Real Talk: What is Your Employability Strategy?

October 18, 2019.Reading time 9 minutes.

The word "skills" written on a black chalkboard in white chalk.

In just a few short weeks WCET will convene this year’s Annual Meeting in beautiful Denver, CO. This year’s meeting promises to be full of outstanding sessions and great networking opportunities. One of the sessions will be offered by one of our sponsors, Cengage: “Transforming Students to Employees – Highlights of the Most In-Demand Employability […]

Blockchain in Higher Education: Are we on the Cusp of Transformation or Still Gathering Information?

October 10, 2019.Reading time 21 minutes.

a visual representation of blockchain, connected and lit blue lines

Blockchain? In higher ed? Maybe? Yes? No? We had so many questions about this trending topic, so, we found some experts and asked them about it. Today, Megan Raymond, WCET’s Director of Programs and Sponsorship, is here to discuss her interview with three higher education experts about blockchain and the opportunity for this technology in […]

Show me the money: Shifting legislative conversations about the cost of distance education

October 4, 2019.Reading time 12 minutes.

Online education can often be polarizing—some advocates champion it as higher education’s savior, bringing access and affordability to students across the globe. Others see it as the modern equivalent of a Trojan horse come to assault the quality of higher education. Questions of the quality of online education aside, one of the biggest lightening rods […]

California to Open a New Community College and Progress at the Other 114

September 30, 2019.Reading time 9 minutes.

If you could start completely from scratch, how would you design an institution of higher education? The California Community College System plans to open its 115th institution in October. And it is an interesting answer to that question. Based upon their published materials and a presentation to Online Teaching Conference in June, Calbright College, which […]

Meet AURS — Your Go-To Resource for Addressing Accessibility Challenges

September 27, 2019.Reading time 11 minutes.

Accessibility is not only one of the main areas of focus for WCET, but a consistent issue and opportunity for higher education institutions. In order to support faculty, instructional designers, and others who work in the area, Quality Matters, a WCET member, created a new resource site for educators to get information on how to […]

Feeling the Ground by Getting Some Air

September 25, 2019.Reading time 14 minutes.

A person on a skate board jumping over sidewalk

A few months ago, Rosa and I released a list of recommended podcasts, which we had elicited from our members. Gettin’ Air was one of these recommended listens. So, I was thrilled when our Director of Open Policy, Tanya Spilovoy, connected me with the host of the podcast, Terry Greene, to write for us today. […]

Living with Exigency

September 20, 2019.Reading time 19 minutes.

Today we welcome David Dannenberg, the Director of Academic Innovations, State Authorization, and eLearning with the University of Alaska Anchorage. David joins us to discuss the economic issues facing higher education in Alaska and his reactions to the financial exigency process the state went through. Many of you have read the news stories about this […]

Creating Videos to Explore Open Education

September 18, 2019.Reading time 12 minutes.

A flowchart for the video creation workflow. 1. Reflect, think about what you wnat to say and what you want your audience to learn. 2. script: draft and refine the script for your video. add explicit pauses in the script to break up topics. 3. record: record your audio/video. Expect this process to require multiple taks. 4. Create: create visuals for your video. If you recorded live video, create graphics and end screens. 5. Edit your audio, sync audio and visual cures, and add openly licensed background music. 6. Export: export your finished video, review for quality, and tweak export settings for the best results. 7. Upload: upload your video to youtube, vimeo, or your preferred space for sharing content. 8. Finish: add a video description, captions, CC license, citations for related works, and additional metadata.

Welcome today to Abbey Elder, the Open Access & Scholarly Communication Librarian for Iowa State University, who is here to discuss the development of a series of videos about open education. Abbey’s post today provides a wonderful outline for how you could create your very own series of educational videos, including an open access flowchart […]

From Policy to Compliance: What do Faculty Need to Develop Accessible Course Content?

September 12, 2019.Reading time 15 minutes.

Geographic distribution of the responses. Note higher concentration of responses in the eastern United States.

Accessibility of college and university materials and services is an important topic for all those involved in education today. Higher Education institutions are working to develop policies and guidelines for ensuring accessible content for all learners. Do such policies result in more accessible digital environments? How can institutions help support faculty to develop more accessible […]

Choose your own EdVenture at #WCET19

September 6, 2019.Reading time 10 minutes.

WCET 31st Annual Meeting image. Read's Denver CO November 5-7 on a teal background with geometric mountains

The WCET 31st Annual Meeting in Denver has something for anyone interested in the intersection of policy and practice of technology-enhanced teaching and learning in higher education. With a blend of inspiring keynotes, panels, loosely organized roundtable discussions, and freeform unconference sessions and a wide array of topics and speakers, attendees can chart their own […]