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In the very near future, the huge and rapidly growing store of free, online learning opportunities will completely transform higher continuing education. The beginnings of this transformation are already evident and the factors compelling this change are so powerful that free learning is no longer a "trend." Rather, free learning is an imperative that must be recognized soon if current higher-education institutions, and particularly their continuing-education arms, are to survive and continue to be useful to society. This article is designed to help CE leaders become aware of and respond to the business challenges posed by the commodification of learning. Driving this practical and financial orientation is a much more profound idea and goal--the possibility that everyone could learn anything, anywhere, anytime, and for free.

From the White House to Capitol Hill, the winners in this week's elections won't have much time to savor their victories. Even as federal policymakers sort out the political landscape, the remainder of 2012 and the early months of 2013 are likely to be dominated by divisive, unresolved issues with broad consequences for K-12 and higher education--some of which require immediate action. Chief among them: sequestration, a series of planned, across-the-board budget cuts that are set to hit almost every federal agency Jan. 2, including the U.S. Department of Education. And when lawmakers in the 113th Congress take office in early January, they also will confront a yawning shortfall in the Pell Grant program. On top of that, federal policymakers must cope with thorny implementation questions on major policy initiatives, including dozens of waivers that eased states' obligations under the No Child Left Behind Act.

In contemporary policy discussions on higher education, the idea that this environment is in danger of becoming isolated from the world, ignoring the wishes and needs of society at large, is a constant background. From a historical point of view, it is mostly true that the academic spectrum has been rather impermeable in both directions: the knowledge generated and transmitted within it was very little based on the outside world and less concerned with its application to the problems of the outside world. In the globalised world of the 21st century, this kind of impermeability is no longer possible. The expansion of higher education systems in all regions has brought new socio-economic groups into the educational environment, with a greater diversity of cultures, levels of academic preparation, and expectations. In order to gain a better insight into the topic, we used an examination approach by overlaying information from different sources of exploration and analyzing the level of comparability over time. This paper examined the main characteristics of education as a pillar for defining human capital and its effects on academia. The findings are explained in the conclusion section, but it is mandatory to specify one conclusion regarding the fact that the costs of academic expansion have also led to increased pressure from governments to justify state funding, a justification that is usually couched in terms of direct and measurable social and economic impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Summary: University students typically develop between them long-lasting ties of friendship and trust, as well as an attachment to their university. If they are foreign students, they also form a bond to their country of study. This paper investigates the impact of university ties on the UK’s trade with 167 countries during 1999–2009. I find robust evidence that education network ties boost the UK’s bilateral trade flows. Specifically, the impact of networks is stronger on trade between the United Kingdom and countries with dissimilar institutions and culture, and particularly with post-communist economies. Results are robust to different econometric specifications and regressors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

With special requirements in education on global level, educational institutions adopt various approaches, methods, innovations to answer the rising demands of competitiveness and efficiency for learners of all categories and ages. Institutional cultures individualize themselves through a series of factors that provide learners with the necessary skills to cope with demands on a global scale. The paper attempts to present some of these efforts, their results, and impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Empirical research has shown that cultural values matter for economic growth and has specifically identified the achievement motivation as an aspect of culture that engenders economic growth. If specific cultural values engender economic growth, how then can societies promote them? This paper addresses this question using the 2005 wave of the World Values Survey data for 43 countries. We test the contention that both formal and informal education significantly impacts the relative importance an individual places on economic achievement vis-à-vis traditional social norms. Results suggest that individuals with higher education levels and better access to media attach higher importance to values related to autonomy and economic achievement as compared to conformity to traditional social norms. These results underscore the importance of institutions, specifically public policy on both formal and informal educational channels, in facilitating adoption of values that are considered important for economic development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article offers information on research related to adult education. The second update of the report "Education Pays" focuses on the financial and nonmonetary benefits of higher education. A study titled "America's Perfect Storm: Three Forces Changing Our Nation's Forces" states the educational and economic factors that affect the U.S.