Education – Page 4

Analysis, Coronavirus, Economy, Higher Education, Science & Technology News

Community colleges could see a surge in popularity amid Covid-19

May 25, 2020

Historically, community college enrollment spikes during economic downturns.

This year, a public health crisis may draw even more students who don’t want to travel or live in a dorm.

The coronavirus crisis has already changed the way this year’s crop of high school seniors are thinking about higher education.

And community colleges across the country are preparing accordingly.

“Under the circumstances, families may turn to us as the gateway of opportunity, and we’ve been ready,” said Michael Baston, the president of Rockland Community College in Rockland County, New York.

Continue reading… “Community colleges could see a surge in popularity amid Covid-19”

Automation, Education, Higher Education, Internet, Science & Technology News

Exam anxiety : How remote test-proctoring is creeping students out

May 24, 2020

As schools go remote, so do tests and so does surveillance

The stranger on the Zoom call appeared to be sitting in a tent. He wore a black headset and a blue lanyard around his neck. Behind him was white plastic peppered with pictures of a padlock.

“Hi,” the stranger intoned. “My name is Sharath and I will be your proctor today. Please confirm your name is Jackson and that you’re about to take your 11:30PM exam.”

“Correct,” said Jackson Hayes, from his cinder-block dorm room at the University of Arizona.

When he’d signed up for an online class in Russian cinema history, he’d had no idea it meant being surveilled over video chat by someone on the other side of the world. Hayes learned about it via an item on the class syllabus, released shortly before the semester began, that read “Examity Directions.” The syllabus instructed Hayes and his classmates to sign up for Examity, an online test-proctoring service.

To create his account, Hayes was required to upload a picture of his photo ID to Examity’s website and provide his full name, email, and phone number — pretty banal stuff. But it got weirder. At the end, he typed his name again; Examity would store a biometric template of his keystrokes.

Continue reading… “Exam anxiety : How remote test-proctoring is creeping students out”

Children, Coronavirus, Education, Parenting, Science & Technology News

It’s time to accept that the point of school has changed

May 17, 2020

Lisa Selin Davis is the author of “Tomboy: The Surprising History and Future of Girls Who Dare to Be Different.” She has written The New York Times, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian and many other publications. She The views expressed here are hers.

(CNN)”Stay out of Google Classroom,” the administrators of my daughter’s Brooklyn elementary school cautioned parents in their first official communique about remote learning. To peer over their shoulders while sitting at their laptops and look at their work would be akin to bursting into the real-life classroom uninvited, they said.

Continue reading… “It’s time to accept that the point of school has changed”

2020 Predictions, Coronavirus, Higher Education, Science & Technology News

Universities are expecting 230,000 fewer students – that’s serious financial pain

May 9, 2020

Without government support, universities will struggle to provide the education people will need to rebuild their lives after Covid-19

Our universities are a vital and unique part of our society with an importance that far outweighs their considerable economic value. Yet research into the impact of Covid-19, conducted by London Economics for the University and College Union, shows that universities face a black hole of at least £2.5bn in fee and grant income for 2020-21 as students both in the UK and around the world defer or abandon their plans to study here.

The new analysis suggests that over 230,000 fewer students will enter higher education in 2020 as a result of the crisis, over half of which are international students. That fall in student numbers would translate into a drop in income of around £1.51bn from non-EU students, £350 million from EU students and £612 million from UK students opting to stay away.

Continue reading… “Universities are expecting 230,000 fewer students – that’s serious financial pain”

Coronavirus, Economy, Higher Education, Science & Technology News

Another thing the virus could kill : More than 1,000 Colleges and Universities

May 4, 2020

CHANGED FOREVER?

COVID-19 has disrupted our world in big and small ways. We have shut down as a nation to save lives. We watch the news and hear of deaths in the hundreds and thousands and wonder if we are at the peak yet. Simple acts, such as going to the grocery store or walking the dog, have become significant sources of anxiety. Food insecurity has intensified as increasing lines at food banks demonstrate. We have new respect for service workers. We cheer our new heroes, the first responders, doctors, and nurses who are our frontline soldiers in this war.

And we celebrate our teachers, but we have ignored university professors, who have also had to refocus the way they teach, do research and spread knowledge.

Higher education as a sector is getting hammered. Our national focus is rightly on the current frontline health providers. But we need to realize that despite some federal funding, many universities and colleges may never recover from COVID-19.

Continue reading… “Another thing the virus could kill : More than 1,000 Colleges and Universities”

Coronavirus, Finance, Higher Education, Science & Technology News

Financial hits pile up for colleges as some fight to survive

April 25, 2020

Colleges across the nation are scrambling to close deep budget holes and some have been pushed to the brink of collapse after the coronavirus outbreak triggered financial losses that could total more than $100 million at some institutions.

Scores of colleges say they’re taking heavy hits as they refund money to students for housing, dining and parking after campuses closed last month. Many schools are losing millions more in ticket sales after athletic seasons were cut short, and some say huge shares of their reserves have been wiped out amid wild swings in the stock market.

Yet college leaders say that’s only the start of their troubles: Even if campuses reopen this fall, many worry large numbers of students won’t return. There’s widespread fear that an economic downturn will leave many Americans unable to afford tuition, and universities are forecasting steep drop-offs among international students who may think twice about studying abroad so soon after a pandemic.

Continue reading… “Financial hits pile up for colleges as some fight to survive”

Coronavirus, Education, Human Behavior, Science & Technology News

Quarantine survey: 3 in 5 adults plan on self-improving during coronavirus lockdown

April 22, 2020

LONDON — The sudden and mandatory lockdown we all find ourselves stuck in right now is frustrating, to say the least, but it also represents an opportunity to catch up on long abandoned goals, ideas or hobbies. A recent survey asked 2,000 British residents about their quarantine plans, and according to the results there may be a few superheroes across the pond by the time this is all over.

All in all, 60% of respondents say they are planning on, or already started, self-improving and becoming “super human” during lockdown. Some plan to master an instrument (12%), while others want to paint the next Mona Lisa or become a modern day Ernest Hemingway.

Additional goals cited by respondents included enrolling in online university courses, taking up yoga, learning how to garden, researching family history, and learning a new skill. A full third say they’re going to work out at home every single day, and 25% plan on being fluent in a new language by the time the lockdown is lifted. Another 32% are hoping to become master chefs.

Continue reading… “Quarantine survey: 3 in 5 adults plan on self-improving during coronavirus lockdown”

Coronavirus, Higher Education, Robots, Science & Technology News

University holds graduation using robot ‘avatars’ for students: ‘They took it a step further’

April 18, 2020

A college in Japan has found a high-tech way to ensure its students can still walk across the stage at graduation — sort of.

The students at the Business BreakThrough University (BBT), like many graduates around the world, risked having their ceremony canceled due to the current global health crisis.

However, BBT found a solution. The college, which held its graduation on March 28, arranged to have several students receive their diplomas as digital “avatars” of themselves — complete with screens for faces and caps and gowns on robot “bodies.”

Basically, the students were able to navigate the ceremony from the comfort and safety of their homes while their avatars wheeled up to the school’s president, who handed them certificates.

Continue reading… “University holds graduation using robot ‘avatars’ for students: ‘They took it a step further’”

Coronavirus, Education, Higher Education, Science & Technology News, Trending

Coronavirus Silver Lining: Easier To Get Into Many Top Colleges

April 6, 2020

If there is a glimmer of brightness in the current plague besetting the planet, it may be that high school seniors in the United States are suddenly more likely than ever to get the proverbial “fat envelopes” or acceptance letters from their dream schools, as colleges send out final letters of admission in the coming weeks.

“We were already in a very new and uncertain world of higher education enrollments, caused by the demographic shift and the high cost of higher education,” says Bill Conley, vice president of enrollment for Bucknell University, a selective liberal arts college with an enrollment of 3,600 in rural Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. “So this [pandemic] comes along and throws it very much into the food blender, you know—when it was on just a little bit of mince, it is now on full grind.”

As a result, Bucknell and many other schools, unable to court prospective enrollees with festive campus “admitted students days” or even routine campus tours, will be increasing the number of students they send acceptance emails to in an effort to ensure that they yield enough to fill their incoming classes.

Continue reading… “Coronavirus Silver Lining: Easier To Get Into Many Top Colleges”

Higher Education, Latest News, Legalized marijuana, Science & Technology News

This Colorado college will start offering a cannabis major in the fall

February 18, 2020

(CNN) Students on Colorado State University’s Pueblo campus will have the option to study cannabis beginning this fall.

State officials on Friday approved a bachelor’s of science degree program in Cannabis Biology and Chemistry, according to the Colorado Department of Higher Education, which said it was one of the first such programs in the country.

“The new major is a pro-active response to a rapidly changing national scene regarding the cannabis plant,” a proposal for the program by CSU-Pueblo officials says, citing shifting attitudes toward cannabis and its legalization for recreational use in numerous states, including Colorado.

The program will be part of CSU-Pueblo’s department of chemistry and consist mainly of chemistry and biology coursework with some classes in math and physics, the proposal says.

Continue reading… “This Colorado college will start offering a cannabis major in the fall”

AI, Artificial Intelligence, Education, Health & Fitness, Science & Technology News

8 powerful examples of AI for good

February 17, 2020

Amid the cacophony of concern over artificial intelligence (AI) taking over jobs (and the world) and cheers for what it can do to increase productivity and profits, the potential for AI to do good can be overlooked. Technology leaders such as Microsoft, IBM, Huawei and Google have entire sections of their business focused on the topic and dedicate resources to build AI solutions for good and to support developers who do. In the fight to solve extraordinarily difficult challenges, humans can use all the help we can get. Here are 8 powerful examples of artificial intelligence for good as it is applied to some of the toughest challenges facing society today.

There are more than 1 billion people living with a disability around the world. Artificial intelligence can be used to amplify these people’s abilities to improve their accessibility. It can facilitate employment, improve daily life and help people living with disabilities communicate. From opening up the world of books to deaf children to narrating what it “sees” to those with visual impairments, apps and tools powered by artificial intelligence are improving accessibility.

Continue reading… “8 powerful examples of AI for good”

Architecture, Children, Education, Science & Technology News

‘Part-science lab, part-playground’: how kids made museums take fun seriously

January 24, 2020

From London to California, architects are helping museums provide interactive learning experiences that can’t be found on screen

State of play: TapeScape, an interactive art installation built in collaboration with artist Eric Lennartson at Brooklyn Children’s Museum.

Last year, the Hoxton-based architecture practice AOC set up the Open Studio at the V&A Museum of Childhood in nearby Bethnal Green, east London. The 147-year-old institution was set to be renovated and initial consultation of local schoolchildren had found that they wanted the space turned into the “most joyful museum in the world”. AOC set up the Open Studio to find out how this could be done. It was a test-lab of forums and workshops for children and families, a space where visitors were encouraged to hold objects from the V&A’s collection and answer questions such as: “What is a museum?”

Continue reading… “‘Part-science lab, part-playground’: how kids made museums take fun seriously”