Interesting Policy Reads: Digital Course-Planning Platforms, Free Textbooks, and the IT Talent Gap

Authors:: Katie Branson
Published:: Friday, May 11, 2018
Columns:: Policy

min read

photo of open book looking at it from one end

With our "Interesting Policy Reads" blog posts, the EDUCAUSE Policy Office highlights recent articles on federal policy issues and developments that are directly relevant to members or provide insights on higher education policy in general.

'Big Deal' Cancellations Gain Momentum, Inside Higher Ed, May 8, 2018. (A growing number of libraries are dropping bundled journal subscriptions, choosing instead to only pay for individual journals. One reason for the cancellations could be that subscription cost increases are outpacing library budget growth.)
Lobby representing AT&T, Verizon wants FCC to get rid of line-sharing rules, CNET, May 7, 2018. (The USTelecom lobby group petitioned the FCC to get rid of rules allowing small network operators to buy access to larger company networks at lower rates.)
European regulators: We're not ready for new privacy law, Reuters, May 8, 2018. (Despite a May 25 effective date, many regulators tasked with policing GDPR have indicated they aren't yet ready to enforce the policy.)
Google launches new GDPR controls for publishers, Axios, May 8, 2018. (Google has included an update to their ad-serving platform allowing publishers to select GDPR-compliant ad tech vendors in an effort to make it easy for publishers to navigate the new regulation.)
The Government's Tech Talent Gap is (Still) Getting Worse, Nextgov, May 7, 2018. (As the federal IT workforce is aging, the government is struggling to find new tech talent.)
Free textbooks? Federal government is on track with a pilot program, Washington Post, May 8, 2018. (Congress appropriated $5 million to support the development of free open-educational resources, and the Department of Education has signaled that they will initiate a pilot program.)
When More Info Isn't Better for Students, Inside Higher Ed, May 11, 2018. (Findings from a Stanford University study suggest that the use of digital course-planning platforms at academically rigorous institutions corresponds to a drop in GPA.)

Kathryn Branson is an associate with Ulman Public Policy.