Techno-News Blog

by Bruce V. Bigelow, xconomy

After establishing a new office of online education earlier this year, UC San Diego recently unveiled plans to develop massive open online courses—or MOOCs—to better prepare workers for jobs in two specialized tech sectors. Under a “global skills initiative” announced by Mountain View, CA-based Coursera, UC San Diego said it will be working on the classes with Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM), the wireless technologies giant, and San Francisco-based Splunk (NASDAQ: SPLK), a big data software developer. Coursera said last week its initiative is intended to provide workers with needed skills in today’s tech economy.

http://www.xconomy.com/san-diego/2015/08/10/coursera-uc-san-diego-use-moocs-to-make-workers-more-job-ready/

By Laura Devaney, eSchool News

Whether you know it or not, most educators have already started creating their own open educational resources (OER) in the form of tests, handouts, and presentations. Bringing them on online to share with other educators is just the natural next step. But there are best practices creating and sharing OERs, which are resources that are freely shared and able to be modified and redistributed. This “grass-roots, bottom-up” approach to content creation enables educators to tailor content to meet students’ needs,” said Tyler DeWitt, an MIT Ph.D. student and a student coordinator for the MIT+K12 video outreach project, during an edWeb webinar, which explored these and other related takeaways and gave several tips for creating OERs that work for educators.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/08/07/creating-oers-722/

by Tim Dodd, Financial Review

US massive open online course provider Coursera is creating closer ties with employers, aiming to set up a network of companies which will help fund new courses as well as offering industry expertise, specialist guest lecturers and student case studies. Coursera promises companies that join the scheme, called the Global Skills Initiative, that they will “receive visible branding throughout the course, learner survey and performance data, and course materials for employee training”. Coursera also says it will give companies access to the top performers in the course “to expand their hiring pools”.

http://www.afr.com/technology/apps/education/mooc-watch-coursera-builds-links-to-companies-20150806-giti2u

by One India

Taxi drivers in Rio de Janeiro have been offered free English courses to improve communication with tourists during next year’s Olympics. Some 10,000 online courses will be provided to drivers under the plan, a joint initiative between Rio 2016, Radio Globo and the English First group, reported Xinhua. Those who complete the course will receive a certificate of recognition from the ministry of eduction. “When tourists arrive in Rio, taxi drivers are often the first local people to greet them,” Rio 2016 head of engagement Mariana Behr told Rio2016.com.

http://www.oneindia.com/sports/rio-cab-drivers-offered-free-english-courses-for-olympics-1831811.html

by Aida Akl, VOA

Distance education is increasingly becoming available to mobile users, both as an alternative and a compliment to structured learning. Some educators hope it could even level the global skills gap. But that remains a work in progress. Open universities that offer MOOCs or Massive Open Online Courses with content from participating universities are not new. But their pace has picked up with increased global Internet connectivity, making it possible for people to learn anything, anywhere, often for free. For most people around the world, “the first time and actually only time they’ll get on the Internet is with a mobile device – their phone,” said the World Bank’s Michael Trucano, Senior Education & Technology Policy Specialist and Global Lead for Innovation in Education.

http://blogs.voanews.com/techtonics/2015/08/07/mobile-extends-reach-potential-of-distance-learning/

by Sasha Nikolic, International Journal of Online Engineering

The internet is a great resource student’s use for learning. Reasons include the ease in searching with sites such as Google, or the vast collection of informative videos on YouTube. The teaching laboratory can also benefit from online resources, especially when students are deficient in prerequisite knowledge. The benefits are greatest when there are non-standard learning paths, and multiple entry points into a degree. This study undertakes a mixed methods research approach to try and understand how students use and appreciate an online resource, called the Training Laboratory, designed to support learning in the engineering teaching laboratory. The targeted resources are used to help support students as well as the laboratory teaching assistants (called laboratory demonstrators). The study finds that such resources are used by a substantial number of students to aid learning, increasing productivity, and improving teaching. The availability of such targeted resources leads to an improved student experience.

http://online-journals.org/index.php/i-joe/article/view/4742

by Audrey Penner, Evolllution

Postsecondary education (PSE) is experiencing a perfect storm and I call this confluence of events “21st-Century PSE: Normal 3.0.” This perfect storm includes advanced educational technology (simplistically referred to as Online Learning), declining demographics, a world-is-flat distribution model, an Internet of Things, and globally driven industry demands for highly skilled labor. Normal 3.0 means in-time, on-time delivery of education when the student wants/needs it, and where the student wants/needs it. Normal 3.0 means some aspect of online learning and self-study. Think YouTube versus textbook. Normal 3.0 means using technology to delivery and measure education.

http://evolllution.com/revenue-streams/distance_online_learning/normal-3-0-postsecondary-education-gazing-higher-eds-future/

By Devon Haynie, US News

Women say online learning gives them more flexibility to tackle their work and family commitments. Women may be more highly represented in online education because of the kinds of jobs they pursue, experts say. In the world of online learning, female students predominate. At the undergraduate level, 70 percent of online students were women in spring 2015, according to a recent survey. Among graduate students, 72 percent of students were female. Some online bachelor’s programs are made up almost entirely of women, according to U.S. News data. In 2013-2014, these 10 schools had the highest percentages of female undergraduates among the 224 ranked programs that submitted data, excluding female-only programs.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2015/08/05/why-women-are-drawn-to-online-learning-in-higher-numbers-than-men

By John K. Waters, Campus Technology

Udacity created quite a buzz at the annual Google I/O conference this year when the for-profit online education provider unveiled its new Android Developer Nanodegree program. Udacity later made the headline-grabbing announcement that it will refund half the tuition ($200 per month) for students completing the program in 12 months. The Android nanodegree is the sixth member of Udacity’s young lineup of industry-led, career-oriented, online certification programs, but it’s not surprising that the launch of this one would draw so much attention. There are about a billion active Android users worldwide, and consequently, something approaching urgent demand for Android developers. But this high-profile launch also raises again the question of where these kinds of programs fit in the post-secondary educational landscape, and whether such focused learning programs might finally emerge as a disruptive force in higher education.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/08/05/how-nanodegrees-are-disrupting-higher-education.aspx

by Ryan Craig, EdSurge

As faculty at colleges and universities are all too aware, it’s hard to do two jobs at the same time. Since the advent of the modern research university over a century ago, faculty have effectively held down two jobs: conducting (and publishing) research and teaching students. The downside is that both jobs require significant expertise and commitment to do well. And so I often think about this question: would faculty be better teachers and produce superior student outcomes if we asked them to focus solely on instruction? If today’s answer is “maybe,” tomorrow’s will be “probably” due to three shifts that will make instruction more complex and involved, requiring specialized knowledge and skills and unquestionably a full-time commitment.

https://www.edsurge.com/n/2015-08-04-the-3-instructional-shifts-that-will-redefine-the-college-professor

By Reis Thebault, The Columbus Dispatch

Analytics relies on past student data, such as grades, credit hours and class difficulty, to predict how future students may fare. And so, when advisers look at the data, they aren’t spying, they’re helping, Burns said. “This is not Big Brother in a bad way,” she said. “Advising is a craft. A lot of times academic advisers are not given the information they need to successfully help students.” In some cases, that information is more than just academic data; it can be information about students’ social lives.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/data-analytics-colleges-985/

By Conner Forrest, ZDNet

Robots have been working alongside human employees in industries such as manufacturing for a long time, helping accomplish tasks quicker or more efficiently. But, as the fields of cognitive computing and artificial intelligence continue to grow, we will see many more industries — from the food industry to customer service — affected by automation. A 2013 research paper out of the Oxford Martin School in the UK estimates that roughly 47 percent of the total US jobs are at risk of computerization or automation. Some of these are jobs for which we are offering college degrees and/or certificates.  That means almost half of the jobs in the US could end up being automated. But, which will be the first to go? Here are 10 jobs that will be at the top of the list.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/the-first-10-jobs-that-will-be-automated-by-ai-and-robots/

by BEN POPKEN, NBC News

Students hitting the college bookstore this fall will get a stark lesson in economics before they’ve cracked open their first chapter. Textbook prices are soaring. Some experts say it’s because they’re sold like drugs. According to NBC’s review of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, textbook prices have risen over three times the rate of inflation from January 1977 to June 2015, a 1,041 percent increase. “They’ve been able to keep raising prices because students are ‘captive consumers.’ They have to buy whatever books they’re assigned,” said Nicole Allen, a spokeswoman for the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition. In some ways, this is similar to a pharmaceutical sales model where the publishers spend their time wooing the decision makers to adopt their product. In this case, it’s professors instead of doctors.

http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/freshman-year/college-textbook-prices-have-risen-812-percent-1978-n399926

By Jan Dizon, Tech Times

If you’ve ever wanted to develop your own games but have been held back because you lack the coding skills to turn your dreams into a reality, now’s your chance to change that. The Next Web is offering a Game Development online course to help you get the knowlege and skills needed to create your very own game – and to top it all off, you only pay what you want for the entire course bundle! The courses included in the Game Development Bundle are ‘Game Development for Non-Coders’ valued at $128, ‘Unity 3D Game Developing and Design’ originally priced at $225, and ‘HTML5 App and Game Development’ for $186. However, under the Pay What You Want deal, you can pay absolutely whatever you want (provided that the amount is more than $1).

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/73722/20150802/want-game-developer-course-lets-pay-whatever.htm

by Malcolm Brown, Joanne Dehoney, and Nancy Millichap; EDUCAUSE Review

Today’s LMS needs to be supplemented with (and perhaps later replaced by) a new digital architecture and new learning components—the NGDLE—to enable current transitions in higher education.

http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/whats-next-lms

by Kristen Dicerbo, EDUCAUSE Review

Games can serve as a means of not just developing domain-specific knowledge and skills but also identity and values key to professional functioning. The data from games enable understanding how students approach and solve problems, as well as estimating their progress on a learning trajectory.

http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/taking-serious-games-seriously-education

by Edward R. O’Neill, EDUCAUSE Review

Seven hypotheses explore the feasibility of educational technology — typically considered as supporting teaching and learning — as applied research by providing an initial framework built on traditional research processes. New knowledge results from research, usually about fundamental questions, but ed tech pursues applied research about practical problems using qualitative and quantitative methods and local standards. Seeing ed tech as research emphasizes the collaborative nature of our work by helping shape our conversations about the knowledge we create, its standards, and its methods.

http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/ed-tech-applied-research-framework-seven-hypotheses

By Salary.com

Although online degrees were at one time regarded as less desirable than traditional, on-campus programs, they are now perceived to be valuable and relevant in today’s work world. E-learning options are designed with the needs of working adults in mind. They are developed in consultation with experienced professionals in industry and business, ensuring that students learn concepts and methods that are applicable to their particular work environment. Employers are likely to be impressed by your initiative and motivation to take advantage of the Internet to help develop your knowledge and career. Employees who take time to pursue additional education outside of the work place while keeping up daily job duties set themselves apart from their colleagues as ambitious and engaged contributors to the organization’s success.

http://www.salary.com/six-advantages-of-an-online-degree/

By Amanda Ronan, Edudemic

No one wants to been seen as the stuffy teacher stuck in the past who lectures from the front of the classroom and doesn’t seem to care about student engagement. Students today are tech savvy and have wandering minds. They are able to process information coming at them from several channels at a time—walking, talking, and texting. Changing up how you deliver classroom content can keep kids’ attention, draw on their strengths, engage them as lifelong learners, and be amazingly fun. What is this magical method? It’s gamification, a word that, according to Merriam Webster’s online dictionary, wasn’t even in use until 2010.

http://www.edudemic.com/ultimate-guide-gamifying-classroom/

By David Weldon, Campus Technology

Education stands at a crossroads today, currently unable to produce enough skilled graduates to satisfy the workforce, but with the tools to fundamentally change the way in which knowledge is delivered, to a huge new audience, and with greater quality of learning. That is the vision of Paul LeBlanc, president of Southern New Hampshire University, who spoke at the Campus Technology conference in Boston Tuesday about the ‘Climate change crisis’ facing today’s colleges and universities. LeBlanc said he sees technology as central to the next evolutionary step in higher education, and he challenged colleges and universities to embrace and expand efforts around distance learning. The goal is not just to add enrollment numbers but to be able to offer classes, programs and degrees to those who have never had such opportunities before.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/07/28/how-it-will-elevate-educational-access-and-quality.aspx

by Meg Lloyd, Campus Technology

E-portfolios have always offered an avenue to showcase informal learning, but at the University of Notre Dame’s Kaneb Center for Teaching and Learning, digital learning designers realized that the maximum potential of e-portfolios on their campus was not being met. Most students were not taking full advantage of e-portfolios to document the integration of formal and informal learning. The key, Kaneb’s learning scientists determined, was to promote the inclusion of digital badges in the e-portfolio.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/07/29/pairing-e-portfolios-with-badges-to-document-informal-learning.aspx