Techno-News Blog

By Mary Grush, Campus Technology

“Actually, I think we aren’t that far from being able to deliver on the powerful visions of teaching faculty.’ — Daniel Christian. The marketplace for augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality technologies may be heating up. Daniel Christian, a senior instructional designer at Calvin College observes that significant R&D investments, product development, and more powerful enabling technologies are setting the stage for new AR/VR/MR initiatives in higher education.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/08/16/ar-vr-mr-in-education.aspx

by David Raths, Campus Technology

The London School of Economics and Political Science was not quick to join the MOOC movement. Its faculty and administrators were concerned about the high attrition rates commonly found in massive open online courses. “We observed a persistence about the pedagogies being deployed that didn’t do a lot to arrest those problems,” said Darren Moon, a senior learning technologist at LSE. But in 2014, Moon and his colleagues found an opportunity to build a large online community that would avoid that very high attrition rate. Together with the school’s Institute of Public Affairs, they developed Constitution UK, an effort to crowdsource a model written constitution for the United Kingdom. Participation and engagement in the project actually increased as it progressed, which may provide some lessons for other large, open education offerings.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/08/17/crowdsourcing-for-massive-engagement.aspx

by Google

Video calling is the next best thing to being with someone in person, but too often it can be a frustrating or complicated experience. You shouldn’t have to worry about whether your call will connect, or if your friend is using the same type of device as you are. It’s no wonder that nearly half of us never make video calls on mobile*.  Today, we’re releasing Google Duo — a simple 1-to-1 video calling app available for Android and iOS. Duo takes the complexity out of video calling, so that you can be together in the moment wherever you are.

https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2016/08/meet-google-duo-simple-1-to-1-video.html

By Sri Ravipati, Campus Technology

Faculty members at Pennsylvania State University are exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to provide immersive opportunities for student teachers. The team is developing AI-driven virtual classrooms, where pre-service teachers can practice student engagement techniques. Ann Clements, an associate professor and graduate program chair for music education at the School of Music, is leading the effort and working with members of Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) at Penn State to develop the AI classroom prototype, known as First Class. The device uses Microsoft Kinect, a motion-sensing input device, and utilizes rows of virtual students in a classrooms.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/08/15/penn-state-explores-ai-in-teaching.aspx

By Richard Chang, Campus Technology

Worldwide revenues for the augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) markets are expected to grow from $5.2 billion in 2016 to more than $162 billion in 2020, according to research done by the International Data Corp. (IDC). The $156.8 billion increase represents a compound annual growth rate of 181.3 percent over the 2015-20 forecast period. IDC’s new spending guide expands on previous AR/VR forecasts by offering greater detail of revenues by technology, industry and geography, the Massachusetts-based market research company said in a news release. “For many years, augmented and virtual reality were the stuff of science fiction,” said Chris Chute, vice president of customer insights and analysis at IDC, in a prepared statement. “Now with powerful smartphones powering inexpensive VR headsets, the consumer market is primed for new paid and user generated content-driven experiences.”

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/08/15/worldwide-revenues-for-ar-and-vr-to-increase-156.8-billion-by-2020.aspx

by MIT Office of Digital Learning

If one of the core philosophies of online learning is to democratize education, then a new verified certificate option for a philosophy course on MITx on edX — the massive open online courses (MOOCs) offered by the Institute — brings the concept full circle. Starting Aug. 29, Introduction to Philosophy: God, Knowledge and Consciousness will enable students to obtain a verified ID certificate and have their work graded and commented upon by professional philosophers. Learners from any background, anywhere in the world, can pursue the certificate option to add credibility and value to the accomplishment of completing the course. “This is a big deal — the first MITx humanities course to offer students the chance to write a paper and have it carefully reviewed by instructors,” says Caspar Hare, who will be running the popular MOOC for the third time. “Listening to lectures and reading books is great, but philosophy is all about taking complex ideas and organizing them in a simple way.”

http://news.mit.edu/2016/mitx-philosophy-mooc-introduces-instructor-grading-0815

By Sophie Quinton, Pew Charitable Trust

Under a new state law, Rhode Island’s public colleges won’t get additional state funding simply for enrolling more students. They will have to prove that they’re making progress on goals such as increasing graduation rates. Over 30 states now partially—or in Tennessee’s case, almost completely—fund higher education based on metrics such as graduation rates, course completions and the share of low-income students enrolled. States have applied these formulas only to two-year colleges, only to four-year colleges, or to all their public institutions. It’s not yet clear whether such funding incentives will lead to progress on the goals lawmakers have identified. Some critics worry that outcomes-based funding models will just pressure colleges to become more selective in admissions, for example.

http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2016/08/15/more-states-start-funding-colleges-based-on-outcomes

By Jarrett Carter, Education Dive

St. George’s University has increased the pass rate of students in its public health massive open online course by more than 500%, and nearly 10 times the national completion rate for similar distance learning modules. The course uses flipped classroom models, peer review and industrial infusion to make lessons more engaging and enriched for students. The model follows a similar approach taken by Harvard and the University of California, Berkeley in its graduate business courses.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/how-to-increase-mooc-completion-rates/424532/

by the Financial Express

The learning and education domain, with no exception, falls well within the gamut of the IoT. In fact, through effective use of technology, it is possible to create an infrastructure that can meet education-related needs of the country. The launch of smart classes in government schools is also expected to change the face of education. Thus, the implementation of the IoT in the education industry with outright accountability will improve the quality of the learning process, as well as let teachers remotely address students through video-conferencing and other systems. The IoT has become a part of everyday lives and the future too will be dominated by the same. Its prevalence in the education sector is increasingly becoming noteworthy. Classrooms today don’t just restrict to the traditional teaching and learning methods, but also extend to the smart ways of teaching.

http://www.financialexpress.com/industry/jobs/how-iot-can-change-the-game-for-education-and-learning/347587/

By Katy Murphy, Mercury News

Banned from college in Iran because of her Baha’i faith, Niknaz Aftahi risked everything to learn, studying architecture at a storied underground university that moved from living room to living room, at times meeting at her family’s home in Tehran. Now in the Bay Area, with a master’s degree and architecture job, Aftahi is repaying her debt of gratitude, offering the same hope to the next generation of Baha’i students. She is part of a growing network of mostly Baha’i faculty locally and around the world who teach and mentor the students from afar, for free. “Just the fact that I feel like I’m contributing a little bit brings me a lot of satisfaction and happiness,” she said. “Some of my students are such good designers and when I teach them, I really want to do my best because I feel like I’m the only resource they have.”

http://www.mercurynews.com/education/ci_30245999/underground-university-bay-area-teachers-beam-secret-online

by Christopher Pappas, Litmos

Planning and research are vital to the success of your online training program. You should learn as much as possible about the background of your online learners, the goals that must be achieved, as well as the performance gaps that need to be filled if you want to develop a succinct and successful online training course for your organization. Here are 10 questions that will help you narrow the scope of your online training program and ensure that all of the key takeaways are included.

http://www.litmos.com/blog/elearning/10-questions-to-ask-before-you-start-developing-online-training-courses

By Kristine Walker, Parent Herald

In an era where modern technology has become a valuable influence in the lives of humans, it’s safe to assume that technology will be able to enhance the learning experience of educators and students, especially in higher education and online learning. As experts combined education technology (EdTech) and artificial intelligence (AI), a powerful tool to potentially transform education has been born.

http://www.parentherald.com/articles/60947/20160813/education-technology-latest-news-updates-how-edtech-artificial-intelligence-help-transform-higher-education-online-learning.htm

by Business Wire

Students at Insight School of Oklahoma (ISOK), a tuition-free, online public school, began their 2016-2017 school year on August 16, thankful for a place where they can learn within a unique and highly supportive environment. Students attending ISOK come from diverse backgrounds, many of them struggling at traditional brick and mortar schools before finding ISOK. Oklahoma students in grades 7 through 12 are welcome to attend ISOK. The school’s comprehensive education approach focuses on providing struggling students with the academic, social and emotional support needed to succeed in school and beyond. The online learning environment allows students to work at their own pace, giving them time to progress faster in subjects at which they excel, while spending more time on subjects and lessons where they need more help.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/struggling-students-success-oklahoma-online-181300869.html

by Parent Herald

Millennials are now the largest living generation in the country. One of the most studied and analyzed generations, millennials are now becoming parents. A new independent survey of U.S. households, supported by Connections Education, found that millennials are supportive of alternative approaches to education, with three-fourths of millennial parents (77 percent) saying a DIY approach to education, in which learners craft a path to graduation that best fits their needs, is a good idea. “The millennial generation flipped the workplace on its head, and all signs point to them breaking the status quo for education as well,” said Steven Guttentag, president and co-founder of Connections Education. “Compared to older generations, this generation of parents has more experience in education options beyond brick and mortar schools, such as online courses and blended learning. As a result, we’re finding they’re more open to and supportive of different education options.”

http://www.parentherald.com/articles/60841/20160812/survey-finds-millennial-parents-supportive-of-diy-apprroach-to-education-diverse-scholl-options.htm

by Seb Murray, Business Because

Augmented reality and cloud computing are two key innovations driving the nascent edtech market in the US, according to a new study. Tech consultancy Technavio says the twin technologies, plus simulation, which replicates aspects of the real world online, have the potential to significantly impact the growth of edtech through to 2020. “The e-learning market in the US is growing rapidly due to changes in the education sector, such as the introduction of education technology and online content to the curriculum,” said Jhansi Mary, a lead analyst from Technavio. Innovations by vendors have led to the use of more advanced technologies such as simulations, cloud-based solutions, and AR in the education system.”

http://www.businessbecause.com/news/mba-distance-learning/4118/ar-cloud-computing-power-online-learning

by John Friedman, US News

While more on-site coding boot camps exist than online ones, the latter format has started growing in popularity, says Liz Eggleston, co-founder of Course Report, a website that provides reviews and industry research on coding boot camps. In addition to online-only boot camps like Thinkful and Bloc, some on-site boot camps that initially didn’t offer a virtual option – like the Flatiron School in New York – are moving into the online space to reach a wider audience, she says. For online learners, Eggleston says, boot camps provide a middle-ground option between online degrees and free online courses via websites like Codecademy. Experts say online coding boot camps generally last at least a few months and cost several thousand dollars, so prospective students should ask for a free trial to make sure they select a program that’s the best fit for them.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2016-08-11/4-things-to-know-about-online-coding-boot-camps

BY Morgan Lynch, MeriTalk

Online educational resources, which have become commonplace in higher education institutions across the United States, could be undergoing changes to facilitate better learning for students rather than favoring instructors. The Learning Management System (LMS) is used by 99 percent of colleges and universities as a software application that tracks and reports the use of electronic educational technology. The report argues that LMS should be rebuilt to be learner-centric and experiment with a variety of course styles. The report calls the ideal new software the Next Generation Digital Learning Environment (NGDLE).

https://www.meritalk.com/articles/online-education-shifts-favor-from-instructors-to-students/

By Jarrett Carter, Education Dive

Illinois State University’s badging program allows students to more creatively showcase volunteerism, technical training and skill development to potential employers and graduate schools. Officials use a third-party vendor, Credly, to administer the badges from criteria established by academic executives. The Lumina Foundation provided $2.5 million in seed funding to the badging company, a sign of support for the growing credentialing industry and its value to employers.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/institutional-badging-emerges-as-new-resume-booster/424192/

By Jarrett Carter, Education Dive

Stephen Downes, the designer of the first open source learning course, says education will not be revolutionized by technology that brings the current classroom environment and curriculum to digital platforms. Changes to curriculum, desired learning outcomes and professional preparation are the keys to innovation in higher education. Many campuses are changing curriculum to competency-based and adaptive learning models to encourage success, improve completion rates and boost interest among students.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/going-beyond-moocs-in-higher-education-innovation/424184/

By Rick Levin, CEO of Coursera

Because our collaboration with universities is so important, we need leaders within Coursera who deeply understand the process of building innovative online learning programs at large, complex institutions. For this reason, I am very excited to announce that Deanna Raineri has joined Coursera as Vice President of University Partnerships, Teaching & Learning. In this role, Deanna will work closely with university partners to deepen our engagements as we grow the portfolio of learning experiences offered on Coursera to learners around the world. She joins Coursera from the position of Associate Provost for Education Innovation at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she established a campus-wide vision and leadership for innovations in classroom and online education.

http://coursera.tumblr.com/post/148695937512/university-leader-in-online-education-deanna