The development of programs that not only meet the needs of working people but also guarantee their upward mobility through accessible, affordable routes is essential in the effort to improve the quality of education and assist different learners. The new Teaching Assistant Certificate Program at Empire State University is a prime example of a workable strategy for accomplishing this objective. It was created especially to help paraprofessionals—including those from underrepresented groups—to progress in the teaching profession (Smith and Johnson, 2021).
Friday, July 26, 2024
Virginia public colleges, universities, asked to verify that investments aren’t politically motivated - Lisa Rowan, Cardinal News
The governor’s office is asking public colleges and universities in Virginia to verify that their investments, including those tied to endowments and foundations, are free from social or political interests. In a letter obtained by Cardinal News dated July 9, state education secretary Aimee Guidera and finance secretary Stephen Cummings said the state wants to ensure higher education institutions’ “commitment to invest in a manner that prioritizes risk-adjusted investment returns independent of social, political or ideological interests.” The request stems from a conversation between Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the state Council of Presidents in March, according to the letter, which also cites “recent calls for colleges and universities to divest assets tied to Israel.”
Introducing Llama 3.1: Our most capable models to date - Wes Roth, YouTube
Llama 3.1 405B is in a class of its own, with unmatched flexibility, control, and state-of-the-art capabilities that rival the best closed source models. Our new model will enable the community to unlock new workflows, such as synthetic data generation and model distillation. Until today, open source large language models have mostly trailed behind their closed counterparts when it comes to capabilities and performance. Now, we’re ushering in a new era with open source leading the way. We’re publicly releasing Meta Llama 3.1 405B, which we believe is the world’s largest and most capable openly available foundation model. With more than 300 million total downloads of all Llama versions to date, we’re just getting started.
Thursday, July 25, 2024
Open educational resources can address inequalities in HE - Libing Wang and Tianchong Wang, University World News
Despite significant progress in expanding global access to higher education, profound inequalities persist. Teaching and learning resources remain prohibitively expensive, creating financial burdens and retention barriers for students. Furthermore, paywalled, copyrighted content limits academics’ ability to adapt materials for local relevance, particularly in the Global South. The Open Educational Resources (OERs) movement offers a promising solution by providing high-quality teaching and learning materials that are openly licensed. UNESCO has been instrumental in promoting OERs, from the 2002 Forum on the Impact of Open Courseware to the 2012 Paris OER Declaration.
Americans' confidence in higher education falls, poll shows - Kiliane Gateau, Voice of America
Americans' confidence in higher education falls, poll shows - Kiliane Gateau, Voice of America
Confidence in higher education among Americans is declining, according to a recent poll that found 36% of adults expressed a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in higher education, down from 57% in 2015. The Gallup and the Lumina Foundation poll also revealed that more than two-thirds (68%) of adults feel the U.S. higher education system is heading in the “wrong direction” vs. 31% of those respondents saying it is going in the “right direction.” The poll, conducted June 3-23, surveyed 1,005 Americans aged 18 and older.
Oman Education ministry announces AI-driven metaversity plan - Wagdy Sawahel, University World News
Oman is planning to establish a virtual university to serve as a strategic online platform for higher education and to foster a flexible learning environment that will enable students from both inside and outside the country to access educational content. “We are currently studying a vision for establishing an Omani virtual university to provide higher education via the internet,” according to the Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Innovation (MoHERI), Rahma bint Ibrahim Al Mahrooqi, at Majlis A’Shura, Consultative Assembly of Oman, on 24 June. “This initiative seeks to enhance accessibility to education and support continuous learning opportunities for students,” the minister said.
Wednesday, July 24, 2024
A Conversation with Mark Zuckerberg and Meta 3.1 - Rowen Cheung, The Rundown
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Why it matters: Meta’s release of Llama 3.1 405b is a significant moment in AI history because it’s the first time an open-source AI model matches or outperforms top closed AI models like OpenAI’s GPT-4o. By offering a private, customizable alternative to closed AI systems, Meta is enabling anyone to create their own tailored AI. |
Pennsylvania’s budget leaves funds flat for Penn State and others - Ben Unglesbee, Higher Ed Dive
Pennsylvania’s community colleges and its public university system are set to each receive a 6% increase in state funding under a new budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year signed on Thursday by Gov. Josh Shapiro. Legislation signed Thursday will also create a performance-based funding model for Pennsylvania’s four state-related institutions — Pennsylvania State University, Temple University, Lincoln University and the University of Pittsburgh — which receive some state money but largely operate independently. The new funding scheme is set to take effect in the 2025-26 year. For the 2024-2025 year, general support for some public universities will remain flat. Penn State’s public funding once again was left unchanged at $242.1 million — which falls well short of Shapiro’s previous proposal to increase state-related universities’ budgets by 5% this year, the institution noted in a news release.
Examining the influence of technological self-efficacy, perceived trust, security, and electronic word of mouth on ICT usage in the education sector - Shuo Xu, Kanwal Iqbal Khan & Muhammad Farrukh Shahzad: Scientific Reports, Nature
The study assesses the effect of technology self-efficacy (TSE) on ICT acceptance and implementation in China’s education sector. The results revealed that perceived trust mediates the relationship between TSE and the actual use of ICT tools, intention to use ICT tools for information, and intention to use ICT tools for interaction. Further, perceived security and eWOM significantly moderate the relationship between TSE and perceived trust. The findings indicate that it is essential to offer assistance and instruction to students in the educational sector so they can use ICT technology more frequently. It is also crucial for organizations to establish a supportive culture and provide the necessary technological resources to facilitate the use of ICT.
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Majority of Grads Wish They’d Been Taught AI in College - Lauren Coffey, Inside Higher Ed
A new survey from Cengage Group, an education-technology company, released today, found that 70 percent of graduates believe basic generative AI training should be integrated into courses; 55 percent said their degree programs did not prepare them to use the new technology tools in the workforce. “That’s spot on to what I’ve seen and heard,” said Ray Schroeder, senior fellow at UPCEA, an online and professional education association, and a contributor to Inside Higher Ed. Schroeder encouraged universities to require students to take either an introductory course on generative AI that culminates in a project they can use in their portfolio or a senior-year capstone course that ensures they get the most up-to-date skills.
What's next with AI in higher education? - University of Queensland
University of Queensland researchers are playing a key role in the education sector's response to the new learning environment. Associate Professor Jason Lodge from UQ's School of Education is developing a systematic approach to guide educators on how they can adapt to generative AI. "Fundamental changes are underway in the education sector and while the tech companies are leading the way, educators should really be guiding that change," Dr. Lodge said. "We're currently focused on the acute problem of cheating, but not enough on the chronic problem of how—and what—to teach." Dr. Lodge said there are five key areas the higher education sector needs to address to adapt to the use of AI:
The music Industry is coming for AI - Bobby Allyn, NPR
The music industry is coming for AI. A new lawsuit filed by the big three record labels - Universal, Sony and Warner - says their catalogs have been ripped off by two AI music generators. But there is a twist. It's not clear that the courts are on the side of record labels. NPR's Bobby Allyn explains why.
Monday, July 22, 2024
How e-learning can propel mid-career professionals forward - Debleena Majumdar, ET Online cms (45)iStock
Mid-career is often referred to as the period of time when one has already spent the initial few years in building one’s early career and is then trying to look at more long-term growth opportunities. Dr. Prem Das Maheshwari, Business Director - South Asia, D2L shares, “With generative AI redefining white-collar work, individuals are not just content with securing a job but seek a future-proof career. Maheshwari adds that mid-career professionals are likely to favor e-learning due to its flexibility, accessibility, and self-paced learning modalities.
Online educational tool aims to simplify geology - Ashley Fish-Robertson, CIM
Visible Geology includes three tools aimed at helping users understand various geological concepts that may be difficult to envision through traditional teaching. A report titled “2023 Canadian Mineral Exploration HR Outlook,” from the Mining Industry Human Resources Council and the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, found that the number of undergraduate students enrolled in geoscience programs declined by about 42 per cent from 2014 to 2020, decreasing from roughly 4,800 students to only 2,800 in that time. Hoping to inspire more students to study geology, Seequent, a company that specializes in earth modelling and geodata management software, designed Visible Geology, a web application aimed at breaking down basic geological concepts, in collaboration with video game studio CerebralFix.
Massachusetts draws in nontraditional learners with free college program - Laura Spitalniak, Higher Ed Dive
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey Tuesday credited the state’s nascent free community college program for nontraditional students with nearly doubling enrollment among those eligible. MassReconnect, launched last August, covers the cost of community college for state residents 25 and older who don’t have a degree. In the 2023-24 academic year, Massachusetts’s 15 community colleges enrolled 8,411 students in this age group, up 45% from the year before. The initiative also drove an increase in completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which is a requirement for participation, the governor’s office said. Among students 25 and older, 86% filled out the form in fall 2023, up from 79% the year prior.
Sunday, July 21, 2024
Americans More Confident in Two-Year Schools - STEPHANIE MARKEN, Gallup
About half of Americans (48%) say they have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in community colleges. Confidence in community colleges is higher than confidence in four-year colleges and universities, as one-third of Americans report high levels of confidence in four-year institutions. Results for this study conducted in partnership with Lumina Foundation are based on a Gallup Panel™ web survey conducted June 3-18, 2024, with a sample of 2,180 U.S. adults aged 18 and older.
The college-to-corporate pipeline is facing extinction. Here’s why - Steven Schwartz, Fast Company
A third of Gen Z is skipping college before joining the workforce—and opportunities in the internet economy are a major reason why. It’s an inflection point that decades of corporate dread have been building toward. As the first generation to be raised by the internet, Gen Z didn’t spend our childhoods outside—we spent them online. We exchanged ideas and connected with one another over chatbots long before we learned how to prepare for an interview or apply for a job. We participated in makeshift economies in virtual games long before we opened a bank account or submitted a summer job application.
https://www.fastcompany.com/91150442/genz-college-internet-economy
Wisconsin’s public university leaders will get a 15% bonus — if they meet retention goals - Ben Unglesbee, Higher Ed Dive
Most chancellors of Wisconsin’s state universities will receive annual bonuses of up to 15% of their base salaries if their institutions meet key metrics tied to strategic goals, the state’s board of regents voted Monday. For fiscal 2025, the added compensation, which the system dubs “compensation-at-risk,” will be tied to first-to-second year retention rates for undergraduate students, according to documents provided by a system spokesperson. The arrangement does not apply to University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, whose bonus is tied to her staying in the role. Specific targets for each chancellor will be created after 10-day fall enrollment numbers are released this year. The compensation increases come as many of the state’s universities face budget shortfalls and retention challenges.
Saturday, July 20, 2024
Budget 2024 must focus on job-oriented training programmes in higher education to boost employability - Sumit Shukla, Education Times (India)
The current scenario paints a clear picture: the allocation for higher education dipped slightly in the interim budget, while Skill India Mission 4.0, a dedicated programme for skilling youth, deserves a higher allocation. This imbalance highlights a disconnect – we are training youth, but not necessarily aligning those skills with industry needs. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasises a holistic approach, and HEIs are well-positioned to deliver on this vision. By incorporating vocational training programs alongside traditional academics, graduates can emerge job-ready, equipped with not just theoretical knowledge but also the practical skills employers seek.
Getting students workplace-ready - Times Higher Education
The leap from higher education to employment has always been a daunting one, but in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), the post-Covid remote-working revolution and the pressing danger of climate change, the vision of the future has never been murkier. Today’s students need their universities’ guidance through the fog. Here’s how to teach them skills that will always be relevant, offer them the best career services possible, link to industry partners and get them application-ready.
Where to next with AI in higher education? - University of Queensland
University of Queensland researchers are playing a key role in the education sector’s response to the new learning environment. Associate Professor Jason Lodge from UQ’s School of Education is developing a systematic approach to guide educators on how they can adapt to generative AI. “Fundamental changes are underway in the education sector and while the tech companies are leading the way, educators should really be guiding that change,” Dr Lodge said. “We’re currently focused on the acute problem of cheating, but not enough on the chronic problem of how – and what – to teach.” Dr Lodge said there are 5 key areas the higher education sector needs to address to adapt to the use of AI:
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