How Can We Improve Education With Technology Enhancement ?

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Can EdTech tools actually help students to learn better? Can they prove effective without investing excessive time and money? If yes, then the Request for Proposal (RFP), which consists of a total 36 pages, issued by the Office of Educational Technology under the US Department of Education sounds logical.

The RFP aims “to find support services to evaluate educational software applications purchased with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) program funds.”

EdTech for better education

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The mission of the initiative is to develop a set of tools to carry out “rapid-cycle technology evaluations” that comprise of building guidelines, evaluations strategies and methods, protocols for establishing the experiments & documenting results. The proposal is set to close on 3rd September, 2015.

@tonywan ,Managing Editor at educational technology information resource EdSurge, recently wrote “Eliminating tools that are unproductive is important. Given how the US has drilled into trying to evaluate and assess teacher performance over the past five years, it seems like more than poetic justice that edtech tools should be put under the same kind of scrutiny.”

He added “That said, products face a challenge similar to evaluations of teacher performance: What makes a tool or a process “work” in education - particularly in K-12—is subject to a host of factors, some of which are entirely outside the realm of the design of the tool.”

EdTech analyst Phil Hill believes that the RFP is “almost a good idea.” He thinks that every effective assessment of education tools needs to consider the importance of the support structures and the staff and within the institutes.

He said “Edtech apps by themselves do not ‘work’ in terms of improving academic performance.”

Value of motivation

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However, the analysis of educators and technology tools somehow ignore the need for motivation. When a teacher is motivated, he can teach and inspire students in a way that goes beyond the chalkboard and the classroom. Still there are some teachers and parents who are satisfied simply by putting the kids before a computer or even a tablet and allow software programmes do all the work.

Director of the Office of Educational Technology, Richard Culatta, says that the conventional way to EdTech effectiveness “does not work well in the rapidly changing world of educational technology.”

He believes that conducting research is a time consuming practice, while businesses, particularly, startups, are keen on moving at a rapid pace.

Wan wrote “The idea of doing short-cycle efficacy studies is by no means new. The iZone, a unit within the New York City Department of Education, hosts its own “Short-Cycle Evaluation Challenge” to bring teachers and developers together to pilot edtech tools for one semester. In California, two nonprofits- the Silicon Valley Education Foundation and New Schools Venture Fund- have teamed up to run three-month efficacy trials involving educators and entrepreneurs. And this summer, Chicago-based LEAP Innovations received a $5.1 million Gates Foundation grant for similar efforts.”

Need for alignment

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Wan concluded that research projects should keep pace with how businesses operate. Aligning these processes will surely be a major challenge for this project. Devising a feasible medium is critical not just for the industry, but also for the millions of students and teachers who shouldn’t have to wait years before finding out what works.

A recent report published , confirms a huge investment had been made for promoting education technology. This would surely be a boost for the research process to bring up new educational softwares.

Education Technology Deals Reach $1.6 Billion in First Half of 2015 https://t.co/RWhjzqNd8k pic.twitter.com/PAweEDa79i

— Tony Wan (@tonywan) August 12, 2015

What do you think? Feel free to add to the discussion by sharing your personal opinions and views with us. We would like to hear from you.

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What Can Online Business Diploma Courses Do For You?

Are you planning for a rewarding career in business? Do want to study a postgraduate business programme but don’t have the budget or time for college? Then an online business diploma is undoubtedly your best possible option. Read on to find out more....

As MBA and other business degrees from brick-and-mortar colleges and universities are becoming more and more expensive, increasing numbers of students are now going for recognised online business diploma programmes as these are more affordable and flexible than traditional business degrees. Diplomas are certainly a great alternative to degree programmes as they offer concentrated classes with a practical approach.

Why go online?

Why not? For starters, an online level 7 diploma will enable you to effectively juggle your work and your personal life. You will also learn about the key aspects of management and become eligible for the next big promotion. A study conducted by the Sloan Consortium reveals that student enrolment for online programmes is escalating more rapidly than the number of students getting enrolled in colleges.

In 2012 around 25% college students attended at least one online course, as per the recent federal report by the US Department of Education. Reports also show that among 21.1 million college students in the United States, 2.6 million students pursued only online programmes. So more students like you, who are bound by budget and time restrictions but still want to earn widely accepted qualification, are opting for online postgraduate diploma in management programmes.

But will an online diploma be beneficial for your career in the long run? 

Of course it will be. We all know that currently there is cut-throat competition in the corporate world and getting a rewarding job is getting increasingly tougher. If you want to stand out of the crowd then you must acquire the essential management skills...else you will simply be a part of the growing crowd.

Here comes the necessity of a business management diploma as it will enhance your employability and your career prospects. Today going to college has become a highly expensive affair. Unless you have a lot of money lying around, it only makes sense to go online and earn yourself an accredited qualification. Irrespective of your professional background, business diploma courses online can help you in many ways to make your dreams come true. So if you are a student who wants to start his career or a business owner looking to grow his company or a professional aiming for the next promotion, online diploma in management is for you.

What does an online diploma offer that a college degree cant?

Where should I start? The convenience, affordability, flexibility and excellent employment opportunities offered by online business diplomas are unique to these programmes, which traditional degrees can only dream about. Have no doubt that online postgraduate diplomas are way more economic and flexible than your typical college degree. Moreover with increasing acceptance amongst prominent employers across the globe, diplomas are now offering unmatched career prospects.

Let’s look at some of the benefits you can expect from an online postgraduate diploma in business- 

Time Effective

Online postgraduate diploma in management programmes are much more time effective than your typical 4-year college degree. In most cases, you can earn your qualification in just one year or 18 months. Some programmes also offer courses that last for only 6-8 weeks or just a few months. It completely depends on you how quickly you want to earn your management diploma.

Flexible

With online diplomas, you are in charge of setting the pace of your studies. You can study at whatever time you want as the contents are available online 24/7. You can choose to study late at night after returning from your work or complete your coursework early in morning before you start your day. You may also choose to go through the content on your tablet whenever you get some spare time. The amount of time you invest in your studies depends solely on you and your lifestyle.

Cost Effective 

Online diploma courses are usually much less expensive than a master’s degree or an MBA from a reputed college. In addition to the low tuition fees, you can save loads of cash on travelling and other living expenses related to college education. What’s more? As the entire programme is online, you can keep your job (or get a new job if you are still a student) and keep earning your pay cheques.

Here are some additional benefits of business diploma courses online -

• Variety of Online Courses
• Flexible Schedules
• Minimum Educational Requirements
• Networking Opportunities
• Internship/Apprenticeship Opportunities
• Develop Practical Skills

As you will find in my earlier post, studies from the Babson Survey Research Group show that in the year 2012 more than 7.1 million higher education students have attended at least one course online. This goes to show the growing popularity of online business management diplomas and how it can help you to learn the essentials of becoming a successful corporate manager.

Experts Concerned About Falling Number of Full Time MBA Applicants

It has been observed that executives tend to avoid business degrees when the economy looks good in order to progress their careers. But the same business executives start running in groups towards business schools when the economy looks sluggish as MBA degrees helps them to climb the corporate ladder. However, this observation does not hold true anymore as the recent recession has completely changed the market and the business world.

Rise in MBA Applicants in US & Europe

Experts are now looking forward to the number of MBA applicants in the US this year as economies in North America and Western Europe are getting stronger. Although many leading B-schools in US have not yet reported their application figures, but some of the renowned schools have claimed a noticeable rise in the class of 2016. The UCLA Anderson School of Management has reported an increase in applications by 32%, while at Kenan–Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina, there has been a rise of 28% in enrolments. Moreover, the US Department of Education has also confirmed that the number of master’s levels students pursuing business degrees was higher than those studying education degrees.

Growing Concerns of Education Experts

However, several admissions directors believe that all this data is unreliable and misleading. Niki da Silva, Admissions Director at Rotman Schoolof Management, University of Toronto, says, “It seems that there is a small number of programmes that are doing well, but the rest of the market is flat”. In fact, most of the reputed business schools are now making extra effort to attract more students. Phil Carter of Imperial College London says, “It’s forced us to proactively look for the right leads”.

Gareth Howells, MBA Programme Director at London Business School believes that it is foolish to think that the MBA market can go back to the 2008 levels. He says, “The protracted nature of the downturn ripped up the rule book on a lot of issues.” Currently, the business education market has become segmented and very complicated. The fact is online and part-time MBA programmes are severely affecting the market share of the traditional full-time programmes. Furthermore, specialised master’s qualifications and professional degrees like the CFA have also posed serious threat to the full-time MBA programmes.

Increasing Demand for One Year MBA

ChristineSneva, the Executive Director of MBA admissions at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management in Cornell University, points out another aspect. She says that European model of business education is progressively becoming more threatening for the conventional 2 year MBA degree programmes in the US. She says “Europe has been the leader in looking at what flexibility meant to people.”

KateSmith, Head of Admissions, at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, assures that the school is currently planning to attract more students for it 1 year MBA programme. Admissions Consultant Stacy Blackman also believes that the popularity of 1 year MBA programmes is growing exponentially as nowadays most students apply for both 1 year and 2 year degrees. She says, “People are just seeing that you can accomplish an MBA in one year and it is very effective”.

Emergence of Undergraduate Business Programmes

Another factor directly affecting the number of students applying for full time MBAs is the rise in business management programmes for younger learners. As a result, most recent graduates or undergraduates are gaining knowledge in business. Paul Danos, Dean of the Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College, says, “In the future we are going to be teaching an array of programmes. Before everybody lived or died with the applications for the MBA, now we’re getting demand at every level”.

Growth in Applications, Not Applicants

However, the real doubt regarding the figures arises from the fact that MBA aspirants now tend to make more applications. According to Admissions Consultant Stacy Blackman, earlier applicants would apply to only 2-3 business schools; but now most candidates apply to 4-5 schools. This results in the rising number of applications (40%), but not the actual number of applicants.

Whether increased applications will finally result in increased number of students can be found out only in September-October, when students get enrolled into the business schools.