Educational Technology

By Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology
At the start of the spring 2020 semester this January, Penn State World Campus will have a new artificial intelligence tool for answering the most common requests from its undergraduate students. A virtual assistant will help academic advisers at the online institution screen student e-mails for certain keywords and phrases, and then automatically pull relevant information for the advisers to send to students. For instance, the AI will be trained to assist advisers when students inquire how to change their major, change their Penn State campus, re-enroll in the university or defer their semester enrollment date, according to a news announcement.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2019/06/20/penn-state-world-campus-taps-google-cloud-to-build-virtual-advising-assistant.aspx

By Rishi Iyengar, CNN Business

Stephen Schwarzman, the billionaire founder of investment firm Blackstone (BX), has given the University of Oxford its largest single donation in hundreds of years to help fund research into the ethics of artificial intelligence.  The Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities will bring together all of Oxford’s humanities programs under one roof — including English, history, linguistics, philosophy and theology and religion. It will also house a new Institute for Ethics in AI, which will focus on studying the ethical implications of artificial intelligence and other new technology. The institute is expected to open by 2024.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/tech/stephen-schwarzman-oxford-ai-donation/index.html

By Linda Borg, Providence Journal

The Senate zipped through a slew of education bills Tuesday with nary a word of dissent, except for one seemingly innocuous bill about snow days. The bill, by Sen. Roger Picard, D-Woonsocket, would get the state Department of Education out of the business of dictating how schools offer virtual classes during bad weather. The measure allows districts to offer online instruction for up to five days when schools have been shuttered by blizzards, hurricanes and the like. “Snow days used to be a lot of fun,” he said. “In Providence, we’ve seen how the experiment with Summit Learning (an online instruction platform) has gone astray. Virtual education isn’t the same. We need human teachers in the classroom.” His colleagues disagreed, passing the bill 37-1.

https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20190618/ri-senate-oks-bill-to-let-districts-decide-online-classes

Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Computer-based feedback may not be the silver bullet everyone is hoping for in education, but it offers benefits that instructional technology inclusion does not. Walk into schools around the nation, and you’re like to witness one of two scenarios. Either the school laments that they do not have nearly enough technology for their students or the teachers proudly show off the tech devices in their classrooms and labs. For instructional technology inclusion to be useful, it must be relevant. Computer-based feedback can provide meaningful direction for students and teachers alike. Ultimately, it improves academic performance.

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/the-real-truth-about-computer-based-feedback/

Charlotte West, Hechinger Report
Though many are U.S. citizens, they are still getting caught up in the anti-immigration climate. With one foot in each country, these students have the linguistic and cultural capacity to navigate both the U.S. and its largest trading partner. U.S. trade with Mexico exceeds $1.7 billion daily, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.   They refer to themselves as “transborder,” a term that originally appeared in academic literature.

https://hechingerreport.org/thousands-of-students-cross-the-southern-border-every-day-to-go-to-college/

Brittany Dudek, Darci Duran, Tina Parscal; OJDLA
As the affordability of higher education dominates the spotlight, open educational resources (OER), low cost, and free-to-student materials are widely offered as a solution. This paper outlines the experiences of course developers who contributed to a large-scale OER initiative, including training, knowledge, effort, and satisfaction of course development support services.

https://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/summer222/dudek_duran_parscal222.html

by Niall Sclater, EDUCAUSE Review

Several issues are driving the development of learning analytics in Welsh institutions. First, most of the institutions are facing a retention issue. While dropout rates in Wales are substantially lower than those in the United States, when students do withdraw from studying, it affects institutional finances and reputation, not to mention the life chances of the individuals concerned. This partially explains the Welsh Government’s sponsorship of the program: graduates are likely to have better employment possibilities and associated advantages over nongraduates and are thus more likely to help build the national economy.

https://er.educause.edu/articles/2019/6/rolling-out-learning-analytics-at-a-national-level

Full-Time from Afar
Rodger Bates, Bryan LaBrecque; OJDLA

With the dramatic increase in the demand for distance learning opportunities in higher education, staffing demands have created a new opportunity for faculty members to teach full-time from remote locations. Previously, a significant portion of online instruction was taught by full-time faculty as part of their regular teaching load or as an economic opportunity for teaching “overload” courses. In addition, online classes are frequently being taught by adjunct, or part-time, faculty members. Increasingly, however, institutions are now found hiring full-time faculty members with the express intent of assigning them to teach fully online. Given the nature of asynchronous delivery, some institutions have begun allowing these faculty members to teach from afar. These non-residential full-time faculty members create a number of issues that affect students, faculty life, and distance learning administrators which must be addressed. Some ready-made solutions for these issues already exist, but other concerns still require attention.

https://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/summer222/bates_labrecque222.html

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

A few weeks ago, during its annual developer conference, Salesforce introduced Salesforce Blockchain, a platform connected to customer relationship management that promises to help organizations collaborate and share data securely through “distributed ledger” technology. On the stage as part of the announcement was Arizona State University, which has been working with Salesforce to create an educational network to enable schools to verify and share information, and particularly student academic records. In an announcement at the time, Kent Hopkins, vice president of enrollment services at ASU, explained that the network would have “the potential to be a game changer for integrated, seamless learning — increasing transparency of student achievements and ultimately making the exchange process of academic records easier for both learners and institutions.”

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2019/06/19/building-relationships-with-students-via-blockchain.aspx

Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed

Considering the plethora of lower-cost (in both dollars and time) alternatives to the traditional degree, it is no surprise that enrollment at the bachelor’s level in higher ed has dropped for the past half-dozen years. Sure, a robust economy has contributed to the decline, but applications to the University of California system and other major universities, as well as most midsized and smaller colleges, are down for 2019. Some very large employers are reassessing the need for the baccalaureate. Apple CEO Tim Cook says nearly half of Apple’s U.S. employment last year was made up of non-degree holders. He says most colleges don’t build the skills business leaders need most, such as coding. And, Siemens USA CEO Barbara Humpton says in the past the degree requirement merely helped hiring managers to identify a smaller qualified candidate group.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/online-trending-now/considering-alternatives

MATT DAVIS, Big Think

Almost all experts agree that coding will become nearly as ubiquitous as literacy in the future. But the nature of coding in the future may be very different.  More people will become fluent programmers, but the share of expert programmers probably won’t increase to the same degree. That number might even shrink as they become less necessary and as programming tools become more advanced and powerful. Part of this is due to the rise of low-code platforms. As defined by Forrester Research, low-code platforms “enable rapid delivery of business applications with a minimum of hand-coding and minimal upfront investment in setup, training, and deployment.”

https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/coding-life-skill

By Doug Lederman, Inside Higher Ed

Survey of likely 2020 voters shows they view colleges favorably but increasingly question whether they’re delivering on promises. It also suggests a disconnect between priorities of politicians and the public.  The picture that emerges from Third Way’s comprehensive survey of nearly 1,400 Americans who describe themselves as likely to vote in the 2020 general election is of a public that still believes in the value of colleges and universities and their degrees and thinks the institutions must do a better job of educating students affordably and effectively.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/06/17/survey-shows-publics-support-and-qualms-about-higher-education

Mose Niccky, Thrive Global

Those teachers who underestimate the role of tech innovations should read this post to find out how they and their students can benefit from using some. Both education and technologies have a high impact on our wealth today. They contribute to the knowledge of humanity. In many ways, education looks much the same as it was centuries ago. The difference is while the professor is lecturing from a podium in front of the audience, they are also using various tech devices and tools to help students understand the topic better. Some of the students have tablets in front of them instead of heavy, lengthy textbooks. Some of them scroll down the newsfeed to offer fresh ideas for discussion while others search actively on the web to find an answer to another tricky question of their tutor. Only a cynic would claim that technologies have nothing to do with academics.

https://thriveglobal.com/stories/7-things-that-prove-the-efficiency-of-tech-advancements-in-education/

Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Fact checking with artificial intelligence can be an asset. It may help reporters and writers report events and connect data points quickly and accurately. AI can assess information and distribute it without subjectivity. On the other hand, concerns about the use of AI and deep learning have become worrisome. These challenges include averting bias in research and marketing. Companies with the deepest pockets will the drive machine based learning that consumers rely on for quality information. In doing so, these companies will drive out the competition, possibly through false reporting and obvious bias.

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/one-caveat-about-ai-and-fact-checking/

Techaeris

Technology advancements have had a huge impact on various industries. Whatever sector you analyze, you can clearly see how technology has shaped it and improve different practices. Education is one of the domains that have had a lot to gain from digital trends. If you are still behind in this department, and your teaching methods have remained rather traditional ones, it’s certainly time to make a change. Both you, as a teacher, and your students can benefit from what educational technology has to offer. Collaborating in a more productive and proactive manner is now possible, as long as you use the right tools and resources to your advantage. If you are interested in expanding your reach and increase student motivation and engagement, you need to look into educational technologies and digital learning opportunities and use wisely.

https://techaeris.com/2019/06/14/how-to-use-technology-with-an-educational-purpose-facilitating-learning-in-the-digital-era

By IBL News

Are significant advancements in AI (Artificial Intelligence) going to eventually lead to the replacement of traditional teaching roles? Attendees at an IMS Global Learning Consortium panel, last month in San Diego, were asked to contemplate this question. The panel, entitled “Is Artificial Intelligence the Future of Education?” featured the outstanding speakers Tom Gierke, Ari Chanen, Eric Cosyn, Yakut Gazi, and Alex Kaplan with Ray Schroeder moderating.

https://iblnews.org/artificial-intelligence-is-here-to-stay-will-it-augment-or-replace/

BY CISCO MERAKI, Center for Digital Education

Many higher education institutions today are already preparing for what the future of technology will bring. Wi-Fi 6, the latest wireless standard, not only promises to bring higher density, throughput, and reliability to higher education networks, but also ensures that students and staff can focus on collaborating and learning, rather than losing connections or having technology troubles. Identifying where bandwidth problems already exist, learning what the new standards offer, and thinking through a Wi-Fi 6 strategy are great first steps. With bandwidth requirements approximately doubling every three years, in addition to serving inherently high-density environments, the Butler University IT team has had a constant challenge to provide always-on, reliable connections for students and staff.

https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/Higher-Education-Institutions-Prepare-for-Wi-Fi-6.html

By Deborah Gertz Husar, Herald-Whig

A new Illinois law allows school districts statewide to use e-learning days in lieu of emergency days, but don’t look for that to happen any time soon in Quincy Public Schools. “I don’t see us doing it next year. We’re not a 1:1 school district. We can’t ensure all kids have a device at home or ensure connectivity with internet,” Superintendent Roy Webb said. “Some school districts will start to do it next year. We’ll watch, see what success they have and learn from their lessons.”

https://www.whig.com/20190614/new-state-law-allows-e-learning-days-in-lieu-of-emergency-days

By Lindsay McKenzie, Inside Higher Ed
To bolster expanding online IT certificate program, Google plans to add career resources for students and to expand its community college partnerships and pathways to four-year degrees. More than 8,000 people have completed the eight-month Google IT support certificate program since it launched in early 2018. The certificate, Google’s first substantial foray into postsecondary education, is offered through online learning platform Coursera. The tech giant’s aim is to create a pipeline of diverse applicants for entry-level IT jobs. Nearly 75,000 people have enrolled in the program, said Natalie Van Kleef Conley, a senior product manager for Grow With Google, an initiative that aims to expand access to Google’s training and tools.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2019/06/14/google-it-certificate-program-expands-more-community-colleges

Sarah Surette, Thrive Global

With ever-increasing competition from other job seekers, you need to stand out from the crowd to potential employers. So, what will give you the edge over other candidates? There are several skills and certifications that employers want more than others. Now that online learning has taken off, there are hundreds of different certifications you can get. They offer classes in any number of different skills and trades, and the consensus among HR professionals is that certifications can, indeed, make a difference, but not all of them. Take a look at these top skills and certifications that should place you ahead of your competitors.

https://thriveglobal.com/stories/9-skills-and-certifications-employers-want/

Wayne D’Orio, Education Dive

There are nearly 750,000 “unique credentials” on offer in the U.S. today, including micocredentials and certificates, said Scott Cheney, executive director of Credential Engine, a nonprofit that aims to implement a common schema for credentials and has developed a national registry to track them. Less than a degree and not a formal license, he said, microcredentials can be offered by a variety of organizations, from IBM to the National Wood Flooring Association, and delivered through a range of postsecondary institutions. Some of the most popular topics for microcredentials are in technology fields, where much of this activity started, as well as in so-called “soft” skills such as empathy and resilience, deLaski said.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/whats-in-a-microcredential/556606/