August 31, 2020
TROY MARKOWITZ, Campus Technology
Today’s universities measure student learning outcomes (SLOs) through in-class assessments targeting the micro and macro level of a learner’s knowledge acquisition. At the micro level, these assessments take the form of quizzes, mid-term and final exams, and evaluations of assignments submitted by students. At the macro level, SLOs feed into what administrators expect every student, regardless of specific curriculum, program, or major, to master in order to graduate. When SLOs align with skills that employers seek from new-hire candidates, recent graduates can achieve the ultimate outcome: employability.
https://www.ecampusnews.com/2020/08/19/how-to-align-slos-with-employability/
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Susan Grajek and D. Christopher Brooks, EDUCAUSE Review
We propose a different approach, a way for higher education leaders to reframe the work ahead and to judiciously consider how technology can be most helpful. First, leaders should think about their institutional strategic priorities as a set of Grand Challenges: challenges that are as important as they are difficult and that pertain specifically to the institution as well as more broadly to the higher education ecosystem. Next, leaders should adopt a Grand Strategy, which can provide a cohesive principle and vision to help them consider their resources holistically and focus on their most consequential priorities. Finally, leaders should take into account digital transformation (Dx), which can advance this Grand Strategy.
https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/8/a-grand-strategy-for-grand-challenges–a-new-approach-through-digital-transformation
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John O’Brien, EDUCAUSE
Amid the unsettling uncertainties, two important trends that started well before fall have accelerated and intensified in the shadow of the pandemic. We should work to ensure these trends continue long after the current crisis has calmed. Amid the unsettling uncertainties, two important trends that started well before fall have accelerated and intensified in the shadow of the pandemic. We should work to ensure these trends continue long after the current crisis has calmed. Digital transformation and wellness are two important trends that have accelerated and intensified in the pandemic milestone of 2020.
https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/8/making-bets-for-fall-two-important-trends
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August 30, 2020
Johns Hopkins University
A Coursera class is open to teachers worldwide; it shares perspectives on creating accessible coursework in a time of remote learning. As faculty work to adjust their courses in the lead-up to Johns Hopkins University’s first-ever fully-remote semester, they have to consider the ever-changing needs of the diverse undergraduate student population.
https://hub.jhu.edu/2020/08/18/coursera-inclusive-learning/
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Kevin R. McClure, EdSurge
“Burnout this fall is going to be on 100,” noted Ana Rosado, a doctoral candidate in history at Northwestern University, in a tweet that’s been liked over 8,000 times. In response, Jessica Calarco, a sociologist and professor at Indiana University, tweeted it feels like she’s “already in week 11 of a 15-week semester.” Despite the efforts of college leaders to push ahead with something approximating a normal fall term, the truth is that many of us don’t feel normal. It’s not a question of whether higher education institutions will see a significant uptick in burnout among staff, faculty and graduate students this fall. The more important question is how college leaders will address it.
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-08-14-burnout-is-coming-to-campus-are-college-leaders-ready
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Elizabeth Redden, Inside Higher Ed
Colleges confront what it means to bring students back to campuses as their fall plans become realities. Will many institutions make it through the fall without outbreaks? Observers are questioning how college leaders are balancing the health and safety of faculty, staff, students and members of surrounding communities with the financial and political pressures driving the push to reopen campuses. Are they striking the right balance?
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/08/18/after-spring-and-summer-planning-higher-ed-faces-its-moment-truth
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August 29, 2020
Chris Bliss, Stanford
With the benefit of results from a student survey that highlighted the main obstacles students encountered during the spring quarter, Stanford leaders have been working over the summer to improve the remote educational experience for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as for instructors. These improvements will be key given the recent announcement that undergraduates will not be on campus in the fall.
https://news.stanford.edu/2020/08/17/stanford-makes-strides-improve-online-learning-pandemic-environment/
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Rebecca Koenig, EdSurge
Many consumer protection laws make sure that if people don’t receive what they paid for, they get their money back. Should that apply to higher education? That’s the case being made by a new “tuition payer bill of rights” backed by a coalition of nonprofits and think tanks from across the political spectrum. It makes six demands aimed at empowering students to decide how much to pay for college and making sure they get their money’s worth. The first proposed entitlement is the one most tied to current events: the right “to be refunded for services not rendered.”
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-08-13-lawsuits-over-tuition-refunds-prompt-new-student-consumer-bill-of-rights
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Matt Badessa, Rutgers Today
The program incentivizes Rutgers faculty to use free or low-cost learning materials that save students money. More faculty than ever before are participating in a program through the Rutgers University Libraries to provide open and affordable textbooks for the fall. The initiative is estimated to be able to save over 16,400 students a total of more than $2.1 million in the cost of textbooks and other course materials over the next year. The Open and Affordable Textbooks (OAT) program, administered by the libraries, provides $1,000 awards to Rutgers faculty who modify their courses to use free or low-cost learning materials instead of traditional textbooks. To date, it has brought an estimated savings of over $5.7 million to students universitywide.
https://www.rutgers.edu/news/open-and-affordable-textbooks-program-reduces-textbook-costs-students
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August 28, 2020
Natalie Schwartz, Education Dive
The U.S. Department of Education on Monday dropped the final version of its new regulations governing distance learning. It’s the third and final set of new rules the department has published over the past year, and they touch on a sprawling number of issues in higher education, including accreditation and online learning. The rules take effect in July 2021, but the department said institutions can use “the new flexibilities” as soon as they are published in the Federal Register. Here are five key questions the new rules raise that colleges should know.
https://www.educationdive.com/news/5-takeaways-from-the-ed-depts-final-distance-education-rules/584123/
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the College Post
Vanderbilt University has secured licensing of new digital tools and platforms to adapt to hybrid and online class instruction. The tools will meet the learning and teaching needs of students and faculty members by facilitating better processes, online assessments, and improving student engagement. The new campus-wide licenses support an array of teaching and learning activities including remote exam proctoring, grading and feedback, and collaborative video and text annotation.
https://thecollegepost.com/vanderbilt-university-tools/
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Laura Otten, Technically
I would encourage my peers to think differently about this opportunity for skill acquisition, especially as public health experts are forecasting several waves of COVID-19 cases. Adaptation to what could be a new normal will be critically important for academics and students, alike. Done well and done right, virtual teaching is so much more challenging and far more time consuming for the faculty member than is face-to-face teaching, but the educational benefits to the students are exponentially greater.
https://technical.ly/philly/2020/08/14/laura-otten-remote-school-education-what-could-successful-online-learning-look-like-multi-modality-curriculum-no-time-restraints/
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August 27, 2020
Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed
In preparing for the fall term, most colleges and universities are responding to the renewed public consciousness about equality, inclusiveness and fairness for all students. The opportunities to begin to make a difference are endless through the online platform, where that platform is equitably available. Not limited to students recruited to the campus, not limited to students who can relocate and come to campus, online programs reach across cultures and locations to serve students where they are. And yet, minority and low-income students do not thrive at the same rates as others in the current system. So where can we begin in developing more successful diverse and inclusive online programs?
https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/online-trending-now/thoughts-creating-inclusive-environment-online-classes
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COOPER JONES, eCampus News
Whether the institution opts for in-person instruction, online learning, or a hybrid approach, it’s certain that students will have a vastly different campus experience than before. Parents and students are asking themselves, “What are we really paying for, and is it worth it now? If I can’t enjoy campus life, in-person classes, dining halls, clubs, sports, activities and access to faculty, then why should I pay full tuition?” These are valid questions, and ones that institutions should be addressing now by reimagining student life and community engagement and innovating a new campus experience in the age of COVID-19.
https://www.ecampusnews.com/2020/08/13/reimagining-the-campus-experience-in-the-age-of-covid-19/
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By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology
Babson College, like so many schools, is priming for the start of fall classes, which begin in just a few days. Here’s how the Boston-based institution has positioned itself to succeed. Now, the campus is getting ready to reopen. Most courses will be delivered in a hyflex model — where students may choose to be there in person or view the class remotely. Babson calls its version of this “webflex,” which will give students the flexibility to move between face-to-face and online learning as needed throughout the semester. Three projects led by the IT organization have helped Babson prepare for whatever comes next.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2020/08/13/3-ways-for-it-prepare-for-fall-classes.aspx
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August 26, 2020
Kery Murakami, Inside Higher Ed
The U.S. Department of Education has released its final rule on distance learning, which it said would modernize regulations. The rule will not go into effect until July 1, 2021. The product of months of negotiations by a panel of experts, the final rule would among other things allow more flexibility to “emphasize demonstration of learning rather than seat time when measuring student outcomes,” the fact sheet said. For instance, the rule allows for more asynchronous online delivery of courses, or portions of courses, in traditional “clock-hour” hands-on programs. The biggest change is clarifying the term “regular and substantive” in the nation’s main higher education law, said James Murphy, senior policy analyst with Education Reform Now. The new rule defines the interaction as meeting the standard if it satisfies at least two of five conditions.
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2020/08/25/ed-dept-issues-final-distance-learning-rule
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Liam Tung, ZDNet
Google has started rolling out a new Gmail experience on the web and, for now, just Android that aims to turn Gmail into an integrated workspace for video meetings, chat, and sharing files. The way Google sees things, Gmail now consists of four separate components, made up of Mail, Rooms, Chat and Meet. The last two components are Google’s answers to rivals like Zoom video conferencing, Slack chat and the Microsoft Teams collaboration space.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-this-update-means-gmail-is-now-these-four-things-in-one/
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Grace Hauck, USA Today
“These are very real concerns for our immunocompromised students,” said Dr. Khalilah Gates, a pulmonary and critical care specialist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. “Every immunocompromised state is not the same, so it is – as everything in COVID-19 has been – a risk-benefit discussion.” Khalilah said returning to campus – particularly living in dorms – poses significant risks to immunocompromised students. People in that age group are also more likely to participate in extracurricular activities that may increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission and exposure, she said. “What COVID-19 has taught us is the need to be flexible and the need to adapt,” Khalilah said. “If that means the ability to participate in online learning, then that needs to be something we consider for those that would benefit.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2020/08/12/covid-colleges-reopen-high-risk-students-fear-being-forgotten/3320133001/
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August 25, 2020
Emma Whitford, Inside Higher Ed
The New Mexico State University system announced a broad restructuring plan for three of its campuses as it aims to reduce expenses in the face of declining enrollment across New Mexico and pandemic-related state budget cuts. The system will consolidate leadership at three community colleges across the state — NMSU Alamogordo, NMSU Carlsbad and NMSU Grants — so that the institutions will operate as branch campuses under central leadership rather than as stand-alone institutions. System chancellor Dan Arvizu appointed Ken Van Winkle, former president of NMSU Alamogordo, as the branch executive director to lead the transition.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/08/14/new-mexico-state-university-system-plans-leadership-restructuring-three-community
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Purdue
COVID-19 has changed the outlook for education, highlighting the potential for online learning and the need for more personalized learning options for students, according to a Purdue University College of Education professor. William Watson, associate professor of learning design and technology, said student education levels are more likely to be spread all along the spectrum this school year based on what educational support they received at home.
https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2020/Q3/online,-personalized-learning-considered-the-future-for-education-in-wake-of-pandemic.html
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Courtney Cogburn, Big Think
Often thought of first as gaming tech, virtual reality has been increasingly used in research as a tool for mimicking real-life scenarios and experiences in a safe and controlled environment. Focusing on issues of oppression and the ripple affect it has throughout America’s political, educational, and social systems, Dr. Courtney D. Cogburn of Columbia University School of Social Work and her team developed a VR experience that gives users the opportunity to “walk a mile” in the shoes of a black man as he faces racism at three stages in his life: as a child, during adolescence, and as an adult.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwPtkULgPpU
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