IBL News

Author: IBL News

  • Cognizant Offers Five Train-To-Hire Courses on Java through edX.org

    Cognizant Offers Five Train-To-Hire Courses on Java through edX.org

    IBL News | New York

    Tech company Cognizant partnered with edX / 2U (Nasdaq: TWOU) to offer a new suite of Java courses, expanding its existing train-to-hire Skill Accelerator program.

    The initiative, announced this month, is intended to give qualified learners the opportunity to either pursue a full-time job at Cognizant or other companies requiring software programmers.

    There will be five self-placed, free Java courses to complete under 90 days. After that period, a professional “Introduction to Java Programming” certificate will be granted.

    Courses are focused on core Java programming, JavaScript, cloud computing, HTML5, and CSS3.

    To date, Cognizant has hired over 100 graduates from 2U boot camp training.

    The Cognizant Skills Accelerator program is aimed at U.S. veterans, women returning to the workforce, non-profit beneficiaries, and community college students.

    “The Cognizant Skills Accelerator program is a powerful example of a hiring initiative that recognizes the quality and value of alternative credentials,” said Lee Rubenstein, Vice President of Partnerships at edX.

    “With edX, we are able to cast a wider net, granting aspiring technology workers the opportunity to skill up and start new careers at Cognizant,” said Eric Westphal, Associate Vice President of Workforce Strategy and Operations at Cognizant.
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  • Online Learning Is Now Seen in Positive View Among Learners, Wiley Says

    Online Learning Is Now Seen in Positive View Among Learners, Wiley Says

    IBL News | New York

    The vast majority — 94% — of online learners have a positive view of online learning, up from 86% before the pandemic, and 83% said they would learn online again. Among graduated online learners, 87% reported achieving an outcome — i.e., a salary increase — they can attribute to their degree.

    These are the main findings of the 11th annual Voice of the Online Learner report, based on a national survey of 2,500 adult responders, issued by Wiley last week. [Download Report in PDF]

    The Hoboken, New Jersey-based, 200 years-old, educational company Wiley highlights that positive attitudes toward online learning have increased to their highest levels among learners.

    “Those individuals who engage in online learning overwhelmingly have a positive experience; they also see real value in the results they achieve through online education, which allow them to advance in their career,” said Todd Zipper, Wiley’s Executive Vice President and General Manager of University Services and Talent Development.

    Motivated by career outcomes, online learners mention as factors improving their job prospects and advancing, starting, or changing their careers.

    Respondents feel their employer benefits don’t cover enough tuition and worry about having to pay back their employer if they leave the company before finishing their program.

    The majority of students still prefer a university less than 50 miles from where they live. More than one-third said being close to their physical campus was important or very important, mainly for two reasons: to attend their graduation ceremony and to connect with their professors.

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  • Investment Company Thoma Bravo Sells Frontline Education for $3.7 Billion

    Investment Company Thoma Bravo Sells Frontline Education for $3.7 Billion

    IBL News | New York

    The U.S. EdTech firm for the K12 segment Frontline Education will likely be sold to Roper Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: ROP) in an all-cash transaction of $3.725 billion by the end of the year.

    The owner, the VC Thomas Bravo, recently announced the transaction — which still requires approval from the regulator.

    This exit comes five years after Thoma Bravo — a large private equity firm with more than $114 billion in assets under management — purchased Frontline.

    Since 2017, Thoma Bravo says that “completed six highly strategic acquisitions, significantly grew its revenue, expanded its market-leading product portfolio from 16 to 30 products, and increased headcount by over 70%.”

    Frontline Education claims to have 10,000 education organizations as clients to whom it offers solutions for human capital management, student and special programs, and analytics to increase productivity and performance for K-12 administrators.

    Neil Hunn, Roper’s President and CEO, said that this acquisition will enhance its cash flow compounding. He added: “Frontline is a terrific business with clear niche market leadership, a proven track record of strong organic and inorganic growth, excellent cash conversion, and an outstanding management team that will thrive as part of Roper.”

  • IXL Learning Purchased Emmersion, Developer of AI-Powered Language Assessments

    IXL Learning Purchased Emmersion, Developer of AI-Powered Language Assessments

    IBL News | New York

    San Mateo-headquartered EdTech IXL Learner announced this week its acquisition of Emmersion, a developer of AI-powered language assessments firm, for an undisclosed amount. Emmersion‘s cofounders, Brigham Tomco and Dr. Jacob Burdis will remain with the company.

    This purchase expands IXL Learning’s line of language and literacy products, which include brands such as Rosetta Stone, IXL English Language, Arts, Vocabulary.com, SpanishDict, inglés.com, and Fluencia.

    Emmersion’s AI-powered Speaking and Writing Assessments conduct pre-employment language screenings so that companies can hire the perfect candidates for the right roles.

    The verbal exam is the world’s first fully automated speaking assessment and covers nine languages, including English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Mandarin, Portuguese, and Tagalog.

    Utah-based Emmersion includes as clients The World Bank, Randstad, Columbia University, Brown University, and the University of Pennsylvania, among others.

  • Scholastic Acquired the A2i System for Literacy Instructional Assessment

    Scholastic Acquired the A2i System for Literacy Instructional Assessment

    IBL News | New York

    The world’s leading publisher and distributor of children’s books Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL), announced this month the acquisition of Learning Ovations, the creator of A2i, for an undisclosed amount.

    The A2i (“Assessment to Instruction”) system provides educators with easy-to-administer, data-driven guidance for instructional planning for both small-group and individualized learning in comprehension and decoding.

    It’s backed by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Tier 1 evidence of efficacy.

    “Carol Connor [creator of A2i] was a teachers’ teacher, dedicated both to helping every child learn to read – regardless of background, disadvantage, or learning challenge – and to supporting teachers with tools that are both deeply rigorous and easy to use,” said Rose Else-Mitchell, Executive Vice President and President of Scholastic Education Solutions.

    The integration of Learning Ovations technology and the team will allow the New York-based 100 years old Scholastic to advance its literacy platform.

  • Around 771 Million People Lack Basic Literacy Skills Today

    Around 771 Million People Lack Basic Literacy Skills Today

    IBL News | New York

    Today, September 8, the educational community celebrates International Literacy Day (ILD).

    This celebration has taken place annually since 1967 to remind the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights.

    This year’s International Literacy Day is celebrated under the theme, Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces.

    Despite progress in the last year, the challenges persist, with at least 771 million young people and adults lacking basic literacy skills today, according to Unesco.

    In addition, an estimated 53% of ten-year-old children in low and middle-income countries are not able to read and understand a simple story.

    Worldwide, at least 31% of students couldn’t be reached by digital and broadcast remote learning programs.

    In the aftermath of the pandemic, nearly 24 million learners might never return to formal education, out of which, 11 million are projected to be girls and young women.

    UNESCO officials said that this International Literacy Day is “an opportunity to rethink the fundamental importance of literacy learning spaces to build resilience and ensure quality, equitable, and inclusive education for all.”

    At the global level, a two-day hybrid international event will be organized on September 8th and 9th, 2022, in Côte d’Ivoire.

    This year’s outstanding programs and literacy practices will be announced at the 2022 UNESCO International Literacy Prizes award ceremony.

     

     

  • Testing and Assessment Prometric Acquires Finetune Learning

    Testing and Assessment Prometric Acquires Finetune Learning

    IBL News | New York

    Testing and assessment Baltimore – based, EdTech company Prometric recently announced the acquisition of Finetune Learning, which specializes in hybrid AI-human solutions for content generation. The purchase amount was not disclosed.

    Headquartered in Boston, Finetune commercializes products that use Natural Language Processing (NLP) transformer models to power AI-driven content generation and classification in tandem with subject matter experts while greatly improving quality.

    Roy Simrell, President and CEO of Prometric LLC, highlighted that Finetune would allow improving its support to test takers.

    Meanwhile, Steve Shapiro, CEO of Finetune, said that the transaction would allow scaling its solutions and continuing to invest in emerging technologies that serve the wide cross-section markets.

  • An edX Course Created as Peace Project Between Israel’s Jewish and Arab Cultures Makes a Global Impact

    An edX Course Created as Peace Project Between Israel’s Jewish and Arab Cultures Makes a Global Impact

    IBL News | New York

    Learners from 69 countries have enrolled in “The Hook, the Bait, and the Fish: Approaches to Teaching Thinking”, an awarded, video-driven course launched on edX.org in November 2020 and created as a peace project to bring closer Israel’s Jewish and Arab cultures.

    This MOOC was created by the Al-Qasemi Academy, a small teacher college in Israel. This 8-week, online, free class follows the purpose stated in the classic adage, “give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”

    It teaches students educational and philosophical thinking by providing students motivational tool tools to enhance their creativity and develop lifelong learning skills.

    The course, a finalist for the 2021 edX Prize, is led by Professor at Al-Qasemi Academy and book author Yoran Harpaz [in the picture above], whose educational theories comprise the teachings of the course. “Giving people the tools to become independent thinkers sets them on the path to fulfillment,” he said.

    To explain concepts connected to thinking, Professor Harpaz wrote light-hearted videos shot in locations like a zoo, a library, and his own kitchen. Storytelling is one of the reasons for the success of the class.

    Developed in three languages—Arabic, Hebrew, and English—the course is a significant cultural achievement for IsraelX, the international arm of Campus-IL, the flagship project of the National Digital Agency and Council for Higher Education in Israel.

  • Confidence In the Teaching Profession Continues to Decline in the U.S

    Confidence In the Teaching Profession Continues to Decline in the U.S

    IBL News | New York

    Confidence in the education profession continues declining, and 76% of educators feel negative about the state of the teaching job in the U.S. The Educator Confidence Index now sits at 40 out of 100, the lowest rate in the report’s history—down from 42.7 in 2021 and 49.0 in 2020.

    These are the main conclusions extracted from the 2022 Educator Confidence Report, released by learning technology, Boston-based company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) this month. The study surveyed over 1,000 K-12 teachers and 125+ administrators in May and June.

    These are the key findings of the report:

    • 73% of educators feel that technology is significantly more integrated into the classroom now than pre-pandemic, with tools to communicate between teachers and parents and tools that deliver interactive learning opportunities to students most favored among teachers. Even more, 68% of educators said EdTech has become essential to the classroom.
    • 81% report the experiences of the last two years have moved education closer to fully realizing the potential of technology in teaching. Educators are most excited about easy-to-use technology that can be used in-classroom and remotely (63%).
    • 78% of educators state that their top concern is the mental health of their peers. The majority also need more aid in the classroom, with 64% saying they need adequate funding for classroom supplies and resources.  According to today’s educators, improved salary and benefits (90%) and more support for educator well-being (67%) would make the profession more appealing to new educators.
    • 79% of educators say customized learning based on what students know and what they need would most transform learning and teaching in the future. The future of the classroom is personalized—for both students and teachers, with data-driven, personalized EdTech solutions making it possible to meet everyone where they are.
    • Community support for teacher compensation is key for not only retention but the future of the profession. Teachers are looking for more appreciation, respect, and trust in their experience.
  • Students Name the Best Colleges in the U.S. in Princeton Review’s Annual Survey

    Students Name the Best Colleges in the U.S. in Princeton Review’s Annual Survey

    IBL News | New York

    The Princeton Review released its 31st annual Best Colleges ranking lists and guidebook last month after surveying 160,000 students attending 388 schools and reflecting their experiences.

    The New York-based company ranks the top 25 colleges in 50 categories for 2023, including a new category titled Green Matters, which names the schools with the most robust commitment to the environment and conservation on their campus.

    Categories span academics, amenities, school services, campus culture, extracurriculars, and others. Available on the website, these are some of the best-ranked universities.

    • Best Professors — Reed College (OR)
    • Most Accessible Professors — Williams College (MA)
    • Best-Run Colleges — Rice University (TX)
    • Great Financial Aid —Vanderbilt University (TN)
    • Best Career Services — Clemson University (SC)
    • Best Health Services — United States Air Force Academy (CO)
    • Best Student Support and Counseling Services — United States Military Academy (NY)
    • Best Science Lab Facilities — Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (IN)
    • Best College Library— University of Denver (CO)
    • Most Beautiful Campus — University of San Diego (CA)
    • Best College Dorms — Washington University in St. Louis (MO)
    • Best Campus Food — University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)
    • Green Matters: Everyone Cares About Conservation — College of the Atlantic (ME)
    • Most Politically Active Students — Hampden-Sydney College (VA)
    • Most Conservative Students—College of the Ozarks (MO)
    • Most Liberal Students—Bennington College (VT)
    • Most Religious Students— Thomas Aquinas College (CA)
    • LGBTQ-Friendly — Mount Holyoke College (MA)
    • Lots of Race/Class Interaction — Rice University (TX)
    • Happiest Students—Tulane University (LA)

    The Best 388 Colleges is one of more than 150 books developed by The Princeton Review and published by Penguin Random House. The line includes guides to standardized tests, study aids, and other college-related books, including College Admission 101.
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