Transitioning to Remote Work - Ana Borray, EDUCAUSE

Ana Borray is Senior Director for Professional Learning and Development at EDUCAUSE. She is the editor of the Professional Development Commons blog for EDUCAUSE Review. I have been working remotely for several years, and I must say, it took me a while to get in the groove and start to like it. So I thought I would share some of the things I learned and some of the things I did that have helped me be successful as a remote worker.
https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2020/3/transitioning-to-remote-work

How to speed up Wi-Fi: 17 ways to boost your Wi-Fi speed - Christina Mercer-Myers, TechWorld

So, your home is your new office. Perhaps you noticed the WiFi is a bit sluggish compared to your prior office? It may be worth checking out your signal and doing a couple of tweaks. Obviously, there will be factors that are out of your control, but trying lots of different things to improve your Wi-Fi speeds should give you some ammunition to go back to your broadband provider with. Most of the tips we offer are free, however some will cost you a little money, so perhaps try them out last.

https://www.techworld.com/picture-gallery/developers/reasons-your-wi-fi-speed-stinks-how-boost-wi-fi-signal-3633986/

VPNs Are a Valuable Tool in COVID-19 Times - Chandra Steele, PC Magazine

VPNs are a major piece of internet infrastructure holding together the work-from-home workforce right now and providing a way for people to get vital news in countries with censorship. VPNs encrypt web traffic, keeping data safe and protecting privacy. You may have a corporate VPN that you connect to for work, or you can elect to use one for yourself.  During the last two weeks of the COVID-19 crisis, VPN usage in the United States has gone up 124 percent. In that same period in Italy, it has gone up 160 percent, according to Atlas VPN.  In these countries where social distancing is a necessity, VPNS provide a way to make online behavior safer, whether you're working remotely or streaming hours of video.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/vpns-are-a-valuable-tool-in-covid-19-times

MIT’s deep learning found an antibiotic for a germ nothing else could kill - Tiernan Ray, ZD Net

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard last month described in the scholarly journal Cell how they used a deep learning neural network to identify a molecular compound that's different from most antibiotics. They showed that when the compound is injected in mice, it fights bacteria that no existing drug can eliminate. The discovery even has implications for fighting the coronavirus that is causing the Covid-19 disease.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/mits-deep-learning-found-an-antibiotic-for-a-germ-nothing-else-could-kill/

Do you have a cold, the flu, or COVID-19? - PAUL RATNER, Big Think

What symptoms to watch for, how to get tested, what to do if you're sick, and when to go to the doctor.

• Differences in symptoms exist between a cold, the flu and coronavirus.
• The CDC issued specific recommendations about what to do if you're sick and when to get tested.
• Calling the doctor is important if you feel sick or have questions.

https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/do-you-have-a-cold-the-flu-or-covid-19

Tools for Online Learning During the Coronavirus Pandemic - Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

As more and more colleges and universities are shutting down their campuses over the next several weeks in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, education technology companies have stepped forward to help move student learning to the virtual realm. Some companies are making their paid services free through the rest of the school year; others are lifting limits to services and/or adding premium features to what's free. The following list will be updated regularly as announcements are made.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2020/03/16/free-and-discounted-ed-tech-tools-for-online-learning-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic.aspx

Make “work from home” work for you - Laura Mae Martin, Google

In my job at Google, I advise people on how to use their time as efficiently as possible. When working from home, my productivity strategies are even more important because I don’t have the ordinary structure of a day at the office, like commuting to work, walking to meetings, or running into coworkers. When your house becomes your office, you need to learn a whole new routine.  etting work done when your teammates aren’t physically with you has been the norm at Google for a while. So I put together some of my go-to productivity tips—no matter where you’re working—and a few things I’ve learned about how to get it all done from home.
https://www.blog.google/inside-google/googlers/make-work-from-home-work-for-you/

Subscription Rather Than Tuition - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed

What if we subscribed to learning and educational engagement throughout our careers? Subscription models abound. They are the sustainable future of higher education. It is all about growing with the learners from where they are today to where they will be tomorrow through evolving and expanding continuing professional education and engagement.
 https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/online-trending-now/subscription-rather-tuition

We’re not going back to normal - Gideon Lichfield, MIT Technology Review

Social distancing is here to stay for much more than a few weeks. It will upend our way of life, in some ways forever. We all want things to go back to normal quickly. But what most of us have probably not yet realized—yet will soon—is that things won’t go back to normal after a few weeks, or even a few months. Some things never will. What counts as “social distancing”? The researchers define it as “All households reduce contact outside household, school or workplace by 75%.” That doesn’t mean you get to go out with your friends once a week instead of four times. It means everyone does everything they can to minimize social contact, and overall, the number of contacts falls by 75%.
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615370/coronavirus-pandemic-social-distancing-18-months/

5 Security Tips for Work-From-Home Professionals - Ben Dickson, PC Week

But while working from home will reduce your chances of contracting (or spreading) coronavirus, it will expose you to new risks. Your company network usually has plenty of safeguards that provide a measure of protection against hackers and scammers. When you’re at home, you’re less protected against these threats. The first thing you should know is that you’ve just become a more valuable target. Hackers now have a bigger incentive to go after those working at home, because if successful, they’ll have access to valuable company data and resources.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/dont-get-scammed-5-security-tips-for-work-from-home-professionals

With spotty sick leave and health care, adjunct professors worry about the spread of coronavirus - Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, Washington Post

The spread of the coronavirus in the United States is rattling adjunct instructors. Few receive health insurance through the colleges and universities where they work, and fewer still have paid sick leave. Even adjuncts with access to paid time off say there are barriers that impede their ability to take advantage of the benefit.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/03/17/with-spotty-sick-leave-health-care-adjunct-professors-worry-about-spread-coronavirus/

Why social distancing can help colleges stem the spread of coronavirus - Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Education Dive

Heeding health experts' advice, institutions are taking instruction remote and some are vacating residence halls. The tactic university officials are using is called social distancing. It has somewhat of a buzzword as the new coronavirus, and the respiratory illness it causes, COVID-19, has taken hold in six of the world's seven continents. Social distancing refers to the practice of staying away from large gatherings and crowded areas, such as shopping centers and stadiums. In a university setting, it could apply to classrooms and residence halls, in which students study and live in close quarters.
https://www.educationdive.com/news/why-social-distancing-can-help-colleges-stem-the-spread-of-the-coronavirus/574055/

The 2020 Educause Horizon Report, Teaching and Learning Edition - Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed

The 2020 Horizon Report: Teaching and Learning Edition is noteworthy given how much the publication has improved in comparison to previous efforts. The team that Educause gathered to create the Horizon Report has pulled off a difficult trick. They built on the traditions of the report (which dates back to 2002 with the now-defunct New Media Consortium), while thoroughly updating the methodology and presentation of the project. The Horizon Report begins by discussing five macro trends that provide the context in which postsecondary teaching and learning are evolving.
https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/learning-innovation/2020-educause-horizon-report-teaching-and-learning-edition

EDUCAUSE Resource Page for COVID-19 Higher Ed

This resource page was created to help higher education institutions plan for possible campus disruption by COVID-19, or Coronavirus 19—a respiratory disease caused by a novel (new) coronavirus. This virus has been detected in the United States (CDC, COVID19 Summary).

 

https://library.educause.edu/topics/information-technology-management-and-leadership/covid19

Ray Schroeder, UIS AVC / UPCEA Sr. Fellow with advice to faculty delivering class online for first-time - CAPE at University of Illinois Springfield

Advice for faculty members who have to quickly transition their courses to an online or remote instructional format from UIS Associate Vice Chancellor for Online Learning, Ray Schroeder responds based on 25 years in the field and having played an instrumental role in the 2005 Sloan Semester Katrina initiative.
https://youtu.be/x07fswrmriU

How on-the-job training became the new graduate degree - John Schwarz, Fast Company

So, what’s the fix? Offering employer-supported education is an obvious solution, although not a simple one. Developing in-house training ensures your workforce has the skills your business needs, but it also makes them more attractive to competitors—and we’ve certainly lost our fair share of great employees to our competition. But the simple truth is becoming increasingly apparent: Employers no longer have the luxury of staying out of the education game. Train now—or pay later.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90465141/how-on-the-job-training-became-the-new-graduate-degree

Best practices in emergency response through online - Ray Schroeder

Ray Schroeder, Associate Vice Chancellor of Online at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) and UPCEA Senior Fellow shares observations of best practices in the emergency response.  Based on 25 years in the field and having played an instrumental role in the 2005 Sloan Semester emergency response to the Katrina hurricane, Ray shares practical advice to colleges and universities.
https://youtu.be/DeRY0mEqIVI

Report: Enrollment woes could push colleges to use AI and data analytics -Natalie Schwartz, Education Dive

Colleges may need to lean more on artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics to curb the effects of a declining number of traditional-age students, as well as lower levels of state support, according to a new report from Educause. The 2020 Horizon Report pinpoints some of the challenges higher education leaders are facing and how emerging technology may be able to help. AI and data analytics could aid institutions in finding new pockets of prospective students and help them be more successful while in college, the report's authors write.
https://www.educationdive.com/news/report-enrollment-woes-could-push-colleges-to-use-ai-and-data-analytics/573512/

With $120 million and few students, California’s new online community college faces audit - Nanette Asimov, San Francisco Chronicle

The California state auditor will take a deep look at the state’s unaccredited new online community college, Calbright, to learn whether it’s offering students what it promised — and whether its $120 million cost to taxpayers so far is money well spent, lawmakers said this week.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/With-120-million-and-few-students-15090852.php

This is not my usual post, but I believe it is more important than anything else I can post today

We are at an inflection point in the US today - if we don't act seriously now, we will be like Italy and Iran within one week!  -ray

https://medium.com/@ariadnelabs/social-distancing-this-is-not-a-snow-day-ac21d7fa78b4

 

 

 

7 Best Practices for COVID-19-Necessitated Online Meetings - Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed

The good news is that most campuses are now well set up to move meetings from face-to-face to online. It is only over the last couple of years that web-meeting platforms have become a ubiquitous campus tool. (Can anyone argue against this assertion, or provide any data to back it up?) The quality of web meetings has also greatly improved in recent years. Again, I give Zoom lots of credit for this advance. Zoom's focus on simplicity (fewer features) and quality (video and audio streams) has made web meetings a more reliable experience.
https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/learning-innovation/7-best-practices-covid-19-necessitated-online-meetings

‘An Eviction Notice’: Chaos After Colleges Tell Students to Stay Away - Anemona Hartocollis

One after the other, like dominoes, colleges announced that because of coronavirus fears, they were suspending classes and asking students to pack up and go. The abrupt disruption of the semester caused widespread concern and a feeling of chaos on campuses across the country. Administrators saw spring break as a chance to reset the clock in the battle against the coronavirus. One after the other, like dominoes, they announced they were suspending classes and asking students to pack up and go.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/us/colleges-cancel-classes-coronavirus.html

20 Tips for Working From Home - Jill Duffy, PC Magazine

The outbreak of the coronavirus has more people working from home. If you're new to working remotely, these tips from a home-office pro can help you stay productive and maintain balance. Some employers are encouraging or requiring people to work from home for an indeterminate amount of time. If you're new to the work-from-home lifestyle, whether due to coronavirus or because you've managed to find a remote-based job, you'll need to change some of your habits and routines to make working from home a success.I've worked 100 percent remotely for more than five years, and I have some friends and colleagues who've done it, too. Many of the core issues we face as remote employees are the same.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/get-organized-20-tips-for-working-from-home

What Katrina Taught Us About Online Delivery - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed

In 2005, more than 120 U.S. universities came to the aid of some 20 colleges and universities that had been impacted by Hurricane Katrina through shared online classes.  Most importantly, a number of lessons were learned in our experiences 15 years ago about how we can best provide emergency online delivery of classes. Many of these may be applicable in cases where campuses may be impacted by sequestrations and other restrictions due to the spread of COVID-19.
https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/online-trending-now/what-katrina-taught-us-about-online-delivery

Open Educational Resources Are ‘Moving Up the Adoption Ladder’ Around the World - Rebecca Koenig, EdSurge

Open educational resources have gone global and may help make learning more accessible, equitable and inclusive around the world. So says the new Educause Horizon report, which identifies technologies and trends that are changing higher education. This year’s forecast was created by nearly five dozen higher education experts, a third of them from institutions outside of the U.S. OER was one of six “emerging technologies and practices” the panelists highlighted as most likely to significantly influence postsecondary teaching and learning in the future.
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-03-03-open-educational-resources-are-moving-up-the-adoption-ladder-around-the-world

How the skills gap is changing the degree path - Mikhail Zinshteyn, Education Dive

To address demand for job-specific training, these colleges are giving students more ways to gain work experience and short-term credentials while in school.  Pressed to respond to students' concerns about the rising cost of higher education and their sometimes-foggy understanding of how their learning translates into jobs, some colleges are reshaping the degree pathway. Their motivation for doing so is not only internal. Nontraditional education providers are proving to be stiff competition. Bootcamps prepare information technology and web-development workers in months, not years. And multinational firms now produce their own certificates that promise to be gateways to meaningful entry-level work.
https://www.educationdive.com/news/how-the-skills-gap-is-changing-the-degree-path/572382/

Inclusive Teaching and Course Design - Chris Gamrat, EDUCAUSE

As an instructional designer, I've thought a lot about the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the context of teaching and learning. But where to start? Determining how best to incorporate DEI into course design and teaching was overwhelming. I began by reading articles and attending workshops, but I still felt that while I was gaining perspective on students' needs, I didn't know how to focus my energy to effect change. That is when I decided to create a list of considerations to help faculty and instructional designers create courses and learning environments where students feel welcome and connected.
https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2020/2/inclusive-teaching-and-course-design

AI to Take Much Greater Role in Privacy Compliance - David Nagel, THE Journal

Artificial intelligence will power 40 percent of privacy compliance technologies within the next htree years. That’s up from 5 percent now, according to market research firm Gartner. According to Gartner: “Privacy leaders are under pressure to ensure that all personal data processed is brought in scope and under control, which is difficult and expensive to manage without technology aid. This is where the use of AI-powered applications that reduce administrative burdens and manual workloads come in.” Among the drivers, according to Gartner, is the need for organizations to respond quickly and accurately to subject rights requests (SRRs).
https://thejournal.com/articles/2020/02/27/ai-to-take-much-greater-role-in-privacy-compliance.aspx

Students Continue Learning Through Coronavirus School Closures with AI-Based Tech - Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

With schools in Asia shuttered in response to the coronavirus outbreak, a UK company has offered its education technology software free to affected students so they can continue taking classes in digital form. According to London-based Century-Tech, more than two dozen schools have already taken advantage of the offer. Century's program is an online learning platform that the company said uses artificial intelligence to create learning pathways tailored and adapted for each student. Students can use the online program to continue lessons in English language arts, math and science.
https://thejournal.com/articles/2020/02/24/students-continue-learning-through-coronavirus-school-closures-with-ai-based-tech.aspx

Promising but tough road for OER degree pathways - ELLIE ASHFORD / MATTHEW DEMBICKI, Community College Daily

But an initiative started by Achieving the Dream (ATD) nearly three years ago aimed to help community colleges build a cohesive set of courses that aligned toward a degree. The new study by SRI Education and the rpg Group examined the academic and economic effect of the OER Degree Initiative on the 38 participating community colleges and their students. Overall, the effort did save money for students (about $65 per student, per course), improved their learning experience and was cost-effective for the colleges, the study says. Students who took multiple OER courses, on average earned more college credits over time than similar students who didn’t take OER courses, it says.
https://www.ccdaily.com/2020/02/tough-road-oer-degree-pathways/

Udacity Drives AI Understanding For Business Leaders - Udacity AI is transforming many aspects of the workplace. What is often missing, however, is the understanding within management of how best to apply these new technologies to fully exploit their potential. To help management teams overcome this obstacle, Udacity has worked closely with the BMW Group on the design and creation of the Executive Program. The BMW Group has been skilling its employees for over two years using Udacity's courses, with a particular focus on data analysis and machine learning. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/udacity-drives-ai-understanding-for-business-leaders-301008991.html

AI is transforming many aspects of the workplace. What is often missing, however, is the understanding within management of how best to apply these new technologies to fully exploit their potential. To help management teams overcome this obstacle, Udacity has worked closely with the BMW Group on the design and creation of the Executive Program. The BMW Group has been skilling its employees for over two years using Udacity's courses, with a particular focus on data analysis and machine learning.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/udacity-drives-ai-understanding-for-business-leaders-301008991.html

Exploring Motivation in an Online Context: A Case Study - Maggie Hartnett and Jon Dron, CITE Journal

With the increasing ubiquity of new technologies, many claims are being made about their potential to transform tertiary education. In order for this transformation to be realized, however, a range of issues needs to be addressed. Research evidence suggests that motivation is an important consideration for online learners. This paper reports on one aspect of a case study situated within a larger study that investigates the nature of motivation to learn of preservice teachers in an online environment. Using self-determination theory as an analytical framework, the focus here is on the underlying concepts of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The ways in which certain social and contextual factors can foster perceptions of these needs being met are explored. Most prominent among these were the relevance of the learning activity, the provision of clear guidelines, and the ongoing support and feedback from the lecturer that was responsive to learners’ needs. Supportive, caring relationships were also important.
https://citejournal.org/volume-14/issue-1-14/general/exploring-motivation-in-an-online-context-a-case-study/

Largest-ever study of impact of Open Educational Resources in college reveals benefits of introducing OER courses on a broad scale - Achieving the Dream

The study—conducted by SRI Education and rpk GROUP and released at Achieving the Dream’s 2020 DREAM conference here today—found that students enrolled in OER courses earned more credits than non-participating peers and that the effort was cost-effective not just for students but for institutions. Students at the participating colleges saved $10.7 million on the cost of learning materials. As courses became established, institutions were in position to recover their costs or even, in some instances, generate income from the effort as more students signed up for the OER courses.
https://www.achievingthedream.org/news/18002/largest-ever-study-of-impact-of-open-educational-resources-in-college-reveals-benefits-of-introducing-oer-courses-on-a-broad-scale

How Technology Is Changing the Future of Higher Education - Jon Marcus, NY Times

It is one of a small but growing number of places where experts are testing new ideas that will shape the future of a college education, using everything from blockchain networks to computer simulations to artificial intelligence, or A.I. Theirs is not a future of falling enrollment, financial challenges and closing campuses. It’s a brighter world in which students subscribe to rather than enroll in college, learn languages in virtual reality foreign streetscapes with avatars for conversation partners, have their questions answered day or night by A.I. teaching assistants and control their own digital transcripts that record every life achievement.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/education/learning/education-technology.html