Design Thinking for Faculty Pedagogy Training

February 21, 2020.Reading time 8 minutes.

a circle graph showing the "innovation sweetspot." Three circles labelled "desirability, viability, feasibilty" all interlapping. The innovation sweetspot is right in the middle of the three other circles.

Have you heard of design thinking? This process is a non-linear, iterative process that focuses on understanding users and redefining problems to create innovative solutions and prototype said solutions to make them even better (interaction-design.org). We can use design thinking in a variety of arenas, not the least of which is to design courses. Today’s […]

Algorithms, Diversity, and Privacy: Better Data Practices to Create Greater Student Equity

January 30, 2020.Reading time 12 minutes.

A collage of images of 45 students facing the camera. The majority of the students are white, with minimal diversity.

Data is Everywhere Everything we do online or out in the world is collected as data and stored. This data is tracked and analyzed and used to inform predictions about the future. Data about our spending habits informs companies about strategies for Internet advertising. Data about our values and interests informs online dating websites. And […]

The Landscape of OER Policy and Practice in Texas

December 19, 2019.Reading time 11 minutes.

cover of the OER report reads open education resource s in Texas Higher Ed 2019

Welcome to Judith Sebesta, Executive Director of the Digital Higher Education Consortium of Texas (DigiTex), who joins us with an update on the strategic planning process for the former Virtual College of Texas and to tell us about this year’s survey by DigiTex on Open Educational Resources (OER). Judith provides an overview of the survey […]

Using a Research-Based Approach – It’s Up to Us

December 4, 2019.Reading time 14 minutes.

Today we welcome Andria Schwegler, Associate Professor and Program Coordinator for the Master of Science Educational Psychology at Texas A&M University – Central Texas. Andria joins us to discuss the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) and the opportunity such scholarship provides for improving education, teaching, and hiring. In addition, she discusses whether there is […]

Hybrid Classes for Veteran Students – Cheers to the VA!

November 15, 2019.Reading time 9 minutes.

Two previous WCET Frontiers posts (post 1, post 2) addressed the issue of housing allowances for students who are Veterans and taking online courses. Today and appropriately during Veteran’s Day week, we’re happy to welcome Mark Haskins of Pierce College to provide an exciting update on this issue. As he says, cheers to the VA […]

It’s Up to Us to Build It: Lessons Learned from Five Years in the Vanguard of CBE

November 13, 2019.Reading time 12 minutes.

We’ve written several posts on the negotiated rulemaking process and updates to state authorization and accreditation regulations. Today we hear from another participant in the innovation negotiated rulemaking process on that experience and her institution’s take on new models of learning. We’re excited to welcome Jillian Klein from Strategic Education, Inc. to discuss Capella University’s […]

Three Keys to Opening the Door for OER

November 6, 2019.Reading time 12 minutes.

Today marks our the finale for our 2019 WOW Award series. The WCET Outstanding Work (WOW) Awards honor member institutions and organizations that develop technology-based solutions to challenging educational needs. As we mentioned last week, we have three outstanding award winning initiatives this year: the Colorado Department of Higher Education’s OER Council, Granite State College, […]

Granite State College’s Approach to Distance-Based Teacher Preparation in New Hampshire

November 1, 2019.Reading time 14 minutes.

Today we continue our 2019 WOW Award series. The WCET Outstanding Work (WOW) Awards honor member institutions and organizations that develop technology-based solutions to challenging educational needs. As we mentioned earlier this week, we have three outstanding award winning initiatives this year: the Colorado Department of Higher Education’s OER Council, Granite State College, and Rio […]

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 […]