emotionGood Morning and happy Monday! This week we see mixed emotions showing up across the world. From the UK to San Jose, CA, to the U.S. government, people are voicing their opinions. These voices are of both optimism and pessimism,  uneasiness, and  acceptance and rejection.

We begin today with  a little bit of optimism.  Juan E. Gilbert believes that he has a solution to getting rid of the opaque clouds that fog up the admissions process. The answer? A software program entitled Applications Quest, which performs the ‘holistic review’ all on its own. Gilbert believes that this will make the admissions process more consistent and eliminate bias. Evidence shows it can achieve such goals in 10 minutes flat!

Creating Software to Enhance Admissions Diversity (Chronicle of Higher Ed.)

Episode 106: Are Minority Students Excluded From Online Education? (Chronicle of Higher Ed.)
While some ensure that diversity is achieved, others claim that it is being overlooked. This episode allows

you to listen in on the details, as they explain how MOOCs do not consider the obstacles minorities often face in gaining access to technology.

Why Professors at San Jose State Won’t Use a Harvard Professor’s MOOC (Chronicle of Higher Ed.)
While many are embracing the advent of MOOCs, some philosophy professors at San Jose State University fear that these online courses are signs of future replacement. They further claim that the Harvard professor that created the edX MOOC, is guilty of encouraging such a trend. The department went so far as to write a letter, explaining why they will not listen to their own Dean’s encouragement to use the course.

Meeting the Challenges of Student Writing in the Digital Age  (ED.gov Blog)
K-12 students in the US are showing poor writing skills, and yet they have easily adapted to the Digital Age. But the National Writing Project is believed to have saved the day on this one. The solution? Digital Is-a forum where teachers can exchange ideas on how to best tackle this issue.

‘Cyber Jedi’ schools contest a new hope for Britain’s IT empire to strike back (The Guardian)
Ministers in England are encouraging students (especially girls) to take on IT majors, and using the term ‘Cyber Jedi’ to get others to catch on. The country greatly lacks experts in cyber security that it seems very likely that “footballer salaries” are in the future for these techy nerds.

Well? Whose side are you on? Are you more optimistic? Or is the glass still half empty? Have other comments or thoughts? Please feel free to comment below.

Have a great week! In other news…
No Rich Child Left Behind (NYT)
MOOC Teaches How to Cheat in Online Courses, With Eye to Prevention (Chronicle of Higher Ed.)
Colleges Adapt Online Courses to Ease Burden (NYT), Thanks Garrett

Photo Credit: h.koppdelaney via photopin by ND 2.0 CC