is placing a fork in their path as they eye life after graduation: Do they prioritize working for the sake of a paycheck or do they continue on with more schooling?