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  • Chatbots and Other Artificial Intelligent Cases Are on the Rise, Despite High Expectations

    Chatbots and Other Artificial Intelligent Cases Are on the Rise, Despite High Expectations

    Mikel Amigot | IBL News

    “In education, AI is still a sleeping giant,” researcher Dr. Tony Bates wrote in a must-read article.

    Today, one of the most extended cases of AI in teaching and learning lies in chatbots. These intelligent tutoring systems, that guide conversations or “chat” through text or voice interactions, are on the rise.

    In a recent interview with IBL News, David Joyner, Associate Director of Senior Experience at the Online Master of Science Computer Science and instructor of the program, commented on the new role of Georgia Tech’s AI-agent –formerly known as Jill, and now named ATA– on how it is connecting students to other learners in the same class.  “It’s a social TA (Teacher Assistant),” he explained.

    Chatbots have become a common tool for banks and large finance and marketing companies as a way to reduce costs and response times. Now, a growing number of colleges and universities use this technology.

    Two examples:

    • Australia’s University of Adelaide announced that students received responses 13 times faster, and learners’ approval of the quality of service increased by 60 percent, after deploying a chatbot to deal with admissions questions in 2018.
    • Western Governors University, or WGU, in 2018 received a $750,000 award from the National Science Foundation to use machine learning in order to improve interactions with students and help them with the decision-making process, i.e., to find programs.

    Among many others, companies like Oracle, AdmitHub, and Ivy.ai, also provide this type of solution.

    As AI-based adaptive technology advances, systems will deal with several tasks, as Tony Bates reminds.

    At least, they will:

    • Provide teaching content to students and simultaneously provide support by giving adaptive feedback and hints to solve questions related to the content, as well as to detect students’ difficulties/errors with content or exercises.
    • Curate learning materials based on students’ needs, such as providing specific recommendations regarding types of reading materials and exercises, along with personalized courses of action to aid in the students’ learning experience.
    • Facilitate collaboration between learners by providing automated feedback, generating automatic questions for discussion, and an analysis of the process.

    It is undeniable that there are inflated expectations for AI –a term that is often incorrectly used to describe any computational activity.

    Beyond the extreme hype, there are clear areas of application. AI enables adaptive learning by recommending personalized content, predictive analytics, automated feedback and support in many conversations.

    Artificial Intelligence is not a panacea for education. However, by having access to massive amounts of information and analyzing these data sets through algorithms and computational power, innovative software organizations can develop worthwhile applications.

  • Pearson Pushes Out His CEO After a Dramatic Tenure Full of Sales and Job Cuts

    Pearson Pushes Out His CEO After a Dramatic Tenure Full of Sales and Job Cuts

    Mikel Amigot | IBL News, New York

    Pearson –the world’s largest ed company with a $6.6 billion market value– announced yesterday its CEO John Fallon, 57, will step down in 2020 after a successor is appointed. Sidney Taurel, 70, Chairman, is leading the search for the next CEO.

    John Fallon’s departure comes just three months after a severe profit warning that knocked the company’s confidence in the transition into digital products, decreasing its market value by a fifth.

    It will mark the end of a dramatic seven-year tenure for Fallon, whom after succeeding Marjorie Scardino in 2013 cut costs and jobs (16,000 over the past six years.) while gradually selling important assets, such as Penguin, Financial Times, and a stake in The Economist.

    [In addition, Pearson said yesterday that it will sell its remaining stake in Penguin Random House to Bertelsmann for $675 million. Pearson sold a 22 percent stake back in 2017.]

    Stocks in Pearson (PSON) rose yesterday 1.7 percent on the London Stock Exchange after the news of his resignation. Pearson needs to show investors that difficulties in the US business are transitory rather than structural, according to some analysts.

    The value of Pearson’s stock has dropped by 57 percent since 2013. Most recently, the company warned investors that its U.S. textbook sales for 2019 would be weak. During Fallon’s time in charge, Pearson has had six profit warnings to shareholders.

    “We’re now at the stage where it’s time to transition to a new leader, who can bring a fresh perspective,” Fallon said in a prepared statement.

    Marjorie Scardino, who lead Pearson for 16 years, turned Pearson into a behemoth, managing more than two dozen acquisitions. Fallon’s job was to restructure the company by removing legacy parts and reorienting the company into digital learning services.

    It seems that shareholders have finally lost their patience with Fallon. It’s the end of an era.

  • A New Catholic Polytechnic University Will Focus on the Integration of Science and Faith

    A New Catholic Polytechnic University Will Focus on the Integration of Science and Faith

    Mikel Amigot, IBL News | New York

    An innovative science- and tech-focused four-year Catholic university is now forming as an in-person undergraduate an online graduate college in Los Angeles County.

    Dr. Jennifer Nolan, a cognitive scientist, and college instructor is launching the initiative as a 501c3 nonprofit institution. She is now assembling an administrative team and working towards becoming a degree-granting, licensed institution.

    The newly formed Catholic Polytechnic (CPU) will begin with a few select online certification courses.

    “We will combine a deep quest for scientific, tech, engineering and business expertise with the enduring truths of the Catholic faith,” Jennifer Nolan explained to IBL News.

    “Our goal is to become recommended by the Cardinal Newman Society ‘Guide to Choosing a Catholic College’, to have all professors take the Oath of Fidelity to the Magisterium, and to abide by Ex Corde Ecclesiae.”

    Sacraments, Masses, and Adoration will be hallmarks of student life.

    Courses and programs in the works at CPU will revolve around Business, Sciences, Engineering, Math, and Bioethics, and may  include:

    • Introduction to Computer Programming
    • Server-side Web Programming
    • Data Structure and Algorithms
    • Computer Architecture
    • Cyber Security
    • Philosophy of Science
    • Electromagnetism
    • Electrical Engineering Applications: Sensors, embedded and IoT

    “Based on the empirical science of learning and the Minerva model, course content will be delivered using novel methods of instruction, with emphasis on hands-on learning, debate, creative thinking, and writing skills,” Nolan said.

    The primary goal will be job placement in business and polytechnic careers. The aim would be to place at least 95% of Catholic Polytechnic graduates in business, science or tech career-driven jobs or graduate schools.

    ”By training STEM innovators with knowledge of business and theology, we hope Catholic Polytechnic University will help bolster the Catholic Church and provide great careers for Catholics nationwide.”

    Several donors have expressed interest in helping the school achieve its goals, the Catholic Business Journal reported.

    The date of the launching has not been determined yet.

    In Los Angeles County there are 4.4 million Catholics.

  • Analysis: Over 30M Adults With College Education But No Degree: Certificate Programs to the Rescue

    Analysis: Over 30M Adults With College Education But No Degree: Certificate Programs to the Rescue

    Mikel Amigot | New York 

    Over 30 million adults in the U.S. have a college education but no degree. This is mostly as a result of the fact that one-third of all first-time, full-time college students fail to graduate from four-year programs.

    Sooner rather than later, these individuals will need to fill that gap by upgrading their skills and obtaining certificates. Professional education will help them advance their careers, within and outside their existing companies.

    Graduate extension programs and executive education in postsecondary education should be in high demand.

    Now, large employers are tapping into that demand, as well.

    For example, corporations such as Starbucks, Walmart, Chipotle, JetBlue and Uber offer their employees compelling ways to earn full degrees or certificates; some of them, for free or at a steep discount.

    Certificate programs might also be a solution to address the college dropout rate and flip the script. Earning a job-ready certificate within the first semester or year of college, provides students with a promising path to market.

    Such credentials have grown significantly in recent years, although a number of them have limited value in the labor market.

    Last year, Credential Engine reported that nearly 67,000 programs in the United States grant credentials.

    With a certificate-first approach, top corporations should create credential-programs in their areas of expertise in order to educate external audiences at scale.

    Employee education is one of the next big frontiers.
  • Instructure Announces It Is Exploring to Sell the Company – Estimated to be Worth $2.5B

    Instructure Announces It Is Exploring to Sell the Company – Estimated to be Worth $2.5B

    IBL News | New York

    Instructure (NYSE: INST), the company behind Canvas LMS, publicly announced that it has begun to explore a number of strategic alternatives “to maximize shareholder value”, including a possible sale. Canvas owns about 38% of the LMS market.

    “These alternatives may include continuing as a standalone public company, going private, or being purchased by a strategic partner,” the company said in a statement Thursday.

    Instructure’s board retained J.P. Morgan as its financial advisor and Cooley LLP as its legal advisor.

    The move of the board took place in response to the pressure by activist investors Sachem Head, Praesidium Investment Management and more recently, Jana Partners, who disclosed it had a 1% stake. They called for Instructure to explore a sale, reportedly identifying multiple potential private equity buyers.

    Kevin Oram, Praesidium’s Co-Founder and Managing Partner, said last week that selling Bridge –Instructure’s unprofitable employee development platform– would unlock the value of Canvas, which he estimated to be worth $2.5 billion.

    Phil Hill, consultant and author of Phil on Ed Tech blog, wrote that competitor Blackboard went through a similar process a few years ago, going private in 2011. Blackboard considered a sale in 2015 but didn’t go through with it.

    Instructure’s previously scheduled financial analyst day on December 3 was canceled “to allow management and the board to explore these strategic alternatives for the company,” said the Salt Lake City-based corporation.

    The stock has gained significant value since activists hedge funds started to call for a sale, especially this week, when it moved from $47.91 on November 13 to $52.98 on November 15.

     

     

    • IBL News: News about Canvas LMS and Instructure

  • ISTE Conference Organizer Absorbs EdSurge Media – Investors Won’t Be Rewarded

    ISTE Conference Organizer Absorbs EdSurge Media – Investors Won’t Be Rewarded

    Mikel Amigot | IBL News, New York

     

    ISTE, a 40-year-old nonprofit that annually hosts one of the most influential edtech conferences, acquired EdSurge for an undisclosed amount, in a transaction expected to be finalized by the end of the year. The announcement came yesterday by surprise at the EdSurge’s Fusion conference.

    Burlingame, California-based EdSurge, that provides journalism, research, job offerings, events, and other edtech services, will become a nonprofit media organization by joining ISTE. Its shareholders, including investors such as Reach Capital, GSV Capital, and TAL Education, will not receive any return on their investment, according to Richard Culatta, ISTE’s CEO since 2017.

    EdSurge will keep its brand on news stories, newsletters, and research. Most of its 30 employees will be hired as staff members, although headcount reductions were announced. “Any time when you look at combining teams and roles, there’s always the chance that there are redundancies,” Culatta said.

    “Core to this acquisition, however, is maintaining EdSurge’s journalistic independence,” Betsy Corcoran, CEO at EdSurge, said in an email to readers. “What this arrangement gives us is an opportunity to focus on the work—not just focus on paying the bills, not just focus on survivability,” she added.

    Founded in 2011 as a venture-backed, for-profit news organization, EdSurge raised more than $8 million from a mix of investors and received millions of dollars in grants from nonprofits and foundations, such as the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, NewSchools Venture Fund, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

    With a revenue stream of over $16 million, staff of 60 employees and 25,000 membership educators, the Arlington, Virginia-based ISTE, publishes books and research journals. However, two-thirds of the income came from the annual conference.

    In 2017, its CEO started talks about buying a news-media outlet. He ended up buying EdSurge, although he didn’t write “a big check”, he said. Betsy Corcoran confirmed that the acquisition did not come with a huge price tag.

    Jeffrey R. Young, senior editor at EdSurge, and Stephen Noonoo, K-12 editor in the news site, posted a detailed story about the antecedents of the transaction yesterday.

    • Betsy Corcoran’s reflections on the future

  • Sachem Head Becomes One of the Top Shareholders of 2U and Advocates for a Sale

    Sachem Head Becomes One of the Top Shareholders of 2U and Advocates for a Sale

    Mikel Amigot | IBL News, New York

     

    Yesterday, Sachem Head set its sight on 2U Inc., pushing the company to explore a sale. As a result of it, the stock registered its biggest gain since 2016, almost 14% to $21.18.

    With a market value of about $1.3 billion, 2U saw its shares fall more than 70% over the past 12 months and faced numerous class-action lawsuits for allegedly false or misleading statements during the second quarter. The stock dropped 65% on July 31st after a controversial earnings call wherein its CEO and former CFO drastically tempered short-term growth plans.

    The New York-based activist hedge fund has been building a position in OPM 2U (Nasdaq: TWOU), apparently becoming one of the top shareholders, and now saying it’s time to sell. The exact size of its stake is unclear.

    Sachem Head Capital Management LP, founded by Scott Ferguson in 2012, believes that 2U would be an attractive takeover target for private equity firms and other education technology companies, sources told Bloomberg.

    Sachem Head’s positions and views tend to move the stock market. For example, the influential fund, that invests $3.2 billion on behalf of clients, recently called on Whitbread PLC to sell its Costa Coffee business before it was spun off to Coca-Cola Co. It also pushed Eagle Materials Inc to split its core businesses, before the company’s board agreed to spin off its heavy and light materials businesses into two publicly traded entities.

    Last week, Sachem Head announced that it wanted Instructure Inc –whose main product is the leading Canvas LMS platform– to pursue a full sale process, as IBL News reported quoting Reuters.

    Instructure (NYSE: INST), with a similar market cap to 2U, was the second education company that Sachem Head targeted, although that move was not apparently related.

    2U has been making some changes in management lately in an attempt to calm down investors and arrive in better shape to the crucial earnings call on November 12th. Last month it appointed a new CFO –Paul Lalljie, a former Neustar Inc executive– and new CMO –Jennifer Ogden-Reese, a former SeatGeek Inc. executive.

    •  Past reports about 2U at IBL News

     

  • An Influential Hedge Fund Pushes Instructure’s Canvas LMS to Sell Its Business

    An Influential Hedge Fund Pushes Instructure’s Canvas LMS to Sell Its Business

    Mikel Amigot | IBL News

    What’s next for Instructure (INST)?

    That’s the question that comes to investors’ minds, especially after the third quarter performance report, which represented an earnings surprise of 42.11%.

    Since the beginning of the year, Instructure shares have added about 15.8% versus the S&P 500’s gain of 20.6%, while the estimated revision trend for the company is mixed.

    In this context, New York-based Sachem Head, which has been buying Instructure’s shares over time, announced yesterday that it wants Instructure to pursue a full sale process, Reuters disclosed. Now, the notorious hedge fund plans to push the Salt Lake City-based company in this direction.

    The activist fund, that invests $3.2 billion on behalf of clients, recently called on Whitbread PLC to sell its Costa Coffee business before it was spun off to Coca-Cola Co. It also pushed Eagle Materials Inc to split its core businesses, before the company’s board agreed to spin off its heavy materials and light materials businesses into two publicly traded entities.

    On the news of Sachem Head’s stake, Instructure’s stock prices jumped as much as 6% this week, ending at $46.52.

    With a market capitalization of $1.8 billion, Instructure’s Canvas is the market leader in the LMS segment –and according to its own data continues to add customers.

    However, its employee development platform Bridge is not working that well, failing to generate considerable market share, analysts think –and that’d be the reason why Instructure has underperformed the market so far this year.

    In this regard, Instructure’s CEO Dan Goldsmith didn’t reject the idea of a sale or spinoff of Bridge, which launched in 2015.  “Nothing is off the table,” he told investors on the mentioned Q3 2019 earnings call on October 28. “But the focus for us is really making Bridge successful, making Bridge financially beneficial and accretive and healthy and then continuing to grow over time.”

    Dan Goldsmith promised to provide more details at an analyst day on Dec. 3.

     

     

  • The EdX Organization Adopts a More Commercial Structure Appointing a New Co-CEO

    The EdX Organization Adopts a More Commercial Structure Appointing a New Co-CEO

    Mikel Amigot | New York

    The edX nonprofit organization, created by MIT and Harvard University, decided to adopt a more business and less academic-focused structure with two running CEOs.

    According to the unexpected announcement made yesterday, Adam Medros, currently the COO and President, has been promoted to co-CEO, joining Anant Agarwal in this position.

    In a way, the move follows Coursera’s aggressive commercial direction when it replaced Rick Levin, former President at Yale, for Jeff Maggioncalca as CEO. Maggioncalca was mainly hired to find a successful business model and IPO-ing the company.

    Adam Medros, a business manager who moved from TripAdvisor to edX two years ago, with no previous experience in higher education, “will partner with Agarwal to drive the company’s continued growth and innovation, in service of its non-profit mission to increase access to high-quality education for everyone, everywhere,” edX said.

    Anant Agarwal, an MIT professor who has been teaching for 31 years said, “Adam’s dedication to the edX mission and his partnership have been invaluable to me in my role as Founder and CEO of edX and I look forward to further deepening our collaboration.”

    The official announcement highlighted the new business orientation that the learning organization is adopting, “Agarwal and Medros will continue to work with the edX partner network, made up of the majority of top-ranked universities in the world and industry-leading companies, to deliver stackable learning experiences that help learners and employers alike address the future of work.”

    In the last months, Adam Medros –who he stayed in TripAdvisor for 13 years– has been working in new business strategies to make edX a financially sustainable organization.

    He provided his views in an interview with IBL News recorded in March.

     

  • A Spanish University Builds a Futuristic Eco-Campus with Outside Classrooms

    A Spanish University Builds a Futuristic Eco-Campus with Outside Classrooms

    IBL News | Madrid, Spain

    The University of Malaga, in Spain, is building a futuristic eco-campus for students to take classes outside.

    Spanning a surface area of 52 acres, this innovative campus will include a green infrastructure suitable for everyday activities, such as studying, meeting and reading. The goal is to improve the climatic comfort and connectivity within an educational setting.

    A Madrid-based architectural firm called Ecosistema Urbano is designing this interactive infrastructure after winning in 2016 a public contract to transform an old campus into an environmentally-friendly and digitally connected space.

    It will be a geological garden in the works, a tropical garden, and a digital water curtain.

    By using high-tech capabilities, learners will be able to visualize real-time information and manipulate physical aspects of public space in an almost futuristic fashion, as shown in the picture below.

    Outdoor comfort will improve through solar-powered climate conditioning systems such as evaporative cooling and geothermal air circulation.

    Naturally, everything will run on renewable energy systems.