Virtual Classrooms

Later this year, the private university will launch several open online liberal arts courses on the digital learning platform edX in hopes of expanding its reach to virtual students across the globe.

With nearly 4,000 fully online students and 1,600 who primarily take classes in-person, a private university in Minnesota is restructuring to create CSP Global and accommodate growing demand for online courses.

Southern University in Louisiana will use a $6.2 million grant to expand broadband Internet and create interactive VR spaces and tools for the training of future middle-school teachers and university faculty.

A study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison found a decrease in Dane County students reporting suicidal thoughts or actions between 2018 and 2021, although they remained higher for LGBTQ+ students than others.

Faced with teacher shortages, district officials proposed adding cameras to classrooms in order to record and livestream lessons to other rooms. Teachers say this could harm learning, and students have privacy concerns.

University of Texas at Arlington has launched a new certificate and master’s degree program to train educators to teach online, use web-based applications and curricula, and personalize learning strategies.

In an email to families this week, Seattle Public Schools told students to bring laptops and chargers home over winter break in case inclement weather prevents their return to school in January.

Studies show that learning loss in Virginia, as in other states, was not relegated to public schools. The most salient variables appear to have been socioeconomic factors, which call for investment and focused tutoring.

To meet growing demand for flexible learning models without losing campus culture, NCCU is creating a model for “hybrid living,” with in-person and virtual homecoming events, student club meetings and faculty meetings.

The Campus Reimagined initiative at Florida State University has attempted to combine pedagogical best practices with simple tech tools to maximize student engagement whether they’re learning remotely or in person.

Commonwealth Charter Academy in Pennsylvania, which saw its enrollment skyrocket as regular school districts struggled with remote learning, has agreed to purchase an office building in Moosic with cubicles for teachers.

With a large snowstorm headed for Western New York, area schools are considering remote learning to avoid days off, but factors like Internet access and localized precipitation complicate the decision.

Educators from Stanford University shared lessons from their campus’ overall experiences with remote learning, including student struggles and academic innovations, at the virtual Educause Annual Conference last week.

At a Thursday webinar panel for the Educause Annual Conference, former U.S. Secretary of Education and Chicago schools CEO Arne Duncan described technology access and degree completion as major issues facing higher ed.

Year-over-year data suggests students are becoming more comfortable with, and optimistic about, online learning, while educators and institutions are advised to track student outcomes after implementing new technology.

Although student proficiency scores and mental health issues worsened during remote learning, educators should try to understand other factors at work and see the game-changing potential in virtual instruction.

Amid declining overall enrollment, online tuition for PennWest University will be discounted by 20 percent for Pennsylvania state employees starting in January 2023 for both graduate and undergraduate programs.

School officials say technology and practices now in place for virtual instruction will help them deal with outbreaks when they occur, and minimize the need for closing schools and adding days to the end of the year.