As students increasingly enroll in online postsecondary STEM courses, instructors and students need new strategies to bolster academic success, particularly for students systemically marginalized in STEM and higher education.
A report on online learning based on responses from chief learning officers released last month found that a large majority of respondents have seen increasing demand for online options from students who are learning on campus.
Before joining the Postsecondary Teaching with Technology Collaborative as a fellow, my perspective on education was primarily that of a student: absorbing information without deeply considering the intricacies of teaching. However, this fellowship has been transformative. It has broadened my understanding of the myriad factors that shape effective learning experiences, including teaching methodologies, curriculum design, and peer interactions.
My college journey began like many do. I felt unconfident and underprepared due to a lack of a proper high school education. Like many others, I also witnessed the expansion of online courses in the wake of the pandemic, and I was forced to adapt to a new way of learning.
In this third blog post of a multi-part series on conversations with edtech developers, researchers, and practitioners, Meaghan Duff, vice president of programs at the Minerva Project, and David Yaskin, CEO coach and consultant at Ed Tech Coaching and founder of Starfish Retention Solutions, offer some strategies they have used to launch successful edtech products and help create a new market. Learn more about this series and the experts here.
In this second blog post of a multi-part series on conversations with edtech developers, researchers, and practitioners, Meaghan Duff, vice president of programs at the Minerva Project, and David Yaskin, CEO coach and consultant at Ed Tech Coaching and founder of Starfish Retention Solutions, discuss how entrepreneurs can think about who their customers are and what needs they should focus on when trying to break into a new market.
In this first blog post of a multi-part series on conversations with edtech developers, researchers, and practitioners, the Collaborative’s principal investigator Rebecca Griffiths spoke with Meaghan Duff, vice president of programs at the Minerva Project, and David Yaskin, CEO coach and consultant at Ed Tech Coaching and founder of Starfish Retention Solutions, about whether and how digital learning products can be designed with equity at the center.
The shift to online learning due to COVID-19 appears here to stay – with a lasting increase in the share of undergraduate students enrolled in online courses. Critical in these online courses is the use of technology. When used effectively, new edtech products can enhance the student experience and instructor effectiveness in a number of ways, including enhancing discussion board interactions, enabling multi-media interactivity, increasing the scaffolding of instruction and materials to meet student needs among many others.
With the huge growth in online courses since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, faculty are increasingly aware that they need to adapt their teaching to the new environment of online instruction. But they may not know how to adapt and, in particular, how to support students’ skills in managing their own learning in online courses.
From the classroom to the workplace, lifelong learners face a complex set of challenges.
In an increasingly tech-centered world, how can educators engage adult students and provide them with the practical and soft skills necessary to succeed in school and throughout their careers?