Techno-News Blog

By David Raths, Campus Technology
In 2015, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University’s Institute for Creativity, Arts and Technology (ICAT) launched the Cube, an adaptable space for research and experimentation housed in the campus’s Moss Arts Center. One of the first things ICAT did was to hire an immersive environment specialist to help faculty members who were incorporating the new space into their curricula.  “I remember Ben Knapp, ICAT’s director, used the term ‘concierge’ when he came up with the position,” recalled Zach Duer, who served in the job for a year and a half before becoming an assistant professor in the school of visual arts.  According to Duer, it’s a common problem that universities invest in new technologies such as immersive learning spaces but fail to create positions like his to help faculty learn how to use them.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/07/03/guiding-faculty-into-immersive-environments.aspx

by Aleksandar (Sasha) Tomic, Evolllution

While successes online are fairly well documented, failures are not as public The online space is getting more and more crowded, so you must define what it is that differentiates you. Is it price point? Student engagement? Student outcomes? Placement rate? In other words, why would a student choose your online MBA as opposed to the other 281 programs currently ranked by US News and World Report Online MBA rankings? The same care that goes into differentiating your on-ground programs should go into differentiating the online ones as well. Possibly more, since location might be a differentiator for your on-ground programs but is rendered meaningless in the online space.

Are You Ready To Go Online? Key Considerations for New Online Education Initiatives

by EdTechTimes

Today, higher education is in the midst of a major disruption. Every element of higher ed is changing: the traditional student, classroom models—even expectations for support after graduation. And of course, technology is at the center of many of these changes. New technologies are allowing campuses to have a broader reach, more efficient business practices, and new methods of instruction. But technological innovation brings an entirely new set of challenges to higher ed.

Leading in the Midst of Higher Ed Disruption: Experts Discuss Paths to Innovation

by Autumn A. Arnett, Education Dive
Brandman University President Gary Brahm says the needs of nontraditional students are very different than those of traditional students. And though there is some consensus that nontraditional is the new traditional, many institution leaders are still struggling with how to adjust their business models to accommodate this wave of students on traditional campuses. A lot of institutions have leveraged their existing brand in order to deliver a traditional education as well as accommodate nontraditional students.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/leaders-zero-in-on-helping-nontraditional-students-succeed/526910/

BY FURQAN NAZEERI, eCampus News
Why a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work.  Every day, we speak to university faculty and administrators who are looking to create an online course or degree program to increase enrollment, expand their revenue base, or reposition their brand. Those conversations usually begin with the same question: “How do we put this course/program online?”  At this point, I look for a diplomatic way to explain that’s not the right question to be asking. The real question is based on a shift in thinking about online learning. You are not simply putting a course online; you are creating an online product. It’s an important distinction. Your product—the program, course, certificate, or degree—has to be unique and very specific to what your market of current and prospective students want. The question that should be asked is: “How do we create a world-class learning experience that’s tailored to our students?”

https://www.ecampusnews.com/eschool-media/the-single-biggest-mistake-universities-make-when-going-online/ 

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology
College students are showing more confidence in their ability to get jobs in their career areas. More than four in 10 (41 percent) said they were “extremely” or “very” prepared, compared to about three in 10 (29 percent) last year. And far fewer students said they were “slightly” or “not at all” prepared this year than last year (17 percent compared to 31 percent). Men were far more likely to feel prepared than women: 50 percent compared to 36 percent. Also, non-traditional students, those who didn’t enter college within a year of completing high school, were more likely to feel prepared than traditional students (49 percent vs. 34 percent). Students in vocational and technology programs were far more likely to consider themselves extremely prepared for work than any other discipline; for example, while 40 percent of vocational students stated that, for social sciences, the next highest discipline, just 13 percent said the same. These results came from the latest McGraw-Hill Education Future Workforce Survey.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/06/28/students-feel-more-secure-about-getting-jobs-but-skills-gaps-persist.aspx

by Marianne Stenger, eLearning Industry
How can students be better supported and engaged in online learning programs? Based on the research available, here are 5 ways to make online learning more effective. Some students choose to study online to earn a degree or qualification, while others are primarily looking to further their professional development. Whatever their motivations may be, however, it’s clear that enrolment in online courses is not slowing down. According to the 2017 Distance Education Enrollment report released by the Babson Survey Research Group, enrollment in online courses has increased for the fourteenth straight year. The report shows that 6.3 million students in the U.S. took at least one online course, which is a 5.6% increase from the previous year. Even so, dropout rates in online courses still tend to be higher than in traditional courses. Some of the biggest reasons online students drop out include unrealistic expectations, poor planning, and a lack of engagement and motivation. So how can students be better supported and engaged in online learning programs? Based on the research available, here are five ways to make online learning more effective.

Top 5 Research-Based Online Learning Tips

By David Raths, Campus Technology
Smart campus efforts take advantage of the Internet of Things (IoT) to gain efficiencies from automation and analytics, often starting with building systems and energy usage. But as IoT efforts expand to other parts of the university, including student success, some universities are experiencing growing pains working across disciplines to gather and analyze so much data. For instance, a few years into a smart campus initiative called the Integrated Controls and Analytics Program, Stanford University (CA) is finding data quality and data management are raising unforeseen challenges. “Data management is the biggest obstacle we have right now,” said Gerry Hamilton, Stanford’s director of facilities energy management.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/06/28/grappling-with-iot-growth-on-campus.aspx

by LAURA ASCIONE, eCampus News

“The implications for the industry are huge: Using blockchain means we can now offer credentials that are unhackable and unfakeable,” contends Alan Heppenstall, co-founder and CTO of the digital credentialing platform Accredible. And “instead of providing paper certificates that are hard to verify, blockchain could help students to compile a complete digital record of all the training courses they’ve completed and certificates they’ve obtained that would exist in the public domain and be accessible on demand,” says Jami Morshed, vice president of global higher education at Unit4.

Where is blockchain technology going in the future?

by Marvin Krislov, Forbes

But perhaps the most inspiring commencement ceremony was for students graduating from our online education programs. These students tend to have families and careers, responsibilities well beyond coursework and exams. But they’re motivated to complete their degrees, and their stories are moving. Several dozen made it to our lower Manhattan campus for their graduation. They came from all over the country, some with children, a few stepping onto a college campus for their first time ever as a student. Their stories remind us of the important role high-quality online education, following a rigorous curriculum and tied to an educational institution, plays in educating underserved communities. And they highlight the importance of finding ways to make education accessible to all students—of all ages, in all locations, on all schedules, to help those who are seeking new skills, transitioning to new careers, or otherwise working hard to make themselves better-prepared employees.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marvinkrislov/2018/06/28/can-online-education-inspire-i-think-so/

by WRCB
Coursera is an online learning platform used by around 24 million people. It allows anyone to take classes, earn certificates and, in some cases, degrees.   If you’ve ever thought about changing careers you’ve likely hesitated because of the financial risk. Switching careers might require more education or even a second (or first) college degree. There’s never been a better time to go back to school than now thanks to apps and websites like Coursera. Coursera is an online learning platform used by around 24 million people. It allows anyone to take classes, earn certificates and, in some cases, degrees. Classes are taught by professors from some of the leading universities from around the world: Stanford, Michigan, Johns Hopkins, Princeton, Yale to name a few.

http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/38544040/what-the-tech-coursera-for-a-college-education

by Derek Newton, Forbes

In May, The Learning House, an academic program manager offering solutions and services for colleges and universities, released their Online College Students 2018 report in collaboration with Aslanian Market Research. It shows that most undergraduate students studying online or considering doing so, study quite close to home. According to the report, fully two-thirds of online undergrads were taking online classes less than 50 miles from a campus of the school where they enrolled. Nearly half (45% overall) studied online within 25 miles of campus. More than three in four (78%) online students enrolled at a school with a campus within 100 miles.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereknewton/2018/06/29/what-geography-says-about-online-college-students-the-future-of-studying-online/#3d4c35f41e9c

By Kelly Guess, Spartan News

Summer at Michigan State University doesn’t always mean it’s time for summer vacation. As degree requirements become more demanding, many students enroll in the university’s summer sessions as a way to get ahead or stay on track to graduate. Skylar Austell, a senior at MSU, is taking online courses this summer so that she can graduate in August. “Without the opportunity to take the classes, I would have had to do a whole other semester just for two classes,” she said. Both of her classes are online classes, giving her the opportunity to go home or travel for job interviews without missing school. “The flexibility of having classes online allows me to breath a bit and focus as I prepare to transition into postgraduate life,” Austell said. “I have friends who are from out of state and took online classes over the summer.”

Online classes allow for flexible schedules

by FlatWorld

FlatWorld received responses from 139 professors across more than a dozen academic fields. Approximately 70% of the respondents were from four-year colleges, and 30% from two-year colleges.  The results shed light on a variety of criteria that professors use to evaluate textbooks, concerns about open education resources, and a continued demand for print in an increasingly digital world.  “Professors are keenly aware that the prices of many textbooks on the market today are simply absurd,” said Alastair Adam, co-CEO of FlatWorld. “They want to use high quality textbooks, but also realize that assigning a textbook with an exorbitant price tag will result in much of their class searching for outdated editions, or simply not buying the textbook.

http://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/Digest/FlatWorld-Survey-Shows-How-Professors-Evaluate-Textbooks-125959.asp

by Derek Newton, Forbes

Most online college programs cost the same as on-campus alternatives. Some even cost more. There’s evidence that pricey online tuitions may be driven by hidden, expensive costs in designing, delivering and marketing those programs. Still, online programs at some schools are generating profit. A plurality (45%) of schools surveyed in The Changing Landscape of Online Education (CHLOE2) by Quality Matters and Eduventures/Encoura – a survey of 182 academic and institutional officers in charge of digital learning at their schools – said their online programs were a “revenue generator.” Just 18% said they cost more than they generated.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereknewton/2018/06/26/whats-really-driving-high-tuition-in-online-college-programs/#495555cf3b08

By James Paterson, Education Dive
The rapid growth of online learning in higher education will likely ebb and even off by 2020, according to a new report. The study, produced by Learning House and Aslanian Market Research, predicts the market will peak at 4 million students in about two years amid strong competition among colleges, according to Study International. The online course market grew by 3% in 2017. The report provides four key findings: Courses should be mobile friendly, online students need access to career services, online programs are becoming increasingly diverse and are believed by participants to be a good value. About 86% of online students surveyed said they feel “the value of their degree equals or exceeds the cost they paid for it,” which is a higher percentage than for those who just took traditional face-to-face courses.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/study-online-learning-growth-will-level-off-by-end-of-decade/

By James Paterson, Education Dive
A new report from the College Savings Foundation (CSF) finds that 81% of high school students in its survey seek skills training, and an increasing number are considering technical schools and community colleges. The survey showed the number of students intending to go to community college increased 9% from 2015 to 2018. About 53% plan to attend a traditional four-year college and 36% a community college or vocational school, the report said.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/high-school-grads-want-job-skills-next-survey-shows/526285/

The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source, today announced enrollment is now open for a new LFS170x – Blockchain: Understanding Its Uses and Implications training course, as well as for a Blockchain for Business professional certificate program. Offered through the edX training platform, the new course and program provide a way to learn about the impact of blockchain technologies and a means to demonstrate that knowledge. LFS170x is a free course offering an introduction to blockchain distributed ledger technology and how it is changing the way business is executed. The Blockchain for Business professional certificate requires students to obtain a verified certificate for the new LFS170x as well as the existing LFS171x – Blockchain for Business: An Introduction to Hyperledger Technologies course.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/as-demand-skyrockets-for-blockchain-expertise-the-linux-foundation-and-edx-offer-new-introductory-blockchain-course-and-blockchain-for-business-professional-certificate-program-300673633.html

By Jean Dimeo, Education Dive
This summer, Education Dive is providing readers with compilations of stories on a variety of topics that we’ve published during the past year that provide solutions to challenges facing colleges and universities nationwide. Next up — online learning.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/summer-reading-strategies-to-boost-online-learning-programs/525411/

PAUL SAWERS, Venture Beat

Online learning platform Udacity is doubling down on its mission to offer courses in transformative technologies to plug current and anticipated employment gaps. The latest program to emerge from Udacity’s education vaults is the blockchain developer nanodegree, aimed at developers already proficient in JavaScript and object-oriented programming. The program promises to teach the fundamentals of building a blockchain that manages and stores data and to enable developers to build their own supply chain web app based on blockchain technology. Tech talent marketplace Toptal recently claimed that it had seen demand for blockchain engineers increase by 700 percent since January 2017. And there are 14 positions available for each blockchain engineer, according to Katheryn Griffith Hill, lead recruiter at Blockchain Developers. It’s against this backdrop that Udacity is launching its blockchain program, with interested students able to apply online from today here ahead of the inaugural kickoff on July 10.

Udacity launches blockchain nanodegree program

Are Schools the Next Big Cyber-Targets?

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

While the healthcare industry has hardly learned its lessons about security, many cybercriminals are turning their attention to other opportunities – namely, schools. In October 2017, the U.S. Department of Education warned that school districts would soon suffer an onslaught of attacks, and they were right. Here’s a brief history of the recent cyberthreats to schools and what schools can do to stay safe and secure.

Are Schools the Next Big Cyber-Targets?