Google Upgrades Its Tool to Search and Add Citations on Documents

Google introduced this month an updated version of its citation feature for Google Docs. The feature is intended to allow an easy search of cited materials on books and online sources and then add them, formatted, into Google Docs. The tool will be available automatically for end-users. It is expected to roll out in late November to early December. "By automating part of the source creation process, and ensuring correct formatting, we hope to save you time and reduce manual errors while managing citations," said Google in a blog post. This feature will be introduced in all languages, but the elements the tool generates in the user document only will appear in English at this time. . Google: Add Citations and a Bibliography

Open edX & Learning Platforms | November – December 2021: 2U, Coursera, Udemy, Instructure Canvas LMS, ETS, Class Central…

Online Learning | November – December 2021: Google, IBM, Microsoft, Stanford, UPenn, Harvard, Unicef…

House Democrats Passed a Massive Spending Bill that Included Billions for Higher Ed

International Students Enrollment Shows a 68% Increase After the Pandemic

The number of new international students enrolled for the first time at a U.S. institution in 2021 experienced a 68% increase, reflecting a rebound after the COVID-10 pandemic, compared to the 46% decline reported in Fall 2020. These data come from the latest Open Doors 2021 Report on International Educational Exchange, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, with over 860 institutions participating. Overall, the total number of international students — enrolled and OPT — increased by 4% in Fall 2021. In addition, 99% of responding U.S. institutions reported that they are holding classes in-person or implementing a hybrid education model. During the year 2020, and in the midst of the pandemic, a total of 145,528 international students were able to begin their studies in person or online in the United States or from abroad. As in previous years, most international students (54%) pursued a major in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics STEM field. Engineering continued to be the most popular major, with one in five international students pursuing it. "International students are central to the free flow of ideas, innovation, economic prosperity, and peaceful relations between nations," said Matthew Lussenhop, Acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. "The United States is strongly committed to international education as we continue to build back better."  

Instructure Acquires Kimono to Integrate it with the Canvas LMS Platform

Instructure Holdings, Inc (NYSE: INST) announced this month the acquisition of the integration platform and long-time partner Kimono for an undisclosed amount. The Salt Lake City, Utah-based Instructure, the owner of the leading Canvas LMS, will rebrand Kimono as Elevate Data Sync as it joins the Instructure Learning Platform. This technology enables secure syncing of student, staff, and learning data across applications within a school environment. The move extends Instructure’s learning data integration and rostering capabilities between edtech applications and student information systems (SIS). "The acquisition underscores Instructure’s vision of building education’s most integrated platform and demonstrates our deep commitment to openness," said Steve Daly, CEO of Instructure. "We want to give schools the freedom of choice to connect with their preferred applications." Kimono is standards-agnostic. It supports industry-standard data models and protocols, such as OneRoster, LIS, SIF, APIs, and CSV, driving interoperability and ease of use. Created twenty years ago and based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Kimono serves six state education agencies, over 2300 districts, 27,000 schools and universities, and over 16 million students globally.

Over 200 Million Children Are Missing Out on Remote Learning

EAB Acquires and Incorporates Rapid Insight into Its Platform

2U Eliminates the Annual Fees for Current edX Consortium Members

ETS Strategic Capital Adds a Thirteenth Company to Its Portfolio of Acquisitions

ETS continues to expand its portfolio of EdTech companies. Last week, ETS' private equity investment arm, ETS Strategic Capital, announced it acquired a majority stake in Toronto-based Kira Talent for an undisclosed amount. Ralph Taylor-Smith, Managing Director of ETS Strategic Capital, highlighted its "focus on driving global business growth for ETS." Kira Talent, which commercializes an admissions platform solution for higher education, will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of ETS. Kira Talent's CEO and staff will remain in place. In addition, Kira Talent's video and assessment platform will be part of the deal's terms. The Princeton, New Jersey-based ETS said that the acquisition "will fuel rapid growth for Kira Talent as they scale development of their education admissions solutions, which will include new suites of products incorporating alternative and quantitative assessments as well as further expansion of their structured interview platform." ETS Strategic Capital has a portfolio of twelve companies: ApplyBoard Capti Ciee CollegeKekho Degreed EdAgree GradSchoolMatch MPowerFinancing OpenClassrooms Pipplet Pymetrics Vericant

More High Schoolers Dismiss Attending a Four-Year College

Interest in a four-year college has sunk to a new low as nearly half of the high schoolers say their ideal would be three years of college or less. A recent survey from the ECMC Group — a nonprofit aimed at helping students find success — notes that amid the ongoing pandemic, many high schoolers are rethinking their future plans. They mostly prefer career training and post-college employment, especially given they are more affordable. This survey, conducted on over 1,000 high school students, highlights that the likelihood of attending a four-year school has decreased more than 20% in the last year and a half. Jeremy Wheaton, ECMC Group’s CEO, said that "the good news in here is that there’s been an uptick in the awareness of career and technical training as a pathway to a good career; what is troubling is the decline in education overall." The cost, as well as the student loan debt, is the No. 1 concern. According to the College Board, this year, tuition and fees in-state public colleges rose to $27,330; at four-year private colleges, it averaged $55,800. .

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