Student Textbook Spending Continues to Decline - Emma Whitford, Inside Higher Ed

Average student spending on textbooks and course materials continued to decline in the fall of 2020, while the number of units purchased or rented increased, according to data the research firm Student Monitor released today. On average, students spent $186 each on textbooks and course materials this fall, down from $199 in fall 2019. “During the fall semester of 2020, distance learning drove widespread adoption of less expensive eTextbooks in both sales and rentals -- including through subscription models -- leading to a 7 percent decline in spending as compared to the same period last year,” Eric Weil, managing partner at Student Monitor, said in a statement.

https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2020/11/05/student-textbook-spending-continues-decline

Will 2022 Bring a Return to 'Normal' After Mostly Online 2021 Semesters? - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed

Universities are still reeling from the impact of the pandemic; many are closing their campuses after Thanksgiving and moving online. Spring terms will be delayed, break canceled, and online strategies remain at the forefront of delivery modes for the rest of 2021. What lies ahead?  What is the right path for your institution? Is it possible to return to the pre-pandemic normal? Will that approach sustain you through 4IR? Can you somehow maintain a balance of the “old” normal with the “new” normal? Or is the best path for your institution to embrace the future and advance astride business and industry as they move into 4IR?

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/online-trending-now/will-2022-bring-return-normal-after-mostly-online-2021

Using Data and Analytics for Student Success - Brian Davis, et al; EDUCAUSE Review

One of the most powerful tools that technology provides on the path to student success is data and analytics. Data allows institutions to better understand students, rethink systems, and create early-alert mechanisms to help students complete their degree. But finding the best way to use data and analytics can be tricky.

https://er.educause.edu/podcasts/educause-exchange/using-data-and-analytics-for-student-success

The Power of Peer Interaction - Colleen Flaherty, Inside Higher Ed

Professors’ use of active learning methods mitigated some of this negative effect, however. The findings leave the study’s authors “optimistic” about future student learning outcomes, even as “we remain in a period of substantial online instruction.” “Online teaching experience seems to matter, and during Spring 2020 most college faculty accumulated substantial experience,” the researchers wrote of their outlook. Moreover, it’s “possible to incorporate peer interaction such as think-pair-share or small group activities into synchronous online courses,” and these teaching strategies are “significantly associated with improved learning during the remotely taught portion of the semester.”

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2020/11/03/power-active-learning-during-remote-instruction

Artificial Intelligence Will Change How We Think About Leadership - Knowledge at Wharton

 While AI today is good at repetitive tasks and can replace many managerial functions, it could over time acquire the “general intelligence” that humans have, he said in a recent interview with AI for Business (AIB), a new initiative at Analytics at Wharton. Headed by Wharton operations, information and decisions professor Kartik Hosanagar, AIB is a research initiative that focuses on helping students expand their knowledge and application of machine learning and understand the business and societal implications of AI.

https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/artificial-intelligence-will-change-think-leadership/

Top IT Issues, 2021: Emerging from the Pandemic - EDUCAUSE

The EDUCAUSE Top IT Issues list has been refactored for 2021 to help higher education shape the role technology will play in the recovery from the pandemic. What different directions might institutional leaders take in their recovery strategy? How can technology help our ecosystem emerge stronger and fitter for the future? The 2021 EDUCAUSE IT Issues project explores these questions using a very different approach from previous years. Anticipating potential ways institutions might emerge from the pandemic, this year we offer three Top IT Issues lists and examine the top 5 issues within three scenarios that may guide institutional leaders’ use of technology: restore, evolve, and transform.

https://www.educause.edu/research-and-publications/research/top-10-it-issues-technologies-and-trends/2021

The Inevitable Rise of Intelligence in the Edge Ecosystem - Joao-Pierre S. RuthJoao-Pierre S. Ruth, Information Week

\Gill defines the edge as the place where the physical and digital worlds interact, which can include sensors and industrial machine controllers. He says it is a form of distributed computing with assets placed in locations that can optimize latency and bandwidth. Retailers, internet of things, and the industrial world have already been working at the edge for more than a decade, Gill says. The current activity at the edge may introduce the world to even more possibilities. “What’s changed is the huge plethora of services from the cloud along with the rising intelligence and number of devices at the edge,” he says. “The edge completes the cloud.”

https://www.informationweek.com/cloud/the-inevitable-rise-of-intelligence-in-the-edge-ecosystem/a/d-id/1339295

9 student observations about online learning - LAURA ASCIONE, eCampus News

Students spoke candidly about what's working--and what isn't--during online learning in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. A global pandemic can change learning, but it can’t stop it–and during a virtual EDUCAUSE conference session, educators heard directly from students how to best meet student needs during online learning. Moderated by Kate Miffitt, director for innovation in California State University’s Office of the Chancellor, and with questions led by Michael Berman, chief information officer with California State University’s Office of the Chancellor, the discussion covered student engagement, mental health and well-being, online course structure, and much more.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2020/10/30/9-student-observations-about-online-learning/

Learning should be lifelong, not end at graduation - Marguerite J Dennis, University World News

In Wikipedia, lifelong learning is defined as ‘the ongoing, voluntary and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge either for personal or professional reasons’. The definition recognises that learning is not confined to childhood or to the classroom but takes place throughout life and in a range of situations. The Oxford dictionary defines lifelong learning as the practice of continuing to learn throughout one’s life to foster the continuous development and skills needed for employment and personal fulfilment. Both definitions recognise the need for continuous learning throughout one’s life.

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20201027103637927

The 60-Year Curriculum: A Strategic Response to a Crisis - John Richards and Chris Dede, EDUCAUSE Review

Profound changes in underlying technology (digitization), in combination with root and branch organizational adaptation (reengineering, or what is often called "digitalization"), have altered the global, socioeconomic environment. These forces of change and adaptation have produced what we are calling "the synergistic digital economy." Students and workers in the synergistic digital economy no longer expect that their jobs will represent a progression through a single career during a lifetime. They instead expect that their current job or career will, at some point, disappear or evolve, forcing them to prepare for novel jobs in several new careers at unpredictable points throughout their lives. The requirement to prepare for a lifetime of changing employment is not optional.

https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/10/the-60-year-curriculum-a-strategic-response-to-a-crisis

These companies are redesigning 'Zoom University' - Hallie Busta, Education Dive

Two startups run by ed tech experts are tailoring videoconferencing software for use in virtual college classrooms, but their approaches differ. The limits of traditional videoconferencing software in education applications have been on display in recent months. Two companies emerging to address the need for tailoring are taking divergent approaches: tweaking an existing platform with add-ons or creating a new company entirely. Dan Avida, CEO and  his spouse - Daphne Koller (co-founder of Coursera) - are launching Engageli, a company borne from the pandemic, is taking the latter approach. ClassEDU, whose co-founder and CEO Michael Chasen — who also co-founded and led Blackboard — cited Zoom's wide uptake and scalability as reasons creating an add-on for the software, rather than building a separate platform, was "a no-brainer."

https://www.educationdive.com/news/these-companies-are-redesigning-zoom-university/587876/

Coursera saw a 398% increase in users between March and April - Lara Sorokanich, Fast Company

In recent years, much of the investment in online learning has focused on companies such as Coursera, which offer users affordable college courses and professional development. While these more traditional education platforms have seen huge spikes in users and funding during the pandemic, consumers have also demonstrated a growing appetite for online classes geared toward entertainment and enrichment. MasterClass is adding more content, while Airbnb and Instagram Live have emerged as learning hubs, with influential instructors teaching everything from dance to poetry writing to cocktail making.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90560954/coursera-saw-a-398-increase-in-users-between-march-and-april-heres-how-online-learning-is-taking-off-across-platforms

Coursera's Most Popular Online Courses - Lucy Foster, Entrepreneur

The most popular courses on Coursera give an idea of what the world wants to learn. The most well-enrolled MOOCs - or Massive Open Online Courses - tend to be in business or technology. Online courses to improve time management and remote work are also on the rise.  Coursera has released its 10 most popular titles as of 2019 , which are a good indication of where the world of work is heading. There are no prizes for guessing digital skills and artificial intelligence, which occupy seven of the top 10 spots.

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/358518

Thriving in the era of pervasive AI: Deloitte’s State of AI in the Enterprise, 3rd Edition - Beena Ammanath, David Jarvis, Susanne Hupfer; Deloitte

For the third straight year, Deloitte surveyed executives about their companies’ sentiments and practices regarding AI technologies. We were particularly interested in understanding what it will take to stay ahead of the pack as AI adoption grows—and we wanted to learn how adopters are managing risk around the technologies as AI governance, trust, and ethics become more of a boardroom issue.  Adopters continue to have confidence in AI technologies’ ability to drive value and advantage.

https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/cognitive-technologies/state-of-ai-and-intelligent-automation-in-business-survey.html

Report: How to Get the Good Changes to Last - Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

How much of the innovation that's taking place right now in education will still be around when the instability of the pandemic has slowed down? That's a question that the Christensen Institute has tried to understand in a new paper published today. The positive changes taking place in schools aren't simply the ones that have to do with the virus, the report noted. They're also tied to the other one confronting America right now: systemic racism, which "perpetuates inequality and injustice." Both types of pandemics "deeply challenge our education system."

https://thejournal.com/articles/2020/10/20/report-how-to-get-the-good-changes-to-last.aspx

The Link Between Academic Fraud and Cybersecurity Risk - Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

Since students have returned to school and remote learning this fall, there has been a dramatic increase in internet searches related to academic fraud — that's according to data from Cisco Talos. In a recent blog post, the threat intelligence team detailed how essay mills operate and how academic fraud websites can lead to more serious cybersecurity threats. It's a wild ride through falsified app reviews, shoddy workmanship and a rabbit hole of malicious activity.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2020/10/23/podcast-the-link-between-academic-fraud-and-cybersecurity-risk.aspx

COVID-19 could change how professional programs teach online - Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Education Dive

The pandemic forced disciplines such as medicine and law to make unforeseen and unprecedented adjustments that may stick around. These programs usually need to conduct much of the coursework face-to-face, as students must hone real-world skills, such as being in a courtroom or a hospital. Frequently, state regulators, accreditors and other oversight entities mandate that only a certain amount of the learning be digital.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/covid-19-could-change-how-professional-programs-teach-online/586829/

How COVID-19 is changing the business of online learning for colleges - Natalie Schwartz Hallie Busta Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Education Dive

The past seven months have offered some answers and a glimpse at what challenges and opportunities may be ahead. That's why Education Dive spoke with dozens of college officials, ed tech experts and other industry observers to learn how they're responding to the crisis and gearing up for what comes next. Although their opinions vary, they can agree on one thing: Online learning will play a much larger role in the higher education sector going forward.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/how-covid-19-is-changing-the-business-of-online-learning-for-colleges/586828/

Who Is Missing From College During the Pandemic? A Lot of Students, Actually - Jeffrey R. Young, EdSurge

New numbers released last week from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found that undergraduate enrollment in the U.S. is down 4 percent this year, compared to last year and enrollment of students starting their college careers is down 16 percent. And that, mind you, is based on the beginning of the term. Robert Kelchen, a professor at Seton Hall University who studies higher education, says it’s too early to tell whether students who have started this semester are able to finish it. “And that’s something that could end up being a real concern,” he says.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-10-20-who-is-missing-from-college-during-the-pandemic-a-lot-of-students-actually

UDL’s essential place in the post-pandemic learning environment - KIMBERLY COY, eCampus News

Leveraging Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, will help ensure effectiveness and a level of normalcy in an unexpected new learning reality. UDL comes from an educational framework first conceptualized in architecture with Universal Design – creating spaces that are accessible to all – and the challenges of special education, where learning and teaching based on the “average” student was not effective. A framework that considers wide differences in human behavior and teaches to every student is critical now more than ever. UDL provides a framework to reach every student through online teaching by utilizing neuroscience for learning and following the 3 main principles of engagement, representation, and action and expression.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2020/10/21/udls-essential-place-in-the-post-pandemic-learning-environment/

What we can learn from Coursera Professional Certificates and Google Career Certificates - Beverley Oliver, Campus Morning Mail

Certificates are marketed as career-focussed, affordable (go as fast as you like, pay only after a seven-day free trial), on demand (start when you’re ready) and “hands-on”. Most are provided by companies such as IBM, Google, SAS, Salesforce and Facebook, rather than traditional educators. Most are IT-related, though a few are in areas such as customer engagement and sales development, and many take less than six months. There is some evidence, particularly from Google, that their short courses enable learners to get jobs and launch new careers, including those who would been unlikely to enrol in higher education. By any measure, these certificates are relatively inexpensive as long as the learner can maintain commitment and pace. 

https://campusmorningmail.com.au/news/what-we-can-learn-from-coursera-professional-certificates-and-google-career-certificates/