Resource News – December 2023

Learning 2023 - The Learning Leaders Conference – December 5–7 (Orlando, FL)
With a laser focus on leadership strategies, skills, and best practices, Learning 2023 is the premier gathering for L&D leaders. It’s where you’ll gain the resources you need to grow and excel as a seasoned professional or aspiring leader, advance your career, and remain on the leading edge of organizational learning and development.

CHEA/CIQG Annual Conference - January 29–February 1 (Washington, D.C.)
The theme for this year’s four-day conference is “Quality Assurance Matters,” a premise that seeks to engage the entire CHEA/CIQG community. The conference will feature diverse and unique voices to manifest commitment to this proclamation through plenaries, concurrent sessions, and other types of discourse.

QM Research Online Conference – Quality Matters – February 16 (online)
This event brings together sessions around two key topics that help us provide increasingly high quality online learning for students: the recent research and evidence behind quality online learning and techniques for gathering data on quality assurance efforts in order to inform our future work.

SXSW EDU – South by Southwest® – March 4–7 (Austin, TX)
SXSW EDU Conference & Festival is an annual event fostering innovation and learning in the education industry. Located deep in the heart of Austin, Texas, SXSW EDU is the premier destination for discovery.

UPCEA Annual Conference – March 26–28 (Boston, MA)
The UPCEA Annual Conference is the most significant assembly of thought leaders and practitioners today in the field of professional, continuing, and online education. The Annual Conference convenes deans and other senior university leaders, key staff, and teams responsible for the management, administration, and growth of professional, continuing, and online education programs.

OLC InnovateOnline Learning Consortium – April 10–13 (Denver, CO), April 23–25 (online)
OLC Innovate, a joint conference presented by OLC and MERLOT, provides a path for innovators of all experience levels and backgrounds to share best practices, test new ideas, and collaborate on driving forward online, digital, and blended learning.

ASU + GSV Summit – April 14–17 (San Diego, CA)
The ASU+GSV Summit, co-founded by Michael Moe and Deborah Quazzo, began in 2010 with a collaboration between Global Silicon Valley (GSV) and Arizona State University (ASU). Our north star is that ALL people have equal access to the future, and we believe that innovations at scale in “Pre-K to Gray” learning and skills are critical to achieving that end.

Quality in Action – Quality Matters – May 3 (online)
Take your online teaching and course design to the next level by participating in the Quality in Action conference for higher education. The curated selection of sessions provides hands-on, practical experience that will put you on a path to designing and teaching learner-centric courses that support learner success.

Teaching Professor Annual Conference – June 7–9 (New Orleans, LA)
It’s not your imagination—teaching has gotten more demanding in the past few years. Come to The Teaching Professor Conference June 7-9, 2024, in New Orleans to get some tools, tricks, ideas, and inspiration to handle the issues facing college professors today. You don’t have to struggle with these challenges alone!

InstructureCon – Instructure – July 9–11 (Las Vegas, NV)
Three inspiring days of learning, excitement, and connection with the best community in edtech.

QM Connect Conference – Quality Matters – November 3–6 (Rosemont, IL)
Ready to take quality online learning into new horizons? Join your peers at QM Connect to celebrate milestones, build on momentum and discover innovations to improve outcomes for learners.

The Social Classroom – The Chronicle of Higher Education
Connections can be key to students’ academic success. Professors can help.

Universities Can’t Accommodate All the Computer Science Majors – Inside Higher Ed
High interest in the field has led to overcrowded classes and other issues. Now some institutions are adding requirements to help force students out of the major.

A Free, Online National University Is Trump’s Latest Higher-Ed Idea. Here’s What Experts Think. – The Chronicle of Higher Education
Former President Donald J. Trump is adding his voice to the many who are calling for “free college,” with a few twists, of course.

Fall 2023 Data About US Online Enrollment – On EdTech
Connecting data points from NSC and earnings reports and private conversations

How Tech Infrastructure Can Keep Up with Rising HBCU Enrollment – Ed Tech Magazine
Historically Black colleges and universities are experiencing growth in the face of an overall higher ed enrollment decline. But to maintain that pace, institutions must have the technology in place to ensure retention and boost graduation rates.

Where the Public Sees Value in Higher Ed – The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle asked more than a thousand adults how well colleges serve students and society. Explore the data to find points of confidence and doubt, consensus and divergence.

2U and USC part ways on most online degree programs – Higher Ed Dive
The news comes after the private university has faced lawsuits over some of the offerings, including a master’s degree in social work.

Facing Pressure on Enrollment, Will Colleges Support More Transfer Students? – EdSurge
During his yearslong quest for a bachelor’s degree, José Del Real Viramontes encountered trials at four different California community colleges.

In an ‘Extraordinarily Unusual’ Letter, Israel’s President Urges College Leaders to Fight Antisemitism – The Chronicle of Higher Education
Isaac Herzog, president of Israel, has sent a letter to American college leaders, calling on them to exercise “moral leadership” and to condemn Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel “publicly and unequivocally.”

Universities Prepare to Launch 2-Year Colleges – Inside Higher Ed
The goal of the model, started at Loyola University, is to get low-income students to and through college with little to no debt.

Turnitin Introduces iThenticate 2.0 and a New Similarity Report – Campus Technology
Academic integrity solutions company Turnitin has announced its iThenticate 2.0 program, along with a redesigned and improved Similarity Report, available across its writing integrity products.

Six Check-in Ideas to Build Community in College Classrooms – Faculty Focus
It is no secret that there has been a sharp rise in rates of depression among college students, which may be caused by a reported increase in anxiety and stress… In response, universities have found success in decreasing anxiety through intervention programs to provide support for students who may struggle.

Merger of Online Program Companies Suggests ‘Reset’ in the Market – Inside Higher Ed
Academic Partnerships’ acquisition of Wiley’s online program business is latest change in tumultuous online program management market.

Using Linear and Non-linear Teaching Strategies to Meet the Multiple Learning Needs of Students – Faculty Focus
We make sense of the world around us by using a variety of internal lenses. Our learning may be more abstract than concrete, more right-brain than left-brain, more visual processing than auditory or kinesthetic, etc. We may lean towards one political party or ideological cause over another. And depending on whether we are night owls or early risers, we may be half asleep or raring to go when the alarm clock rings each morning. With so many perspectives, how can instructors meaningfully address them in college or university classrooms? A systems approach offers a bimodal solution.

College leaders refocus attention on their students’ top priority: Jobs after graduation – The Hechinger Report
Ignoring growing demands for educations that lead to careers, one says, is ‘really dangerous’

New Podcast and An Update on TPS – OnEdTech
Announcing a new podcast: Online Education Across the Atlantic

Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid 2023 – College Board
The Trends in College Pricing report details the costs associated with one year of undergraduate study in the U.S. and how those costs have changed over time at public two-year institutions, public four-year institutions, and private nonprofit four-year institutions.

Bright Horizons Education Index Report 2023 – Bright Horizons®
In the era of rapid-fire advancements, new data from the 2023 EdAssist by Bright Horizons Education Index – conducted by the market research and analytics firm The Harris Poll – shows upskilling is parked firmly on the front burner, with workers angling to learn, looking for new opportunities, and being driven by a need to stand out in their respective fields.

Helping Community Colleges Climb the Transfer Ladder – Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE)
This report from the CCCSE, service and research initiative of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy in the College
of Education at The University of Texas at Austin, highlights the challenges that community college students face when transferring to a four-year institution.

The Higher EdTech Podcast – OER in Action
Free, open source textbooks and materials, known as OER (Open Educational Resources) are gaining traction across the United States and in California money is being pushed into community colleges to help them adapt to these materials. They’re a benefit to students and can be a great way to customize content and delivery for teachers. Tim & Brent look at some of the reasons to consider OER, some of the resources out there, and how you might start incorporating OER into your classes.

The Higher EdTech Podcast – A Look at AI Tools in Fall 23-Part1
There’s been a flood of AI tools for all different purposes that have come out over the last 10 months. Brent and Tim cover some of the tools for different purposes around campus and some ideas on how they might work. Remember that these are coming a mile a minute, so no guarantees they’ll be around forever!

The Higher EdTech Podcast – A Look at AI Tools in Fall 23-Part 2
Brent and Tim dig into more tools you can look at that use AI as their basis for building your workflow. This is part 2 of a very incomprehensive list of tools. As always, there’s more out there than we can possibly know about, so feel free to share if you’ve found something we missed!

Quality Matters Sneak Preview of Winter QM Live! Sessions with Engageli
Wednesday, December 6 at 1:00pm ET, 12:00pm CT, 11:00am MT Online
Come and experience what it’s like to be in a virtual workshop! You have heard about QM Live! Workshops — now get a taste of what they are like on the Engageli platform and leave with actionable items to engage learners. Participants will examine a piece of existing course content to identify pieces that will need to be redesigned for the online classroom.

Educause – Higher Education’s Top IT Issues for 2023
Wednesday, December 13, 1:00–2:00pm ET Online
Join us for a rebroadcast of the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference General Session “Higher Education’s Top 10 IT Issues for 2023” with Susan Grajek, Vice President of Partnerships, Communities and Research, at EDUCAUSE. You’ll have the opportunity to participate in live Q&A during the presentation.
In 2023, institutions are ready to change and advance. Technology leaders are ready to help their institutions make transformative use of technology and data. Our sector is poised to make significant progress. Can we? Discover what the 2022 IT Issues Panel and higher education institutional and technology leaders have identified as the Top 10 IT Issues, and consider the implications for you.

Quality Matters – Maximizing by Learner Engagement: Strategies for Encouraging Learner Participation in Online Lectures
Tuesday, December 19 at 1:00pm ET, 12:00pm CT, 11:00am MT Online
Presented by a Stephen Kaufman and Evi Gorogianni from The University of Akron
For years, faculty have relied on simple voice over PowerPoint to deliver lecture content. However, this method has repeatedly fallen short on engagement and interaction, especially for today’s online learner. How do we get learners to actually watch our lectures? Additionally, what strategies can we use to encourage learners to keep going and focus on key pieces of information? At the University of Akron, we’ll share the innovative ways faculty have elevated their lectures with interactivity, thoughtful questions, and powerful visuals to get learners to actually watch and engage.

Incorporating Social Media In Online Education In 2024 – eLearning Industry
Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok can improve student engagement into learning, but educators need to overcome some challenges to make social media work for good.

4 Types of Immersive Scenarios: When and How to Use Them in eLearning – SH!FT
This article is an overview of the various types of scenarios that can be integrated into an eLearning course. It’s a guide to understanding when, how, and why to use each one.

Tech Tool to Try: TalkingPoints
This free app allows educators and parents to message each other in their preferred language: The educator can send out a message in English, and the parent can have it translated into one of over 100 languages.

Tech Tool to Try: Frame
Frame is a virtual reality tool where a host can create an environment like an office, a lounge, or even an island, and populate that environment with artwork, documents, videos, or any other kind of materials needed for a lesson or other experience. Participants move around the space as avatars and can use voice or text chat to interact.

Art Schools Get Creative Tackling AI – Inside Higher Ed
The rise of ChatGPT and visual AI platforms like Midjourney and DALL-E have some artists crying foul when it comes to fair use. But art institutions transformed by the digital revolution see AI as the logical next step. 

Exploring The Intersection Of Artificial Intelligence And eLearning – eLearning Industry
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly transformed various industries, and eLearning is no exception. The integration of AI technology in eLearning has opened up new possibilities for educators and learners alike.

AI, the Next Chapter for College Librarians – Inside Higher Ed
Librarians have lived through the disruptions of fax machines, websites and Wikipedia, and now they are bracing to do it again as artificial intelligence tools go mainstream: “Maybe it’s our time to shine.”

How to ChatGPT-proof Analysis Assignments – eLiterate
In this article, Michael Feldstein demonstrates one easy solution that solves the problem of assuming students will use generative AI by incorporating it into assessments.

Prompt Engineering a Lesson Plan: Harnessing AI for Effective Lesson Planning – Khan Academy
In this article, Kristen DiCerbo, Ph.D., Chief Learning Officer at Khan Academy, shares behind the scenes of Khanmingo prompt-engineering process by sharing the intricate steps involved in designing effective prompts that capture the essence of effective teaching and sharing insights into the challenges encountered and the strategies they developed to overcome them.