Your Online Courses Are Working — Is Now a Good Time to Consider How You Are Using Physical Classroom Spaces?

Even with the recent emphasis on remote instruction, now is the perfect time to consider strategies for physical classroom spaces.

CT Virtual Summit to Consider Impact of the Remote Campus Experience

As colleges and universities navigate the ever-shifting challenges of higher education's "new normal," they are also looking ahead: How can the lessons learned from the pandemic redefine teaching and learning moving forward? On Oct 20, the Campus Technology Distance Learning Summit will convene education and IT leaders to share their ideas, experiences and outlook for the future.

Online Courses the New Norm in College

While 40 percent of IT higher education IT leaders and instructional technologists said in June 2020 that their college or university was planning for "mostly in-person" classes for the fall, that share plummeted to less than 5 percent by August, according to a recent study by Educause.

Half of Faculty 'Strongly' Agree They're Ready for Online Classes this Fall

Faculty feel ready to teach online this fall, either partially or fully. In a recent survey produced by Bay View Analytics in partnership with four online learning organizations and underwritten by Cengage, 49 percent "strongly" agreed that they're prepared, while 35 percent said they "somewhat" agreed.

Arizona State Partnership to Embed VR into Intro Biology Courses

As early as next year, students at Arizona State University could be able to don a headset, sensors and a light knapsack and immerse themselves in a theme-park-like visit to an alien zoo. The university has struck an agreement with Dreamscape Immersive to bring the latter's virtual reality technology to campus.

OpenStax to Double Its Textbook Library

Rice University's OpenStax open educational resources initiative has announced plans to grow its library of free textbooks from its current selection of 42 books to nearly 90 titles.

MassBay CC Doubles Use of OER

A community college in Massachusetts reported that it has doubled the use of free or open educational resources over the last year. Seventy-four courses at Massachusetts Bay Community College have adopted OER as way to make classes more affordable.

Department of Ed Releases App Process for Open Textbook Pilot Grants

A federal higher education open textbook pilot program is kicking off after a public-comment period that ended in April. The U.S. Department of Education recently published details about how to apply for funding in the Federal Register. Consortia of colleges and universities are being invited to develop programs to produce open educational resources under grants that will range in size from $500,000 to $2 million.

U.S. Department of Ed Workforce Prep Grants Go to 8 States

The U.S. Department of Education is funding efforts in eight states to provide students with opportunities to develop new skills in high-demand areas. The $126 million in grants awarded to winners of the Reimagine Workforce Preparation Grant Program came out of the Education Stabilization Fund portion of the CARES Act.

13 Schools Join New IBM HBCU Quantum Center Program

Thirteen Historically Black Colleges and Universities have signed on with IBM to participate in a new IBM-HBCU Quantum Center, which will give the institutions access to quantum computers and provide academic opportunities for students.

Internet2 Chooses Cisco for Next-gen Infrastructure

The nonprofit high-speed internet community that is Internet2 has struck an agreement with Cisco to build out its research and education infrastructure using technology from the company. The alliance between the two organizations is part of a "next-generation infrastructure" initiative at Internet2, begun to provide support specifically for data-intensive research projects.

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