Below you will find a curated list of online teaching and learning articles, reports, research, white papers, podcasts, webinars, conferences, ed tech news/resources, and AI news/resources by the Academic Services and Products team at Risepoint. This list of resources is updated monthly. Last update: September 30, 2024.
What We're Reading & Watching
Conferences
Articles
Artificial Intelligence
Ed Tech
Podcasts
Reports
Webinars
Conferences
The Leadership in Higher Education Conference is designed to provide academic leaders, such as deans, department chairs, administrators, and aspiring leaders a platform to embrace new tools to put in place when returning to academia.
This is THE event where professionals and technology providers from around the world gather to network, share ideas, grow professionally, and discover solutions to today’s challenges.
Since 2013 Diversity Abroad’s annual conference has constituted the most comprehensive forum for education professionals, students leaders, and industry stakeholders committed to leveraging equitable access to global education to achieve inclusive student success.
Articles
There are many challenges to using Open Educational Resources; students and instructors will likely come across many errors. The benefits, however, of using OER materials, including reduced student costs and broadened student communication, outweigh the drawbacks.
For the past three years, Sam Houston State University has been using embedded peer tutors to try to improve student success. Failure rates in the redesigned classes have dropped three percentage points over the first two years of participation in the pilot program.
Instructors need to recognize that nonverbal cues often make their way into online learning, subtly altering the tone of a course. The timing of events, for example, is quite different in an online environment and can send its own message to students.
Many instructors worry that Gen Z students now entering college lack fundamental critical reading and writing skills. How can students born in the iPhone age and distracted by a constant barrage of social media overcome lost focus and exhaustion with extended reading assignments?
A round-up is presented of efforts to eliminate or roll back diversity, equity and inclusion programs in states across the nation, including Texas, Florida, and Kentucky. In some instances, college leaders are preemptively winding down programs because they believe anti-DEI laws will soon be passed in their states.
Innovative use of tech tools such as robot-guided campus tours and AI chatbot tutors can improve student retention and boost admissions. Use of this technology can also elevate the student experience, streamline the admissions process, and offer college students personalized learning and accessibility.
Artificial Intelligence
This article discusses how college students are increasingly using AI tools like ChatGPT to generate summaries of assigned readings instead of completing the readings themselves.
The University of Texas System provides a summary of its current AI initiatives, including the launch of a new college for AI and Data Science at UT San Antonio and the offering of a Masters in AI from UT Austin.
This article discusses the increasing integration of AI into higher education, with 86% of students now using AI tools like ChatGPT and Grammarly. It emphasizes the need for institutions to teach proper AI usage, promote critical thinking, and integrate AI into curricula while preparing faculty for AI’s evolving role in education.
Deloitte explores how generative AI can transform higher education by enhancing efficiency, personalizing learning, and improving student outcomes. It highlights the importance of change management, ethical considerations, and strategic AI implementation to help institutions embrace AI’s potential while addressing concerns like job displacement and data security.
Ed Tech
By acquiring advanced systems like IBM’s Quantum System One, institutions prepare students for a growing quantum technology industry. Programs are designed to cross into fields like healthcare, business, and law in addition to the more obvious programs of computer science and physics. These efforts, and partnerships with tech firms, are positioning universities and their student as key players in the future of quantum innovation.
In case studies in Hong Kong and Taiwan, engagement levels of language teachers who use technology-enhanced language teaching (TELT) are found to improve student competence and fluency. These findings highlight the importance of context-specific professional development and collaborative learning for effective technology integration.
Forbes identifies key trends in educational technology including immersive virtual learning environments using VR and AR, AI-driven personalized learning, and the integration of neurotechnology to enhance learning efficiency. This technology supports continuous, lifelong learning as careers evolve, demanding new skills and knowledge throughout one’s life.
The rapid adoption of online tools in higher education has led to many faculty experiencing tech fatigue and burnout. While most faculty expect technology to play a larger role in teaching, many are concerned about its impact and feel unsupported. To solve this problem, institutions and businesses can include faculty in decision-making around Ed Tech and provide practical, hands-on training.
New Tech Tool to Try
Animoto is a free professional video maker with drag and drop effects and user friendly video effects. Faculty could utilize this tool for engaging videos or they could add it as an option for student use when creating or recording presentations/final projects.
Podcasts
Hosts discuss how the Kogod’s AI curriculum aims to equip all students, irrespective of major, with AI literacy. Discuss the importance of adapting to AI’s growing presence.
“Wise Use” of Rapidly Changing AI Tools –
Hosts discuss trends they are seeing in AI-assisted technology, focusing on how digital learning professionals can make wise use of emerging tech tools.
AI Goes to College: In the Classroom and Beyond –
Discusses ways colleges are leveraging AI from recruitment to instruction, to post-grad placement.
What Does Your Syllabus Say About AI? – The Higher Ed Tech Podcast
Hosts discuss how to set expectations around the use of AI in he classroom via the course syllabus.
Change Leadership – Tea for Teaching
Hosts examine the pace at which change occurs in higher ed institutions and discuss strategies that can be used to lead productive change initiatives.
Reports
2024 Voice of the Online Learner – Risepoint
The “Voice of the Online Learner 2024” report highlights that online learners, primarily working adults, prioritize career advancement, affordability, and flexibility. They prefer asynchronous learning and value local institutions even in online programs. Lifelong learning and upskilling are key motivators, with many seeking certificates and additional credentials to stay competitive in the workforce.
IPEDS 12 Month Enrollment Survey – IPEDS National Center for Educational Statistics
It reveals significant shifts in enrollment patterns, especially among part-time and non-traditional students. The data shows an increase in students enrolling year-round, reflecting a growing preference for more flexible education models. The report also captures higher completion rates, particularly in online and hybrid programs.
Explores how higher education institutions are leveraging AI to streamline institutional processes, enhance accessibility, and improve equity for students. Highlights include the use of AI to automate administrative tasks, optimize enrollment and financial aid processes, and enhance personalized student support. The report emphasizes the need for institutions to responsibly adopt AI
From Some-College-No-Degree to Success: Postsecondary Pathways for the 40 Million – Inside Higher Ed
Focuses on the millions of U.S. adults who have some college education but lack a credential. It outlines the barriers they face, including financial constraints, family responsibilities, and institutional policies, while also emphasizing the benefits of re-engagement programs. The report highlights various successful initiatives.
Predicts significant shifts in higher education, driven by rapid technological advancements, changing student demographics, and financial pressures. It suggests that colleges and universities will need to embrace more flexible and technology-driven models, including AI-powered tools and alternative credentialing. Additionally, institutions will increasingly focus on career outcomes, equity, and creating a more personalized educational experience.
Highlights a surge in unionization and strikes among academic workers, especially student employees, since January 2022. Over 35,000 student workers have unionized across 30 new units, driven by increased labor activism and support for unions post-pandemic. In contrast, faculty unionization has slowed.
Webinars
Panel discussion on: identifying and measuring durable metacognitive skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving and adaptability, leveraging the power of personalized AI-powered feedback to generate valuable insights for individuals, shifting public perception from viewing assessment as a formality to recognizing it as a crucial facilitator of success, and more.
Instructional design and learning technology professionals are the “engines” and “Swiss Army Knives” of organizations, playing key roles that advance strategic organizational goals because of their wide-ranging knowledge, skills, and abilities. However, this may leave them susceptible to overwork and potential burnout.
To fully harness the potential of AI and predictive analytics in higher education, institutions must adopt strategic approaches that use existing resources efficiently. This session explores the evolution of analytics over the past 15 years, highlighting how modern tools can address every institution’s top two pain points: enrollment and student retention.
Join a roundtable discussion on QM’s recently launched Quality in Course Sharing (QiCS) Recognition. Deb Adair, CEO of Quality Matters will introduce QiCS and discuss the process, its benefits, how to get started, and steps to take when an institution earns QM QiCS recognition.
Thoughtfully designed generative AI can revolutionize education by enabling personalized, on-demand learning experiences that cater to individual student needs, enhancing engagement and outcomes.
We will review the most recent data on PD and discuss the implications with our panel. Topics include the impact of PD on faculty ratings of their materials, common reasons for high and low ratings, and administrator views.
Now, with the rise of generative AI, educators must consider additional factors when it comes to motivating students to think for themselves and engage with a community of ideas. Could peer review be the scaffold that helps instructors cultivate critical thinking even in the biggest courses?
What We're Writing
Resource News Archive
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