Online Learning Update

Colin Wood, EdScoop

Annual survey data published Thursday by the higher education resource website BestColleges.com suggests that many students and administrators are receiving favorably the online education format that many institutions have defaulted to during the pandemic. In surveys administered last fall, 74% of college students said they thought online education was at least as good as on-campus learning. That high figure, which is at odds with some recent surveys finding a majority of students are struggling with the transition to remote study, may have been skewed by researchers’ 1,500-student sample, which included 500 students enrolled in online degree programs, 500 graduates of online programs and 500 students who were enrolled in on-campus classes that switched to remote formats.

https://edscoop.com/bestcolleges-2021-survey-online-education/

Daniel T. WillinghamDaniel T. Willingham, Education Next

No matter the reason, it seems many teachers don’t think education research is directly useful to them. We think these teachers have it right. And we think the problem lies with researchers, not teachers.  The first three obstacles listed above—two concerning applicability of research and one concerning perceived constraints research puts on practice—are products of the methods researchers use. Research seems irrelevant to practitioners because it does not pose questions that address their needs. Teachers feel constrained by research because they feel pressured to use research-approved methods, and research creates clear winners and losers among practices that may be appropriate in some contexts but not others.

https://www.educationnext.org/making-education-research-relevant-how-researchers-can-give-teachers-more-choices/

ACE American Council on Education
​​The American Rescue Plan Act ​provides almost $40 billion in relief funds that will go directly to colleges and universities to support the overwhelming costs that institutions and students face in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.​​​ These sortable, searchable databases below are a simulation of how ED might distribute the emergency funds for public and private nonprofit and proprietary institutions. Click here for the methodology on how we compiled the numbers. (Note: It is not known if ED will use this methodology, but previous simulations on CARES Act and Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act have been very accurate.)

https://www.acenet.edu/Policy-Advocacy/Pages/HEA-ED/ARP-Higher-Education-Relief-Fund.aspx

Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

Four blockchain projects have received funding with the ultimate goal of helping learners take control of their educational records. Each of the projects will receive $150,000 from a competition overseen by the American Council on Education (ACE). The Blockchain Innovation Challenge supports collaborations involving K-12, higher education, technology providers and public agencies, to facilitate more secure, streamlined sharing of learning records and create stronger links between education and work.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2021/02/11/4-projects-using-blockchain-to-help-learners-document-and-share-educational-records.aspx

Jasmine Park and Amelia Vance, EDUCAUSE Review

Many in higher education believe that students who have grown up using digital technologies (“digital natives”) have little concern for the privacy of their data. Research proves otherwise. This is particularly concerning because many in this age group live much of their academic and personal lives online. A 2018 Pew Research Center survey found that almost all Americans 18 to 24 years old use social media platforms: YouTube (94%), Facebook (80%), Snapchat (78%), Instagram (71%), and Twitter (45%).Footnote2

https://er.educause.edu/articles/2021/2/data-privacy-in-higher-education-yes-students-care

Paul Cowell, World Economic Forum

Five changes made to higher education due to COVID-19 will still be beneficial after the pandemic, according to an expert. These include the introduction of wider digital resources and more creative assessment methods. Students can be regarded as partners to their lecturers, making them more active in learning and giving online feedback. Online teaching can also allow lecturers to tailor activities more specifically to their subject.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/02/covid-19-pandemic-higher-education-online-resources-students-lecturers-learning-teaching

JACKY WRIGHT, eCampus News
Digital competencies will be essential for students’ future success as workers–here’s why tech skilling is critical. Closing the educational divide and the digital skills gap has always been important to technologically-minded educators, but the disruptions of COVID-19 have brought a new urgency. Ensuring all students can participate equitably and fulfill their dreams in society hinges on having the right access to technology, especially in the education system.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2021/02/12/bridging-the-educational-divide-with-tech-skilling/

Stefania Giannini and Kristin Vinje, University World News
The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that no education system is resilient to crisis. And even if the digital revolution has transformed the higher education system more profoundly than anything else in the past decades, the pandemic has been no less hard-hitting. Its economic impact alone could force up to seven million students to drop out. International students have been stranded. In every country, students are struggling with access to remote learning, social isolation and economic strife. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified fragilities and inequalities across digital, gender, social and educational lines, especially in regions already affected by conflict.

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20210211090640737

Alonda Thomas, Howard University

“I am really excited about this partnership with Coursera, one of the preeminent purveyors of educational content in the 21st-century learning landscape, which will help us spread the vision and mission of Howard University beyond our campus,” said President Wayne A. I. Frederick, who is a member of Coursera’s University Advisory Board. “Historically, there has been a disconnect between companies and top-level talent from underrepresented communities who don’t have the same access and resources as other job seekers. These kinds of partnerships can help enhance opportunities for people of color by aligning their education with the needs of businesses.”

https://newsroom.howard.edu/newsroom/article/13831/howard-university-partners-cou

Kevin Hogan, Marketscale

Less than a decade after publishing its first free, openly licensed textbook, OpenStax — Rice University’s educational technology initiative — has saved students $1.2 billion. In this episode of Edtech Today, Kevin Hogan sits down with the Managing Director of OpenStax, Daniel Williamson, to discuss his organization’s efforts to offer openly licensed textbooks integrated with personalized learning technology.

https://marketscale.com/industries/education-technology/how-open-education-resources-oer-can-cross-the-digital-divide/

Adam Stone, EdTech

“With the pandemic, technology came in through the front door. We all recognized that technology was critically important to keeping teaching, learning, research and administration going,” says Susan Grajek, vice president for partnerships, communities and research at EDUCAUSE. “That has brought technology up into leadership-level conversations.” So, where are those conversations heading? To better prepare for the post-pandemic future of higher education, here are eight trends that leaders and IT teams are watching this year.

https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2021/02/8-higher-education-it-trends-watch-2021

Linda Dale Bloomberg, TC Press

While it is acknowledged that face-to-face teaching competencies such as knowledge of curricula and pedagogy do transfer to online contexts, it is also important to recognize some of the unique competencies required for online teaching success. Online learning systems employ a variety of online tools and software, which place new and often unfamiliar demands on the technical competence of teachers. Modes of communication differ, with a greater reliance on asynchronous communication methods which do not occur in “real time”. The ability to effectively communicate, manage technology, deliver and assess content, monitor student progress, and follow-up on issues or barriers encountered by students are critical to minimize the likelihood of student disengagement or withdrawal.

https://www.tcpress.com/blog/transitioning-world-online-learning-preparing-higher-education-instructors-students-success/

Terri E. Givens, Tomorrow’s Professor

Higher education will be needed more than ever as students face a changing job market, and learners of all ages learn to pivot to new careers. I believe that our organization can play a leading role in creating a brighter future for higher education and the learners who will be relying on us. We need to create options that are affordable, flexible and relevant to the future of work. It’s time for higher ed leaders to work together to find the solutions that will allow them not only to survive the current crisis, but to thrive. We are expanding our offerings to help leaders not only manage issues like strategic planning, but also issues like diversity, equity and inclusion. We are expanding our mentoring program so that leaders have opportunities to share with each other, and to get advice from leaders who understand the unique situations facing faculty and administrators.

https://tomprof.stanford.edu/posting/1844

Colin Wood, EdScoop
“There’s huge potential for growth,” Paul Savory said. “As we look at online education, it’s going to play a critical role to support Americans as we come out of the pandemic in terms of providing opportunities.” Before assuming his latest role, Savory served at Doane University, a small liberal arts school outside Lincoln, Nebraska; Nebraska Methodist College, where he said about one third of the institution’s 800 students attended online; and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he served, amid other roles during his 18 years at that institution, as its associate vice chancellor for extended education, an online program.

https://edscoop.com/colorado-state-university-global-paul-savory-online-education/

Rory McGreal, World Economic Forum

By 2025, approximately 100 million learners will be capable of higher education but won’t have access to it. Blockchain can support the dissemination of open educational resources on a global scale. But using blockchain in education has challenges, such as the legality of data ownership, so more research is needed before it becomes widespread.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/01/higher-education-blockchain-united-nations-international-educational-resources-equality

David Green, et al: Edcuase Review

Including students in course redesign pays dividends to the institution, the faculty involved, and the students themselves. A central component of the faculty support team was the medical education student fellow, who served as a liaison between course coordinators and the educational technology team. Fellows were recruited annually via a national search and had already completed at least the first two years of medical school. Each fellow served for one full calendar year and received a stipend with travel funding. During their year at UMMSM, fellows became trusted members of the internal medical education community and regularly interacted with the academic deans.

https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2021/1/collaborative-medical-education-students-as-partners-during-technology-enhanced-course-redesign

Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Higher Ed Dive

Colleges would receive nearly $40 billion in direct coronavirus aid in Democrats’ latest relief package, the largest single infusion of federal funding institutions have seen since the pandemic began. Nonprofit and public colleges would need to devote at least half their cut of the funds to student grants. For-profit institutions would need to dedicate all the money they receive to students. The nearly $2 trillion spending bill doesn’t limit which students can get relief money. The House education committee as of Tuesday evening was reviewing its section of the bill, which is expected to pass. The entire package would head to the Senate floor for an expedited vote after the House signs off.

https://www.highereddive.com/news/democrats-propose-40b-in-higher-education-relief-funding/594785/

Justin B Hollander, University World News
Promises for a coronavirus vaccine and eventual herd immunity mean that the autumn 2021 semester at colleges and universities might start to feel normal again. But after almost a year of online and hybrid teaching, can we ever really get back to how things were before COVID-19? Do we even want to? If there’s anything truly endemic to higher education, it is probably its grounding in tradition. Few other industries regularly dress up their staff in robes (for graduation), continue to support massive libraries of hard copy books or celebrate bizarre and antiquated rituals surrounding odd events like baccalaureate or investitures.

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20210118070559840

Rory McGreal, the Conversation

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has declared that free digitalized teaching and learning materials known as open educational resources are essential for increasing access for global learners. These materials are key to supporting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. Rorden Wilkinson, professor of international political economy, discusses the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 – Quality Education. The technology known as blockchain has also been recognized as an important resource to help achieve strategic development goals. Through the use of blockchain, it could be possible to ensure the availability of more affordable, equitable and quality educational content internationally.

https://theconversation.com/how-blockchain-could-help-the-world-meet-the-uns-global-goals-in-higher-education-152885

Reuters

During the pandemic, online learning company Udacity saw demand for its virtual courses surge, Udacity Executive Chairman Sebastian Thrun said. Its enrollment more than doubled. Its engagement with companies “massively” increased. “Is online going to replace universities? It’s never going to happen,” he said.  “Can we reach people that are currently not being reached? And there, the answer is a resounding yes.” Both Thrun and Richardson said the divide between those who have digital connectivity and those who lack it continues to make education a mark of privilege even amid efforts to level the playing field.

https://www.reuters.com/article/education-future/reuters-next-covid-19-fuelling-educations-tech-disruption-deepening-digital-divide-idUSL1N2JP36Y

Kristen E. Broady, et al; Brookings Institution

Online learning can offer flexibility and accessibility, but it also can present challenges to learning outcomes. In particular, there are some groups of students for whom online education works poorly. Anticipating these challenges and more, 55 percent of students not returning for fall 2020 cited changes in class format. In a case study, The Public Policy Institute of California found that students of color and nontraditional students are more likely to have challenges that put them at risk of lowered performance in an online setting, widening existing achievement gaps. Some challenges they are more likely to face include trying to study in a stressful home environment or an inability to access reliable internet.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2021/01/11/1342345/