IBL News

Author: IBL News

  • UNESCO Releases Its Learning, Open edX-Based Platform

    UNESCO Releases Its Learning, Open edX-Based Platform

    IBL News | New York

    UNESCO — the United Nations agency for education — launched this month its Open Learning platform for online course development and dissemination of topics.

    Co-founded by the Government of Flanders in Belgium, the platform includes courses from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), IHE-Delft, and Waternet, among other learning partners.

    The initial focus of the courses will be on science-related topics such as water resources management, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), climate change adaptation, remote sensing, information, and communications technologies (ICT).

    The UNESCO’s (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) platform is built on Open edX.

    Dr. Koen Verbist, a Programme Specialist at UNESCO, explained to edX that “empowering learners to become active global citizens is key to UNESCO’s overarching education goal of promoting a more just, inclusive, peaceful and sustainable world, based on respect for fundamental human rights.”

  • MasterClass.com Continues Its Funding Spree Raising Another $225 Million

    MasterClass.com Continues Its Funding Spree Raising Another $225 Million

    IBL News | New York

    MasterClass.com announced this week another round of financing of $225 million in series F.

    The funding was led by Fidelity Management & Research Company with participation from new investors including Baillie Gifford, Balyasny Asset Management, and Eldridge together with existing investors IVP, Javelin, NEA, and Owl Ventures.

    To date, the funding of Master Class has been $475 million. Last year’s round was closed at $100 million on Series E.

    The San Francisco-based company said it will use the funding to increase content production, international expansion, and launch of new Enterprise business to serve both SMBs and large corporations.

    The startup also plans to open an office in easter Canada this year, and to expand its current workforce of 380 to over 500 in 2021.

    “MasterClass enables that, with our incredible roster of instructors, cinematic production capabilities, and singular focus on restoring the joy of learning,” said David Rogier, founder, and CEO of MasterClass.

    MasterClass.com’s courses feature about 20 video lessons, at an average of 10 minutes per lesson.

    “You can learn on your own terms—in bite-size pieces or in a single binge. Cinematic visuals and close-up, hands-on demonstrations make you feel like you’re one-on-one with the instructors, while the downloadable instructor guides help reinforce your learning,” advertises the company.

  • Investors at ASU+GSV Select 200 EdTech Startups

    Investors at ASU+GSV Select 200 EdTech Startups

    IBL News | New York

    The ASU+GSV Summit, which attracts EdTech top investors and entrepreneurs, announced this week its second annual GSV Cup Elite 200 competition for startups. It will be the world’s largest pitch competition for EdTech Startups, according to the organization. They develop what GSV calls “Weapons of Mass Instruction.”

    A total of 200 educational companies at the pre-seed and seed stage have been selected by a panel of 152 VCs and managers. Among those judges were investors from Accel, Alexa Fund, Brand Capital International, Bessemer Venture Partners, Founders Circle Capital, Owl Ventures, and Reach Capital. Over 700 applications were received.

    They will compete for $1 million in prizes while pitching at the ASU+GSV Summit live and in-person August 9-11, 2021 in San Diego, California. The prizes will consist of $550,000 in non-dilutive capital and $450,000 in Google Cloud credits.

    “As the world moves from a BC to AD reality — before coronavirus to after disease — we have arrived at the dawn of the age of digital learning,” said Deborah Quazzo, managing partner of GSV Ventures [in the picture above].

  • Iona College in New York Acquires Concordia College’s 28-Acre Campus

    Iona College in New York Acquires Concordia College’s 28-Acre Campus

    IBL News | New York

    Iona College, in New Rochelle, New York, announced this week it will finally acquire Concordia College’s 28-acre campus in Bronxville, New York, where it will set a school of health sciences. Iona will also introduce new student programming in the performing arts, varsity, and club athletics.

    The price of the acquisition was not disclosed, nor how many former Concordia employees might be employed by Iona.

    Concordia will cease academic instruction before the fall semester of 2021.

    Founded in 1940 by the Congregation of Christian Brothers, Iona is a master’s-granting private, Catholic institution with a total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students.

    It offers undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science, and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science, and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. The Princeton Review recognized Iona’s on-campus MBA program as a “Best Business School for 2020.” Iona College also recently launched a new, fully online MBA program.

     

     

  • SUNY’s Class on Solar Energy and Panel Installations Gets Over 50,000 Enrollments

    SUNY’s Class on Solar Energy and Panel Installations Gets Over 50,000 Enrollments

    IBL News | New York

    Suny Online’s Solar Energy Basics course on Coursera hit this month a milestone of 50,000-plus enrollments.

    Launched in 2019, the course is in the top 10 enrollments of SUNY courses on the Coursera platform, out of approximately 60 courses.

    The course, subtitled into eight languages, was developed by Dr. Neal Abrams, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry with instructional design and technical support from the Open Academy.

    This class offers an introduction to the fundamentals of solar power as it applies to solar panel system installations. It teaches to compare solar energy to other energy resources and explains how solar panels, or photovoltaics (PV for short), convert sunlight to electricity.

    Solar Energy Basics is one of three courses on solar energy for Coursera developed by Abrams to provide learners with a foundation for designing photovoltaic systems.

    The second course, Solar Energy System Design was launched in the summer of 2020. The third one will launch this summer.

    Abrams has also been using these courses as part of a credit-bearing course this semester on the online Sustainability Management program, SUS 496- Solar Power: PV Design & Installation.

  • The French OpenClasrooms.com Raises $80 Million for Its International Expansion

    The French OpenClasrooms.com Raises $80 Million for Its International Expansion

    IBL News | New York

    Paris, France-based educational platform OpenClassrooms.com raised $80 million in a Series C round.

    The financing, led by Lumos Capital C, attracted also funding from GSV, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), and Salesforce Ventures. Existing investors General Atlantic and Bpifrance invested once again in the company.

    The startup, which claims to host two million learners per month on its vocational training courses, said that it will use the funds for international expansion and product development.

    OpenClassrooms’ courses, in French, English, and Spanish, include a mix of video resources, online reading, real-life projects, and individual mentoring sessions. Users can choose among 54 training programs and get a diploma. Some of them are French-state-recognized bachelor and master diplomas.

    The company offers a guarantee that learners will find a job, mostly through career coaching, or they will receive their money back. In France, students can pay for OpenClassrooms courses using those public subsidies received to fund professional education.

    In addition, the French company offers courses, especially related to apprenticeships, to 1,400 companies.

    The platform still offers short free classes.

     

  • Google Creates a Program to Train Previously Incarcerated Jobseekers

    Google Creates a Program to Train Previously Incarcerated Jobseekers

    IBL News | New York

    Over 600,000 people make the transition from prisons to society each year. They often face systemic barriers to entering the workforce.

    Intending to provide economic opportunities, Google is partnering with several non-profit organizations (Center for Employment Opportunities, Defy Ventures, Fortune Society, and The Last Mile) in order to implement a program designed to train more than 10,000 formerly incarcerated individuals on digital skills required to get a job or start businesses.

    The initiative called Grow with Google Career Readiness for Reentry builds upon the company’s existing criminal justice work, which includes $40 million in Google.org grants.

    The program consists of training with a project-based and video learning curriculum. The learning includes job search and readiness skills, how to make a resume using web-based tools, and how to send professional emails — as well as more advanced topics like including entrepreneurship and using spreadsheets to make a budget for your business.

    Several partners will also provide job placement support or help place learners into paid apprenticeships and entrepreneur-in-residence programs.

     

     

  • The Linux Foundation and CNCF Issue a Free Kubernetes on Edge Training on edX.org

    The Linux Foundation and CNCF Issue a Free Kubernetes on Edge Training on edX.org

    IBL News | New York

    The Linux Foundation and Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) launched a course about cases and applications of Kubernetes at the edge through practical examples and hands-on lab exercised.

    Introduction to Kubernetes on Edge with K3s (LFS156x) is a free 15-hour course on edX.org, intended for those interested in learning more about Kubernetes and deploying applications or embedded sensors in edge locations.

    Programming experience is also not strictly required. Students will need to be able to run Docker on their computers.

    The course covers how to deploy applications to the edge with open source tools such as K3s and k3sup; those tools can be applied to low-power hardware such as the Raspberry Pi.

    The course was developed by Alex Ellis, a CNCF Ambassador and the Founder of OpenFaaS and inlets.

     

  • Kahoot Acquires Clever Inc. for $500M to Expand Its Presence in the U.S.

    Kahoot Acquires Clever Inc. for $500M to Expand Its Presence in the U.S.

    IBL News | New York 

    Norwegian EdTech game-based platform Kahoot! announced yesterday the acquisition of Clever Inc, a California-based platform widely used by U.S. K-12 schools. The final pricing will be between $435 and $500 million, depending on Clever’s performance this year.

    By purchasing Clever, which will keep its brand, Kahoot will dramatically increase its presence in the U.S. market.

    Founded in 2012, Clever claims to have served 20 million students monthly, that is, half of all U.S. students in 2020 in 89,000 schools. The company provides a popular single-sign-on network that simplifies accessible learning.

    It has partnered with 600 application developers, including Khan Academy, McGraw Hill, Zoom, and Google Classroom. Its billed revenues are around $44 million.

    Tyler Bosmeny, CEO and co-founder of Clever, said, “being part of the Kahoot! the family will give us the opportunity to continue our mission and accelerate our plans to serve international markets.”

    Eilert Hanoa, CEO at Kahoot!, pointed out, “we are improving our offerings with Kahoot! at Work towards enterprises with Kahoot! Spirit and our acquisitions of Actimo and Motimate, the acquisition of Clever will strengthen our offerings towards schools, districts, and families in Kahoot! at School and Kahoot! at Home.”

  • Coursera’s Stock Price Drops Despite Analysts’ Endorsement

    Coursera’s Stock Price Drops Despite Analysts’ Endorsement

    IBL News | New York

    Coursera (NYSE: COUR), which became public on March 31st, dropped on Wednesday the 5th almost 8%, despite receiving analysts’ support regarding the first-quarter report. Investors still consider that the educational company is overvalued. On Thursday, the stock suffered another significant decline of 7.21%, until $38.98.

    The online learning platform announced a loss per share of 40 cents, compared to 45 cents a year earlier, with revenue of $88.4 million, versus $53.8 million for the same period in 2020, a growth of 64%.

    Net loss was $18.7 million or 21.1% of revenue, compared to $14.3 million or 26.6% of revenue a year ago.

    The company forecasted second-quarter revenue of $89 million to $93 million.

    In its initial public offering, Coursera (ticker: COUR) sold 15.73 million shares at $33 each. The stock has since rallied about 36%. On Wednesday, shares were down to $42.

    Josh Baer, from Morgan Stanley, wrote: “Coursera beat every estimate and metric we track in Q1, and we see positive estimate revisions ahead as the durability of growth and margin expansion is underestimated.”

    Analyst Sarang Vora, from Telsey Advisory Group, said: “We believe Coursera’s consistent focus on growing its content catalog and member base, combined with enhancements to its technology platform, should continue to boost results in 2021 and beyond.”

    Coursera’s CEO Jeff Maggioncalda was optimistic: “We believe the digital transformation of higher education is only in the early innings, and we see many opportunities to drive growth for Coursera in the years ahead.”

    “During the first quarter, we demonstrated our ability to scale all parts of our business with revenue growth of 64% year-on-year,” said Ken Hahn, Coursera’s CFO. “Our freemium model allows us to acquire learners at a low cost and meet their lifelong learning needs with a growing selection of premium, job-relevant content, and credentials.”

    Coursera disclosed other interesting data regarding its day-to-day operations:

    • The company added 5 million new registered learners during the quarter for a total of 82 million.
    • Enterprise revenue for the first quarter was $24.5 million, up 63% from a year ago. Paid Enterprise Customers increased 84% from a year ago to 479 businesses, governments, and campuses.
    • Degrees revenue for the first quarter was $12.0 million, up 81% from a year ago as prior cohorts scale and students begin newly launched programs. The total number of Degrees Students reached 13,493, up 88% from a year ago.

     

    • Coursera: Coursera Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2021 Financial Results