Utah’s Senator Hatch introduces Bipartisan College Transparency Act to improve reporting of student outcomes
A bipartisan group of senators led by Utah’s Senator Hatch recently introduced legislation to overturn a federal prohibition on tracking the educational and employment outcomes of college students. The bill sponsors—all members of the Senate education committee—unveiled the College Transparency Act of 2017, which would allow the federal government, as well as families and prospective […]
Distance-delivered courses are mainstream: 40% of USHE students enroll in at least one distance-delivered course
40% of the 175,509 students enrolled at USHE institutions during the 2016-17 academic year take at least one distance-delivered course (courses in which 80% or more of the course is taught at a distance), significantly higher than the national average of 28%. Online courses are by far the most popular distance-delivered courses, and are the […]
Board of Regents to adopt major governance revisions in 2017
The 2017 Legislature adopted some of the most sweeping governance revisions for the Board of Regents since its establishment in 1969 through SB 238, Higher Education Governance Revisions (Millner/Wilson). The legislation puts into the law significant areas of existing policy and practice of the board, including board member selection, board duties, the selection of institution […]
2017 Legislative Update – Week 5
2017-2018 Budget With revised revenue projections announced last week, significant budget decisions continue to loom before a final budget takes shape. There is still a lot of work on the budget as well as several bills that continue their march through the legislative process. Legislation of Interest HB 100, Institutions of Higher Education Disclosure Requirements […]
Longitudinal data & higher education in Utah
In recent years, longitudinal data has become an oft-referenced term in relation to educational data. The Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) has long utilized longitudinal data to inform policy decisions and provide reporting information to the Board of Regents, the state legislature and other primary stakeholders. USHE has used a central data warehouse since […]
Annual update for Engineering and Computer Science Initiative
The Technology Initiative and Advisory Board (TIAB) recently released its 15th annual update to the Engineering and Computer Science Initiative. Established in 2001 with support from then-Governor Leavitt and the State Legislature (SB 61, Sen. Hillyard), the initiative’s primary objective is to increase the number of students graduating from engineering, computer science, and related technology […]
Newly-passed legislation will reduce administrative costs for online courses
HB 379, Interstate Reciprocity Agreement for Postsecondary Distance Education, sponsored by Rep. Val Peterson and Sen. Ann Millner, was passed during the 2016 Legislative Session. While the legislation itself didn’t receive much attention, it will significantly reduce the costs to administer those programs. The bill received unanimous support by both the House and Senate and […]
Tech use in higher ed continues to increase, but less than 3% of students enroll solely online
Technology plays an increasingly important role in college students’ lives. Students use technology throughout their college education, from courses taught partially or entirely online, to registration, instructor evaluations, and tuition payments. Completely online programs offered USHE institutions now offer 1,738 fully online courses, 140 of which were added in the last year. There are also […]
Number of engineering and computer science degrees continues to rise
The number of engineering and computer science degrees earned in Utah continues to rise, thanks in part to the Engineering and Computer Technology Initiative. In 2001, the State Legislature established this initiative within the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE), which aimed to increase the number of students graduating from engineering, computer science and related technology […]
Utah receives grant from National Governors Association to work on replicating Utah Aerospace Pathways project in other industries
Last week, the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices announced six states—Indiana, Iowa, Montana, New Hampshire, Utah and Washington—will participate in the 2016 Policy Academy on Scaling Work-Based Learning. The 18-month leadership program focuses on helping state teams incorporate work-based learning into their overall talent pipeline as a way to establish clear career […]
