Asynchronous Learning in Higher Education: Benefits & Pandemic Readiness

Welcome to the Meratas Memo’s Weekly Roundup! This is your weekly fix of higher education and alternative financing news. Here are this week’s stories:

 

How Asynchronous Learning Can Help in Uncertain Times

Asynchronous Learning is a way of teaching in which students do not learn together at the same time or place. With many concerned that remote learning is affecting the way students learn, but experts in online learning say that it is the way the course is designed, not whether it is remote, that plays into student success. 

Asynchronous Learning may not be the perfect solution for every type of learner, but it can benefit many who may struggle under more traditional models. In this article by Madeline St. Amour on Inside Higher Ed, experts argue that it is all about how it is designed and how it can reach the largest range of learners. 

Read the full story on Inside Higher Ed here. 

 

How 13,000 High School Students are Handling the Pandemic 

The pandemic has no doubt changed our lives for nearly this entire year. Educational institutions have been hit particularly hard. A survey published by the ACT Center for Equity in Learning highlighted the issues that High Schools specifically are dealing with the most. 

In this article by Emily Tate on Edsurge, students reflect on the hardships of the pandemic and what they most struggle with. 

Read the full story on Edsurge here. 

 

The History of Community Colleges and the Economy (and What They Need to Do to Stay Closely Linked)

Community colleges have powered the economy for quite some time through trade education and workforce readiness. However, they need to innovate in order to keep that going. 

In this piece by Mordecai I. Brownlee on Edsurge, Brownlee takes us through a brief history of community colleges, their strong relationship with the economy, and how they need to adapt to remain prominent. 

Read the full story on Edsurge here.