Online: Trending Now
Unique biweekly insights and news review from Ray Schroeder, Senior Fellow at UPCEA.
Know Your Students
Far too often we begin planning a class with the content, pedagogy, technology and outcomes in mind — without first researching the students. When teaching, it seems logical to begin with the content or the pedagogy and then apply technologies to meet the outcomes we see, yet this misses the most important foundational step in…
Dawn of 5G: Empowering VR, AR and Much More
The enormous potential of virtual and augmented reality will be enabled through the wide-scale rollout of fifth-generation mobile bandwidths. Technologies are converging to bring about a wholesale upgrade of online learning through the adoption of virtual and augmented reality. The pivotal development will be the wide-scale deployment of 5G bandwidths to support VR and AR…
2020s — the Decade of AI and Quantum
We are entering the decade of AI and quantum environments that will reshape higher education. Too often, we look ahead assuming that the technologies and structures of today will be in place for years to come. Yet a look back confirms that change has moved at a dramatic pace in higher education. Three decades ago,…
Our Greatest Strength Is Our Greatest Vulnerability
The greatest strength of online learning is the anytime and anywhere characteristic, but the online aspect is also our greatest vulnerability. We tend to think often about the worldwide reach and impact of online learning. Through online, we have the power to change lives and societies. However, we are seriously vulnerable, more so, one might…
The Rise of Do-It-Yourself Education
Do it yourself is more than just a trend for crafts and home improvements — it is an ethos that has reached higher education. DIY has become pervasive in our culture. In part it is fueled by the internet, most particularly by YouTube. In part it is energized by time and money savings. It is further…
A Fresh Look at Blockchain in Higher Ed
Blockchain is advancing in higher education, as it is in all of society, with some interesting new applications and ramifications. Blockchain is the technology that first gained recognition as the backbone for Bitcoin. It is best described as a distributed ledger system. Each entry is a block that is time-stamped, encrypted and replicated at all…
Ray Schroeder is Professor Emeritus, Associate Vice Chancellor for Online Learning at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) and Senior Fellow at UPCEA. Each year, Ray publishes and presents nationally on emerging topics in online and technology-enhanced learning. Ray’s social media publications daily reach more than 12,000 professionals. He is the inaugural recipient of the A. Frank Mayadas Online Leadership Award, recipient of the University of Illinois Distinguished Service Award, the United States Distance Learning Association Hall of Fame Award, and the American Journal of Distance Education/University of Wisconsin Wedemeyer Excellence in Distance Education Award 2016.