This week, Western Governors' University made headlines with the revelation that it could be forced to retun over $712 million to the federal government following the revelation that the U.S. Department of Education's Office of the Inspector General found its classes don't offer enough faculty interaction to qualify for financial aid funding.

Also in higher ed, the University of Phoenix is expected to shutter 20 brick-and-mortar campuses nationwide, and a recent Australian study shows online courses may be more time-consuming for instructors to prepare for and teach.

Meanwhile in K-12, submissions in an assessment design challenge held by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Leaning (CASEL) reveal the current state of measuring progress on those skills.

Be sure to check out our look at the role of equity in improving equity and discourse and more in this week's most-read posts from Education Dive!

• WGU may have to return more than $712M in federal financial aid: The Department of Education's Office of Inspector General has determined that Western Governors University does not include enough faculty interaction in online classes and thus does not qualify for federal financial aid. 
• University of Phoenix to shut down more campuses: Parent company Apollo Education Group sold to private investors for $1.1 billion earlier this year, and the university had been plagued by high profile lawsuits, an Federal Trade Commission investigation and accusations of predatory recruitment practices.
• Civics ed key to equity, improving discourse: In a turbulent political climate, civics is crucial to helping students engage with and process the world around them.
• Measuring social-emotional skills: Designs show current state of assessment: Most assessments focus on specific skills and aren't ready to be used on a large-scale basis.
• Online courses may require more prep time than traditional classes, study says: Regardless of the educator's technology skill level, there's more prep time required to teach virtual classes.

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