Clemson University and the State University of New York at Stony Brook are among the nine universities piloting technology created by Silicon Valley-based company CourseSmart in an effort to gain insight about students' progress, The New York Times reported. The technology collects data as students read electronic textbooks and then sends that information to professors and textbook authors. While many textbook manufacturers previously released information about how their products are received by a general audience, this is the first time that teachers have gained information about their own students. Such information might flag students who are in danger of failing a course or alert a professor when an entire class is falling behind on the reading. More than 3.5 million students currently use CourseSmart.
The Columbia College Student Council passed a resolution that requires all first-year Columbia University students to take first semester non-Core courses with a grade of pass, D or fail, the Columbia Daily Spectator reported. The policy aims to mitigate some of the stress and inequality between students resulting from the transition from high school to college, Steven Castellano, a senior who led the efforts to pass the policy, said in an interview with the Spectator. If the resolution passes, first year students would know the letter grades they received in their classes and could use them to calculate their grade point average for internship or scholarship applications, but official transcripts would not include that information. The change is similar to some of the items mentioned in Dartmouth's strategic planning reports, such as the Students of the Future working group's proposal to eliminate grades for students' first year.
University of Pennsylvania students will celebrate the annual Spring Fling weekend with an uninvited guest undercover officers from the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement for the District of Philadelphia, The Daily Pennsylvanian reported. According to Penn's vice president of public safety Maureen Rush, a bureau member alerted the university that undercover officers would be authorized to cite underage students for drinking during the weekend. Officers plan to remain vigilant during block parties and will look for people walking around campus with open containers of alcohol. Rush said that the university decided to preempt these moves by holding a meeting with some "problem houses" known to host raucous parties, where they were warned about the consequences of serving alcohol to minors. Rush also warned underage students that they could face disciplinary action, including fines and driver's license suspensions, if officers caught them drinking.
