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"Automation is a difference in determining whether or not institutions merely dabble with badging vs. truly invest in a sustainable badging program that benefits the students."

"The University of Virginia expects to lay off or request retirement from as many as 38 employees at its School of Continuing and Professional Studies this spring. Lower student demand and the end of program partnerships have led to a drop in enrollment and an $8 million budget shortfall, according to Dean Alex Hernandez. His team views reorganization as its last option to address the crisis."

"The National University System, for example, is developing  a variety of initiatives aimed at bringing down the cost of a degree, including through FlexCourse?, a teaching and learning platform that offers faculty-supported, variably-paced online degree programs at an affordable price point of $8,500 annual tuition. The platform is initially being offered in conjunction with John F. Kennedy University, through JFKU Online --  both part of the National University System."

"A prominent online program management company, 2U, announced this morning that it will purchase Trilogy Education Services, a large boot camp provider that partners with continuing education divisions at dozens of universities."

"A few disparities stood out. Smaller institutions were more likely to cite "superior service to in-house alternatives" as a reason to pursue partnerships. And while 46 percent of smaller institutions cited "online program expansion" as an area of interest, only 36 percent of the larger ones did."

"with no existing online programs and a culture unaccustomed to rapid transformation, they weren't prepared for the challenge, Coleman admitted during a session last month at the University Professional, Continuing and Online Education Association's annual meeting. "Wellesley had no understanding of this market," Coleman said. "I'm not really sure that they had a full understanding of what this could be or what they wanted it to be.""

"JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU) today announced the launch of JetBlue Scholars, an innovative new program that offers crewmembers an opportunity to earn a fully accredited college degree from Thomas Edison State University, with JetBlue covering most of the cost."

"Accessibility policies frame standards and expectations for how a college or university's programs, services, and facilities serve the needs of people with disabilities. Some policies are aspirational in nature and relatively short on specific mandates, while others are much more prescriptive in stating standards, rules for compliance, and sanctions for behaviors that fall short. Accessibility policies constitute a statement of values that the institutional community subscribes to, and they serve as guidelines for how the institution intends to ensure the equitable treatment of all members of the campus community."

"Marketers are proficient in using a content engagement cycle, a practice for deciding when to engage whom with what kind of content during the customer journey. They plan months, quarters and even years in advance to create a content strategy that aligns with business goals and engages their audience pre- and post-sale. L&D professionals on the other hand, often think about each training session or learning program singularly instead of looking at the overall learner experience. Mapping out the learner lifecycle and assigning content that engages them along the way not only helps create unforgettable learning experiences but also aids in the transfer of knowledge after a training session ends. "

"As higher education institutions in the United States strive to maximize their use of resources to better support students, it is now more critical for professionals to make data-informed decisions. Most institutions are currently gathering an abundance of data from multiple sources, which provides a good opportunity for functional units, divisions, and departments to share timely and relevant data and collaboratively deliver programs and services. Three of many integral units that are involved in data-informed strategies are institutional research (IR), student affairs, and information technology (IT). Thus, three higher education membership associations, the Association for Institutional Research (AIR), NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, and EDUCAUSE partnered to conduct a survey that examined the current landscape of institutions' use of data and analytics for student success. This report describes a variety of challenges and opportunities regarding institutions' readiness to expand their use of data across functions."

"If one studies the interest publishers have shown in the OPM market, one sees the desire for them to create this revenue envelope by being the one-stop shop for aggregating everything their customers need: from content, to technology to program design and marketing. Even thought McGraw's next CEO, Cengage's Michael Hansen, declared recently that the company would stay away from "the business of recruiting students to schools," I would be shocked if the new McGraw Hill were not in some way equipping schools to build their own OPM capability - much the way John Katzman's Noodle is set up."

"we don't do exams. It's all project based, and those projects look like the kinds of work you would be asked to do in the workplace. One of the things that students report that they like best about the program is that it feels relevant-it feels real. And if they are one of our adults who are working, they use those skills the very next day."

"Student debt in the U.S. has reached record levels, making higher education out of reach for many people. In New York City, a program called ASAP is gaining national attention for helping students earn a college degree and escape the burden of loans they would struggle to repay."

"To streamline online course development, the ID Team at CIRT uses course templates to develop online courses for programs transitioning to fully-online."

"the program is simple: If you don't have a degree, and you want one, your tuition is free. That's important because research shows the greatest obstacle for adults looking to go back to school is money. They often have to maintain a household budget while reducing work hours, paying for dependent care, and more."

"An adequate education in web literacy would provide a framework for understanding the internet. It's not just about learning to type or to use a computer or smartphone, nor is it about mastering a programming language like JavaScript. It's about the gulf in between. Web literacy requires understanding the difference between a web browser, a search engine, or an app, and being able to leverage each. It's about knowing how to evaluate online content, and knowing how to differentiate between the credible and the dishonest. It's about the ability to thwart phishing attempts, to craft strong passwords, and to control how personal data is collected and used."

"One strategy for these colleges to avoid extinction is to diversify-to avoid a precarious reliance on residential students. And one way to do that is by adding online programs to the mix. The challenge for many small colleges is that they see online courses as at odds with their very identity. After all, these institutions embrace intimacy as central to their mission, with close, mentoring relationships between faculty and students, and deep, comradely connections among students-essential ingredients of highly engaged learning. For many, online fails to meet these crucial education ambitions. Instead, they reject virtual instruction as alienated learning, with isolated faculty and students coldly facing inert computer screens-not one another."

"it appears that the rise of free or low-cost online learning and professional education content is reducing the demand for some continuing-education courses offered by universities. In some cases, it may be reducing demand for executive education offerings, and even for degree programs like the traditional MBA. While individual workers remain interested in credentials-which are portable from job-to-job-companies often prefer to invest in targeted learning opportunities that relate directly to their business needs and has a clear business return on investment. "My people already have degrees, they need something more specific," says Bradley. "Academic credit is not always the selling point that universities think it is.""

"This approach doesn't entirely invalidate existing computational idea patents, because they would continue to apply to implementations using special-purpose hardware. This is an advantage because it eliminates an argument against the legal validity of the plan. The U.S. passed a law some years ago shielding surgeons from patent lawsuits, so that even if surgical procedures are patented, surgeons are safe. That provides a precedent for this solution."

As I walk over to his computer I hope that this is a small problem with a simple fix. But then it begins. Another hand pops up in the air and murmurs of internet problems buzz through the room. I quickly realize that I am going to have to conduct the first day of my Multimedia class without the internet.