One Year Anniversary

Thanks to our subscribers for the past 12 months of On EdTech / On EdTech+ newsletter coverage!

Author

Phil Hill
February 22, 2024

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One year ago we launched On EdTech and On EdTech+, rebranding the newsletter from PhilOnEdTech and moving it to the Beehiiv platform. The original idea for a re-launch was already in the works for late Spring 2023 to expand coverage beyond the free one or two posts per week and to add Glenda Morgan as an author. Morgan (she goes by her last name) has been a wonderful addition, and I continue to be incredibly impressed with her keen insights that may appear simple on the surface but are profound. Witness The Five Pathologies of EdTech Discourse About Generative AI or more recently Online is the Target.

Quick Recap

While we planned for a later release, the US Department of Education (ED) released its third-party servicer (TPS) expansion guidance on February 15th last year, and that move led us to soft-launch the newsletter changes early.

  • The On EdTech free option preserves the previous schedule (1x to 2x per week). In the past year we have shared roughly 70 free posts.

  • The On EdTech+ paid option ($10 per month or $100 per year, 30-day free trial) extends coverage to three or four posts per week in total. In the past year we have shared roughly 90 premium posts.

  • The total number of subscribers has increased 41% in the past year.

We thank you, our subscribers, for this growth and interest, and for the many interactions we have had by email or social media DMs or in person!

Podcast

Last fall we also launched the Online Education Across the Atlantic podcast in conjunction with Neil Mosley, available at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any of your favorite players.

Improvements for Subscribers

As we take stock of where we are in early 2024, one area that we need to improve is providing resources for new subscribers. With 41% growth, we should not assume that subscribers have gone back in the archive and read earlier coverage on key topics (crazy, I know). For example, we first noticed a very different approach to ED regulatory activity back in early 2022.

Put these together and I see what appears to be a common approach.

* Use regulatory processes not just as safeguards but also to enable predefined end goals, usually around ‘reining in for-profit’ entities;

* Minimize the amount of time allowed for public comment and debate;

* Informally work through multiple agencies, both federal and state, to set new rules; and

* Worry about the unintended consequences later.

And the impacts will be felt well beyond the for-profit sector. I didn’t include anecdotes here, but I believe we’ll see similar actions relating to OPMs and nonprofit conversions. Regulatory actions will be a big story in 2022 for various forms of online education and alternative educational models.

That background is important to understand much of what we’re seeing more recently with student loan debt forgiveness, TPS expansion guidance, review of the bundled services exception, financial value transparency & gainful employment, etc, etc.

Over the coming weeks and months, Morgan and I plan to develop some background material on key topics like ED regulatory activism, the OPM market, online and general enrollment trends, the LMS market, and generative AI in education.

Thank you

We are very grateful for our loyal and new readers, and we sincerely thank you for making On EdTech possible and rewarding. Expect much more coverage moving forward!

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