Universities are beginning to use big data to evaluate the expected success of applicants and identify students that may need extra help, Fast Company reported Monday. Student evaluations are calculated using data points formed from grades, employment status and family assistance, along with professors' evaluations and other sources. Wichita State University uses IBM business analytics software as a predictive tool, which has yielded a 96 percent accuracy rate in picking "high-yield" applicants. The tool is 14 percent more accurate than comparable external human evaluations, suggesting increased future use of big data in education, Fast Company reported.
The ROTC is cutting funding for its programs at 13 schools, more than half in the South, in order to increase recruiting efforts in other markets, The New York Times reported. The schools were chosen because they were producing fewer than 15 commissioned officers per year. By shutting down these 13 programs, the Army Cadet Command, which oversees the ROTC, will redirect its resources to grow 56 existing locations, including Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. Administrators at affected universities expressed concerns about the cuts, saying that underprivileged students' educations may be imperiled without the program. The cuts are the first widespread closure of ROTC programs since 1998.
George Washington University admitted to evaluating applicants' financial need during the admissions process, The GW Hatchet reported. GW had previously characterized its admissions as need-blind, but now notes on its website that the first-round review is need-blind, followed by an evaluation of the applicants' need when finalizing admissions decisions to balance GW's financial aid budget and the applicant's financial resources. GW administrators said the change in description of their admissions process was in response to a misrepresentation of the way they have always analyzed applicants.
