We hope you could join us for our Friday 5 Live this week.  We are grateful for Dr. Sylvia Dorsey-Robinson who shared with us her insights into how we can support our students of color during pandemic learning. We look forward to welcoming Dr. Denise Swett on February 5 as we talk through technology resources to support us in 2021.

In his first week in office, President Biden ordered that Title IX’s protections based on gender be extended to sexual orientation and gender identity — a major win for transgender students and their advocates. This order affirms that gender identity and sexual orientation are protected classes under federal sex discrimination laws. Experts see this as the first signal that the Biden administration will revamp Title IX. Last year Betsy DeVos, former Secretary of Education, narrowed the scope of sexual violence colleges would need to investigate under Title IX and created a pseudo-judicial system for hearing those cases.  It is possible the Department of Education could scale back enforcement of the current regulation until it can be revamped.

This week Inside Higher Ed examines a report highlighting the faculty experience in the fall semester.  Faculty reported feeling more prepared for online learning and that their students in general learned as much in the fall semester as they would have in a traditional on-campus semester.  However, “professors at four- and especially two-year institutions are significantly likelier to report increases rather than decreases in the proportion of students either dropping out of or failing their introductory courses.” Faculty are concerned about the increasing equity gaps in higher education.  The report recommends that institutions focus on preparing faculty to teach effectively while also rewarding instructors who focus on teaching.