Notes in the Margins: 3D printing, Arne Duncan and the death of idealism

University president: Can anyone differ with Arne Duncan ‘without being dismissed as silly’? It’s certainly not silly that plenty of people who actually do know what they’re talking about have raised numerous legitimate issues about the ability of this government to implement a collegiate rating system based on some pretty dubious data. (The Washington Post)

Frequent Tests Can Enhance College Learning, Study Finds Short quizzes at the start of each class increased attendance and performance, an experiment showed. (The New York Times)

Universities create 3D printing spaces but at unequal paces Some students see an absence of 3D printing technology at schools as a disadvantage. (USA Today)

Measuring Colleges' Success Graduating Students With Subsidized Stafford Loans The tables are the type of outcome data that those developing the methodology and data sets to be used in the president's proposed college rating plan should consider. The president's plan would, in part, measure the success of students who receive federal aid like subsidized loans. (U.S. News & World Report)

Getting Our Priorities Straight in Higher Education Idealism is endangered by President Obama's much-praised initiative to control college costs, which is built on a formula that will reward schools whose graduates make the most money. It's tough to get rich saving the world, and graduates committed to social justice have a hard time competing in earned income with their counterparts who study, say, engineering, math and computer science. (The Huffington Post)

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