Techno-News Blog

November 16, 2016

Marco Rubio still teaching an FIU course, online

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by Patricia MazzeiPatricia Mazzei, Miami Herald

Rubio has co-taught an online fall course, according to the university and his campaign. The class, held for an hour a week on Wednesday evenings, is titled, “Topics in Politics — the General Election.” “He participates live from home or on the campaign trail using a laptop,” campaign spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas said in a statement. On Aug. 16, John F. Stack Jr., dean of the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs, sent Rubio a letter inviting him to work as a “visiting assistant scholar/science/engineer” for the three-credit class, which is co-taught by Dario Moreno and Sara Moats. The course enrolls more than 150 students. Rubio has taught on and off at FIU for years, particularly with Moreno, a Republican pollster. He’s getting paid $8,000, according to Stack’s letter, which the Miami Herald obtained from FIU through a public records request. That’s based on an annual salary rate of $24,000. Rubio makes $174,000 a year as a U.S. senator.

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/marco-rubio-still-teaching-an-fiu-course-online/2301404

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San Diego Unified’s Grad Rate Miracle Relied on Online Courses

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by Mario Koran, Voice of San Diego

Last school year, 1,381 seniors – more than 20 percent of San Diego Unified’s class of 2016 – took an online version of a course required for graduation. Roughly 92 percent of them passed. It’s an impressive pass rate. And it was crucial for the class of 2016. That group ended up setting the highest graduation rate on record. They achieved that even as the first class to be subject to far more rigorous graduation requirements. Researchers had predicted it would be impossible, in fact, for the class of 2016 to graduate at the rate they did. But the academics hadn’t factored in the new online courses that would quickly allow students to catch up.

http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/education/san-diego-unifieds-grad-rate-miracle-relied-online-courses/

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Why Udacity and EdX Want to Trademark the Degrees of the Future—and What’s at Stake for Students

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By Jeffrey R. Young, EdSurge

No one owns the term “master’s degree.” But upstart education providers dream of getting a lock on the words for the next generation of online graduate certifications. Their strategy says a lot about how today’s online programs differ from those in the past (Hint: duration and price are just one part of that). Udacity won a trademark for Nanodegree last year. And in April, the nonprofit edX, founded by MIT and Harvard University to deliver online courses by a consortium of colleges, applied for a trademark on the word MicroMasters. And MicroDegree? Yep, that’s trademarked too, by yet another company. Sean Gallagher, chief strategy officer at Northeastern University’s Global Network, picked up on this trend recently and wondered what’s going on. He knows the space well, since he literally wrote the book on “ The Future of University Credentials.” The trademarked words don’t mean much today, since they “aren’t really recognized by employers yet,” Gallagher says.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-11-03-why-udacity-and-edx-want-to-trademark-the-degrees-of-the-future-and-what-s-at-stake-for-students

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Survey: Students Think Schools Should Use Personal Data to Improve College Experience

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By Leila Meyer, Campus Technology

Seventy-seven percent of college students think schools should do a better job of using their personal data to improve the college experience, according to a new survey from Ellucian. The company released the results of a survey on the same day as its new data analytics platform, Ellucian Analytics. The online survey was conducted by Wakefield Research from October 13 to 18 and included 1,000 United States college students. The key takeaway from the survey is that students already share vast amounts of personal data with their schools, and they expect those schools to use that data in ways that benefit them.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/10/31/survey-students-think-schools-should-use-personal-data-to-improve-college-experience.aspx

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November 15, 2016

U.S. Ed Department Launches Free Online Tool to Rapidly Evaluate Ed Tech Products

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By Richard Chang, THE Journal

The United States Education Department’s Office of Educational Technology is unveiling a new online tool that’s designed to rapidly evaluate ed tech products and help educators decide whether a product or tool is worth their money. The Ed Tech Rapid Cycle Evaluation (RCE) Coach is a free, openly licensed, web-based platform created in partnership with Mathematica, a policy research organization. The RCE Coach guides educators step-by-step through an ed tech purchasing or renewal process.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/10/28/us-ed-department-launches-free-online-tool-to-rapidly-evaluate-ed-tech-products.aspx

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New website offers alternatives to class schedule stress

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by Alexander Holcomb, UT Daily Beacon

A new, free website is making it easier for University of Tennessee students to plan and enroll in the classes they need. The website, coursicle.com, notifies its users when a previously filled class has an open seat and creates potential schedules for the next semester. Tara Aida, the co-founder of the site, helped build coursicle.com during her freshman year at Harvard. “We offer two main services,” Aida said. “The first is an online course search engine and planner, and it allows students to browse classes easily, save them to a weekly calendar, save multiple schedules and also see what classes their friends are considering taking — their Facebook friends. And the second service is a notification system which allows students to sign up to receive a text message as soon as a class has an available seat.”

http://www.utdailybeacon.com/news/new-website-offers-alternatives-to-class-schedule-stress/article_b96bf0a8-a12b-11e6-80cd-07c8096167ad.html
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Immersive game-based experiences aim to revolutionize the way students learn calculus

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by eCampus News

“Variant: Limits” brings calculus to life by transforming abstract ideas into creative and visually-engaging challenges. Calculus courses today have one of the highest failure rates of any course on any campus, yet Calculus remains a core element of the ever growing STEM curriculum. Easing complex Calculus concepts for students, Triseum is unveiling the first game in a new series of immersive educational experiences for Calculus students, Variant: Limits, at this week’s EDUCAUSE conference. The Variant series gives students a new perspective on difficult Calculus topics, empowering them to learn through high quality, fun and results-driven experiences.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/gaming/triseum-learn-calculus/

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November 14, 2016

Is higher ed finding its ideal in micro-master’s?

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BY JEREMY CUNNINGHAM, eCampus News

Relevancy within post-grad careers just became as easy as a 5-course plan called a micro-master’s. It’s a jarring realization that after 9 years of post-high school education, a person can feel stuck. But that’s how I feel sometimes as I consider my professional options. I love what I do as a high school teacher and part time college instructor. Yet, as I sense the education landscape dynamically shifting all around me, I wonder what is next. How can I stay relevant without starting all over with another 3, 4, or 9 years of education?

http://www.ecampusnews.com/cc-blog/career-pathways/ideal-micro-masters/

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4 ways technology is effectively bridging higher ed to the workforce

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BY MERIS STANSBURY, eCampus News

Internet- and technology-based supports are helping traditional colleges and universities reach the national goal of helping students find their place in the workforce. In the midst of the seemingly never-ending debate as to whether or not traditional higher education institutions can help graduates find meaningful employment, four overarching technology-based pathways and tools seem to be doing an excellent job of trying to end the heated argument. “The historic disconnect between higher education and the needs of the labor market is a data problem,” writes Ryan Craig for TechCrunch. “In the past, data translating the discrete skills or competencies that employers need was not easily available or meaningful to faculty who create courses, or the students who take them.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/alternative-pathways/technology-bridging-workforce/

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Coding boot camp partners with major universities

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by eCampus News

Trilogy Education Services, the education platform that powers skills-based technology programs for colleges and universities, announces today that it has partnered with University of California, Berkeley Extension to launch a 24 week web-development program geared towards adult learners and part-time students. This brings the total number of university partnerships to twelve, as Trilogy continues to expand its nationwide reach in preparing students for high-growth careers in the digital economy. Throughout the digital economy, coding skills are increasingly in demand across a broad range of careers, including data analytics, marketing, engineering, scientific research and design. As noted by job market analytics firm, Burning Glass, 7 million job openings in 2015 required coding skills with programming jobs growing 12 percent faster than the market average.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/curriculum/coding-boot-camp-trilogy/

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Report: Video Captions Benefit Virtually All Students

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By Leila Meyer, Campus Technology

The majority of students use video captions and video transcripts to help themselves improve focus, retain information, engage with material and improve comprehension, according to a new study from Oregon State University. However, many institutions do not offer captions or video transcripts despite a legal obligation to do so. The Oregon State University Ecampus Research Unit conducted the national study in collaboration with 3Play Media. The researchers surveyed 2,124 students across 15 public and private universities throughout the United States. Of all respondents, 19 percent reported hearing difficulties, and 37 reported vision difficulties. However, only 13 percent had registered with an office of disability services, and less than 12 percent reported they require academic accommodations.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/11/02/report-video-captions-benefit-virtually-all-students.aspx

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November 13, 2016

Top 10 Education Technologies that Will Be Dead and Gone in the Next Decade

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By Dian Schaffhauser, Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

In our 2016 Teaching with Technology survey, faculty members offered their predictions on what the future holds for technology in teaching — including what hardware and systems will bite the dust over the next 10 years. The technologies that exist in classrooms today won’t necessarily be the same ones that are around in 10 years. In particular, the days of desktop computers and laptops are numbered, according to educators in Campus Technology’s 2016 Teaching with Technology survey. The survey polled faculty members across the country about their use of technology for teaching and learning, their wish lists and gripes, their view of what the future holds and more. Respondents were asked to predict what education tech would die over the next decade. Desktop computers were mentioned by 29 percent of the 408 people responded. That type of tech won hands-down by a margin of nearly 2-to-1 compared to the next most popular choice: clickers, referenced in 16 percent of the votes.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/11/02/top-10-education-technologies-that-will-be-dead-and-gone-in-the-next-decade.aspx

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New CIOs offer advice, 10 tips for those aspiring to the role [Educause 2016]

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by Roger Riddell, Campus Technology

The success strategies of these three tech chiefs can serve prospective administrators campuswide. Strong people skills are key to success in any higher ed leadership role, and IT — where workers are often noted for being far more introverted — is no exception. In a Thursday afternoon panel at last week’s Educause conference in Anaheim, CA, CIOs Keith McIntosh (University of Richmond), Barron Koralesky (Williams College) and Sharon Pitt (Binghamton University) offered their advice as people relatively new to the role of campus tech chief. But in addition to sharing experiences and lessons learned, which we’ll get to in a bit, the trio also offered the following list of 10 tips that tied into those stories

http://www.educationdive.com/news/new-cios-offer-advice-10-tips-for-those-aspiring-to-the-role-educause-201/429493/

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Five Android apps that will teach you new skills in your spare time

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By Brandon Vigliarolo, Tech Republic

There are always a few moments during the week spent staring at a smartphone to kill time. Why not learn something in those spare moments with these five Android apps? Whether you’re laid over at the airport, stuck on the subway, or eating lunch there’s no reason for those bits of idle time to be wasted. There are a bunch of smartphone apps on the market that can help you learn new skills and most lessons can be done in no time at all. If there’s a tech skills shortage, why are so many computer graduates unemployed? Here are five educational apps for Android that can help you make the most of your idle time by teaching you something new or strengthening the skills you already have.

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/five-android-apps-that-will-teach-you-new-skills-in-your-spare-time/

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November 12, 2016

As more turn to online classes, Creighton University ends evening program with low enrollment

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By Rick Ruggles, World-Herald

Creighton University has terminated a once-popular evening program for adults returning to school to obtain bachelor’s degrees in certain fields of study. Tracy Chapman, an associate dean at Creighton, said online courses have boomed while enrollment in the evening program, called AcceleratedCreighton, has dwindled. “The numbers were steadily decreasing,” she said. Creighton offered bachelor’s degrees in three major areas: creative writing, communication, and health administration and policy. Students took those classes on campus. Creighton administrators discontinued the program two or three weeks ago, she said. About 25 students were in the program, she said. Their academic advisers will work with them so that they can finish. Students who can’t attend class during the day will be offered options such as online courses or independent study.

http://www.omaha.com/news/education/as-more-turn-to-online-classes-creighton-university-ends-evening/article_ecfd34e2-8443-5552-bb47-968c11c98ea0.html

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Report: Device Type Proliferation Poses Problems

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By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

Last year, when an MDR survey asked curriculum directors to rate the various factors that influenced their buying decisions for digital instruction, the one that surfaced above all others was compatibility with multiple computing devices, chosen by 62 percent of respondents. No wonder. A multiplicity of devices proliferates on the school campus, especially in an era of rising acceptance for bring-your-own-device. As a new report from MDR points out, students may show up with “smartphones, iPads, tablets, laptops, desktops and Chromebooks.” Those devices may be running iOS, Android, Chrome and Windows. Even district-provided devices can run the gamut depending on which grade they’re being used in.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/10/26/device-type-proliferation-poses-problems.aspx

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Where Do Teachers Turn for Tech Help? Not the Help Desk (Much)

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By David Nagel, Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

Research shows that teachers prefer to rely on one another to get solutions to technology problems than they do on the IT department. By a margin of about five to one, teachers prefer to solve their own tech problems without the help of the IT department. According to a survey of more than 1,300 educators by THE Journal, educators’ top choice for solving their tech troubles is online searches, with 37 percent citing that as their preferred source for help with technology. Coming in second was peers, at 23 percent. The help desk/IT department ranked third at 17 percent, followed by the instructional technologist at 11 percent. Students rounded out the top 5 preferred sources of tech help at 4 percent.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/10/27/where-do-teachers-turn-for-tech-help.aspx

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November 11, 2016

Online courses work for Tech’s mid-career students, research says

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By Ty Tagami – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

It’s still the early days of online schooling, and the research is mixed about whether it will usher in a new era of affordable education, as enthusiasts hope. While it’s returned questionable results in some settings, low cost is driving demand — and it has proved effective in at least one sector: older, motivated students pursuing a technical advanced degree. A new paper, “Can Online Delivery Increase Access to Education?” by researchers at Harvard and Georgia Tech takes a look at Tech’s online master’s degree in computer science. It reports earlier findings that online students “slightly outperformed” in-person students on final exams and reaches its own conclusion that there is large demand for such flexible online programs, especially among mid-career professionals juggling work and family life.

http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local-education/online-courses-work-for-techs-mid-career-students-/nsz98/

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Online Learning Can Have Surprising Benefits

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by Faulkner University

Distance learning appeals to many students for a variety of reasons. Older students returning to school often have other responsibilities that force them to be creative with their time and energy. The convenience of online learning makes it fit virtually any schedule. Although flexibility is an important benefit, there are other perks to this type of education that often surprise students. While many people think of online learning as an isolating environment, the interaction between students and instructors can be more than what traditional students receive. Online learning provides students with the ability to interact with instructors directly. Tweets, blogs, podcasts, webcasts, and emails are all part of the mix. Also, with chat rooms and discussion boards, one-on-one time can be more significant with online learning.

https://www.faulkner.edu/2016/10/online-learning-can-surprising-benefits/

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How edX MicroMasters Might Transform Higher Education and the Workforce of the Future

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by eCampus News

Micro-credentials offer professionals the opportunity to extend their education and acquire the skills that will help them get the jobs they want in a competitive job market. In the increasingly unbundled world of college education, MicroMasters have emerged as the ‘AP Classes’ for Graduate Degrees. In his keynote speech at the 2015 NEASC Conference, Anant Agarwal, CEO of edX, asked, “Is the future of education unbundled?” This was the first of many ideas Mr. Agarwal has offered on the unbundling of the components of traditional degree programs, and foreshadowed the announcement to come. A couple of weeks ago on Twitter, the higher edi-verse blew up about the edX MicroMasters announcement. Exciting words like “revolution” and “breakthroughs” were hurled about as enthusiastically as those in the 2016 presidential debates (albeit less colorfully).

http://www.ecampusnews.com/advertorial/edx-micromasters-might-transform-higher-education-workforce-future/

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November 10, 2016

4 cornerstones helped Ithaca College transform its IT organization

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by Roger Riddell, Education Dive

In a Thursday morning session at last week’s Educause conference in Anaheim, CA, Ithaca College Interim Associate Vice President & CIO David Weil and University of Richmond CIO Keith “Mac” McIntosh, Ithaca’s former CIO, discussed how they turned around the New York institution’s IT structure. The session drew a crowd that left standing room only, and while the transformation is still underway, it focused on the following four cornerstones that can serve as a blueprint for other institutions looking to streamline operations across any number of departments.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/4-cornerstones-helped-ithaca-college-transform-its-it-organization-educaus/429343/

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