Taylor Swaak is a staff reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education, covering how innovations in technology are changing the student experience. She aims to hold institutions accountable for technology that is misused or contributes to inequity, as well as uplift success stories that could inspire other ideas.
Taylor comes to The Chronicle from The 74, where she spearheaded the organization’s K-12 coverage of the nation’s two largest school districts — NYC Public Schools and L.A. Unified — before documenting D.C. Public Schools’ pivot to virtual learning during Covid-19. Her reporting on a D.C. father navigating the pandemic with his four children earned an Education Writers Association finalist award in visual storytelling. She’s previously worked and interned at Newsweek, Newsday, the Hartford Courant, CNN, and The Diamondback, the University of Maryland at College Park’s student paper.
When she’s not writing, Taylor is listening to narrative-storytelling podcasts and tinkering with her new coffee maker.
Stories by this Author
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Rapid RestructuringU. of Maryland’s Online Campus Turned to Outsourcing for Speed. That Came at a Cost.
Employees say the decision to restructure led to layoffs, diminished morale, and glitches. -
College Credits on the Cheap
Thousands of Students Take Courses Through Unaccredited Private Companies. Here’s a Look Into One of Them.
Fueling the trend is a perfect storm of skyrocketing tuition costs, a rise in adult learners who need flexibility, and falling enrollment. -
Academic Integrity
Some Students Use Chegg to Cheat. The Site Has Stopped Helping Colleges Catch Them.
The homework-help site is no longer providing student information to colleges conducting honor-code investigations through the platform. -
Surveillance & Privacy
Students Say Room Scans During Online Tests Are Invasive. Now a Judge Agrees.
The ruling, which found a Fourth Amendment violation, should prompt colleges to review their proctoring policies, legal experts said. -
Online Instruction
Online Education Is Booming, but Colleges Risk Lapses in Quality, Report Says
A survey of more than 300 officials at American colleges shows many plan to expand online programming but few consistently evaluate the quality of those growing courses. -
Tech Competency
Colleges Can Overestimate Their Students’ Tech Savvy. This Campus Has a Plan to Improve Digital Literacy.
To deal with gaps, one college turned to Instagram — and tapped peers as teachers. -
Education Technology
An Overseas Ed-Tech Firm Wants to Buy 2U. What Could That Mean for Colleges?
The industry’s shifting terrain could leave institutions with new program partners — and potentially differing agendas. -
Virtual Frontiers
What Colleges’ Contracts for ‘Metaversities’ Leave Out
Institutions embarking on new ed-tech ventures may be overlooking risks. -
Distance Education
Ed. Dept. Should Keep Closer Tabs on Deals With Online-Program Managers, Says Watchdog
The GAO calls for stronger monitoring of the third-party providers, to assure their partnerships with U.S. colleges don’t run afoul of the law. -
Reaching Underserved Students
A Turning Point for Prison Education
With the reinstatement of Pell Grants imminent, college programs weigh technology’s long-term role.
