What if you could learn alongside a proven CEO and founder in an industry you were curious about?  Imagine learning about finance, sales & marketing, & product development through direct application on a daily basis.  Would you learn more than studying these disciplines in college? Could this be a viable solution for the much publicized skills gap that learners and employers are experiencing to power the 21st century economy? Well, I discuss the apprenticeship model with Shaila Ittycheria, co-founder of Enstitute.  Don’t miss it! Guest Bio: Shaila Ittycheria made a decision at 18 that changed her life. Frustrated with the lack of business focused opportunities, coupled with the exorbitant tuition costs, she dropped out of the elite Middlebury college and enrolled at Arizona State University. She pursued as many experiential learning opportunities she could get her hands on, including writing her thesis in collaboration with Intel. That experience landed her a job at Microsoft, first in a finance leadership development program to then running her own M&A deals. After receiving an MBA from Harvard Business School, Shaila worked to establish herself in the NYC startup scene. Interestingly, it wasn’t the degree that opened up doors, but rather her experience working at recently launched BirchBox, which led her to LocalResponse, where she ran the half of the company focused on small business solutions. For Shaila, Enstitute is a solution that provides opportunities she wished she had when she was younger, coupled with the problems that she witnessed first hand as a hiring manager: graduates lack the critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning skills they need to be successful in the workplace and they do not have any substantial experience that illustrates their potential. Rather than letting the name of an academic institution define someone’s worth, Shaila hopes to build a system that maximizes human capital potential by focusing on skill based knowledge, developed competencies, and proven work experience. Shaila has been named a 2013 Echoing Green Fellow and a 2012 Francis Hesselbein Institute NEXT Leader of the Future. She speaks often on education, learning by doing, and workforce development and has also been featured in The New York Times, PBS,Forbes Magazine, CNN, The Huffington Post, and Fast Company. Show Notes: (2:02)  Shaila’s story (16:15)  What is Enstitute? (19:52)  What is the commitment for an employer? (24:39)  What is your vision for the apprenticeship model from a scale perspective? (28:59)  What about the culture shift to acceptance of new models like this one? (35:04)  If you could have dinner with one person you admire, past or present, who would it be and why? *  Grandparents *  Sir Ken Robinson (37:14)  How to contact and support Enstitute *www.enstitute.org @enstitute @shaila & @kanes For more episodes featuring thought leaders in education visit MeetEducationProject.com, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and follow Nick DiNardo on Twitter.

Students at the Globe University-Appleton campus were treated to cupcakes and "bookworms" during National Library Week, which took place April 13-17. Many activities took place on campus that students and faculty could interactively participate in. Librarian Michelle Karbon wanted to make sure students were aware of the many advantages of a library, whether it be public or academic, by hosting activities and displaying faculty/staff book recommendations. She also held a donation drive for C.O.T.S. of Appleton, a local homeless shelter. One of the activities around campus was interactive poster boards with various literary questions. One question asked: "What do you think about when you hear the word library?" The answers were varied and included answers such as "an escape!", "a lot of knowledge", and "perfect place to study." Another activity held in the library was "bookish" magnet making, which students loved so much last year that it was requested again this year. "Magnets are an awesome arts & crafts project for any age and make great gifts!" says Karbon. Some of the magnets were even made with old recycled books! National Library Week also coincides with National Poetry Month, so a display of poetry books and a "Make Your Own Shakespearean Poetry" magnetic poetry board were also available in the library. About National Library Week First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries - school, public, academic and special - participate. Students working on magnet making during National Library Week The post Celebrating National Library Week at GU-Appleton appeared first on Globe University Blog.

When it comes to college students, technology is not only critical to learning, it’s an essential tool for communication and a means of engagement. This infographic presents which educational technology is most important to undergraduate students and how it helps their academic experience and achievement. Source: e-Learning Infographics

It’s an exciting time for startups and aspiring business founders. With investors pumping so much money into the industry it’s easy to see why. We’re hearing more and more about "unicorns" valued at over a billion dollars and companies spending enormous sums to acquire other businesses. The numbers look amazing. But not all funding rounds and acquisitions are cause for celebration. We saw that with what happened to Lane Becker. His company, Get Satisfaction, had raised over $20M in funding and was once valued at $50M. They were recently acquired, but he and his co-founders didn’t see a dime of it. I appreciate the sentiment, but don't congratulate me on the GS acquisition. The founders were washed out of the deal. We got nothing. — Lane Becker (@monstro) April 8, 2015 Although not every deal ends like this one, it should act as a cautionary tale for founders to remind them that raising lots of money doesn’t necessarily mean there will be a big payoff. There are many factors to consider before diving into a big VC investment. In this article I’ll explain how we think about funding at Magoosh and the risks that founders take when they go for big VC money. Fundraising at Magoosh At Magoosh, we raised a seed round of funding in 2011 (and some more in 2012), ~$750K total. We were cash flow positive by May 2012, broke $100K in monthly sales by September 2012, and have been growing off revenue ever since. We’ve had the opportunity to raise additional funding but thus far we’ve decided against it. Raising money, while alluring, signs us up for a very high-growth trajectory—that’s the promise we’d be making to the investors whose money we’d take. And right now, I believe our business, employees, and customers are best served if we continue with our current growth path. Some might call us a lifestyle business, though our early investors should hopefully see a >10x return on their investment. Maybe we’re an indie business. Regardless of what we’re called, we are choosing a more controlled growth path for now. A path that enables us to maintain our optionality and culture: the Happiest Company in Education with no employee having left voluntarily for another job. At some point, we may choose to raise a larger round of funding. If we do, we’ll do our best to ensure we have a clear path to a big return on the new investment at the new valuation. But right now it feels like too much of a gamble. I recognize that some companies don’t have the luxury of this choice. They may be pre-revenue and focusing on user growth—the only way to survive is to raise additional capital. Other founders might actually want to go BIG and be the next Facebook, Twitter or bust, and I respect that. That takes courage. But if you’re a founder, think before you leap. VC economics is a tricky field to master. Do your research and be intentional. Here’s a primer to help. VC Economics and Expectations When you take VC money, you should understand what potential outcomes might look like and what you’re signing up for. Don’t be surprised like founder Alex Blumberg was in this candid podcast conversation with his investor, Chris Sacca (starting at 11:12): Here are some factors to consider before you dive in. High Valuation and Growth Trajectory With a big round of funding at a high valuation, you are implicitly making a promise to your investors that you’re going to swing for the fences. In other words, you just signed up to be a big company. Get Satisfaction raised a $10M round at a $50M valuation, so they were promising to go huge (>$500M). As Lane told Business Insider: "We took a $10 million investment very prematurely […] At the time we were entertaining some acquisition offers. In hindsight, they would have been wise acquisition offers to take. The executive team got stars in their eyes about the money and took the investment. When you raise $10 million at a $50 million valuation, that is a serious promise you’re making with your business." Raising $10M is a serious promise. Your VCs are expecting a big outcome because they’ve made promises to their investors too. And swinging for the fences can actually be sound business strategy for a VC, but if you don’t hit a home run, you may get nothing. Let’s break it down to see why this is the case. VC Strategy A VC firm isn’t investing its own money. It’s investing the money of its investors, Limited Partners (LPs). The LPs would like a return of at least 20% per year. This means that over a 10-year period, the VC needs to generate a 6x return. Let’s say the VC invests in 10 companies per year, and each company needs 10 years to reach liquidity (some type of acquisition or IPO). One approach is to invest in 10 "modest" growth companies where each one grows in value by 6x over that 10-year period. That’s risky because if a few of them can’t hit the 6x mark in 10 years then the VC doesn’t get the return for the fund. Bad strategy. Instead, many VCs look for home runs, companies that might generate a 100x return (the next Uber or Slack). If VCs invest in these high-growth, high-risk startups, they don’t have to worry about the strikeouts (i.e., companies that give them no return) because the few remaining companies will still yield huge returns. You can see why it makes sense for VCs to encourage companies to spend on growth foregoing short-term profit or an early exit. Some companies might fail, some might have modest returns, and a few will be big. But those big ones, 60x or more, provide a return for the entire VC fund, and every other positive outcome is gravy. It’s a reasonable strategy for a VC, and if you raise big, you should be prepared to try to grow fast and not sell early. Now, this all is an overly simplistic view of VC economics, and there’s a lot more nuance to it. If you plan to raise money, you should read Brad Feld’sVenture Deals cover to cover. And know that sound strategy for a VC might not be the best strategy for you. They have more "at bats" with other companies while founders only get one (or one every 5 or so years). Moral of the Story If you’re a first-time founder, consider what raising big VC money means before you go down that path. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. At Magoosh, we are choosing to be very deliberate. But if you want to take a shot at hitting the next home run, by all means go for it—just know what you are getting into. Image created by Magoosh Graphic Designer Mark Thomas.

College is expensive. This is a fact of life.  The costs can be daunting, as is the prospect of large student loan payments. Rebecca Harrell, veterinary technology student and winner of $3000 in scholarships! Congratulations, Rebecca! Fortunately, there are ways to reduce this cost and the amount of loans to be repaid, as Rebecca Harrell, veterinary technology student at Globe University-Wausau, found when she investigated scholarship opportunities. "I was looking for scholarships to fill out," Rebecca said. "I found a news article that had a list of legitimate websites that had easy, no-essay applications. My favorite in this list was ScholarshipExperts.com." It was from this site that Rebecca won two scholarships, totaling about $3,000.00.  Rebecca said, "This site was user-friendly to navigate, and applying was easy. They said that they were looking for creative essays or essays that just made them laugh, and these essays had to be 250 words or less. There were a lot of different topics to write about, too, and the topics were fun to think about! One asked, ‘What three things would you bring to a zombie apocalypse and why?’ Another asked for a top 10 things about yourself list." Rebecca encourages everyone to check out this site. She said, "When you first go to ScholarshipExperts.com, click on the Our Scholarships link towards the top of the page, and that will get you to their full list. If you are in doubt, apply, because you never know."  She continued, "One thing I learned in this process is that when it comes to scholarships, a lot of them can be very easy to win simply because no one else applies for them. Thousands of dollars every year go to waste simply because no one applies for them." Chris Carlson, financial aid manager at Globe University-Wausau, agreed. He said, "More scholarship money goes unused every year than gets used in this country." He said that is particularly unfortunate at Globe University, because Globe will match up to $1000 per year in external scholarship funds for every Globe student who qualifies, every year that student attends Globe. Globe students can find scholarship opportunities through Globe. For example, every quarter the Globe University-Wausau campus offers two $2,000 community service scholarships to eligible students. These applications are due in week eight of each quarter, so students should apply now! There are many other scholarship opportunities with Globe University, and all students who are interested in reducing the cost of their education should take a look. Chris encourages students to not stop there.  They should look for scholarship opportunities in their community as well. He suggests first establishing a separate e-mail account for this purpose, and then looking to:   Employers of the student or their family   Local businesses   Fraternal organizations like the VFW or American Legion   The "animal clubs" like the Elks, Lions, Eagles, Moose, etc.   Local foundations or charitable organizations   Churches or other religious groups Chris and Rebecca both encourage all Globe University-Wausau students to see what opportunities are out there, and to take advantage of any and all they qualify for. The money is there, waiting to be awarded. If you apply, some of it could be yours… If you don’t, it is certain that none of it will be. So why not give yourself have a chance? The post Globe University - Wausau Student Finds Fun Way to Reduce the Cost of College appeared first on Globe University Blog.

I was recently invited to participate as a panelist in a Blackboard webinar discussing results of study of 200 senior education leaders from universities across the U.S. exploring trends in learning management systems and online learning and engagement strategies. The webinar archive is available here via Blackboard Collaborate as well as YouTube. In addition to commenting on the findings from the study, I was asked to try forecasting the future of online learning at my institution, in which I briefly touched on a few trends related to online teaching and learning at NIU (discussed below) that I see continuing. Growth in online learning plateau It’s unrealistic to expect the exponential growth that we’ve seen over the past decade nationally in students taking online courses to continue indefinitely. Rather, I believe we are going to begin seeing a plateau and stabilization in the growth of online learning in the coming years as online modes of learning become commonplace and are no longer perceived as "new" but are rather just part of the fabric of higher education. New niche programs to meet student demand, targeted at students in region I anticipate that we’ll see our institution develop new niche programs to meet student demand as well as market demand, targeted at students in our region. With the majority of our current online students currently within the Northern Illinois region and trends toward students preferring to enroll in online programs from institutions within a 100 radius, I envision that new programs that we develop will be tailored to students in our Midwest area. Online programs to attract new students, increase revenue, and improve retention Online programs will be one means for attracting new students, increasing revenue, and improving retention. Given the heavy competition in the online learning space, institutions will be well-served to identify their competitive advantages and clearly communicate these advantages to prospective and current students. I see some fantastic opportunities for institutions to leverage emerging learning analytics and outcomes data combined with new models of student support services online to see retention rates among online programs be equal to or even superior to traditional face-to-face retention rates. Coherent online strategy and financial model is critical for buy-in from institutional leaders In conversations that I’ve had with chief online learning officers and leaders at institutions that have vibrant online programs, it’s clear to me that a coherent institutional online strategy and financial model is critical for gaining buy-in from institutional leaders. Our institution is currently in the midst of a significant internal budgeting overhaul as we look to maximize our available resources to make academically responsive and fiscally responsible budgeting decisions. Investment in central support infrastructure needed to scale current offerings As we look to scale our current offerings, investment in centralized support infrastructure is needed. Our institution has taken a very decentralized approach to this point and left majority of development and support of online programs to individual colleges and departments. While this has provided a great deal of autonomy, duplication of efforts and inconsistency often results when each separate college or department tries to build their own infrastructure. For many aspects of online program development and support, we can be more efficient institutionally and offer a better online learning experience to our students by centralizing many aspects of the online program infrastructure to maximize expertise and resources. What specific support is centralized varies by institution. Focus on student career success With our current institutional keystone goal of student career success, we are aligning all our resources and efforts in focusing on this goal of ensuring that students leave NIU prepared to make and impact and be successful in their career. I forsee online learning as being one avenue by which we are able to make available to students high quality, engaging, and flexible learning opportunities that fit their busy lives. Especially for adult learners who have families, jobs, etc. and are seeking to improve their career or perhaps change careers, I see online programs as being a key component of our full complement of program offerings. Articulation agreements with other institutions We are continuing to focus on developing articulation agreements with other institutions that bring added value to the NIU education. An example of such an agreement is a recent reverse transfer pact that NIU signed with a local community college that was hailed by Illinois Lt. Governor Sheila Simon as, "a student-centered reform that should be implemented at campuses across the state." Basically, this agreement allows eligible NIU students who transferred from nearby Kishwaukee Community College without associate’s degrees to earn the two-year degree using credit from NIU courses. If for any reason a student then must stop-out for a period of time while finishing their undergraduate degree, they will have an associates degree credential. Students want a hassle-free transfer process and to receive credit for the work they do. Agreements like this and others will make it even easier for students to incorporate educational opportunities from multiple institutions. Mix of online and blended/hybrid programs I see a mix of fully-online as well as blended/hybrid programs to be offered in the future at NIU, where the benefits of a synchronous, face-to-face experience can be coupled with the flexibility of online delivery. An example is a new interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Health Sciences recently approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education that is scheduled to launch in 2015. This program will be a hybrid program, consisting of fully-online courses with several on-campus face-to-face intensives each year. This blended/hybrid approach provides many benefits for faculty as well as students. Accelerated courses (8-week terms) I also envision growth in the number of accelerated online courses (those of different lengths then the traditional 16-week semester). From market research that we’ve done, many fully-online programs geared toward adult learners have taken an accelerated course model with students taking fewer courses at a time of shorter duration. For example, instead of a part-time student of taking 2 courses each lasting 16 weeks, students take 2 8-week courses back-to-back, focusing solely one 1 course at a time. There are some obvious benefits as well as challenges when moving to an accelerated course model, but studies are beginning to be published reporting student learning outcomes in accelerated courses as comparable, and in some cases superior, to the semester-long course. Faculty continue to develop own content for individual courses, instructional designers to assist with online course development in programs We will continue to see the lines blurring between online courses and those web-enhanced and blended courses where faculty are utilizing online technologies in the delivery of their courses. In many cases faculty at NIU will continue to development their own content for individual online courses, but I see instructional designers skilled in advanced technical and development skills as assisting with online course development for online courses that are part of a cohesive online program. Ongoing faculty training and support is essential for success Finally, ongoing faculty training and support will continue to be essential for successful online program offerings. No matter whether faculty are developing the content and building courses themselves or if instructional designers are building courses, faculty still need to be trained not only on pedagogical best practices for teaching online, but also need to keep current in their technology skills. LMS features change rapidly as do the software and technical processes that institutions employ in their online offerings. We need to be equipping faculty for continued success. What trends do you see in online learning at your institution? Your comments are welcome!

Going to school online presents a unique challenge compared to attending a traditional classroom setting in that you may not make as many face-to-face connections with your fellow students. Globe University-Online wants to ensure you are making as many connections as possible. Student Ambassadors are here to help you with the challenges of college. Student Ambassadors are taking classes right along with you and are here to help support your academic career. A few of our Student Ambassadors have taken some time to share with you a little about themselves. Jessica Boggs: Student Ambassador Jessica Boggs My name is Jessica Boggs. I am a student in the healthcare management bachelor’s degree program. I also have my associate from Globe in medical assisting. I have taken classes both online and residentially in Eau Claire, WI for both programs since beginning my associate degree with Globe in 2009. I have recently moved to Huntsville, Alabama and although I miss the Midwest, I can’t imagine ever leaving the beautiful weather in the South. I have two toy poodles that would disown me if I brought them back to the sleet and snow. I decided to become a student ambassador because I wanted to give back to an institution that has helped me grow both personally and professionally. There are so many helpful and genuinely wonderful people at Globe from the faculty and staff to my fellow students that being a student ambassador allows me a chance to pass on that legacy to others. Throughout my education with Globe I have found that organization and patience are key to success. I have also learned to pace myself and take breaks when I need to. It’s impossible to do your absolute best when your overworked and stressed out. Taking breaks, having patience with myself, and being organized have helped keep me sane through both degrees. Cathe Saxon: Student Ambassador Cathe Saxon Hello! My name is Cathe Saxon and I am currently earning my bachelor’s degree in the exercise science program at Globe University. I became a student at Globe in 2012 and will be graduating this September. Originally, I am from Myrtle Beach, SC but my husband is active duty Air Force, so we are currently stationed on the central coast of California. I have been married for nine years and have two boys; a 5 year old and a 5 month old. ​I am a fitness fanatic. Currently, I work as a personal trainer and an aerobics instructor. I hold three personal training certifications, three specialty certifications, a group fitness certification, and safety certifications. I love to try new activities and I love to do outdoor activities with my family. Growing up, I wasn’t the best at studying but I have actually found that doing something I am passionate about really helps me study. There are, however, classes I have to take that are not completely fitness related. I have had to discipline myself to study for these types of classes. I always look ahead at projects and try to get my initial discussion posts done in the very beginning of the week. For me, balancing family, school, and work is quite complicated. I work at four different gyms and go to school full time while trying to also spend time with my family. It is not easy, but I find structure works best. There are certain times of the day on certain days that my family knows is school time for me. I decided to become a student ambassador because I truly enjoy people. It is kind of what helps me be good at what I do as a fitness professional. I love to help people and to offer guidance however I can. I like to think that I can make a positive difference in people’s lives. A fun fact about me: I had severe idiopathic scoliosis as a teenager and underwent life-changing scoliosis corrective surgery. I have a rod, hooks, wires, and screws in my spine and I have set off one metal detector at an airport. I have some physical limitations, but I have overcome a lot at a young age. I use my limitations as a means of inspiration to others. Erin Hein: This is my third quarter at Globe and I have been able to maintain a 4.0 thus far. I am scheduled to graduate at the end of Fall Quarter with my associates in mobile application development if all continues to go as planned. I have worked at Dairyland Laboratories, Inc. for the past eight years and truly love the company. I have held many roles and currently I am acting as the Web Administrator. I have two little boys, one is turning 4 in May and the youngest is a little over 1 1/2 years old. My husband also works full time so we have a very busy household. One of the most useful study habits that I have is printing off the course addendum and checking off all tasks for each course every week. The 11 weeks of class fly by so fast, don’t get behind because it will be incredibly hard to catch up. ​I decided to become a Student Ambassador so I can help other students that are new to online classes or new to Globe in general. I am very passionate about agriculture, technology and of course my family. If any students need someone to bounce ideas off of or just to chat about school please email me at Eri12076@students.globeuniversity.edu Briana Wudel: Student Ambassador Briana Wudel I have 2 boys ages 16 and 6 years old. My husband and I have been together for 10 years. The best way I study is by taking notes the old fashioned way. When I write information down I find I remember it better. I find balance between work and school by creating a school-work schedule for a certain number of hours a day and sticking to that schedule. This leaves time in my day for family time. I became a student ambassador because I wanted to help fellow students. Online learning has helped me return to school and if I can help other students become comfortable with this method of learning, all the better. The thing I enjoy most about being a student ambassador is being able to help my fellow students. A fun fact about myself is I have a degree in jewelry and gemology and have made and sold my jewelry online for many years. If you are interested in becoming a Student Ambassador please reach out to Becky Goodrood at rgoodroad@msbcollege.edu.   The post Student Ambassadors: Making Connections with Online Students appeared first on Globe University Blog.

WordPress, the content management software created by Matt Mullenweg, already powers over 23% of all websites on the Internet. With the acquisition of WooThemes the company has now the potential to become a major player in the online education market, both in terms of reach and revenue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJOfTB8-daA Automattic, the company that runs the commercial arm WordPress.com, announced the acquisition of WooThemes, which is one of the oldest commercial WordPress theme shops. Founded in 2008, the founders bootstrapped their startup to roughly $15 million in annual revenue. Though details of the acquisition have not been shared, Peter Kafka at re/code said that his sources estimate the deal at $30 million in cash and stock. The entire team will join Automattic. Like WordPress, WooThemes has a large footprint on the Internet. According to Post Status their e-commerce plugin WooCommerce has a 20% market-share among the top one million websites. I suggest you read Brian Krogsgard’s post for all the details, it’s a great analysis of the deal, and its potential in general. From Live to Self Paced Of course, we want to focus on the potential WooCommerce has in the online education space. In my last post I wrote about the decline of live tutoring on the Internet. One way tutors have coped with it is by creating self-paced learning content, either in the form of online courses or downloadable material like e-books or podcasts. Needless to say that e-commerce is a key factor in the equation. So far, most of WooThemes’ different plugins and themes have only been available for self-hosted WordPress installations. As online tutors tend to prefer hosted solutions that offer an additional layer of service and security, the addition of WooCommerce to Automattic’s WordPress.com has the potential to draw a sizeable crowd to the hosted WordPress platform. A MOOC for Everyone And there is more. WooThemes also created a plugin that turns a WordPress blog into a course platform, similar to a MOOC or online course provider like Udemy. Brian Krogsgard asked Matt Mullenweg about the future of Sensei. It seems likely that the plugin will become a free plugin (now $129) while being maintained and extended by the WordPress team. Also Read: Overview: LMS MOOC Solutions for Small Institutions and Individuals Sensei is a really powerful tool, enabling tutors to create state of the art online courses. With additional resources and likely becoming free of charge, Sensei could become a viable alternative to course marketplaces like Udemy or WizIQ. With the acquisition, WordPress users will have the option to go for a paid, hosted e-commerce or MOOC website on WordPress.com or run their own storefront or online course with the freely available software from WordPress.org. This unique combination could turn WordPress into a leading online education SaaS provider. Picture License  Some rights reserved by thisismyurl

Charting a Course for the Future Having spent the past decade in the support of higher education faculty, I have had an opportunity to observe the evolution of the faculty development ecosystem. Increasingly, institutions are recognizing the value of providing centralized and systematic faculty development support services, programs and workshops. Providing this level of support for faculty seems to be at an all-time high with studies and reports from practitioners in the field confirming the need for such efforts and administrators giving priority on those initiatives. As we look to the future of higher education faculty development, several trends will persist. Image: MourgeFile In addition to the faculty development programs at their home institutions, there are also more opportunities to participate in a wide range of workshops, webinars, and open courses through other organizations and institutions. The rapid growth of virtual attendance options for faculty, combined with the sheer volume of information and resources available online have resulted in a large selection of programs from which to chose. Faculty are also developing professional learning networks and leveraging social media where they can share their own tips, recommendations and best practices. As new technologies and pedagogical approaches are continually perfected, there are no shortages of opportunities for experimentation and innovation in today’s college classrooms, both physical and virtual. It is easier than ever for faculty to select a new technology tool or instructional methodology and incorporate it into their teaching repertoire. Adaptations of "traditional" teaching methods in physical and virtual classrooms are just a few of the many forces converging to bring about a significant transformation of higher education in both the short and long term. Despite all that has changed in the field, many constants remain. Faculty requiring assistance still seek out personalized support and appreciate having someone they can call or email for a prompt response. Many needs are localized to specific technology or academic system configurations making support provided by the institution critical. As we adopt new systems and processes for meeting evolving student requirements, faculty training on new features and workflows are necessary for envisioned outcomes to become fully realized. Institutions must also continue to serve faculty at varying stages in their academic career, from junior to mid-career to senior faculty status. Furthermore, tracking completion of professional development programs and expressed support continues to provide important data points that can inform both administrators and support staff on the progress made and challenges still to be met. As I look to the future of higher education faculty development, I see several trends that I believe will persist in the coming years: 1. More ‘Just-In-Time’ Training and Resources As technology for easily creating and sharing information and learning artifacts becomes even more commonplace, the number of training aids and resources will continue to grow. Faculty are becoming quite comfortable searching online for quick answers to technical and/or pedagogical questions as they arise and likely will not wait for a formalized training session. Educators are seeking training materials and resources made available in bite-sized pieces; easy to find and readily at hand. 2. Curation of Available Professional Development Resources As the vast number of resources expand, so will the necessity for curating and help options that highlight the most applicable and relevant needs for a given scenario. While we are beginning to see the use of bookmarking and other social sharing tools with surface resources that a mass of users have viewed, liked, etc., there is room for continued tool improvement and systems to augment manual curation approaches. I envision an Amazon-style recommendation paradigm to become commonplace; where after accessing a resource, faculty are advised on other helpful alternatives. In the meantime, collections of links, tutorials, and other resources curated by faculty development staff will continue to be sought. 3. Flexible Participation Options for Live Programs and Workshops With workloads continuing to increase for a growing number of part-time and adjunct faculty in face-to-face and online programs, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for a large number of faculty to attend live programs and workshops. Flexible participation options for live programs and workshops will go on to flourish and may cover a wide range of possibilities: such as live/online simulcast workshops and archiving programs for on demand access. 4. Recognition of Prior Learning Given the availability of resources and a move toward credentialing prior learning experiences, faculty will continue to seek credentialing and reporting of their professional development activities for career advancement. This emphasis toward recognition will likely involve badges and other digital certification, but will certainly rely on institutions embracing faculty development initiatives completed while at other institutions, or through alternate organizations like the Sloan Consortium. It will be up to institutions to decide how they will accept and recognize certifications and trainings procured through other establishments while simultaneously ensuring that faculty possess skills deemed necessary. 5. Data-Driven Decision-Making As it becomes easier to gather a wide range of data on faculty development outcomes, ever-increasing opportunities exist for this information to be used in guiding future offerings. As data is purposefully collected and analyzed, resulting trends can provide valuable insight into the utility of offerings and inform future decisions on prioritization of finite efforts and resources. 6. Renewed Focus on Mission and Offering Programming and Services to Meet Stated Higher education is facing a time of unprecedented change and those leading faculty development initiatives will be well-served to sharpen their focus on their mission and offer programs and services to meet designated objectives. Initiatives that once met stated needs or requirements may need to be revamped, renewed, or perhaps in some cases discarded so that available resources can be best utilized. Looking Ahead What trends would you add to this list? What will shape the future of faculty development? Leave a comment and join the conversation! Orignally posted 2/4/2014 on Sloan Consortium blog

On April 25, Globe University-La Crosse Massage Program Instructor, Kevin Schulz, and his students teamed up with the University of Wisconsin La Crosse (UWL) football players. These devoted students and their instructor offered some rest and relaxation for the tired and sore Division Three American Football Intercollegiate athletes by hosting a Deep Tissue and Sports Massage Clinic. The massage clinic was designed for these athletes. They were treated to a full body sports massage that included: basic sports massage, trigger point therapy, muscle energy techniques and PNF stretching. One of the football players let us know that "the massage had a wonderful flow to it and the therapist did an amazing job really listening to and addressing my areas for need." The goal of this clinic for the Globe-La Crosse massage therapy students was to gain an idea of what it takes to improve the quality and rate of recovery in non-traditional season American football intercollegiate athletes. The students were concentrating on improving the rate of recovery for these athletes and utilizing sports massage techniques on a sub-population of male athletes. One player let us know that "currently we are in our non-traditional spring football season and between our football and strength training sessions our bodies are becoming pretty beat up.  The massage therapy session really helped with my recovery and restoration." UWL Football Players Participate in Globe Massage Clinic Kevin, the instructor, came up with the idea to work with UWL athletes.  Kevin is not only an instructor here at Globe-La Crosse, but also is the Director of Sports Performance and Assistant Football Coach at UWL. It was the perfect match to have his massage students work with his football players. He plans on offering the clinic on an ongoing basis with this unique pairing of two different schools working together for a common goal. Kevin stated that offering this clinic "prepares the massage student for working on actual athletes who have drastically different muscle dimensions and make up as compared to recreational trained individuals.  They are able to learn modified techniques based on working on substantially larger human beings." The post Globe-La Crosse Campus Teams Up with the University of La Crosse Football Players appeared first on Globe University Blog.