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Driven by the pandemic, the shift to digital content opened up the opportunity for universities to finally understand how students interact with course materials. But the ability to use such learnings to inform strategy begs the question: with this information available, how will universities track student engagement? Moreover, what are the best practices for doing so? BibliU and Eduventures will share the answers during this upcoming webinar, based on findings from a recent research project. BibliU and Eduventures will explore what is already happening and discuss possible areas of improvement. Presented by James Wiley, Principal Analyst for Eduventures, this webinar will examine the current state of student engagement with digital content, including best practices for measuring that engagement. Attendees will hear about the advantages of measuring student engagement with content related to retention and learn more about the BibliU approach. To register, visit https://bibliu.com/go-events/bibliu-eduventures . About BibliU
EdTech innovator BibliU is defining the future of higher education by democratizing content accessibility. Designed to address the unique requirements of students, faculty, libraries and publishers, BibliU’s learning enablement solution features digital content management, workflow automation and analytics. With BibliU, colleges and universities can finally deliver on the promise of digitalization, guaranteeing all students have first-day access to the learning content they need. More information is available at www.bibliu.com . Media Contact:

The Black Box of Content: BibliU and Eduventures Team Up for Upcoming Webinar on Digital Engagement

Providence Business News
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COMMUNITY COLLEGES, such as the Community College of Rhode Island, pictured, could see increased enrollment next fall during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report released Monday by research group Eduventures. / COURTESY COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF RHODE ISLAND
PROVIDENCE – As local colleges face uncertainty of what their enrollments will be like for the upcoming fall semester with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts, a study released Monday by research group Eduventures believes that community colleges could see increased enrollment come September. The report, which is the third part of Eduventure’s study on fall 2020 enrollment scenarios, says that community two-year public colleges might be “winners” in a pandemic. Community colleges, the report says, have previously seen enrollment increases when there has been economic downturn. There was an 18% jump in enrollment at community colleges between 1999 and 2002, the era of the dotcom industry downfall, and a 16% increase between 2007 and 2011 – the height of the Great Recession – the report states. “If economic trouble spells an enrollment surge at community colleges, there is no question that COVID-19 fits the bill,” the report states. However the pandemic is “no ordinary recession,” according to the report and the college experience is “up in the air as schools wrestle with reopening scenarios, adding complexity to student decision-making.”
Richard Garrett, Eduventures’ chief research officer and author of the new report, told Providence Business News Tuesday that two groups of prospective college students will lean toward community college in the fall. One Garrett noted is adult learners who are looking for an “additional economic lift” and, if they are low-income earners, see community colleges as “affordable.”
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The other is younger students, especially from lower-income families, who now may see a four-year school “as out of reach or too expensive,” Garrett said, and may try their hands at a “more-accessible institution” to seek an associate’s degree or certificate. The report also said that more than 70% of four-year colleges are leaning “heavily toward campus reopening” for the fall. Multiple local four-year colleges, such as Bryant University, Brown University, Roger Williams University and Wheaton College recently announced that they intend on having in-person learning and campus life in the fall. But, Garrett said students who are already enrolled in or planning to enroll in a four-year school but now face multiple uncertainties of what the college experiences may be like if campuses reopen may also consider going the community college route. The report states that there is “little appetite for another remote semester, widespread concern that a socially distanced campus may be a far cry from pre-pandemic days, and palpable parental anxiety not to overpay for anything judged a second-rate experience.”
“When will my campus reopen? What will social distancing on campus be like? Will much of it be online? My parents are worrying about overpaying,” Garrett said. “If four-year schools don’t get the balance right between safety and really offer something compelling … it might not be worth the money and many students might think ‘wait a minute, I can get those same college credits at a community college.’
“I’ll accept a more-transactional experience because the price is much lower. I’m getting the same credits and I can transfer those credits back in [to in a four-year college].”
Both the Community College of Rhode Island ($4,564) and Bristol Community College ($4,776) are the only two colleges in Rhode Island and Bristol County, Mass., where tuition for in-state students costs less than $10,000. CCRI, in the 2018-19 academic year, had 28,171 total students enrolled, as noted in the 2020 PBN Book of Lists, while Bristol Community College had 7,214 total students enrolled that same year. CCRI announced in May that it intends to have in-person learning in the fall after shutting down all five of its campuses in March due to the pandemic, switching to online learning. But it is unclear if CCRI is anticipating higher enrollment next fall and how the college will address it. CCRI did not immediately respond Tuesday a request for comment. James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com . You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette . Want to share this story? Click Here to purchase a link that allows anyone to read it on any device whether or not they are a subscriber. TAGS

Eduventures: Community colleges could see enrollment spike in fall

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BOSTON, June 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- ACT | NRCCUA, an educational data science and research organization, recognized the Center for Applied Learning Science (CALS) as a winner of its Innovation Award at the Eduventures Summit yesterday in Boston. CALS, a nonprofit innovation lab focused on improving student outcomes, was launched by Western Governors University (WGU) last year. The Innovation Awards program was created to recognize and showcase the achievements of individuals and organizations that share ACT | NRCCUA's vision for innovation to improve outcomes to support critical areas of an institution. Award recipients are selected by a jury of higher education leaders and advisors. ACT | NRCCUA and its Eduventures Research division celebrated the award winners at a ceremony and reception during Eduventures Summit, which is co-presented by ACT | NRCCUA and Strada Education Network. The driving objective of CALS is to learn how to help students learn. The Center works to develop habit-forming learning applications that lead to success in formal educational settings as well as in lifelong learning. Leveraging the knowledge and experience gained through WGU's more than 115,000 enrolled students and 145,000 graduates, CALS partners with academic institutions and research organizations, collaborating on research, design, and student testing. In just its first year, CALS is responsible for the creation of a novel approach to math anxiety that is now being used not only at WGU but at a variety of other institutions. The Center also developed WGU's Professional Leadership and Communication Course, which focuses entirely on the affective domain of learning, and has produced significant improvements in student outcomes. And CALS is working in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University to help students navigate the increasingly complex employment landscape, bringing together experts in human-computer interaction, machine learning, AI, and education. "Innovation, at its best, is a collaborative effort, and the Center for Applied Learning Science (CALS) exists to incubate and spread the best ideas with the greatest potential to improve student learning—redefining the way we serve students in a changing world," said Jason Levin, Executive Director of CALS. "We're honored to receive this award from Eduventures and thank them for recognizing the power of innovation to benefit not just Western Governors University students but learners everywhere." Because approximately 6,000 students start WGU each month—not only in spring or fall like most other schools—CALS is able to conduct rigorous research nimbly and at a fast pace, letting students try new designs, measuring the results, making data-driven improvements, and then testing again. "By embracing new thinking and bold ideas, these teams and institutions are redefining the meaning of excellence and demonstrating the transformative power of higher education for students, educators, and communities," said Patrick Vogt, CEO of ACT | NRCCUA. "Winners leverage best-in-class processes, technologies, and teams to set themselves apart from the competition. On behalf of all of us at ACT | NRCCUA, I congratulate this year's group of individuals and institutions." About CALS
The Center for Applied Learning Science (CALS), as part of WGU Labs, develops habit-forming learning applications leading to educational attainment and life-long success. We learn how to help people learn. Leveraging advances in cognitive and behavioral sciences and emerging technology, the Center fosters innovation from idea through evaluation, continuously improving student learning at WGU and beyond. About WGU
Established in 1997 by 19 U.S. governors with a mission to expand access to high-quality, affordable higher education, online, nonprofit WGU now serves more than 115,000 students nationwide and has more than 141,000 graduates in all 50 states. Driving innovation as the nation's leading competency-based university, WGU has been recognized by the White House, state leaders, employers, and students as a model that works in postsecondary education. In just 22 years, the university has become a leading influence in changing the lives of individuals and families, and preparing the workforce needed in today's rapidly evolving economy. WGU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, has been named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies, and has been featured on NPR, NBC Nightly News, CNN, and in The New York Times. Learn more at www.wgu.edu . About ACT | NRCCUA 
Now part of ACT, The National Research Center for College and University Admissions™ is an educational data science and research organization serving over 1,900 member institutions comprising public and private colleges and universities across the nation. Since 1972, NRCCUA has been a leading provider of data, technology, and programs serving students, high school educators, colleges, and universities from its offices in Lee's Summit, MO; Boston, MA; New York, NY; and Austin, TX. These solutions represent the link between students making important life decisions and those providing the resources and information they need to succeed in their post-secondary educations and careers. With the launch of Encoura™ Data Lab, the company now combines data science, advanced analytics, Eduventures research, predictive modeling and omnichannel enrollment services in one platform to enable institutions to make real-time strategic and operational decisions to meet their unique enrollment goals and create the highest probability of student success. For more information, visit encoura.org . Follow WGU:

WGU's Center for Applied Learning Science Takes Home Innovation Award at Eduventures Summit

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College officials are optimistic about competency-based education's (CBE) potential to serve nontraditional students and improve workforce readiness but have not implemented it broadly, according to 501 institutions' responses to a survey from the American Institutes for Research and Eduventures. A little more than half of respondents said their college is planning to or has added a CBE program. Of those institutions, 57% reported they were still in the planning stages. Nearly one-third (32%) said it was happening at the course level while 11% reported having at least one full program. Undergraduate CBE programs had relatively small enrollments. About half of respondents with undergraduate CBE offerings (53%) had fewer than 50 students in each program, while only 4% enrolled more than 1,000 undergraduates their programs. Dive Insight:
Howard Lurie, an Eduventures analyst who co-authored the report, wrote in June that while CBE has not "sparked a higher education revolution," its "core premise continues to stimulate widespread debate in higher education. " Yet the colleges seeking out CBE models "remain few and far between," Lurie  noted in a post  about the latest survey. The report considered courses or programs that used any of the following three elements as CBE: measuring learning either without reference to seat time or mapped to measures of seat time; requiring mastery of all competencies in order for students to advance; or allowing students to self-pace courses or programs. Institutions reported several barriers in the way of their adoption of CBE, including regulations governing what types of programs are eligible for Title IV funds and other institutional initiatives taking priority. However, three-quarters of the respondents expect CBE to "significantly grow" in the next five years. There is still debate around whether CBE will allow students to obtain credentials faster and for less money, as some of its advocates suggest, and if current rules around colleges' Title IV funding access are too restrictive, Lurie notes. The report comes as the Education Department is underway with a negotiated rulemaking session that touches on several issues central to CBE. Those include the definition of the credit hour and the requirement for "regular and substantive" interaction between students and instructors. The Ed Department has signaled support for more flexibility around these areas of the regulations. Earlier this month, for instance, it reversed a decision to fine Western Governors University $713 million after an audit found the CBE-centric online college wasn't in compliance with federal standards for online education. Critics, however, have said that weakening such standards could result in colleges using more pre-recorded videos while pulling back students' access to subject-matter experts during courses. It could also encourage some colleges to inflate credits to get more federal aid, which occurred before current standards were in place. Recommended Reading:

Colleges optimistic about competency-based education despite slow uptake

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Postsecondary certificate completions may be higher than previously thought although they are still largely unknown, according to Campus Technology , which cites a report from research firm Eduventures. Underreporting can occur for several reasons, including confusion over how many credit hours are required in order to be reported to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), low-enrollment programs forgoing federal aid by opting out of IPEDS reporting and the number of MOOC platforms that aren't required to report. MOOC and commercial education providers will likely begin to announce their certificate completion numbers in the next few years as their numbers improve. Meanwhile, colleges are encouraged to improve their reporting of certificate completions. Dive Insight:
Certificate programs are being touted as one answer to the current education "mix-match"  highlighted in a recent report by Urban Institute researchers , who noted there is a significant difference between the types of jobs available and the number of people with the corresponding education to apply. A 2014 Gallup poll found 96% of chief academic officers in higher ed said they were effectively preparing their students for the workforce, yet only 11% of business leaders in a separate 2013 Gallup survey said they "strongly agree" colleges are graduating students will the skills and competencies their businesses need. Businesses are looking for workers who are prepared to take on a variety of middle-skill jobs that require more than a high school diploma but less than a four-year degree. For students who want to avoid the high cost of completing a degree, a certificate program can be a viable pathway to a promising career . These same students are also looking to be trained quickly so they can enter the workforce and start earning a salary. Tech employers such as Amazon, Facebook and Google are stepping in to fill the void for qualified new hires by partnering with colleges as well as third-party education providers to create courses and even entire certificates that train students in the skills they need in the workforce. Google, for example, has developed a five-course online IT certification available through Coursera. It has recorded more than 40,000 enrollees and 1,200 completions in the first month. Now, more than two dozen community colleges and Northeastern University say they will offer credit  for the program. Kevin Mills, Coursera's head of business development and sales,  told Education Dive earlier this year  there are roughly 150,000 unfilled IT specialist jobs in the U.S. Recommended Reading:

Report: Certificate completion rates still largely unknown

International Graduate Insight Group, aka i-graduate, delivers comparative insights to the education sector worldwide, helping institutions deliver a world class student experience to enhance competitive advantage.

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The Global Board of Advisors and our partnership with i-graduate will enhance our ability to do this , '' said Eduventures , Inc. ' CEO Tom Dretler .

Higher Education Leaders to Benefit from the Launch of a Global Board of Advisors by Eduventures

Reeher provides a software service that combines predictive models with web- based management tools to help university fundraisers achieve more.

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Eduventures provides research, data, consulting, and advisory services for the higher education community. College and university leaders and education industry providers have looked to Eduventures for forward-looking ideas, insights into best practices, and for help with making the strategic and operational decisions vital to their success.

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