IBL News

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  • The 2023 Open edX Conference Will Take Place March 28 – 31 at MIT

    The 2023 Open edX Conference Will Take Place March 28 – 31 at MIT

    IBL News | New York

    The 2023 Open edX Conference will be celebrated between March 28th and Friday, March 31st, 2023, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, according to Harvard’s and MIT’s owned tCRIL (The Center for Reimagining Learning) non-profit organization.

    The event will be focusing on innovative uses and methods of extending the Open edX Platform along with the latest advancements in instructional design.

    In parallel to the announcement, tCRIL — which stewards the Open edX software and community — called for proposals, being the deadline open until January 23rd, 2023.

    The names of keynote speakers and conference presenters have not been determined yet.

    The 2022 conference in Lisbon, Portugal, attracted over two hundred experts on the Open edX platform.
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  • Higher Ed Experts Craft Their Vision to Evolve into a Hybrid Learning Scenario

    Higher Ed Experts Craft Their Vision to Evolve into a Hybrid Learning Scenario

    IBL News | New York

    A panel of higher education experts gathered by the non-profit professional association Educause generated a list of actions to evolve and grow into an optimized hybrid learning scenario within ten years.

    Their action plan was described in the 2022 Horizon Report: Teaching and Learning Edition, available in PDF.

    “Everything is hybrid,” asserted the panel. “Instructors think strategically about learning modalities, optimizing in-person instruction for activities that are pedagogically better in a shared physical location. Learners’ needs are met through flexible and efficient pedagogy, often through modular, remote course offerings.” 

    These teaching and learning experts from eight institutions and five from Educause provided sixteen practical action items the industry can employ to make this future a reality, such as:

    • Use research-based methodologies and frameworks for the design of hybrid programs and courses.
    • Make professional development a foundational part of instructors’ jobs. Compensate instructors with time, money, and recognition for participating in professional development.
    • Support international hybrid learning: recruit and train instructors from all over the world.
    • Learn more about students’ comprehensive needs.
    • Include experiential learning in all academic programs. Provide opportunities for all students to engage in experiences such as internships, volunteer work, and study-abroad programs across the continuum of instructional modalities.
    • Expand instructional design capacity. As part of The Great Resignation, higher education institutions are competing with industry for the the best instructional designers.
    • Establish best practices for sustainable technology-enhanced learning spaces.
    • Develop and share best practices for equitable teaching and learning.
    • Define privacy standards for higher education.
    • Develop funding models for expanding technology access across institutions.
    • Develop a nonacademic credit pipeline. Learning can happen anywhere.
    • Establish cross-institutional programs and credentials.
    • Reimagine tenure.
    • Reevaluate the role of the higher education institution in a consumer-driven world.
    • Define state and national standards for hybrid learning. Work with partner institutions, industry, and professional associations.
    • Change federal government funding models. Modify funding models to support what is best for students.

    The expert panel roaster included: Julian Allen (Chief Learning Innovations Officer at Georgia State University), Sean Brown Director (Campus Reimagined at Florida State University), Melody Buckner Associate (Vice Provost of Digital Learning Initiatives and Online Education at University of Arizona), Maddy Kadish (Director, Instructional Design at The George Washington University), Jackie Lamoureux (Faculty Fellow Central at New Mexico Community College), Reba-Anna Lee (Assistant Dean of Distance Learning at Northwestern University), Matt Mooney (Director of Digital Learning Experience at University of Utah), and Paula Roberson (Director, Center for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation Hudson County Community College).

     

  • A Duke Administrator and Cell Biologist Researcher Named MIT’s 18th President

    A Duke Administrator and Cell Biologist Researcher Named MIT’s 18th President

    IBL News | New York

    Sally A. Kornbluth, 61, a cell biologist on her eight-year tenure as Duke University’s provost, was named MIT’s 18th President. She will assume the MIT presidency on January 1st, 2023, succeeding L. Rafael Reif, who last February announced his intention to step down after ten years leading the Institute.

    Kornbluth’s election came after an eight-month process in which a 20-member presidential search committee generated a list of approximately 250 possible candidates for the presidency.

    This Thursday, October 20th, the MIT Corporation voted for Sally A. Kornbluth after valuing her reputation as a distinguished researcher, brilliant administrator, creative problem-solver, and leading advocate of academic excellence, wrote MIT News.

    Kornbluth is currently the Jo Rae Wright University Professor of Biology at Duke. She has served on the Duke faculty since 1994, first as a member of the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology in the Duke University School of Medicine and then as a member of the Department of Biology in the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences.

    “As Duke’s provost since 2014, Kornbluth has served as the Chief Academic Officer of one of the nation’s leading research universities, with broad responsibility for carrying out Duke’s teaching and research missions; developing its intellectual priorities; and partnering with others to achieve wide-ranging gains for the university’s faculty and students,” said MIT.

    She oversaw Duke’s ten schools and six institutes and held ultimate responsibility for admissions, financial aid, libraries, and all other facets of academic and student life.

    “My greatest joy as a leader has always been in facilitating and amplifying the work of others,” Kornbluth said. “I am eager to meet all the brilliant, entrepreneurial people of MIT, and to champion their research, teaching, and learning.”

    • MIT News: On campus, a warm welcome for MIT’s next president, Sally Kornbluth

  • EdTech Will Expand from K–12 and Higher Ed to Lifelong Learning Economy

    EdTech Will Expand from K–12 and Higher Ed to Lifelong Learning Economy

    IBL News | New York

    As we enter the third school year of the Covid era, the EdTech industry will shift beyond K-12 schools and colleges into a broader sector, to what we can the Learning Economy. The pandemic will catalyze big shifts at all levels of education — a $1.8 trillion-dollar industry in the U.S., in some cases upending what were previously slow, decade-long trends.

    This is the view of leading VC Andreessen Horowitz, shown in an article written by analyst Lee Skates.

    “The Learning Economy doesn’t just refer to academic tools and student/teacher-facing technologies; rather, it encompasses all the different ways we develop as human beings, be it picking up a hobby or learning to be a better boss, parent, or friend,” states the company.

    These are the four macro changes powering the Learning Economy:

    • “It’s easier than ever to start a Learning Economy company. Given the current environment, record numbers of domain experts in education (disillusioned teachers, etc.) are available to team up with record numbers of product builders trained to build modern consumer experiences.”
    • “The pandemic has created a once-in-a-lifetime economic opportunity for early-stage companies to reach an eager customer base. The U.S. government’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds (ESSER funds) are the largest one-time infusion of funds in education from the federal government with almost no strings attached.”“In total, the government has allocated ~$190B to schools across three packages. The first tranche of funds must be allocated by this month and the second by September 2023. Most critically, ESSER III, which focuses on academic support and is the largest of the three packages, must be allocated by September 2024. This is a huge amount of money that schools must spend (or lose!) over the next few years, and startups stand to benefit.”
    • Americans across all generations are seeking alternate educational routes. In K–12, teacher shortages are forcing schools to outsource curriculum and lesson development, as well as actual teaching, to third-party vendors. School choice, fueled by ESA governmental funding, is on the rise. In dozens of states, parents can apply for government funding and send their kids to private schools and other educational institutions of their choosing.
    • Finally, the past two years have brought huge advances in technological adoption, which has traditionally lagged in education, creating new opportunities. This trend will only continue to accelerate. Lifelong learning is now a must-have in the workplace. Startups can also take advantage of the fact that VR has gone mass market, with education as one of its prime use cases. 2021 in particular was a banner year for VR. Oculus sold more VR headsets — 8.7 million —than Microsoft did Xboxes, roughly doubling sales from the previous year. Globally, VR users surpassed 171 million users. Prisms are already leveraging VR to teach STEM, serving hundreds of K–12 school districts.

    Regarding, opportunities in the Learning Economy, Andreessen Horowitz suggests some areas:

    • Companies leveraging ESSER and Title 1 funding as a wedge for K–12 school sales. Due to increasing teacher shortages, schools are looking to third-party solutions to outsource and supplement their own resources. Several states also announced dedicated budgets and regulations specifically for computer science and mental health programs (California, Illinois).
    • Products that link learning to promotions, new careers, and other direct outcomes. Today, surveys show that 1 in 5 college grads find that college did not adequately prepare them for their first jobs. That’s why supplemental learning to full-time employment has become the new, best “university” for many college students, early and mid-career professionals, and beyond.
    • Smart software that saves parents from reinventing the wheel or admin drudgery to focus on what’s meaningful.
    • Startups taking advantage of increasingly underutilized supply ranging from teachers to homeschooling parents to top students.

    Other trends include college admissions products for the standardized testing-optional era; products for students with learning differences; new-age “YPOs” (Young Presidents’ Organization) that form a community around like-minded peer groups; group-tutoring solutions as effective as 1:1 instruction; edutainment platforms; and language and accent coaching.

     

  • LEGO Purchases Education-Technology Firm BrainPOP for $875 Million

    LEGO Purchases Education-Technology Firm BrainPOP for $875 Million

    IBL News | New York

    The Danish company LEGO — the world’s largest toy maker — made its first acquisition in the digital learning space this month.

    Kirkbi A/S, the family-owned holding and investment company owner of the Lego brand, acquired for $875 million the American BrainPOP firm, which produces short animations used in schools to help children learn everything from math to music.

    Under the terms of the agreement, Kirkbi purchased 100% of the equity of BrainPOP.  BrainPOP will remain operationally independent of Kirkbi and the LEGO Group.

    The New York-headquartered BrainPOP has a presence in over two-thirds of U.S. school districts and an estimated reach of 25 million students annually, as well as an international presence. The company was founded in 1999 by U.S.– based former pediatrician, scientist, and immunologist Avraham Kadar, M.D., who coined its mission to empower kids to shape the world around them and within them.

    Kirkbi A/S has announced its intention to invest in “digital play and learning,” based on Lego’s desire to be a “global force for learning through play.”

    The Danish investment company has materialized 15 minority investments in EdTech firms over the past half-decade, according to The Wall Street Journal.

    Earlier this year, it invested about $1 billion into Epic Games, Inc., the company that created the massively popular video game Fortnite.

     

  • The Biden Administration Launches the Official Application for the Student Debt Relief

    The Biden Administration Launches the Official Application for the Student Debt Relief

    IBL News | New York

    President Biden launched the official application for the student debt relief program on Monday.  It’s one-time debt relief provided by the U.S. Department of Education as part of the Biden-Harris Administration student debt relief plan.

    Eligible borrowers will have until December 31, 2023, to apply and qualify for loan forgiveness. The process is done through this website.

    The Federal Student Loan Debt Relief program provides eligible borrowers with a full or partial discharge of loans up to $20,000 to Federal Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 to non-Pell Grant recipients.

    Individuals who made less than $125,000 in 2021 or 2020 qualify, along with families that made less than $250,000 in 2021 or 2020.

    Interestingly, this one-time student loan debt relief won’t be taxed at the federal level. However, some states may be taxing this debt relief.

  • Arizona State University Opens a Lab that Will Create a Metaverse with Zoom

    Arizona State University Opens a Lab that Will Create a Metaverse with Zoom

    IBL News | New York

    Arizona State University (ASU) and Zoom Video Communication opened this month an innovation lab at the Creativity Commons on the Tempe campus.

    It will be equipped with a recording studio, green-screen room, collaboration spaces, and advanced tools.

    This Zoom Innovation Lab at ASU will students will be initially focused on developing new forms of collaboration and Metaverse solutions.

    This lab is part of ASU’s corporate engagement and strategic partnership program.

    “We are embarking on the campus of the future,” said Eric Yuan, Chief Executive Officer of Zoom.

    Projects powered by the Zoom Innovation Lab already underway include the development of a digital twin in a metaverse called ASUniverse and a telehealth app from The Luminosity Lab intended to support doctor-patient visits inside the hospital setting.

    ASUniverse uses real-time 3D models to simulate a virtual campus that is live, adaptive, and changing its environment. It can be for learning, extracurricular activities, campus tours, sporting events, and for allowing students to connect with peers.

    For example, if a learner cannot be on campus, they can create an avatar and visit the ASUniverse via a web browser or with a VR headset. The team is exploring how to further extend the digital experience in this metaverse space with Zoom.

    Currently, 125 ASU students across disciplines are working on the project.

    Regarding the telehealth system, each patient room at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, equipped with Amazon Fire TV for entertainment, will allow physicians and nurses – by adding a camera – to use the Zoom-enabled app to carry out their rounds virtually and connect with patients. It will result in a hands-free interaction for the patient, as well as more efficient visits for hospital staff.

    Additional follow-up projects and iterations will include enhanced classroom and distance learning solutions and smart stadium experiences.
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  • Genius Group Acquires an American Documentary Film Company to Provide High-Quality Educational Videos

    Genius Group Acquires an American Documentary Film Company to Provide High-Quality Educational Videos

    IBL News | New York

    The Singapore – based Genius Group Limited  (NYSE American: GNS), which manages over 2.9 million students in 200 countries, paid $10 million to acquire Revealed Films Inc., a film production company that specializes in multi-part documentaries.

    The Utah – based Revealed Films launches three to four docu-series per year covering topics such as wealth building, health and nutrition, medical issues, religion, and political matters. The firm was founded in 2017 by filmmaker and television producer Jeff Hays and wellness and business expert Patrick Gentempo [in the video below].

    The acquisition, closed on October 4, 2022, will enable Genius Group “to enhance and supplement its always-evolving curriculum with high-quality entrepreneurial education videos,” the company said.

    Revealed Films will continue to operate as a separate entity.

    This is the latest acquisition undertaken by Genius Group since going public in April, following its strategy intended “to disrupt the education sector and build a new curriculum centered around entrepreneurship and lifelong learning.”

     

  • “Career Readiness and Skill Competency Are Key Factors to Measure Student Success”

    “Career Readiness and Skill Competency Are Key Factors to Measure Student Success”

    IBL News | New York

    Career readiness, skill competency, and student educational goals are three of the most important factors for measuring student success. This is the main conclusion of the 2022 State of Student Success and Engagement in Higher Education research released by Instructure (NYSE: INST) [PDF Download]

    Students, faculty, and administrators worldwide believe that student success includes the quality of the faculty, as well as the availability of engaging content, hands-on instruction, and technology.

    According to the research, socioeconomic factors, including access to the internet, learning resources, and technological devices continue to be barriers to student success and engagement, as does psychological well-being. Offering educational technology resources and professional development for educators in technology training is the top way to help address student success struggles.

    Supporting student mental health is still seen as an area of opportunity for institutions.

    Since COVID-19, students, faculty, and administrators are much more inclined to opt for online courses, digital materials, and open education resources than in the past. The convenience and flexibility offered by online or hybrid courses are changing the way students live and learn.

    The report states that three questions remain top of mind:

    • How can students stay engaged and be successful throughout their educational experience and graduate prepared for the modern workforce?
    • How can faculty continuously leverage technology to transform pedagogy to be more engaging, innovative, and inclusive?
    • How can institutions reset and commit to new directives with solutions that better address student and campus goals?

    In this report, Instructure, the maker of Canvas LMS, points out six key trends for student success and engagement in 2022 are:

    1. Students are demanding convenience and flexibility.
    2. Career readiness is of paramount importance.
    3. Competency-based and skills-based learning is in growing demand
    4. Tech-enhanced pedagogy is critical for student engagement.
    5. The digital divide, or gap between those with and those without the Internet, directly impacts student success
    6. The psychological well-being of students is at the forefront of the conversation on student success.
  • A British Platform that Teaches Cybersecurity with Gamification Attracts Big Funding

    A British Platform that Teaches Cybersecurity with Gamification Attracts Big Funding

    IBL News | New York

    The U.K. – based cybersecurity training platform Immersive Labs announced yesterday it had raised $66 million, which adds to another round of $75 million in Series C funding that closed last June. Ten Eleven Ventures led the latest raise. Existing investors — high-profile names such as Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Summit Partners, Insight Partners, Menlo Ventures, and Citi Ventures — participated in the round.

    Through its Cyber Workforce Resilience platform, Immersive Labs teaches cybersecurity skills to employees in a gamified way through simulations and hands-on cybersecurity labs. This way, it evaluates individual and team capabilities, from executive decision-making to hands-on cyber defense teams.

    The company claims to serve customers such as Citi, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Pfizer, Daimler, Humana, Atos, and the U.K. National Health Service.

    “Our customers rely on us because we offer a trusted and effective approach to upskilling and measuring team and individual cyber defense capabilities,” said James Hadley, CEO at Immersive Labs.

    “As we see more focus on proving cyber resilience across public and private sectors, Immersive Labs stands to play a key role in the future of cybersecurity,” said David Palmer, General Partner, Ten Eleven Ventures.

    Immersive Labs originated from a cyber accelerator in London. The founder James Hadley was a former GCHQ security researcher and trainer who realized ordinary employees needed a better way to learn cybersecurity as they were the weakest links in most organizations.