Higher ed experts talk rise of online classes, budget cuts - Sarah Gibson, the Texas A&M Battalion

Professionals in the Texas education system fielded questions Wednesday on challenges facing public and higher education as part of a lecture titled “Cost vs. Quality: The Future of American Higher Education.” During the lecture, presented by the MSC Wiley Lecture Series and the Student Conference on National Affairs, Mary Smith and Robert Scott — professionals in the Texas education system — discussed topics from education reform to budget and research cuts. “We want to blur the lines between high school and college,” Scott said. “We want to see high school students fully prepared to go to college and succeed, and with dual credit and standardized tests we have already seen significant gains.” After opening remarks, students and University employees asked questions of Smith and Scott, many of which dealt with the topic of budget cuts and online classes. Scott said the fine arts as well as trade schools have been severely impacted by recent budget cuts. “Right now, the coordinating board is seeing a big movement toward online classes,” Smith said. “We feel that by 2020, a large percentage of students will be enrolled in both online and lecture classes.” http://www.thebatt.com/higher-ed-experts-talk-rise-of-online-classes-budget-cuts-1.3012718