IBL News

Category: Platforms

  • LEGO Announces a Playful, Hands-On Learning Program for Educators

    LEGO Announces a Playful, Hands-On Learning Program for Educators

    IBL News | New York

    LEGO announced this week its Education Professional Development program that enables teachers to choose STEM, hands-on, playful courses for their classrooms.

    Built on competency-based learning, this free program is modular and contains four categories: Pedagogy, STEAM Concepts, 21st Century Skills, and Classroom Management.

    It includes two kinds of self-guided modules: Learning Bursts for quick and focused skills practice and Learning Quests for deeper competency development. Teaching can be developed in-person, remote, and virtual classrooms.

    LEGO Education has been working with seasoned classroom practitioners at Tufts University Center for Engineering Education Outreach (CEEO) to ensure the program was designed for the needs of educators.

    “When teachers are truly confident in playful hands-on learning, they deliver more motivating, engaging, and joyful learning experiences,” said Esben Stærk, president of LEGO Education.

     

  • Open edX & Learning Platforms | March 2021: Skillshare, Coursera, Google, Codeacademy, Newsela…

    Open edX & Learning Platforms | March 2021: Skillshare, Coursera, Google, Codeacademy, Newsela…

    [ Newsletter format  |  Click here to subscribe ]

    MARCH 2021 – NEWSLETTER #35  |  Breaking news at IBL News  |  Noticias en Español

     

    edX

    • edX, Skillshare, and Outschool Featured in the Top 10 of Innovative Ed Companies

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


    Coursera

    • Coursera Files for IPO. It will be listed on the NYSE as “COUR”

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


    Google

    • Google Issues New Certificate Courses Oriented to Entry-Level Jobs on IT

    • Google Classroom Adds 40 Million Users and Includes New Mobile Features

    • Google For Education Announces 50 New Features on Its Products

    • Tech Conference Cancels Google as Sponsor after Two Female Scientists Were Fired


    Open Platforms

    • Open LMS Will Release Its Moodle Modules and Enhancements as GPLv3

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


    Learning Platforms

    • Udemy Launches LenovoEDU Community for Learners in Australia, U.K, and the U.S.

    • Learning App Babbel Adds Live Classes by Certified Teachers


    Funding

    • Codeacademy, Another EdTech Startup is Able to Raise Capital Amidst the Pandemic

    • Newsela Raises $100 Million to Accelerate K-12 Schools’ Transition into Digital Textbooks

    • VR Labs Company Raises Another $60 Million to Remotely Educate Science Students

     

    2021 Events | All of the Key Conferences Listed!

    • Education Calendar  –  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

  • Google Issues New Certificate Courses Oriented to Entry-Level Jobs on IT

    Google Issues New Certificate Courses Oriented to Entry-Level Jobs on IT

    IBL News | New York

    Sundar Pichai, CEO at Google and Alphabet, announced in a blog post three new online, self-paced, certificate courses in Data Analytics, Project Management, and User Experience (UX) Design.

    These courses—currently developed on Coursera.org at $39 per month—prepare learners for an entry-level, well-paid job in under six months. The certificates don’t have any prerequisites.

    • Data Analytics Professional Certificate – This seven-course certificate explores analytical skills, concepts, and tools used in many introductory data analytics roles – including SQL, Tableau, RStudio, and Kaggle.
    • Project Management Professional Certificate – This six-course certificate prepares learners to launch a project management career. It covers industry-standard tools and methods, including the agile project management system, and key soft skills, such as stakeholder management, problem-solving, and influencing.
    • User Experience (UX) Design Professional Certificate – This seven-course certificate explores UX principles, UX terms, and industry-standard tools, including Figma and Adobe XD. By the time they complete the program, learners will have three portfolio projects to use in their job applications.

    Each certificate includes resources to help learners enhance their resumes and prepare for interviews.

    Upon completion, learners can share their information with 100+ partners committed to sourcing talent from Google certificate programs, including Deloitte, Anthem, Verizon, SAP, Accenture, Walmart, Infosys, and Google. The employers are “eager to hire people who have earned these certificates,” according to Pichai.

    Google is also launching apprenticeships in the certificate fields of data analytics, project management, and UX design, with applications opening in April.

    To make its Career Certificates more accessible, Google is offering 200,000 scholarships to learners across the U.S., Europe, Middle East, and Africa. They will be distributed through organizations such as Merit America, Per Scholas, NPower, Goodwill, Futuro Health, and Generation USA.

    Additionally, Sundar Pichai announced a new Associate Android Developer Certification.

    The search giant said that since launching Grow with Google program in 2017, it has already helped 6 million Americans get training in digital skills and nearly 170,000 Americans get a new job and increase their income.

    With more businesses embracing digital ways of working, it’s estimated that 50% of all employees will need reskilling by 2025.

     

     

  • Live-Voice Chat Clubhouse, a New Social Way to Connect and Learn

    Live-Voice Chat Clubhouse, a New Social Way to Connect and Learn

    IBL News | New York

    The audio-chat app Clubhouse has reached a valuation of roughly $1 billion and a ton of buzz, despite the fact that it remains “invite-only”.

    It started last summer with Silicon Valley venture capitalists and tech workers who wanted to connect with one another during the pandemic. Specifically, the app was launched by two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, Paul Davidson and Rohan Seth, who later got funding from Andreessen Horowitz.

    Now it has two million users. Recently, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg appeared on Clubhouse and the platform nearly crashed.

    This social networking app lets people gather in audio chat rooms to discuss various topics, listen to conversations and interviews. Topics of interest can be tech, business, books, or health. Rooms—”clubs”—are divided into two groups: those who are talking and those who are listening.

    Participants can see a list of everyone who is in a conversation. A moderator oversees discussions and has the ability to let someone chime in. Two or more users can join together and start their own chat rooms.

    Clubhouse is like tuning into a live podcast or a conference call, with some people talking and most listening. When the conversation is over the room is closed, the audio-chat disappears. However, users would be able to record the conversation. That’s what a YouTube user did with a live-streaming conversation launched by Elon Musk.

    The creators’ goal for 2021 is to open up Clubhouse to everyone and help creators get paid, including subscriptions, tipping, and ticket sales.

  • The Culinary Institute of America Launches an Online Master’s Degree in Wine and Beverage Management

    The Culinary Institute of America Launches an Online Master’s Degree in Wine and Beverage Management

    IBL News | New York

    The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) announced this month an Online Master’s Degree in Wine and Beverage Management.

    Enrolling for Fall 2021, this program follows the in-person wine and beverage management master’s and the Online Master’s in Food Business—both of which graduated their inaugural classes in September 2020.

    The Online Master’s Degree in Wine and Beverage Management will be a 30-credit curriculum program and will immerse students in every facet of the business, from bottle to glass, exploring global wine business management; spirits, fermented, and non-alcoholic beverages; entrepreneurial innovation, marketing, distribution; and much more.

    The program will include three short residencies: two in Napa, CA―the heart of wine country―and one at the CIA’s Hyde Park campus, in New York’s Hudson Valley.

    “Today’s beverage professionals need a foundation that goes beyond product knowledge,” said Cathy Jörin, Senior Director of the CIA School of Graduate and Professional Studies. “Solid business acumen, an understanding of sustainability and world cultures, and the ability to innovate are vital. By bringing this program online, we’re making it accessible to even more people, giving them an opportunity to develop these skills without putting their current careers on hold.”

    To enroll, students must have a bachelor’s degree.

    https://youtu.be/slg4-s_WRKg

  • 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.

  • 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.

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

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

    IBL News | New York

    MITx launched on edX.org an 11-week, free course for learners interested in solving the massive and persistent economic poverty in the world.

    The Challenges of Global Poverty is taught by two Nobel Prize instructors: Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee, Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics, winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, and Esther Duflo, Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics in the Department of Economics, winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.

    The course–part of the MITx MicroMasters program in Data, Economics, and Development Policy—challenges economics to provide solutions.

    The authors pose the following questions:

    “Is extreme poverty a thing of the past? What is economic life like when living under a dollar per day? Are the poor always hungry? How do we make schools work for poor citizens? How do we deal with the disease burden? Is microfinance invaluable or overrated? Without property rights, is life destined to be “nasty, brutish, and short”? Should we leave economic development to the market? Should we leave economic development to non-governmental organizations (NGOs)? Does foreign aid help or hinder? Where is the best place to intervene?”

     

     

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

    SNHU Launches Two edX MicroBachelors in Business Analytics and Data Management

    IBL News | New York

    Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is launching this month in collaboration with edX its first MicroBachelors programs: Business Analytics Foundations and Data Management with Python and SQL.

    The edX’s MicroBachelor standalone credential will allow learners to apply for transfer credit toward an SNHU associate or bachelor’s degree program. Offered at $498 per course, the classes are worth up to six credits each. The two MicroBachelors courses are open for enrollment on edX and start on February 26.

    “Through the new SNHUx programs, learners will be able to study at their own pace, obtain workforce-relevant skills, and apply credits when they enroll at SNHU – creating an even more affordable pathway to an associate or bachelor’s degree,” stated in a press-release Paul LeBlanc, President and CEO, SNHU.

    “With SNHU, we will further the edX mission to increase access to education worldwide,” said Anant Agarwal, edX Founder, and CEO.

    With the launch, Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) becomes a partner in the edX Consortium. It will operate as SNHUx.