Techno-News Blog

by Hallie Busta, Education Dive
Gads are prepared for the entry-level jobs they take up after college, but they’re less able to advance up the ladder from there. Newly minted graduates lack the skills needed to rise in the ranks at work, an analysis of two parallel surveys of business executives and hiring managers found. That’s according to a report released today from the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) based on two parallel online surveys of roughly 500 business executives and 500 hiring managers and others involved with hiring at private sector and nonprofit organizations. Both groups rated skills such as oral communication, critical thinking, effective teamwork, self-motivation and written communication as important. But they found new graduates lagging in critical areas.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/aacus-lynn-pasquerella-on-the-need-to-connect-curriculum-to-career-for-c/531050/

By Laura Lynch, eLearningLearning

Overbearing pedagogy is a recurring problem for many adult learners. As children, we’re usually taught in a way that emphasizes a “follow the teacher” mentality. The instructor lays out the lesson, delivers a lecture, sets homework, and marks grades. Children seldom take part in determining the course of their educational curriculum, and are mostly trained to follow the plan laid out for them. But for adults, the situation is the reverse. We’re used to setting our own priorities, and we’re far beyond the point where we’re willing to sit through lessons that don’t have an immediate bearing on our objectives. We already know what we want, and we’re looking for a course that delivers. If you can find a way to incorporate self-directed learning in your course, you will see happier learners, who feel more satisfied with their courses, are more motivated to complete the course work, and retain what they’ve learned better. Here’s how to start.

http://www.elearninglearning.com/edition/weekly-microlearning-developing-elearning-2018-08-18

By Study International
Recently, US-based edtech company Cengage announced a new subscription service for college students to access more than 20,000 digital course materials. This includes eBooks, online homework and study guides, at just US$119.99 a semester or US$179.99 a year. Michael Hansen, CEO of Cengage, the US-based education and technology company providing the subscription, said: “For too long, our industry has contributed to the lack of affordable access to higher learning. Despite years of student and faculty complaints, the industry continued to push an outdated, traditional business model that didn’t put students first.” Hansen describes the college textbook business model as “outdated” and he’s not the only one.

It’s 2018. Why do we still have textbooks?

By Ashley A. Smith, Inside Higher Ed
Research has shown that the more college credits students take per term, the more likely they are to graduate — and on time. Many colleges and states have responded to those findings and implemented new programs, offered incentives and enacted policy that encourage students to pursue at least 12 college credits per semester to graduate on time within two or four years. But every student can’t attend college full-time. Officials at Boston’s Bunker Hill Community College are finding that part-time students are more likely to re-enroll in learning communities that offer mentors and additional advising.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/08/28/bunker-hill-sees-increase-part-time-retention-and-persistence

By Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Inside Higher Ed
Though public support for higher education seems to be waning, this skepticism doesn’t appear to extend to potential employers, who say they still have faith in colleges and universities, according to a new survey conducted on behalf of the Association of American Colleges & Universities. But while executives and hiring managers believe that institutions are teaching graduates the skills needed for entry-level jobs, they reported that students usually aren’t ready to be promoted.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/08/28/survey-business-leaders-believe-students-are-learning-skills-not-those-needed

by Lindsay McKenzie, Inside Higher Ed

Though the university and publisher argue that the $999 price was just a “placeholder” that no one would actually pay, the incident has caused uncertainty and anger among students who are just trying to purchase the correct items at the best price. The textbook marketplace can already be incredibly confusing due to its plethora of vendors, subtly different textbook editions, disliked single-use access codes and disparate rental programs. While the online-only version of the textbook was priced at $999 in the Wiley marketplace, a bundled print and online textbook was available for $253.25 from the college bookstore. Both options include an access code for the WileyPlus online teaching and learning platform.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2018/08/28/universitys-999-online-textbook-creates-confusion-and-outrage

by James Paterson, Education Dive
While more high school graduates from all segments of the population are going to college, one in five will drop out before their second year, and that rate is higher among students whose families traditionally have not attended college, a group higher education needs to attract and keep, according to a detailed account from The Hechinger Report. The U.S. Department of Education reports that 70% of high school graduates went directly to college in 2016 compared to 63% in 2000, however the number who return for a second year has risen very slightly at non-profit institutions. Meanwhile, about 44% of students at for-profit colleges quit before finishing. It means there are almost 3 million fewer college students than in 2011 when enrollment last peaked, according to the National Student Clearinghouse. Dropouts cost higher education about $16.5 billion a year in lost tuition, and even more considering the investment of public money and debt students often incur. With heightened competition for a slumping number of high school graduates in the future, retention is key to survival for colleges.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/addressing-the-gap-between-enrollment-and-graduation/527199/

by Shalina Chatlani, Education Dive
Federal data show dual enrollment — a process allowing high school students to take college-level courses for postsecondary credit — is gaining steam within the education sector. Between the 2002–03 and 2010–11 academic years, the number of students taking college-level courses within a dual-enrollment program increased 80% to 1.2 million, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. States are following the trend. For example, Illinois passed a law this month that will allow students to take an unlimited number of dual-credit classes. For many in the industry, dual-enrollment practices look great on paper, offering a jump-start on an advanced education. Yet critics question whether this opportunity is truly accessible and therefore effective. Does dual enrollment actually lead to more college-going for all kinds of students or just some? And what can institutions to do help close the achievement gap?

https://www.educationdive.com/news/dual-enrollment-is-increasing-college-going-behavior-but-only-for-some-stu/530590/

By: Vikram Chaudhary, Financial Express
Raghav Gupta, director, India and APAC, says online education helps people from a career standpoint. But these shouldn’t be seen as a replacement to college life. First, a few statistics. Coursera, which partners with top universities and organisations to offer courses online, has 35 million registered learners globally, and adds half a million new learners every month. Globally, it runs more than 1,400 enterprise partnerships, 2,700 active courses, 250 specialisations and 11 degrees. With 7.7 million users, the US is its biggest market.

https://www.financialexpress.com/education-2/why-learners-are-coming-onto-coursera/1293077/

BY LAURA ASCIONE, eCampus News
Higher-ed leaders must prepare their campuses for augment reality, artificial intelIigence, and more…. Higher ed is in the middle of a critical–yet often invisible–technological transformation, according to a new report from the Center for Digital Education (CDE). Technologies such as augmented reality and artificial intelligence are hyped daily for their future impact, but higher-ed leaders must first prepare their campuses for these `technological revolutions.  A CDE survey finds that college and university leaders are focusing on transforming academics, securing students and data, improving student services, and modernizing IT. These four core areas, they believe, will establish a solid foundation to support future innovation on campus.

These 4 areas are critical to higher ed’s technological transformation

by Brian Kelly and Scott Kannry, Education Dive

The decentralized nature of educational institutions works well for research and learning, but it creates silos from a risk-management perspective. Before CISOs can do anything — for example, create a comprehensive cybersecurity program or implement controls for regulatory compliance — they must first justify their budget requests to a diverse group of stakeholders that perceive and communicate risk in different ways. This requires quantifying risk in a nomenclature that matters to the risk manager as well as to finance, the board of trustees and the provost. This can be achieved by undergoing the following exercise:

https://www.educationdive.com/news/4-steps-higher-ed-information-security-officers-can-take-to-manage-cyber-ri/530826/

by James Paterson, Education Dive
Experts have differing views about whether the number of adult learners is growing, but a group representing non-traditional students says that regardless of the trend, institutions should be doing more to target this group specifically, according to The Hechinger Report. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that the number of students over the age of 25 hit a high point of 8.9 million in 2010 and has since declined. But other data suggest that the number is rising, although the figure can be difficult to determine because adult learners may leave their institutions for periods of time and therefore not be counted even though they intend to return.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/why-its-difficult-to-track-how-many-adults-are-in-college/530944/

By: Nathalie Gomez, My ND Now

Students have the chance to take Advanced placement courses in Calculus, Biology, Statistics, and English– and even though they’re online courses— they still get hands on help. “We never feel like we don’t have enough help or support, We’ve already been like emailing her and we can text her we have her phone number and we’re setting up Skype calls,” said Sutter. If the program is successful NMSI hopes to expand the readiness program to other states and give other students the same opportunities.

https://www.myndnow.com/news/minot-news/more-north-dakota-students-will-get-the-opportunity-to-receive-college-credit/1393600284

by MIT Open Learning

Chris Caplice, executive director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics, received the award for his work on the MicroMasters Program in Supply Chain Management. MIT launched the MicroMasters credential in fall of 2015. Since then, more than than 25 universities have also launched MicroMasters programs through edX. The MicroMasters Program in Supply Chain Management includes five courses of 13 weeks each, plus a final comprehensive exam. Justin Reich, executive director of the MIT Teaching Systems Lab, was selected for his work on 11.154x (Launching Innovation in Schools), a six-week course targeted to school leaders including teachers, principals, superintendents, school board members, and others.

http://news.mit.edu/2018/mit-chris-caplice-justin-reich-win-mitx-prize-for-moocs-0824

by Katherine Long, Seattle Times

According to an analysis by The Chronicle of Higher Education, Washington is one of 11 states where 10.1 to 20 percent of the population lives in an “education desert,” where it’s at least a 60-minute drive to get to a college campus. The distance from college is key, the Chronicle notes, because most students stay close to home to earn a degree. In 2016, almost 40 percent of first-time, full-time freshmen said their colleges were less than 50 miles from their homes, according a national study of college freshmen. In Washington, rural superintendents are working to try to get more kids to be better prepared for college or some type of degree after high school, said John Glenewinkel, the superintendent of both the Curlew and Republic school districts in Ferry County, one of the state’s northeastern counties.

https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/education-deserts-in-our-state-up-to-1-in-5-washington-students-live-far-away-from-college/

By Cory Nealon, University of Buffalo
Anyone with an internet connection can attend college from home. Yet a common complaint about online learning is that it lacks the feel of a physical classroom. That’s starting to change. The University at Buffalo and its partners recently demonstrated how to integrate virtual reality (VR) into a massive open online course (MOOC) focusing on collaborative robot safety.

http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2018/08/021.html

by ASU Now
Students in general biology classes usually don’t get to take blood samples from people, but an online class at Arizona State University not only lets students draw blood, they also can manipulate DNA — all in virtual reality. Thirty students in the general biology course under way now are using virtual-reality headsets to complete their lab requirement as part of a new partnership among ASU Online, Google and Labster. In total, 140 pairs of headsets will be available for students to borrow for the next round of classes starting in October. The new technology can be a boon to students in both online and face-to-face classes, according to Amy Pate, manager of instructional design for the School of Life Sciences.

https://asunow.asu.edu/20180823-solutions-asu-online-biology-course-first-offer-virtual-reality-lab-google-partnership

by Ahmed Dirar, Ripple Coin News

The blockchain revolution is in full swing. This is the marquee technology of this era because of its disruptive potential especially in financial institutions. Naturally, a lot of tech enthusiasts and anyone for that matter would want to get in on the action. This is because the distributed ledger technology represents the future. There are a myriad of ways to learn but the most convenient channel is online Blockchain courses. Some of these courses can take a dedicated person from a blockchain newbie to a developer in a matter of weeks. This is because they are packaged and tutored by experienced innovators and experts whose insights are unmatched.

6 Best Blockchain Online Courses For Training & Certification 2018

by Julia Piper – The Chronicle of Higher Ed

Kelcie Chandler estimates that she owes about $25,000. “It’s a pretty significant burden when they’re asking for $150 a month out of your paycheck,” she says. As an undergraduate at Christopher Newport University, Kelcie Chandler did not know that there was a significant difference in how much debt women and men hold after graduating from college. But she did notice that her female classmates were much more likely to talk about their debt than were the men she knew. Women talked about “what kinds of jobs they were getting, and the pay for those jobs, and being concerned about whether or not they can pay rent, and pay for their groceries and their car payment, and also student loans.” One question, she noticed, was on a lot of female students’ minds — “Am I going to be paying off these debts until I die?” Though the question may have been posed hyperbolically, it does reflect the daunting task students face upon graduation.

https://www.chronicle.com/article/Student-Debt-Is-Worse-for/244145

by Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed
U.S. News will consider them unranked for the rest of this rankings year, but that punishment will last only a few weeks. Errors included graduation rates, spending per student, average faculty salaries and more. It’s just a few weeks from the next edition of the U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” rankings, widely questioned by educators but relied on by many students and parents (and boasted about by some of the same educators who say that the rankings are a lousy way to pick a college). But it turns out that eight of the colleges ranked a year ago submitted information that was sufficiently incorrect that it would have changed their places in the rankings. And so U.S. News has declared them to be “unranked,” a punishment that lasts until Sept. 10, when the new edition comes out.

https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2018/08/24/eight-more-colleges-identified-submitting-incorrect-data-us-news

By Jeffrey R. Young, EdSurge

EdSurge: MOOCs were once headline news around the world and now you hardly hear about them. How would you describe the state of MOOCs and where are things going?

Dhawal Shah, founder and CEO of Class Central: Yeah, they might have fallen off the big newspapers and the public eye. But they’ve figured out a monetization model. They might not be profitable but they’re making a lot of money. Udacity itself announced that they made 30 million dollars last year. So I think they’re grinding it out there. More people are using them than at any point in time before. They’re making money and now they are looking forward going into the online degree market and the corporate learning training market.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-08-21-moocs-are-no-longer-massive-and-they-serve-different-audiences-than-first-imagined