Author: IBL News

IBL News | New York

U.S. colleges and universities are seeing a strong year-over-year rebound in new international student enrollments, with an increase of 80% in the 2021 / 2022 academic year, according to a report released by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education (IIE) this week in Washington DC.

The study, titled Open Doors 2022, is evidence of the strong interest among international students to travel to the United States, the top destination for international students worldwide, and pursue their studies in person — say the authors.

Moreover, data show that 90% of enrolled international students have returned to in-person learning across U.S. campuses.

A total of  948,519 international students from more than 200 places of origin studied at U.S. higher education institutions during the 2021/2022 academic year,

The surge means a return to pre-pandemic levels.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, international students contributed $32 billion to the U.S. economy in 2021.

“Welcoming international students to American campuses and communities is at the heart of people-to-people diplomacy and a foundational component of our U.S. foreign policy strategy to attract the top talent to the United States,” explained Lee Satterfield, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs.

In addition to enrolled international students, more than 184,000 students pursued Optional Practical Training (OPT), a program allowing individuals to gain practical work experiences after academic study.

China and India represent the majority (52%) of all international students in the United States. China remains the top sending country in 2021/22, with 290,086 students on U.S. campuses (-9% year-over-year). India, the second top-sending country, sent 199,182 international students in 2021/22, an increase of 19% year-over-year.

Other places of origin, including Canada, Mexico, and Nigeria, returned to pre-pandemic international student numbers. Notably, Nigeria saw its largest increase (+12% year-over-year) in international students studying in the U.S. since the 1980s.

IBL News | New York

D2L announced the launch of its Creator+ packages intended to save time for creators without any coding work allowing them to deliver interactive learning experiences.

“Creator+ is purposefully built, in partnership with educators and learning design experts, to support the development of better learning experiences,” said John Baker, President, and CEO of D2L.

Toronto, Canada – based global edtech company D2L Brightspace issued an early version of Creator+ in May 2022 and made it available for purchase this month.

According to Forbes, the average teacher works more than 400 hours of overtime each year. And a survey from the Association of Talent Development shows that 67% of organizations believe that having limited resources – time, talent, and money – is the barrier they most frequently face to designing and developing learning content.

Essentially, Creator+ allows for the use of ready-made templates to quickly build content, enhance comprehension with the Practices tool, a wide variety of practice exercises and question types, and create a consistent visual experience with the Content Styling tool.

Phil Hill, the publisher of the PhilOnEdTech blog, wrote, “Creator+ streamlines and improves content creation with templates and themes as well as deeper integration with video tools.”

IBL News | New York

Coursera’s CEO, Jeff Maggioncalda, announced in a public email to employees this week  that its company will start firing people due to the “slower growth rates, environmental uncertainty, and need to make whatever changes are needed, including reducing headcount expenses.”

“I’m sad to share that in order to slow our rate of spending, we have made the difficult decision to reduce the size of our team,” he said without specifying any number.

Maggioncalda explained that the company notified all impacted employees via 1:1 conversations with their managers and senior leadership.

Coursera currently has about 1,138 full-time employees.

Laid-off employees will receive a package of four months of pay (plus additional pay based on role and tenure), healthcare coverage for up to four months, which varies by country, and job placement assistance via Randstad RiseSmart.

The firm has also created a Coursera Alumni Talent Hub for impacted employees who want to opt-in.

IBL News | New York

Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM) unveiled this week new products and services during its annual event, Zoomtopia 2022, among them video conferencing on Tesla vehicles.

The San Jose-California-based company announced, without saying exactly when, that “Zoom will come standard on all new Tesla models soon.”

Tesla has continued to add features to its infotainment system for drivers or passengers while sitting parked. Now Tesla’s vehicles can stream Netflix and YouTube through its large touchscreen displays, has karaoke, and offers a host of video games.

During its conference, Zoom also announced a beta release of email and calendar software and a partnership with AMC Theatres to launch Zoom Rooms next year. This Zoom Rooms product will let companies broadcast Zoom meetings in movie theaters.

Other innovations included conversational AI features in Contact Center.

🎥 WATCH: #Zoomtopia is live!

New products, innovations, and happy surprises. Tune into the keynote with @ericsyuan now! 🎉 https://t.co/2TbZ73scBR

— Zoom (@Zoom) November 8, 2022

“The developer platform offers even more, so that you, as developers, can use our core technology to build for your own use cases and connect to your customers.” – @bittelson, Chief Technology Officer

The #Zoomtopia Developer Summit has started! https://t.co/Esfg6E3H2L pic.twitter.com/Dl4CRi8aqV

— Zoom (@Zoom) November 9, 2022

Working at home, but missing office convos? Connect in Zoom Spots.

It’s a virtual workspace, a water cooler, the together spot for when you’re not physically together. #Zoomtopia https://t.co/i6gASDomIW pic.twitter.com/cRYUOrYnwf

— Zoom (@Zoom) November 8, 2022

IBL News | New York

The Indian edtech giant BYJU’S hired football star Lionel “Leo” Messi as the first global brand ambassador of its social, non-profit arm Education For All (EFA), to promote the cause of accessible and affordable education.

The BYJU’S agreement with Messi — who plays for Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentinian football team — comes after the company became the official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

“BYJU’S sees Lionel Messi as ‘The Greatest Learner of All Time’ whose passion for continuous learning has redefined the meaning of what is possible in football,” said the Bengaluru, India – based company.

“He is a once-in-a-generation talent whose pursuit of excellence, all-in mentality, humility, and reliability resonate deeply with BYJU’S brand values,” added Divya Gokulnath, Co-Founder of BYJU’S.

Lionel Messi, who also runs his own charitable organization, the Leo Messi Foundation, said, “High-quality education changes lives, and BYJU’S has transformed the career paths of millions of students worldwide.”

Football has roughly 3.5 billion fans worldwide, and Lionel Messi has a social media following of nearly 450 million.

With offices in 21 countries, BYJU’S claims to serve 150 million students across the world through personalized and adaptive content. In 2020, the company created BYJU’S Education For All to reach and teach at least 10 million children free of cost by 2025. A prolific patron of sports, BYJU’S is also the official jersey sponsor of the men’s and women’s national cricket teams of India.

IBL News | New York

2U, Inc. (Nasdaq: TWOU), which owns edX.org, reported flat revenue of $232.2 million in the third quarter of 2022, compared to the same period last year. Total revenue included $9.3 million from legacy edX offerings.

Meanwhile, the net loss more than doubled, from $60.4 million in the third quarter of 2021 to $121.6 million in the same quarter of 2022.

Costs and expenses for the third quarter totaled $336.5 million, a 22% increase from $275.9 million in the third quarter of 2021. So far this year, 2U has spent $29.2 million on restructuring costs, including layoffs and a reduction of personnel expenses by 20%.

These results showed that the edX acquisition in the summer of 2021 didn’t cause much impact on revenue.

2U Co-Founder and CEO Christopher “Chip” Paucek said that the company is strengthening its bottom line and “supercharging our ability to match millions of learners.”

Per business areas, another piece of interesting data was that 2U’s Degree Program segment decreased by 7% to $137.2 million while Alternative Credential Segment grew by 12% to $95 million.

Christopher “Chip” Paucek’s strategy is based on transitioning to “a platform company under the edX platform.” “We realigned our organization around a single platform, streamlined our cost structure, and implemented a new, more efficient marketing framework,” he added.

Paul Lalljie, 2U’s Chief Financial Officer, said that “we are increasing our adjusted EBITDA outlook for 2022 and remain committed to delivering further profitability improvements and positive free cash flow in 2023.”

• IBL News, November 1, 2022: 2U Launches New Boot Camps Under the edX Brand, Retiring the Trilogy Name

IBL News | New York

Online Learning Consortium announced the program for the OLC Accelerate 2022 event, which will take place November 14-17, 2022, in Orlando, Florida (at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin).

This week, November 1-3, the event was held virtually, with streaming sessions via Zoom.

This year’s conference theme is “Reflecting Onward: Evidence for a Changed World”.

“This year’s program promises to be filled with thoughtful discussions aimed at innovating our methods, challenging the status quo, and broadly sharing effective practices for online and blended learning,” said Program Chairs Adam Davi (University of Arizona), Dorothy Loftin (Oregon State University), and Angela Gunder (OLC).

“OLC Accelerate 2022 serves as a collective call for educators, administrators, and allies to engage in deeper thinking and a sharing of collective wisdom that helps us all hone our craft and identify strategies for the future,” they added.

This year — the 28th OLC conference — the conference tracks will include a new Student Support and Success track.

The Accelerate 2022 are:

• Access, Equity, and Open Education
• Blended Learning Strategy and Practice*
• Engaged and Effective Teaching and Learning
• Instructional Design
• Leadership and Institutional Strategy
• Research, Evaluation, and Learning Analytics
• Student Support and Success
• Technology and Future Trends

The onsite keynote speaker will be Dr. Josie Ahlquist, a digital engagement and leadership researcher, and author. She teaches education professionals and campus executives how to humanize technology tools and prioritize building online communities.

IBL News | Denver, Colorado

The professional association Educause recognized five top educators through its Awards Program during its annual conference, last month in Denver, Colorado.

This program, under the guidance of eleven professionals on the Recognition Committee, “brings peer endorsement and distinction to professional accomplishments in higher education IT,” Educause said.

The honorees were:

• Leadership Award: Michael Berman, Former CIO at California State University.
  
  “For demonstrating vision and foresight in the use of emerging technologies; for developing innovative strategies and solutions in support of teaching, learning, and research; for encouraging and engaging others in a spirit of strengthening the IT profession.

“Sue B. Workman: Former Vice President/CIO, Case Western Reserve University Leadership Coach.

“For modeling exemplary strategic leadership and effectiveness in the governance of technology organizations; for cultivating work environments that promote continuous professional growth and success; for being a role model for those who aspire to become future leaders in the IT profession.”

• Community Leadership Award: Lisa A. Stephens, Assistant Dean, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University at Buffalo Senior Strategist, Academic Innovation, SUNY.“For exhibiting leadership in exemplary cross-institutional innovation and collaboration; for inspiring interest, talent, and energy toward a common effort; for maintaining an unwavering commitment to applying the ideals of higher education for bettering individual lives and society as a whole.”

• DEI Leadership Award: Keith W. “Mac” McIntosh, Vice President and CIO, University of Richmond
  
  “For displaying exemplary commitment in promoting and advancing DEI efforts within the IT profession; for fostering inclusive partnerships within his own institution and beyond; for leading with intention and catalyzing critical conversations around how DEI strengthens the profession”

• The Rising Star Award: Joseph Licata, Product Management Consultant and Former Associate CIO at Maricopa County Community Colleges District
  
  “For exemplifying vision and insight to achieve operational excellence; for advancing unique and innovative technology solutions with a resoundingly positive impact for the institution and the greater community; for leading the way in cultivating efficient and effective teams.”

John O’Brien, President and CEO of Educause, said, “my hope is that we can make our way home imagining ways to lead the way, creating more equitable and inclusive campuses and prioritizing health and well-being, all in the relentless pursuit of a greater good.”

Honored to share the stage who are the 2022 @educause award recipients! Group selfie following rehearsal.

#EDU22 pic.twitter.com/RDb1JNelLG

— Keith W. McIntosh (@Keith_McIntosh) October 27, 2022

On the other hand, Educause will host a virtual version of 2022 Educause this week (November 2 – 3, 2022).

If you weren’t able to attend the 2022 EDUCAUSE Annual Conference, you can still get in on the Online Conference experience happening November 2-3! https://t.co/vbBwbnO2q6

— EDUCAUSE (@educause) October 31, 2022

Next year, the 2023 Conference will take place in Chicago, IL, on October 9 – 12, 2022.

IBL News | New York

Another giant entered the battle for cloud infrastructure services, a competitive industry dominated by AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. Oracle introduced an offering called Oracle Alloy during its annual conference in Las Vegas in October.

Oracle’s pitch is that its technology is a partner-controlled cloud environment. “It can be independently operated in a partner’s own data center with full control of operations to help address data control, regulatory, or sovereignty requirements,” said the company.

This cloud infrastructure platform enables service providers, integrators, ISVs (independent software vendors), and financial, telecom, or other organizations to operate as cloud providers and roll out branded and tailored cloud offerings to their customers.