Educational Technology

Eboo Patel, Inside Higher Ed

I am increasingly learning that online education has a certain set of advantages when it comes to teaching about diversity, too.  And now, because of COVID-19, almost every college student in the United States will be doing some of their higher education online. So if engaging diversity positively is part of the future of our democracy, and online learning is part of the future (and present) of higher education, where do the two meet? Through online learning experiences that engage diversity positively in ways that are organic and indigenous to the online environment.

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/conversations-diversity/how-online-learning-can-strengthen-our-democracy

By Kyle Jones, NBC Connecticut

Officials said they’ve had success with distance learning, and online registration for summer courses is already higher than normal. But overall student enrollment numbers have changed a bit. “If we’re looking at returning students and registration, those numbers are very positive,” said Greg Eichorn, vice president of Enrollment and Student Success at UNH.

https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/colleges-universities-preparing-for-continued-online-learning/2261851/

MLA
A peer-reviewed, scholarly collection of pedagogical artifacts. Digital Pedagogy in the Humanities is a curated collection of reusable resources for teaching and research. Organized by keyword, each annotated artifact can be saved, shared, and downloaded. You can read DigiPed like a manuscript, or use it as a platform to create your own collections of digital resources

https://digitalpedagogy.hcommons.org/

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

“The Library of Congress collection can now fit in your pocket,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, in a statement. “The Library started 220 years ago with 740 books and three maps. Today, that collection has grown to make us the largest library in the world and a storehouse of our national history. The LOC Collections app is a uniquely personal, easy new way to explore the nation’s library.”Users can currently find LOC Collections for iPhone and iPad at the Library’s website or the iTunes store. An Android version of the app is planned for release later this year.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2020/04/22/library-of-congress-releases-app-with-mobile-access-to-digital-collection.aspx

Melissa Lizotte, The Star-Herald
When Maine community college instructors Jennifer Graham and Lynne Nelson Manion began researching online student retention efforts, neither had any idea their findings would become useful to parents and students during a nationwide pandemic. But that is exactly what happened when schools across Maine began switching to online learning in mid-March to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

https://bangordailynews.com/2020/04/26/education/college-instructors-share-tips-with-parents-on-best-online-learning-strategies/

Ohio State University

The duration and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic are unknown at this time, and we continue to engage in financial contingency planning. No source of revenue for the university has gone unaffected. We are planning for multiple scenarios while maintaining and advancing patient care, research, teaching and learning. The university has asked all colleges and support units to prepare a range of budget projection scenarios for fiscal year 2021, including potential 5%, 10% and 20% reductions in spending. This approach aligns with the governor’s instruction to all state agencies.

https://news.osu.edu/covid-19-update-university-examining-budget-reduction-scenarios/

John Aubrey Douglass, University World News

The United States economy is in free fall. Businesses have closed and people have been laid off. Unemployment could reach 30%, and if it does there are predictions that an additional 15% of the population will fall into poverty. Inequality will grow mightily with significant impact on disadvantaged groups. And this comes at a time when the US economy was already in the midst of a transition period related to work. What will the near- and long-term post-coronavirus economy look like, including the transitional period to some form of new normal? One conclusion seems reasonable: Americans will generally need greater access to higher education and vocational training programmes, not less, even if it includes a more online, more socially distant experience.

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20200424084530242

Marguerite Dennis, University World News

International students and their families will be reluctant to go or send their children abroad given the uncertainty of the future of the second wave or next outbreak of the virus in the fall 2020. Studyportals, the Dutch-based global study choice platform, released survey results that revealed 83% of respondents believe their future travel plans will be restricted and 63% believe their parents’ savings will decrease because of the virus. More than one million international students who were enrolled in the United States in the spring semester have returned to their home countries. It is unknown how many will return to the United States for the fall semester.

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20200420115723916

LAURA ASCIONE, eCampus News
Colleges and universities are ramping up efforts to fight the coronavirus as it spreads across the nation.  Many institutions are serving as testing sites, are donating equipment to help healthcare professional, and are conducting research to try and help solve some of the challenges associated with slowing the spread of the virus. Great Value Colleges has compiled a list, updated regularly, of college and university efforts to help in any capacity.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2020/04/22/how-10-institutions-are-helping-to-fight-the-coronavirus/

Angela Fortuna, NBC Connecticut

UConn President Tom Katsouleas is urging faculty to prepare for the possibility of online classes this fall. “Factors contributing to that decision will include the progress on slowing COVID-19, guidance from public health experts, decisions and guidance from federal and state government and the availability of testing, among others,” Katsouleas said. The decision to transition all face-to-face classes for the fall 2020 semester will be made with the approval of the Board of Trustees and communicated before June 30.

https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/uconn-urges-faculty-to-prepare-for-possible-online-learning-this-fall/2260770/

Dave Batty and Rachel Hall, the Guardian

Only around 20 UK universities are in a good position to provide a range of high-quality online courses by the start of the new academic year in September, according to Prof Sir Tim O’Shea, the former vice-chancellor of Edinburgh University. Some of the country’s top-ranked Russell Group institutions, including Oxford and Cambridge, were not in that category, he added. The warning comes as the sector seeks to expand online education in a bid to offset huge losses from tens of thousands of international students cancelling their studies due to Covid-19.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/apr/25/degrees-of-separation-can-universities-adapt-in-the-rush-to-online-learning

Jon Marcus, Hechinger Report

Online higher education “is a thin diet for the typical 18-year-old,” said Richard Garrett, chief research officer at Eduventures. “But today’s 18-year-olds are tomorrow’s 28-year-olds with families and jobs, who then realize that online can be useful.” Already, more than half of American adults who expect to need more education or training after this pandemic say they would do it online, according to a survey of 1,000 people by the Strada Education Network, which advocates for connections between education and work.

https://hechingerreport.org/will-this-semester-forever-alter-college-no-but-some-virtual-tools-will-stick-around/

Julia Boorstin, CNBC

The Coursera Workforce Recovery Initiative is teaming up with state governments in the U.S. and the leadership of countries around the world to offer 3,800 courses at no cost from top universities and corporations, including Amazon and Google. The free courses, which usually cost $399 a year, are focused on skills and professional certifications that will help out-of-work individuals find new jobs in high-demand sectors. Coursera has added 10 million users in the past month as online education has surged, especially courses in data science, computer science, business and health care.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/24/coursera-offers-unemployed-workers-thousands-of-free-online-courses.html

Matt Zalaznick, University Business

Colleges and universities, of course, cannot overhaul their curriculum overnight. But campus leaders can begin laying the groundwork as they tackle past the immediate concerns of moving online, and supporting the mental health and other needs of staff and students, Price says. Campus leaders should consider creating an independent business unit to explore a move to competency-based learning, Price says. Ths team should be free and willing to examine any and all alternatives to an institution’s longstanding curriculum, residential programs and faculty structure, Price says.

https://universitybusiness.com/competency-based-learning-college-online-learning-classes-courses-coronavirus/

Chris Carlson, Syracuse

Syracuse University announced that it will offer members of its Class of 2020 a scholarship that will cover half of tuition for SU graduate school programs, a nod to the challenges that the group has faced during its time at the school and a potentially unfavorable job market when they graduate. The school is calling the scholarship program the “2020 Forever Orange Scholarship” and said that it will cover half of tuition for graduating seniors that enroll full-time in graduate degree or certificate programs at Syracuse.

https://www.syracuse.com/coronavirus/2020/04/amid-coronavirus-worries-syracuse-university-offers-class-of-2020-half-off-grad-school-tuition.html

Natalie Schwartz, Education Dive

Many telemedicine laws limit therapists to working with clients who live in the state, preventing counseling centers from serving students who have relocated out of state. Moreover, some students may struggle with online therapy because they lack a reliable internet connection or live with people who don’t support them seeking mental health services. Colleges will need to find solutions to such problems in order to serve all of their students, especially if the pandemic continues into the next term. Here are three questions counseling center administrators should consider when planning for the months ahead.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/whats-next-colleges-take-mental-healthcare-online-but-barriers-remain/576667/

DAN ROBITZSKI, Futurism

The network will still be incomplete — Business Insider reports that SpaceX hopes to launch thousands more satellites in the coming years. But the beta will be the first attempt to test out whether Starlink can reliably beam internet service down from space. If it works, it could help improve access to broadband and close the digital divide that’s only become more of a problem since people started isolating at home.

https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-starlink-network-live-six-months

Helen Sword, Tomorrow’s Professor

Whether or not you feel as academically productive as you would like to be in these strange, unsettling times, it is crucial to remember that you are still a writer. Every time you scribble a few lines of poetry in your personal journal or tap out a WhatsApp message to a friend, you are coaxing language into new forms and salving the open wound of this troublesome moment in our history. Indeed, by validating and valuing the writing that you are already doing – that is, by listening to what your own words have to teach you – you may discover new ways of carving out more of that writing time you crave: time to think; time to engage with others; time to be anchored in the present; time to create new knowledge; and time to begin the process of healing. It’s time to write.

https://tomprof.stanford.edu/posting/1790

Ryan Golden, Education Dive

Three-quarters of college students in an April 10 to April 12 survey by College Reaction said internships or post-graduate jobs they secured had been canceled, moved remote or delayed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The poll, which captured the responses of 822 students, also found that about 90% were at least moderately concerned about the pandemic’s impact on the U.S. job market and economy. Most (71%) were concerned about job and internship opportunities, while some 65% were concerned about their personal financial situation. Respondents also indicated that the pandemic has taken a toll on their mental health, with more than half citing mental health distress as a result of the pandemic. Sixty-seven percent said they were concerned about the effects of social isolation.

https://www.hrdive.com/news/college-students-internships-job-offers-cancelled-delayed-coronavirus/576449/

Hallie Busta, Education Dive

Freshmen starting in-person programs at Southern New Hampshire University this fall will get a full-tuition scholarship and take their classes online while living on campus or commuting.  The university announced the plan Wednesday, saying it expects to develop a range of online, hybrid and/or project-based learning pathways to be available starting in the fall of 2021. Southern New Hampshire also said it hopes to cut its annual campus-based tuition by 61% to $10,000 by 2021. The move follows other efforts by the private university to compete directly with public institutions.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/southern-new-hampshire-freshmen-will-have-free-tuition-online-courses-this/576568/