IBL News

Category: Top News

  • Engageli Launches the Version 2.0 of Its Learning Platform

    Engageli Launches the Version 2.0 of Its Learning Platform

    IBL News | New York

    San Mateo, California – based Engageli announced this month the launch of version 2.0 of its learning platform.

    This release allows instructors to teach directly from a web browser while learners can join a session via a browser or a native iOS app, said Dan Avida, Co-Founder and CEO. Its new reporting identifies students at-risk.

    Other capabilities and enhancements include native integration with the whiteboard platform Miro.

    Launched in 2020, when the pandemic started, Engageli features virtual tables with students clustered together in smaller groups of up to 10 students each, promoting peer-to-peer learning and discussion. Students also have access to threaded Q&A, notetaking, and chat functionalities so they can interact with their peers and instructors.

    Founded in 2020 by Dan Avida, Dr. Serge Plotkin, and Dr. Daphne Koller, Co-Founder of Coursera and Insitro, Engageli has raised over $47 million in funding.
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  • D2L Will Integrate the Zoom-Based Class.com Platform this Quarter

    D2L Will Integrate the Zoom-Based Class.com Platform this Quarter

    IBL News | New York

    Canadian LMS platform D2L Brightspace (Desire to Learn) will integrate within its learning ecosystem the Zoom-based Class.com solution in the first quarter of 2022.

    Both companies did the announcement last week, highlighting, “D2L and Class Join Forces to Provide Comprehensive Digital Learning Built on the Zoom Platform.” No further transactional details of the deal were released.

    Class.com, powered by Washington DC-based Class Technologies Inc, adds teaching functionalities on its Zoom platform. These features include automating attendance, measuring student engagement, quizzes, and polls.

    D2L Brightspace already has 1,800 integrations. John Baker, President and CEO of D2L, said that its existing Zoom partnership would extend with the Class.com platform, supporting educators and learners “new ways of engaging in synchronous learning.”

    Michael Chasen, Founder and CEO of Class, stated: “D2L Brightspace’s ability to manage and deliver content such as lectures, videos, assignments and assessments ‘on-demand’, in conjunction with Class’ engaging real-time virtual sessions, allows learners to receive the best learning experience.”

    “We are excited to see our partners delivering not only closer interoperability between the three platforms, but also a seamless buying experience for our joint clients,” said Christy Flis, Head of Global Education at Zoom.

     

     

  • Anthology Learning Platform Creates a Virtual Summit on Policy and Practice

    Anthology Learning Platform Creates a Virtual Summit on Policy and Practice

    IBL News | New York

    Anthology, which includes Blackboard LMS, announced this week a free and open to the public series of monthly virtual roundtable events under the title of the Policy and Practice Summit. Leading education experts will discuss critical policy issues in this event.

    Hosted by Anthology’s hub Center for Advancing Learning, this summit will address policy and potential legislation linked to the Center’s five areas of focus: accessibility and inclusivity; community colleges; Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs); the global advancement of digital education; and alternatives to the Online Program Management (OPM) model.

    Each session will be an hour-long and archived on the website.

    “The Center for Advancing Learning will take a principal position in facilitating these critical conversations with the ultimate goal of supporting student and institutional success,” said Dr. Darcy Hardy, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Anthology and the Center’s Director.

    The first roundtable, set for February 15, will examine how digital accessibility drives inclusion and the steps institutions can take to create a more accessible digital campus. Panelists will also explore the evolution of federal regulatory policy and ways lawmakers and regulators can set the course toward more inclusive digital learning environments.

    This inaugural event will include these featured speakers and discussants:

    Bree Callahan — Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator, University of Washington

    Sam Johnston — Director of Postsecondary Education and Workforce Development, CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology)

    Kyle Shachmut — Assistant Director of Digital Accessibility Services, Harvard University

    Sean Keegan — Director, Stanford Online Accessibility Program, Stanford University

     

    More upcoming events will be:

    • March 30 – Community Colleges
    • April 18 – Historically Black Colleges and Universities
    • May – Global Advancement of Digital Education
    • June 22 – Alternatives to Online Program Management


    • Register to attend Website

     

  • Open edX & Learning Platforms Newsletter | February 2022: Maple Version, 2U edX, Coursera, Docebo, eLearning Brothers, 360Learning, Duolingo…

    Open edX & Learning Platforms Newsletter | February 2022: Maple Version, 2U edX, Coursera, Docebo, eLearning Brothers, 360Learning, Duolingo…

    [ Newsletter format  |  Click here to subscribe ]

     

    FEBRUARY 2020 – NEWSLETTER #43  |  Breaking news at IBL News  |  Noticias en Español

     

    Open edX

    • The Open edX Conference Returns to In-Person Format: April 26 – 29, Lisbon, Portugal

    • Open edX’s Maple Version of the Platform Includes Advanced Features

     

    edX Platform

    • edX, Now Part of 2U, Releases Its 2022 Impact Report

    • “Introduction to Linux” Course, With One Million Learners, Launches a Version in Spanish

    • Harvard Launches a New Version of the Course “CS50 Introduction to Computer Science”

    • An edX Course on Volcanoes Wins the Prize for Innovative Pedagogy

     

    Coursera

    • Coursera Doubled Its Losses in 2021 While Valuation Decreased in Half

     

    Courses

    • Google Will Support “Responsible AI” Courses Developed by 15 Universities along with NHC

    • MOOCs Providers Will Expand their Catalog Through Business Partners, Says Shah

     

    Learning Platforms: Acquisitions

    • Another Acquisition of eLearning Brothers: an India-Based Design Firm

    • Docebo Expands in the Asia-Pacific with the Acquisition of a Consulting Agency

    • eLearning Brothers Acquires Video Learning Start-Up Rehearsal

    • 360Learning SaaS Platform Buys UK’s Looop for $20 Million

     

    Learning Platforms: Results

    • 2U Inc. Reports a Loss of $194.8 Million and Revenue of $945.7 Million in 2021

    • Duolingo Implements a Successful TikTok Viral Strategy Using Its Mascot

     

    2022 Events | All of the Key Conferences Listed!

    • Education Calendar 2022  – FEB | MAR | APRIL | MAY | JUNE | JULY |  Conferences in Latin America & Spain

     

    This newsletter was created in collaboration with IBL Education, a New York City-based company specializing in AI-driven learning platforms. We also film and produce courses for universities and business organizations. Read the latest IBL Newsletter   |  Archive of Open edX Newsletters

  • Online Learning Newsletter | February 2022: MIT, U-M, LMS Market, Stanford, DoD, Ellucian, Cengage, Pearson…

    Online Learning Newsletter | February 2022: MIT, U-M, LMS Market, Stanford, DoD, Ellucian, Cengage, Pearson…

    [ Newsletter format  |  Click here to subscribe ]

     

    FEBRUARY 2022 – NEWSLETTER #49  |  Breaking news at IBL News  |  Noticias en Español

     

    Universities

    • Universities Face Existential Threats Unless They Transform Their Operating Models

    • The President of MIT, Rafael Reif, Will Step Down at the End of 2022

    • Touro College Will Move Its Campus to a Skyscraper in NYC, Betting on In-Person Learning

    • The President of the University of Michigan Fired After an Affair with a Subordinate

     

    Research

    • A Growing Digital Skills Crisis: A Majority of the Workforce Feels Unprepared

    • Video Becomes the Preferred Teaching Method, States a Research

    • The LMS Market Will Experience Growth on a Large Scale by 2026

    • A Research Suggests that Career-Connected Learning is the Key for the Job-Skills Crisis

    • Resigners Enroll Short-Term Courses to Help Them Reskill and Get Back Into the Workforce

     

    Pandemic

    • The Pandemic Caused to Students $17 Trillion Loss in Lifetime Earnings

    • Colleges See Online Classes as a Temporary Measure to Combat the Omicron Variant

    • U.S. Colleges Continue Delaying the Resume the Start of In-Person Classes

     

    Initiatives

    • An AI-Created Politician Draws the Attention as Deep Learning Technology Expands

    • Stanford University Launches Its First Full Class in Metaverse Virtual Reality

    • College Board’s SAT Will Be Digital Starting in 2023

    • A DoD-Funded VR Initiative Will Upskill Manufacturing Workers

     

    Industry Acquisitions

    • Pearson Purchases Certification Platform Credly for $200 Million

    • Cengage Buys Cybersecurity Training Provider Infosec for $190.8 Million

    • Ellucian Buys CampusLogic Financial Student SaaS Company

    • Inside Higher Ed News Outlet Acquired by a Leading British Media Group

     

    VC Fundraising

    • Domestika Reaches Unicorn Status After Raising $110 Million

    • GVS Investment Firm Releases an Update of Its Top 150 VC-Backed EdTech Start-Ups List

    • The Film Studio Behind “The Chosen” Raised $47 Million from VCs

     

    2022 Events | All of the Key Conferences Listed!

    • Education Calendar 2022  – FEB | MAR | APRIL | MAY | JUNE | JULY |  Conferences in Latin America & Spain

     

    This newsletter was created in collaboration with IBL Education, a New York City-based company specializing in AI-driven learning platforms. We also film and produce courses for universities and business organizations. Read the latest IBL Newsletter   |  Archive of Open edX Newsletters

  • Google Will Support “Responsible AI” Courses Developed by 15 Universities along with NHC

    Google Will Support “Responsible AI” Courses Developed by 15 Universities along with NHC

    IBL News | New York

    Fifteen universities, along with the non-profit National Humanities Center (NHC) and financial support from Google, will launch courses in Responsible AI technologies.

    The goal is to “help students comprehend the myriad ways AI technologies are integrated into modern life and to think through the ethical issues involved in developing and deploying them,” according to Research Triangle Park, North Carolina-based NHC.

    Participating institutions will include leading public and private research universities, liberal arts colleges, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Hispanic Serving Institutions from across the United States. They are:

    Arizona State University

    George Mason University

    Texas A&M University

    Bowdoin College

    Johnson C. Smith University

    University of California, Santa Cruz

    Case Western Reserve University

    North Carolina State University

    University of Florida

    Davidson College

    Rice University

    University of Georgia

    Duke University

    Swarthmore College

    University of Utah

    Faculty from these institutions will develop courses focused on developing responsible AI that will be offered to undergraduates at their home institutions during the 2023–24 academic year.

    “Artificial intelligence has infiltrated the ways we conduct business, govern, and communicate,” says Robert D. Newman, President and Director of the National Humanities Center. “The large-scale cultural and societal implications associated with these changes—as well as the ethical questions they raise—pose serious challenges as well as opportunities.”

    The NHC’s In Our Image conference held in April 2021 examined issues surrounding the integration of artificial intelligence through a series of virtual events.

    Google’s gift amount for the “Responsible AI” program was not disclosed by NHC.
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  • Duolingo Implements a Successful TikTok Viral Strategy Using Its Mascot

    Duolingo Implements a Successful TikTok Viral Strategy Using Its Mascot

    IBL News | New York

    Duolingo language learning app figured out a way to take advantage of the phenomenon of TikTok, which has over a billion monthly active users.

    Duolingo has drawn 2.9 million followers to its TikTok account by creating amusing videos featuring the company mascot — an owl obsessed with the music performer Dua Lipa. In other videos, Duolingo features company staffers to promote its brand.

    Overall, the Pittsburgh-based company has reached over 55 million likes, demonstrating its ability to use short videos to promote its brand.

    In September 2021, Duolingo had 50,000 followers. Its strategy of featuring wacky videos using the company’s green owl mascot has resulted in an effective social strategy.
    .

    @duolingo

    We don’t talk about Duo… #Duolingo #encanto #disneytok comedy #trend #DuaLipa #Dualingo #dulapeep

    ♬ –

    @duolingo

    We don’t talk about Duo… #Duolingo #encanto #disneytok comedy #trend #DuaLipa #Dualingo #dulapeep

    ♬ –

  • “Introduction to Linux” Course, With One Million Learners, Launches a Version in Spanish

    “Introduction to Linux” Course, With One Million Learners, Launches a Version in Spanish

    IBL News | New York

    The “Introduction to Linux” course on edX, which got over a million individuals enrolled, now has a version in Spanish.

    The Linux Foundation announced its launch yesterday, “Introducción a Linux (LF-UPV-101x.” The Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), a leading technical university in Spain, translated the course.

    The class, a 14 weeks program, is available for enrollment. To get a certificate of completion, learners will need to pay $49.

    Introduction to Linux is designed for experienced computer users who have limited or no previous exposure to Linux. It teaches tools and techniques commonly used by Linux system administrators and end-users to conduct their day-to-day work in this environment.

    “Linux is under the hood of most internet servers, multimedia gadgets, and internet-connected devices. We could say that Linux runs the world in which we live, so we at Universitat Politècnica de València are very excited about the opportunity to give access to Linux knowledge to the Spanish-speaking world,” said Jose Pedro García Sabater, Vice-Rector for Planning, Academic Offering and Digital Transformation of UPV.

    “Education is a great tool to increase the quality of life and generate professional growth, and it is great to see edX partners collaborate to offer content in different languages,” said Anant Agarwal, edX Founder and Chief Open Education Officer at 2U, Inc.

     

  • Coursera Doubled Its Losses in 2021 While Valuation Decreased in Half

    Coursera Doubled Its Losses in 2021 While Valuation Decreased in Half

    IBL News | New York

    Coursera (COUR) increased its net loss to $145.2 million (or 35% of revenue) in 2021, compared to $68.8 million (or 22.8% of revenue) in 2020. Total revenue was $415.3 million in 2021, up 41% from $293.5 million in the prior year. Enterprise revenue (Coursera for Business) grew 70% year-over-year to $120 million.

    In the fourth quarter of 2021, net loss was $47.7 million or 41.5% of revenue, compared to $26.7 million or 32.1% of revenue a year ago. In the same period, total revenue was $115.0 million, up 38% from $83.3 million a year ago.

    Coursera’s financial results, announced yesterday, were negatively received by the stock market, which pushed the share price down 6.46%, until $19.70. The results did not meet Wall Street expectations, said The Associated Press.

    Since it went public in April 2021, Coursera has lost over 56% of its value. Today, market capitalization is half of its IPO, $2.77 billion. In its best moment, it reached a whopping valuation of $5.8 billion.

    Ken Hahn, Coursera’s CFO, said that “our outlook for 2022 anticipates revenue growth of 30% year-over-year, reflecting the long-term demand we continue to see for online learning.”  The revenue outlook for the full year of 2022 is in the range of $536 to $544, with an EBITDA negative in the range of $45.5 to $51.5 million.

    • Per segments, consumer revenue for the fourth quarter was $65.8 million, up 24% from a year ago on strong demand for our portfolio of entry-level Professional Certificates and continued adoption of Coursera Plus.

    • Enterprise revenue for the fourth quarter was $35.9 million, up 72% from a year ago on robust growth across the business, campus, and government customers. The total number of Paid Enterprise Customers increased to 803, up 107% from a year ago.

    • Degrees revenue for the fourth quarter was $13.3 million, up 43% from a year ago on the scaling of student cohorts.

    • News about Coursera at IBL News

     

  • The President of MIT, Rafael Reif, Will Step Down at the End of 2022

    The President of MIT, Rafael Reif, Will Step Down at the End of 2022

    IBL News | New York

    L. Rafael Reif will step down as the President of MIT at the end of 2022, after ten years in the position. This week, he announced his decision in a letter to the Institute’s community, without specifying any reason. No media outlet offered any explanation behind the move.

    After stepping down, Reif, 71, will take a sabbatical, then return as a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

    Reif said his plan to stay through December allows the MIT Corporation, the school’s governing body, to conduct a search and smooth the transition to the next president. Meanwhile, he named Professor Cynthia Barnhart as MIT’s incoming Provost, starting on Monday, March 7th.

    Cynthia Barnhart will join Chancellor Melissa Nobles, Vice President for Research Maria Zuber, and Vice President for Open Learning Sanjay Sarma in guiding the academic mission of MIT.

    A native of Venezuela, Reif first came to the United States to earn his doctorate in electrical engineering at Stanford University, where he learned English. His parents were Jewish refugees who fled Eastern Europe in advance of the Nazi regime.

    Three of the family’s four sons would go on to earn PhDs in the United States — including one who earned a Ph.D. at MIT. Reif arrived at MIT in 1980, when he joined the faculty as an assistant professor of electrical engineering.

    In 2012, he became MIT’s 17th president. Before that, he served as Provost for seven years. He was instrumental in the success of edX.org.

    During his tenure, MIT’s endowment grew from $10.3 billion to $27.4 billion.