Techno-News Blog

by John Edwards, Information Week
IT groups will need to provide architecture, data-mining tools and connectivity, while giving business groups the freedom to innovate on their own with the Internet of Things. The Internet of Things (IoT) is already making a significant impact in a variety of business areas, including industrial monitoring and production, supply chain tracking, and multiple retail processes. Down the road, experts see the IoT becoming nothing less than an integral aspect of everyday life, with a huge role for IT to play. Earlier this year, Gartner forecast that 8.4 billion connected “things” will be in use worldwide this year, up 31% from last year.

https://www.informationweek.com/big-data/the-internet-of-things-still-lots-for-you-to-learn/a/d-id/1330794

BY LAURA ASCIONE, eCampus News

A new field guide for community college and university leaders outlines five key strategies to help institutions develop a system for digital credentials. The guide, “Partnering with Employers to Create Workforce-Relevant Credentials,” is intended to steer faculty and administrators through a collaborative design and implementation process for developing a workforce-relevant credentialing system. The five digital-credential strategies come from best practices of institutions profiled in the report.

5 key steps in developing a system for digital credentials

By Courtney Rubin, US News

These smaller credentials recognize students’ specific skills or achievements in online and on-campus undergraduate courses.  Besides their transcript, graduates of Western Michigan University’s Haworth College of Business can show potential employers that they’ve earned a digital badge for Event Leadership or Mobile – as in mobile programming. At Santa Barbara City College, students can take free courses through the School of Extended Learning – usually eight to 16 hours – to earn badges in Blogging for Business or Workplace Essentials, such as business writing and time management. The badges can be shared on social media, LinkedIn profiles and personal websites.

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2018-01-11/colleges-offer-resume-boosting-digital-badges

By Jillian Berman, Marketwatch

Many American colleges will have to look different decades from now if they’re going to survive. That’s one of the many arguments in “Demographics and the Demand for Higher Education,” a book by Nathan Grawe, an economics professor at Carleton College, published late last year. Grawe explores how demographic trends — like the shift from majority white to majority-minority, from northeastern population centers to the Southwest, and declining birth rates — will affect American colleges.  Schools that don’t think creatively about how to adapt to these changes could be forced to merge or shutdown, he concludes. Those same outcomes are predicted by Moody’s Investors Service and others. Schools likely won’t face these challenges acutely until at least 2026 and beyond, but Grawe suggests they use the time they still have to prepare.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-what-us-colleges-will-look-like-in-2030-2018-01-11

by Matthew Lynch, tech Edvocate

Edtech companies often focus on technology development, testing, and integration. However, a significant number of them are doing so without the input of education professionals. What do traditional educators have to offer edtech companies? In short, a lot. Here are the most significant reasons edtech companies need to employ teachers. Unless you come from a teaching background before starting your edtech company, you likely don’t have intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the education system. This lack of experience can make it hard to interact with potential buyers and sell your product. No matter what you offer, the rule is to know your customer.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/edtech-companies-hire-educators/

BY QUARDRICOS BERNARD DRISKELL, the Hill

Higher education must change to fit this new global economy. Moreover, since higher education is huge business in America more students are walking away with higher debt. Is a college education worth its price anymore? The real problem with higher education is with a failure of imagination of the creative possibilities for secondary education – and post-secondary educational options that are alternative to traditional college/university education. The failure of secondary education to be as meaningful as it could be, apart from its socialization effects, is the true great dilemma in preparing future generations for creative and productive life by varied measures. For my parents’ generation, education for them was to get a good education and get a good job. For this current generation, a good education will mostly likely lead them to high debt and employment in retail and/or at fast food restaurants.

http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/education/368358-the-reimagination-of-higher-education-in-21st-century-america

by Purdue University
Purdue University on Thursday (Jan. 11) announced the name of its new online public university for working adults — Purdue University Global. The name was approved by the Executive Committee of the Purdue University Board of Trustees and the Board of Trustees of Purdue NewU. The name will become effective when the acquisition of Kaplan University by Purdue clears the last step in the approval process – review by the Higher Learning Commission, the regional accreditor for both Purdue University and Kaplan University, which is scheduled for Feb. 22.

http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2018/Q1/purdue-announces-name-for-new-public-university-purdue-university-global-to-serve-working-adults,-online.html

By Neelofer Qadir, Inside Higher Ed

Teaching with digital and social technologies often produces stress and tension for teachers and students alike, but I suspect much of that comes from an unclear explanation of why a particular tool is being used and comfort, or lack thereof, with its use. Digital and social technologies are attractive in many ways and we can get excited about working with them, especially in this era where students are dubbed “digital natives.” But these tools require we think about their purpose, method, and audience just as carefully as when we design an essay prompt, a problem set, or any other assessment exercise.

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/gradhacker/tuning-your-pedagogical-practice-incorporate-digital-and-social-technology

by Autumn A. Arnett, Education Dive
A recent analysis from Digital Media Solutions offers insight into where students are the most interested in higher education by tracking inquiries and student acquisition activities of institutions, finding that online program inquiry growth has increased tremendously. Online education volume was 34.9% higher in Q3 2017 than campus-based volume, the report said, compared with 8% higher in Q3 2016. Geographic volume data is largely consistent with population trends; the nine most populous states (California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina) are also the top-nine states for higher ed inquiries and acquisitions in the DMS analysis. Arizona, which lands at tenth in higher education inquiries, leapfrogged over four states with higher population levels. Health professions and programs; business management, marketing and related services; and education claimed the top three spots for most-searched potential programs. Liberal arts and sciences/general studies and humanities programs were the ninth-most searched programs.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/new-analysis-offers-insight-into-what-prospective-students-want/

by eMarketer News

One in three people—2.48 billion—worldwide used a social network in 2017, eMarketer estimates. Rising social network use in emerging markets in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa drove an 8.7% gain over 2016. Social media use in digitally advanced markets in North America and Western Europe is widespread. Future growth will primarily come from widening and improving internet access in developing markets, thanks to increasingly affordable smartphone models and government investments in mobile broadband coverage.

https://www.emarketer.com/content/emarketer-unveils-latest-wordwide-social-users-estimates

by Patrick Atack, PIE
Online learning platform Coursera has revealed a trend towards tech-based courses in 2017. The 30 million-user site divulged the top 10 popular courses, and the most popular specialisations, as signed up for by its “registered learners”.   Machine Learning, a course taught by Coursera’s co-founder Andrew Ng in conjunction with Stanford University, proved most popular, topping the list of courses that were based on the average daily enrolments. This course focuses on artificial intelligence and was among at least three AI-focused courses in the top 10. Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin also feature, which may come as expected, as those have been the feature of many a press clipping in the past 12 months.

Online learning took a tech turn in 2017

By Jordan Friedman, US News

Online students may pursue a credential like a graduate certificate alongside their degree to satisfy additional career goals.  Experts say more online degree students are also concurrently seeking smaller online credentials to supplement their education. These may include online certificates offered through colleges and universities, digital badges or industry certifications.  Companies such as Coursera and edX, in collaboration with universities, create massive open online courses, or MOOCs.  Technology is constantly advancing, and sometimes an online degree’s curriculum can’t keep up with the latest changes, says Ray Schroeder, associate vice chancellor for online learning at the University of Illinois—Springfield. A smaller credential may be a good option to keep skills up-to-date. But he cautions prospective online students not to take on more than they can handle.

https://www.usnews.com/higher-education/online-education/articles/2018-01-10/when-to-supplement-an-online-degree-with-a-smaller-credential

BY NIKKI GRAF, RICHARD FRY AND CARY FUNK, Pew Fact Tank

Employment in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) occupations has grown 79% since 1990, from 9.7 million to 17.3 million, outpacing overall U.S. job growth. A new Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data takes a broad-based look at the STEM workforce from 1990 to 2016 based on an analysis of adults ages 25 and older working in any of 74 occupations. These include computer, math, engineering and architecture occupations, physical scientists, life scientists and health-related occupations such as health care practitioners and technicians, but not health care support workers such as nursing aides and medical assistants. Here are seven facts about the STEM workforce and STEM training.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/01/09/7-facts-about-the-stem-workforce/

by Jim Steele, UAH

Starting in spring, students at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) will have a new and more convenient online tutoring and coaching option. The university’s Student Success Center (SSC) is rolling out a live tutoring and coaching service that works with desktops, laptops, iPads, iPhones and Android devices. The sessions will be held using the Zoom video conferencing software/app. “We piloted the program last semester for classes that we tutor and that are offered online, including writing,” says Melissa Berry, SSC virtual learning coordinator.

https://www.uah.edu/news/campus/student-success-center-rolls-out-online-academic-coaching-and-tutoring

By Jordan Friedman, US News

Enrollment in online classes grew more than 5 percent between fall 2015 and 2016, a new report found. Based on federal data from more than 4,700 colleges and universities, more than 6.3 million students in the U.S. – most of whom were undergraduates – took at least one online course in fall 2016, a 5.6 percent increase from the previous year. This is the 14th consecutive year that Babson has reported growth in online enrollment.

https://www.usnews.com/higher-education/online-education/articles/2018-01-11/study-more-students-are-enrolling-in-online-courses

by Teresa Watanabe, San Diego Union-Tribune
Gov. Jerry Brown wants California to launch its first fully online public community college to help 2.5 million young adults without college credentials gain skills for better jobs and greater economic mobility. In the 2018-19 budget plan he unveiled Wednesday, Brown proposed spending $120 million to open such a college by fall 2019, with a focus on short-term credential programs for careers in fields including advanced manufacturing, healthcare and child development. The governor is a longtime advocate of online learning, which he sees as more cost effective than traditional education.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/la-me-online-community-college-20170110-story.html

by Dave Doucette, EdTech
Modern learners seek flexible spaces and guidance on digital literacy.  In higher education, 21st-century librarians are seeing a redefinition of their roles, moving from stewards of physical information to educators on digital literacy. Institutions are also taking a new look at library buildings, which are becoming less about offering a refuge for quiet, independent study and more about creating opportunities for creativity and collaboration. But whether their purpose is to host a makerspace or old-fashioned book stacks, one thing is clear: University libraries are here to stay.

https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2018/01/libraries-find-new-ways-flourish-digital-age

by Marco De Novellis, Business Because

For Ian Myatt, director of educational enterprise at the University of Birmingham, big data analytics could significantly transform the way people learn, but it should be harnessed in the right way to be effective.  “There’s huge potential,” he says. “We strive to provide all students with an excellent experience, but traditional teaching methods make it difficult to customize for personal preferences. However, with online delivery and clever use of analytics, we can more readily accommodate individual learning styles and help them identify areas where they might benefit from a greater focus.”

https://www.businessbecause.com/news/mba-distance-learning/4993/edtech-big-data-analytics-online-learning

By Jordan Friedman, US News

Contrary to what some prospective students believe, online bachelor’s programs aren’t always easier to get into than those offered on a physical campus. That’s one of several findings based on an analysis of data that schools submitted to U.S. News in an annual survey about admission to online colleges. The average proportion of applicants who were admitted to online bachelor’s programs between July 2016 and June 2017 was just 2.4 percentage points higher than the average acceptance rate at their on-campus counterparts for students entering in fall 2016. U.S. News data also show that some online bachelor’s programs have lower acceptance rates than their respective in-person offerings.

https://www.usnews.com/higher-education/online-education/articles/2018-01-09/how-admissions-works-at-online-bachelors-programs

By Robyn Defelice, ATD

In this article, we will explore the results from a 2017 survey, compare that data to the previous two studies, and discuss a few trends that have emerged over the years. If you are unfamiliar with the research, the data helps to squelch the desire to say, “It depends…” when a client asks how long it will take to develop training. These numbers provide another way for project planners to budget time and resources, and they can be used in place of or in conjunction with estimates based on old projects with similar needs. At a minimum, it provides a method for making estimates, comparisons, or both.

https://www.td.org/insights/how-long-does-it-take-to-develop-one-hour-of-training-updated-for-2017

By Sam Nelson, Udacity

Any online program that has the main goal of revenue generation will, in the end, wind up creating a host of unforeseen and undesirable consequences. This is not to say that online program should not be economically sustainable, and should make sense from an opportunity cost and investment perspective. They should, and they are. In some cases it is also true that new online programs can create revenues that can be utilized to support other strategic programs and initiatives. Higher education, like many activities that exist for the public good, relies on cost sharing to survive. Putting money as the first and ultimate goal of online education will cause a school to make a series of bad choices, while simultaneously closing off other potential benefits of online learning.

https://blog.udacity.com/2018/01/top-5-data-science-publications.html