Measuring the true benefit of classroom technology might be getting a bit easier

by Pat Cassella, USDLA President

When it comes to measuring the effectiveness of technology in the classroom how does one measure success? Having spent the better part of the past 20 years empowering students and teachers with the latest visual communication tools I’ve often tried to help CIOs and CFOs measuring the true effectiveness as part of an ROI analysis.

When it comes to video conferencing applications there are some hard metrics that can often be applied; travel reduction, teaching resources and improved outcomes are generally among the top three. The cost to travel from point A to point B a certain number of times in the week/month/year can easily be calculated with miles saved and a per-mile cost to travel. A good example is a student in a rural area attending a metro located community college 50 miles away. The cost of wear and tear on the vehicle, cost of gas and time spent on the road can add up quickly.

A single specialized teaching resource (let’s say Mandarin language) can often be leveraged to teach in multiple remote locations from one physical site. Again, not only are you saving on travel but also the cost of having just one teacher rather than several in salary and benefits.

The third metric is often a bit trickier; how does one best measure an improved outcome? You could certainly look towards test scores, student engagement and teacher feedback to get a valid reference point, but how do you gather and analyze such data?

While my example specifically calls out video conferencing which has been a technology found in the classroom since the early 90’s, what about Learning Management Systems, video distribution platforms, data repositories and the other hundreds of technology tools in the classroom?

With an estimated $14B being spent on technology across US K-12 schools and districts in 2018 it’s more important than ever to be able to measure the effectives of technology to ensure a positive ROI is being achieved. EdTech management systems have recently begun to appear within campuses and school districts across the country with the promise of improving instructional, operational and financial decisions through organization and analysis of classroom technology. Understanding how often products are used, how they are being used, what the teachers think of them and analyzing student outcomes can help to place an actual score on a particular piece of technology and justify an investment.

The EdTech management market is relatively new but there is no denying the need for such an analysis tool as budgets continue to become strained and every dollar spent on classroom technology comes under additional scrutiny in the public and private eye. It would certainly make my life easier as I meet with my CIO and CFOs to discuss technology options.

USDLA Represented at European Distance and E-Learning and Network – Genova, Italy

Blog written by USDLA Member:
Michael L. Mathews,
Oral Roberts University
2018 CIO 100 Winner and 2017 Top 30 Education Innovators

The United States Distance Learning Associate (USDLA) continued the strong relationship with the European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN) on June 17-20, 2018. The USDLA was represented by Oral Roberts University who was the 2017 USDLA Innovation of the Year Winner.  Michael delivered a presentation called ‘The Flipped University’ which was a perfect fit for the conference theme: Exploring the Micro, Meso, and Macro — navigating between dimensions in the digital learning landscape.  I was privileged to be accompanied by the video overview of USDLA by President Pat Castella.

The conference was well attended and represented people from all European countries and many from Brazil, South Africa, and Asia who believe that the European Network has much to offer in innovative methods in distance and E-learning. Being an attendee of both USDLA and EDEN was a perfect chance to see the various presentations and formats for both  organizations.  Both organizations operate at high impact, and desire to bring out the best in information, case studies, and collaboration. The EDEN conference was clearly focused on innovative methods between micro, meso, and macro delivery models.

The conference also included many sessions on Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, and other emerging technologies. The attendees were eager to learn which technologies may power the next big trend in distance learning. From my perspective, the last 10 years has produce so many options and possibilities that people are both fatigued and skeptical of solutions. It is clear that no one college, university, or corporate training can invest in so many technologies, at least in their fullest measure. Many leading universities have concluded that they will need to become extremely intelligent at choosing the crème de la crème of all technologies within a smart ecosystem. This approach would be a hybrid of Micro, Meso, and Macro learning in an innovative method. This method is known as micro-Innovating, and it integrates these diverse approaches for the benefit of all learners.

The EDEN presentation by the USDLA and Oral Roberts University was extremely well received and demonstrated how Augmented and Virtual Reality (AVR) has impacted students from 101 countries through ORU’s Global Learning Center, which operates in the micro, meso, and macro levels. The live demonstration of AVR was a huge success. In addition, the unveiling of the first AVR repository called the Virtual Reality Education System that integrates into any LMS gave hope to every attendee that AVR can be implemented at an affordable and micro-level that truly showcases what micro-innovation is all about.  The design diagram below illustrates how a VRES system integrates with all systems, all AVR devices, and the future of Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain. In essence, the VRES is a design at all levels, micro, meso, and macro.

Summary: The plethora of possibilities to innovate and improve online and e-learning demand that campus technology designers micro-innovate ecosystems that span across micro, meso, and macro levels of delivery. This design mythology will allow sustainable and affordable solutions. These innovations will allow a repeatable deliverable like ORU has — which brings retention levels to 96%, placement to 97%, and expand from 85 countries to 101 countries with four years of consecutive growth in online learning.

It was a true blessing, honor and privilege to represent the USDLA and ORU at the EDEN conference. For information in another conference featuring emerging technologies through micro-innovations at Wheaton College with CIO Wendy Woodward, viist https://www.emergingtech-education.com/

The new micro-innovation of a Virtual Reality Education System

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• This blog post written by:
• Paul Roitman Bardack, Esq.
• USDLA Chair Emeritus

The 2018 USDLA National Conference will take place April 29 – May 2, 2018 at the Hilton Indianapolis Hotel and Suites in Indianapolis, IN.  In attendance will be university presidents and provosts, K-12 and higher education faculty, college deans, chief information officers, chief knowledge officers, corporate and government trainers, instructional systems designers, K-12 and higher education administrators, and others.

The opening keynote – focusing on the evolution of online learning and assessment of market opportunities for workforce-aligned degrees – will take place the morning of Monday, April 30, and the opening keynote speaker will be Ms. Carol Vallone.

For many years Carole Vallone was the driving force behind Meteor Learning, the leading company enabling higher education institutions to launch online, competency-based education degree programs that build job-ready skills and enhance career advancement.  She is a seasoned technology executive with over 30 years’ experience in market-leading companies.  Previously, she served as board chair, president and CEO of Wimba Corporation, the global leader in virtual collaboration software for higher education. Vallone led and grew the company through sale in 2006.  She also launched WebCT, Inc. in 1999, the company that defined and delivered the premier e-learning solution for education.  As board chair, president and CEO, she built a higher education global customer base of almost 2,000 post-secondary institutions in 70 countries and 14 languages.  She led the company from start-up through sale in 2006.

Prior to her pioneering efforts in education, Vallone held several executive level positions with companies breaking ground in the corporate technology sector.  For over 10 years, she served on the board of trustees of the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council and chaired the Massachusetts Education Foundation where she spearheaded an effort to re-write the Massachusetts Department of Education’s Instructional Technology Standards with a focus on integrating technology into the curriculum. She annually recognized K-12 instructors whose teaching practices served as models for engaging technology use in STEM disciplines.

A frequent spokesperson on educational technology, Vallone has appeared globally in education industry print publications, nationally on CNN Headline News, and on Boston-based television news and radio programs.  She often guest lectures at noteworthy business schools on how to start and grow a technology company and provides mentoring to technology CEOs.

The closing keynote will take place the morning of Wednesday, May 2, and the closing keynote speaker will be Mr. Doug Lederman.

Doug Lederman is co-editor and one of three founders of Inside Higher Ed.  He co-leads the site’s editorial operations, overseeing news content, opinion pieces, career advice, blogs and other features.

Lederman speaks widely about higher education, including on C-Span and National Public Radio and at meetings around the country, and his work has appeared in The New York Times and USA Today, among other publications.  Lederman was managing editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education from 1999 to 2003. Before that, he worked at The Chronicle since 1986 in a variety of roles, first as an athletics reporter and editor.

Lederman has won three National Awards for Education Reporting from the Education Writers Association, including one in 2009 for a series of Inside Higher Ed articles he co-wrote on college rankings.

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