Report of Regents Higher Education Committee to The Board of Regents

Your Higher Education Committee held its scheduled meeting on March 11, 2013.

Panel on On-Line Learning in Higher Education.  Your Committee held a discussion related to on-line learning. Topics included national trends in on-line learning, including Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), how NY-based colleges are responding to the expansion of on-line learning (how are assessments being made, how are faculty being trained), and an example of what kinds of partnerships higher education institutions are exploring to incorporate on-line learning into their programs.

Overview of President Obama’s New Scorecard for Higher Education.  Your Committee discussed the President’s on-line tool that allows students to search on a broad range of criteria for the college that best meets their needs. It also provides specific data on the potential college to allow students to compare institutions on such issues as tuition, graduation rates and amount of student loans.

Update on the Governor’s Proposal for the Funding of Community Colleges. Your Committee received an update on the Governor’s proposed changes to the funding of certain community college programs to ensure that the programs are relevant to private industry and that there is demand for graduates in the private sector. The committee recommended the Department be involved in the formation of this legislation.