Techno-News Blog

by Kevin Carey, NY Times

Georgia Tech’s master’s in computer science costs less than one-eighth as much as its most expensive rival — if you learn online. And a new study by Harvard economists found that in creating the program, Georgia Tech may have discovered a whole new market for higher education, one that could change the way we think about the problem of college costs. Georgia Tech rolled out its online master’s in computer science in 2014. It already had a highly selective residential master’s program that cost about the same as those of competitor colleges. Some may see online learning as experimental or inferior, something associated with downmarket for-profit colleges. But the nation’s best universities have fully embraced it. Syracuse, Johns Hopkins, U.S.C. and others have also developed online master’s degrees, for which they charge the same tuition as their residential programs.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/29/upshot/an-online-education-breakthrough-a-masters-degree-for-a-mere-7000.html

by Chris Havergal, Times Higher Education

Public higher education is “dying” in the US, with the pricing out of students from poorer backgrounds amounting to a “national tragedy in the making”, a leading academic has warned. Delivering the opening keynote of the Times Higher Education World Academic Summit, held at the University of California, Berkeley, Robert Reich said that sector leaders urgently needed to combat the notion that getting a degree was a private – not a public – good. While 70 per cent of US students are still educated in public universities, these institutions now face significant financial challenges, with Berkeley being no exception. “Public higher education is dying in the US,” Professor Reich said. “If we stay on the path we are now on, there will be very little difference between public institutions and private institutions in terms of their funding, or their cost structures, or their tuition [fees].”

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/public-higher-education-dying-us-warns-robert-reich

by Davide Castelvecchi, Nature

Google’s online translation service, Google Translate, will soon be using a new algorithm that is entirely based on deep learning, the company announced on 27 September. The algorithm, which is also described in a paper posted to the preprint server arXiv1, is the first widely-available computer system for translating languages that relies on the increasingly popular AI technique. Compared to the firm’s existing service, the algorithm reduces errors by around 60%, Google computer scientists say. A Chinese-to-English service that uses the algorithm is now being used on the Google Translate mobile and web-based apps, and Google says that it will roll out other languages over the next few months.

http://www.nature.com/news/deep-learning-boosts-google-translate-tool-1.20696

By Marguerite McNeal, EdSurge

Most online courses are a solitary experience for learners. Students lack the ability to strike up an impromptu conversation about last week’s homework or compare notes with whoever’s sitting next to them in class. The lack of social interaction could be one reason behind high dropout rates in online classes. Several California community colleges are hopeful that adding a way for learners to interact with each other in online classes will help them complete their coursework. This fall, students taking introductory statistics courses at six colleges will pilot using a tool to complete lab exercises in teams, working in sync with partners who are miles away.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-09-28-online-classes-get-a-missing-piece-teamwork

by NICHOLE DOBO, Hechinger Report

A new kind of credential has entered the crowded market for online learning. EdX, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that provides online courses, announced last week the creation of 19 “MicroMasters” courses, a new type of online educational program. These courses are tailored master’s degree-level classes that can help students hone skills that will be immediately useful in the workplace. “I think the MicroMasters is a big next step in the evolution of education,” Anant Agarwal, the CEO of edX and an MIT professor, said in an interview last week. These courses – offered through 14 universities including Columbia, Arizona State University and the University of Michigan, as well as some in Australia, Europe and India – are open to anyone who wants to take them. No transcripts or prerequisites required. Students don’t even need a GED to enroll.

http://hechingerreport.org/new-micromasters-online-learning-program-offered-major-universities/

by Lora Kolodny, Tech Crunch

Udacity – the online school started by Google X founder and self-driving car pioneer Sebastian Thrun— is offering a new “nanodegree” online to prepare students for jobs in the still emerging industry of virtual reality. Udacity promises to give online learners with no prior programming experience the skills to create mobile phone and desktop-based virtual reality “experiences” or applications that can be used on HTC Vive, Google Cardboard, Daydream and Oculus Rift. Christian Plagemann, who co-founded the Google VR team and was a lead developer of Google Cardboard, joined Udacity as a director this year specifically to develop its virtual reality curriculum. He’s managed to pull in corporate partners including Google VR, HTC Vive, and Upload, and stars of the VR industry including Matt Sonic to help develop VR curriculum. Sonic is also an instructor in the Udacity course.

https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/27/udacity-wants-to-get-you-a-job-in-the-nascent-vr-industry/

By Sri Ravipati, Campus Technology

Textbook costs are a sore subject for many college and university students, with increasing textbook prices prompting students to look for less expensive options. Digital textbooks may be seen as a cost-friendly alternative, but the access code model commonly used by publishers can make this option just as pricey for students. That is the main analysis within “Access Denied: The New Face of Textbook Monopoly,” a new report from Student PIRGs (Public Interest Research Groups). In prior reports, Student PIRGs found that nearly 50 percent of students factor in textbook costs when deciding which and how many courses to take, while 33 percent use financial aid to purchase their textbooks. The latest study investigates and compares the costs of online access codes in college classes.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/09/26/digital-textbook-codes-as-costly-as-traditional-course-materials.aspx

By Debeshi Gooptu, eGov Innovation

Online Learning is not just offline learning taken online, by simply digitizing content. There is a lot of scope to use technology to make learning better & more effective. In an interview with Enterprise Innovation, Byju, Founder & CEO, BYJU’s, explains how his learning app helps make learning contextual and visual, and not just theoretical. BYJU’s is an Ed-tech company whose K12 learning app offers adaptive, engaging and effective learning programmes. Launched in 2015, the app makes use of original content, rich animations, interactive simulations and engaging video lessons from India’s best teachers.

http://www.enterpriseinnovation.net/article/reinventing-learning-age-technology-1047738638

by Microsoft

Microsoft recently launched its subscription-only online skills training platform, LinkedIn Learning. The 450 million members are now potential clients of LinkedIn’s in-house premium skills training system. Microsoft has decided that LinkedIn members should get their skills training right inside LinkedIn’s website. It is a new product aimed at empowering individuals and corporate clients.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/4008347-microsoft-launches-subscription-based-linkedin-learning-skills-training-service

by Joseph Williams, Take Part

The expectation that it will take four years of rigorous study for a student to go from freshman to graduate, give or take a semester off. However, a new report on college completion by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center indicates that less than half of all full-time college students at public universities earn their bachelor’s degree “on time,” with the majority finishing more than five years after they enroll. The rate of degree completion is even worse at community colleges, with just 5 percent of full-time students reaching graduation day within the expected two years. The study also concludes that the longer a student spends in college, the more likely he or she is to drop out before obtaining a degree.

http://www.takepart.com/article/2016/09/23/say-goodbye-four-year-college-degree

by Eric Westervelt, NPR

While colleges and universities have seen enrollment growth follow every recession since 1980, the boost in enrollment following the Great Recession was far greater than previous. And a growing number of those students enrolling are older, working, have a family -– or all three. Nearly half of those enrolled in higher ed today are so-called “non-traditional” students. One quarter of all students are over the age of 30. The increase is driven mostly by tough financial realities and a changing economy. More colleges and universities need to become better equipped to address the needs of older students. And soon. The already large adult student population is projected to grown even larger in coming years.

http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/09/25/495188445/shaken-by-economic-change-non-traditional-students-are-becoming-the-new-normal

by Sherrie Negrea, University Business

Gone is the stadium-style seating. Now the room, used for a wide range of courses, has 100 rolling swivel chairs with adjustable tables and nine mounted video screens. After associate professor Lois Boynton gives a mini-lecture or shows a video, student teams of four to six work on an ethical journalism dilemma. Then they regroup to present their conclusions to the full class. “I love the open teaching space,” says Boynton, who taught in the hall, Greenlaw 101, before it was renovated. “We can all see each other and interact much more effectively than in a lecture hall with fixed seats.”

https://www.universitybusiness.com/article/interactive-lecture-halls-enhance-higher-ed

By Jeff Mao, THE Journal

One of the challenges of the education profession is the lack of a standardized professional vocabulary. Doctors, lawyers, car mechanics, barbers and IT workers have them — if I say “mullet,” “French braid” or “flat top,” I bet you have pictures in your head that are the same as the next person. However, get a room full of educators and ask them about digital learning, blended learning, hybrid learning, personalized learning or individualized learning, and you’ll likely end up with more definitions than people in the room. This lack of a standard vocabulary is particularly noticeable, and particularly important, in the ongoing conversation about technology use. When and how is using technology in learning a good idea? If your district adopts a model that gives you a common vocabulary, that conversation is much easier.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/09/21/curriculum-and-instruction-brewing-a-better-vocabulary.aspx

By Steven Guttentag, EdSurge

Embracing online school requires a new mindset, as well as new criteria for measuring academic success—measures that take into account the nature of teaching and learning online, the types of students online schools serve, and the unique ways in which those students learn. Many valid questions have been raised about online schools. It’s true that not all of them are serving the best interests of their students. Each of us has seen headlines about an online school providing an unaccredited program that looks like a “diploma mill,” or a completely mismanaged school administration that was not prepared for high student mobility or other realities of online learning.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-09-25-does-presence-equal-progress-tracking-engagement-in-online-schools

BY ROB WENGER, eCampus News

Over the past decade, many college administrators (and other related campus groups) have relied on LinkedIn groups to build community among their peers, professors, student groups and more. Today there are hundreds of these groups among LinkedIn’s 400 million users, but with Microsoft’s acquisition of LinkedIn this past spring, the signs are here: LinkedIn’s focus will no longer be on helping their communities to thrive. College administrators can, and should, look to build their own online communities now that the technology makes it easy and the benefits of owning a community are many. But they should learn from the mistakes of LinkedIn and do it right the first time to create a thriving, active and engaged community. Here are the seven most important things colleges and other academic institutions should keep in mind when launching their online communities:

http://www.ecampusnews.com/ed-tech-leadership/build-online-communities/

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

Half of “chronically absent” students are found in just four percent of the country’s school districts. Thirty districts in Texas and California alone account for 10 percent of the country’s total chronically absent kids. About 500 districts have chronic absenteeism that surpasses 30 percent — more than twice the national average. The data cited here isn’t new. It was shared in June by the Office for Civil Rights, which compiled it from a 2013-2014 survey completed by nearly every school district and school in the United States. What is new is a report from Attendance Works and the Everyone Graduates Center that encourages schools and districts to use their own data to pinpoint ways to take on the challenge of chronic absenteeism. Both of those organizations promote improvements in school practices that will lead to higher graduation rates.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/09/22/data-can-help-schools-confront-chronic-absence.aspx

by Technavio

According to the latest market study released by Technavio, the professional development market in Europe is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 4% during the forecast period. Professional development market in Europe is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 4% during the period 2016-2020. This research report titled ‘Professional Development Market in Europe 2016-2020’ provides an in-depth analysis of the market in terms of revenue and emerging market trends. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from the sales of products and services that cater to educators in the professional development market in Europe. Apart from face-to-face workshops, training sessions, and seminars in educational institutions, there has been an emergence of web-based professional development courses. These courses help teachers educate themselves at their own pace and provide more engaging content to improve retention rates.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160923005267/en/Professional-Development-Market-Europe-Witness-Traction-Due

By Shirley Siluk, NewsFactor

Aiming to “create opportunity for every member of the global workforce,” professional networking site LinkedIn yesterday announced a redesigned look for its desktop app, a new online learning platform and smarter messaging capabilities with support for bot-enabled assistance. The news comes a little over three months after Microsoft revealed plans to acquire LinkedIn for $26.2 billion, and less than a year after LinkedIn launched its flagship mobile app. The kickoff of LinkedIn Learning also comes on the heels of the company’s acquisition of the online learning firm lynda.com last year.

http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=11300ADYEBED

by Washington Business Journal

Scriyb is different from other online class tools in that it uses live streaming video and allows interaction through a moderated chat room, where students can interact with each other, and a teacher can guide his or her lecture by seeing responses from the students. The chat was inspired by the chatrooms of online video games, and the streaming follows similar programing that apps such as Periscope use. It now competes against leading learning management systems like Blackboard and Canvas, but it is also designed to sit on top of an existing platform. The program takes, for example, 300 students who are signed up for a class, and then places them into groups of 30 students, whom they would interact with. It attempts to make a large class more intimate by putting it online.

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2016/09/23/scriyb-a-new-live-streaming-tool-for-online.html

by Meghan Holden, Journal and Courier

Purdue University professor Patricia Hart was a little hesitant about shifting her traditional, in-person Spanish film class to an entirely online course. She needed to make the class more accessible to students with busy schedules, but also didn’t want to compromise the quality of the class. So, Hart sought the expertise of Purdue’s Digital Education office to help transform the class into something beyond a typical online lecture with multiple choice tests. By the end of the May-term course, she was hooked.

http://www.jconline.com/story/news/college/2016/09/22/demand-online-classes-grows-purdue/90685102/