Susan D. Blum is one of a growing number of educators questioning the role of grades in learning. She’s a professor and the editor of “Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead).” She advocates for a sweeping pedagogical shift based on the practice of ‘ungrading’ - not assigning a number or letter value to a student’s work. Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by...
May 23, 2023•30 min•Season 2Ep. 25
The state of boys and men in higher education looks grim. That’s one of the key takeaways from Brookings fellow Richard Reeves’ latest book, “Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It.” He discusses ways to help men and boys achieve equity in education, how focusing on men doesn’t mean you don’t care about women’s equality, and how ignoring men’s struggles can lead to further political polarization. Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Cen...
May 09, 2023•36 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Amit Sevak is the CEO of ETS - the leading testing organization behind the GRE and the College Board’s SAT. While higher education grapples with the role of tests in admissions, Amit defends the importance of assessments as crucial learning tools in and beyond the classroom, while also arguing for revolutionizing what they look like today. Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productio...
Apr 25, 2023•26 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Sheila Sarem is the CEO and founder of Project Basta - an organization that builds the social capital of first generation graduates of color. Sheila argues that degrees aren’t translating into good first jobs for some because of a gap in social capital - the invisible networks, information, and informal coaching that some students have access to and that others don’t, depending on their background. It’s often the missing piece, including the ‘it’s not who you know but who knows you’ part of it, ...
Apr 11, 2023•29 min•Season 2Ep. 22
We get a sneak peak into education and workforce expert Ryan Craig's upcoming book, "Apprentice Nation." In it he argues that more and better apprenticeships, beyond the trades, will help narrow the opportunity gap in America. He also believes apprenticeships can work with higher education in innovative ways to help students thrive in their careers. Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg's Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica...
Mar 28, 2023•31 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Welcome back to Higher Ed Spotlight, a podcast about the big questions driving the future of higher education. In our second season, we continue to wade into major debates shaping higher education with the country's leading thinkers. Our biweekly podcast starts March 28, 2023. Hosted by veteran journalist and higher education policy expert Ben Wildavsky. Sponsored by Chegg's Center for Digital Learning.
Mar 14, 2023•1 min
Even before the pandemic, campus mental health struggles were on the rise – one 2021 study found 60% of undergrads met the bar for a psychological disorder. Nance Roy, the chief clinical officer at mental health organization, The Jed Foundation, explains why students are under more stress than ever, and why hiring more counselors is only a small part of the solution. Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning, and aims to explore the future of higher education today....
Jan 31, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Despite more women attending – and graduating – college than men, the average American woman still earns just 83 cents to every dollar a man does. In her latest book, “Career and Family”, economic historian Claudia Goldin says that, contrary to popular belief, discrimination doesn’t actually explain the wage gap. And that unless the structure and culture of work shifts, wage inequality is unlikely to go away. Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning, and aims to ex...
Jan 17, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 19
With hundreds of thousands of alternative credentials on the market, but little data on how effective they are, how can students know which ones are worth their time? Sean Gallagher, the Director of the Center for the Future of Higher Education and Talent Strategy at Northeastern University, has spent years trying to answer that question. And while he thinks alternative credentials could be the key to lifelong learning, he also says we need to be thinking more deeply about what’s working in the ...
Jan 03, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 18
When 48,000 grad students and other academic workers at the University of California went on strike, it garnered attention far beyond California and raised questions about the very structure of higher ed labor. Nelson Lichtenstein is a labor historian with a first-hand view of the UC strike, and he says what happened in California reflects bigger problems in an increasingly precarious workforce – not just in academia, but all over the country. Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center f...
Dec 20, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Millions of students worldwide go abroad for higher education every year, and U.S. colleges have long been their top choice – but that may be under threat. International education expert Rajika Bhandari says the country’s immigration policies often ignore what these students bring to the table: bolstering college bottom lines, diversifying classrooms, and building the economy. Rajika spoke to Ben about her memoir, “America Calling,” and how she’d like to improve the “troubled tango” between the ...
Dec 06, 2022•25 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Black and Latino student enrollment was hit particularly hard during the pandemic, and a lot of those students still haven’t returned to campus. Angel Pérez, the CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, says an affirmative action ban would make it even harder for colleges to maintain racial diversity. He sat down with Ben to map out a different way forward, and to explain why we need diverse campuses now more than ever. Higher Ed Spotlight is a podcast, sponsored by Cheg...
Nov 22, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 15
With the Supreme Court considering two cases that could spell the end of affirmative action, many are worried about what that might mean for campus diversity. Author Richard Kahlenberg has been pushing for a different kind of affirmative action for years. He sat down with Ben to explain why he thinks using a socioeconomic lens, rather than a race based one, could actually make higher ed more accessible – not less. Higher Ed Spotlight is a new podcast, sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Lear...
Nov 08, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 14
The U.S. News and World Report college rankings have loomed large over American college choice for decades. And in that time they’ve been accused of being unreliable, skewing educational priorities, and perpetuating privilege. But in 2005, Washington Monthly introduced a different type of rankings. Ben sits down with editor in chief Paul Glastris to understand why he thinks the U.S. News rankings exacerbate inequality, how the Monthly’s version is different, and whether we need to rank colleges ...
Oct 25, 2022•25 min•Season 1Ep. 13
When Anant Agarwal founded edX, one of the world’s most popular MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), he had a vision of making higher education accessible to everyone. Ten years later, Ben sits down with Anant to see just how far we’ve come, how new ideas like microcredentials fit into that vision, and whether or not Anant’s decision to join forces with the for profit 2U was a threat to the MOOC ethos. Higher Ed Spotlight is a new podcast, sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning, that a...
Oct 11, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 12
There’s been a lot of debate about President Biden’s plans to erase a portion of the $1.7 trillion in student debt. But most analysts agree on one thing: high college costs aren’t going away. And while we figure out how to make college more affordable, economist Sandy Baum wants to ask an even more fundamental question: is college the “great equalizer” we often think it is? Ben sat down with Sandy to look at why college has become so expensive, and whether higher ed can truly “level the playing ...
Sep 27, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Like a lot of things in 2022, campus speech issues are pretty divisive. Some think colleges are ruled by cancel culture mobs. Others see social justice values making universities more inclusive. Which means that the University of Austin – a new college centered around free-speech – was bound to get people talking. Its founding president, Pano Kanelos, sat down with Ben to explain how he plans on turning the rather controversial plan into a real bricks-and-mortar institution. And why he thinks a ...
Sep 13, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 10
When the pandemic hit, colleges and universities were thrust headfirst into the word of remote learning, sometimes with problematic results. But the Open University was more than ready – they’d been doing distance learning for more than 50 years. Ben sits down with Josie Fraser, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor at “the OU”, to discuss how they’ve unlocked the full power of remote education. Higher Ed Spotlight is a new podcast, sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning, that aims to explore the...
Aug 30, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Falling enrollment may be the most existential challenge faced by American colleges and universities today. There are nearly 10% fewer undergraduates than there were in 2010, and higher ed leaders are striving to reverse that trend. When Daniel Greenstein took over as chancellor of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education he inherited one of the most underfunded systems in the country – and one of the most expensive for learners. He sits down with Ben to talk about why enrollment has fall...
Aug 16, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Christine Cruzvergara is the Chief Education Strategy Officer at Handshake, an online platform that connects recent graduates to prospective employers. She sits down with Ben to discuss why the college to career pipeline is broken – and, more importantly, how to fix it. They look at why so many students feel lost after graduation, why traditional career centers aren’t always up to the task of finding students jobs, and how technology can make hiring more equitable. Higher Ed Spotlight is a new p...
Aug 02, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 7
When Nicole Lynn Lewis arrived on campus for the first time, she quickly realized there was very little support for student parents like herself. Now, as the founder and CEO of the nonprofit Generation Hope, Nicole has dedicated her career to advocating for student parents around the country – a group that makes up almost a quarter of all undergrads. She talks to Ben about the challenges she faced when she was a student, and why it’s crucial we start thinking of student parents as assets, not li...
Jul 20, 2022•28 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Tech entrepreneur, author, and former Princeton literature professor Ann Kirschner talks to Ben about the lessons learned from her extensive career across education, business, and tech. They discuss the relevance of the liberal arts to working life, what the public and private sectors can learn from each other, and whether long-established universities have the ability, and the incentives, to change. Higher Ed Spotlight is a new podcast, sponsored by Chegg, that aims to explore the future of hig...
Apr 25, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Charles Isbell, Dean of the College of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology, talks to Ben about how the modern experience of the university is changing for students and faculty alike. He explains how race affects students’ experiences in higher education, how technology is reinventing student services, and why computer science needs diversity if it wants to solve the problems of tomorrow. Higher Ed Spotlight is a new podcast, sponsored by Chegg, that aims to explore the future of hig...
Apr 25, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Ben talks to Millie Garcia, President of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, about access to college and its benefits to society. They discuss her experiences as a first-generation college student, why state schools are more important than the Ivy League, and why a college education should be within everyone’s reach. Higher Ed Spotlight is a new podcast, sponsored by Chegg, that aims to explore the future of higher education today....
Apr 25, 2022•26 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Ben goes to DC to talk with US Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal about the Biden administration’s priorities for higher education. They discuss student loan forgiveness, the regulation of for-profit colleges, and what the government can do to make college a safe investment for young people. Higher Ed Spotlight is a new podcast, sponsored by Chegg, that aims to explore the future of higher education today.
Apr 25, 2022•28 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Ben sits down with Paul LeBlanc, President of Southern New Hampshire University, for a frank discussion of the challenges facing non-traditional students. They look at who is being failed by the status quo in higher education, why the sector struggles to drive social mobility, the case for competency-based education, and the importance of showing students they matter. Higher Ed Spotlight is a new podcast, sponsored by Chegg, that aims to explore the future of higher education today....
Apr 25, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Higher Ed Spotlight is a new podcast series hosted by veteran journalist and higher education policy expert Ben Wildavsky, and produced with sponsorship from leading online learning platform Chegg. The series takes a candid and unique look at the state of higher education today through conversations with the visionaries, academics and innovators on the frontlines shaping the future of learning.
Apr 20, 2022•2 min
