Author: IBL News

IBL News | New York

The SUNY’s campus in New York’s upstate Oneonta will be closed for at least two weeks after more than 100 people tested positive for COVID-19.

The Oneonta site, 165 miles north of New York City, is one of 64 campuses run by the State University of New York (SUNY).

After several large parties at Oneonta, many showed symptoms and local officials pushed to test the 3,000 students and teachers. An alarming 3%, 103 in total, tested positive. Five students were suspended, along with three student organizations, which were not identified.

SUNY Chancellor, Jim Malatras, told reporters on Sunday: “We’re going to be tough on those students not because we want to ruin their fun, but this is a different time.”

On August 27th, New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo had announced that he would close public and private colleges for two weeks if 100 kids or more were found infected. “But if the students act irresponsibly, or the precautions are not in place, then the virus will spread, and then more dramatic action is going to have to be taken,” he warned.

As of Sunday, 429 were hospitalized with the virus across New York state, the lowest figure since March.

COVID-19 cases rose in other colleges across the country, too.

Over 1,000 students tested positive at the University of Alabama, while 500 cases were reported among students at the University of Iowa. Missouri State University has seen 383 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the last seven days. The universities of Northern Iowa and Iowa State also reported tons of positives.

Inside Higher Ed released yesterday a map and database tracking changes in colleges’ plans for reopening this fall.

IBL News | New York

The increasing adoption of digital learning, the growing use of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), smartphones, enterprise mobile, AI and Machine Learning, and extensive government initiatives will push forward the LMS market from $13.4 billion in 2020 to $25.7 billion by 2025, at a CAGR (Annual Growth Rate) of 14%.

The instructor-led training within a classroom setting or workshops and academic use segments, will account for larger market size.

As the COVID-19 outbreak is making a substantial impact on economies and societies, the LMS market is expanding, as claimed in a recent report by MarketsandMarkets.com. Essentially, the growing acceptance of digital learning across enterprises will boost the growth of LMS solutions.

However, only tier 1 educational institutes have adopted new LMS solutions during this pandemic, while small institutions are focusing more on collaboration tools for teaching, such as Google Classroom and Zoom.

North America–a region strongly controlled by government standards and regulations–will account for the largest market size.

LMS companies are also facing challenges related to less spending on non-essential items by enterprises.

IBL News | New York

Pearson Plc, the British education publishing giant, ended his long search for a new CEO, choosing Andy Bird— former president and chairman of Walt Disney International, an executive without experience running an educational organization – for the top job.

Andy Bird, who was appointed to the board of Pearson on May 1, 2020, will take over as CEO on October 19, 2020, Pearson said in a press statement. He will replace outgoing John Fallon, who announced in December that he would retire this year after a tumultuous seven-year tenure.

The new Chief Executive Officer will face the challenge of guiding Pearson “out of a slump that led to a string of profit warnings,” Bloomberg wrote. Putting the company back on the path of sustainable growth and profitability will be his main goal.

Pearson’s succession process took an unexpected turn in June when activist investor Cevian Capital grabbed a 5.4% stake in the company and pushed for a say in the choice of a new CEO. It increased that position to 8.5% as of July 29.

Yesterday, this company backed Andy Bird, as “he will bring “entrepreneurial experience and high energy to Pearson, and we expect him to drive profitable growth and shareholder value.”

According to the announcement of the appointment, Bird will make an annual base salary of $1.25 million. He will also buy $3.75 million worth of Pearson shares. 

IBL News | New York

Lambda School announced it raised $74 million in a Series C funding led by Gigafund, a VC known for its investment on SpaceX. In conjunction with the funding, Gigafund co-founder and managing partner, Stephen Oskoui, will join Lambda School’s board.

Lambda School said that it will use the new funding to expand its program, refine coursework, and curriculum.

This school operates in the controversial space of the Income Share Agreements (ISA), a formula based on the market idea that tech developers don’t pay tuition until they get hired. Critics argue that the process of paying back fees based on your income is predatory.

“This year, we’ve taken steps to focus admissions targets, make critical team hires, and expand accountability for student outcomes and diversity and inclusion, among other efforts,” explained its CEO, Austen Allred.

With 3,000 students enrolled, the virtual school runs nine 18-month computer science live courses for $30,000, covering data science and full-stack web development.

Also this month, the San Francisco-based startup got approval by California’s Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, after a period of difficulties with the bureau that saw Lambda ceasing teaching in the state and getting fined $75,000, for operating without approval.

• Techcrunch: Lambda School raises $74M for its virtual coding school where you pay tuition only after you get a job
• EdSurge: Coding Bootcamp Lambda School Lands $74 Million and CA Approval — With a Concession