Techno-News Blog

January 31, 2021

What the 2020 census will reveal about America: Stagnating growth, an aging population, and youthful diversity

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William H. Frey,  Brookings Institution

Recently released Census Bureau population estimates show that from July 1, 2019 to July 1, 2020, the nation grew by just 0.35%. This is the lowest annual growth rate since at least 1900. National population growth began to dip after 2000, especially after the Great Recession and, in recent years, due to new immigration restrictions. Yet the 2019-to-2020 rate is well below most growth rates over the past 102 years, and less than half the level observed as recently as 2000. Part of this sharp decline can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought more deaths and further immigration restrictions. Still, the entire 2010s decade was one of fewer births, more deaths, and uneven immigration.

https://www.brookings.edu/research/what-the-2020-census-will-reveal-about-america-stagnating-growth-an-aging-population-and-youthful-diversity/

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Some IU students upset over ‘distance education fees’ during pandemic

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Joel Schipper, WDRB

“The distance education fee is not a new fee, but one that has long existed for any asynchronous online course. A student taking any synchronous online course—with class sessions meeting live in online sessions—are not charged the fee. During this time of the pandemic, our costs for online instruction include paying for increased training and equipment while we continue to pay for the faculty and staff to deliver services both on and off campus. Nevertheless, if a student has signed up for an in-person course that has moved online due to the pandemic, they are not charged a distance education fee. We urge students with financial hardships to contact the financial aid office through Student Central to explore additional options that may be available.”

https://www.wdrb.com/news/some-iu-students-upset-over-distance-education-fees-during-pandemic/article_dddaaf70-546d-11eb-b7c3-5fe9e216b5aa.html

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YVC extends Online Learning through Summer Quarter 2021

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NBC

Based on Yakima County’s current COVID data, Yakima Valley College has made the decision to continue to offer classes virtually through the 2021 spring and summer quarters. Current exceptions for some in-person labs related to specific workforce programs will continue. “Our main priority continues to be promoting the health and safety of our employees and students, as well as their families,” stated YVC President Linda Kaminski.

https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/yvc-extends-online-learning-through-summer-quarter-2021/article_2dc95142-5466-11eb-af25-335245b26b53.html

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January 30, 2021

How Students Develop Online Learning Skills

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Alan R. Roper, EDUCAUSE Review

Although students can easily locate an online course or degree program that’s both convenient and accessible, they may face significant challenges in developing a new set of skills for this type of instruction. Educators have speculated on the development of student skills necessary to succeed in online learning, but relatively few publications cover the topic from the perspective of successful online students. I developed the study summarized here to provide this perspective and to identify useful strategies that instructors can promote in their online courses.

https://er.educause.edu/articles/2007/1/how-students-develop-online-learning-skills

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Study Finds Risk Factors Linked to COVID-19 Mental Health Impacts for College Students

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Laura Oleniacz, NC State

A study of students at seven public universities across the United States has identified risk factors that may place students at higher risk for negative psychological impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Factors associated with greater risk of negative impacts include the amount of time students spend on screens each day, their gender, age and other characteristics.  Research has shown many college students faced significant mental health challenges going into the COVID-19 pandemic, and experts say the pandemic has added new stressors. The findings, published in the journal PLOS ONE, could help experts tailor services to better support students.

https://news.ncsu.edu/2021/01/study-finds-risk-factors-linked-to-covid-19-mental-health-impacts-for-college-students/

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Predictions for higher education worldwide for 2021

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Marguerite J Dennis, University World News

My predictions for higher education worldwide in 2021 and beyond are:

• Students, faculty and staff will travel with Digital Health passports, verifying their COVID-19 test results.

• Students will enrol in colleges and universities with well-established health protocols.

• Students will attend school year-round in some combination of online and in person instruction.

• Credit-bearing, gap year programmes will increase worldwide.

• Students will be admitted year-round and will be notified of admission decisions as soon as their applications are complete.

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20210107134029744

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January 29, 2021

3 Questions to Alt-Ac Vickie Cook

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Josh Kim, Inside Higher Ed

Josh Kim:  Dr. Vickie Cook is among the most well-known and respected leaders and scholars in the world of higher education and online learning. I’m honored that Vickie agreed to answer some of my questions about her alternative-academic career….Vickie Cook: I have been very focused on encouraging staff and colleagues to seek out their degree options, to work with organizations outside the university and build networks within the professional community.  I also have been very active in a variety of professional organizations such as UPCEA, OLC, and others to assist with the professional development of those who are entering an alternative academic career pathway for the first time. At the end of the day, universities must meet the needs of their students by providing strong teaching, strong research opportunities, and the ability to demonstrate a positive effect on our world.  No small task.  But, the good news is, we have good people across the country that will help move higher ed forward.

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/learning-innovation/3-questions-alt-ac-vickie-cook

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How machine learning is contributing to the evolution of online education space

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India Today

It can expedite the development of new and more innovative forms of online education and can adapt and adjust to the individual learning requirements of every student. The algorithms help to analyse the capacity of the students and modify teaching approaches for boosting the teaching and learning experience in a globalised classroom by enabling the instructors to cultivate best academic practices. All in all, the inculcation of ML into your teaching platforms can only result in positive impact when used by your customers when done right. This is the best time in the industry to gravitate towards algorithms because it reduces clerical work and makes the user experience much better.

https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/featurephilia/story/how-machine-learning-is-contributing-to-the-evolution-of-online-education-space-1757443-2021-01-09

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Jackson College waives online learning fees for students

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Martin Slagter, MLive

Jackson College is helping ease the financial burden for students this winter by providing scholarship to cover online class fees. The college, which continues to primarily offer online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, has awarded students emergency scholarships in 2020 and will continue, since online learning comes at a higher cost. Students registered for winter and spring semesters will have an automatic online learning scholarship applied directly to their accounts, college officials said. Online course fees range between $60 for one credit and $149 for a four-credit course.

https://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/2021/01/jackson-college-waives-online-learning-fees-for-students.html

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Post-Riot, the Capitol Hill IT Staff Faces a Security Mess

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Lily Hay Newman, Wired

In the aftermath of destructive riots that trashed the United States Capitol on Wednesday, the nation is grappling with questions about the stability and trajectory of US democracy. But inside the Capitol building itself, the congressional support staff is dealing with more immediate logistics, like cleanup and repairs. A crucial part of that: the process of securing the offices and digital systems after hundreds of people had unprecedented access to them. Wednesday’s insurrection could have exposed congressional data and devices in ways that have yet to be appreciated.

https://www.wired.com/story/capitol-riot-security-congress-trump-mob-clean-up/

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January 28, 2021

4 priorities for crisis management and communications

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DAVID WISEMAN, eCampus News

Regardless of the emergency scenario, crisis management and the ability to quickly disseminate relevant information is essential. A college campus is an exciting place filled with hundreds, thousands—or even tens of thousands—of students seeking to better themselves through education, as well as faculty and campus employees. Aside from providing the facilities, faculty, and resources necessary for a high-quality education, the school also has a solemn obligation to ensure the safety of everyone on campus as well. It is essential to have tools and processes in place to effectively respond to incidents, communicate and collaborate efficiently, and account for all individuals throughout an event. It is a matter of when, not if, a crisis event will occur.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2021/01/08/4-priorities-for-crisis-management-and-communications/

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5 higher education trends to watch in 2021

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Hallie Busta, Higher Ed Dive

We’re all hoping some degree of pre-pandemic life will return in 2021. But for higher education, many of the trends that dominated storylines in 2020 will continue into this year.   Enrollment changes, a return to campus, the future of admissions testing and more stories we’ll be following this year.

https://www.highereddive.com/news/5-higher-education-trends-to-watch-in-2021/592691/

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More colleges and universities outsource services to for-profit companies

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Jon Marcus, Washington Post

Colleges and universities have long outsourced such things as bookstores and dining and custodial services. Now they’re paying billions of dollars a year to for-profit corporations to create and administer online courses; recruit and enroll students; advise and tutor those students once they start school; oversee research; manage information technology and utilities; and build or manage dorms, classrooms, labs, parking and student unions. Some of these functions are outside the institutions’ educational missions, advocates of such partnerships point out, though what’s new is that “more and more are cutting closer to the academic core,” said Dennis Gephardt, vice president and senior credit officer on the higher education and not-for-profit team at the Moody’s bond-rating agency.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/colleges-outsourcing-services/2021/01/07/c3f2ac6a-5135-11eb-bda4-615aaefd0555_story.html

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January 27, 2021

How science educators can use software in remote and hybrid classrooms

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CHARIS LAM, eCampus News

What will change is the extent and diversity of software use. Labs that were once conducted in-person must now be replaced with remote experiences, without sacrificing learning. Both educators and software providers are rising to the challenge. For example, at Widener University, Chemistry Professor Scott van Bramer moved his liquid chromatography (LC) lab online with the help of method development software. He used the software to replicate the trial-and-error experience of developing an LC method with his students: they suggested changes to experimental conditions, like column, mobile phase, and gradient, and he ran the LC-simulation tool to show them the resulting chromatogram.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2021/01/06/how-science-educators-can-use-software-in-remote-and-hybrid-classrooms/?all

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Online courses, remote pivot alter higher ed landscape

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Chris Burt, University Business
Many higher education institutions that have found success through remote learning have done so with the help of edX, the popular massive open online course provider. Over the past year and spurred by need through the COVID-19 pandemic, the company that was co-founded by MIT and Harvard has served 400,000 learners per day with 3,000 courses, 2 million certificates and 149 credit pathways.

https://universitybusiness.com/online-courses-pivot-to-remote-alter-higher-ed-landscape/

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Cybersecurity: This ‘costly and destructive’ malware is the biggest threat to your network

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Danny Palmer, ZD Net

A spam campaign which targeted over 100,000 users a day over Christmas and New Year has seen Emotet secure its spot as the most prolific malware threat. Analysis by cybersecurity company Check Point suggests that Emotet was used to target seven percent of organisations around the world during December. Emotet has been active since 2014 and is regularly updated by its authors in order to maintain its effectiveness. The malware started life as a banking trojan but has evolved to become much more than that, providing a complete backdoor onto compromised machines which can then be sold on to other cyber criminals to infect victims with additional malware – including ransomware.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/cybersecurity-this-costly-and-destructive-malware-is-the-most-prolific-threat-to-your-network/

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January 26, 2021

Ed Dept staff recommend terminating recognition of troubled accreditor ACICS

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Hallie Busta, Higher Ed Dive

U.S. Department of Education staff are recommending the agency terminate its recognition of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, a move that would require the institutions it accredits to find a new accreditor or else lose access to financial aid. In a report published Friday, the department said the embattled college accreditor hasn’t met key oversight requirements that aim to ensure quality evaluations of schools.  The recommendation will be discussed at a meeting of the department’s accreditation advisory group next month, and a formal decision will follow.

https://www.highereddive.com/news/ed-dept-staff-recommend-terminating-recognition-of-troubled-accreditor-acic/593851/

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She has ‘the heart of a nurse,’ but can she overcome obstacles to her degree?

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Liz Willen, Hechinger Report

She hopes her children will learn from what she went through and all she sacrificed to stay with the program. “You just have to keep going, no matter what others say about you,’’ she said. “Just keeping pushing and never give up.” Hard work has indeed paid off. After over two years of studying, and after overcoming the challenges of taking classes online during the pandemic, I am about to graduate from LaGuardia. So, it is never too late to go back to school if you are focused and determined.

https://hechingerreport.org/she-has-the-heart-of-a-nurse-but-can-she-overcome-obstacles-to-her-degree/

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AI most popular business course in India in 2020: Coursera

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Economic Times

New Delhi: Artificial intelligence (AI) is the most subscribed business course on Coursera in India in 2020. AI for everyone, a non-technical course turned out to top the most popular business courses in India, according to a release shared by Coursera.  Financial markets by Yale University is second most popular followed by courses like – Excel skills for business-Essentials by Macquarie University, Successful negotiation: Essential strategies and skills by University of Michigan, marketing in a digital world by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, among others.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/education/ai-most-popular-business-course-in-india-in-2020-coursera/articleshow/80094879.cms

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January 25, 2021

COVID-19 Hits High Schooler College Plans Hard

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By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal
While there was little effect on high school graduation rates this year, due to changes in education wrought by COVID-19, the number of 2020 high school graduates who went to college immediately this fall dropped by nearly 22 percent compared to 2019 graduates, almost eight times the pre-pandemic loss rate of 2.8 percent. The decrease occurred across the board, in all kinds of high schools. But the decline hit high poverty schools the hardest, where college enrollment dropped by nearly twice as much as higher income schools.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2020/12/14/covid19-hits-high-schooler-college-plans-hard.aspx

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Why it’s critical for higher education to think digital

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BY KEITH RAJECKI, eCampus News

While the higher education business as a whole has had to adjust the way it operates, admissions staff, recruiters, and counselors have had to rethink their approach to connecting with students, as well. Institutions have been overwhelmed with calls from students and teachers struggling to adapt to the new remote reality. This is where automation comes in. Using emerging technologies such as chatbots, digital assistants, and conversational AI interfaces ensures that no student’s question goes unanswered, and it frees up staff to spend more time forging critical one-on-one connections with students in an almost entirely remote landscape.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2021/01/04/why-its-critical-for-higher-education-to-think-digital/

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