[The Week in Education and Technology is a weekly summary of news, events, and ideas related to education, technology, and culture.]
Notable Quote
But let’s begin by acknowledging that many schools are facing, or will soon face, the necessity of some kind of significant change. The path to success will require collective action – and I believe that the most creative and effective action will start with honest, clear-eyed conversation about our challenges. The most important work is ahead of us.
Susan Campbell Baldridge, The College Stress Test: Tracking Institutional Futures across a Crowded Market
Things That Caught My Attention
K-12
Information comes at us constantly and from all directions. Our minds latch onto certain patterns that are generally shaped or reinforced by our communities. It’s a good coping mechanism but also one that can lead to false assumptions. One example is the assumptions that most of us have about how and where innovation occurs in our schools.
And, in case you were thinking that dual-credit and concurrent-enrollment courses were simply a fad, take not that reality is likely headed in the opposite direction. Not only will we see more students taking a few college courses in high school to get a leg up, we’ll actually see more and more schools and students opting for early college high school programs. This recent report from the Association of Research Institutes shows the benefits.
And, not only are more schools looking to enhance their college-credit programs, but some are also realizing that curriculum shifts can help them teach skills and competencies that will help students flourish professionally.
Higher Education
As the authors of The College Stress Test: Tracking Institutional Futures across a Crowded Market point out, higher ed institutions need to adjust in order to navigate the turbulent waters of change they have entered. Bryan Alexander has a couple of recent posts pointing to struggles at specific institutions but, as he states clearly in one headline, the indicators for some higher ed institutions are grim. The University of Alaska system, facing particularly dire funding cuts, is looking at significant program reductions and consolidations.
What’s a university to do? Well, many are looking increasingly to online learning as a way to serve their local and regional customers. In addition, there is a growing awareness among universities that their traditional market, students 18-25, is shrinking rapidly and being replaced by adult learners. That reality has many institutions thinking about new ways to attract and serve the adult-learner market.
Of course, this is just one example of changing assumptions about students and their needs. At community colleges, for example, 17% of students reported experiencing homelessness within the past year.
Workforce Readiness
There is a growing belief that colleges and universities need to focus more directly on teaching the essential skills (often referred to as “soft skills”) that students need to succeed professionally. Within the academy, however, whose responsibility is it to ensure that these skills are emphasized, taught, and assessed in a meaningful way? According to Celeste R. Smith, director of education at the American Association of Law Libraries, every organization needs to take responsibility for providing continuous learning and skilling/reskilling/upskilling.
Speaking of reskilling and upskilling, the notion that EVERYONE must remain on a path of continuous learning to be successful raises interesting questions for colleges and universities. What does the higher ed model look like, for example, is institutions think about 60-year curriculum design as opposed to a six-year approach?
I also want to give a shout-out this week to the people at Nucleos, a startup trying to make online educational and vocational programs more accessible to those behind bars. “Nucleos gives people a chance to do what I’ve done in prison, and I want to help put other people in that direction,” says entrepreneur, investor and former prisoner Dave Dahl. He credits a computer-aided drafting class that he took in prison for “giving me a skill … and opening my mind that I was a capable person beyond being a thug, a drug addict and a drug dealer.”
Technology and Finance
On a final note this week, it seems that combustion engine cars will indeed meet their demise in the next two decades. The latest nation to set a target date for banning sales of such vehicles/ The UK, saying that they hope to end the sale of combustion engine cars as early as 2032.
Speaking of cars, the shift to electric vehicles is changing the fundamental identity of our vehicles. In the new era, they are becoming computers and data centers on wheels. Not surprisingly, there is a certain first-mover advantage in developing markets, particularly where new technology is concerned. Tesla seems to be benefitting from this first-mover status as, according to competitors, they are not currently able to match the company’s engineering advancements.
Research Articles and Posts for the Week
TEL Library Posts You May Have Missed
Episode 15: The Impossible Is Bound to Happen — Education and Technology Futures Videocast)
Education Futures Episode 11: Disruptions to Education in the Coming Decade (Podcast)
The Junk Village (A Parable) — Parables on Learning
Episode 16: The End of an Era — (Education and Technology Futures Videocast)
K-12 Education
House ed chair Scott refocusing attention on Rebuild America’s Schools Act
3 school innovation insights that challenge common assumptions
New research on early college high school shows long-term benefits
How Hands-On Projects Can Deepen Math Learning for Teens
Where Lifelong Skills and Curriculum Meet
Higher Education
Western accreditor will consider approving colleges outside its region
N.J. governor expands free tuition at state’s public colleges
Expedited Program Review Status | Office of Academic Affairs
NC-SARA report paints detailed picture of distance education landscape
How Colleges Are Thinking Differently to Serve Adult Students
A modern solution in higher education
Report: Majority of Americans favor free public college
Today’s grim higher education indicators
Colleges should much more deliberately emphasize the soft skills they say they provide
“We Really Need to Talk…” Now.
Pandemic and academic possibilities: the coronavirus outbreak continues
Purdue looks to adopt civics knowledge as undergraduate requirement
Grand Canyon CEO: We’re being ‘selective’ in the hunt for new partners
U of Southern California to offer free tuition for families earning up to $80K
More queen sacrifices in Michigan, Texas, and Arkansas
Tracking Community College Bachelor’s Degrees
Learning Design, Learning Theory, and Educational Technology
A 5-Year Vision for Artificial Intelligence in Higher Ed
How Technology Is Changing the Future of Higher Education
Labor Trends, Workforce Readiness/Education
Colleges should much more deliberately emphasize the soft skills they say they provide
Dave’s Killer Bread Co-Founder Invests in Rising Prison Education Startup
What is the future of skills, roles and workforce development?
Media, Publishing, and Cultural Trends
One-in-10 Americans Are Severely Obese; Women See Higher Rates
Gale Launches New Online Learning Platform for Public Libraries
How Mount Everest became a multimillion-dollar business
Many Tech Experts Say Digital Disruption Will Hurt Democracy
Adopting Open Educational Resources Can Help Students. But It Takes Time, Money and Effort
Technology and Financial Trends
Luxury prefab homes from Dvele are going fully off-grid
UK to ban the sale of combustion engine cars as early as 2032
How Github, Low Coders & Microsoft Forever Changed Programming
Gartner Identifies the Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2020
Your Car Dashboard? It’s From the Olden Days! The Impact of Acceleration On Every Industry
