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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.

5 questions for the cross-examination of higher ed

Higher education in 2014 is paying the price of having been a law unto itself for too long

higher-education-costHigher education is in the dock in 2014. The questions are flying. Why does it cost so much? Why does it cost more each year? Why do so many students not finish? Why can’t they get good jobs? Why is it not equally accessible to all?

Why is it not doing a better job training teachers for K-12? What do we have to show for the trillion dollars in student loan debt? Who will repay it? And why do some universities seem to be living in luxury on accumulated endowment while still charging exorbitant tuition?

These are fair questions. Shame on higher education that we have not been more proactive in explaining ourselves. Shame on higher education that we have not stewarded more cautiously the public funding that has been readily available over the past several decades.…Read More

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This innovation is rocking higher-ed IT

New cloud infographic reveals the technology is transforming institutions

cloud-technology-institutions Cloud computing is nothing new, but how higher education institutions are using the technology has certainly become innovative. By using data storage for everything from student loan information to class schedules, having an ease of sharing between universities, and moving critical systems to better implement BYOD practices, higher education is quickly becoming the leaders in cloud technology…but what are some specifics in how they use it?

“The reality for IT in higher education is that the overall environment continues to increase in complexity with issues such as BYOD,” says Vivántech. “Limited resources at private colleges and reduced state allocations at public institutions result in calls for IT departments to do more with same or less budget.  Day-to-day pressures of managing IT services leaves less time to focus on strategic plans. Recruiting and training specialized skill sets such as DBA’s is becoming more difficult. These issues, in conjunction with elevated expectations of students and faculty, are pushing institutions to find better and more cost effective ways to provide technology services.”

One of the major ways to complete these goals is with cloud technology.…Read More

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4 stories you should know about

From redefining autism to the tech trends in higher-ed, these are our most popular stories

may-stories-publicationDid you know that students on the autism spectrum often have to pay premiums of thousands of dollars just to get the services they need on college campuses? Or that those on the autism spectrum might actually be more suited than others for the higher-ed learning environment? What about the fact that the number of distance learning participants may be drastically exaggerated? Or that one Cornell expert believes she has the answers for why higher-ed is dying?

These stories, and many more, are featured in our May digital edition, now available online. From revealing the “5 tech trends poised to rock education” to everything you could ever know about how to recruit and retain Millennials, and from updating faculty PD for online and blended learning to understanding new credentialing, this issue speaks to colleges and universities eager to adapt services and learning approaches to better cater to its 21st-century students.

And not only is this issue packed with relevant information for most every department on your campus, we’ve added a new feature to our publication, which we hope you’ll find helpful: hyperlinks (finally!). This feature, as well as many others in the near future, are part of our continuing effort each month to produce the most useful and intellectually stimulating publication for you and your colleagues.…Read More

Opinion: Disruptive innovation needed in higher education

“Disruptive Innovation” is a buzz phrase that is running wild through the world of entrepreneurship these days, says Dr. James Nolan, president of Southwestern College. There are Disruptive Innovators discussion groups on LinkedIn and Facebook. Though president of Southwestern College, Santa Fe, I am a card-carrying member. What is disruptive innovation? It may be more elucidating to start by naming some of the disruptive innovators of our era. Apple’s Steve Jobs, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Ebay’s Pierre Omidyar and Meg Whitman. Then there’s Facebook’s Mark Zuckerman, Skype’s Nikklas Zenstrom and Paypal’s Peter Thiel. These guys (used loosely) never believed for one second that there is nothing new under the sun. Disruptive innovators are insanely creative. They are, by definition, rule-breakers, and so almost invariably end up as entrepreneurs. They have to set their own rules, or create a world in which there are no rules. Richard Branson and his rocket ships. Like that…

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…Read More