Techno-News Blog

June 26, 2021

What We Can Do About Biased AI

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Jody Glidden, Information Week

In 2014, Amazon wanted to automate its recruiting process. Their solution was to create an AI program that would review job applicants’ resumes and feed the recruiters a score. While this did whittle down the list, by the following year, Amazon had realized there was an issue, as the system was not rating women candidates equally to men. Since the workforce was 60% males, the system incorrectly assumed that the company preferred men. Once the problem was discovered, the company quickly reverted back to the method of reading the resumes.While this illustrates how biases can creep into the systems, how do we go about laying the groundwork of establishing ethical AI systems?

https://beta.informationweek.com/ai-or-machine-learning/what-we-can-do-about-biased-ai

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Coursera: The ‘Amazon’ Of Online Education May Grow By Magnitudes

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Harrison Schwartz, Seeking Alpha
Increasing student dissatisfaction and declining enrollment suggest that many people are rethinking traditional methods of higher education. The historical value of universities is becoming defunct as the internet allows a more efficient, less expensive, and more accessible vector of transmitting knowledge. Innovative platforms like Coursera offer students a huge “marketplace” of high-quality courses far less expensive than those in traditional universities. Given Coursera’s minimal barriers to growth and its massive total addressable market, I would not be surprised to see its annual revenue rise by 10X or more within years.

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4434604-coursera-the-amazon-of-online-education-may-grow-by-magnitudes

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June 25, 2021

The Biden Administration Launches the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Task Force

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the White House

As directed by Congress in the National AI Initiative Act of 2020, the Task Force will serve as a Federal advisory committee to help create and implement a blueprint for the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) — a shared research infrastructure providing AI researchers and students across all scientific disciplines with access to computational resources, high-quality data, educational tools, and user support. A Federal Register notice will call for nominations of experts who will bring a broad range of perspectives in developing recommendations on these issues, including perspectives from labor, education, research, startup businesses and more.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-updates/2021/06/10/the-biden-administration-launches-the-national-artificial-intelligence-research-resource-task-force/

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E-Learning Market to Reach $1 Trillion Within 6 Years

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David Nagel, Campus Technology
The prevalence of distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic is helping to drive staggering growth in the worldwide e-learning market. As of 2020, the e-learning market was at $250 billion, according to market research firm Global Market Insights. That is expected to surge at a compound annual growth rate of 21 percent through 2027, to hit $1 trillion. That includes academic, corporate and government use of e-learning.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2021/06/09/elearning-market-to-reach-1-trillion-within-6-years.aspx

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3 things that could make hybrid learning permanent

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Laura Ascione, eCampus News
The COVID-induced move to hybrid learning could lead many institutions to evolve and innovate in myriad beneficial directions. Institutions turning to a hybrid learning approach during COVID-19 could be on their way to becoming more student-centered, according to a recent report. Research from Deloitte’s Center for Higher Education Excellence and Strada Education Network explores changes in three critical areas–academic affairs, student success, and the campus workforce–that may contribute to a more permanent hybrid model at universities. COVID-19 forced an abrupt shift to online learning on campuses across the globe, and with that shift came an increased focus on longstanding issues such as tech infrastructure and financial sustainability.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2021/06/14/3-things-that-could-make-hybrid-learning-permanent/

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June 24, 2021

Research Raiders: How to Protect Collaborative Data

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Steve Scholz, EDUCAUSE Review

Colleges and universities of all sizes conduct research across a number of fields and disciplines.  But while many institutions may hold rivalries on the football field, when it comes to collaborating on and sharing research, they have many reasons to put aside the big foam fingers and work together. This collegiate spirit of reciprocity regarding data collection and analysis not only produces more balanced and meaningful knowledge but also cuts down on duplication of efforts, establishes accountability and transparency, and enables more rapid validation of findings.Footnote1 Yet this interinstitutional cooperation also introduces a challenge: how to protect the digital transfer of valuable (and possibly classified) material from cyberattacks.

https://er.educause.edu/articles/2021/6/research-raiders-how-to-protect-collaborative-data

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Pandemic Lessons: What are the realities of being a pandemic graduate?

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Tim O’Shei, Buffalo News

Today’s graduates – and their slightly older and younger classmates – have been challenged and tested, their resolve galvanized by not only a long race through the pandemic, but by a lifetime of seismic issues. Today’s graduates have grown up in a post-9/11 world defined by multiple wars, mass shootings, climate change, the #MeToo movement, Black Lives Matter, racial reckonings, the advancement of LGBTQ-plus rights and the intense political clashes of recent years. “My generation is tough as hell,” Evenden said. “My generation is special. We approach things with words and thoughts. We care about mental health. My generation is going to fix a lot of the problems in this country and this world.”

https://buffalonews.com/news/local/pandemic-lessons-what-are-the-realities-of-being-a-pandemic-graduate/article_1c4eddb4-cbd6-11eb-9506-eb684145e3d3.html

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Thanks to advancements in online education, MBAs are surging

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By Erika Welz, New York
The MBA is not dead.  In fact, its demand is seeing a resurgence, in part due to increasing accessibility thanks to an online format. For those already earning a decent salary and leading too-busy lives, taking the time out to complete a physical, two-year MBA program is not always practical, making the pandemic boost to online learning a boon. “Now, more types of business professionals are going for online MBAs. There’s so much growth here,” said Lance Lambert, editorial director of Fortune Education, a hub curated by a team of expert journalists designed to help readers develop skills and advance their careers.

https://nypost.com/2021/06/13/thanks-to-advancements-in-online-education-mbas-are-surging/

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June 23, 2021

We need true universal internet access now

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Virginia Mercury
Today, nearly 15 million American families struggle to obtain fast broadband access because they cannot afford it. Millions of others have no access at all. The private sector has invested billions in broadband infrastructure, yet we still leave countless Americans without meaningful access to this necessity. The problem gets worse the poorer you are. According to the Pew Research Center, among families making between $30,000 and $50,000 a year, 26 percent do not have broadband at home. For households earning less than $30,000 a year, 43 percent do not have broadband at home.

We need true universal internet access now 

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The future of teaching and learning

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Harvard Gazette

In February, the University convened the Harvard Task Force on the Future of Teaching and Learning to systematically explore how the University can build on the creativity, experiments, and inventions that its faculty applied to remote teaching during the pandemic, and the novel ways they found, during a challenging time, to connect to both its residential and global communities. Seventeen faculty, leaders, and administrators from across Harvard’s Schools and units comprise the task force, which has been meeting regularly throughout the spring semester, delving into survey data and conducting in-depth interviews to learn more about what kinds of courses, learning platforms, and technological innovations have most effectively reached students

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/06/harvard-convenes-task-force-on-the-future-of-teaching-and-learning/

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COVID-19 drives steep decline in US student enrollment

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Nathan M Greenfield, University World News
One year into the COVID pandemic, American colleges and universities have suffered the greatest decline in enrolment in a decade, with 603,000 fewer Americans enrolled in college or university than were enrolled last year. This represents a 3.5% drop in the number of students in higher education, seven times greater than the year-on-year decline recorded in the spring of 2020 at the start of the pandemic, says a study from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC).

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20210611133456678

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June 22, 2021

US universities in prolonged international ranking decline

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University World News
Overall, 177 American universities are ranked out of a total of 1,300 institutions in the QS World University Rankings 2022. But of these 177, some 91 have declined in rank (51.4%), while 29 improve their position (16.4%); 38 remain neutral within their rank or band (21.5%) and 19 are new entrants into the table. Although Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) celebrates an unprecedented, unbroken decade as the world’s top university, the overall picture of a downward trend is better reflected in Harvard University (fifth) falling to its lowest position in the history of the rankings. The US’s top 10 universities were Massachusetts Institute of Technology (first), Stanford (joint third), Harvard (fifth), California Institute of Technology (sixth), University of Chicago (10th), University of Pennsylvania (13th), Yale University (joint 14th), Columbia University (19th), Princeton University (20th) and Cornell University (21st).

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20210612090946265

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Two key digital transformation trends in higher ed

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Charlie Meyer, eCampus News

While most industries are becoming increasingly digitized, higher education remains noticeably resistant to digital transformation. Although higher education offers some options for virtual learning, the majority of programs still rely on in-person education.That is, until the pandemic created upheaval and transformed the entire experience. In a matter of days, higher education institutions had to adapt to online learning for students, virtual appointments for student services, and remote working for staff. Better investments are needed for all aspects of the online education experience, from classrooms and curriculum to student support. Hybrid learning environments are also pivotal for the future of higher education and its digital transformation.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2021/06/10/two-key-digital-transformation-trends-in-higher-ed/

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Leaders who embrace on-job learning and listen to employees have more resilient teams

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Rice University, Science Daily

Leaders who encourage their employees to learn on the job and speak up with ideas and suggestions for change have teams that are more effective and resilient in the face of unexpected situations, according to new research from Rice University and the University of Windsor. The researchers specifically examined the interactions of 48 teams from five Canadian technology startups. “Understanding what organizations can do to help employees become more resilient is the focus our work in my Working Resilience Research Laboratory,” King said. “This research project offered an opportunity to uncover the important role of leadership and employee voice in the resilience process.”

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210610173947.htm

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June 21, 2021

Coding bootcamps and 4-year colleges have nearly identical percentage of alumni employed at Big Five

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Jonathan Grieg, ZdNet

The study measured the bootcamps against computer science departments at eight colleges, finding that “coding bootcamps offered competitive employment results compared to computer science degrees from top universities, at around 10% of the cost.” Most of the bootcamps had lower alumni employment rates at the major tech companies compared to the most prestigious institutions likes University of California-Berkeley, Stanford University, and Cornell University. But average employment at major tech companies was similar for computer science graduates and bootcamp alumni overall, according to the study. Product School, App Academy, and Coding Dojo managed to beat out alumni of the computer science departments at The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Georgetown University, and Boston University for jobs at the Big Five.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/coding-bootcamps-and-4-year-colleges-have-nearly-identical-percentage-of-alumni-employed-at-big-five-report/

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Q&A: Georgia Tech Researcher Discusses How AI can Improve Student Success

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Amelia Pang, EdTech

The Georgia Institute of Technology’s AI teaching assistant Jill Watson turned 5 years old in January. Since the birth of Jill, Georgia Tech has gone on to produce groundbreaking new research that reveals how conversations between humans and bots can be used to improve user experiences. A recent research paper titled “Towards Mutual Theory of Mind in Human-AI Interaction: How Language Reflects What Students Perceive About a Virtual Teaching Assistant” explores how to build chatbots that can conduct natural and prolonged conversations. In a Q&A with EdTech: Focus on Higher Education, Qiaosi Wang, lead author of the paper and a Ph.D. student in human-centered computing at Georgia Tech’s Design and Intelligence Lab, discusses the implications of the paper’s findings for higher education.

https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2021/06/qa-georgia-tech-researcher-discusses-how-ai-can-improve-student-success

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Hybrid learning, online credentials will survive edtech ‘hype cycle,’ edX CEO says

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Emily Bamforth, EdScoop

Hybrid learning will escape the “hype cycle” that built up massive open online courses in past years, Anant Agarwal, chief executive of the online learning platform EdX, said during MIT Technology Review’s annual conference on Tuesday. The pandemic caused major shifts in education that stand up the future of stackable credentials and “micro-courses,” he said. These shorter, often-online courses are now making headlines as part of a new normal in education, similar to the attention that massive open online courses did in 2012, Agarwal said. These shifts include a move toward online, lifelong learning and a shift to blended learning on campus that could further build the relationships between higher education institutions and online course providers like EdX.

https://edscoop.com/anant-agarwal-hybrid-learning-online-credentials-hype-cycle/

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June 20, 2021

University Of Illinois System Awarded $1 Million Open Textbook Pilot Grant

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Senator Dick Durbin

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the University of Illinois (U of I) System has been awarded $1.08 million from the U.S. Department of Education’s Open Textbooks Pilot Program – a competitive grant program based on Durbin’s Affordable College Textbook Act.  The funding will support the creation and expand the use of open college textbooks – textbooks that are available under an open license, allowing professors, students, researchers, and others to freely access the materials.  The University of Illinois System is one of nine grant recipients nationwide selected for Fiscal Year 2021. Later this month, Durbin will be leading a group of Senators in requesting an additional $25 million for the program in Fiscal Year 2022 to support additional grants and savings for students.

https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/university-of-illinois-system-awarded-1-million-open-textbook-pilot-grant

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Online learning will be a bigger priority post-pandemic, college officials say

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Natalie Schwartz, Higher Ed Dive

More than three-quarters of college chief online officers believe their institutions’ online undergraduate enrollment will increase as a result of switching to remote learning during the pandemic. The sixth Changing Landscape of Online Education report surveyed 422 chief online officers about how their colleges adapted to the health crisis during the fall term and how their attitudes toward online education have shifted. Nearly nine in 10 respondents said online learning is a greater priority for their schools than before the pandemic. The survey suggests the move to remote learning in 2020 will bring lasting changes to higher education, including the adoption of more online courses and programs.

https://www.highereddive.com/news/online-learning-will-be-a-bigger-priority-post-pandemic-college-officials/601484/

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Beyond COVID-19: What’s Next for Online Teaching and Learning in Higher Education?

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John Nworie, EDUCAUSE Review

The pandemic tested the resilience of colleges and universities as they executed online learning on a massive scale by creating online courses, adopting and adapting to unfamiliar technologies, engaging faculty en masse in remote teaching, and successfully meeting the instructional needs of students. Those experiences and lessons should not be discarded. The next phase for higher education in a post-COVID-19 world is to harness what worked well during the emergency response period and use those experiences to improve institutional practices for the benefit of both internal and external constituencies in the future.

https://er.educause.edu/articles/2021/5/beyond-covid-19-whats-next-for-online-teaching-and-learning-in-higher-education

 

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June 19, 2021

5 Things to Consider When Launching a Hybrid JD Program

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Stephen Burnett, All Campus
By taking the proper steps to incorporate online and hybrid education into your JD and other degree programs, your institution can help usher in a new era of legal education—one that supports a more diverse student body and more accessible legal education for all. Although institutions across all educational disciplines saw explosive online growth in 2020, law schools possibly saw the most revolutionary change. The American Bar Association (ABA) indefinitely parked its Standard 306 distance education rules during the pandemic, allowing law schools to exceed the cap of online credit hours allowed for an ABA-accredited JD degree.

 

https://www.law.com/legaltechnews/2021/06/07/5-things-to-consider-when-launching-a-hybrid-jd-program/?slreturn=20210507180647

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