Afternoon Update: How Online Learning Improves In-Person Classes Too

Student engagement on the rebound; room for neurodivergent professors; Texas A&M system bans diversity statements from job applications; and more. ADVERTISEMENT [Afternoon Update Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. You can now read The Chronicle on [Apple News]( [Flipboard]( and [Google News](. TEACHING [As Colleges Focus on Quality in Online Learning, Advocates Ask: What About In-Person Courses?]( By Taylor Swaak [STORY IMAGE]( At some institutions, growth in remote education is raising standards for all courses — including in-person. ADVERTISEMENT TEACHING [Is Student Engagement on the Rebound?]( By Beth McMurtrie [STORY IMAGE]( The latest national survey data offers optimism and some cautions. ADVICE [How to Make Room for Neurodivergent Professors]( By Bradley J. Irish [STORY IMAGE]( Seventeen years into his career, a faculty member finds out he is autistic. It explains, he says, a lot. HIRING [Texas A&M U. System Bans Diversity Statements From Job Applications]( The 11-campus system’s chancellor, John Sharp, ordered managers to stop asking job candidates for statements in their applications about their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The move followed a directive last month by Gov. Greg Abbott. (The Texas Tribune) FEDERAL POLICY [Education Dept. Takes Steps to Hold Leaders of Risky Colleges Personally Liable]( The department issued guidance on how it will require leaders of private colleges that fail to operate in a financially responsible way to assume personal liability for the cost of unpaid debts owed to the department, including federal student loans stemming from colleges that close. The requirement would be a condition of participation in the federal aid programs. CAMPUS HEALTH [CDC Says 20,000 People May Have Been Exposed to Measles at Campus Religious Revival]( An unvaccinated person attended the weeks-long gathering at Asbury University, in Kentucky, while contagious in mid-February, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC urged people to be vaccinated against the highly transmissible measles variant. (CBS News) COLLEGE COSTS [GoFundMe Efforts for College Tuition Increase by More Than 50% Over Last Year]( College students increasingly use crowdfunding, such as on this fund-raising platform, to help cover their higher-education expenses, according to new data from GoFundMe. The platform charges a transaction fee of 2.9 percent of a donation plus 30 cents. (MarketWatch) ACADEMIC WORKPLACE [13% of Employees at Bloomfield College Will Lose Jobs in Merger With Montclair State U.]( Those not being offered employment after the merger this summer of the two New Jersey institutions, one public and one private, are 10 of 43 full-time faculty members and 12 of 122 other workers. The faculty union at Bloomfield has filed an unfair-labor-practices complaint. (NJ.com) IN THE COURTS [Former Dean at Oregon State U. Wins Lawsuit Alleging Retaliation]( Grace Kuo, the university’s former pharmacy dean, said Oregon State had retaliated against her after she reported student concerns of discrimination and harassment. She was later removed as a dean and is now Texas Tech University’s pharmacy dean. A jury awarded her more than $600,000 in damages, and Oregon State said it would appeal. (Oregon Public Broadcasting) INTERNATIONAL [MIT Acts to Stop Foreign Espionage, but Some Faculty Members Say It Goes Too Far]( Administrators are following national-security guidelines to protect research labs from spying, including on-campus briefings by the FBI and a new requirement that asks professors with federal funding to certify that their students are not engaging in suspicious activities. (GBH) FACULTY [International Index of Academic Freedom Finds It’s in Retreat Worldwide]( More than 50 percent of the global population, spanning 22 countries, sees less academic freedom, according to a report that also highlights China, India, Mexico, and the United States, “to illustrate different levels and patterns of backsliding in populous autocratic and democratic countries.” The index is a [joint project]( of the V-Dem Institute and Friedrich Alexander University, in Germany. ACADEMIC PORK [House GOP Appropriators Unveil Tighter Earmark Rules]( The Republican chair of the House Appropriations Committee announced, among other things, a ban on earmarks in the spending bills for the Education Department and other federal agencies affecting higher education. The move followed passage in December, when Democrats held the majority, of a bill with more than $15 billion in such directed spending, including millions in academic pork. (Roll Call) EVENTS [Browse Upcoming and On-Demand Virtual Events]( [STORY IMAGE]( Join a discussion with national experts and leading practitioners on how to navigate an uncertain future and what new ideas your institution can pursue. NEWSLETTER [Sign Up for the Teaching Newsletter]( Find insights to improve teaching and learning across your campus. Delivered on Thursdays. To read this newsletter as soon as it sends, [sign up]( to receive it in your email inbox. SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? 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