IBL News

Author: IBL News

  • Saylor Academy Releases a Free Certificate Course to Educate on Bitcoin

    Saylor Academy Releases a Free Certificate Course to Educate on Bitcoin

    IBL News | New York

    Saylor Academy introduced Bitcoin for Everybody, a 12-hour, free certificate course to educate the world on bitcoin.

    According to the creators, the class is intended to “assist anyone seeking to harness this digital monetary network,” said the creators.

    “Bitcoin for Everybody” takes the learner to the basics of this Bitcoin economics, investment, philosophy, and history, as well as its technical and practical components. [Course Syllabus Page]

    To earn a course completion certificate, the learner needs a grade of 70% or higher on the final exam. The delivery platform is Moodle.

  • Coursera Partners with Howard University, Facebook, and Others to Empower Black Learners

    Coursera Partners with Howard University, Facebook, and Others to Empower Black Learners

    IBL News | New York

    Coursera announced yesterday a partnership with Howard University—a historically Black college and university (HBCU) which includes alumni such as Vice President Kamala Harris—aimed to empower black learners.

    “We are focused on creating social justice and anti-racism content and elevating Black voices in our instructor community,” explained Betty Vandenbosch, Chief Content Officer at Coursera.

    Howard University will launch this year a course catalog on Coursera.org starting with Information Systems for Business and Linear Algebra for Data Science Specializations.

    Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick, President Howard University, joined Coursera’s University Advisory Board, which approves all new university partners and provides strategic counsel.

    “These kinds of partnerships can help enhance opportunities for people of color by aligning their education with the needs of businesses,” stated Dr. Frederick.

    In the same context, Coursera also announced several new social justice courses from other university partners, such as:

    Over 40 additional courses on topics such as overcoming bias, systemic racism, effective allyship, and diversity in the workplace wiil be likely to launch in the upcoming months. Also, learners can enroll in 20+ courses taught by Black instructors featured in the Black History Month collection.

    Together with Facebook Elevate, the learning company is offering up to 10,000 scholarships for the Facebook Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate in the platform.

    With Black Girls CODE, a nonprofit focused on bringing tech education to Black girls, Coursera is partnering to provide up to 2,000 girls with free access to its catalog.

     

  • edX’s Courses Will Be Included in Microsoft Viva’s ‘Employee Experience Platform’

    edX’s Courses Will Be Included in Microsoft Viva’s ‘Employee Experience Platform’

    IBL News | New York

    edX will be part of the Microsoft Viva initiative, making its low-cost, self-paced courses and programs available to employees that use Microsoft Teams and other tools. This way, corporations will be able to contract for bulk licenses for seats in edX through Teams.

    Coursera, Pluralsight, Skillsoft, LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft Learn, and other content providers will be part of Microsoft Viva’s educational library, as well. Microsoft Viva includes LMSs as Cornerstone On Demand, SAP SuccessFactors, and Saba.

    “Our collaboration with Microsoft Viva Learning puts the life-changing tool of education into the hands of millions of more potential learners,” said Adam Medros, co-CEO and President at edX.

    “With the launch of Microsoft Viva, we are bringing learning directly to workers, putting people and teams at the center,” explained said Chuck Friedman, CVP, Employee Experience at Microsoft Corp. “Integration with key partners will add robust content libraries and bring learning into employees’ flow of work.”

    Announced on February 4th, Microsoft Viva is a new employee knowledge and learning platform—or Employee Experience Platform—that integrates with Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams productivity and collaboration tools. It is a service designed for the pandemic and post-pandemic times that redefines how employees remotely work.

    Satya Nadella, CEO at Microsoft, justified the initiative by stating: “Every organization will require a unified employee experience from onboarding and collaboration to continuous learning and growth. Viva brings together everything an employee needs to be successful, from day one, in a single, integrated experience directly in Teams.”

    Analysts size the nascent Employee Experience Platforms (EXP) category at $300 billion in annual spending, according to Microsoft. It spans what is today a fragmented market of services, infrastructure, and hundreds of tools, many that go undiscovered and underutilized by employees at the companies that have invested in them. The pandemic is accelerating this market.

    On Microsoft Viva, the Seattle-based corporation incorporates features built on SharePoint, Yammer, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, and other tools.  

    Microsoft Viva—priced at a $60 user/year–uses AI “to empower people with knowledge and expertise in the apps they use every day; help people learn, develop new skills, and innovate faster while they work; and automatically connect, organize, and protect content across teams and systems.” On the learning side, AI is used for personalized recommendations.

     

  • The Catholic Polytechnic University Announces Six Online Courses in Business and Tech

    The Catholic Polytechnic University Announces Six Online Courses in Business and Tech

    IBL News | New York

    The newly created Catholic Polytechnic University (CPU) announced six online courses starting in March 2021:

    Taught by Catholic experts in their fields, the courses will be 8-weeks—at 90 minutes per week—and priced at $300 each.

    “Catholic Polytechnic University combines a deep quest for scientific, tech, engineering, and business expertise with the enduring truths of the Catholic faith,” explained her Founder and CEO, Jennifer Nolan. “Catholic sacraments, Masses (including Latin offered), and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will be hallmarks of student life.”

    Its primary goal is top job placement of graduates in business, science, or tech career-driven jobs. Learning outcomes include critical thinking and writing skills; understanding and appreciation of Catholic theology and a deepening of faith; business skills; general knowledge of several polytechnic fields; and expertise in at least one polytechnic field.

    CPU incorporates online teaching with in-person classes at the Don Bosco Technical Institute high school.

  • Open edX & Learning Platforms | January-February 2021: MITx, SNHU, WordPress, Coursera, Docebo, Udemy…

    Open edX & Learning Platforms | January-February 2021: MITx, SNHU, WordPress, Coursera, Docebo, Udemy…

    [ Newsletter format  |  Click here to subscribe ]

    JANUARY—FEBRUARY 2021 – NEWSLETTER #34  |  Breaking news at IBL News  |  Noticias en Español

     

    edX

    • Former edX Executive Raises $7.5M to Build a Course Catalog Using AI Tools

    • edX.org Reaches 35 Million Registered Learners and 110 Million Enrollments

     

    edX Courses

    • An MITx Course on edX Explores Solutions for the Massive and Persistent World Poverty

    • SNHU Launches Two edX MicroBachelors in Business Analytics and Data Management

     

    Open edX

    • Develop.com Offers a Free Month Access to Career-Focused Courses Including Completion Certificates

    • Develop.com Adds an AI-Based Tool that Recommends Courses to Complement Skills

     

    MOOCs

    • MOOCs Skyrocket Due to the Pandemic: Over 180 Million Learners, and Counting

    • WordPress.com Issues Two Subscription-Based Courses on Blogging and Podcasting

    • The Top 40 Most Popular Courses at the Beginning of 2021 According to Class Central

     

    Coursera

    • Wesleyan University Launches Two Courses Focused on Taking Action for Social Change

    • Coursera Curates a Collection of Courses Inspired on Disney’s and Pixar’s Soul Movie

     

    Learning Platforms

    • The Top News Stories of the Year on edX, Coursera, and Learning at Scale Platforms

    • Docebo LMS, Valued at $2.23 Billion, Sells More Shares. Its Founder to Pocket $7.5M

    • Bitcoin SV Academy: A New Online Learning Platform, with a First Free Course Open to Enrollment

    • Udemy.com Hires a New President as Its Growth Continues

    • The College Board Will Allow Students to Take AP Exams at Home

     

    2021 Events 

    • Education Calendar  –  FEB — MARCH — APRIL — MAY — JUNE — JULY-DECEMBER  |  Conferences in Latin America & Spain

     

    This newsletter is created in collaboration with IBL Education, a New York City-based company specialized in AI and credential-driven learning platforms and communities. Read the latest IBL Newsletter   |  Archive of Open edX Newsletters

  • Online Learning | January-February 2021: MIT, Harvard, College Board, Varsity Tutors…

    Online Learning | January-February 2021: MIT, Harvard, College Board, Varsity Tutors…

    [ Newsletter format  |  Click here to subscribe ]

    JANUARY—FEBRUARY 2021 –  NEWSLETTER #40  |  Breaking news at IBL News  |  Noticias en Español

     

    Higher Ed in the Pandemic

    • The Pandemic Caused a Huge Financial Hit to Public Research Universities

    • MIT Will Vaccinate 50,000 Members of its Community

    • Higher Ed Institutions Function Only at 75% Capacity. This Gap Costs $50 Billion

    • The Pandemic Accelerates the OPM Business: Universities Pay $4 Billion a Year

    • The College Board Discontinues SAT Subject Tests and the optional SAT Essay

     

    Federal Government

    • The Biden Administration Extends the Pause on Student Loan Payments for Eight Months

    • The Biden Administration Issues Guidance for Colleges on the COVID Pandemic

    • Senator Warren Says that Betsy DeVos Resigned to Dodge the 25th Amendment

    • Betsy DeVos Resigns as Education Secretary Because of “the Impact of Trump’s Rhetoric”

     

    Trump

    • Harvard Students Request to Revoke Graduate Diplomas from Prominent Trump Supporters

    • Twitter Permanently Suspends President Trump’s Account

    • ProPublica Releases an Unfiltered Collection of Parler’s Videos on the Riot at the Capitol

    • University Political Professors and Scientists Demand the Immediate Removal of President Trump

     

    Social Media

    • The Alternative to WhatsApp, Telegram Surpasses 500 Million Users

    • Parler May Never Get Back Online: Vendors Don’t Want Any Business with the App

    • Private Messaging Signal Becomes the #1 App on Apple’s and Google’s Stores

    • Parler Social App Sues AWS-Amazon For Suspending Its Cloud Hosting Service

    • Apple, Google, and AWS Kick Parler Off—the Social Media App Used by Trump’s Supporters

     

    Trends

    • Varsity Tutors Will Become a Public Company—Valued at $1.7 Billion

    • Over Two Billion Children and Young People Lose Out on Education Due to No Internet Access

    • How to Equip Managers to Lead Remote Teams and Reap Productivity Gains

    • 2020 Year Review: Top News Stories on Online Learning

     

    2021 Events 

    • Education Calendar  –  FEB — MARCH — APRIL — MAY — JUNE — JULY-DECEMBER  |  Conferences in Latin America & Spain

     

    This newsletter is created in collaboration with IBL Education, a New York City-based company specialized in AI and credential-driven learning platforms and communities. Read the latest IBL Newsletter   |  Archive of Open edX Newsletters

  • The College Board Will Allow Students to Take AP Exams at Home

    The College Board Will Allow Students to Take AP Exams at Home

    IBL News | New York

    High schoolers will be able to take AP (Advanced Placement) exams at home, due to the closure of many classrooms because of the pandemic.

    The College Board, which administers the AP program, issued yesterday an update on testing procedures.

    However, exams will return to their usual length.

    On the other hand, layoffs have started at The College Board. According to Inside The Higher Education, about 14 percent of people lost their jobs this week.

    A spokesman said, “We have made changes to become a more flexible organization, which included difficult decisions to reduce the size of our team.”

    A month ago, The College Board announced that it was dropping the Subject Tests and the optional essay section for students in the U.S.

     

  • Develop.com Offers a Free Month Access to Career-Focused Courses Including Completion Certificates

    Develop.com Offers a Free Month Access to Career-Focused Courses Including Completion Certificates

    IBL News | New York

    Online learning platform Develop.com started offering this week a free month of unlimited access to hundreds of career-focused courses, including expert-led classes.

    The free offering includes completion certificates for every course.

    Develop currently has currently three custom-built subscriptions, starting at $9.99/month: Foundation, Data Academy, and Cybersecurity. Topics include project management, software development, cybersecurity, and cloud technologies.

    “Our high-quality courses are the best way for professionals looking to grow their careers to gain skills and experience to stand out,” said Kevin Pawsey, CEO at Develop.

    Boston-based Develop.com competes with Pluralsight.com by providing on-demand, subscription courses for IT and business professionals.

    The platform is built on an Open edX ecosystem developed by the New York-based IBL Education learning software company.

  • MIT Will Vaccinate 50,000 Members of its Community

    MIT Will Vaccinate 50,000 Members of its Community

    IBL News | New York

    MIT will develop its own framework for vaccinating approximately 50,000 students, employees, affiliates, and dependents on campus.

    The Commonwealth of Massachusetts approved last month MIT’s request to serve as an employer-based distributor of the Covid-19 vaccine—MIT News reported.

    The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has been administering regular Covid tests to thousands of members of its community.

    In terms of the vaccine roll-out, roughly 700 individuals categorized as top-priority recipients—frontline, public-facing, or essential employees…—have received the shots.

    Across the country, teachers and school staff members are on many priority lists to get their vaccines.

    The CDC has put out guidance on how to prioritize different groups, but states can ultimately make their own decisions on the rollout.

    Education Week tracked this week plans for vaccinating K-12 educators across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

  • Varsity Tutors Will Become a Public Company—Valued at $1.7 Billion

    Varsity Tutors Will Become a Public Company—Valued at $1.7 Billion

    IBL News | New York

    Nerdy Inc., the parent company of Varsity Tutors, announced last week that it will be acquired by a SPAC (special purpose acquisition company) called TPG Pace Tech Opportunities.

    The transaction, expected for Q2 of 2021, will value Nerdy at a $1.7 billion market capitalization. The company will be listed on the NYSC as NRDY.

    Based in St. Louis, Varsity Tutors is a live tutoring platform from K-5 to graduate school test prep and professional certifications.

    Nerdy raised $107 million in funding from Learn Capital, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and TCV. These existing investors are expected to retain over 50% of ownership.

    The acquisition is expected to be complete in the second quarter of 2021. Then Nerdy will be listed on NYSE under the tickers NRDY.

    According to its SEC filing, Varsity Tutors posted $106 million in revenue for 2020, with a loss of $23 million.

    In 2020, companies like Skillsoft and Meten were purchased and went public through a SPAC.