Why Network? They say one of the best assets in job searching is a broad network of qualified and professional individuals. Higher education is important in finding employment–and the pay off for overall earnings is excellent. Those who earn a bachelor’s degree will earn an average of 2.27 million dollars over their lifetime–nearly a million dollars more than those with only a high school education. However, most experts agree that simply earning the degree may not be enough. In a survey of over 3,000 individuals employed in management and accounting, nearly 85% said that they received their job through networking. In today’s competitive employment market, it’s who you know that will open up endless possibilities in career, and possibly lead you to a dream job. As undergraduate students looking towards the future, expanding your network of professionals, professors, students, and future employers is the focus of their remaining year in school. MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), as we know them, are not equipped with the same networking opportunities that the traditional university experience offers. The iQ Social platform, however, has revolutionized the online university. Not only does the iQ Social platform allow for student networking, but it may offer more […]
Where does online learning fall short? Why don’t discussion boards alone help cut it for online communication? What “piece” is missing in online education that could remove distance from distance learning? Something “Unnatural” about forced discussion boards What most educators have come to know is that student-to-student communication is vital to learning. Teachers know that proper discussion, reflection, and sharing of ideas between a class of students is necessary for a full understanding of material. But what happens when students are no longer between the same walls of a classroom? What happens when the miracle of technology has allowed students who ordinarily cannot obtain higher education, can now receive education through an online institution? The answer for many online courses is asynchronous communication. The majority of online courses require some sort of discussion board as the only requirement for peer-to-peer communication. The prompt typically goes as follows, “What are you thoughts on _____? Comment and respond to at least three other posts.” There’s something unnatural about forced commentary on another person’s view, especially when there’s no back-and-forth dialogue. US News Education talks about the experience that most have with online discussion boards, “each of us had to write one researched […]
For years Kenyan officials in education have focused on investing in primary and secondary education. Like many developing countries, education has shown to be one of the most important factors in driving an economy upwards and restoring its community. Of course, primary and secondary education is a great place to start, where children can begin to read, write, and learn to create a moral grounding in how to interact with others. The Education Cabinet in Kenya, however, is looking to broaden its reach in educating its citizens and to grant access to what many young adult Kenyans do not have access to: higher education. However, with great intentions and important goals, come great barriers in gaining access to college. Higher education is quite possibly the most expensive luxury existing today, and very few are so privileged to acquire that gift. From the the Daily Nation reported in the All Africa Global Media website on acquiring higher education in Kenya, “Restoring order and sanity in higher education requires a comprehensive and well-crafted strategy that takes into account funding, staffing, infrastructure, admission, courses, teaching and learning resources, management, and quality of graduates.” In the U.S, where an economic crisis has made it […]
The 2008 Economic recession is known as one of America’s biggest financial crisis’ since the Great Depression. Millions of jobs were lost, families lost their homes, and inflation skyrocketed. Nearly everyone was affected by this giant financial crisis and are familiar with the affects it had on employment. However, what is less commonly known and recognized is the dramatic effect the 2008 recession had on higher education. This, however, could be one of the most important outcomes of the great recession, as our millenials are now suffering from some of the highest inflated tuition rates of all time. As Jeffrey Brown, the author of How the Financial Crisis and Great Recession Affected Higher Education, describes these effects, “The recent financial crisis had a profound effect on both public and private universities, which faced shrinking endowments, declining charitable contributions, and reductions in government support.” Of course, what happens when universities face a bleeding income? Tuition and other education costs must be increased. For the first time, young adults heading to college can no longer view higher education as an option, despite financial aid, scholarships, and grants combined. The inflation rate of universities has accelerated so much faster than that of the […]
A recent article by the Boston Consulting Group found that social and emotional skills can be fostered by the use of online education platforms. Although many may find this hard to believe at first, the study found that the customization of online school and the many online social outlets make it easier for students to form student-to-student relationships, and therefore increasing their social skills. The research goes on to say that the technology revolution has allowed those with no access to traditional universities with not only a quality education, but social skills that may bring them a long way. BCG describes, “Education technology can personalize learning, engage the disengaged, complement what happens in the classroom, extend education outside the classroom, and provide access to learning to students who otherwise might not have sufficient educational opportunities.” This specific type of social learning is given a name, Social and Emotional Learning, or SEL. As described in the research, SEL has ordinarily not been taken seriously as a motivating factor in traditional education. However, recent studies suggest that the implementation of SEL has lasting effects for it’s students. “Social and emotional skills can strengthen the labor force, boost academic performance, and produce long-term […]
Aaron Skonnard is the CEO of Pluralsight, an online education company that offers a variety of video training courses for software developers, IT administrators, and creative professionals through its website. Skonnard shared with us 5 industry trends that are rising in the world of education technology, collecting his data from sources dedicated to following technology trends, such as the Global Industry Analysis, edTech, and the Clayton Christensen Institute. Here are the top five education trends in 2015: 1) Online corporate learning: According to the Clayton Christensen Institute, the corporate e-learning market is expected to increase about 13 percent annually until 2017. What is causing this sudden increase? Companies have now started initiating online training and education for their employees. Just like the sudden increase in popularity for online higher education, corporations have now taken advantage for what our world of education technology has to offer. 2) Skills Measurement. Keeping up with your student’s progress is the key to to track learning. In order to track progress, consistent testing, or “skills measurement testing” allows employers and educators to help their students succeed. But what changes are being made? According to Skonnard, “In conjunction with the building momentum in online corporate learning, […]
The resistance to change for many educators has been strong, and understandably so. For centuries, the education system has remained in the traditional classroom, mostly absent from most modern technology. For the K-12 classrooms, only the most simplified technology, such as laptops and computers have made it into the lives of young students. Why? Research has shown over and over again that communication between students and teachers will consistently improve learning for students. Quality collaboration for students allows them to more deeply understand the material as well as teach the material to others. This traditional way of education has remained the same for a reason. However, with tuition on the rise and a broader population with lack of access to higher education, traditional classrooms are no longer a plausible option. In fact, the rapidly paced advancements in technology, there are many pressures from the world that simply demand the education system to “get with the times”. With the ever-increasing progressions in technology, there are solutions for unaffordable college tuition, and the populations who cannot reach education institutions. The world is now pressuring education systems to meet the demands of the world, including technological advancements and more globalized students. It’s time […]
Traditional classrooms are based on a synchronous learning platform, in which students all learn the same material together, all at once. Traditional education has laid its grounds on this same foundation for centuries. For the most part, this style of education has worked for our young learning generation. However, as college becomes increasingly expensive and as students from all ages become busier with work, time restraints, and even children, this traditional classroom has proven to be inadequate. Instead, more and more college students have looked towards virtual classrooms for their higher education. However, being that online education platforms are for asynchronous learning, there are many questions as to how this very different style of learning works. According to several studies by Virtual Classroom, there are several proven advantages of a non-traditional classroom, and students have proven to be satisfied. Learning when convenient for you One of the obvious advantages of asynchronous learning is that the classroom is built around a student’s schedule. Students who have busy schedules, whether it be working full-time, or having to raise a family, have the ability to learn when it is convenient for them. Time conflictions are no longer a barrier for student’s learning. In […]
The new year brings on new goals for everyone, especially for college students balancing grades, money, and time. Often a new year means a chance to start over; and college students often try to fill their new year with more accomplishments, and more opportunities. Here are some new year’s resolutions for those college co-eds: Better Grades: Seems simple, right? College students almost always set this goal, but rarely know what works to make it happen. Communicate with Teachers: With big lectures, six-hundred students, and busy professors, this nearly seems impossible in the typical college settings. Perhaps, this is maybe why students struggle communicating with their own professors, and may find themselves falling behind in class. However, it has been proven time and time again that communication with teachers (ie. asking critical questions, clarifying material) escalates student learning and leads to high academic achievements. The solution? iQ Technologies offers what college students need to communicate effectively with teachers. With real-time technology, students can set up video conferencing with teachers, and send direct quick messages to professors, and gets answers within minutes. Find mentors/tutors: Sometimes students need that extra help to more comprehensively understand the teacher. But, students often find that tutors […]
America is known to be one of the primary users of education technology, yet new studies have shown that certain forms of e-learning has been on the rise on a global scale. According to “5 Top Trends in Education Technology 2015”, the GIA (Global Industry Analysis) says that the global e-learning industry will reach nearly 107 million dollars in 2015. Why the increase? According to GIA, companies seek to find education alternatives for their employees that can allow students to learn on their own time. However, these e-learning alternatives are specifically for corporate training. According to the article, many MOOCs haven’t adopted what making corporate e-learning so successful, which is student customization. E-learning tools have been designed to make the student the center of attention instead of the course. This unique customization, “allows employees in every industry and at any level to experience the power of customized training, 24/7, on any device. Unlike with classroom-based training, learners can train on their own time using customized formats. Everyone can move at their own pace, learning what they need to know and exploring their own interests.” Why, then, can’t undergraduates have access to a similar model for their college education? This e-learning […]