Student Completion Initiative

Distance Ed in NYTimes

This article is the one that got me.

Cheating in Distance Education

This topic has several ways to go. I'd suggest, in order to narrow it down, to focus on the new "Student Completion Initiative"--this has two big parts we should look at:

•Online course access and success: Many students never complete college because they become stuck in a web of costly remedial skills classes for which they do not earn college credit. The Student Completion Initiative will redesign 80 high-enrollment gatekeeper and pre-college courses into online classes and those offering “blended” delivery—a combination of in-person and online instruction. These redesigned courses will use open source materials, reducing textbook costs for students.

•Improve success in pre-college and college math: Math is a major hurdle to completion for many of Washington’s community college students. Nearly 70 percent of all students in basic skills programs are taking remedial math to catch up. The Student Completion Initiative formed a coalition between seven colleges to make substantive changes in math curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The program aims to increase successful completion of developmental math courses by 15 percent.

Open Course Library is found in the Student Completion Initiative *(Gates site)

Student Completion Initiative (from the State Board)

An interview with Gates people

Here's another link.