Educational Technology

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

In higher education institutions, which are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than those in other industries, identifying people by how they type could be another key privacy tool for IT administrators. Ed Tech reports keystroke dynamics are a low-cost layer of user authentication that doesn’t require individuals to learn anything new or memorize complicated instructions. While malware that logs keystrokes presents a challenge for adoption, KeyTrac CEO Thomas Wölf says no one can type the exact same way twice, meaning identical keystrokes are relatively easy to recognize as coming from a keylogger.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/securing-online-identities-with-keystroke-dynamics/417778/

By Chris Havergal, Times Higher Education

Monitoring the emotions of students during online learning could help to improve retention and course design, researchers believe. Academics at the Open University are developing tools to analyse learners’ emotional responses to online programmes, using either self-reporting or automated technologies. These could include using webcams to monitor engagement and emotions via students’ facial expressions or eye movements. But Bart Rienties, reader in learning analytics at the OU, told Times Higher Education that students would need to be convinced that the educational benefits of monitoring emotions outweighed the potential loss of privacy.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/tracking-student-emotions-could-improve-online-retention

By Mike Tomei, Campus Technology

From floor plans and lighting zones to mounting specs and viewing angles, detailed AV design drawings will help keep your classroom audiovisual installation on track. The design development phase of the project lays out mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural and architectural details relating to the audiovisual systems. The technical AV system design drawings are also created at this time. The phase relies on the deliverables from the schematic design phase (the AV program report and opinion of probable cost) as the basis of subsequent design. This is why the schematic design phase, and more specifically the AV program report, are so important: Working off of a structured, thorough and approved program report/OPC is key for the design development phase deliverables and can really reduce the number of revisions made in the process.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/04/20/drawing-up-the-details-of-classroom-av-systems.aspx

By David Nagel, Campus Technology

Tablets, mobile phones or traditional computers: Which are the biggest bandwidth hogs on campus? According to a new report from the Association for College and University Technology Advancement (ACUTA) and the Association of Colleges and University Housing Officers-International (ACUHO-I), the answer for most campuses is traditional computers. The study, “2016 State of ResNet,” surveyed IT leaders, housing officers and business officers at more than 360 U.S. colleges and universities about their residential network practices and policies. Survey results indicated that traditional computers (desktops and laptops) narrowly edged out tablets and phones as devices forecast to consume the most bandwidth over the next couple years.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/04/22/bandwidth-hogs.aspx

Russ Feingold, USA Today Network Wisconsin

Internet access at home is bad. Not just annoyingly slow, but truly bad enough that students can’t complete their schoolwork. So what do students do? Late into the evening, they head to the now-closed library parking lot and sit in their cars to get the Wi-Fi signal. It’s almost hard to believe. But it’s far too common. Just this week, I heard the same thing from students at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College’s regional campus in Oconto Falls. Nearly a million Wisconsinites may lack adequate Internet access — access critical for education and commerce in areas outside of larger cities. FCC estimates claim more than half of rural Wisconsinites lack access to broadband. This must change. Rural Wisconsinites deserve the same level of Internet access as those in cities like Madison and Green Bay. How do we make that a reality?

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/opinion/columnists/2016/04/23/expand-access-high-speed-broadband/83408428/

By Scott Carpenter, The Union Democrat

Classes allow high schoolers to sample college before graduating. In some cases, even freshmen can earn college credit. It takes 60 credits to graduate with an associate’s degree from Columbia College. By the time Sheri Gempler’s two oldest daughters graduated from Summerville High School, they had nearly 30 and 40 credits apiece. That equates to about a year of college. Both had taken advantage of online courses offered at Summerville High, part of a collaboration with nearby Columbia College to grant high schoolers more access to college classes. Because of the credit boost they gained from it, neither spent much time at Columbia College as actual undergrads. Kylie, the oldest, transferred to Minot State and graduated from Southern Oregon University. Cassidy leapfrogged to a semester abroad in Denmark. She stayed, in total, just half a year at Columbia.

http://www.uniondemocrat.com/localnews/4238210-151/dual-enrollment-high-school-meets-college

By Jordan Friedman, US News

​An online associate degree program might not be a fit for everybody, but experts say there are benefits to choosing this route to an education. In a lot of cases, prospective students may want a degree but are unsure if they will have time for a bachelor’s, says Megan Foster, an admissions counselor at Pennsylvania State University—World Campus. “They’ll start with an associate’s, get that credential a little bit quicker to help them get a bump up in their job, and then they might consider a bachelor’s afterwards,” Foster says. In the 2014-2015 school year, the number of students enrolled in online classes at community colleges continued to rise, increasing by 4.7 percent – the same rate as the previous year, according to a 2015 survey ​by the Instructional Technology Council, which is affiliated with the American Association of Community Colleges.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2016-04-22/5-questions-to-ask-before-pursuing-an-online-associate-degree

by Lucy Black, iProgrammer

You can’t help but notice the surge of interest in anything to do with machine learning. Now Google has launched a series of videos presenting machine learning recipes. And this adds to an existing heap of resources. AlphaGo’s historic victory against the Korean Go champion Lee Sedol has had consequences. One is a worldwide shortage of Go boards due to an upsurge of interest in the game, which is recognized as the most difficult to play. Another is that we all want to get involved with machine learning, amplifying a trend that has already been evident for a couple of years. The latest way to gain some insight into what machine learning does and how you can use it comes from Josh Gordon, who presents a series of short (7 minutes) videos that aim to get you started with machine learning using two open source libraries, scikit-learn and TensorFlow, which Google open sourced having developed it in-house.

http://www.i-programmer.info/news/105-artificial-intelligence/9662-get-on-the-machine-learning-bandwagon-with-google.html

by NEIL MORAN, METROMODE

It used to be that if your child attended a high school with a limited number of electives and only a couple advanced placement classes, there were only so many options available for them to explore their interests and prep for college. Not anymore. With online classes, many students now have access to a learning tool that reaches across school districts. That doesn’t mean signing up your student is a no brainer. Adding online courses to a student’s workload is often a difficult decision, especially with the great variety of options, from subject matter to instructor. Like traditional courses, the quality can vary and is only as good as the instructor who prepares and administers the program. For parents deciding if online courses are right for their child, here’s some things to consider.

http://www.semichiganstartup.com/features/online-class-michigan-042016.aspx

by eCampus News

The University of New South Wales Australia and adaptive learning provider Smart Sparrow have unveiled what they call the world’s first-ever open adaptive engineering course designed to unlock access to high-quality courses for learners of all backgrounds. The course, Through Engineers’ Eyes: Engineering Mechanics by Experiment, Analysis and Design, was developed by Professor Gangadhara Prusty and Robin Ford, a retired Associate Professor, both from the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing at UNSW. It is the first Engineering MOOC to leverage Adaptive Technology. Adaptive Tutorials built on the Smart Sparrow platform have been incorporated to engage students with real-life simulations and personalised course materials, addressing the low completion rates in MOOCs and high failure rates in introductory engineering.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/online-learning/moocs/adaptive-engineering-course/

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

Bellevue University in Nebraska takes a liberal arts approach to online education, focusing on small class sizes and high-touch faculty who provide oversight and guidance to students, and, in turn, improve retention. According to eCampus News, the school requires faculty to take a course about online teaching strategies before leading their first classes, and they are then monitored by senior faculty and deans; a performance-based approach to student progress avoids automation of some competency-based programs. While programs map curricula and outline outcomes and performance skills students must master, it is a combination of tests and other assessments, like video presentations, that allow students to prove their skill — and while the programs are largely self-paced, students must meet major milestones to stay largely in step with one another.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/bellevue-u-approaches-online-learning-with-liberal-arts-classroom-model/417870/

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

Each year about 485,000 people leave high school before they get a diploma. Students drop out for myriad reasons: They struggle in classes, have personal or family obligations, don’t see the connection between school and their lives or, quite simply, the school environment has become unsupportive. A new report examines the use of blended learning as a strategy for pulling these students, aged 16 to 24, back into high school for completion or an equivalent credential. As the report explained, the blended model of education combines in-person and online or virtual instruction and supports. The analysis was written by America’s Promise Alliance, a non-profit organization begun as a multi-president initiative in 1997 that runs a program focused on raising national graduation rates.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/04/11/report-blended-fits-nicely-to-reengage-dropouts.aspx

By Mary Grush, Campus Technology

Established in 2015, the Mixed Reality Lab at Oklahoma State University focuses on research and instruction in augmented reality, virtual reality, and digital prototyping for design. It provides space and infrastructure for both students and faculty researchers to work on design-related projects that incorporate AR, VR, and 3D printing tools. The lab helps students, researchers, and, through outreach activities, the broader community learn how to apply these technologies in design. CT asked Tilanka Chandrasekera, an assistant professor in the department of Design, Housing and Merchandising at OSU, about the Mixed Reality Lab’s goals for research and instruction.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/04/19/the-virtuality-reality-continuum-in-design.aspx

By Stefanie Schmude, ULoop

Picture this. Two friends go out to eat for lunch; friend number one discusses the hard work of being a college student and juggling class schedules with work. Friend two discusses the same struggles, but whether or not they are going to attend their American Literature class on the couch or in bed. With the rising popularity of online courses, students are starting to think about not only where they want to go, what they want to do career wise, but how they are going to receive that education: online or traditional. Personally, I have done schooling in both mediums and I don’t find either one to be better than the other. I prefer one to the other because one option (online) works best for me. But there are pros and cons to each one, and to look at those, I took the Rasmussen College model, which broke it down into four simple categories.

http://www.uloop.com/news/view.php/198063/Online-Vs-Traditional-Which-is-the-Better-Platform

BY ANDREW BARBOUR, eCampus News

Great tech products are a reflection of the needs and values of the community they serve. These eight strategies can help ensure that new IT tech initiatives get real traction on campus. For university IT leaders, unveiling major tech initiatives can be a bit like handing out Halloween candy: The customers run the gamut from quiet pixies to absolute ghouls, some complain about the quality of the treats, and others have a nagging suspicion that you’ve put razor blades in their apples. It doesn’t have to be this way. Handled well, the rollout of a big IT project should unfold more like an adult Christmas, with customers receiving presents they’ve wanted and thought about for a long time. In interviews with IT leaders at a range of institutions and companies, eCampus News identified eight strategies to help colleges ensure that constituents see their next big IT project coming with a bow on top.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/successful-tech-initiatives/

BY RYAN HOLEYWELL, SENIOR EDITOR, KINDER INSTITUTE FOR URBAN RESEARCH

This blog post was originally published on The Urban Edge. An analysis reveals top predictors that students will drop out. The study reveals that the strongest predictor of dropouts in the Houston Independent School District is whether a student is age 16 or older at the start of 9th grade. The research also highlights other predictors of dropping out: whether a student received an F in 8th grade; whether a student had a disciplinary incident in 8th grade; and whether a student failed to meet the TAKS testing standard in 8th grade math. Dr. Diego Torres, the lead author of the report, said the findings aren’t necessarily a surprise, since they highlight the fact that if a student struggles when he or she is on the cusp of adulthood, it will become much more difficult to recover.

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/higher-ed/Researchers-Studied-Data-on-9000-Students-Heres-What-They-Learned-About-Dropouts.html

BY TANYA ROSCORLA, Center for Digital Ed

National ed tech leader Joseph South emphasized the importance of shifting schools away from passive to active technology use. The digital divide receives a lot of attention because it separates those who have technology from those who don’t. But another divide exists that puts some students at a disadvantage: the digital use divide. This divide makes includes active technology use on one side and passive technology use on the other side. Schools across the country need to start providing more learning opportunities for students to create and collaborate with technology instead of just using it to consume information, said Joseph South, acting director of the Office of Educational Technology in the U.S. Department of Education. “It’s not enough to have the connectivity; it’s not enough to have the smartphones,” South said.

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/higher-ed/How-Education-Leaders-Can-Bridge-the-Digital-Use-Divide.html

By Bill Fitzgerald, THE Journal

When working with educational technology, responsible decision makers in schools recognize the need for solid security and privacy practice in software applications. However, defining an acceptable level of privacy protection, or an adequate level of security, can feel imprecise. While some of the loudest conversations about privacy and security try to reduce the issues to binary choice, the reality is often more nuanced. As we navigate evaluating the privacy and security protections of educational software, the following questions and observations can help guide the process.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/04/14/evaluating-the-privacy-and-security-of-edtech-7-questions-to-guide-the-process.aspx

By Sandi Krasowski, Chronicle Journal

Roles switched in the classroom this weekend and learned some tech savvy techniques from the technology giant Google. More than 300 attended the Google Summit at St. Ignatius High School. The two-day conference, which started Saturday, had participants learn how to fully utilize the company’s applications in their lesson plans. Cindy Carr, the technology enabled learning and teaching co-ordinator with the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board, said the main goal of using the new technology is to have educators and students collaborate more.

http://www.chroniclejournal.com/news/local/learning-online-tools/article_d94edfc6-051c-11e6-b601-278812c57c9a.html

by Richard Adams, the Guardian

High-quality, low-cost online courses could be used to shift schools away from being “exam factories” and help students keep pace with the threat of automation, according to a new report by the Institute of Directors. The report argues that the internet allows schools to be more flexible and adapt learning towards “a future in which more and more work is taken over by robots or computers”. “The cost savings, convenience and flexibility that online learning offers has the potential to revolutionise education provision, but only if businesses and the education sector work together to capitalise on the potential of computer-based teaching applications to support employees in their pursuit of lifelong learning,” the report said.

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/apr/18/exam-factory-schools-urged-to-shift-emphasis-to-online-learning