ïAACRAO Spotlight interviews are published twice weekly before major professional development meetings. They feature our conversations with industry experts, highlighting key issues and promoting sessions and workshops at the upcoming conference.
Below you'll find brief summaries of two recent Q-and-As with links to the full interviews.
See these and other sessions at AACRAO's Technology and Transfer Conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Register today!
Effective Technology Solutions for Your Operation without Central IT Support
Higher education professionals often have to make due with shared technology support. In her session “Effective Technology Solutions for Your Operation without Central IT Support,” Sue Eveland, University Registrar at the University of Oregon, will discuss ways that your team can tackle tech projects without having to wait in the programmer queue. The session is co-presented with Brian Lowery, Associate Registrar for Operations at the University of Oregon.
Read our interview with Sue Eveland here.
Interventions to Promote Community College Transfer Students’ Success in a Four-Year, Online University
Creating a transfer-friendly campus is becoming increasingly important among today’s 2- and 4-year institutions. This is especially true for the University of Maryland University College, an open-access four-year online state university. For many transfer students, the first semester in a new institution is a crucial transition period. At UMUC, many transfer students have to adjust culturally and academically from a 2-year on-campus experience to a 4-year online university. What is the best way to ensure these students’ success?
UMUC created and implemented two interventions geared towards promoting transfer student success: a resource checklist and a peer mentoring program. Both interventions were designed to target students in their first semester. We talked with Denise Nadasen, the Associate Vice President for Institutional Research and Accountability, and Alexandra List, Research Associate, on UMUC’s process and results.
Read our interview with Denise and Alexandra here.
Return on Investment: Contrary to Popular Belief, MOOCs are Not Free
There’s no such thing as a free lunch. There’s no such thing as a free education, either. Since its emergence in 2012, massive open online courses (MOOCs) provided students with cheap (if not free) access to education. But what about institutions? How can a ‘free’ program prove to be a sustainable practice for colleges and universities?
Marie Valentin of Texas A&M University wrote a paper examining the financial costs and gains of developing a MOOCs course for colleges or universities. She will share her findings in her session “Return on Investment: Contrary to Popular Belief, MOOCs are not Free.”
Read our interview with Marie here.