by Leena Rao, Fortune Online education company Udacity will start offering classes tailored to Indian students, marking the startup’s first effort to target a country outside the U.S.The move is a major step for the company as tries turn its popular courses into a real business, something it has strived to do since its founding in 2012. In India, Udacity will offer its degrees in areas like Android development and data analyses for around $148 per month. That’s still a hefty price to pay for Indian students, but Udacity says that half of the tuition will be reimbursed to them following their graduation. http://fortune.com/2015/09/21/udacity-google-india/ Share on Facebook

by Chen Zhenghao, et.al.; Harvard Business Review Our latest research demonstrates that among learners who complete courses, MOOCs do have a real impact: 72% of survey respondents reported career benefits and 61% reported educational benefits. Furthermore, our findings suggest that people from developing countries more frequently report benefits from taking MOOCs and, also in developing countries, people with lower socioeconomic status and with less education are more likely to report benefits. It appears that MOOCs are tangibly helping people who take the time and effort to complete courses. https://hbr.org/2015/09/whos-benefiting-from-moocs-and-why Share on Facebook

By David Raths, Campus Technology Implementing adaptive learning technology in college courses can be an uphill struggle but well worth it, according to pioneering faculty members. Adaptive learning platforms in higher education are starting to produce some promising results, yet the market is still in its infancy. Instructors who volunteer to be guinea pigs for pilot implementations often end up encouraged by the results — yet exhausted by how much work is involved in retrofitting their courses to the adaptive platforms. Campus Technology interviewed several administrators and faculty members who have worked on adaptive projects about their experience. Here is what they told us: http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/09/23/tales-from-the-front-lines-of-adaptive-learning.aspx Share on Facebook

By Michael Hart, Campus Technology Even though tablet purchases are on the rise among college students, most of them still prefer to use laptops for learning. At the same time, overwhelming majorities of students believe tablets will serve more and more educational functions in the future. According to a new Harris Poll conducted for Pearson, 52 percent of college students now own tablets. That is up from 45 percent in 2014. However, only one in 12 (8 percent) college students aged 18 and 19 (typically freshmen and sophomores) said they use a tablet every day for their school work, while two-thirds (66 percent) use a laptop every day for school. http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/09/23/poll-most-college-students-prefer-laptops-over-tablets-for-school.aspx Share on Facebook

by George Anders , Forbes Although Coursera got its start in Silicon Valley, the Mountain View, Calif., company has attracted an increasingly global user base in the past three years. Currently, 51% of Coursera’s learners are in emerging markets, up substantially from the mid-20s at Coursera’s start. Koller notes that while the U.S. still provides the company’s largest pool of learners, the site’s next three countries, in terms of user popularity, are China, India and Brazil. All three are in emerging markets where English isn’t the national language, Koller observes. Eager to make the most of such opportunities, Coursera is stepping up efforts to provide more local-language content in Asia and Latin America. http://www.forbes.com/sites/georgeanders/2015/09/22/courseras-hunt-for-feedback-reveals-a-divided-world/ Share on Facebook

by Michael Bernick, Fox and Hounds The California community colleges, at the Chancellor’s Office level and among individual colleges, have been taking the lead, actively studying the certification and badge system. A recent mapping effort by the Sector Navigators staff among the Colleges detailed the growing number of certifications. In Advanced Manufacturing, for example, the mapping effort found over 170 certifications being issued by independent entities, including 80 separate certifications by the National Center for Construction Education & Research, 52 certifications by the National Institute of Metalworking Skills, and 17 certifications by the American Society for Quality. Beyond the certifications is the growth of "stackable certifications". The idea behind stackable certifications is that a worker can gain certifications in several specialties to expand job options. http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2015/09/the-role-of-certifications-and-badges-in-californias-workforce-world/ Share on Facebook

BY GRAHAM WINFREY, Inc Online course-takers say web-based classes are helping them get raises, promotions, and new startup skills. Free online courses are having a major impact in helping workers advance their careers, a new study shows. A recent survey from online learning company Coursera, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Washington shows that 87 percent of individuals who take online courses with the goal of career advancement are finding success doing so. Nearly 35 percent reported tangible benefits, including receiving a raise, getting a promotion, finding a new job, or starting their own business. http://www.inc.com/graham-winfrey/how-online-courses-can-help-entrepreneurs-close-the-skills-gap.html Share on Facebook

by IBN Live Search engine giant Google and online education company Udacity on Monday launched IT courses in India, branching outside the US to tap the country’s millions of software developers scrambling for jobs. The pair teamed with Indian conglomerate Tata to offer online technical training courses, focusing on teaching software developers to build apps for Android, the Google-backed mobile operating system. Costing 9,800 rupees a month, the degrees will take between six and nine months to complete, with lessons from Google instructors based in the United States. Students will get 50 per cent of tuition costs back on graduation. http://www.ibnlive.com/news/tech/google-launches-online-it-courses-in-india-1107658.html Share on Facebook

by Jordan Friedman, US News In the digital age, learning coding skills is becoming a great way to change career paths or boost your resume, experts say. As technology advances, coding classes online are growing tremendously in popularity, whether it’s free and low-cost programs or computer programming certificates and full degree options offered through colleges and universities. "More and more businesses - whether it’s journalism, law or container shipping - are being upended by technology," says Zach Sims, CEO and co-founder of Codecademy​, an online platform that offers free coding classes. "By understanding coding you are able to understand those changes and contribute to that sequence of changes." http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2015/09/23/3-ways-to-gain-coding-skills-in-online-courses Share on Facebook

by Natalie Kiteroeff, Bloomberg For all their problems, free online classes may have a net positive effect on your career. A new study shows that most people who took a free massive open online course, or MOOC, say it helped their careers, including by getting them a new job or helping them start a business. "This type of research illustrates the possibilities MOOCs offer to change the educational landscape," write the authors of the study, published Tuesday in the Harvard Business Review. The study was conducted by researchers at Coursera, an online education platform, and professors at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Washington, who have taught MOOCs. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-23/want-a-new-job-take-these-online-classes Share on Facebook