1. Considering the increasing number of minority students who are graduating college with degrees in the past two decades, what reasons can you ascribe to this significant change?
2. Because of the noticeable decline in prevalence of “liberal arts educations” in colleges around the country, many students are choosing not to major in Humanities courses. Do you think this is a result of a more financially centralized mindset among college students, or an overall change in societal expectations regarding a college degree?
3. The focus on race in college admissions has been a driving force in the admittance of many students. Colleges are aware of the statistic that on average white students have higher scores on SATs than black students. Do you believe that this statistic is actually causing some black students to perform worse than they could, because of stereotyping?
4. The changes in the University of Michigan’s application process have put into place application essays that help to better acquaint the admissions officer with the applicant. However, is it possible that these essays are actually making it more difficult for the applicant to demonstrate their personality and drive, because of the lack of preparation of certain applicants for writing such essays?
5. Do you believe that the drive for more ethnic diversity in higher education is driven by moral or progressive ideals, or by a more money-driven mentality?
6. Some colleges admit students who do not have credentials that are up to par, thereby putting them into a situation where they perform sub-optimally. (This is not the fault of the student, since they were not necessarily prepared for what was to come.) Some of the students with this backstory end up not graduating, thereby increasing the prevalence of non-graduates in their minority. Is it possible that affirmative action is actually partially hurting minorities?

In the article “The Trouble With Online College, the author alludes to the fact that having taken online courses would make such a student’s studies  less effective in a real life setting. However, does that stem from the fact that online courses are not as effective, or rather that the students themselves may not be as academically equipped, even prior to taking those courses?

How would one put a measure to the cost-effectiveness of technological classroom advancements? As in, an argument might state that the money being funneled into providing classrooms with more advanced equipment is too much or too little. But is it more accurate to measure that through grades, student participation, and/or average test scores compared to other, less advanced classes?

The idea that Ivy League colleges provide trends that other colleges are likely to follow is supported by precedence. However, many of the policies Ivy Leagues put in place are not to be seen in other community or public colleges. Is Dean Kirschner’s assumption that Ivy League colleges will be followed as pioneers truly accurate?

Are credit hours likely to change in the coming future as a measure of how much “education” a student has received for a certain class?

Will MOOCs eventually grow into a developed hierarchy, just like regular public and private colleges? As in, will there eventually be non-open, merit based MOOCs that may not offer admission to certain students? If this is a potential factor in the future of education, what effect will this have on society’s interpretation of a degree?

Will the money that is being pumped into MOOCs eventually be repaid by students taking those same classes? Are MOOCs simply a long-term investment that will eventually grow to be something more than they are now?