Report: 59% of employed data scientists learned skills on their own or via a MOOC

By Alison DeNisco Rayome, Tech Republic

Data scientists are in high demand and short supply, but they may not need a degree in computer science to get a job, according to a new report from Kaggle. The majority of employed data scientists gained their skills through self-learning or a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) rather than a traditional computer science degree, according to a survey from data scientist community Kaggle, which was acquired by Google Cloud earlier this year. Some 32% of full-time data scientists started learning machine learning or data science through a MOOC, while 27% said that they began picking up the needed skills on their own, the 2017 State of Data Science & Machine Learning Survey report found. Some 30% got their start in data science at a university, according to the survey of more than 16,000 people in the field.

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/report-59-of-employed-data-scientists-learned-skills-on-their-own-or-via-a-mooc/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=33287

10 Universities That Offer Blockchain Courses

by Mary Walton, the Merkle

Blockchain technology is one of the world’s most rapidly expanding industries. The aim of the technology is to increase the efficiency of all other industries, from music and energy to areas like finance. The technology also aims to reduce costs in these areas. As the demand for this technology soars, so does the demand from students for educational opportunities, allowing them to match the supply to the demand. Companies will pay big money for trained and qualified blockchain specialists, and right now it’s one of the best industries to get into. Here are ten universities that offer blockchain courses, giving you all the skills and the knowledge that you’re going to need!

https://themerkle.com/10-universities-that-offer-blockchain-courses/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=33277

Bitcoin mania has students flocking to crypto classes at Stanford and other top computer science schools

by Ari Levy, CNBC

Cryptocurrencies use cryptography to secure transactions and track the transfer of digital money. “A lot of people are attracted to the huge valuations in these currencies,” said Dan Boneh, co-director of the Stanford Computer Security Lab and a professor of cryptography. Boneh said that security and cryptography represent the second-most popular subject in the university’s computer science department, behind only machine learning.  Across the country in Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon’s Vipul Goyal is using Boneh’s interactive online textbook for a class called Special Topics in Cryptography that the school is offering for the first time this year. About 20 students, mostly PhD candidates, are taking the class, which focuses on blockchain and cryptocurrencies. The trend is not just limited to these two universities: the University of California at Berkeley launched a class last year called the Cryptocurrency Decal, and in 2015 the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab established the Digital Currency Initiative.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/30/crypto-classes-popular-at-stanford-cmu-thanks-to-bitcoin-craze.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=33267

Skills index shows IT talent lacking in the workforce

by Jarrett Carter, Education Dive

The Strayer Skills Index reveals a striking picture of industries with significant deficits in key positions like information technology and programming. Sectors like financial services and healthcare are growing at a rapid pace, with more than 129,000 jobs added in the last nine months. But tech professionals remain at a premium in these industries. Healthcare is the next industry to expect a boom in workforce needs, as many experts project a 19% expansion increase over the next eight years.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/skills-index-shows-it-talent-lacking-in-the-workforce/429295/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19969

4 Reasons to Consider a Local Online Degree Program

By Jordan Friedman, US News

As overall online course enrollment rises, more undergraduate and graduate online learners are choosing a program near their home, according to a 2016 survey by Aslanian Market Research and the Learning House, a company that helps colleges and universities develop quality online degree programs. The recent survey found three-quarters of online students enrolled in a program within 100 miles of where they live, and 55 percent chose one within 50 miles. Dave Clinefelter, chief academic officer for the Learning House and co-author of the study, says the trend isn’t too surprising as more schools embrace online education. “It’s not uncommon for the community college down the road in the next town over or the state university 35 miles away to now have a fairly robust online program,” says Karen Pedersen, chief knowledge officer for the Online Learning Consortium, a group dedicated to advancing the quality of online learning.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2016-10-27/4-reasons-to-consider-a-local-online-degree-program

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19993

When is blogging part of the academic conversation?

by Jarrett Carter, Education Dive

University of Colorado education professor Scott McLeod writes on his personal blog about the benefits of faculty members blogging as a way to build citations, grow a following in a research area, and potentially, to make the case for tenure. McLeod, who has received thousands of views and hundreds of academic citations of his blog posts, suggests that digital publishing is light years ahead of traditional placement in journals for visibility and regard in the teaching profession. He argues that the lack of teachers publishing online does a disservice to research and industrial communities, and stagnates opportunities for academe to positively influence legislative impact.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/when-is-blogging-part-of-the-academic-conversation/429292/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19945

Hall County students learn other languages in online set-up System

By Kristen Oliver, The Gainesville Times

Blended learning Spanish instructor Wes Vonier discusses his course with the Hall County school board. A handful of students sit in their bedrooms, headphones plugged into their ears, as they listen to their Spanish teacher talk. Hall County students in middle and high school have access to Blended Learning Academy courses that combine a live teacher and online lessons. Students are able to connect to their virtual classroom and interact live with their teachers, all from home.

http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/113037/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14216

Online learning success depends on student effort

by Beth Rubin, the Miami Student

Online learning is not for everyone — not for all students nor all faculty. It takes the ability to motivate oneself and the expectation of doing work on your own. Some researchers have identified a trait they call “learning presence,” which is a combination of self-efficacy and self-regulation, and found that it is needed for students to succeed in online classes. Students need to begin an online class with the expectation of doing at least the same amount of work as they would in a face-to-face course. The standard is that students should spend two to three hours per week outside class for every hour in a class. So for a three-credit hour course, students should be spending nine to 12 hours per week in total. The same standard is used for online classes; even though there typically is no “class time,” students should expect to spend approximately 10 hours each week on the class in a regular term.

http://miamistudent.net/?p=17013380

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14213

Online learning programs giving students more opportunities

by Jim Cook, Dothan Eagle

Teaching is a lot like juggling in that it requires educators to keep their attention focused on multiple moving objects. This is especially true of teachers educating students via online learning programs like ACCESS, which allows Alabama public school students to take courses by viewing web content or by videoconferencing. Blair Brown is an expert juggler, teaching seven courses in Spanish each day by web-based courses and through teleconferencing. She said teaching online has its advantages and challenges, but the advantages far outweigh the challenges.

http://www.dothaneagle.com/news/education/online-learning-programs-giving-students-more-opportunities/article_3dcbb70a-7cfe-11e5-b52e-6bc6ac9a317f.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14211

Why hybrid can be better than fully online learning

by Jane Roberts, eCampus News

Tradition-rich Christian Brothers University watched in alarm a decade ago as online, nonprofit colleges began chomping away at nighttime enrollment. “They all had online options. For many adults, it appeared to be more convenient or faster,” said Toni Ross, dean of the College of Adult Professional Studies. “It was attractive until they got into it and realized maybe they still needed the instructor’s support and having a peer group was important. We’ve seen a change in what adult students want from online.” CBU rolled out its solution in the spring, a 40-60 split between the traditional classroom, which requires students’ presence on campus, and the online realm. Instead of two night classes a week, they now attend one night, for two hours.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/hybrid-online-learning-387/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/6Y_kSEuORUE/

Adaptive technologists develop online STEM course of the future

By Ron Bethke, eCampus News

Using “the science of memory,” and recent advances in personalized learning, an adaptive courseware provider is developing a STEM course aimed at engaging and retaining at-risk students. A recent recipient of the the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Next Generation Courseware Challenge, Cerego says its future course, StatsPL, will allow for such personalization of STEM learning that the course could reach more than 1 million low-income students by 2018.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/cerego-personalized-courseware-918/

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Students test new ways of teaching and learning at Virginia Tech

By Tonia Moxley, Roanoke Times

Computer Science professor Dennis Kafura teaches a pilot computational thinking course for students in various disciplines as student Nathan Sexton, right, looks on. Virginia Tech is changing its general education curriculum for the first time in years. After nearly four decades teaching computer science, Virginia Tech professor Dennis Kafura is not one to jump on every passing bandwagon touting change. “I’m not much for educational fads because I’ve seen them come and go,” Kafura said. But last year when he was teaching a junior level computer science class in the traditional way — lecture with slides and homework assignments — Kafura noticed the occasional student surfing Facebook. And attendance was sometimes low. An idea from 2010 came back to the professor, based on a more experimental course he had taught that used in-class exercises and minimized lectures.

http://www.roanoke.com/news/education/higher_education/virginia_tech/students-test-new-ways-of-teaching-and-learning-at-virginia/article_dca00832-1328-5e74-9ba5-c0bbf62fb0fb.html

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/89oAR4oc_cw/

Keeping Pace with K-12 Online and Blended Learning 2013 is released!

BY: Amy Murin, Keeping Pace

On behalf of our 14 sponsors, the Evergreen Education Group is pleased to release Keeping Pace with K-12 Online and Blended Learning: A Guide to Policy and Practice (2013). This 10th edition of the report includes enrollment numbers, informative graphics, program planning timelines, thoughts on MOOCs in K-12, and a look at where we were a decade ago – and where we think we are headed. All attendees at the iNACOL Blended and Online Learning Symposium received a print copy in their registration bags, and the report is now available on our website for download. In addition to the full report, the website has many more resources, including many of the graphics found in the report, updated profiles of activity in every state, and our blog. All content is licensed through Creative Commons and available for free because of generous support from our many sponsors, who represent many different corners of the K-12 online and blended world, including public agencies, private companies, and nonprofit organizations, all of whom are united in their commitments to the expansion of high-quality educational options for students.

http://kpk12.com/blog/2013/10/keeping-pace-2013-is-released/

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How Social Media Is Being Used In Education

By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

Recently, the Babson Survey Research Group and Pearson conducted a survey of nearly 8,000 faculty members in higher education to find out more about how faculty are using social media. While we often post infographics showing trends or results from specific studies here at Edudemic, I found the results of this survey particularly interesting – perhaps because they were so different from what I expected. While it seems that most faculty have adopted some social media use in their personal life, fewer have done so professionally. And their feelings about using social media professionally (in and out of the classroom) seem to be pretty mixed. Keep reading to learn more at the URL below.

http://www.edudemic.com/social-media-in-education/

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2013 iNACOL Innovator Awards Highlight Leaders in Blended and Online Learning

by International Association for K-12 Online Learning

Winners of the 2013 iNACOL Innovator Awards were announced Sunday evening at the iNACOL Blended and Online Learning Symposium in Orlando, FL. The awards are presented annually by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) and recognize innovative learning practices, cutting edge research and individual achievement in the field of blended and online learning.

The 2013 winners include:

Innovative Blended and Online Learning Practice

Chris Haskell, Clinical Assistant Professor, Dept. of Educational Technology, Boise State University

Verena Roberts, The Open Classroom (Alberta Distance Learning Centre)

Research Award

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute (a division of Michigan Virtual University)

Outstanding Individual Contribution to K-12 Blended and Online Learning

Scott Benson, Program Officer, Next Generation Learning Models, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

http://www.newson6.com/story/23809126/2013-inacol-innovator-awards-highlight-leaders-in-blended-and-online-learning

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