Techno-News Blog

By Courtney Rubin, US News

New online master’s degree options offer students paths to business, engineering and more. Online graduate education, once a caveat emptor Wild West of questionable quality, has come a long way. “The online degree market is pretty well established, especially in terms of acceptance in the employer community,” says Sean Gallagher, executive director of the Center for the Future of Higher Education and Talent Strategy at Northeastern University and author of “The Future of University Credentials,” published last year. The ability to deliver instruction online has opened up a world of possibility beyond traditional degrees. Both for-profit companies and universities – including elite ones – are racing to market with a range of options, from traditional academic degrees to occupational credentialing and professional development.

https://www.usnews.com/higher-education/online-education/articles/2017-03-29/jump-start-a-career-with-an-online-graduate-degree

by Penn State

In recognition of the increasing scope of digital learning, the College of Arts and Architecture’s e-Learning Institute will be renamed the Office of Digital Learning, effective April 1. Gary Chinn, director of the e-Learning Institute, will become assistant dean for digital learning. “A broader conceptualization of digital learning acknowledges that today’s courses can move across a continuum of completely in-person and completely online,” explained Chinn. “Blended learning courses, which utilize a combination of online materials and in-person lectures, continue to grow in popularity. Courses that take place in a lecture hall but feature class assignments that have a strong digital aspect are another example. As students flow in and out of physical classroom spaces and virtual environments, a broader term like ‘digital learning’ better captures this fluidity of learning context.”

http://news.psu.edu/story/458885/2017/03/29/e-learning-institute-broadens-focus-renamed-office-digital-learning

by Matthew Lynch, tech Edvocate

Technology has changed just about every field, including education. Digital learning is reshaping education in unprecedented ways. The ways in which students learn are changing rapidly thanks to technology, and both students and teachers will benefit from it. There are several specific changes that we can expect to see as digital learning takes over education. For one, the way teachers present information and how students work with that information has changed. Students are asked to be more hands-on and collaborative than ever before. There are also new skills that students must learn, such as digital literacy.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/why-digital-learning-is-reshaping-education/

By Sri Ravipati, THE Journal

In the greater Houston area, an estimated 133,000 families do not have a computer at home. To help bridge the digital divide, the nonprofit Comp-U-Dopt has delivered more than 8,600 refurbished computers to Houston students from underserved communities. Comp-U-Dot celebrates 10 years of providing technology access and education training. Its Computer Adoption Program, for instance, involves taking in lightly used, donated corporate computers; converting them to a Linux operating system; loading freeware education programs; and distributing the devices to applicants who demonstrate a need for a computer.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/03/27/houston-nonprofit-delivers-refurbished-computers-tech-education-to-thousands-of-underserved-youth.aspx

by Kyle Johnson, EDUCAUSE Review

These two competing visions of AI in higher education need to be discussed now, before the decisions get made for us. The LAT session brought some important perspective and in-depth conversation around the issue, and I think this is one of the valuable assets LAT brings to the broader teaching and learning community within higher education. I hope that more of these facilitated group-expert discussions can be planned for future conferences so we can continue to grapple with these issues together.

http://er.educause.edu/blogs/2017/3/supplement-or-replacement-exploring-the-role-of-ai-in-teaching-and-learning

by Brewster Kahle, EDUCAUSE Review

By 2020, we can build a collaborative digital library collection and circulation system in which thousands of libraries unlock their analog collections for a new generation of learners, enabling free, long-term, public access to knowledge. Much of modern knowledge still exists only on the printed page, stored in libraries. Libraries haven’t met this digital demand, stymied by costs, e-book restrictions, policy risks, and missing infrastructure. We now have the technology and legal frameworks to transform our library system by 2020. The Internet Archive, working with library partners, proposes bringing millions of books online, through purchase or digitization, starting with the books most widely held and used in libraries and classrooms. Our vision includes at-scale circulation of these e-books, enabling libraries owning the physical works to substitute them with lendable digital copies.

http://er.educause.edu/articles/2017/3/transforming-our-libraries-from-analog-to-digital-a-2020-vision

by Jeffrey Pomerantz, EDUCAUSE Review

The job of chief information officer (CIO) has a scope and influence across campus that makes it — according to some, anyway — the best job on campus. Not everyone aspires to the CIO role, however, considering the time, attention, and tolerance for uncertainty required by that level of leadership. Some have argued for eliminating the CIO role entirely and folding its responsibilities into other C-level positions. Yet research has shown that the CIO role is more prevalent and more important in higher education than ever. Data collected by the EDUCAUSE Core Data Service show that 68 percent of institutions of higher education have a position titled CIO; the highest-ranking IT officer at the remainder of institutions may have a different title but performs similar functions. This ubiquity makes it critical for us to understand the nature and scope of the CIO role.

http://er.educause.edu/blogs/2017/3/cios-do-it-all

by Ilja Rijnen, Human Resources Online

Since the late 90s, e-learning has been introduced to the world of learning and in the recent times, especially with the arrival of enterprise systems, the digital form of education has become the preferred choice for many organisations due to its perceived benefits: it offers its learners a flexible schedule, cheap and efficient ways of education and convenient ways of offering content on demand. However, the individual learning experiences that are being created seem contradictory though to the social ways in which people learn, which is why many digital forms of learning have failed in the past decade. Nevertheless, by working with the approaches from the social learning theories, it is possible to drive the learner’s intrinsic motivation and involvement. This will drastically improve the effect from virtual classrooms in the enterprise world.

http://www.humanresourcesonline.net/5-ways-to-drastically-improve-the-impact-from-virtual-classrooms/

By Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, Washington Post

The credit rating agency warns that the proposed $5.8 billion cut in funding to the National Institutes of Health would have the most significant impact on higher education. Roughly 80 percent of NIH’s budget supports grants to 300,000 researchers at universities across the country. Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, for instance, was awarded $651 million in NIH funding in 2016, while University of California at San Francisco received $578 million. Moody’s analysts are also concerned about the ripple effects of the proposed elimination of funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Many of the schools rated by Moody’s receive grants from both entities, though the awards are a small portion of their budgets. Still, those grants often fund programs that are appealing to students and donors, who might lose interest in the school if certain arts programs disappear, Fitzgerald said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/03/28/trump-budget-cuts-could-hit-research-universities-hard-moodys-warns/

By Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed

Online education platform Coursera has set a goal of offering 15 to 20 degree programs by the end of 2019. The company took another step toward that goal Wednesday, announcing new degree offerings from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and France’s HEC Paris. “This is our coming-out party for online degrees on Coursera,” Nikhil Sinha, Coursera’s chief business officer, said in an interview. HEC Paris plans to launch a master’s degree in innovation and entrepreneurship. UIUC, which already offers two degrees on Coursera, will launch a third: a master’s degree in accounting. The university also offers an M.B.A., known as the iMBA program, and a master of computer science in data science. The programs will launch this fall.

https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/03/29/coursera-plans-expansion-online-degrees

By John Hoang, The Shorthorn

Learning through online classrooms can give students more options to incorporate into a busy schedule. Flexibility is a strong benefit for students taking online courses, said Jodi Tommerdahl, associate professor of curriculum and instruction, in an email. Students have more room to work and take care of college responsibilities. Students struggling with commuting to campus and work schedules that fall outside most class schedules can be alleviated through technology.

http://www.theshorthorn.com/life_and_entertainment/online-classes-provide-students-with-options/article_b9597dae-13ec-11e7-b0e7-db85e64d9b39.html

by Tanya Vaughan, ACER

The common myth for learning styles as an effective teaching and learning approach is that students will improve their learning if they are taught in their particular learning style (Evidence for Learning, 2017a). There is a range of different types of learning styles, for example auditory, visual, tactile or kinaesthetic styles (Hattie, 2009). There is very limited evidence for any consistent set of learning ‘styles’ that can be used reliably to identify genuine differences in the learning needs of young people, and evidence suggests that it is unhelpful to assign learners to groups or categories on the basis of a supposed learning style (Evidence for Learning, 2017a).

https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/article/tackling-the-learning-styles-myth

By AKHIL S. WAGHMARE, Harvard Crimson

Thanks to the explosion of the internet, it is now possible to share content with billions of people. This has also allowed for increased access to high quality education through online platforms. Services like Khan Academy have reached millions of students worldwide and offered them resources for the classroom and traditionally expensive test prep for exams such as the SAT. And the rise of Massive Online Open Courses has given universities platforms for offering free, online versions of their own classes. Harvard has produced many of these, replicating almost 100 courses through the edX platform which it cofounded with MIT.

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2017/3/27/waghmare-open-online-harvard/

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

There’s a big push in education right now to teach kids how to code. Coding is undoubtedly an important skill that will help students in the job marketplace. It’s an in-demand skill and a useful one. But can coding help students in other areas? Some are now suggesting that coding can help improve students’ writing skills.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/can-coding-improve-your-childs-writing-skills/

by Campus Technology

ASAE, American Council on Education, Lumina Foundation and Credly award first place prize for recruiting application using “near-miss” matching to pair employers and job seekers. The winning submission by Chicago-based architect Larry Kearns is a concept for a web-based recruiting ecosystem that matches candidates with potential employers based on a data-driven record of their perspectives and skills, verified by digital credentials. The judging panel found that Kearns’ proposal for a skill matching application brought a unique perspective to connecting employers and employees and offered an innovative approach to learning pathway design and the role played by industry and trade associations. “As the competencies critical to success in today’s workforce continue to change, employers are increasingly seeking timely, verified evidence of specific knowledge and skills while recruiting,” said Jonathan Finkelstein, founder and CEO of Credly.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/alternative-pathways/app-digital-credentials-award/

By Richard Chang, Campus Technology

The artificial intelligence (AI) market in the United States education sector is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 47.5 percent during the period 2017-2021, according to a new report by market research firm Research and Markets. The report, “Artificial Intelligence Market in the U.S. Education Sector 2017-2021,” was prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts, Research and Markets said in a news release. The report covers the market its growth prospects from this year through 2021. To calculate the market size, the report considered the revenue generated through sales of AI software-based products and complementary services to customers in the education market.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/03/24/ai-market-to-grow-47.5-percent-over-next-four-years.aspx

by Laurence Bradford, Forbes

Online courses can help you level up your career and stay competitive–whether you have a job or are looking for one. Unsure which to take or don’t think you have the time? Here are eight resume-worthy skills you can learn from the comfort of your couch with short online courses.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurencebradford/2017/03/25/8-online-courses-teaching-skills-to-boost-your-resume/#120ef9eb2c8a

by Matthew Lynch, tech Edvocate

In today’s’ technology-driven world, it’s important now more than ever to prepare students for the future. Teaching robotics to young students throughout their schooling can increase their ability to be creative and innovative thinkers and more productive members of society. Many governments have already recognized the importance of robotics in the classroom and have begun to create programs and laws that would incorporate it into their public education system. By teaching our students the basics of robotics, we can open a whole new world to them and exciting opportunities that they wouldn’t have access to otherwise.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/five-reasons-to-teach-robotics-in-schools/

BY Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

There is a lot of talk out there about ways to raise the graduation rate. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan proudly wore #80 in the NBA All-Star celebrity game to tout the highest graduation rate the country has seen since 1974. Educators are collectively working harder to help students make it to the high school finish line and get prepared for college and the workforce. There is a lot of credit to be handed out for the successful graduation rates around the country (of course, there are still plenty of areas for improvement) but I think one shining area deserves a lot of the praise: technology.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/technology-and-graduation-rate-a-direct-correlation/

by Kelsey Munro, Sydney Morning Tribune

“Don’t teach your kids coding,” says New York Times journalist Thomas Friedman. “Well – teach it if you want. But before you teach them coding, teach them digital civics: how to talk to one another on the internet, how to understand fact from fiction.” The internet is a sewer “of untreated, unfiltered information,” he told his audience of teachers and international education leaders at a conference in Dubai on the weekend, “and if we don’t build the values filters so our children can interact in this environment, with real values … we have a real problem.”

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/dont-teach-your-kids-coding-teach-them-how-to-live-online-20170323-gv5e9r.html

By Tanner Mondok, the Jambar

Classrooms no longer consist of only 20 desks and a chalkboard — they now most likely have at least a few computers and a projector at their fingertips. Technology has completely changed the way professors teach their classes and that trend isn’t going anywhere. Technology in classrooms has evolved to the point where students now have the ability to never leave their house but still get an education thanks to online classes. Sal Sanders, dean of College of Graduate Studies and a health professions professor, teaches an online class and said that technology is the classroom. “It is the learning environment for me and for the students,” he said. “It’s not so much the effect of technology on students and on the classroom, it’s just how we live today.”

http://www.thejambar.com/invasion-tech-classroom/