Heard on Campus: The possibilities presented by open educational resources - Anne C. Osterman, Penn State News

“OER (open educational resources) is about more than student savings — it is about student success and lifelong learning. It is about faculty empowerment and increased student engagement. It is about equity and diversity. … This is an opportunity for collaboration across the institution, from faculty to instructional designers to librarians to assessment professionals.”
https://news.psu.edu/story/583142/2019/08/09/impact/heard-campus-possibilities-presented-open-educational-resources

AI For CXOs -- Redefining The Future Of Leadership In The AI Era - Sameer Dhanrajani, Forbes

AI is undoubtedly going to become one of the sources of lasting competitive advantage for enterprises. According to research, 4 out of 5 C-level executives believe that their future business strategy will be informed through opportunities made available by AI technology. This requires a leadership mindset that is AI-first and can spot opportunities for artificial intelligence solutions to exploit. By democratizing AI solutions across the organization, enterprises can ensure that their future leadership continues to prioritize the deployment of this technology in use cases where they can deliver maximum impact.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/07/30/ai-for-cxos-redefining-the-future-of-leadership-in-the-ai-era/#2d287fcc2b46

How emerging technology is reshaping higher ed - Natalie Schwartz, Education Dive

Pressure is growing for colleges to improve student outcomes, but sliding enrollment and tighter budgets threaten their ability to do so. In response, they are deploying technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics that promise to help them do more with less. Some colleges are using those tools to improve how they recruit and retain students. Others are using them to bring more accessibility into the classroom or to create personalized learning plans. But effective implementation is key, as the wrong move could negatively impact the student experience and even push learners away. In the five stories below, we examine how colleges are putting such technologies to work and what higher education leaders need to know to implement them effectively.
https://www.educationdive.com/news/summer-reading-how-emerging-technology-is-reshaping-higher-ed/560053/

The radical transformation of the textbook - BRIAN BARRETT, Wired

Pearson’s digital-first initiative will dramatically bring down textbook costs on average, albeit by phasing out the concept of ownership. But increasingly, colleges are embracing textbooks that cost … nothing. Just as traditional software has a thriving open source community, textbooks have Open Educational Resources, complete textbooks that typically come free of charge digitally, or for a small fee—enough to cover the printing—in hard copy. And while it’s not an entirely new concept, OER has gained momentum in recent years, particularly as support has picked up at an institutional level, rather than on a course by course basis.
https://www.wired.com/story/digital-textbooks-radical-transformation/

Decision-Making Should Be a Required Course in Every High School - Steven Johnson, Medium

We spend too much time making kids memorize facts instead of giving them the skill that will help them throughout their lives. But the most important argument for instating decision-making as a required course for high school students is this: No matter what you do in your life, no matter what career path you take, the ability to make the right choice when it really matters is a skill that will serve you well for the entirety of your adult life. No doubt there are a thousand electives out there — in high schools and college humanities programs, not to mention business schools — that dabble in some of these decision-making themes. It’s time we brought them into the core.
https://medium.com/s/story/farsighted-decision-making-should-be-a-required-course-in-every-high-school-6b5a836c1e1e

Top 5 Digital Transformation Trends In Education For 2020 - Daniel Newman, Forbes

It’s that time of year again where we take a look at the top digital transformation trends in the coming year in several industries. First up: education. As we all know, the only thing constant in digital transformation is change. So, how have digital transformation trends in education changed as we move toward the coming decade? And what, if anything, has stayed the same? The following are my top picks for not just technology trends but overall shifts in how we’ll be learning and connecting through technology moving forward.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2019/08/01/top-5-digital-transformation-trends-in-education-for-2020/

AI Ethics Still In Its Infancy - Alex Woodie, Datanami

 AI is having a moment in the sun. There’s no doubt about that. But despite the trillions in value that AI is expected to bring over the coming years thanks to widespread automation of repetitive tasks through emergent tech like neural networks, there’s a major issue dogging AI: the rules of road for what’s ethical and what’s not are vague, and that’s a problem. Vic Katyal, who heads up risk and security at Deloitte Consulting, advises large companies on how to think about AI and deal with ethical issues that arise.
https://www.datanami.com/2019/08/02/ai-ethics-still-in-its-infancy/

Take a peek at the research behind educator micro-credentials - LAURA ASCIONE, eSchool News

A growing consensus recognizes educator micro-credentials as promising new professional learning resources.  Educator micro-credentials are gaining more mainstream acceptance, but it’s important to ensure the process surrounding micro-credentials is grounded in rigorous research, according to a new whitepaper from Digital Promise. The potential of these educator micro-credentials lies in their ability to help educators bolster their professional learning at scale, according to the report–they leverage an online tech platform that gives access to “competency-based, on-demand, personalized, and shareable opportunities to demonstrate and be recognized for their professional learning.”
https://www.eschoolnews.com/2019/03/08/research-educator-micro-credentials/

Why AI And Chatbots Need Personality - Bernard Marr, Forbes

The attribution of human feelings and beliefs to inanimate things is called anthropomorphism. It is important to keep this principle in mind and make use of it when creating responses that resonate with people. Consumers will become frustrated with a bot similar to how they would with a human if their queries don’t produce a helpful response. They always want to receive the right response at the right time. Anything less than that will lead to frustration.   There’s more than the technology to consider when building out a chatbot. Be intentional about your bot’s personality so that it can produce the best results for your company.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2019/08/02/why-ai-and-chatbots-need-personality/

“The $300 textbook is dead,” says the CEO of textbook maker Pearson - Eric Johnson, Recode

So instead of selling giant hardcover textbooks like Calculus: Early Transcendentals (list price for a new hardcover copy: $277.20), Pearson is going to start renting digital textbooks for $40 to $80, updating them over the air. Next month, it will launch the first of a new series of mobile apps called Aida — a portmanteau of AI and Ada Lovelace — that will let calculus students take a picture of their homework and, Fallon said, get step-by-step corrections.
https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/8/2/20750863/john-fallon-pearson-education-textbook-digital-aida-teachers-kara-swisher-recode-decode-podcast

Google chops 'www' off URLs in Chrome's address bar, to widespread annoyance - Catherine Ellis, Tech Radar

If you use Google Chrome, you might notice your address bar (or the 'omnibox' as Google calls it) looking a bit less busy than usual. That's because the browser is chopping what Google calls 'trivial subdomains' off URLs, including 'www' and 'https' prefixes, and 'm' for mobile sites. The update is rolling out right now with with Chrome 76 for desktop and mobile devices. Google claims that it will make Chrome more simple and accessible, showing only the part of the URL that the user types, but security-minded web users and developers aren't so sure.

https://www.techradar.com/news/google-chops-www-off-urls-in-chromes-address-bar-to-widespread-annoyance

China has started a grand experiment in AI education. It could reshape how the world learns. - Karen Hao, MIT Technology Review

Experts agree AI will be important in 21st-century education—but how? While academics have puzzled over best practices, China hasn’t waited around. In the last few years, the country’s investment in AI-enabled teaching and learning has exploded. Tech giants, startups, and education incumbents have all jumped in. Tens of millions of students now use some form of AI to learn—whether through extracurricular tutoring programs like Squirrel AI, through digital learning platforms like 17ZuoYe, or even in their main classrooms. It’s the world’s biggest experiment on AI in education, and no one can predict the outcome.
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/614057/china-squirrel-has-started-a-grand-experiment-in-ai-education-it-could-reshape-how-the/

Using OER courseware to improve your curriculum - BRANDI THOMAS, eCampus News

While the use of OER (open educational resources) is often praised as a low-cost and more accessible alternative to physical textbooks, there’s still a lot of criticism surrounding OER courseware. Many educators are concerned about issues such as compatibility with existing learning management systems, quality of materials, course customization options, and more. But there is an often-overlooked middle ground between OER and traditional textbooks: enhanced OER courseware. This type of digital solution builds a course on a foundation of OER materials, then enhances it with ancillary materials such as analytics, assessments and videos.
https://www.ecampusnews.com/2019/08/02/using-oer-courseware-to-improve-your-curriculum/

5 Ways Technology Is Making Students Anxious - Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

A new study that involved more than a million American high school students, found that adolescents who spent more time on screens (e.g., social media, the Internet, texting, gaming) and less time on non-screen activities, experienced lower psychological well-being. Adolescents who spend little time on electronic communication were the happiest. In short, technology makes teens unhappy, but why? What is it about technology that makes people unhappy? Psychologist, Dr. Ellen Hendriksen, puts forward five ways technology exacerbates anxiety in people.
https://www.thetechedvocate.org/5-ways-technology-is-making-students-anxious/

2U slows growth plans citing rise in competition for online education - Hallie Busta, Education Dive

Online program manager 2U lowered its growth expectations — again. It will launch fewer new programs and expects smaller program sizes going forward in response to growing competition for online education, it told analysts in a call Tuesday evening about its second-quarter earnings. The shift caused the value of the company's stock to drop by 65% as of the market close Wednesday afternoon. 2U also revised down its growth projections last quarter, attributing the decision to increased selectivity among its university partners. The change of tack comes as the online education market crowds, with more players providing a range of program types and price points. That trend is reflected in 2U's moves to broaden its offerings through acquisition.
https://www.educationdive.com/news/2u-slows-growth-plans-citing-rise-in-competition-for-online-education/559961/

U Illinois Intros Online Foundation Courses Leading to Tech Master's - Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign has launched a new set of courses through Coursera that will help prepare non-technical people to tackle technical master's degrees. The specialization is intended to act as a "performance pathway" for the institution's online graduate degrees in computer science and data science. The three foundation courses will help students prepare for an entrance exam that could strengthen their application to the degree program.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2019/07/31/u-illinois-intros-online-foundation-courses-leading-to-tech-masters.aspx

Want to learn programming? Here are cost-effective platforms to learn coding - Abhijit Ahaskar, Live Mint

New Delhi: Computer programming, commonly referred to as coding, is currently one of the most coveted skills in the technology industry. With more organizations going online, there’s an increased demand for coders in almost every industry. According to market surveys, a basic coding job in JavaScript pays $22,000 (around ₹15 lakh today) per year, while those with programming skills in blockchain and artificial intelligence can earn around $80,000 per year. In case you are interested in adding coding skills to your resume, there are several online platforms dedicated entirely to coding, which can get you started with their simple, time-bound courses.
https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/want-to-learn-programming-here-are-cost-effective-platforms-to-learn-coding-1564633955923.html

Visioning Your Unit's Future - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed

So how does one go about making the right decisions, taking the correct course of action in this time when technology turns on a dime and competition springs up seemingly out of nowhere? There is no single path to assured security, but there is an array of steps that can be taken to help to assure success. They are a scaffold to creating a vision. Too often in meeting with online program leaders on campus visits, at conferences, and in “second-opinion” calls, I find colleagues have no clear vision beyond keeping within budget and maintaining the status quo with modest growth. That is not the recipe for success in this environment of expanding competition and changing best practices. Successful visioning for those in our field includes much information gathering:
https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/online-trending-now/visioning-your-unit%E2%80%99s-future

European Framework Offers Promise of Portable University Credentials - Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

Recent reporting by Class Central shed light on a new initiative in Europe among MOOC providers and the universities they work with to launch a program for creating portable credentials for learners. The European MOOC Consortium announced its Common Microcredential Framework in April. EMC was founded by five MOOC operators: FutureLearn, France Université Numérique (FUN), OpenupEd, Miríadax and EduOpen. The big goal of the framework is to "lay the foundations" of a new international credential that university partners could use to serve lifelong learners, according to the consortium.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2019/07/29/european-framework-offers-promise-of-portable-university-credentials.aspx

4 applications for VR in higher education - CONNOR BRADY, eCampus News

Virtual reality (VR) is continuing to grow in both popularity and accessibility. And more and more higher education institutions are embracing VR technology. According to Internet2’s 2018 VR/AR in Research and Education Study, 28% of higher education institutions are integrating VR into their campuses, and that number is only going up. With easy mobile access and affordable VR viewing hardware, more and more universities and colleges will find utility in offering immersive experiences for prospective students. But there are many different uses for VR. And once an education institution has proven some success in one area, the use of VR in applications like facilities management, fundraising, and other applications will become much more common.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2019/07/26/4-applications-for-vr-in-higher-education/

What Do Students Get in Return for Their Tuition? - Steven Mintz, Inside Higher Ed

According to the figures reported, Arizona State spends $7,830 on instruction for each of its 103,530 students. Southern New Hampshire, in contrast, spends $1,224 and Western Governors, $1,980. Put another way, Southern New Hampshire’s per student instructional spending is just 16 percent of ASU’s, and WGU’s just 25 percent. Remember, this is spending on instruction, not athletics, information technology, research, development, or construction and maintenance. The figures “include wages and benefits to faculty and staff members who teach students at the institution, but they do not include costs that fall under the separate category of ‘academic support,’ like course development and academic administration.”
https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/what-do-students-get-return-their-tuition