A network revamp at the University of Minnesota is providing wireless connectivity for 48,000 students, 18,000 faculty and staff and 116,000 unique devices daily. It has also boosted the institution's capacity for secure authentication of Internet of Things devices such as game consoles, Amazon Echos, Google Homes and others.
A new interactive map on the University of Maine website allows users to explore the campus from afar. Built on the Concept3D platform, the mobile-friendly map provides a satellite view melded with 3D models of campus facilities, as well as 360-degree panoramic images of key locations.
Upcoming events include the Educause Learning Technology Leadership Institute, T.D.W.I. Anaheim Conference, Distance Teaching and Learning Conference and SANS Network Security 2018.
Starting this fall, Google's IT Support Professional Certificate will be available through more than 25 community colleges in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Texas, California and New York. The company's charitable arm, Google.org, is funding workforce development nonprofit J.F.F. to help community colleges integrate the certificate into their IT education programs.
An organization that has blocked efforts to allow the federal collection of student outcomes data on the basis of protecting student privacy rights has come out in support of an alternative approach being kicked around in Congress. The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities issued a statement recently in support of legislation that would bypass the idea of a central federal database but still enable the generation of insights about how students fare after graduation.
Senate bill 2986, "Correctly Recognizing Educational Achievements to Empower Graduates Act," was re-introduced in early June. The bill would encourage states to establish or expand reverse transfer programs, initiatives that award associate degrees to individuals who have transferred to a four-year college from a community college without first earning an associate degree.
A new study found that college students who participate in undergraduate research experiences are more likely to seek advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering or math fields.
In spite of the fact that nine in 10 people believe online and distance learning programs will grow in popularity over time, seven in 10 don't think that students can a get a "true college experience" from an online-only program. That drops to five in 10 for those students who have attended a blended learning course. Those results surfaced in "Online Education Trendspots," a survey intended to understand experiences and perceptions of online or distance education programs.
Class Central recently made a list of all the courses it could locate that are part of for-credit programs and are still free to access. There are 370 of them, according to the company, which operates an online MOOC search engine and curates a MOOC catalog. The search found offerings from 49 different universities, with subjects "spanning technology, business, the arts and engineering."
This fall, Northern Virginia Community College will offer a Cloud Computing specialization for its Information Systems Technology associate of applied science degree. The college worked with Amazon Web Services' A.W.S. Educate program to create the new degree offering, which is "designed to address one of the most pressing skill-demands in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area and the nation," according to a news announcement.