FLEXspace: From Learning Space Examples, to Planning and Assessment Tools and a Research Community

FLEXspace, the Flexible Learning Environments eXchange, has changed over time, starting out in 2013 as a great place to showcase and exemplify learning spaces, then rapidly growing to include a comprehensive toolset for planning and assessing these spaces, and now connecting a vibrant research community. Here, CT gets an update from FLEXspace.org pioneers Lisa Stephens and Rebecca Frazee.

Survey: Most Campus IT Investments Aren't 'Very Effective'

Campus IT leaders aren't wildly enthusiastic about the investments in technology their institutions are making. In just a single area — student recruitment — do at least half of these individuals (52 percent) rate the IT investment "very effective." That's according to the latest the Campus Computing Survey, produced by Kenneth Green.

Report: Performance Funding Has Unintended Consequences

According to a new report out of the University of Northern Colorado, performance-based funding may not be the way to go if states want to see universities and colleges graduate more students. However, this approach can increase the number of people who receive shorter-duration credentials, such as certificates, to the detriment of the number earning associate or bachelor's degrees.

Edge Computing Experiments at Carnegie Mellon Get Lift from Azure

Microsoft is the latest company to join a program at Carnegie Mellon University to experiment with "edge" computing, the idea of bringing computing and storage resources closer to the user to reduce latency and data traffic. The university's Open Edge Computing Initiative is running a set of projects to help researchers and industry understand the benefits and limitations of this technological approach.

'Frontier Set' Schools Share 5 Secrets of Student Success

A new report outlines five broad themes that 31 institutional participants have found will make a difference in increasing student success in college and eliminating attainment gaps. Those key ingredients are: having a "student-centered mission"; the use of data to inform decision-making; maintaining a "collaborative, empowered environment"; a commitment to continual improvement; and establishing goals and milestones as a form of accountability.

Northern Illinois U to Introduce Center Dedicated to Ed Tech Research

Next year Northern Illinois University will open CREATE Center, a new facility dedicated to "cross-disciplinary research on engaging advanced technology for education." It will be housed in the College of Education.

Berkeley Setting up Division to Build on Data Sciences Momentum

The University of California Berkeley is setting up a new division dedicated to data sciences to build on the momentum it already has in the discipline. The new Division of Data Sciences connects departments from the College of Engineering, the College of Letters & Science and the School of Information.

ASU Launches Hub for Smart City Innovation

Arizona State University is partnering with Amazon Web Services to create the ASU Smart City Cloud Innovation Center to build smarter communities in the Phoenix area.

Public Universities Collaborate to Close Achievement Gaps

The Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities is organizing 130 public universities and systems to work together to increase college access and close the achievement gap.

Survey: With Student-Supplied Data, Colleges Could Drastically Improve Recruitment

Personalized communication matters in higher education. According to a recent survey, not only did students say they'd be more likely to choose a school that personalized its communications to them during the recruitment process, but alumni said they'd probably donate more often if they knew their money was funding organizations or projects they were involved with themselves as students. Those results surfaced during a survey undertaken on behalf of education technology company Ellucian by Wakefield Research.

New 'Social Good' Google Program Offers Funding for AI, Machine Learning Projects

Google has set aside a $25 million pool to fund research work by schools and other organizations using machine learning for "social good."

South Carolina Offering Free Online Coding Courses for All Residents

South Carolina has introduced free coding education for all of its residents through an agreement between the state's Department of Commerce Office of Innovation and Build Carolina, a nonprofit that generates internships, apprenticeships and other education endeavors in innovative fields.

Dartmouth Joins Aristotle Cloud Federation

Dartmouth University has joined the Aristotle Cloud Federation, the federated cloud-based research computing project established by Cornell University and its partners, the University at Buffalo and the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Nobody Knows How Well Certificates Are Doing Against Degrees

A recent analysis found major underreporting of certificate completions. Richard Garrett, chief research officer at higher education research firm Eduventures, recently examined whether the certificate was "muscling in" on degrees, and called the data that tracks certificate issuance "rubbish."

IT Security Tops Educause Issues List 4 Years Running

In the coming year, IT organizations in colleges and universities expect to be grappling with "data-enabling" their institutions, funding, and setting up their units as institutional leaders and change agents. That's what IT leaders told Educause in its latest survey to determine the top 10 IT issues for higher education.

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