Online Learning Update

By Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology
“The human condition is being challenged as technology creates varied and ever-changing expectations of humans,” according to research firm Gartner. That’s the theme behind 10 strategic predictions it has made for 2020 and beyond: ways that technology will change the way humans interact with their environment and each other.  “Technology is changing the notion of what it means to be human,” noted Daryl Plummer, distinguished vice president and Gartner Fellow, in a statement. “As workers and citizens see technology as an enhancement of their abilities, the human condition changes as well. CIOs in end-user organizations must understand the effects of the change and reset expectations for what technology means.”

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2019/12/04/gartner-10-ways-technology-will-change-what-it-means-to-be-human.aspx

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology
The latest word on the use of “pre-class activities” — flipped learning — is that it improves student engagement in the class itself as well as students’ assessment scores. A recent study by a team of researchers from Macmillan Learning and the University of Connecticut examined the use of flipped learning through Achieve, a new Macmillan digital learning tool, and found a “significant effect” with its use.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2019/11/20/research-flipped-learning-boosts-test-scores.aspx

By Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology
At the University of California, Berkeley, learners can hone their leadership and interpersonal skills through a virtual reality environment designed to help people navigate a global and multicultural workplace. The institution’s Robertson Center for Intercultural Leadership (CIL) is using customized VR simulations created by Mursion, a company that provides immersive VR training in career skills. The Mursion platform “blends artificial intelligence with live human interaction to deliver training that prepares learners for challenging interpersonal moments on the job,” according to a news announcement.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2019/11/21/uc-berkeley-uses-vr-to-teach-interpersonal-skills.aspx

Study International
From the click on an online search bar to the scroll of free online study materials, it’s easy for all of us to access resources that will aid self-teaching students. Described as a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach to education, learners are creating their own curriculum structure through online short courses, boot camps and virtual conferences. Perceived as a popular topic in The Global Learner Survey 2019 by Pearson, a DIY mindset was identified as a trend among survey respondents this year. “With ready access to technology and a changing global economy, people are taking matters into their own hands. They are patching together their education from a menu of options and they believe that self-service learning will become even more commonplace as people seek education across their lives,” notes the report.

https://www.studyinternational.com/news/rise-self-teaching-students/

Abigail Hess, CNBC

There are several online education providers offering free and low-cost courses for workers hoping to “upskill,” meaning they want to pick up a new skill that can help them advance their careers. One of those providers is LinkedIn Learning, which costs about $299.88 per year but is often offered to students by their universities or to workers through their employers. Approximately 93 million workers took a course on LinkedIn Learning in 2019.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/06/over-3-million-people-took-these-5-online-courses-in-2019.html

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology
A statewide study of 30 SUNY community colleges found that, overall, students who successfully completed online courses nearly doubled their chances of earning a degree or transferring to a four-year college. However, racial minority students had reduced outcomes. As reported in the study published recently in the Online Learning Journal, the current thinking holds that “some students” do worse when they study online compared to when they attend face-to-face classes.   The results, developed by Peter Shea at SUNY’s University of Albany, and Temi Bidjerano at South Carolina’s Furman University pulled data from 45,557 students attending community colleges for the first time in New York between fall 2012 and fall 2017.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2019/12/05/mixing-in-online-courses-boosts-outcomes-for-cc-students.aspx

By Alicia Geigel, ULoop
Many people foreign to the world of online classes assume that the academics and learning are far easier than traditional style classes, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth! When taking online classes, there is so much more to consider than when being in a regular classroom, such as access to more distractions, adjusting to virtual learning, managing time properly, and most importantly, having a proper place to work. If you don’t have a place to work when taking classes online, projects, tests, essays, etc. can be nearly impossible to do- leaving you trying to scramble and save your grade from potentially failing.

https://www.uloop.com/news/view.php/279325/5-Great-Areas-to-Work-for-Online-Classes

Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Adaptive learning is transforming education. It is changing the way learning content is delivered and contributing to better learning outcomes. What is adaptive learning exactly? Adaptive learning uses technology to deliver personalized learning by adjusting the path and pace of learning for each student, optimizing their chances of success. Adaptive learning leverages artificial intelligence to tailor content to each learner’s needs. Specifically, the system adapts to the confidence level and level of understanding of each learner. Let’s look at the benefits of adaptive learning in corporate training.

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/4-benefits-of-adaptive-learning-in-corporate-training/

By LOLA DUFFORT, Valley News

Tensions between leaders at the Vermont State Colleges and those on the ground are once again on display as trustees get a first look at campus presidents’ planned reforms. At the close of an afternoon meeting held Monday at Northern Vermont University’s Lyndon campus, Alison Lathrop, a geology professor at the school, stood up to read a statement from faculty federation president Linda Olson expressing the union’s “deepest concerns.” NVU’s growing online programming is cutting into on-campus offerings, she said, and the system’s central office has added staff at the same time as faculty and staff have suffered several rounds of layoffs.

https://www.vnews.com/As-state-colleges-weigh-reforms-faculty-balk-at-push-to-go-online-%EF%BB%BF-31099998

The PIE News

The rankings were compiled by online learning resource website MoocLab, who evaluated institutions on the basis of the number of MOOCs provided, the provision of learning pathways, micro-credentials, degrees and the institution’s average world ranking. Over 200 universities across the world were assessed, all of which offer courses on the three leading MOOC platforms – Coursera, edX and FutureLearn.

https://thepienews.com/news/us-universities-dominate-in-worlds-first-mooc-rankings/

Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

The delivery of education has advanced over time as different technologies became available, and people’s lifestyles started to change. With the advent of computers and the internet, classes were no longer confined to a building, and distance learning became possible. With the advancement of technology, students received their learning materials via their computers and laptops, and eLearning came into being. The next development was mLearning, where students receive their learning materials on their mobile devices. There are several differences between these two forms of education.

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/the-difference-between-mobile-learning-and-elearning/

Michael Kearns and Aaron Roth, Knowledge@Wharton

Algorithms have become part of our everyday lives. Whether one considers jobs, loans, health care, traffic or news feeds, algorithms make several decisions for us. While they often make our lives more efficient, the same algorithms frequently violate our privacy and are biased and discriminatory. In their book The Ethical Algorithm: The Science of Socially Aware Algorithm Design, Michael Kearns and Aaron Roth, professors at Penn Engineering, suggest that the solution is to embed precise definitions of fairness, accuracy, transparency, and ethics at the algorithm’s design stage.

https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/who-is-responsible-for-biased-and-intrusive-algorithms/

Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Algorithms search applications for matching keywords. Then they select the candidate best suited for the school’s instructional program. Additionally, an algorithm can help to balance numbers between gender, race, ethnicity, and need. Hopefully, obtaining a seat at a premiere school becomes an exercise in objectivity. There is, however, a dark side to relying exclusively on algorithms for student placement. Algorithms harbor bias, and that bias may prevent students from being accepted at their first- or second-choice schools. If the schools in your desired attendance area use algorithms for student placement, ask for “algorithm transparency,” a term developed by Loyola University professor Charles Tocci.

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/when-algorithms-determine-student-placement/

Jennifer Liu, CNBC

If you want to get ahead in your career in 2020, adopting a growth mindset should be at the top of your priority list. According to Udemy’s 2020 Workplace Learning Trends Report, a having a growth mindset — or the ability to continue learning in order to adapt to change — was ranked as the most important soft skill for career success. The online learning platform analyzed user data from its Udemy for Business service, which offers several course packages and is used by more than 4,000 companies as a resource for employee training.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/21/10-top-soft-skills-to-master-for-2020-if-you-want-a-raise-promotion-or-new-job.html

Madeline St. Amour, Inside Higher Ed
Colleges in the University System of Georgia will soon offer a new credential similar to an associate degree, featuring a flexible curriculum and specific workforce skills. Adult students could return to college to complete a nexus degree, which could move quickly if they have already completed core requirements. Albany State is planning nexus degrees in both blockchain with machine learning and blockchain with data analytics. Other institutions in the system are looking at offering nexus degrees in strategic languages or health-care fields, Denley said.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/12/04/georgias-public-colleges-soon-will-be-offering-new-form-two-year-degree

Dhawal Shah, Class Central

Now in its eight year, the modern MOOC movement has reached 110 million learners, excluding China1. In 2019, providers launched over 2,500 courses, 11 online degrees, and 170 microcredentials.  By the end of 2019, 13.5K MOOCs have been announced or launched by over 900 universities around the world. In 2019 alone, around 2.5K courses were launched by 450 universities.  The total number of MOOC-based degrees has now grown to 50. This number includes Georgia Tech’s online master’s degree in computer science (OMSCS), which is offered on Udacity and has over 9,000 students.

https://www.classcentral.com/report/mooc-stats-2019/

GORDON BROWN , ANANT AGARWAL, Project Syndicate
As advances in artificial intelligence and automation continue, the distance between high-skilled elites and everyone else will only grow. To counter this bifurcation, we should be using new technologies to educate more people at lower cost. Technology is clearly winning the race between man and machine. The current wave of technological change is affecting every industry, requiring skills that are far more advanced and diverse than what was expected of workers just a generation ago. With demand for high-skilled labor outpacing supply, a global elite of highly educated, highly paid professionals has emerged, leading increasingly insulated lives.

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/education-skills-gap-online-learning-by-gordon-brown-and-anant-agarwal-2019-11

By Lauren Lethbridge, BYU Universe

Technology is vastly altering how people live, communicate, travel and receive and spread information. BYU-Pathway Worldwide vice president of administration J.D. Griffith said he believes society is slow to grasp digital education and participate more in online learning. “As society continues to move forward in this digital world, there is less of a need to physically go to a campus. You can stay home and work full time.

https://universe.byu.edu/2019/12/03/sidebar/

Ray Inside Higher Ed

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/online-trending-now/our-greatest-strength-our-greatest-vulnerability

JEANNE CAREY INGLE, eCampus News

Remember: It’s all about engagement. If you just dump a ton of information into your course management site and don’t have a way for your students to interact with you, you’re wasting your hard work and their time. Our students will engage online if they feel that there is a real live person responding to them—whether that’s you or another student in the class. No matter who, it’s the connection that counts.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2019/12/03/5-tools-to-create-an-engaging-online-course/

By Natalie Schwartz, Education Dive

But colleges are largely struggling to add or expand their programs to keep up with the growing demand for such workers. More than 150,000 jobs requiring data science skills are unfilled, with particularly severe shortages in large cities such as New York City and Los Angeles, according to a 2018 report from LinkedIn.  IBM is hoping to help. In September, the technology company announced it is working with the U of Pennsylvania and the Linux Foundation to create an open-source data science curriculum kit that any institution can use.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/can-colleges-launch-data-science-programs-fast-enough/568126/