IBL News

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  • 2U / edX Creates Two University Advisory Councils Following the Former Partners’ Board

    2U / edX Creates Two University Advisory Councils Following the Former Partners’ Board

    IBL News | New York

    2U, Inc. (Nasdaq: TWOU), the parent company of edX, announced yesterday the creation of two university advisory councils to help further the company’s mission and business strategy.

    The University Leadership Council (ULC) includes presidents, provosts, and chancellors from 230 nonprofit colleges and universities. This council is a reconstitution of the former edX Advisory Board.

    Their members include:

    • Cynthia Barnhart, Provost, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • Malte Brettel, Vice Rector, RWTH Aachen University
    • Chris Clemens, Provost, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    • Reginald DesRoches, Provost and President-Elect, Rice University
    • Wayne A.I. Frederick, President, Howard University
    • Alan Garber, Provost, Harvard University
    • Ellen Granberg, Provost, Rochester Institute of Technology
    • Benjamin E. Hermalin, Provost-Elect, University of California, Berkeley
    • Jean Morrison, Provost, Boston University
    • Rob Mudde, Vice-Rector Magnificus/Vice President Education, Delft University of Technology
    • Mamokgethi Phakeng, Vice-Chancellor, University of Cape Town
    • Jennie Shaw, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), The University of Adelaide
    • Deborah Terry AO, Vice-Chancellor and President, The University of Queensland
    • Bin Yang, Provost, Tsinghua University
    • Charles Zukoski, Provost, University of Southern California

     

    The University Partner Advisory Council (UPAC) is comprised of academic leaders, digital transformation, and education strategy managers from across the combined 2U and edX partner network.

    • Bharat N. Anand, Vice Provost, Harvard University
    • David Bach, Dean of Innovation and Programs, Institute for Management Development
    • Nelson Baker, Dean of Professional Education, Georgia Institute of Technology
    • Stephanie Berzin, Vice Provost, Simmons University
    • MJ Bishop, Vice President for Integrative Learning Design, University System of Maryland
    • Larry Bouthillier, Executive Director of Extended Learning, University of British Columbia
    • Cathy Breen, Managing Director, Harvard University
    • Peter Decherny, Director of the Online Learning Initiative, University of Pennsylvania
    • Chris Dellarocas, Associate Provost, Boston University
    • James DeVaney, Associate Vice Provost for Academic Innovation, University of Michigan
    • Jim Gazzard, Director of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge
    • Jay Gladden, Associate Vice President, Indiana University
    • Eric Grimson, Chancellor for Academic Advancement, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • Peter Hirst, Senior Associate Dean, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management
    • Carlos Jensen, Associate Vice-Chancellor, University of California, San Diego
    • Josh Kim, Director of Online Programs and Strategy, Dartmouth College
    • Caroline Levander, Vice President for Global and Digital Strategy, Rice University
    • Carissa Little, Associate Dean for Global and Online Education, Stanford University
    • Ian Mortimer, Associate Provost, Rochester Institute of Technology
    • Mike Nichol, Associate Vice Provost, University of Southern California
    • Todd Nicolet, Vice Provost, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    • Oliver O’Reilly, Interim Vice Provost, University of California, Berkeley
    • Clay Shirky, Vice Provost, New York University
    • Dave Smith, Associate Provost, Pepperdine University
    • Vasanthi Srinivasan, Chairperson of Digital Learning, IIBM Institute of Business Management
    • Willem van Valkenburg, Executive Director of the Extension School, Delft University of Technology
    • Caroline Williams, Director of Open Programmes, University of Oxford
    • Kwok-yin Wong, Vice President (Education), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

    “These university councils, alongside our existing Corporate Advisory Board, allow 2U and edX to further tap into our partners’ collective knowledge and experience as we build a global education platform that drives greater access to high-quality learning programs for everyone, everywhere,” said Anant Agarwal, edX founder, 2U Chief Open Education Officer, and MIT professor.

  • MIT Sloan CIO Symposium Selects Key Leaders and Features Innovative Start-Ups

    MIT Sloan CIO Symposium Selects Key Leaders and Features Innovative Start-Ups

    IBL News | New York

    Over 265 attendees are expected at MIT Sloan CIO Symposium, which will take place on May 22 – 23 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It will be a mix of people from both academia and the industry, organizers told IBL News.

    The gathering will address topics that are at the intersection of business and technology, as reflected on the agenda. The featured theme will be “Digital Ecosystems: Reshaping the Future of Business”.

    The Symposium has selected four finalists for its 15th Annual MIT Sloan CIO Leadership Award.

    • Vagesh Dave, Global VP & CIO at McDermott International, Ltd
    • Manoj Kumbhat, CDO & Global CIO, Kimberly-Clark
    • Wafaa Mamilli, Chief Information and Digital Officer, Zoetis
    • James McGlennon, EVP and CIO, Liberty Mutual Insurance

    The winner will be announced on May 22, 2022. “The leadership and innovation demonstrated by our finalists will be instrumental in accelerating digitalization and shaping the future of business,” said George Westerman, Award Co-Chair.

    The key characteristics of CIO leadership are adapted from the award-winning book The Real Business of IT: How CIOs Create and Communicate Value, which draws extensively upon research conducted at MIT Sloan.

    The event will follow a hybrid format. The Symposium will include the Innovation Showcase, highlighting ten early-stage companies with cutting-edge solutions that combine both value and innovation in Enterprise IT. They are start-ups with less than $10 million in 2021 annual revenues.

    • Attestiv – Natick, MA
      Attestiv provides authenticity and validation for digital photos, videos and documents using patented tamper-proofing blockchain technology and AI analysis.

    • Dexai – Boston, MA
      Dexai builds a robotic sous chef named Alfred, a lightweight robot arm that retrofits into existing kitchens and automates most activities.

    • Einblick – Cambridge, MA
      Einblick’s no-code data boards help teams work together in real time to analyze data, predict the future, and make data-driven decisions.

    • Ion Channel – Alexandria, VA
      Ion Channel is a software supply chain risk management platform that identifies and monitors third-party security risk from software suppliers (vendors, outsourced app developers, and open source).

    • iQ3Connect – Woburn, MA
      iQ3Connect’s cloud XR platform empowers enterprises to transform expensive in-person training into cost-efficient interactive virtual training accessible on the web.

    • Julia Computing – Cambridge, MA
      Julia Computing products harness the power of Julia to advance data science and scientific discovery.

    • Modzy – Vienna, VA
      Modzy is a software platform that unlocks the power of AI for the enterprise.

    • Prisma – Buenos Aires, Argentina
      Prisma is a B2B algorithmic unified platform that drives revenue growth by combining price, assortment, and space planning optimization.

    • Snowplow – Boston, MA
      Snowplow is built from the ground up to enable organizations to create data for AI and advanced analytics, creating a data stream capable of powering their modern data apps.

    • Wabbi – Boston, MA
      Wabbi’s Continuous Security platform integrates with existing development workflows to empower Development teams to own AppSec, while giving Security accountability.

    Organizers note that Innovation Showcase winners have been acquired by leading companies. Bonsai was acquired by Microsoft; CloudSwitch was acquired by Verizon; Rypple was acquired by Salesforce.com; and Yammer was acquired by Microsoft for $1.2 billion, among others.

  • Degreed Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary, Claiming to Be the First LXP

    Degreed Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary, Claiming to Be the First LXP

    IBL News | New York

    Degreed.com announced yesterday its 10th anniversary, through a PR-driven press release claiming to be “the world’s first Learning Experience Platform (LXP), a new category of SaaS technology developed by David Blake and Eric Sharp as part of their mission to revolutionize the way people learn and track their learning.”

    The Pleasanton, California – based start-up said that “with its platform, employees gain knowledge and turn it into skills.”

    “Degreed set out in 2012 to ‘jailbreak the degree’ or to break the perception of the college degree being the de facto way of measuring education and skill; we believe people should be lifelong learners,” added David Blake, co-founder and Chair of the Board at Degreed.

    “People are learning all the time, whether you’re watching a YouTube video, or reading a blog, or listening to a podcast. And there hasn’t been a good way to evidence that knowledge. Degreed gives us an opportunity to do that,” stated ATB Financial Vice President Banking Operations, Paul Norris.

    Degreed claims to serve eight million users and 400 corporate customers. “There have been more than 17 million skill ratings made through the platform.”

    Degreed’s partnerships include Skillsoft, Pluralsight, and Harvard University, as well as new relationships with Anders Pink, Cybrary, Ethena, DataCamp, Learn In, TED@Work, and The Ken Blanchard Companies.

    Partnerships with Credspark, Credly, and Watershed provide assessments, recognition, and data visualization in the Degreed LXP. The recent alliance with Filtered improves the personalized delivery and curation of learning content to Degreed.

    Degreed Intelligence, launched in November 2021, helps understand skills demand, and supply, using pre-built tools to remove the need for a dedicated data insights team.

  • The New York Times Against Canceling Student Debt, which Reached $1.7 Trillion

    The New York Times Against Canceling Student Debt, which Reached $1.7 Trillion

    IBL News | New York

    Over 45 million people carry $1.7 trillion in student debt, most of it owed to the Federal Government.

    Given this fact, should the U.S. Government cancel student debt?

    According to a New York Times editorial article, that is “a bad idea” and “such a move is legally dubious, economically unsound, politically fraught, and educationally problematic.”

    “Canceling this debt, even in the limited amounts that the White House is considering, would set a bad precedent and do nothing to change the fact that future students will graduate with yet more debt — along with the blind hope of another, future amnesty,” writes The Editorial Board of The New York Times.

    As a candidate, Joe Biden said he supported congressional action to tackle student debt. Now, he is considering canceling it through an executive order.

    To date, his Department of Education has taken steps to alleviate some of the loans for borrowers who are unable to pay and forgiven the debts of some students defrauded by for-profit schools. Throughout the pandemic, borrowers have been forgiven the interest that accrued on their loans each month, in addition to not having to pay down the principal of the loan. The Biden administration has extended the pause several times, and it is now set to expire on Aug. 31.

    According to The Times, the moratorium on payment of federal loans, which make up more than 90 percent of all student debt, has already cost $100 billion and has canceled the equivalent of $5,500 in debt per borrower.

    The White House is considering various proposals for debt cancellation, possibly with income-based limits for eligibility.

    “Lawmakers should also consider making it easier to discharge student loans through bankruptcy, a measure of relief that is available for credit card and mortgage debt.” Changes to bankruptcy law in 2005 have also made those protections less accessible.

    Since 2021 the Biden administration has approved more than $18.5 billion in loan discharges for more than 750,000 borrowers.

    President Biden said at an April press conference that he was considering canceling “some” student loan debt.

    “The Biden administration should focus on confronting the problems with college affordability and loan repayment, so more students and graduates have a better chance at that prosperity,” the editorial board concluded.

  • An Op-Ed Calls to Rename George Washington University for Its “Systemic Racism”

    An Op-Ed Calls to Rename George Washington University for Its “Systemic Racism”

    IBL News | New York

    Should we start renaming universities?

    The Washington Post proposed this in an op-ed, written by a senior at George Washington University, Caled Francois, proposing to rename the university  because “racism has always been a problem at GW.”

    Two proposed names to rename the university are Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth (abolitionists) as well as Malcolm X.

    “At the university’s founding in 1821, enrollment was restricted to White men. In 1954, then-university president Marvin employed numerous efforts to preserve segregation, arguing for a ‘homogenous’ group of White students.” (…) “In 1987, Black students organized to demand more visibility in a predominantly Black city where Black students were outnumbered by huge majorities. Today, with Black enrollment at about 10 percent, Black students on campus continue to struggle for community. Despite alleged efforts by administration to enhance diversity, the admissions office continues to fail to ensure a student body with adequate minority representation.”

    “These problems are rooted in systemic racism, institutional inequality, and white supremacy”

    This op-ed author demanded four items: “Decolonized university curriculum, increased Black enrollment, the renaming of the university and the selection of an African American President.”

    “An African American at the helm would reflect a new chapter in university politics. Such a decision would demonstrate the university’s commitment to strength through diversity and serve as a reflection of the university’s pledge to racial justice,” he wrote, noting GW University has never had a Black president in its 200-year history.

    In addition to renaming the university, the author insisted its main campus, Mount Vernon Campus, needs to be stripped of its name since it’s named after Washington’s former slave plantation. It was also suggested that the Winston Churchill Library “must go” as well as the school’s moniker, mascot, and “Hail Thee George Washington” motto.

    “The work of this university to uplift the ideals of universal humanism and break its ties with white supremacy and systemic racism must be done with effort, dedication, and painstaking excellence,” he wrote.

  • Boston University and Other Colleges Raise Tuition Price, Attributing It to Inflation

    Boston University and Other Colleges Raise Tuition Price, Attributing It to Inflation

    IBL News | New York

    College tuition is going up again after the pause taken during the pandemic. This time, colleges and universities attribute the increase to rampant inflation.

    Currently, the inflation rate is 8.3 percent over the last year, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics this past Wednesday. It’s the highest rate since 1983.

    Some institutions, like Boston University, are pushing up prices to historic levels. Experts are afraid that when prices go up, they don’t go back down, as an article posted on Inside the Higher Education explains.

    In a letter to faculty and staff last week, Boston University President Robert A. Brown said that “by far, my greatest immediate concern is the impact of inflation on faculty and staff, our students, and the University.”

    He added: “We have increased undergraduate tuition by 4.25% for the coming academic year, our largest increase in 14 years, following an increase of only 3.0% last year.”

    “This increase does not keep pace with the current national rate of inflation and cannot fully offset the increased costs of University operations or fund salary increases that would fully mitigate the effects of inflation on the families of faculty and staff.”

    However, as Inside of Higher Education reminds “the increase comes on the heels of the best fundraising year in history for Boston University, which brought in $225 million in philanthropic support in 2021.”

    • In December, the University of Virginia approved an 8.4 percent increase in undergraduate tuition and fees over the next two years.
    • The Oregon Institute of Technology raised undergraduate tuition by 6.6 percent, or 7 percent, when including student fees.
    • The Washington State University Board of Regents approved a 2.4 percent tuition increase for undergraduates this month.

    “These new tuition rates will help the university balance its annual budget in an inflationary environment while maintaining our commitment to accessibility and to value,” UVA President, Jim Ryan, said in December 2021.

     

  • The Some College No Credential Population Rose to 39 Million in the U.S.

    The Some College No Credential Population Rose to 39 Million in the U.S.

    IBL News | New York

    The number of Americans without a college credential but some college credits continues to increase. In July 2020, this segment was up 3.1 million from the 36 million in 2019.

    These data were issued by the National Student Clearinghouse’s Research Center this week on its last annual progress report.

    The National Student Clearinghouse warned that “if these trends continue, a growing number of U.S. workers lacking education credentials risk being left behind in the twenty-first-century economy.”

    The Some College, No Credential (SCNC) report series showed that California, Texas, New York, and Illinois account for more than a third of the nation’s number.

    • Seventy percent of the 60,400 completers obtained their credential from a public institution (two- or four-year). Private nonprofit four-year institutions had the highest perseverance rates (64.8%), while community colleges had the lowest (50.2%).
    • Women outnumbered men in re-enrollment, credential earning, and perseverance. The share of re-enrollees among minority women was substantially higher than men (63.5% versus 34.6%).
    • Associate degrees were the most common credential earned by Latinx SCNC students (42.5%), whereas Black students were most likely to have completed a certificate (42.7%). Asian and White students persevered at a higher rate than other groups.

     

  • Bentley University Becomes One of the First Colleges Accepting Crypto for Tuition Payments

    Bentley University Becomes One of the First Colleges Accepting Crypto for Tuition Payments

    IBL News | New York

    The adoption of cryptocurrency and digital assets is arriving in higher education.

    A small college in the Boston area, Bentley University has become one of the first educational institutions in the U.S. to accept tuition fee payments made in Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and the stablecoin USD Coin (USDC), the university announced on May 3.

    The university is partnering with the crypto exchange Coinbase to accept those three cryptocurrencies.

    “The move highlights Bentley’s long-standing commitment to leading the way in the early adoption of technologies changing the business world,” said the university in a blog post.

    LaBrent Chrite, President of the university stated, “We’re proud to embrace this technology that our students are learning about, which will soon transform the global business landscape they’re about to enter.”

    Last year, Bentley, located in Waltham, MA, used NFTs — non-fungible tokens or digital collectibles bought and sold with cryptocurrency on blockchains — to commemorate former women’s basketball coach Barbara Stevens’ induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Bentley was one of the first universities in the world to issue NFTs.

    More than 41 million Americans – 16 percent of U.S. adults — have invested in, traded, or used cryptocurrency, according to the Pew Research Center. The global cryptocurrency market is projected to more than double, from $910.3 million in 2021 to $1.9 billion in 2028, according to Fortune Business Insights.

     

  • Coursera Announces New Features, Tools, and Learning Initiatives

    Coursera Announces New Features, Tools, and Learning Initiatives

    IBL News | New York

    Coursera, Inc. (NYSE: COUR) announced this month a new set of tech features, tools, and learning initiatives.

    Shravan Goli, Chief Product Officer at Coursera, listed on a blog post the following innovations, which will be launched this quarter:

    • Personalized Schedules. Learners will be able to personalize their schedules in a course to automatically receive personalized course deadlines and goals.
    • Data-Driven Deadlines. Students will receive deadlines within a course calculated based on how long it took to finish the item. 
    • Schedule Nudges. Learners get notified whether they are on track, ahead, or behind in their course with actionable next steps to keep them progressing efficiently.
    • Lecture Summaries. Learners will see Machine-Learning generated summaries of key lecture videos. This will allow them to review prior course material, gain a quick understanding of a topic, and progress faster through a course.
    • Adobe Guided Projects. Learners will be able to work with Adobe software to gain hands-on skills, build a portfolio, and prepare for a UX/Design role. Each learner who completes an Adobe Guided Project will receive a complimentary month of access to Adobe Creative Cloud.
    • File Downloads from Labs to work locally and enhancements on auto-grading and auto-submission.

    Another remarkable innovation for educators is the possibility of migrating their existing content on edX and Open edX to their courses on Coursera via a new self-serve edX content ingestion tool. “Through this tool, university partner Dartmouth seamlessly moved 30+ courses to Coursera with minimal work for its program staff,” explained Shravan Goli.

    Also in May, Coursera announced Career Academy intended for entry-level job-skills training.

    Recent platform innovations included:

    • LevelSets. A tool to help employees determine their proficiency in key skills and identify areas to focus on moving forward.

    Currently, there are 60+ new LevelSet assessments across Data Science, Technology, Marketing, and Finance to assess learner skills proficiency to establish a baseline and personalize content recommendations.

    • SkillSets. It provides content recommendations powered by data from millions of learners, choosing from a variety of skills and setting proficiency targets to establish measurable learning goals.

     

  • Coursera Launches a Collection of Short Videos and Lessons Intended for Skills Development

    Coursera Launches a Collection of Short Videos and Lessons Intended for Skills Development

    IBL News | New York

    Coursera, Inc. (NYSE: COUR) introduced Clips, a collection of bite-size, 5-10 minute videos and lessons, intended to teach skills training to employees on job-relevant topics — mostly business, tech, data, leadership, and human abilities. The product will be available for Coursera’s corporate clients, starting in June.

    Clips will be available to Coursera for Business customers starting in June. To learn more, contact Coursera here.

    Currently, Coursera offers 10,000 short educational videos. The learning company announced that it will scale its offering to 200,000 videos by the end of the year.

    A Coursera survey noted that 60% of employees spend less than one hour on learning per sitting.

    “We are enabling employees to quickly develop the role-based skills and human skills needed to do their job successfully,” said Leah Belsky, Chief Enterprise Officer at Coursera.

    The Clips product doesn’t require signing up for any course. “This feature provides employees with a clear path to deeper skills development when they are ready to enroll,” explained Belsky.

    The new Clips offering features short content across businesses, tech, data, leadership, and human skills. These are some examples: