Techno-News Blog

By Natalie Schwartz, Education Dive
College officials and researchers share initiatives that institutions can use to help admit and graduate a more diverse student body. College can be a springboard to success, yet its doors often aren’t as easy to open for many low-income and underrepresented minority students. And though many institutions have vowed to increase access, pervasive equity gaps have persisted or even widened. But a handful of efforts have allowed colleges to admit a more diverse class and help them persist. At an event hosted by the Education Writers Association at the University of Michigan’s main campus in Ann Arbor earlier this week, we learned from a handful of college officials and researchers about what initiatives are paying off, and why.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/3-tested-ways-to-increase-student-access-and-success/563719/

Sean Gallagher, Harvard Business Review

A revolution in credentialing appeared underway, with colleges’ core product — the traditional degree — about to be swept aside by digital substitutes and disruptive start-up companies. Even more recently, this narrative has been amplified by reports that certain blue-chip companies such as IBM, Apple, and a number of others no longer “require” degrees for certain positions. Yet by many measures, the value of a traditional degree today is as strong as ever in the job market. Innovation in degree delivery is occurring, but it is often being led by traditional, incumbent institutions, often in partnership with technology firms.

https://hbr.org/2019/09/how-the-value-of-educational-credentials-is-and-isnt-changing

Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield, National Skills Coalition

Non-degree credentials, such as certificates, industry certifications, apprenticeship certificates, and occupational licenses, are a key component of state economic development and credential attainment goals, helping workers obtain better jobs and serving to reconnect them to further postsecondary education and training opportunities. In Expanding Opportunities: Defining quality non-degree credentials for states, National Skills Coalition (NSC) proposes a consensus definition of quality non-degree credentials (quality NDCs) and criteria developed in consultation with twelve leading states and national organizations, that states can adopt for their own quality assurance systems in order to make sensible budget and policy decisions and advance equity, putting students on a path to success.

https://www.nationalskillscoalition.org/news/blog/defining-quality-non-degree-credentials-is-crucial-to-putting-students-on-a-path-to-success

By Lilah Burke, Inside Higher Ed
Rio Salado College, a mostly online community college in Maricopa County, Ariz., is one of the first community colleges to launch a “national division” targeting students all over the country to take online classes and earn degrees or certificates. Administrators say the division, which debuted last fall, targets “education deserts” where postsecondary programs can be hard to access. “This only adds to what we’re doing locally in Maricopa and how we support Maricopa residents in the state of Arizona in providing a flexible delivery model for students,” said Janelle Elias, interim vice president of Rio National.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2019/09/25/rio-salados-national-division-targets-education-deserts

BY PATRICIA DE SARACHO, GovTech
The concept of blended learning has been around since the 1960s, but only recently has it taken off as a methodology, enabled by technology, for integrating traditional and virtual classrooms. At its most basic level, the term refers to the use of online learning methods and technologies to complement and enhance the traditional classroom experience. “Blended learning is one of the most powerful and influential innovations in education,” according to aeseducation.com, because it combines “the benefits of face-to-face education with the anywhere-anytime power of the Internet.”

https://www.govtech.com/education/The-Essentials-of-Blended-Learning-Contributed.html

By: Lisa Borrero, Faculty Focus

Engaging students through a computer screen requires a unique approach to pedagogy and innovative course design.  The feeling of “getting it right” typically involves a good deal of testing and modification given the wide array of design formats and technology tools available, not to mention the varying needs of students, many of whom are underprepared for online learning.

https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/supporting-underprepared-students-online/

Marvin Krislov, Forbes

Presence means, essentially, being there. It’s something that happens naturally in physical classrooms. But in online education, instructors have to work to create it. Poorly constructed online courses can feel cold and impersonal; online faculty can feel distant. But in a well-designed course, where faculty work to be present, students can thrive. Studies have shown that creating strong presence and engagement in an online class—mimicking that personal connection Gabelli and I so value—improves academic outcomes and student experience. So how can educators make sure they maintain presence as education moves online?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marvinkrislov/2019/09/25/the-importance-of-presence-offline-and-online-in-higher-education/#6765cd923295

Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

OpenSciEd is rolling out one of the first curricula that both aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards and, as an open science education resource, is free. The nonprofit is working to produce an entire science curriculum that runs from elementary through high school, is freely downloadable and is designed to be used with low-cost standard laboratory equipment and materials. The organization is led by 10 partner states, science educators, curriculum developers and philanthropic organizations, including BSCS Science Learning, Northwestern University, Boston College, the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin and Digital Promise.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2019/09/23/openscied-releases-oer-ms-science-curriculum.aspx

Associated Press

After a decade of booming enrollment by students from China, American universities are starting to see steep declines as political tensions between the two countries cut into a major source of tuition revenue. Several universities have reported drops of one-fifth or more this fall in the number of new students from China. To adapt, some schools are stepping up recruiting in other parts of the world and working to hold on to their share of students from China.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/u-s-universities-see-decline-in-students-from-china

Credential Engine

Unfortunately, we still know very little about the full range of credentials offered across the country and their current—and potential—impact on economic mobility. Thankfully, Credential Engine has now developed the most robust count of secondary and postsecondary credentials to date, and among the more than 730,000 found there are an
estimated 475,000 non-degree credentials that range from digital badges to fully accredited certificate programs. Every bit of education and training counts. We know from
research that Americans with non-degree credentials have improved odds of economic mobility, financial stability, and higher satisfaction with their education and career pathways over those with only a high school diploma.

https://credentialengine.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Counting-US-Postsecondary-and-Secondary-Credentials_190925_FINAL.pdf

Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed

In the near term, it appears that at-scale programs will be launched in popular, broad degree areas; the same for most mega-universities. That leaves more highly specialized, emerging market, just-in-time degree and certificate programs that meet the needs for newly forged career paths. Such programs will find an audience that is not yet large enough for the bigger institutions to consider offering at scale. In order to take on these emerging online program areas, the small and medium-size institutions must be in close touch with business and industry. They must anticipate the emergence and growth in new fields. They must be nimble and decisive to move ahead with these new programs.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/online-trending-now/impact-scale-and-mega-u-degrees

By Adrian Cho, Science Magazine

Gil voices another worry long held by many the field: That after all the hype surrounding quantum supremacy, quantum computing may experience a letdown like the one that plagued the field of artificial intelligence from the 1970s until the current decade, when technology finally caught up with aspirations. However, Google researchers appear to be optimistic. In the leaked paper, the 76 authors conclude: “We are only one creative algorithm away from valuable near-term applications.”

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/09/quantum-computer-bests-all-conventional-computers-first-claim-supremacy

Katrina Brooker, Fast Company

Hartmut Neven, who leads Google’s quantum team, presented the lab’s advances during Google’s Quantum Spring Symposium in May, describing the increases in processing power as double exponential. Within computer science circles, this growth rate for quantum computing has been dubbed Neven’s law, a nod to Moore’s law, which posits that “classical” computing advances by doubling the number of transistors that can fit on a chip every 18 months.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90396213/google-quantum-supremacy-future-ai-humanity

Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Edtech has not reached its full potential. The number one essential rule of product development is to make sure you build something that people want and to avoid building something that people don’t want. As Hacker Noon puts it, the number one reason products fail is “…people go from an idea on the back of a napkin to writing detailed functional requirements, without asking whether people truly want the product in the first place.”

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/for-effective-edtech-platforms-listen-to-users/

Mari Cini, Education Dive

About three in four undergraduate college students are what policy experts refer to as “nontraditional” learners. These are students who attend college later in life, go to school part-time, work full-time while enrolled or are raising children while earning a degree.  They can teach all of us about the importance, and the increasing necessity, of evolving our education-to-career pathways. Here are three things we can — and must — learn from so-called nontraditional students:

https://www.educationdive.com/news/we-all-have-a-lot-to-learn-from-nontraditional-learners/563063/

By Paul Fain, Inside Higher Ed

Roughly half of American adults without a college degree (46 percent) said they need additional education to advance in their careers, according to new survey data from the Strada Education Network and Gallup. Employers were the first-choice providers for this group, with 33 percent saying they are most likely to participate in additional education and training from employers. Community colleges were next (23 percent), followed by trade schools or programs (21 percent), and traditional four-year colleges (17 percent).

https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2019/09/23/choosing-employers-over-college-more-education

Melissa Hellmann, Seattle Times

In reality, artificial intelligence (AI) technology is quickly permeating every aspect of our lives. From Amazon’s voice-activated Alexa to writing technology that helps managers craft job postings, AI is in our hearts, homes and workplaces. And it’s only going to become a bigger part of our lives: Experts call the rise of AI the driving force behind the fourth industrial revolution.

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/ai-101-what-is-artificial-intelligence-and-where-is-it-going/

Study International

As universities play a crucial role in moulding tomorrow’s talents, the application of technology can help universities stay ahead of the curve by not only supporting educators’ teaching and promoting creative enquiry, but also enhancing learning through exposure to advanced technology, making learning more satisfying and engaging than cases of passive classroom learning. Advances in AR, VR and simulation have opened the floodgates to digital internships, virtual labs, simulated industrial operations and novel approaches to collaborative and experiential learning. For example, while unorthodox, digital internships serve as a useful platform for students who are unable to engage in a ‘real-time’ internship due to personal constraints, such as family commitments. VR has been dubbed a revolutionary tool that provides students with an immersive learning experience, transporting them to a new environment without ever leaving the classroom.

https://www.studyinternational.com/news/innovative-teaching-approaches-virtual-reality-university-classroom/

Ashley Rose Mehlenbacher, the Conversation

Scientists are active on social media, discussing everything from methods to the latest developments in research. They even use social media to raise funds. Scientists sometimes provide mentoring online and have conversations with more junior researchers about their careers. Social networking tools also provide a space to build both social and professional networks, allowing scientists to develop new collaborations. Dismissing online science communication as trivial to the intellectual work of scientists would be a mistaken position.

https://theconversation.com/communicating-science-online-increases-interest-engagement-and-access-to-funds-122102

Financial Express
This was revealed by Pearson’s Global Learner Survey, the findings of which were released last week: DIY mindset is reshaping education: When they have to retrain for work, 42% of learners in the US and 50% in China and India taught themselves using internet. Digital and virtual learning are new normal: Globally, 76% people believe college students will be taking online courses within 10 years, and 78% Indians believe students today have the benefit of using technology to support their learning. Lifelong learning is the new reality: Globally, there is wide agreement that people need to keep learning throughout their career to stay up-to-date in their careers—today, 60% of Indians believe that the world is shifting to a model where people participate in education over a lifetime.

https://www.financialexpress.com/education-2/new-study-towards-a-do-it-yourself-learning-style/1714218/

Joeri Cant, CoinTelegraph

According to a CNN Money Switzerland interview from Sept. 19, the University of St. Gallen has announced that it is introducing a blockchain-based pilot project to verify the authenticity of its degrees in a matter of seconds rather than several days. The university’s CIO Harald Rotter said: “I saw that it could be necessary and it could be a valid use case to transfer or to make easier to validate our diplomas based on a digital process on blockchain.” The University of St. Gallen has chosen to partner with Swiss blockchain startup BlockFactory and will use its certification solution to create immutable diplomas that are registered on the Ethereum blockchain.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/swiss-university-fights-fake-diplomas-with-blockchain-technology/amp