Microsoft details the most clever phishing techniques it saw in 2019 - Catalin Cimpanu, ZDNet

This year's most clever phishing tricks include hijacking Google search results and abusing 404 error pages. While phishing attacks increased, the number of ransomware, crypto-mining, and other malware infections went down, the company said at the time. In a blog post published today, the Redmond-based tech giant reviewed three of the more clever phishing attacks it seen this year.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-details-the-most-clever-phishing-techniques-it-saw-in-2019/

5 Easy Mistakes to Make When Collecting Feedback for Your Online Course - Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Getting feedback from learners about your online course is important. Feedback from course goers tells you what you can do to improve the course for future students. Asking for feedback from existing students also makes them feel that you value their input, which means they might enroll with you for another course. Asking for feedback from students on your online course can make you feel somewhat uncomfortable, but it can only help you to improve your courses and gain more students. Let’s look at some of the mistakes to avoid when you’re collecting feedback about your online course.
https://www.thetechedvocate.org/5-easy-mistakes-to-make-when-collecting-feedback-for-your-online-course/

College credit where credit is due — recognizing ‘prior learning’ - Frank Swanzy Essien Jr., Medium

With a little help, nearly 36 million Americans who spent some time at college but never finished could be encouraged to resume their studies and get their degrees. What would it take? For starters, we need to improve recognition for prior learning, or RPL. In other words, we need better, more efficient processes for giving students credit for what they’ve learned outside of a college campus. That includes skills learned at work, in apprenticeships, at training courses, and much more. Receiving credit for what students know and can do could be a powerful motivator to continue school and graduate.
https://medium.com/todays-students-tomorrow-s-talent/college-credit-where-credit-is-due-recognizing-prior-learning-f359a751d043

Learn how to future-proof your campus - BRADLEY FUSTER, eCampus News

The current campus-based, semester-delivery model is unlikely to sustain itself into the next century--efforts to future-proof campuses will pay off. In any ecosystem, if one waits long enough, eventually a cataclysmic disruption occurs. The final years at Blockbuster Video, Kodak Corporation, and Toys “R” Us, all share the consistent systemic failure to respond to disruptive threats: a willful ignorance to reexamine and adjust their product, services, and business model. Higher education is behaving much the same way. Until institutions acknowledge both the impending disruptive threat and the risk of not appropriately responding, higher ed remains a vulnerable enterprise.
https://www.ecampusnews.com/2019/12/11/learn-how-to-future-proof-your-campus/

Ratings Agencies Post Mixed Outlooks for Higher Education - Rick Seltzer, Inside Higher

Two ratings agencies offered differing opinions Tuesday on the future of the U.S. higher education sector. Moody’s Investors Service raised its U.S. higher education outlook from negative to stable as it sees steady revenue streams, solid reserves and strong operating performance at large comprehensive universities bolstering the sector over the next year to 18 months. Fitch Ratings kept a negative outlook in place, predicting continued operating pressures as challenges persist from a moderate number of students graduating from high school, limited public funding levels and slowing tuition growth.

https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2019/12/11/ratings-agencies-post-mixed-outlooks-higher-education

Online Enrollments Grow, but Pace Slows - Doug Lederman, Inside Higher Ed

New federal data show that more than a third of all 2018 college and university students took at least one online course, and that online enrollments continue steady growth as overall numbers dip. The proportion of all enrolled college students who took at least one online class continues to rise, edging up to 34.7 percent in fall 2018 from 33.1 percent the previous year. The rate of increase appears to be slowing ever so slightly, although online education remains the main driver of growth in postsecondary enrollments. These are among the conclusions one might glean from the latest federal data on distance education enrollments, drawn from the Education Department's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.
https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2019/12/11/more-students-study-online-rate-growth-slowed-2018

Collaboration in hard times in higher education - David Porter, University Affairs Canada

Collaboration in hard times in higher education - David Porter, University Affairs Canada
At its best, collaboration in higher education can inspire teachers, students, researchers and administrators with a common vision of educational excellence and the sense of purpose needed to help achieve it. But despite known benefits, collaboration is often hostage to structural and cultural constraints that limit the open sharing of ideas and activities. In an environment of fiscal restraint, tendencies toward isolationism are intensified with predictable results – the aspiration to sustainable action on multiple fronts that is needed to address the dynamic training and education challenges of today is replaced with an attitude of let’s look after ourselves. What we need, instead, is collaboration to go forward.
https://www.universityaffairs.ca/opinion/in-my-opinion/collaboration-in-hard-times-in-higher-education/

Leading Companies in North America Partner with Coursera to Execute on Digital Transformation - Business Wire

Coursera, the world’s leading online learning platform, today announced several new customers as part of its fast-growing enterprise business. In 2019, large organizations including Mastercard, Southwest Airlines, Adobe, and the NYC Department of Small Business Services initiated or continued partnerships with Coursera for Business to equip employees with the skills of the future. To date, Coursera has helped over 2,000 companies and governments worldwide achieve their skills development goals, including more than 60 companies in the Fortune 500.
https://www.ksl.com/article/46688448/leading-companies-in-north-america-partner-with-coursera-to-execute-on-digital-transformation

Workers are taking courses online to communicate better off-line—here’s why - Abigail Hess, CNBC

It may sound counter-intuitive, but today workers are turning to online courses to improve their off-line communication abilities. According to a recent analysis by LinkedIn Learning, the No. 1 topic that learners took the most courses in this year was communication. The trend could be seen across all age brackets, from Generation Z workers at the beginning of their careers to baby boomers at the management and executive levels. One reason communication was the most popular topic, Emily Poague, vice president of LinkedIn Learning told CNBC Make It: There is a large volume of communication classes offered online, driven by a strong interest.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/09/workers-are-taking-courses-online-to-communicate-better-off-line.html

5 Proven Ways to Make Your Good Online Course Great - Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

Recent research uncovered just a handful of distinct elements that set great online teaching apart from the merely good. The findings came out of interviews with eight faculty members who have won awards for their online teaching from three professional associations: the Online Learning Consortium, the Association for Educational Communications & Technology and the United States Distance Learning Association. According to the research, undertaken by Swapna Kumar and Albert Ritzhaupt at the University of Florida and Florence Martin and Kiran Budhrani at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, award winners emphasize five musts for their online courses
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2019/12/09/5-proven-ways-to-make-your-good-online-course-great.aspx

Woman Charged With Paying Someone to Take Online Classes for Her Son - Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed

Karen Littlefair, a California woman, has been charged and has agreed to plead guilty to charges that she paid someone to take online courses for her son, and to transfer the credits to Georgetown University, where he was a student. Littlefair paid the money to Rick Singer, the mastermind of the college admissions scandal, but her son was already enrolled at Georgetown. For the $9,000 she paid, her son received credit for four courses. He graduated from Georgetown last year. Littlefair agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The government will recommend a sentence of four months behind bars.
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2019/12/10/woman-charged-paying-someone-take-online-classes-her-son

Gartner: 10 Ways Technology Will Change What It Means to Be Human -Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

"The human condition is being challenged as technology creates varied and ever-changing expectations of humans," according to research firm Gartner. That's the theme behind 10 strategic predictions it has made for 2020 and beyond: ways that technology will change the way humans interact with their environment and each other.  "Technology is changing the notion of what it means to be human," noted Daryl Plummer, distinguished vice president and Gartner Fellow, in a statement. "As workers and citizens see technology as an enhancement of their abilities, the human condition changes as well. CIOs in end-user organizations must understand the effects of the change and reset expectations for what technology means."
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2019/12/04/gartner-10-ways-technology-will-change-what-it-means-to-be-human.aspx

Mixing in Online Courses Boosts Outcomes for CC Students - Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

A statewide study of 30 SUNY community colleges found that, overall, students who successfully completed online courses nearly doubled their chances of earning a degree or transferring to a four-year college. However, racial minority students had reduced outcomes. As reported in the study published recently in the Online Learning Journal, the current thinking holds that "some students" do worse when they study online compared to when they attend face-to-face classes.   The results, developed by Peter Shea at SUNY's University of Albany, and Temi Bidjerano at South Carolina's Furman University pulled data from 45,557 students attending community colleges for the first time in New York between fall 2012 and fall 2017. 
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2019/12/05/mixing-in-online-courses-boosts-outcomes-for-cc-students.aspx

Our Greatest Strength Is Our Greatest Vulnerability - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed

The greatest strength of online learning is the anytime and anywhere characteristic, but the online aspect is also our greatest vulnerability.  We tend to think often about the worldwide reach and impact of online learning. Through online, we have the power to change lives and societies. However, we are seriously vulnerable, more so, one might argue, than our campus-based colleagues. The online digital nature of our field is such that we are subject to outages and cyberattacks.  As we move toward the integration of more “smart” AI applications such as neural networks,   concerning strategies are emerging. Intelligent chat boxes, “smart” assistant programs and learner face- or voice-recognition programs all carry vulnerabilities due to the emergence of adversarial machine learning, creating another approach to compromising our online learning programs. 

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/online-trending-now/our-greatest-strength-our-greatest-vulnerability

4 Benefits of Adaptive Learning in Corporate Training - Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Adaptive learning is transforming education. It is changing the way learning content is delivered and contributing to better learning outcomes. What is adaptive learning exactly? Adaptive learning uses technology to deliver personalized learning by adjusting the path and pace of learning for each student, optimizing their chances of success. Adaptive learning leverages artificial intelligence to tailor content to each learner’s needs. Specifically, the system adapts to the confidence level and level of understanding of each learner. Let’s look at the benefits of adaptive learning in corporate training.
https://www.thetechedvocate.org/4-benefits-of-adaptive-learning-in-corporate-training/

The Difference Between Mobile Learning and eLearning - Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

The delivery of education has advanced over time as different technologies became available, and people’s lifestyles started to change. With the advent of computers and the internet, classes were no longer confined to a building, and distance learning became possible. With the advancement of technology, students received their learning materials via their computers and laptops, and eLearning came into being. The next development was mLearning, where students receive their learning materials on their mobile devices. There are several differences between these two forms of education.
https://www.thetechedvocate.org/the-difference-between-mobile-learning-and-elearning/

Can colleges launch data science programs fast enough? - Natalie Schwartz, Education Dive

But colleges are largely struggling to add or expand their programs to keep up with the growing demand for such workers. More than 150,000 jobs requiring data science skills are unfilled, with particularly severe shortages in large cities such as New York City and Los Angeles, according to a 2018 report from LinkedIn.  IBM is hoping to help. In September, the technology company announced it is working with the U of Pennsylvania and the Linux Foundation to create an open-source data science curriculum kit that any institution can use.
https://www.educationdive.com/news/can-colleges-launch-data-science-programs-fast-enough/568126/

Nexus Degrees in Georgia - Madeline St. Amour, Inside Higher Ed

Colleges in the University System of Georgia will soon offer a new credential similar to an associate degree, featuring a flexible curriculum and specific workforce skills. Adult students could return to college to complete a nexus degree, which could move quickly if they have already completed core requirements. Albany State is planning nexus degrees in both blockchain with machine learning and blockchain with data analytics. Other institutions in the system are looking at offering nexus degrees in strategic languages or health-care fields, Denley said.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/12/04/georgias-public-colleges-soon-will-be-offering-new-form-two-year-degree

Who Is Responsible for Biased and Intrusive Algorithms? - Michael Kearns and Aaron Roth, Knowledge@Wharton

Algorithms have become part of our everyday lives. Whether one considers jobs, loans, health care, traffic or news feeds, algorithms make several decisions for us. While they often make our lives more efficient, the same algorithms frequently violate our privacy and are biased and discriminatory. In their book The Ethical Algorithm: The Science of Socially Aware Algorithm Design, Michael Kearns and Aaron Roth, professors at Penn Engineering, suggest that the solution is to embed precise definitions of fairness, accuracy, transparency, and ethics at the algorithm’s design stage.
https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/who-is-responsible-for-biased-and-intrusive-algorithms/

The Rise of Do-It-Yourself Education - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed

DIY has become pervasive in our culture. In part it is fueled by the internet, most particularly by YouTube. In part it is energized by time and money savings. It is further driven by the possibility of personalization and customization to meet individual needs just in time and just in place. More than 50 percent of the DIY-ers are between 24 and 44 years of age, and the numbers are growing. This trend is immutable now; it is continuing to grow in numbers and expand into new fields every year. Perhaps we have not been losing learners in the U.S. at all. In fact, there may be millions more postsecondary learners in the U.S. than ever before; they are simply not enrolling directly in colleges and universities, but instead choosing to DIY via MOOCs and other online, nondegree modes.
https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/online-trending-now/rise-do-it-yourself-education

Going digital – A big challenge for universities - Alejandro Caballero, University World News

Around the world traditional, campus-based universities are facing headwinds as they try to expand student enrolment. The challenge is especially acute in more advanced developing countries where the college-age population is shrinking for the first time due to decreasing birth rates. In addition, the rise of the gig economy and the decline of lifelong professions are leading some young people to wonder if the classic four-year campus college degree is still worth it. Meanwhile, the appetite for digitally delivered higher education continues to grow.
https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20191126141606776