By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology
Does online learning spend more on technology and less on people? That’s the latest question posed by Eduventures Chief Research Officer Richard Garrett, in an essay published on the Encoura website. This was a follow-on to a recent brief he posted that examined whether online learning could help institutions deliver a lower-cost education to more students. In that setup, he concluded that the higher the portion of fully online students a school had, the less the school spent per student. In his latest analysis of IPEDS data, Garrett specifically examined the situation of private, nonprofit four-year schools (while suggesting that the outcome could be applied to public four-year institutions as well).
May 31, 2019
Study: Online Schools Have Not ‘Dethroned’ Faculty
Businesses and universities team up on a new digital technology credential
Nick Anderson, Washington Post
Designed with unusually detailed guidance from major businesses in the Washington region, the digital tech credential aims to certify that graduates have knowledge and skills in fields such as statistics, data visualization and cybersecurity. The credential program debuted this year at George Mason and Virginia Commonwealth universities. American University, the University of Richmond and Virginia Tech plan to launch comparable programs in the fall, and more schools may follow. The credential is outside of higher-education tradition: It is neither a major, nor a minor, nor a formal certificate. It is, rather, a recognition that students have taken a short sequence of courses (five at GMU) that cover knowledge and skills in high demand.
Share on FacebookAnalysis: Sebastian Thrun, Creates the University of Silicon Valley and the Fourth Degree
Mikel Amigot, IBL
Sebastian Thurn, Founder, and CEO at Udacity, is not shy when he claims, in a recent post, that his company will become the “University of Silicon Valley”. “Only 4% of students ever complete a MOOC. At present, our Nanodegree programs have a 34% graduation rate, thanks to the tireless efforts of the hard-charging Udacity team. When paired with our new personalized mentorship programs in past experiments, cohorts have commonly exceeded 60% graduation rates.” (…) “For our Nanodegree Plus pilot, an independent accounting firm verified that among our career-seeking and job-ready graduates, 84% found a new, better job within six months of graduation. And for that 84 %, the salaries went up, by an average of $24,000 per person. So much that on average, those students recouped their entire Udacity tuition fee in just three weeks.” (…) “No other online learning platform provides this level of end-to-end personalized mentorship.”
Share on FacebookMay 30, 2019
How we might protect ourselves from malicious AI
Karen Hao, MIT Technology Review
We’ve touched previously on the concept of adversarial examples—the class of tiny changes that, when fed into a deep-learning model, cause it to misbehave. In recent years, as deep-learning systems have grown more and more pervasive in our lives, researchers have demonstrated how adversarial examples can affect everything from simple image classifiers to cancer diagnosis systems, leading to consequences that range from the benign to the life-threatening. A new paper from MIT now points toward a possible path to overcoming this challenge. It could allow us to create far more robust deep-learning models that would be much harder to manipulate in malicious ways.
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613555/how-we-might-protect-ourselves-from-malicious-ai/
Share on FacebookHow To Separate The AI Hype From Reality
Kimberly A. Whitler, Forbes
For some time, AI has been the “hot” topic among marketers, technologists, and nearly everyone else, receiving an out-sized amount of media attention and buzz. In a discussion with Kipp Bodnar, CMO of HubSpot, a leading growth platform, he indicates that it’s hard for businesses to distinguish between hype and reality. The result is that a lot of companies throw resources at an opportunity that doesn’t materialize. Below are Bodnar’s thoughts on how marketers can distinguish between what’s possible and what’s not.
Welcome to the international classroom of the future
Nadine Burquel and Anja Busch, University World News
The internationalisation of higher education has opened up exciting opportunities for higher education institutions to make major transformations to their teaching and learning process: exposure to different cultures expands considerably the type of knowledge that is delivered through the education process, bringing new perspectives to the classroom. Internationalisation offers great opportunities for student mobility through exchanges, degree mobility, internships, study visits and summer schools. Academic mobility enhances the international cross-fertilisation of ideas to advance knowledge for new cutting-edge research.
https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20190516094030872
Share on FacebookMay 29, 2019
How Tech Companies Are Shaping the Rules Governing AI
Tom Simonite, Wired
The brouhaha over Europe’s guidelines for AI was an early skirmish in a debate that’s likely to recur around the globe, as policymakers consider installing guardrails on artificial intelligence to prevent harm to society. Tech companies are taking a close interest—and in some cases appear to be trying to steer construction of any new guardrails to their own benefit. Harvard law professor Yochai Benkler warned in the journal Nature this month that “industry has mobilized to shape the science, morality and laws of artificial intelligence.”
https://www.wired.com/story/how-tech-companies-shaping-rules-governing-ai/
Share on FacebookWorking To Learn And Learning To Work, Together And Better
Clarissa Windham-Bradstock, Forbes
When looking to reskill or upskill workers, most companies turn first to formal training options via online courses or outsourced experts. But don’t overlook the valuable resources right under your roof. The folks behind the educational technology company Degreed found that 55% of workers go to their peers first when they want to learn a new skill. In their book The Expertise Economy, executives at Degreed espouse the “learning loop” as an effective peer-to-peer learning tool. The four stages — gain knowledge, apply the knowledge, get feedback and reflect on what you have learned — can all happen in a peer-to-peer setting.
Share on FacebookRevolutionizing online education: A conversation with President Michael Crow of Arizona State University
Emal Dusst and Rebecca Winthrup, Brookings Institution
At ASU, we are advancing our own approach to Universal Learning, which integrates online learning, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, game-based learning, entrepreneurship, public and private sector partners, and global alliances to design accessible education pathways for students of all learning levels at any point in their lives. We are currently developing a series of demonstration projects, student success programs, and employee learning models to position ASU as a future-ready leader.
Share on FacebookMay 28, 2019
Illinois Will End Residential M.B.A. in Favor of Online Program
By Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign announced Friday that it plans to shut down its residential M.B.A. programs — full-time and part-time — to focus on its online M.B.A., which it calls the iMBA. The move still requires formal university approval, but the announcement is a sign of the shift going on in business education — in many cases away from traditional M.B.A. programs. Several universities have scaled back or eliminated such programs and focused instead on online or one-year master’s programs in business-related fields. Applications to the iMBA program have tripled from 1,100 when the program started in 2016. The total cost for the iMBA is $22,000.
Share on FacebookAnd then there’s Penn State World Campus.
By Goldie Blumenstyk, Chronicle of Higher Ed
World Campus isn’t known for splashy ad campaigns like the $100-million-a-year one planned to promote the soon-to-be-renamed University of Maryland-Global. (World Campus did just produce a new TV commercial, but that will run for the next two to three years.) And it hasn’t landed in the headlines, like Arizona State University, for high-profile partnerships with employers like Uber or Starbucks. The institution has also bypassed the “hyper-growth” strategy of some competitors. And now it pretty much ignores what was once an ambitious growth goal of its own. (In 2014 it had plans to more than triple its enrollment, to 45,000, in a decade. Total enrollment today is about 20,000.)
https://www.chronicle.com/article/Why-an-Online-Education/246291
Share on FacebookMany workers say they will pursue continuing education on their own
Hallie Busta, Education Dive
Nearly two-thirds of employees will independently find training opportunities to advance or maintain their skills this year, according to a new report by staffing firm Randstad. Forty-three percent of respondents to the group’s survey said they will look for ways to further their technical skills in areas such as data analysis, coding, writing and computer programming. Some 41%, want to improve soft skills like communication, problem-solving, conflict resolution, leadership and time management. Of the respondents who do not intend to seek training opportunities, 22% cited lack of funds and 36% a lack of time as explanations.
Share on FacebookMay 27, 2019
Everyone Wants to Measure the Value of College. Now the Gates Foundation Wants a Say.
By Katherine Mangan, Chronicle of Higher Ed
The Commission on the Value of Postsecondary Education is the latest national effort to measure and seek to convey clearly just how much someone gains — economically, anyway — from a college credential. The goal is to provide useful, understandable information to help colleges “take a critical look at how and how well they are contributing to economic opportunity for today’s students; aid policy makers in gauging what the public gets for its investment in higher education; and equip students and families as they consider where and what to study,” the foundation said in announcing the commission. Gates officials say the result will be more comprehensive than existing measures, like the College Scorecard, a program introduced by the Obama administration as a way to help increase transparency in higher education.
https://www.chronicle.com/article/Everyone-Wants-to-Measure-the/246301
Share on Facebook5 steps to smarter corporate partnerships
BY MARY DAVIS, eCampus News
When it comes to higher education and corporate partnerships, it’s not a “nice to have;” it is mission-critical for colleges and universities to survive. The job market is evolving so quickly that institutions need a steady stream of information from employers on what they want and need from their workforce so curriculum and learning can reflect those needs. The key here is “partnership.” Think quality over quantity. Both sides—institutions and employers—are looking for return on investment (ROI), and these five approaches will help universities build impactful relationships with mutual benefits.
https://www.ecampusnews.com/2019/05/17/smarter-corporate-partnerships/
Share on Facebook5 common hang-ups in higher ed public-private partnerships
Chad Hardaway, Education Dive
Relationships with corporations to deliver services or assets require strong leadership and a clear plan to overcome a “fundamental cultural mismatch.” Over the last 15 years, I have worked in academia to build lasting partnerships between universities and private businesses. Along the way, I’ve seen examples of what to do and what not to do. A successful partnership brings critical investments into a university, creates opportunities for hands-on student training and builds a pipeline of future talent for the company partner. But it’s not all easy wins. Successful partnerships require strong relationships and strategic coordination. If you’re an academic aiming to bring a partnership to your own institution, I commend you for stepping up to the plate. Here are the five common missteps and how to avoid them.
Share on FacebookMay 26, 2019
Big Data Science: Establishing Data-Driven Institutions through Advanced Analytics
by Cecilia Earls, EDUCAUSE Review
Big data science is taking purchase in higher education, and our diverse institutions provide an exceptionally fertile ground for impactful data-driven decision-making. We are not corporations; we are small, vibrant communities that make decisions every day regarding critical issues such as safety, facilities management, risk management, housing, recruitment, admissions, research support, academic freedom, instruction, campus life, alumni relations, athletics, career services, support services, and healthcare. To realize this potential, however, requires that the entire community of decision makers, data and subject experts, technological experts, and analysts work collaboratively and communicate effectively.
Share on FacebookDoing It Yourself: The ‘Internal OPM’ Model
By Mark Lieberman, Inside Higher Ed
As concerns about outsourcing ring out across online education, several institutions have carved out niches by developing in-house capacity that resembles OPM functions. Each one looks slightly different, but the common threads include a centralized office that partners with member schools in a single institution or campuses in a system; in-house development of key services including marketing, recruitment, student support and instructional design; and minimal, if any, outsourcing to for-profit companies. Growing an online program portfolio requires a fair amount of trial and error and likely some missteps along the way. “Inside Digital Learning” talked to leaders of a handful of internally managed online initiatives to get a sense of how they work and what they can accomplish.
Share on FacebookLearning to Love the AI Bubble
Philipp Gerbert and Michael Spira, MIT Sloan
Having studied AI intensely for the past two years, our best guess to the first question is, yes, today’s fascination with all things AI has most of the trappings of a financial bubble. But unlike the housing bubble, the effects of a bursting AI bubble wouldn’t cause great harm. Indeed, this bubble seems to have more in common with the dot.com bubble, which helped finance the internet backbone, than the housing bubble, which wreaked havoc on the household finances of millions of homeowners.
https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/learning-to-love-the-ai-bubble/
Share on FacebookMay 25, 2019
What Adults With Certificates But No College Degree Say About Their Job Experiences
By Jeffrey R. Young, EdSurge
American adults who never completed college but who’ve earned a professional certificate are more likely to be employed and earn more than those without such certifications, according to a new analysis of Gallup polling data. Those with no degree but a certificate reported a median annual income of $45,000, compared to $30,000 for those with no degree and no certificate. But the amount of the boost varies widely by profession, and it is more pronounced for men than for women.
Share on FacebookDrowning in Research Reading? AI Could Help
By Lindsay McKenzie
Artificial intelligence that reads journal articles and highlights key findings could help researchers stay on top of the latest research. But the technology isn’t ready for prime time. Using a form of artificial intelligence called a neural network, scientists at MIT and the Qatar Computing Research Institute at Hamad Bin Khalifa University have created technology that can read scientific papers and generate easy-to-read summaries that are just one or two sentences long. The research, recently published in the journal Transactions of the Association for Computational Linguistics, could potentially be used by journalists to help communicate complex research to the public, though the authors say they aren’t going to be putting journalists out of a job any time soon. (Phew.)
Share on FacebookFive Things To Know About AI
Katie Tierney, Forbes
Here’s what I think is the biggest problem with AI in today’s world: We just don’t have enough people who are educated on how it works and how to leverage it. I think we’re staring right into the face of a looming skills gap. Global spending on AI is rising with no signs of slowing down — IDC estimates that organizations will invest $35.8 billion in AI systems this year. That’s an increase of 44% from 2018. With all the fanfare, it’s easy to get lost in the noise and excitement — and with all of the vendors out there touting their various AI-based solutions, it’s also easy to get confused about which is which and what does what.
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