higher education
SMARTtech Roundup
Blended Schools & Tools Fuse Boost. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announced that the results from a year-long pilot of their Algebra Curriculum for iPad stimulated a near 10 percent boost in Math scores. The HMH Fuse platform encourages the use of personalized lesson plans by combining direct instruction, ongoing…
Placement Exams: The Hidden Gateway
While many have focused on ACT and SAT, the tests that drive attendance at selectives (a small percentage of post secondary students), there has been little attention paid to placement exams—the real hurdle in the system for young adults that want to earn college credit. JFF just released a must read report, Where to Begin? The Evolving Role of Placement Exams.
Q&A: College Guidance Counseling, For Free!
By: Jaclyn Norton. College Mapper, an online college counseling service, recently launched to provide support for students and parents in the college application process. CEO Susanna Cerasuolo sets out to increase access to higher education for all people through this free service. See below for Cerasuolo’s thoughts on the current-day process of college admissions, and ever changing nature of higher education.
What Your MBA Teaches You (& Doesn’t Teach You) About Entrepreneurship
You want to learn how to start a business, but where do you start? Unfortunately, starting a company doesn’t come with a handy guidebook or a simple “follow these 10 steps” blog post. The typical path has been to go to school and get an MBA. But an MBA may not be for everyone – especially those looking to start a business.
SMARTtech Roundup: STEM, Core and More
Blended Schools & Tools Learn Now, Lecture Later. A new survey called “Learn Now, Lecture Later” from CDW-G found that high schoolers want more hands-on projects, independent study and virtual learning. The report is based on a spring 2012 survey of 1,015 public high school and higher education students,…
PBS: Taste of College Encourages Students to Continue Classes
John Merrow produced a must watch PBS segment on early college high schools in south Texas. Like AP courses, a partnership with a local college allows students to earn college credit in high school. The challenge and the promise encourages more students to stay in school, graduate, and enroll in college. Online learning makes advanced and college credit course offerings more accessible and affordable.
Udemy Launches Redesigned Website
Udemy expands online learning features, including student-teacher Q&A, progress tracking, and a personalized recommendation engine. The online learning platform Udemy.com today debuted a complete website redesign, enabling students to track their progress, interact more deeply with instructors and discover new courses relevant to them.
Trustees Want Big Bucks, But We Deserve a Better Bargain from Higher Ed
Yesterday, Jeff Selingo, editorial director at The Chronicle of Higher Education, wrote an editorial in the NYTimes called Fixing College where he lamented the “lost decade,” from 1999 to 2009 where most institutions of higher learning were fat and happy and produced few productivity gains. He urged "better use of technology in the classroom" and "more online learning." Selingo said "We can’t afford another lost decade."
Staff Picks: Higher Ed, Digital Learning, Math Education, SmartTech
Karen Picks “Changing the Economics of Higher Education” Karen says, “I’m a big believer in higher education, having served on a community college board, and we have quite a few college degrees in our family, but both of my children obtained their degrees with alternative/combination high school-college…
Changing the Economics of Higher Education
Sal Khan sees a mismatch of expectations in higher education between institutions and some consumers. He thinks open learning and skills certification will grow in importance. A transformation of higher ed is takin place in four categories: super low-cost post-sec, competency-based credits, job certification, and degree alternatives.