Lawrence Journal-World 01-28-13

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KU taking wait-see approach on ‘MOOCs’

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A DEER HERD FEEDS in a clearing on a recent evening just north of Lawrence.

Special to the Journal-World

TOPEKA — Employers and post-secondary institutions may soon have minimized access to the Facebook and Twitter accounts of employees or students. State Rep. Gail Finney, D-Wichita, has introduced three bills — House Bills 2092, 2093 and 2094 — that are each directed at a different aspect of electronic privacy. Under HB 2092, an employer may not request or demand access to the social media accounts of an employee or potential employee. “From someone’s Face-

By Matt Erickson merickson@ljworld.com

Proposed legislation aimed at online privacy By Nikki Wentling

Some universities already embracing ‘massive open online courses’

book or Twitter account, passed legislation last year they can get their race, age, that prohibits requesting identity and a lot of their or demanding access to personal information that, the social media accounts on a federal level, is illegal to of applicants, students or ask,” Finney said. “It would employees. A total of 14 be illegal for an emstates introduced legployer to come to my islation in 2012 that home physically for restricts employers that information, and from requesting somy social media home cial media user names is no different.” and passwords. Kansas isn’t the LEGISLATURE Finney did acknowlonly state concerned edge that accessing with online privacy. social media profiles Other state legislators have could benefit employers already implemented laws during the hiring process. regarding social media. “They want to make sure According to the National that they are hiring someConference of State Leg- one with integrity. They islatures, California, Dela- want to look at their credware, Illinois, Maryland, ibility and character, and Michigan and New Jersey I can understand that,”

Finney said. “However, I just don’t think it’s right.” HB 2094 would give the same rights to students at public and private colleges and universities. The third bill aims to protect the identities of social media users by prohibiting someone from creating false accounts on social media websites for the purpose of harassment. For example, an individual could not identify himself or herself under the name or photo of someone else without consent. “I’m a Facebook user, a Twitter user, and I see a lot of activity,” Finney said. “This is a matter of personal privacy.”

From the makeshift office set up in the living room of her Lawrence home, Beth McKeon learns about growing a small business from a professor at the University of Virginia, and trains her brain to use the scientific method with the help of another professor at the University of California-Irvine. It’s making She’s doing all higher education that this month, from home, for think about some free. And she’s do- things that we need ing it through the to think about.” magic of MOOCs. MOOCs, massive open online — Sara Rosen, KU’s senior vice courses, rocketed provost for academic affairs into the higher-education headlines in early 2012 and have stayed since. In these online courses, university professors, some of whom teach at some of the country’s most prestigious institutions, teach electronically to students all over the world who sometimes number 100,000 or more in a single course. And students get all that for free, though that doesn’t mean there’s no money involved; for-profit companies offering the

Please see MOOCS, page 2A

Federal report details academic fraud at Haskell By Shaun Hittle sdhittle@ljworld.com

A recently obtained investigative report from the U.S. Department of Education about Haskell Indian Nations University details broader instances of academic fraud in the school’s athletics department dating back to 2007 than had previously been known. Allegations surfaced last

May that the school was being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Redman regarding academic problems in the Haskell athletics department. Haskell officials provided

tion began its investigation into Haskell after a request from the office of the U.S. District Attorney in Kansas in January 2009. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in August 2011 declined to press criminal charges in the case, for reasons that were redacted in the report. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to provide further Please see HASKELL, page 2A

INSIDE

Warmer Business Classified Comics Deaths

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some information about the violations, which led to the forfeiture of several basketball and football games by the school because of ineligible players. But the Department of Education report highlights a wider range of academic issues at the school not previously made public. According to the report, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, the Department of Educa-

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Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo

BETH MCKEON, of Lawrence, began three MOOCs this month. MOOC stands for massive open online course.

Picking our judges

Vol.155/No.28 28 pages

Conservative Republican legislators are pushing aggressively for an overhaul of how Kansas fills vacancies on its two highest courts, but they face obstacles. Page 3A

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