Tech & Learning Names the Winners of the 2020 Best of Show at ISTE & Best of 2020 — from techlearning.com by TL Editors
On 12/15/2020,
in A/V -- audio/visual, chemistry, digital learning, education, education technology, elearning, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, learning spaces, smart classrooms, teachers, teaching & learning, tools, vendors,
by Daniel Christian
On 09/30/2020,
in biology, chemistry, colleges, community colleges, faculty/staff, higher education, research, science, society, United States, universities,
by Daniel Christian
Academia needs a reality check: Life is not back to normal — from sciencemag.org by June Gruber, Jay J. Van Bavel , William A. Cunningham, Leah H. Somerville, Neil A. Lewis, Jr.; with special thanks to Dr. Kate Byerwalter for this resource
Excerpts:
The problems don’t end there. Many academics are also grappling with ongoing racial injustices and associated protests, wildfires, and hurricanes. We continue to see widespread effects on mental health, with roughly one-third of Americans reporting symptoms of clinical depression or anxiety. June and her colleague recently described the escalating mental health crisis as the next biggest coronavirus challenge.
We have struggled with our own mental and physical well-being—as well as challenges associated with canceled vacations, lack of child care, the illnesses and death of people close to us, and the mental weight of difficult conversations about racial injustices. We’ve also been worrying about our trainees and the undergraduate students in our classes. The academic and non-academic job markets have cratered, and some of our colleagues and students have lost internships and job offers as organizations have been forced to cut expenses.
Expecting the same output as in previous years, even though many people have less time and more stress than ever, is not a sustainable or humane solution. The world is not normal—so the way we do science cannot be normal either.
On 09/09/2020,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, Augmented Reality (AR), biology, chemistry, colleges, community colleges, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, distance education, higher education, ideas, innovation, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, online learning, online media, physics, platforms, remote teaching and learning, tools, United States, universities, XR - extended reality,
by Daniel Christian
DC: Will be interesting to see if the level of innovation/investment takes a leap forward during this time…https://t.co/jw1ibbQkwg#highereducation #innovation #edtech #AR #XR #science #chemistry #biology #physics
— Daniel Christian (@dchristian5) September 9, 2020
Also see:
- University System of Maryland Rolls Out Virtual Science Labs Across All Campuses
— from campustechnology.com by Rhea Kelly
On 08/31/2020,
in 21st century, art, Asia, biology, chemistry, corporate / business world, creativity, digital learning, education technology, emerging technologies, engineering, Google, innovation, IT in HE, platforms, STEAM-related, tools, United States, vendors,
by Daniel Christian
Google achieves first quantum simulation of a chemical reaction — from interestingengineering.com by Loukia Papadopoulos
Excerpt:
Now, researchers at Google have taken a step forward in quantum computing practicality by using one such computer to simulate a chemical reaction, albeit a simple one, reported New Scientist. The company used its Sycamore computer to achieve this lofty task.
Also see:
This Taiwanese Lecturer Draws Stunning Anatomical Drawings on the Chalkboard — from interestingengineering.com by Utku Kucukduner
His paintings are temporary, just like the mortal flesh we bear.
On 08/26/2020,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, Augmented Reality (AR), biology, chemistry, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, colleges, community colleges, education technology, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, higher education, ideas, innovation, instructional design, interaction design, interactivity, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, multimedia, online learning, participation, physics, platforms, science, simulations, STEAM-related, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, tools, United States, universities, user experience (UX), vendors, visualizing information, web design and production, XR - extended reality,
by Daniel Christian
7 Things You Should Know About Virtual Labs — from library.educause.edu
Excerpt:
Virtual labs are interactive, digital simulations of activities that typically take place in physical laboratory settings. Virtual labs simulate the tools, equipment, tests, and procedures used in chemistry, biochemistry, physics, biology, and other disciplines. Virtual labs allow students to participate in lab-based learning exercises without the costs and limitations of a physical lab. Virtual labs can be an important element in institutional efforts to expand access to lab-based courses to more and different groups of students, as well as efforts to establish contingency plans for natural disasters or other interruptions of campus activities.
Addendum on 8/27/20:
- Ryerson U Intros AR-Enhanced Science Labs — from campustechnology.com by Dian Schaffhauser
On 06/24/2020,
in 21st century, adjunct faculty, business side of he, career development, change, changing business models, chemistry, colleges, community colleges, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, economics, faculty/staff, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, health, higher education, innovation, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, internet, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, liberal arts, lifelong learning, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, new business models, reinvent, religion, sociology, staying relevant, student-related, surviving, trends, United States, universities, writing,
by Daniel Christian
Colleges cut academic programs in the face of budget shortfalls due to Covid-19 — from cnbc.com by Jessica Dickler
Key points:
- As colleges face extreme budget shortfalls, some institutions are cutting academic programs that were once central to a liberal arts education.
- The University of Alaska system announced it will cut 39 academic departments in all, including sociology, creative writing, chemistry and environmental science.
Even before the global pandemic caused craters in the economy, some institutions were facing financial hardship after years of declines in state funding for higher education. A number of private schools had already made wrenching budget cuts, from curriculum changes to complete overhauls of their liberal arts programs.
From DSC:
A screenshot from the video (below) shows a new type of liberal arts program at Hiram College.
It could very well be that online-based learning turns out to save the liberal arts!!!!! How ironic is that!?!!
That is, many college presidents, provost, and faculty members — especially from smaller liberal arts types of schools — have disdained online-based learning for decades now. It was always viewed as “less than” in their minds…they didn’t want to go that route, as doing so would dilute their precious (and often overpriced) brands. (To be clear, this is not my view…but it was, and still is in many cases, their view.)
Anyway, it looks like more of these same folks will be losing their jobs in the next few years (if they haven’t already). At that point, we may see some of these same folks encounter a sudden paradigm shift. (A shift many of their colleagues have already gone through in prior years.) These same folks may come to appreciate that people will be willing to pay them for their knowledge — but only willing to do so at a much more affordable price…which will likely mean online.
Fewer people — especially when 47 million people in the U.S. alone have filed for unemployment over the last 14 weeks — can afford the cost of getting a degree. They are looking for inexpensive, convenient, efficient, effective means of reinventing themselves.
Huh…another potential irony here…it appears that colleges and universities are coming to know what many of us have known and experienced for years…and that is, the struggle to:
- Reinvent oneself
- Stay relevant
- Survive
Sleek Furniture Collection by Hilla Shamia Harmonizes Cast Aluminum and Natural Wood — from thisiscolossal.com by Grace Ebert
![Sleek Furniture Collection by Hilla Shamia Harmonizes Cast Aluminum and Natural Wood [Ebert]](http://danielschristian.com/learning-ecosystems/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/shamia-1-1024x681.jpg)
On 08/29/2019,
in A/V -- audio/visual, attention, biology, chemistry, communications, education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, history, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, interactivity, user experience (UX), vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, XR - extended reality, youth,
by Daniel Christian
On 06/21/2019,
in biology, chemistry, colleges, communications, communities of practice, community colleges, creativity, Daniel S. Christian, design, education, education technology, engineering, faculty/staff, graphics, higher education, ideas, innovation, instructional design, journalism, mathematics, productivity / tips and tricks, research, science, society, universities, usability, user experience (UX), user interface design, vision/possibilities,
by Daniel Christian
Research Posters Are a Staple of Academic Conferences. Could a New Design Speed Discovery? — from edsurge.com by Jeff Young
Excerpts:
Scholars around the world share their latest research findings with a decidedly low-tech ritual: printing a 48-inch by 36-inch poster densely packed with charts, graphs and blocks of text describing their research hypothesis, methods and findings. Then they stand with the poster in an exhibit hall for an hour, surrounded by rows of other researchers presenting similar posters, while hundreds of colleagues from around the world walk by trying to skim the displays.
…
Not only does the exercise deflate the morale of the scholars sharing posters, the ritual is incredibly inefficient at communicating science, Morrison argues.
…
Morrison says he has a solution: A better design for those posters, plus a dash of tech.
To make up for all the nuance and detail lost in this approach, the template includes a QR code that viewers can scan to get to the full research paper.
From DSC:
Wouldn’t this be great if more journal articles would do the same thing? That is, give us the key findings, conclusions (with some backbone to them), and recommendations right away! Abstracts don’t go far enough, and often scholars/specialists are talking amongst themselves…not to the world. They could have a far greater reach/impact with this kind of approach.
(The QR code doesn’t make as much sense if one is already reading the full journal article…but the other items make a great deal of sense!)
On 06/05/2019,
in adult learning, art, biology, business, chemistry, colleges, community colleges, computer science, Daniel S. Christian, education, engineering, higher education, IT in HE, law schools, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, online learning, programming, science, STEAM-related, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, technology (general), trends, United States, universities, vendors, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
Survey: Students Choosing Online Programs Closer to Home — from campustechnology.com by Dian Schaffhauser
Mentioned in that article:
- ONLINE COLLEGE STUDENTS 2019: Comprehensive Data on Demands and Preferences — from learninghouse.com | Research Report | June 4, 2019
Also see:
- Survey: Most students say online learning is as good or better than face-to-face
— from campustechnology.com by Dian Schaffhauser
“It’s encouraging to see that a majority of students who are studying fully online are reporting great value and satisfaction with their online programs which are largely tied to ambitious career goals,” said Todd Zipper, president and CEO of Learning House, in a prepared statement. “With an increasing population of savvier consumers with high expectations, institutions need to do better at offering more quality, diverse programs that are sensitive to cost in order to keep up with the growing demands of online college students.”
From DSC:
If, in the year 2019, most students say online learning is as good or better than face-to-face, what will they say come 2025? 2035?
Many people will still prefer to have F2F-based learning experiences no matter what year it is. That said, as the innovation continues to occur mainly in the digital/online/virtual realms, F2F will likely find it harder and harder to compete. My advice to current faculty members? Get experience teaching online — and do so as soon as you possibly can.