New on WCET Frontiers
Policy
What Week Two of AHEAD Rulemaking on Accountability Measures Means for Digital Learning
Published by: WCET | 1/21/2026
The new year began with the second and final week of The U.S. Department of Education’s (The Department) negotiated rulemaking for the Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) Committee. Week two focused on program accountability measures that will address consequences for failing programs. Processes were developed to address a program’s […]
And The Magic Eight Ball Says…
Published by: WCET | 1/9/2026
This month marks my one-year anniversary as WCET’s executive director. I frequently get asked how my first year has gone. My reply is always that it’s been an interesting time to step into leadership at an organization that lives at the intersection of higher education policy and technology. Between my one-year anniversary and the predictable […]
Practice
A Decade of Data: How SARA Is Strengthening Protections and Expanding Access for Distance Learners
Published by: WCET | 12/11/2025
As postsecondary institutions continue to expand their digital learning footprints, understanding the regulatory and consumer-protection landscape has never been more important. SARA plays a central role in that landscape, especially as distance education stabilizes beyond the pandemic and institutions look for efficient, student-centered ways to operate across state lines. To explore the latest data, trends, […]
Practice
Looking Back, Moving Forward: A Year with WCET
Published by: WCET | 12/2/2025
When I was younger, and sleeping on the ground didn’t hurt quite so much, I liked to usher in the new year by camping. It offered a great opportunity to get away and find solitude to reflect on the previous year and contemplate the new year. I remember one New Year’s Eve when a huge […]
Practice
Meeting Students Where They Are: How Colorado Online is Transforming Digital Learning Through Collaboration
Published by: WCET | 11/20/2025
Each year, I look forward to the WCET Outstanding Work (WOW) Awards because they give us the chance to shine a light on the incredible innovations happening across our community. These awards celebrate the projects that push digital learning forward—the ones that tackle real challenges, expand access, improve quality, and deliver meaningful results for today’s […]
Policy
Negotiated Rulemaking Underway: Week One Review of the RISE Committee
Published by: WCET | 10/30/2025
The U.S. Department of Education will soon enter the second and final week of negotiated rulemaking for the Re-imagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Committee, which is developing changes to the Federal student loan programs as directed by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OB3). As we prepare for the final week of discussions, we […]
Practice
Mitigating Program & Campus Closure with Course Sharing
Published by: WCET | 10/16/2025
Across higher education, we’re seeing tough headlines about campuses closing or programs being cut. It’s a challenging time for higher ed, and learners are often the ones most affected. In this post, our partners at Parchment by Instructure share how course sharing can help institutions work together to expand access, sustain programs, and keep campuses […]
Practice
Now Is Our Moment: Six Takeaways from the 2025 Badge Summit
Published by: WCET | 10/9/2025
At WCET, we’re always inspired by the spaces where innovation in higher education moves from idea to action. From what we understand, the 2025 Badge Summit at the University of Colorado, Boulder, was exactly that kind of moment. What once may have felt like a specialized discussion about badges and digital credentials has grown into […]
Practice
WCET’s Accessibility Project: Progress, but Not yet Perfection
Published by: WCET | 9/4/2025
WCET has always taken accessibility seriously. When we updated our website in 2021, we worked diligently to ensure that all content, including PDFs, adhered to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, AA standards. We worked with WebAIM a few years after the website’s launch to ensure that our web-based content still complied with those standards. […]
Practice
Breaking Down Walls
Published by: WCET | 8/28/2025
Imagine a student who relies on a screen reader to navigate their course or descriptive audio to better understand and follow video recordings. For that student, accessibility is a necessity. Thirty-five years ago, America made a commitment to that student when President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on a hot […]