IBM announced last week that it will team with 20 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to address the cybersecurity talent shortage. The tech giant will establish Cybersecurity Leadership Centers on the campuses, giving students and faculty access to IBM training curriculum, enterprise security software, certifications, and simulated cyberattack training sessions at no cost. The original group of schools in the IBM program included Clark Atlanta University in Georgia, Southern University System and the Xavier University of Louisiana, Morgan State University in Maryland, North Carolina A&T State University, and South Carolina State University. The 14 additional universities, announced last week at an HBCU conference hosted by the U.S. Department of Education and the White House, span 11 states and include Tuskegee University in Alabama, Grambling State University in Louisiana, and Norfolk State University in Virginia. With 500,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs in the U.S., the need for expertise is critical, according to a recent IBM Security study. Through IBM's collaboration, faculty and students at participating schools will have access to: Cybersecurity curricula: IBM will develop for each participating HBCU a customized IBM Security Learning Academy portal, including courses designed to help the university enhance its cybersecurity education portfolio. In addition, IBM will continue to give access to IBM SkillsBuild. Immersive learning experience: Faculty and students of participating HBCUs will have access to IBM Security's Command Center, through which they can experience a realistic, simulated cyberattack. Software: Multiple IBM Security premier enterprise security products hosted in the IBM Cloud. Professional development: Forums to exchange best practices, learn from IBM experts, and discover IBM internships and job openings.
In the new post-pandemic landscape, the blended option that combines asynchronous (online, on-demand) and synchronous (live, whether in-person or online) instruction is the most popular use of education technology. In addition, the most valuable quality is flexibility to fit around one's life — meaning the "anytime-anyplace" approach. These are the main findings of new research conducted by edX and ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) on the role and trends of educational technology, titled "EdTech: Supercharging careers in accountancy." Over 1,400 learners and educators connected to accountancy participated in this global survey. The research also found six key trends for educators in EdTech:: Bite-sized or short-content videos Integrated learning and practice Role of AI and machine learning in learning and assessment Micro-credentials in professional learning and employment settings Gamification and simulation Augmented or virtual reality/Metaverse The study detected the increased use of AI and algorithms to support students' learning outcomes, along with innovative resources, including micro-video lessons, open-source textbooks, and creating custom exam practice software. The research identified the existence of several barriers that increase the digital divide, such as access to reliable high-speed internet, power, and quiet learning places.
Stanford Law School decided to offer students, as a pilot, the controversial ISA programs, or “income share agreements”, in an attempt to make its annual tuition — roughly $67,000 — more affordable. Under this program, announced last week, participating in the first and second year Stanford law students will receive up to $170,000 upfront to pay for their degrees through a nonprofit called Flywheel Fund for Career Choice. Upon graduation, students will pay 10 percent of their future earnings for a period of 12 years to Flywheel. Stanford officials said their ISA program was designed to make sure that students do not pay more than they would if they had taken out federal loans. ISA programs have faced increasing scrutiny in higher education in the last year. Consumer advocates have long argued that such programs are predatory loans. Many colleges have decided to remove them. According to a report issued by Reuters, the rising law student debt loads are a growing concern in the legal profession. Nearly 71% of law students leave campus with student loans, and their average debt hovers around $138,500 — higher than any other field besides medicine. .
The London-based, owned by Inflexion Private Equity firm, media group Times Higher Education (THE), the recent owner of Inside Higher Ed, announced this week another acquisition: an organizer of international student recruitment events called BMI. The transactional amount wasn't disclosed. Founded in 1987, BMI runs international student recruitment events and high school counselor workshops. It also has a digital advisory platform in Latin America, Viva Mundo. Over 2,400 institutions from over 40 countries have participated in BMI events. Paul Howarth, CEO at THE, commented, "together we can transform the events landscape for students looking to study abroad connecting them with institutions." THE, a 50-year-old company, said that it "will collaborate with BMI on event content and unlocking its brand reach, unique data, and insights for their hundreds of thousands of annual event attendees."
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), a member institution of the University of London, became the first university to launch a series of edX micro-credentials — two MicroBachelors programs and a MOOC — that provide learners with a stackable pathway towards a full Bachelor's degree. 2U's brand edX (Nasdaq: TWOU) announced the partnership with LSE yesterday. The two MicroBachelors programs are Statistics Fundamentals and Mathematics and Statistics Fundamentals, as well as a free MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) on foundational mathematics titled An Introduction to Pre-University Mathematics, scheduled for 2023. "This is the first truly stackable path to a fully online undergrad degree," said 2U Co-Founder and CEO Christopher "Chip" Paucek. Each of LSE’s new MicroBachelors programs includes four transferable, university-level courses. They are priced at $896.40, each. Upon completion, the students will be able to apply to online undergraduate degree programs from the University of London. "The innovative offering creates an incredible opportunity for us to further increase our global impact by providing a vast community of learners with a clear pathway to gain the critical mathematics and statistics knowledge to achieve academic success," said Wim Van der Stede, Academic Dean for Extended Education at LSE. According to edX, its partnership has played a role in LSE’s strategy to expand its educational offerings and make teaching, learning, and research accessible to people who wouldn't have been able to access the institution in traditional formats. To date, over 26,000 learners have completed online certificate courses offered through LSE and 2U, and over 1,000 students have enrolled in its online undergraduate degrees powered by 2U. "Creating new pathways to degree attainment is an essential part of edX’s mission to unlock the potential of our community of 45 million learners worldwide," said Christopher "Chip" Paucek.
