Education

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 29 aug 2014

Institutions imparting education are consistently in debates and discussions as they have direct impact on the society both in short and long-term. These institutions often become the beacons of societal change and transformations. At present the issues facing education are related to rising cost, transformations in the labor market and an important technological shift. But question that article raises is that, will any of these issues revolutionize the way education is imparted and have a substantial impact on the long-term goal and purpose of these institutions? Moreover the argument that Simon Tremblay-Pepin, researcher at IRIS (Institute de Recherche et d'Informations Socio-economique) in Canada, brings into fore is that - university's mission is not only to train professionals for the labor market and the goal of research is not only to pursue profits, but it is beyond that. While citing the case of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), that are potentially considered as creating technology induced educational transformation, he points out that they might have short-term value but if they displace real professor-student interactions it would be an overall loss to education. According to him, this would particularly happen in case of students pursuing long-term work, like Master's thesis or a PhD, that require sustained guidance to help advance a new idea - discussions to check whether the students are on the right track and suggestions to open up unforeseen avenues. Read on...

rabble.ca: There's a revolution transforming universities. But into what?
Author: Simon Tremblay-Pepin

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 26 jun 2014

Oxford University's Global Health Network has created a technological tool (SiteFinder) to assist scientists involved in global health to find and collaborate with other research groups around the world. Researchers working in low income and developing countries will now find it easier to find collaborators that were previously out of their reach. According to Trudie Lang, Director of Global Health Network, 'What's tended to happen is that teams like the Gates Foundation's product-development partnerships stick with the sites they know, and go back to the same sites again and again. But we would like to see greater equity in research, with wider access to these collaborations, and this would empower more people to have the confidence to take part in research.' Read on...

Women News Network: Global collaborative research on disease can strengthen regional healthcare
Author: NA

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 11 jun 2014

Education and learning are continuous evolving fields and in the present world there is a debate regarding the role of technologies to improve and enhance the learning experience of students, impart required knowledge & skills and better prepare them for the future. According to Juan Lopez-Valcarcel, Chief Digital Officer of Pearson, 46 percent of US college students do not graduate, and those that do, 40 percent are told that they do not have the right skills for a job they are applying for. Moreover there is lack of availability of courses and programs in colleges and universities that can prepare students for in-demand jobs of today and tomorrow. He suggests 7 technologies that are capable of revolutionizing education - (1) Invisible Computers (Classroom objects serve as computers & all data is availablee when needed); (2) Body Language Assessment (By becoming aware & to determine whether student is able to follow classroom learning); (3) Robot-Assisted Learning (Kids respond better with robots than a tablet); (4) Global Rockstar Teachers (Best teachers available for anyone in the world); (5) Stealth Learning (By making popular games more educational); (6) Social Learning (Use social media to deliver educational material); (7) Open Hardware (Give access to developer-aimed devices to students). Read on...

Silicon Angle: 7 Technologies that Could Revolutionize Education
Author: Mellisa Tolentino

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 29 may 2014

The design of student learning programs, especially for young children, should be based on their age and mental development. In the article, Priyakorn Pusawiro of King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, explores the importance of Brain-Based Learning (BBL) in creating a better learning environment. BBL is one of the approach that brings concepts and research from neuroscience, biology and psychology, and defines relationship between learning and brain, to keep students motivated and inspired to learn. The pace and complexity of lessons that are taught should be balanced according to the student's capacity and maturity to assist them develop confidence and improve their learning ability. While designing the learning environment, both inside classroom and outdoor, educators should focus on enhancing learning experience and exposure to new things. Moreover interaction between fellow classmates should be encouraged to imbibe social skills. Emphasis should be given to hands-on learning and the discovery process. Media and learning materials should include concepts and examples from daily lives that children can relate to. Technology assisted learning should be encouraged and incorporated in the curriculum. Read on...

The Nation: Design media technology and learning space in brain-based learning
Author: Priyakorn Pusawiro

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 17 may 2014

The value of education is often gauged on the basis of the acceptability of students in the job marketplace. The skills and competences that students learned and imbibed during their stint at colleges and universities are generally directed towards getting gainful employment in the real world. The common perception is that students who took STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) have better job prospects. But according to Professor Edward J. Ray of Oregon State University, 'in today's world with changing demographics, 24/7 news cycles and a highly competitive global marketplace, the liberal arts are critical to success in every professional field'. He further mentions that, 'all careers require critical thinking, teamwork, sensitivity to cultural, demographic, economic and societal differences and politcal perspectives. And a liberal arts education normally provides these capabilities'. LEAP (Liberal Education and America's Promise) is an initiative that champions the importance of 21st century liberal education. The findings of the national survey conducted by Association of American Colleges and Universities also emboldens the value of liberal arts education. About 93% of those surveyed say that 'a demonstrated capacity to think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems is more important than (a candidate's) undergraduate major.' Read on...

Huffington Post: The Value of a Liberal Arts Education in Today's Global Marketplace
Author: Edward J. Ray

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 15 may 2014

Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) holds a promise to expand educational reach to those with limited resources to pursue education in colleges and universities. Research has suggested some concerns for this education tool as the completion rates are low and those who access them already have substantial learning experience and prior education. Professor Jennifer M. Morton of City University of New York provides a perspective on how MOOCs can possibly influence and alter the dynamics of the current socio-economic class structure that traditional college education entails. According to her, college education is considered to be the first place where students with low-income families have to consistently engage with middle-class students and professors and navigate middle-class social norms. Moreover, in addition to cognitive skills like mathematical, scientific and historical knowledge, college education also imparts practical skills like social, emotional and behavioral competencies. But full adoption of MOOCs by large public universities can potentially harm the prospects of the students for whom college education is essential to elevate their status into middle-class. Online education may not provide them social and practical skills that are considered a necessity in highly competitive workplace environment. Tenacious, confident and socially competent employees have an edge over equally cognitively talented employees who lack practical skills. Professor Morton suggests that with extensive adoption of MOOCs by institutions that provide an environment to disadvantaged students to break the barrier of poverty and deprivation, the socio-economic segregation of the US educational system will further expand to the postsecondry level and widen the gap between haves and have-nots. When these students that lack social skills apply for employment with degrees they will more likely be considered lacking competencies by their prospective employers and unfit to effectively contribute to their organizations. Read on...

The Chronicle of Higher Education: Unequal Classrooms - What Online Education Cannot Teach
Author: Jennifer M. Morton

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 05 may 2014

Case studies are an important learning tool for students to gain insights into the functioning of companies in variety of industries and the decision making processes that make or break them. Most business schools provide case studies in their curriculum to give students practical knowledge that relates with their theoretical learning. Michael Pich of INSEAD Business School explains his perspective on writing case studies and its value to students in their business learning. According to him, combination of academic research with practical insights is essential for writing good cases. He explains the importance of case studies and its value to students - 'Case study provides a description of 'what' the firm or protagonist was doing, and the context for the challenge presented in the case. It also provides then the context for discussing the 'why', the theory and frameworks through which we can develop deeper insights into what is really going on in the case. Finally, it leads to further discussion of how this issue raised in the case applies to other contexts; contexts that are more relevant to the particular students or executives in the case discussion.' Read on...

The New Indian Express: A 'Case' for Effectiveness
Author: NA

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 20 jan 2014

Search for affordable and quality education is a challenge for students all around the world. Better education is considered as a channel to provide future career opportunities. Internet and associated digital technologies focused towards education are capable of transforming the learning landscape. Initiatives like - online education from traditional universities; diverse learning content providers like Khan Academy, Alison.com, etc; MOOC platforms like Udacity, edX, Coursera etc - and not to forget the large number of self-learning content freely available through independent websites, all adds up to the online learning spectrum. Certification and degree recognition are some of the issues and challenges related to this form of education. According to University of Pennsylvania survey most of the MOOCs availing students are those that are already educated and take them up for enhancing specific knowledge and skills for career advancement, in poor countries accessed by mainly those who are wealthy and have computer and internet connection and 90% of those who register drop out without completing the course. Blended learning is also being utilized where online learning mechanism is adopted alongwith traditional education delivery. Coursera has started Learning Hubs in 10 countries that provide physical infrastructure to enhance learning access. Online learning and education space is expected to evolve innovative and more disruptive models in future particularly in a country like India with shortage of trained faculty and inadequate educational infrastructure. Read on...

The Hindu: India's virtually challenged universities
Author: C. Gopinath

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 19 jan 2014

Higher education has consistently been in the state of transformation and evolution. According to Professor Steven Mintz of University of Texas, higher education underwent profound transformations almost every 50 years - Colonial colleges joined by large number of religiously founded colleges (early 19th century); Public colleges & Morrill Act of 1862 (mid 19th century); Modern research universities, Wisconsin Idea and inclusion of extension services (early 20th century); Conversion of normal schools into comprehensive universities, proliferation of community colleges, end of legal segregation, increase in federal aid (1960s). He suggests 15 innovations that have potential to affect higher education in next three years - (1) e-Advising (2) Evidence-based pedagogy (3) The decline of the lone-eagle teaching approach (4) Optimized class time (5) Easier educational transitions (6) Fewer large lecture classes (7) New frontiers for e-learning (8) Personalized adaptive learning (9) Increased competency-based and prior-learning credits (10) Data-driven instruction (11) Aggressive pursuit of new revenue (12) Online and low-residency degrees at flagships (13) More certificates and badges (14) Free and open textbooks (15) Public-private partnerships. Read on...

The Chronicle of Higher Education: The Future Is Now - 15 Innovations to Watch For
Author: Steven Mintz

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 16 nov 2013

Raspberry Pi, the cheapest computer in the market but without screen or keyboard, is finding success and diverse usage that wasn't anticipated by its creators. It was designed basically as an educational tool for children to learn computer programming. But with its versatility and customization ability, it has found multiple uses - Powering a small humanoid robot that can tell weather, manage diary and make coffee; The Instant Wild system with Pi cameras for recording animal behavior; Powering warehouse doors etc. Moreover Eben Upton, executive director of Raspberry Pi Foundation, and his team is focusing on developing software that will make the computer more accessible to children and for enhanced computer programming learning experience. Read on...

GlobalPost: World's cheapest computer gets millions tinkering
Author: NA

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