Online Learning Update

May 10, 2021

Some universities’ response to budget woes: Making faculty teach more courses

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:10 am

Jon Marcus, Hechinger Report

Citing financial problems worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic, colleges and universities nationwide are quietly increasing the number of courses faculty teach and the number of students in them as a way to lower costs. Such changes are primarily occurring not at selective private or public flagship universities, but on campuses that largely serve low-income students who often come from poorly resourced public high schools or whose parents never finished college, threatening to further widen the quality divide between the educations rich and poor Americans receive.

https://hechingerreport.org/some-universities-response-to-budget-woes-making-faculty-teach-more-courses/

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Online learning remains high priority for higher ed, Educause report finds

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

Emily Bamforth, EdScoop

Higher education leaders and instructors interviewed by Educause reviewed 130 technology practices and identified six as the most crucial to the future. Blended and hybrid course models were rated as the most important as universities sought ways to maintain their operations through the health crisis. “Sustainability was something that I think we felt worldwide,” said Kathe Pelletier, director of Educause’s teaching and learning program. “If I had to trace that back, [that could be from] having come from a place of responding to the pandemic and at those panelists own institutions that they did not have a sustainable or a flexible plan that could help sustain.”

https://edscoop.com/online-learning-remains-high-priority-for-higher-ed-sustainability-educause-report-finds/

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6 Key Technologies Moving Teaching and Learning Forward in 2021

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:02 am

By Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology
Educause’s latest Horizon Report outlines the biggest trends shaping teaching and learning this year. In particular, the report identified six technologies and practices that are key to higher education institutions’ future planning, whether those topics are newly emerging or evolving from previous years. They are topics that can come, go and return to Horizon Reports from year to year “more organically, reflecting the most current issues,” the report explained. In this year’s list of key technologies, the categories of artificial intelligence, open educational resources, and learning analytics have made a repeat appearance in the report. They are joined by three new categories: blended and hybrid course models, quality online learning, and microcredentialing.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2021/04/26/6-key-technologies-moving-teaching-and-learning-forward-in-2021.aspx?admgarea=news

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May 9, 2021

New approaches for teaching science remotely arise from the COVID-19 crisis

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:07 am

Science Daily
A New York University paper on college science classes taught remotely points to teaching methods that enhance student communication and collaboration, offering a framework for enriching online instruction as the coronavirus pandemic continues to limit in-person courses.  The study finds enhanced student communication and collaboration.”These varied exercises allow students to engage, team up, get outside, do important lab work, and carry out group investigations and presentations under extraordinarily challenging circumstances — and from all over the world,” explains Erin Morrison, a professor in Liberal Studies at New York University and the lead author of the paper, which appears in the Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education. “The active-learning toolbox can be effectively used from a distance to ensure quality science education even under sudden conditions in a public health crisis.”

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210427110657.htm

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Private college finances steady in fiscal 2020 despite pandemic’s blows: Moody’s

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:06 am

Hallie Busta, Highered Dive

Private higher education institutions kept their expenses in line with revenue during fiscal 2020, showing they “are flexible enough” to endure short economic contractions, a new report from Moody’s Investors Service explains. The nearly $14 billion in federal relief made available to colleges early in the pandemic offset some initial losses, according to the analysis, which is based on schools Moody’s rates. But continued expenses, lost revenue and enrollment declines have been a strain on colleges in the months since.

https://www.highereddive.com/news/private-college-finances-steady-in-fiscal-2020-despite-pandemics-blows-mo/599152/

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The EU path towards regulation on artificial intelligence

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:02 am

Valeria Marcia and Kevin C. Desouza, Brookings Insitution
Advances in AI are making their way across all products and services we interact with. Recently, the European Commission proposed its first legal framework on Artificial Intelligence. This proposal is the result of a long and complicated work carried out by the European authorities. In its framework, the European Commission adopts an innovation-friendly approach. A very interesting aspect is that the Commission supports innovation through so-called AI regulatory sandboxes for non-high-risk AI systems, which provide an environment that facilitates the development and testing of innovative AI systems.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2021/04/26/the-eu-path-towards-regulation-on-artificial-intelligence/

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May 8, 2021

How To Start Online Learning Successfully

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 10:45 am

Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Online learning is becoming a more and more popular method of learning. This is because it is much more convenient than attending a physical school. However, there are also various challenges that students will face with this form of education. We will be discussing how you can achieve the best possible results from your online learning journey.

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/how-to-start-online-learning-successfully/

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7 Things You Should Know About the Digital Divide

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

Colin McFadden, EDUCAUSE
Along the two primary dimensions of the digital divide—internet access and the hardware needed to use online resources and services—people of lower economic means, of certain racial and ethnic groups, with disabilities, and who live in rural areas consistently lag in their ability to participate fully in the technology-driven world. When the pandemic closed campuses, the divide widened, in part because students no longer had access to campus-based support but also because the pivot to online learning created new obstacles.

https://library.educause.edu/resources/2021/4/7-things-you-should-know-about-the-digital-divide

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Supporting Digital Service-Learning through Campus Collaboration

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:03 am

Lance Eaton and Danielle Leek, EDUCAUSE Review

Expanded online and remote learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic allows campuses to support and collaborate on digital service-learning projects, creating opportunities to expand service-learning and, in doing so, play a pivotal role in enhancing the learning of students, faculty, and staff for years to come.

https://er.educause.edu/articles/2021/4/supporting-digital-service-learning-through-campus-collaboration

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May 7, 2021

From admissions to teaching to grading, AI is infiltrating higher education

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:10 am

Derek Newton, Hechinger Report

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is being used to shoot off these seemingly personal appeals and deliver pre-written information through chatbots and text personas meant to mimic human banter. It can help a university or college by boosting early deposit rates while cutting down on expensive and time-consuming calls to stretched admissions staffs. AI has long been quietly embedding itself into higher education in ways like these, often to save money — a need that’s been heightened by pandemic-related budget squeezes.

https://hechingerreport.org/from-admissions-to-teaching-to-grading-ai-is-infiltrating-higher-education/

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Moodle acquires 3 companies to launch LMS services business in the US

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

Natalie Schwartz, Highered Dive

Moodle, a widely used open-source learning management system, announced earlier this month that it is acquiring three companies that build services for its platform to create a single company called Moodle US. This will enable Moodle to offer a wide array of services directly to customers that use its LMS rather than through its partners. The deals are expected to conclude by June. Moodle is falling behind as Canvas, another open-source platform, gains market share in Canada and the U.S., according to one analysis.

https://www.highereddive.com/news/moodle-acquires-3-companies-to-launch-lms-services-business-in-the-us/599065/

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Students Want Online Learning Options Post-Pandemic

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:02 am

Lindsay McKenzie, Inside Higher Ed

The experience of learning remotely during the pandemic left students with a positive attitude toward online and hybrid courses, a new survey suggests.The Digital Learning Pulse survey, published today, is the fourth in a series of surveys published by Bay View Analytics in partnership with Cengage, the Online Learning Consortium, the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies and the University Professional and Continuing Education Association. The majority of students, 73 percent, “somewhat” or “strongly” (46 percent) agreed that they would like to take some fully online courses in the future. A slightly smaller number of students, 68 percent, indicated they would be interested in taking courses offering a combination of in-person and online instruction.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/04/27/survey-reveals-positive-outlook-online-instruction-post-pandemic

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May 6, 2021

What Ed Tech Could Be Today’s Antikythera Mechanism?

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:10 am

Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed

The Antikythera mechanism is an astounding device dating to antiquity. It has been hailed as the first mechanical computer, but more precisely it is an educational device.This was an ed-tech device that was millennia ahead of general adoption. It is that revelation that gives me pause to question, what might be the educational technology in recent history that could be comparable in some more modest way to the Antikythera mechanism? Likely, any such comparison will be to virtual technologies such as apps or software.Or, maybe, in fact, it is the medium rather than the multitude of educational technology devices and applications that are developed that will go down as the most remarkable ed tech of our time.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/online-trending-now/what-ed-tech-could-be-todays-antikythera-mechanism

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UNL students and staff reflect on remote learning challenges

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:04 am

Chad Mays, Daily Nebraskan

Rita Shmakova, a journalism and mass communications graduate student, said she has had an unusual experience as a UNL student because she lives in Russia. The U.S. Embassy in Russia limited its services on March 19. Shmakova said many of her professors were surprised she was joining classes via Zoom at early hours of the morning, and they are more than happy to meet with her at times that better suit her.  UNL’s Center for Transformative Teaching on campus has worked with faculty, especially those who are remote, throughout this past year to help teachers adjust their teaching styles, Nick Monk, director of the center, said.

http://www.dailynebraskan.com/magazine/unl-students-and-staff-reflect-on-remote-learning-challenges/article_edeb0ac0-a5fa-11eb-8f59-638fd81e2a49.html

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Many left behind in this recovery have something in common: No college degree

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:03 am

Heather Long, Washington Post

The latest hiring numbers show encouraging signs that women are returning to the labor force, but major struggles remain for men and women without college degrees. Hiring has rebounded quickly for Americans with college degrees. In recent months, there has been a noticeable surge in people with two-year associate’s degrees getting back into the workforce, but Americans with only a high school diploma or less remain deep in crisis mode, even as employers claim they are having trouble finding workers.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/04/22/jobs-no-college-degree/

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May 5, 2021

When the Faculty Lounge Goes After College Sports

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:10 am

GREG DUMAS, National Review

A growing number of college administrators are trying to convince students, alumni, and donors that the time has come to eliminate college sports. Dozens of universities — including Brown, Michigan State, William & Mary, Iowa, and George Washington — have abruptly eliminated scores of athletic teams this year, in sports including swimming, tennis, gymnastics, lacrosse, rowing, wrestling, and track and field. Hundreds more are on the chopping block. The decisions usually come with hand-wringing about budget woes, COVID challenges, and fundraising shortfalls necessitating “painful cuts,” but the reality is far simpler: Many administrators have always looked down on college sports, and they finally have a pretext for axing them.

https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/04/when-the-faculty-lounge-goes-after-college-sports/

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Community colleges hope to bring students back to campus this fall

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

Zinia Salfiti, Sun Times

After more than a year of nearly all remote coursework, most community colleges said they plan to offer classes four different ways this fall: fully in-person; a hybrid format involving a combination of both in-person and online instruction; virtual classes that involve online synchronous meetings; and fully asynchronous, online classes. Although no community colleges have implemented vaccination requirements so far, they are actively encouraging students, faculty and staff to get shots.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2021/4/25/22394117/illinois-city-colleges-lake-oakton-university-illinois-community-vaccines-learning

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Cultivating the agile university requires good leadership

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:03 am

Nita Temmerman, University World News

At the heart of the agile university is good leadership: a leader who is committed to and can successfully and clearly guide the people and operations of the institution towards ever better results and reputation; a leader who will steer the way to nurturing a healthy community culture in which people feel they belong, that their contribution is valued and that they are entrusted to work independently towards achieving expected outcomes. This might mean eliminating barriers between divisions and layer upon layer of bureaucracy that impedes progress and pits different sections of the institution against each other.

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20210419105006889

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May 4, 2021

Higher ed’s role and opportunity in coskilling, upskilling, and reskilling

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:10 am

Vistasp M. Karbhari, eCampus News

The accelerating convergence of information and technology especially as related to AI and robotics is changing the knowledge and skills desired in the workforce, with some estimating that nearly 50 percent of subject knowledge acquired during the first year of an undergraduate degree program is outdated by the time the student attains a degree. Recent estimates predict that by 2022 about 54 percent of all employees would require significant reskilling and upskilling to meet the needs of a changing work environment.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2021/04/23/higher-eds-role-and-opportunity-in-coskilling-upskilling-and-reskilling/

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OPINION: Reflecting on virtual learning reveals moments of growth

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

Phillip Kong, The Student Life

However, as we begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel, we may lose sight of what we are moving past — a truly unprecedented time of virtual learning and social distancing. We don’t have to treat these past semesters of virtual learning as simply a misfortune and nothing else. Instead, we can reflect on the last few semesters and notice moments of personal and academic growth that we can carry with us into a post-pandemic world.

https://tsl.news/reflect-on-pandemic-growth/

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Temple’s business school sees virtual reality as future of online learning

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:03 am

Zoe Rosenberg, Philadelphia Inquirer

Before the pandemic made online schooling a necessity, Bora Ozkan theorized that students learning remotely would be more engaged in virtual reality. Ozkan, a finance professor at Temple University and academic director of its online MBA, has tested that belief since March 2020, when he launched the class Fintech, Blockchain and Digital Disruption in a virtual reality, or VR, program. It took 18 months to research the technology and build the course at a cost upward of $100,000. The finished product was completed with the help of Glimpse Group, a New York-based virtual reality and augmented reality company.

https://www.inquirer.com/business/remote-learning-vr-mba-20210423.html

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