2019 Year Review: MIT’s Epstein Scandal, Sale of Canvas LMS, 2U’s Collapse, and Pearson’s CEO’s Resignation

IBL News | New York

As 2019 comes to an end, it’s time to review the year’s breaking news in online education.

Here’s the IBL editor’s top-10 list, dominated by the Epstein’s scandal at MIT, the sale of Instructure/Canvas, 2U’s collapse, and the push-out of Pearson’s CEO.

1  The MIT Media Lab‘s Scandal: Its Director Resigns After Lying Over His Ties to Epstein

As a result of it, MIT started to examine its engagement practices with gifts and grants. [President Reif, in the picture above]

2  2U Shares Continue to Drop After the Company Announcement of Big Losses

Previous to the collapse, 2U acquired Trilogy Education for $750 million and duplicated its portfolio of universities.

3  An Equity Investment Firm Buys Instructure for $2 Billion, Taking It Private

Earlier in the year, Instructure / Canvas LMS bought the Portfolium digital portfolios company for $43 million.

4  Pearson Pushes Out His CEO After a Dramatic Tenure Full of Sales and Job Cuts

 

Six additional stories caught our attention:

5  The Open Education Conference Falls Apart, Leaving a Community of Passionate OER Supporters

 ISTE Conference Organizer Absorbs EdSurge Media – Investors Won’t Be Rewarded

 Over 1,000 Students Will Graduate from Georgia Tech’s Online Master in Computer Science

8  Harvard Changes Its Caption System to Settle Deaf Association’s Lawsuit

 University of Oxford Will Invest $190 Million on Humanities and Create an Institute for Ethics in AI

10  IBM Launches a Blockchain Credentials Network – A Community College At The Forefront