Techno-News Blog

September 30, 2015

Tales From the Front Lines of Adaptive Learning

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By David Raths, Campus Technology

Implementing adaptive learning technology in college courses can be an uphill struggle but well worth it, according to pioneering faculty members. Adaptive learning platforms in higher education are starting to produce some promising results, yet the market is still in its infancy. Instructors who volunteer to be guinea pigs for pilot implementations often end up encouraged by the results — yet exhausted by how much work is involved in retrofitting their courses to the adaptive platforms. Campus Technology interviewed several administrators and faculty members who have worked on adaptive projects about their experience. Here is what they told us:

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/09/23/tales-from-the-front-lines-of-adaptive-learning.aspx

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Udacity partners with Google to expand nanodegree program to India

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by Leena Rao, Fortune

Online education company Udacity will start offering classes tailored to Indian students, marking the startup’s first effort to target a country outside the U.S.The move is a major step for the company as tries turn its popular courses into a real business, something it has strived to do since its founding in 2012. In India, Udacity will offer its degrees in areas like Android development and data analyses for around $148 per month. That’s still a hefty price to pay for Indian students, but Udacity says that half of the tuition will be reimbursed to them following their graduation.

http://fortune.com/2015/09/21/udacity-google-india/

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Too much technology could hurt learning outcomes

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By Laura Devaney, eSchoolNews

Using computers and other learning technology too often can be detrimental to student performance, OECD says. Students who use computers and learning technology at moderate levels tend to have better learning outcomes than students who use computers and learning technology rarely, according to new research from the OECD. A more startling find, however, is the fact that students who use computers very frequently at school perform much worse.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/09/21/too-much-technology-837/

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September 29, 2015

Which 100 universities are the most innovative?

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by eCampusNews

Stanford, Harvard, MIT top inaugural list focusing on innovative policies and practices. Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University top the inaugural Reuters Top 100 ranking of the world’s most innovative universities. The Reuters Top 100 ranking aims to identify which institutions contribute the most to science and technology, and have the greatest impact on the global economy.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/most-innovative-universities-742/

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EdCast launches “10 Minute Insight” series

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by eCampusNews

“Share your insights, change our world” live-streamed on EdCast mobile app. Social knowledge network EdCast has launched a “10 Minute Insight Series” offering an interactive setting for global influencers to share their specialized insights to help better the world. The series’ mission is focused on letting knowledge seekers and lifelong learners interact and gain bite-sized pieces of knowledge from a wide range of specialists to help understand and answer global issues. Participants who join the series can ask questions and connect with influencers in real time—for free.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/edcast-global-insight-490/

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Pearson hosts third student coding contest

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by eCampusNews

Coding contest challenges and rewards students who develop innovative learning applications that help to improve student achievement. Pearson is partnering with the Hour of Code to launch the third annual Student Coding Contest. The 2015 contest places an emphasis on recruiting college students and teams to develop original groundbreaking learning applications that integrate with Pearson Application Programming Interfaces or APIs. The contest offers students a chance to win cash prizes and a potential opportunity for a Pearson internship. Students are challenged to focus and integrate efficacy, a positive, measurable impact on learning, into the development of their applications.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/pearson-coding-contest-465/

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September 28, 2015

EdTech Harnesses Big Data To Improve Student Learning

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by Seb Murray, Business Because

Business schools and their partners in the nascent edtech sector are exploring digital analytics to improve students’ academic performance. Elite universities have been adapting technology used to predict a student’s final grade to improve their overall results. Edx, the edtech venture of top US universities MIT and Harvard, is conducting research into how big data can help answer key online learning questions, such as the best ways to teach complex ideas, and which parts of a course are best taught in person instead of online. By assessing course data — from mouse clicks and time spent on tasks to evaluating how students respond to assessments — the company hopes to shed light on how learners access information and master material.

http://www.businessbecause.com/news/connected-classroom/3466/connected-classroom-edtech-harnesses-big-data

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WGU Texas chancellor explains online, competency-based approach

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By Ralph K.M. Haurwitz – American-Statesman

Veronica Vargas Stidvent became chancellor of the Texas arm of Western Governors University in June 2014. WGU occupies an unusual niche: It’s private, nonprofit and mostly online, with a curriculum that lets students advance at their own pace. Established in 1997 by 19 Western governors, including George W. Bush of Texas, it offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business, health professions, education and information technology. As the chief executive of WGU Texas, Stidvent, 41, is enjoying annual enrollment growth of 30 percent in the Lone Star State. There are challenges as well. She wants to recruit more students in rural areas, and four-year graduation rates are mixed: 27 percent for undergraduates, 63 percent for graduate students.

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/wgu-texas-chancellor-explains-online-competency-ba/nngPx/

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Connected Classroom: Business Schools Partner Mooc Disruptors For Growth

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by Seb Murray, Business Because

The explosion of online learning has been a double edged sword for universities. Most are focused on providing the latest digital advances to their students and investing in whizzy new technology, such as analytics dashboards and high-definition video studios. But digital has also given rise to disruptive new players. The announcement by LinkedIn that it intends to host business courses on its site by acquiring online learning platform Lydna.com for $1.5 billion is one of the latest signs that tech groups are encroaching into the world of education. For many industry executives, the notion of a professional leaving the workforce for years on end to earn a degree is a doomed model.

http://www.businessbecause.com/news/connected-classroom/3465/connected-classroom-business-schools-partner-mooc-disruptors

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September 27, 2015

Digital Learning: Beyond the Copycat Model

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by Aaron Kim, Business to Community

The not-so-secret sauce to make the most of the new learning opportunities brought by the digital transformation movement is to combine the best of the consumer Internet with the peculiarities of the corporate environment, enabling new models of learning, such as peer-to-peer, just-in-time and non-structured approaches that are often overlooked when our eyes are obfuscated by the intense brightness of the big stars of the consumer learning space.

http://www.business2community.com/human-resources/digital-learning-beyond-the-copycat-model-01328279

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Learning about learning: Creating a connection

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By Michael Patrick Rutter, Harvard Gazette
Peter Bol, Harvard’s vice provost for advances in learning (VPAL), announced Thursday the formation of the VPAL Research Group. The organization will integrate HarvardX and the research fellows’ programs from the Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching (HILT), and adds new leadership and positions. “This fusion to support our growing work in the learning sciences is absolutely additive,” said Bol, Charles H. Carswell Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, who has served in the vice provost role for two years. “Moreover, research is following our faculty, as what is happening online and in the classroom is increasingly blurred, and researchers have already been skating across both realms. In that sense, it’s a reflection of a reality that has already existed over the past few years.”
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Udacity’s new business model markets nanodegrees for in-demand skills

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By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

No longer trying to tempt traditional students from higher education, Udacity’s new model focuses on adults who have skills, but want to add new ones through intensive courses supported by the industry. The New York Times reports Udacity wants to teach millions of adults tech skills quickly, providing at least minimally recognized nanodegrees in five months, on average. The courses cost $200 per month for as long as students take to finish them and upon completion, Udacity reimburses half of the tuition cost.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/udacitys-new-business-model-markets-nanodegrees-for-in-demand-skills/405832/

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September 26, 2015

Benefits outweigh downsides in case for online learning

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by Emma Williams, Arkansas State Herald

For many students at Arkansas State and across the country, online learning has significantly impacted their success in earning a college degree. Arkansas State recently added four online Bachelor of Arts degree programs, one of which happens to be my major. Now, students at A-State have access to online political science, criminology, sociology and communication studies degree programs. Those enrolled in online classes have access to school at the press of a button from almost any location. Many students do not live in the area or cannot afford to live on campus for the entirety of their college career. Online classes eliminate the need to physically be at Arkansas State, making it much easier to provide an education to students who aren’t on campus.
http://www.astateherald.com/opinion/benefits-outweigh-downsides-in-case-for-online-learning/article_10014f30-5cb3-11e5-8f1d-9bd232288f66.html

For many students at Arkansas State and across the country, online learning has significantly impacted their success in earning a college degree. Arkansas State recently added four online Bachelor of Arts degree programs, one of which happens to be my major. Now, students at A-State have access to online political science, criminology, sociology and communication studies degree programs. Those enrolled in online classes have access to school at the press of a button from almost any location. Many students do not live in the area or cannot afford to live on campus for the entirety of their college career. Online classes eliminate the need to physically be at Arkansas State, making it much easier to provide an education to students who aren’t on campus.

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Meet The Must-Have College Accessory: Ringly

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by Jennifer Bett Communications

It’s back to school time, and there’s one must-have accessory for college students – Ringly! Ringly is a stylish ring that connects to your phone so you can stay connected while in class. Receive messages and notifications from social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Tinder, while your phone is safe and secure in your bag. Your professor will never know! How exactly does Ringly work? Ringly fuses jewelry and technology. The brand believes technology can be more discreetly intertwined into our lives. The ring notifies you about phone calls, text messages, emails, applications, Twitter, Facebook, meeting updates, and more through vibration and light. Simply download the app and connect your ring. Ringly is compatible with both iOS and Android phones. Rings retail from $195 to $260.

http://www.examiner.com/article/meet-the-must-have-college-accessory-ringly

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In Online Courses, Students Learn More by Doing Than by Watching

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By Ellen Wexler, Wired Campus

When students enroll in MOOCs, they almost always watch a series of video lectures. But just watching videos — without also engaging interactively — is an ineffective way to learn, according to a study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University. The study looked at a generally available course, offered through the Georgia Institute of Technology, called “Introduction to Psychology as a Science.” Some students chose to take it as a traditional MOOC, spending most of their time watching video lectures. Others opted for a version that combined the MOOC and interactive materials produced by Carnegie Mellon’s Open Learning Initiative. All of the students were assigned 11 weekly quizzes and a final examination. Those in the MOOC-only course scored an average of 57 percent on the final. Those in the combined course scored an average of 66 percent. And when students in the combined course completed an interactive activity, they learned six times as much as those who only read the material or watched a video.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/in-online-courses-students-learn-more-by-doing-than-by-watching/57365

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September 25, 2015

Udacity Says It Can Teach Tech Skills to Millions, and Fast

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by Farhad Manjoo, NY Times

Economists and technologists agree that in the future, just about everyone’s job will involve more technology. During the last few years, many local and online schools have popped up to teach people how to code. They offer a vast range of prices and techniques. Some, like Codecademy, are free, while others can cost thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars.  Now Udacity, a four-year-old online teaching start-up, believes that after years of trial and error, it has hit on a model of vocational training that can be scaled up to teach millions of people technical skills. Udacity’s founder, Sebastian Thrun, a specialist in artificial intelligence at Stanford University who once ran Google X, the search company’s advanced projects division, said that the “nanodegree” program that the firm created last year will result in vastly lower education costs and wider accessibility. Early data suggests the program is efficient and reliably results in new jobs

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/17/technology/udacity-says-it-can-teach-tech-skills-to-millions.html?_r=0

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Microdegrees Boost Tech Learning

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BY ERIC NIILER, Discovery News

Technology jobs are changing so fast that some believe traditional four-year degrees may be out of date by the time the college graduate starts drawing a paycheck. One firm is hoping to reverse this trend by offering “nanodegrees,” short, focused courses of study tailored the needs of individual tech firms. Silicon Valley-based Udacity was started four years ago by Sebastian Thrun, a former Google executive who kickstarted Google’s self-driving car program as well as the Google Glass wearable computer. Now he’s focused on a new platform that links the needs of tech firms with the abilities of students. Udacity offers online courses in computer-related fields like Web development, software engineering, data science and a full master’s degree in computer science from Georgia Tech.

http://news.discovery.com/tech/apps/microdegrees-boost-tech-learning-150916.htm

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Let’s Get Ready for NCSAM 2015

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by Valerie Vogel, EDUCAUSE

NCSAM 2014National Cyber Security Awareness Month is just a few months away. Summer is the perfect time to start planning events and activities for your campus. Join EDUCAUSE and NCSA as we celebrate the 12th annual NCSAM this October. Linked below are a few ways you can show your support and help us make NCSAM 2015 the most successful yet!

http://www.educause.edu/blogs/vvogel/lets-get-ready-ncsam-2015

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September 24, 2015

7 Things You Should Know About Personalized Learning

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by Michael Feldstein, Phil Hill, Thomas Cavanagh, EDUCAUSE

Personalized learning provides a unique, highly focused learning path for each student. Individual attention from instructors isn’t feasible in traditional educational models with large numbers of students, and personalized learning is intended to use IT systems and tools to tailor learning experiences based on student strengths, weaknesses, and pace of learning. Technologies including analytics, adaptive learning, digital courseware, and others underlie personalized learning, which builds a “profile” of each student and makes continual adjustments to learning paths based on student performance. It also provides information to help instructors better target their teaching to individual students.

http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-personalized-learning?

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Why this GROOC will help you change the world

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by KARL MOORE, The Globe and Mail

This is Karl Moore of the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University, Talking Management for The Globe and Mail. Today I am delighted to sit down with my McGill colleague Henry Mintzberg to talk about his new GROOC. So Henry, what is a GROOC? HENRY MINTZBERG – Come on Karl, everyone knows what a GROOC is, you don’t know? No, actually I am just kidding. It is a term we invented – it is a MOOC for groups. A MOOC is a Massive Open Online Course, you know one of these things where, you know, 150,000 people sign up and 26 finish or something like that, but not quite. So we are doing one for groups. It’s not the first time people have tried to do one for groups, but it is the first one called a GROOC so we are laying claim to the term.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/management/transcript-why-this-new-phenomenon-will-help-you-change-the-world/article26369313/

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EdCast Launches New Interactive Learning Platform To Bridge Formal And Informal Learning

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by Jonathan Shieber, Tech Crunch

With an eye toward building what EdCast chief executive Karl Mehta calls “the next big social media company,” his company has launched a new interactive platform with the help of some titans of media, technology and finance. “We know we are building something that will be worth $20 billion,” says Mehta of his education startup. The goal, as he sees it, is nothing less than the transformation of learning through a blend of online classes (formal education) with bite-sized tutorials with real practitioners and specialists in certain fields (informal learning). The new 10 Minute Insight Series, which the company launched today, is a key part of that project, says Mehta. “There is not a single social media site that’s focused on knowledge networking,” says Mehta. “Everybody needs to learn every day in a social way. We are building knowledge networking.”

http://techcrunch.com/2015/09/15/edcast-launches-new-interactive-learning-platform-to-bridge-formal-and-informal-learning/

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