Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eCampus News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

The 10 biggest higher-ed tech stories of 2012

eCampus News counts down the ten most significant developments in higher-education technology use during the past year.

A new reciprocity agreement could help facilitate eLearning … The Internet2’s NET+ initiative turbo-charges cloud computing … Massive open online courses challenge higher education’s status quo: These are among the many key ed-tech developments affecting colleges and universities in the past year.

In this special retrospective, the editors of eCampus News highlight what we think are the 10 most significant higher-education technology stories of 2012. To learn how these stories will continue to affect campus decision makers in 2013 and beyond, click here.

What do you think of our list? Did we miss anything important? What do you think were the top higher-education technology stories of the year? Share your thoughts in the comments section below—we’re eager to hear from you.…Read More

Best practices in higher-education technology use

Here are some of the best practices in campus technology use featured in our November/December 2012 edition.

An Arkansas college has achieved success by learning its students’ technology needs … A new eLearning venture invites students to contribute course content themselves … Tufts University has become a leader in social media outreach by focusing on one word—“Vibe”: These are among the best practices in higher-ed tech use featured in the Nov./Dec. 2012 edition of eCampus News.

The digital version of our Nov./Dec. edition is now available. You can browse the full publication here, or click on the headlines below to read any of these highlights:

Boise State seeks to redefine ‘well-educated’…Read More

New higher-ed tech products: November/December 2012

Here are the latest higher-education technology products featured in the Nov./Dec. edition of eCampus News.

A convertible computing device with three different modes (tablet, productivity, and presentation); self-service copy and print kiosks for college campuses; and software for streamlining IT management: These are among the many new higher-education technology products featured in the Nov./Dec. edition of eCampus News.

The digital version of our November/December 2012 issue is now available.

You can browse the full publication here, or click on the headlines below to check out these highlights:…Read More

Top higher-ed tech news: November/December 2012

Here are some of the top higher-education technology stories in the November/December issue of eCampus News.

Campus leaders ponder eLearning’s future … colleges re-engineer remedial instruction … civil libertarians question the use of an anonymous online tool to report campus incidents: These are among the top higher-education technology stories in the November/December issue of eCampus News.

Our November/December issue is now available in digital format at eCampusNews.com.

You can browse the full publication here, or click on any of the headlines below to read these highlights:…Read More

WCET recognizes creative higher-ed tech programs

Three programs have been recognized for their ed-tech creativity in higher education.

A program that offers math development to disadvantaged students, a streaming video service for higher education, and an educational app repository are winners of the 2012 WCET Outstanding Work (WOW) winners, a program from the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET).

WOW is an annual nationwide competition that honors colleges, universities, and organizations for their creative and innovative uses of educational technology in higher education.

“The significance of the WOW Award is more than just some cool, new technology tools,” said James Bowey, professor at Winona State University and chair of the WOW Awards Committee, in the official WCET press release. “At the heart of the award and this year’s three honored projects is that each addresses a real and important need that is shared widely across higher education. It’s the innovative, often collaborative, way in which these projects were carried forward that merits the award, as well as the fact that each serves as a model for others to replicate.”…Read More

NWACC uses technology to serve its ‘customers’ better

Recognizing that “customer” satisfaction is a key factor in recruiting and retaining students, NWACC has made it easy for stakeholders to access resources through mobile devices—and this attention to service has paid off.

Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC) is a public two-year college located in Bentonville, Ark. NWACC opened its doors to 1,200 students in August 1990 and now has more than 7,000 students, making it one of the largest and fastest growing two-year college in Arkansas. It serves another 7,000 students throughout the region with non-credit courses.

Recognizing that “customer” satisfaction is a key factor in recruiting and retaining students, NWACC has made it easy for stakeholders to access computer systems and resources through mobile devices, and this attention to service has paid off: In a recent survey, a majority of students said they were happy with the school’s technology services.

NWACC also has used technology to reduce costs and improve decision making, and it is a state leader in campus technology use. For these reasons and more, we’ve chosen NWACC as our “eCampus of the Month” for November/December.…Read More

New developments in campus technology: September 2012

Here are some of the latest ed-tech tools featured in the Sept. 2012 edition of eCampus News.

A new way to measure the color brightness of projectors, and a cutting-edge app that can help save lives during campus emergencies, are among the latest developments in campus technology described in the September 2012 edition of eCampus News.

Our September edition is now available in digital format on our website. You can browse the full publication here, or click on any of the headlines below to read these highlights:

New developments in AV technology come into focus…Read More

Top higher-education technology news: September 2012

Here are some of the top higher-education technology stories in the September 2012 edition of eCampus News.

Several leading universities have joined the open course movement in what is quickly becoming a campus revolution; for-profit colleges, which include some of the country’s largest online schools, face even more scrutiny; and a popular online video forecasts the end of higher education as we know it: These are among the top stories in the September edition of eCampus News.

Our September edition is now available in digital format on our website. You can browse the full publication here, or click on any of the headlines below to read these highlights:

Top schools join the free online course movement…Read More

Top higher-education technology news: August 2012

Here are some of the top higher-education technology news stories in our July/August 2012 edition.

eLearning programs have gotten a reprieve from a controversial federal rule that some people viewed as too heavy-handed; a new resource helps ed-tech leaders understand the various standards for ensuring that campus technology systems are compatible with each other; and two recent court rulings have important implications for campus technology use: These are among the top higher-education technology stories in the July/August edition of eCampus News.

Our July/August edition is now available in digital format on our website. You can browse the full publication here, or click on any of the headlines below to read these highlights:

eLearning programs get a reprieve…Read More

Amazon to cover most of employees’ tuition

Employees must work for Amazon for three years before receiving tuition benefits.

Amazon will pay up to $2,000 for employees taking online or in-person college courses while working toward an associate’s degree or a technical certification, and educators expect other corporations to replicate the model if it proves successful.

Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO, used the homepage of his company’s website to announce that Amazon warehouse employees would soon have 95 percent of their tuition prepaid if they work toward a two-year degree or certificate in engineering, IT, health care, transportation, and a range of other academic concentrations.

Educators and ed-tech officials said Amazon’s tuition offer differs from similar corporate programs in two ways: The company will only prepay tuition for students entering fields deemed in-demand and high-paying by the federal government—rather than academic areas related to the company’s mission—and the program will cover the vast majority of course and book costs, not just a fraction.…Read More