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.

7 ways to prevent campus identity theft

New York-based business analyst John Reiley shares 7 tips for preventing student identity theft

student-identity-theftAs college students head back to college or prepare for their first semester as a college student, their primary concerns revolve around financial aid, buying books, making it to class, finding a job, and juggling everything that comes with college life.

What most of these students aren’t thinking about is identity theft. Most students think identity theft is something that happens to older people and those with big bank accounts and successful lives.

They wonder why anyone would even want to steal their identity- the answer simply is that anyone and everyone can fall victim to identity theft, and it is that lack of concern that makes college students at particular risk.…Read More

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4 ways to make college more accessible for special needs students

There may be a shortage of apps targeting post-secondary special education, but you can still take steps to facilitate a smooth transition for your students

special-needs-studentsIn recent years, the awareness of special needs in education has grown steadily. Yet, most of the focus is placed on K-12 resources. As special needs students move on to higher education, the amount of support and resources seems to dwindle.

Nearly 350 special needs apps can be found when searching in the iTunes store. The large majority of these apps feature fun cartoons and basic concepts – perfect for the K-12 audience, but not the higher education audience. I was impressed with the recent eCampus News article on assistive technology apps, which listed several apps that held value beyond the doors of high school.

While early support and intervention are critical, students with special needs also need help transitioning into the higher education space – just as does any student entering college. Once they’ve outgrown K-12 tools, what is available to facilitate learning?…Read More

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Three budgeting tips for higher ed

Budgeting in higher education will be the primary pain point for technology leadership in the next decade

budgeting-higher-edBudgeting in government and higher education used to be difficult.

It has always been a challenge to rally for increases to accommodate technology purchases in historically tepid budget-growth environments.

For high-number, like-valued purchases, guesswork could often be removed by initiating standard equipment “refreshes” on comfortable cycles – 2 year, 3 year, 4 year – resulting in chunks of capital dollars.…Read More

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How to coach a ‘digital educator’ (Part 1)

Coaching expert explains why support is especially needed for online, digital teachers

coach-coaching-digital

Got Technology? Ah, yes, we’re inundated with it. Technology lingers at the hub of almost every sector of our lives, work, and now, education.

Its influx into the education arena has left harried educators pondering the most effective ways to leverage technology to provide powerful, engaging learning experiences. To complicate matters further, those experiences need to include resources and assessments to measure student achievement in real-world, meaningful ways.…Read More

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How to stop cheating and grant fraud

Biometrics outshine PIN & passwords for verification of online enrollment and test-taking while reducing financial aid fraud

cheating-grant-fraudAs of 2008, the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act mandates that universities and colleges in the U.S. instill a process to verify the identity of online students.

But with the failure of ordinary PIN-and-password security measures to completely prevent student cheating and even student-grant fraud, the academic world stands waiting for the other shoe to drop. Additional safeguards will soon be required, if not already called for by local accrediting agencies.

In response, some early-adopting chancellors, administrators, and CEOs have already pegged bio-signature authentication systems as a turnkey approach to providing greater accuracy in student verification. Given the additional advantages that such systems: reside “in the cloud” outside of the college or university‘s business system; require absolutely no additional hardware; entail no extra expense by students; and allow for the monitoring of fraudulent financial activity, this subset of gesture verification is emerging as the valedictorian of second-level ID verification.…Read More

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4 ways universities can use the social media app Vine

Although Vine videos are not yet a mainstream practice in higher ed, they can play an important role in showcasing university life

vine-education-universityHave you heard of Vine? Chances are you may have seen a cute six second video of a pet, toddler or food dish posted on a friend or colleagues’ mobile device.

Teens have gravitated towards Vine in massive numbers, even at the expense of leaving Facebook for this ultra-quick video sharing device. In 2013, active teen Vine users skyrocketed by 639 percent.

Although the majority of Vine video clips are for fun and personal use, educators and administrators in higher education could capitalize on the growing popularity of this social media application.…Read More

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5 ways to use Instagram for higher ed

Higher Ed administrators and officials can use Instagram to promote their university and broadcast events

InstagramInstagram is not just for teens and celebrities posting pictures of their favorite food, pets, and vacation spots.

Like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, administrators and officials can use Instagram to promote collegiate activities, beautiful university attractions and landmarks, and important alumni events.

Watch this clip for more on how you can implement Instagram in higher ed.…Read More

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How to liberate higher education

U.S.-based institutions must meet the increasing demand as online coursework continues to proliferate, and more international students seek a university education

digital-coursework

Declining enrollments. Increasing competition for students. Sunsetting education models. The doom-and-gloom headlines on higher education pervade mainstream media.

However, an undercurrent of optimism exists as many institutions of higher education evolve to meet these 21st century challenges. As advisors in the space, we’re quite optimistic, as we see university presidents, provosts and trustees employing bold strategies to ensure the viability (and success) of their institutions.…Read More

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5 retention strategies across campus

These 5 retention ideas across campus departments can help students keep motivated

retention-students-campus

One of the biggest reasons I stuck with my private liberal arts college (Kenyon) was because of small classes and a really pretty landscape. Digging a little deeper, it was also because I found the class structure—conversation rather than lecture—interesting.

However, that was eight years ago, when Facebook was still in its infancy. In other words, a lot has changed, but a lot hasn’t. Yes, there are certain technology strategies that can be employed to engage students, but retention, one of the largest issues for higher-ed institutions today, takes more than a few digital signs and WiFi access.…Read More

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A game-changer for online retention

A good online community is the best way to keep students motivated

communities-retention-online In a recent think-tank panel in D.C. on trends in higher-ed, one online learning expert from Arizona State University said that the next big discussion for colleges and universities would be on online communities. But why is it so important for online learning?

The simplest answer is that students like it, so they stick around. But why do students in an online environment need community, and what are some key features of a good community?

According to Cheryl Oliver, assistant dean of Online and Graduate Programs at the College of Business, Washington State University (WSU), retention rate increases with community because humans are social by nature.…Read More

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