By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology The University of Alaska Anchorage shares best practices from its institution-wide electronic portfolio implementation and new approaches to gain rapid traction among faculty and students. The University of Alaska Anchorage introduced e-portfolios to the campus in a big way this year, rolling out the technology across the entire institution. And as anyone who has attempted such a feat quickly realizes, large-scale e-portfolio adoption takes more energy and commitment than the typical technology project. That’s because a healthy digital portfolio program requires ongoing support for adoption among faculty and students. Here’s how U Alaska is tackling the work. https://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/10/21/5-lessons-worth-learning-about-e-portfolios.aspx Share on Facebook

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology Instructors at two universities on opposite sides of the country, both with extensive experience in flipped learning, are continuing to tweak the model, according to articles recently published in their respective student newspapers. In flipped learning lecture is typically delivered through pre-recorded lectures that students watch before coming to class; then class time is dedicated to other activities. Harvard University has been holding "active learning" lunches for faculty interested in flipping their courses. An article by student reporters C. Ramsey Fahs and Daniel Wood reported an increase by faculty in the flipped model, as well as "logistical challenges and student concerns." https://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/10/20/flipped-classes-continue-evolving-at-stanford-and-harvard.aspx?admgarea=topic.software Share on Facebook

By Laura Devaney, eCampusNews A new project focused on advancing learning outcomes has demonstrated that rubric-based assessment can be scaled and can offer up valid findings, along with actionable information, about student learning. This information could be used to improve curriculum and assessment design, and to improve program and class effectiveness in an effort to advance learning outcomes at colleges and universities. These findings come from the pilot year of the Multi-State Collaborative to Advance Learning Outcomes Assessment (MSC) project, which launched in 2011 and supported by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) Association. http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/learning-outcomes-study-672/ Share on Facebook

by Stuart M. Butler, Brookings To make college more affordable for low-income students we need to rethink what "college" means. The system needs much more than tweaks in financing or regulation; it requires an entirely different business model. Today, a student typically moves away from home for some years and chooses from a limited set of courses at a costly brick-and-mortar institution. Imagine instead a "general contractor" model of college, in which the contractor assembles a collection of courses from different places and delivers them in different ways. The contractor’s (college’s) role in this model is assembly and quality control, rather than running an institution. This model would also allow for much greater customization, with degrees better tailored to the student’s interests and needs—as well as their home and employment situation. http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/social-mobility-memos/posts/2015/10/23-rethinking-college-disruptive-innovation-butler Share on Facebook

by: Mark Leuba, EDUCAUSE Review Competency-based education (CBE) has elicited strong interest among educators and education stakeholders due to its potential to meet students where they are in their education journey and provide a more personalized path to completion. A typical CBE program has a curriculum structured to demonstrate learning in clearly articulated competencies, is often self-paced, is agnostic as to the source of learning while maintaining clear and transparent learning standards, and has an emphasis on authentic assessment, which evaluates what the learner knows and can do through real-life demonstrations and projects. Unfortunately, the model’s practical benefits are tempered by the significant technology challenges and barriers to CBE program adoption, roadblocks due to limits in (and among) higher education software products. http://er.educause.edu/articles/2015/10/competency-based-education-technology-challenges-and-opportunities Share on Facebook

by Jeremy Petranka, EDUCAUSE Review That’s a parting comment familiar to every professor and student. And while bookmarking a course is useful, it’s also static, even limiting. Sure, the instructor issues assignments, but aside from group projects, class activities usually happen in isolation even though we know a collaborative environment expands and enriches education. What can we do? A current convergence of technology trends can help facilitate out-of-the-classroom engagement and collaboration, but also capitalize on technological infrastructures and behaviors already deeply ingrained in today’s students. This starts by recognizing that technology is a core and permanent part of student life — socially, organizationally, communicatively, and academically. By embracing appropriate technology in the classroom, we can realize its potential for supporting more engaging and effective pedagogy. http://er.educause.edu/blogs/2015/10/how-technology-can-drive-active-perpetual-learning Share on Facebook

by Ilya Pozin, Forbes Many of the world’s top universities have embraced Massive Open Online Courses (known as MOOCs). In some districts, tablets have become an essential school supply, thanks to new software that turns them into powerful classroom tools. Meanwhile, the implementation of computer-administered common core testing forced many schools to modernize, whether they wanted to or not. The technology behind these innovations has come from a host of companies, ranging from billion-dollar tech unicorns to small outfits founded by school teachers. What unites them is their shared vision that education, one of the industries most resistant to change, can benefit from technological innovation. Together, they have coalesced into a sector known as EdTech, which has become one of the hottest spaces in Silicon Valley and beyond. http://www.forbes.com/sites/ilyapozin/2015/10/25/driving-innovation-10-edtech-companies-you-need-to-know-about/ Share on Facebook

by Ryan Craig, Forbes There are two critical science projects underway in higher education. First and most important is figuring out how to use technology to significantly improve developmental/remedial education. This is related to about a thousand things currently happening in K-12 education. The answer will undoubtedly involve adaptive learning and gamification, and perhaps immersive learning as well. This science project is at the top of everybody’s list. The second science project, and the one I spend a lot of time thinking about, is how to use technology to develop and deliver shorter, less expensive, 100% digital (and therefore accessible) postsecondary programs that lead to credentials that employers will recognize and value. The answer - if there is one - will be critical to the future of colleges and universities. One might go as far to say that whoever solves this science project merits a badge. Two high-profile companies are pursuing a badge-based future: Coursera and Udacity. http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryancraig/2015/09/30/coursera-udacity-and-the-future-of-credentials/ Share on Facebook

by Adam Gordon, Forbes The University of Michigan Ross School of Business on October 12 announced free lifetime open-enrolment executive education for all its degree alumni, a business model inflection that raises interesting issues in strategic cannibalization, and which threatens the status quo of both MBA and wider short-course leadership development industries. The "Alumni Advantage" offer means UM graduates have lifelong free access to executive education, in Ann Arbor, in Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, and online. Non-Ross UM alumni are eligible for half-price. http://www.forbes.com/sites/adamgordon/2015/10/24/michigan-ross/ Share on Facebook

by Lekan Oguntoyinbo, University Business For decades, colleges and universities have used big data to track high-risk students and intervene as needed. Now a growing number of institutions are using data tools to track and analyze another group: successful students. It is a radically different approach that many campus administrators believe will help them understand what makes students successful—developing a profile of success that can be used to help keep vulnerable students focused and ensure positive outcomes for all. One example: If the most successful students use the library or computer lab frequently, interventions for at-risk students could involve strongly encouraging them to take advantage of these resources. http://www.universitybusiness.com/article/colleges-study-successful-students Share on Facebook