Ah, bootcamps. Coding bootcamps are the new MOOCs which were the new correspondence school which was the old video on-demand schools. Two of the largest bootcamp brands closed last week within days of each other. Dev Camp maybe had the biggest brand but Iron Yard operated in more areas. Both are now gone. You canRead More “The Lower Ed Ecosystem: Bootcamps Edition”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Finding Hope in a Loveless Place
By January 2016 I had made peace with the idea of a President Donald Trump. It was a strange statement for a black woman, a sociologist, a professor. I would go on to consult for Bernie Sanders’ campaign in the primary. I had written an essay for a mainstream anthology about Hillary Rodham Clinton’sRead More “Finding Hope in a Loveless Place”
Racism With No Racists: The President Trump Conundrum
President-elect Donald Trump ran on a fundamentally racist platform. President-elect Donald Trump promulgated the idea that Mexicans are rapists, blacks are trapped in inner cities, Muslims are terrorists and that America could only be great “again” by becoming what it was in the 1950s when all manner of de facto and de rigeur racism wasRead More “Racism With No Racists: The President Trump Conundrum”
Work, Work, Work, Work, Work
I was in the middle of a series on the theory of credentialism and Lower Ed when it became time to decorate around here for the book releases. The next two installments are written, though, and will post over the next three weeks. In the meantime, I’ve been up to a few things. First, youRead More “Work, Work, Work, Work, Work”
A Homegirl Reflecting on Charlotte Uprising
I have watched many cities burn over the past two years. I cried over Ferguson. I cried over Baltimore. But there’s nothing like seeing your hometown on social media with a hashtag. I don’t want to talk about my family and friends. Worrying about them keeps me up at night. I don’t want to talkRead More “A Homegirl Reflecting on Charlotte Uprising”
Lower Ed, A Series: Part II
ITT Technical Institutes is gone, just like that. A summary: In the wake of devastating federal sanctions, officials from Carmel-based ITT Educational Services Inc. announced Tuesday that all ITT Technical Institute campuses will be closing. In late August, the U.S. Department of Education barred ITT from enrolling new students who depend on federal aid and required the company to warn current studentsRead More “Lower Ed, A Series: Part II”
Lower Ed: A Series
Twelve years ago I was working in a for-profit college. Seven years ago I was ashamed of having worked in a for-profit college because I was suddenly surrounded by real academics. Five years ago I started a dissertation that became, “Becoming Real Colleges in the Financialized Era of U.S. Higher Education: The Expansion and LegitimationRead More “Lower Ed: A Series”
The $20 Principle
I have written before about how $20 can change a student’s life. The $20 is slightly euphemistic but not entirely so. We talk a lot about big money in higher education but I know for a fact that it’s small money that can derail one’s educational ambitions. I was a student in a doctoral preparationRead More “The $20 Principle”
Critical Learning in the Modern University
I had a great time with the Digital Pedagogy Lab yesterday. I hope to get back a bit more before it wraps up Friday. My keynote discusses our experiences launching the VCU SOCY Digital Sociology program as a case of innovation in the modern, corporate university. This is one of the most practical, engaging learningRead More “Critical Learning in the Modern University”
A Philosophy of Voting and Revolutions
There is a meme floating around. I won’t share an image of it. Somewhere along the way, I pieced together too many followers to casually link to people’s memes and social media content. I don’t want it to seem like I’m refuting any single person so much as an idea floating out there in theRead More “A Philosophy of Voting and Revolutions”