The Case for Nudge Analytics (EDUCAUSE Quarterly) | EDUCAUSE

Of interest and note.

The Case for Nudge Analytics (EDUCAUSE Quarterly) | EDUCAUSE

"As we see more independent, working, and older students in higher education (see Greater Expectations), we propose that today's learners might not need nurturing — they might just need a nudge. Nudge analytics, or machine recommendations based on patterns found in the data, might be a better way of reaching these students: a personalized digital nudge to study, to come to class, to read the chapter assigned, to submit the assignment due tomorrow. Based on the machine's ability to find success patterns in the data, students could receive reminders in the form of a simple, objective, nonintrusive nudge. An automatically generated message could point out that "Based on historical data for this point in the semester, 80 percent of students who log in as infrequently as you (1.3 times per week) seldom complete with better than a D, and 60 percent fail. You can improve your projected grade by 24 percent by logging in every 3 days with time on task greater than 2 hours." Never has it been easier to use analytics in proactive outreach to influence and encourage behavior associated with persistence."

Helpful comparision of Powerpoint and Prezi

Comparison chart – PowerPoint and Prezi « NspireD2: Learning Technology in Higher Ed.  From Chris Clark at the Kaneb Center - University of Notre Dame.

A year or so ago, when Prezi first arrived, there was a lot of debate about whether it was better or worse than PowerPoint. That’s like arguing over whether a barbecue grill is better than a toaster oven; they both have strengths and limitations. The answer to which is better is situational; it depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

During the initial excitement phase, many people sounded like they were ready throw out PowerPoint with the bath water. Detractors on the other end of the spectrum wrote off Prezi too early, before it had a chance to expand its feature set and support pages. Hopefully, cooler heads have begun to prevail.

If you are considering which tool to use for your next presentation, it might be helpful to see how the features of these two compare. What are the key differences? The chart below may help; my goal was to be objective and thorough, yet compact.

Active Learning - setting a fire

There is sometimes solace in community.  A kind word to a discouraged friend can go far in helping them push ahead against opposition.  Water is most precious to a thirsty man.  But I digress...this word comes just at the right time to encourage us in our ongoing work of course redesign.  Thanks to Dr. Mark C. Carnes, a professor of history at Barnard College, for this excellent word of encouragement about the power of engaging students and igniting the fires of learning.

Setting Students' Minds on Fire - Commentary - The Chronicle of Higher Education

When absorbed in intellectual games of this nature, students find the customary diversions of college—beer pong, World of Warcraft, Facebook, fraternity hijinks—less compelling. The ideas, texts, and historical moments on which academic discourse depends become a part of their lives, and the friendships they forge in the heat of prolonged competition can transform their class into a community.

Active learning is one of those academic buzzwords whose meaning has been dulled from overuse. (Some professors even regard taking notes as active learning.) But research shows that the strongest gains come from pedagogies that feature teamwork and problem solving. Experience also suggests that teams work harder when they're competing against one another, and that students learn more when they're obliged to think in unfamiliar ways. Money alone won't improve graduation rates. After students make it past the bursar, they need to attend classes that set their minds on fire.

Immigration Debate: College Students/Illegal Aliens?

Georgia clamps down on illegal immigrants in colleges - CNN.com

Georgia's public colleges have adopted new policies that officials say will prevent illegal immigrants from attending five high-demand schools and from being admitted ahead of legally and academically qualified residents at the rest of the state's public institutions of higher learning.

Rationing Education in a Time of Educational Demand: Which will we choose?

In the excellent summary article by Reeve Hamilton in the Texas Tribune, UNT Chancellor Lee Jackson is one of a number of Chancellors who comment on the upcoming budget cuts for higher education in Texas.  Of all the comments, Jackson's hit the issue most squarely.  The state of Texas cannot have their cake and eat it too.  In other words, you cannot have a burgeoning population that you continue to insist must have access to higher education while at the same time reducing the capacity to handle the growth.  This is contradictory policymaking.  There's not a moral right or wrong side to choose here.  But there is a side to choose here.  Texas leaders must make the hard call between cutting the budget to meet needs by 'rationing' public higher education (the result of cutting resources to colleges and universities dramatically) or promoting more access to higher education for more people.  These values are not easily reconciled. 

Texas University Chancellors Brace for Budget Cuts — Higher Education | The Texas Tribune

What worries UNT’s Jackson is the discussions that have cropped up in states like California, Florida and Nevada — states suffering through even deeper, more protracted budget problems. “They have discussed what are in effect rationing plans,” he says. These include limiting enrollment, restricting transfers from community colleges and deferring pursuits of lofty goals like recruiting top faculty. Such measures have yet to be discussed in Texas, which, Jackson says, has been emphasizing “more enrollments, more degrees, more research and more student access” even as cuts loom. “You can’t have a lot of expectations and not recognize the cost,” he says.

Bill Gates on Course Size and Education Quality

In his speech to the nation's governors at their annual association meeting in Washington, DC., Bill Gates made remarks which are likely to cause heartburn for some and create excitement for others.  Paraphrased: put a good teacher in front of students and the size of the course has less of an impact!

Gates: Spending Cuts Don't Have To Harm Learning : NPR

Even in the midst of large spending cuts, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said Monday that schools can improve the performance of students if they put more emphasis on rewarding excellent teaching and less emphasis on paying teachers based on seniority and graduate degrees.

Gates spoke to the nation's governors mindful of the severe financial woes that many of them face as they try to bridge deficits totaling about $125 billion in the coming fiscal year. He said there are some clear do's and don'ts. Among the do's: Lift caps on class sizes and get more students in front of the very best teachers. Those teachers would get paid more with the savings generated from having fewer personnel overall.

"There are people in the field who think class size is the only thing," Gates said in an interview with The Associated Press prior to his speech. "But in fact, the dominant factor is having a great teacher in front of the classroom."