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Category: Students

It Could Be Worse

Next term is going to be awful in pretty much every way imaginable.  But it could be worse.  Most obviously, it would be worse if a remote fall term is not a one-off.  It’s possible the virus will not be contained sufficiently for a resumption of face-to-face classes or international travel by January.  We could be looking at a full year of this, in which case i) many will wish they spent more time working on better online delivery over the summer, ii)

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May 28, 2020 1 Comment

In Pandemus Veritas

One of the most interesting things about the pandemic is the questions it raises about the price of education. Can institutions reasonably expect to charge what they normally charge, given that the quality of an online education is substandard compared to student expectations? Let’s start with the quality arguments.  There is an argument that the quality of an online experience can match a face-to-face one.  And that’s true – provided instructors have the time, money and inclination to build online

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May 25, 2020 1 Comment

The Outlook for International Students

Everyone is wondering: what’s going to happen to enrolments in the fall?  Particularly, international enrolments?  It’s a big question because for the last decade pretty much 100% of all the increase in institutional income has come from fee income, much of it from international students.  Take that income away, and we’re talking about major cuts: in Australia, which is only slightly more international fee-dependent than Canada, the hit to the sector this term is estimated at over $5 billion.  Some

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May 20, 2020 1 Comment

Community vs. Community

 I have remarked several times over the past few weeks about the need for community during the transition.  It will be disastrous for universities and colleges as educational communities to go back in a way that includes only certain people.  If international students, students living with elderly relatives, students with compromised immune systems or students with disabilities are either not invited back at the same time as everyone else, or are only offered a continuation of remote classes while others

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May 7, 2020 3 Comments

Coronavirus (18…or so) – Positioned to Pivot

So, last week I suggested that the Fall term was likely both to start and finish online because of practical difficulties in pivoting halfway though in most institutions.  There are many reasons for this, but the main one is that most pivot scenarios assume that students who will start off learning at home are able to drop everything and find local accommodations with very short notice, and not all students are in a position to do that.  This would leave institutions either

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April 21, 2020 No Comments

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One Thought to Start Your Day is our founder and CEO Alex Usher’s popular daily blog, brimming with up-to-the-minute insights and informed opinions on today’s higher education industry.

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