Another study links college campus reopenings and local coronavirus outbreaks - Natalie Schwartz, HigherEd Dive

A new small study suggests reopening college campuses led to local coronavirus outbreaks, which schools were largely able to manage while their home counties were less successful. The researchers, which examined 30 universities, found cases spiked in the first two weeks of classes at 14 campuses. More than half of the colleges studied saw new cases peak between mid-August and mid-October, when new infections in the U.S. were subsiding, suggesting campus reopenings drove the spread.

https://www.highereddive.com/news/another-study-links-college-campus-reopenings-and-local-coronavirus-outbrea/593251/

What the 2020 census will reveal about America: Stagnating growth, an aging population, and youthful diversity - William H. Frey, Brookings Institution

Recently released Census Bureau population estimates show that from July 1, 2019 to July 1, 2020, the nation grew by just 0.35%. This is the lowest annual growth rate since at least 1900. National population growth began to dip after 2000, especially after the Great Recession and, in recent years, due to new immigration restrictions. Yet the 2019-to-2020 rate is well below most growth rates over the past 102 years, and less than half the level observed as recently as 2000. Part of this sharp decline can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought more deaths and further immigration restrictions. Still, the entire 2010s decade was one of fewer births, more deaths, and uneven immigration. 

https://www.brookings.edu/research/what-the-2020-census-will-reveal-about-america-stagnating-growth-an-aging-population-and-youthful-diversity/

How Students Develop Online Learning Skills - Alan R. Roper, EDUCAUSE Review

Although students can easily locate an online course or degree program that's both convenient and accessible, they may face significant challenges in developing a new set of skills for this type of instruction. Educators have speculated on the development of student skills necessary to succeed in online learning, but relatively few publications cover the topic from the perspective of successful online students. I developed the study summarized here to provide this perspective and to identify useful strategies that instructors can promote in their online courses.

https://er.educause.edu/articles/2007/1/how-students-develop-online-learning-skills

3 Questions to Alt-Ac Vickie Cook - Josh Kim, Inside Higher Ed

Josh Kim:  Dr. Vickie Cook is among the most well-known and respected leaders and scholars in the world of higher education and online learning. I’m honored that Vickie agreed to answer some of my questions about her alternative-academic career....Vickie Cook: I have been very focused on encouraging staff and colleagues to seek out their degree options, to work with organizations outside the university and build networks within the professional community.  I also have been very active in a variety of professional organizations such as UPCEA, OLC, and others to assist with the professional development of those who are entering an alternative academic career pathway for the first time. At the end of the day, universities must meet the needs of their students by providing strong teaching, strong research opportunities, and the ability to demonstrate a positive effect on our world.  No small task.  But, the good news is, we have good people across the country that will help move higher ed forward.

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/learning-innovation/3-questions-alt-ac-vickie-cook

Study Finds Risk Factors Linked to COVID-19 Mental Health Impacts for College Students - Laura Oleniacz, NC State

A study of students at seven public universities across the United States has identified risk factors that may place students at higher risk for negative psychological impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Factors associated with greater risk of negative impacts include the amount of time students spend on screens each day, their gender, age and other characteristics.  Research has shown many college students faced significant mental health challenges going into the COVID-19 pandemic, and experts say the pandemic has added new stressors. The findings, published in the journal PLOS ONE, could help experts tailor services to better support students.

https://news.ncsu.edu/2021/01/study-finds-risk-factors-linked-to-covid-19-mental-health-impacts-for-college-students/

Predictions for higher education worldwide for 2021 - Marguerite J Dennis, University World News

My predictions for higher education worldwide in 2021 and beyond are:

• Students, faculty and staff will travel with Digital Health passports, verifying their COVID-19 test results.

• Students will enrol in colleges and universities with well-established health protocols.

• Students will attend school year-round in some combination of online and in person instruction.

• Credit-bearing, gap year programmes will increase worldwide.

• Students will be admitted year-round and will be notified of admission decisions as soon as their applications are complete.

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20210107134029744

4 priorities for crisis management and communications - DAVID WISEMAN, eCampus News

Regardless of the emergency scenario, crisis management and the ability to quickly disseminate relevant information is essential. A college campus is an exciting place filled with hundreds, thousands—or even tens of thousands—of students seeking to better themselves through education, as well as faculty and campus employees. Aside from providing the facilities, faculty, and resources necessary for a high-quality education, the school also has a solemn obligation to ensure the safety of everyone on campus as well. It is essential to have tools and processes in place to effectively respond to incidents, communicate and collaborate efficiently, and account for all individuals throughout an event. It is a matter of when, not if, a crisis event will occur.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2021/01/08/4-priorities-for-crisis-management-and-communications/

Delay, dismantle, resist: DeVos leaves a legacy like no other Education secretary - NICOLE GAUDIANO and CAITLIN EMMA, Politico

"Be the resistance," DeVos told her agency's career staff on how they should approach the incoming Biden administration, urging them to put students first as she said she always has, according to a recording of her remarks obtained by POLITICO. In a letter to Congress on Monday, DeVos noted her time in her post is finite and encouraged urged lawmakers to reject much of Biden’s education agenda in the coming years. The next Education Secretary will be a departure from DeVos. Connecticut Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona is a longtime educator who won unions' support to be the nation's next top education official, even though they have at times sparred with their state chief.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/04/betsy-devos-education-secretary-legacy-454872

5 higher education trends to watch in 2021 - Hallie Busta, Higher Ed Dive

We're all hoping some degree of pre-pandemic life will return in 2021. But for higher education, many of the trends that dominated storylines in 2020 will continue into this year. We've rounded up a few below and will be following them throughout the year. Colleges collectively enrolled about 560,000 fewer undergraduates this fall, a 3.6% decrease from a year ago. The losses were much steeper at community colleges and among first-time students. While the pandemic hasn't been found to have had a negative effect on overall high school graduation rates, low-income schools and those with high shares of Black and Hispanic students sent far fewer graduates to college this fall. The number of international students at U.S. colleges also tanked.

https://www.highereddive.com/news/5-higher-education-trends-to-watch-in-2021/592691/

How long-term online learning in pandemic may affect college students’ well-being - Lilah Burke, PBS News Hour

Amy Bintliff, a developmental psychologist and professor in the University of California, San Diego’s department of education studies, said that there are some small things this negative experience may improve for some people — students and faculty are learning new skills and becoming more independent. But overall growth, flourishing and a sense of purpose are all important parts of well-being, she said. Clinging to purpose, with small goals as well as large ones, may make the experience easier. “This experience, if we think of it as a growth experience,” she said, “I think we’ll be able to get through it.”

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/how-long-term-online-learning-in-pandemic-may-affect-college-students-well-being

Teaching the teachers: why online learning training will be crucial for higher ed talent prospects - Lisa Malat, Chief Learning Officer

While these groups should all be commended for the resilience they’ve shown under these circumstances, the results from and reactions to this rapid transition to online learning have been understandably mixed. Students are frustrated with a remote learning environment dependent on virtual interactions; they miss the in-person access to professors and other campus resources, as well as to other students. Many instructors are equally frustrated, and, frankly, many are overwhelmed with trying to keep students engaged and motivated to continue with their coursework, as they themselves struggle with learning the skills to adapt to this new way of teaching.

https://www.chieflearningofficer.com/2020/12/29/teaching-the-teachers-why-online-learning-training-will-be-crucial-for-higher-ed-talent-prospects/

Online Education Isn’t the Sideshow. It’s the Main Event. - Chip Paucek, EdSurge

 I can’t predict the future, but my bet is that many of the innovations and changes we’ve witnessed this year will stick around. And I know two things for certain: first, many students will go back to in-person learning, but the demand for high-quality online education and shorter, non-degree learning pathways—like boot camps and short courses—will continue to grow as people upskill, reskill and look for greater flexibility in education. And second: demand for online undergraduate and graduate degrees will grow too.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-12-29-online-education-isn-t-the-sideshow-it-s-the-main-event

Zoom Fatigue: What We Have Learned - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed

Zoom (and other videoconferencing) fatigue was recognized early in the remote learning efforts of 2020. It is real. We have learned much about the cause and some about how to avoid the symptoms that impair communication and learning.  The crucible of massive use of these technologies by less experienced faculty at all levels of education has exposed vulnerabilities and a host of less-than-optimum uses of online conferencing.  Reducing the number and frequency of Zoom meetings may actually enhance productivity, lower frustration and anxiety, and make everyone just a bit happier in these COVID-plagued times.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/online-trending-now/zoom-fatigue-what-we-have-learned

The Importance Of 'Agility' In The Future Of Work - Julia Stead, Forbes

No matter how you slice it, we're at the precipice of a landmark shift in work norms on many frontiers — where we work, when we work, even how we work. And if the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we must remain agile and flexible through it all. Adapting to continued change while integrating the aspects we want to keep in a post-pandemic world will require an agile mindset. It's natural to react to stressful situations by reverting to what we're used to, but thriving in a pandemic requires a different mindset. An agile mindset is akin to the agile methodology used in engineering and marketing; it's one of flexibility, openness to change and adaptability.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2020/11/24/the-importance-of-agility-in-the-future-of-work/

In Challenging Times, Relationships Keep Students Engaged in College Learning - Courtney Adkins and Linda L. García, EdSurge

The pandemic has amplified the inequities that already existed for many students, and it has become clear that colleges must dig deeper to understand the life barriers that affect their students. While colleges can’t solve all of the problems their students encounter, they can work to ensure that students have interpersonal foundations that are essential to their success. They can also help their students understand what they are working toward and assist them in developing a plan to get there. While developing relationships and the work of advising may look different in the virtual world, they remain essential.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-12-24-in-challenging-times-relationships-keep-students-engaged-in-college-learning

This is the online course 2020 needed - Victoria Masterson, World Economic Forum

Emotions can help and hinder attention, decision-making, relationships, health, and performance. So learning to manage them is vital – particularly for teachers and their students – and especially now, with the global pandemic fuelling anxiety. A third of people in the US have reported feeling stress, anxiety or sadness that was difficult to cope with since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. To help manage these feelings, a new 10-hour free online course called Managing Emotions in Times of Uncertainty & Stress is being launched by Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/12/yale-mooc-managing-emotions-uncertainty-stress/

Women at the top of the world, still not at the center: A new network analysis discovery - Tuugi Chuluun and Kevin L. Young, Brookings Institution

For example, only 37 of the companies listed on the Fortune 500 list this year have women CEOs. And only three of them are women of color. Within the public sector, several countries such as Rwanda and Argentina have instituted gender quota systems to increase the representation of women in government. As a result of these and other changes and reforms, the last couple of decades have seen some progress in increasing the number of women holding various positions of leadership globally. However, women, and especially women of color, remain dramatically underrepresented, and the coronavirus pandemic threatens progress we have made on this front because of gender inequality in the division of housework.

https://www.brookings.edu/essay/women-at-the-top-of-the-world-still-not-at-the-center-a-new-network-analysis-discovery/

Ten Ways to Make Online Learning Work: A Guide to Improving Education in the Time of COVID-19 - COVID Collaborative

Remarkably, this report is written by all the former Directors of the Office of Educational Technology, U.S. Department of Education: Linda Roberts, John Bailey, Karen Cator, Richard Culatta, Tim Magner, Susan Patrick, and Joseph South; and by Katrina Stevens, former Deputy Director.  Foreword by former U.S. Secretaries of Education Arne Duncan, John B. King, Rod Paige, Richard Riley and Margaret Spellings.  

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f85f5a156091e113f96e4d3/t/5fbbc55458f7584e716bd479/1606141269131/OnlineLearningPaper_FINAL_11.20_reducedsize.pdf

Virtual Tutoring Program Helps Prepare Future Teachers - BRIA BELL, Spectrum News

A new generation of teachers is learning how to reach students online right out of the gate. Ready, Set, Teach is a program for high school students who want to become teachers. Everything is now online and that fact is giving these future teachers a leg up. Being a student in online classes during the pandemic is great practice for soon to be teachers. Cedar Hill High School students Jessica Graciano and Sydne Webb are picking up lessons from their own teachers about what works and what’s frustrating from a student and teacher’s perspective.

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/san-antonio/news/2020/12/18/virtual-tutoring-program-helps-prepare-future-teachers

The State of Skills 2021: Endangered - Degreed

Massive workforce shifts in 2020 have forced countless workers to refresh their current skills — and build new ones. If you’re wondering what skills are critical to you moving into 2021, it depends entirely on who you are, where you work, and what you do. We’ve organized the following data by your country, industry, and job role to help you identify where skills are most at-risk of becoming obsolete. Our aim is to help workers, team managers, and business leaders focus their limited energy and investments on developing the most urgent skills.

https://stateofskills.degreed.com/

Online learning trend helps students on fringes go to university but reveals stark digital divide - Rebecca Turner, Australian Broadcasting

About 40 per cent of students are aged 25 and over, and the majority of these are women, according to conjoint associate professor Cathy Stone of the University of Newcastle. Dr Stone, an online education expert, said one-third of students were studying part-time and about one-quarter of undergraduate students did their degrees online. Women among those benefitting the most. Of these online students, the average bachelor degree student is a woman aged over 25 and juggling part-time study with work and family responsibilities.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-18/online-learning-helps-students-on-fringes-despite-digital-divide/12971838

Inclusive Design and Design Justice: Strategies to Shape Our Classes and Communities - Amy Collier, EDUCAUSE Review

Design matters in higher education. Inclusive design and design justice provide frameworks and strategies that are attentive to learners for whom education has not typically been designed. In her book Mismatch, Kat Holmes writes, "Design shapes our ability to access, participate in, and contribute to the world."1 When we think about what that means in education—that design shapes students' ability to access, participate in, and contribute to meaningful, transformative learning—we are reminded how seriously we should be taking the concept of design in education

https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/10/inclusive-design-and-design-justice-strategies-to-shape-our-classes-and-communities

As an alternative to a full master's degree, e X and Coursera offer MicroMasters and MasterTrack certificate programs at a fraction of the cost of grad school - Mara Leighton, Business Insider

edX and Coursera both offer cheap or free online graduate courses, many from top universities like MIT, Duke, and the University of Michigan. edX MicroMasters and Coursera MasterTracks are bite-sized portions of master's degree programs.  They can be used to build stand-alone skills to advance your career or as a stepping stone to a full master's program.  We compared MicroMasters and MasterTracks for you here. Overall, the deciding factor will be the program itself. But generally, edX's offerings are cheaper, have more options, and are more lenient than Coursera's.

https://www.businessinsider.com/edx-micromaster-vs-coursera-mastertrack-online-masters-programs

How predictive analytics helps improve student enrollment and retention - Dennis Pierce, eCampus News

Each year, colleges lose up to a third of the students they accept to “summer melt,” and the global pandemic has only made the problem worse in 2020. However, using data analytics and business intelligence programs to make smarter student enrollment choices helped colleges reduce their summer melt by about 1 percent this fall, a new analysis suggests. The report, from AI and business analytics firm Othot, also argues that colleges using these technologies performed three times better than the national average in terms of their fall 2020 enrollment figures.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2020/12/17/how-predictive-analytics-helps-improve-student-enrollment-and-retention/

Preparing U.S. workers for the post-COVID economy: Higher education, workforce training and labor unions - Kristen E. Broady, Moriah Macklin, and Jimmy O’Donnell, Brookings Institution

 We propose three avenues to make progress along these lines. First, doing more to support the higher education sector in skills training. Second, focusing federal worker training programs on particular occupations and skills. And third, doing much more to support private-sector unions. On all three fronts, enormous challenges were evident even prior to the pandemic. For example, for decades the higher education sector has faced significant declines in enrollment in the face of demographic changes and cuts in funding that could help to support necessary innovations. In addition, employer-paid and government-funded worker training have been on the decline for years. Finally, private-sector union membership has been declining for decades, meaning decreased support for on-the-job training and worker protections.

https://www.brookings.edu/research/preparing-u-s-workers-for-the-post-covid-economy-higher-education-workforce-training-and-labor-unions/

Colleges enrolled nearly 500,000 fewer students this fall - Hallie Busta, Higher Ed Dive

College enrollment fell 2.5% this fall from a year ago, almost twice the rate of decline reported in 2019 and representing more than 460,000 students, according to final figures from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center released Thursday. Undergraduate enrollment dropped 3.6% during the period — a difference of more than 560,000 students. It was driven by double-digit decreases at community colleges and among first-time students. Graduate enrollment gains partially offset those declines, rising 3.6% year-over-year, with the most significant increase at public four-year schools.

 

https://www.highereddive.com/news/colleges-enrolled-nearly-500000-fewer-students-this-fall/592323/

Online Learning to the Rescue: Again - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed

 Online learning has helped rescue higher education from the pandemic and from natural disasters, wars and untold disasters.   It is online learning to the rescue again, but this time the change will be far more lasting than an epidemic or huricane. The model of higher education premised on 18-year-old freshmen, right out of high school, is coming to a close. We have an oversupply of colleges and universities to meet that need. The shakeout has begun with faculty layoffs, program cuts and deep deficits. The trends I have been following show this to be undeniable and pervasive. The emphasis for many universities who survive this shakeup will be to serve the "60-year learner" who returns again and again to prepare for work in an ever-changing economy fueled by artificial intelligence.  And, by and large, they are doing this online.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/online-trending-now/online-learning-rescue-again

Now Is the Time to Redefine Learning — Not Recreate Traditional School Online - Christopher Harrington and Elizabeth S. LeBlanc, EdSurge

When we say “stuck at substitution,” some readers may recognize the SAMR model of education technology integration. The SAMR framework describes four different levels of technology use, from Substitution to Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition (SAMR). At its most basic level, education technology can be used to simply substitute: to replace traditional methods of teaching and learning with ones that are digitally mediated, but are still based on the same basic structure and pedagogy. For example, a digital worksheet is still a worksheet in the same way a traditional six-period bell schedule done via Zoom or Google Meets is still a basic substitution of the physical classroom setting for the virtual one.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-12-16-now-is-the-time-to-redefine-learning-not-recreate-traditional-school-online

Advising the Online Student: A Breakout of Advising Frequency, Preferences, and Satisfaction of Online Students - Maeghen MacDonald Kuhn & Brittani Wyskocil Garcia, OJDLA

This breakout study reviews the findings of a 2017 study of Penn State University’s World Campus undergraduate online students. The study surveyed students to report demographic, academic, preferences, and satisfaction information and sought to develop relationships between these variables by their levels of academic success. This breakout study focuses on the findings related to three of the study’s variables: academic advising frequency, interaction preference, and satisfaction of undergraduate online students.

https://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall233/kuhn_garcia233.html

Increasing Student Success with Team Projects in the Virtual Classroom - Jack Deem, et al; OJDLA

Virtual teams have become a major component in the delivery of online courses at Purdue University Global (PUG) and in higher education in general (Olson, et. al, 2015). To help provide employers with qualified candidates for their talent needs, teamwork has been established as one of the six professional competencies that Purdue University Global (PUG) students are assessed for in all programs.  Cross functional working teams were established to review the team project processes. The objective of these teams was to develop recommendations for improving team projects in the curriculum. Initial results showed the main factors impacting student satisfaction with team assignments in the virtual classroom included; poor communication within the team, time schedule issues; and, lack of training for both students and faculty.

https://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall233/deem_beyer_dana_chicone_ringler_ferebee_strouble233.html

Tips to optimize online learning - Rebecca Nissen, BYU Daily Universe

Linked below are tips and tricks that Marshall B. Ketchum University and BYU faculty and staff have shared on how to improve study habits for online learning during COVID-19. Clay Frandsen is a licensed psychologist and director of the BYU University Accessibility Center. Ryan Kellems is a BYU professor of counseling psychology and special education. While Kellems’ tips are suggestions specifically for students with ADHD, any student can benefit from them.

https://universe.byu.edu/2020/12/11/tips-to-optimize-online-learning/

New SUNY program offers online learning - WROC

SUNY is offering free training to all New Yorkers through its new SUNY For All campaign. The virtual education center will prepare eligible students for college and post-COVID careers with training and success coaches to guide them. Students completing online training programs with a high school diploma or equivalent are automatically accepted to SUNY’s 30 community colleges or SUNY Empire State college with zero application fees.

https://www.rochesterfirst.com/news/education/new-suny-program-offers-online-learning/

Zoom Fatigue: What’s Working – Or Not – In College Online Learning - Kirk Carapezza, WGBH News

The most effective online classes are led by professors who show empathy for their students, according to John Mitchell, who chairs the computer science department at Stanford University. Surveys show most students see online learning as a poor replacement for the classroom because they feel so isolated. “It has been very lonely,” Sam Kunz, a graduate student at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, told GBH News. “At the beginning of the semester, it was most certainly the most stressful time of my life,” said Kunz, who was an undergraduate at a small liberal arts college. “When that spotlight is on you in a Zoom room, you’re blown up on everyone’s screen. So you get one shot, and you don’t want to waste it.”

https://www.wgbh.org/news/education/2020/12/10/zoom-fatigue-whats-working-or-not-in-college-online-learning