Tag Archives: Technology in Higher Learning

Preparing for the Future of Higher Education

Source: morgueFile
Source: morgueFile

Whenever there is an innovation disrupting the world of higher education, it’s easy to try and ignore it and label it as just that – a brief disruption. However, the future of higher education is based off of innovation, which means that keeping up with new innovations is a smart thing to do. The following innovations could mean big things for the future of higher education:

  • Analytics – Analytics tools will allow you to predict the success of students, improve student support services, measure the achievement of learning outcomes and much more.
  • Competency-based education – Competency-based education is based on the idea of awarding credits for mastery instead of traditional credit hours. This gives students a chance to accelerate their time to degree due to the ability to acquire knowledge and skills outside of the classroom through life experience.
  • Personalized learning – Personalization has become a focal point for marketing and retail, and it makes sense that it could be implemented into education. By providing students with individualized learning pathways, you can tailor activities and readings to the needs and interests of students.
  • Open educational resources – Higher education is expensive as it is when not accounting for the need to purchase textbooks every year. Open educational resources on the web make it easier for students to do research and save money, as well.

These are some of the innovations that could change the higher education for the better. Contact us at Labyrinth Learning for additional teaching resources.

Join us at one of Our October 2014 Educator Conferences

2014 Educator Conferences
Source: Facebook.com/labyrinthlearning

At Labyrinth Learning, we aim to transform classrooms by providing materials that make it easier for instructors to teach, and easier for students to learn. If you’re interested in learning more about our mission and the steps we are taking to achieve it, consider attending one of our 2014 Educator Conferences.

We are going to be attending several conferences coming up this fall. Find the one that’s nearest to you, and make plans to attend today.

  • October 12th – 13th: Hot Springs, Arkansas
  • October 15th-17th: Acme, Michigan
  • October 23rd-25th: Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • October 30th – 31st: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • November 6th – 9th: Baltimore, Maryland
  • November 20th – 23rd: Orlando, Florida

At each of these conferences, we will have a display set up and knowledgeable staff present to answer all of your questions about our software and learning programs, and how they can benefit both you and your students. Take the time to read about Labyrinth Learning’s growth over the last few years, and look over some of our materials. You can also order review copies to see for yourself whether our materials are the teaching solution you’ve been looking for.

Conferences are a great way to spread new ideas and rehash older ones. We’re happy to be a part of these events. You can see our 2014 Educator Conferences schedule on our website. Contact us if you are interested in giving our materials a try or to learn more about our mission.

Help Students Get Creative with Our Media Arts Teaching Resources

teaching resources
Source: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Though the majority of your students have never known life without the internet, many don’t have photography, graphics, or web design skills. Labyrinth Learning offers several easily understood media arts teaching resources, including digital photography and web page design. Except for basic computer skills, no prior knowledge of either subject is required:

  • Welcome to Digital Photography, 2nd Edition: It can be a very daunting experience trying to determine which digital camera is best suited for a student’s particular need. The comprehensive book explains in detail what to look for when purchasing a digital camera. It teaches how to use many of the automatic features which come standard on the majority of today’s cameras. The second section of the book explains the hows and whys behind the customized manual settings including shutter speeds, self-timers, and file formats.
  • Web Page Design with XHTML/CSS: Coding is often a foreign language students are afraid to learn. This student friendly textbook has been designed with the author’s workflow learning approach coupled with Labyrinth Learning’s effective instructional technique. This ensures students learn both website coding along with the basic fundamentals on how websites work, file organization, and that ever important final step — how to make a functioning website live.

Do you want to provide your students with some of the best media arts teaching resources in the field? Please contact us at Labyrinth Learning for assistance.

Helping Students Study for Accounting

accounting teaching resources
Source: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Some subjects need to be approached with well-defined study guidelines in order for the student to adequately understand and retain the information. While learning styles do vary, the below structured approach has consistently provided a large majority of students studying accounting with optimal results in both material comprehension and retention.

  • Have them read all assigned material before each class. This way they already have a general overview of what will be taught that particular day. Be responsive to their questions.
  • Remind students to come to each lecture prepared with the required tools, including calculators, notebooks, textbooks, laptop, or tablet. Instruct them to take detailed notes on any topic you have previously focused on, especially those subjects you know aren’t discussed in length in the textbook. Make sure you’ve provided them with a safe environment to ask questions — this is important in a student’s learning experience.
  • Talk to the students about reviewing their notes as soon as possible. When studying accounting, comprehension is a major concern, so this tip allows them to fill in any blanks while your lecture is still fresh in their mind.
  • In addition to reviewing notes, online videos, and PowerPoint presentations — have students rework some of the more difficult problems. If the textbook offers online sample quizzes, let them take advantage of this study aid.

Please contact us at Labyrinth Learning for additional educational assistance.

Cloud Computing

Emerging Trends That Will Push More Technology into Higher Education

Cloud Computing
Technology in the classroom is improving the line of communication between professor and student.

Recently the New Media Consortium published its annual higher education report. Much of the report focused on emerging trends in technology, their uses in both online and classroom settings, and the positive impact that is being derived from this higher science.

Promoting the momentum in adopting a variety of technological platforms is seen as a group effort. Social media is finding a place in higher education as a way for professors and administrators to interact with students outside the traditional classroom. For example, Vanderbilt University has a dedicated YouTube channel allowing viewers to see the inter-workings of certain areas of the campus, while at Texas State University, Facebook and Twitter have been incorporated as learning platforms.

Through social media, students and educators are generating large amounts of untapped data which has the potential to reveal algorithms that ultimately can assist in individualizing the learning experience. Universities hypothetically have the ability to use this information to increase the success and graduation rate for at-risk students.

While online learning has been seen as a realistic alternative to a traditional classroom setting for sometime now, there are still strides to be made in improving and integrating specific asynchronous and synchronous tools. Studies have shown that it is vital for professors and students to be able to interact while online through eye contact, body language and additional human gestures to build a strong unspoken connection.

For more information on emerging trends in technology, please contact Labyrinth Learning today.

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How Technology Is Changing the Higher Education Experience

How Technology Is Changing the Higher Education Experience

How Technology Is Changing the Higher Education ExperienceThe introduction of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) within the last several years has already begun to revolutionize higher education. Yet, among many educators, there is an ongoing battle concerning the integration of  technology in higher education versus a traditional classroom setting.

Due to the popularity of MOOCs, symposiums are being held all across the nation to discuss the viability of online learning as it relates to accessibility. MOOCs are now affording groundbreaking opportunities to people from all demographics, who are simply looking for easier ways to access higher education.

Stanford University has been at the forefront of testing and experimenting with technology in higher education. Because digital educational delivery mechanisms include the capacity to track, store and measure the effectiveness of MOOCs, Stanford began offering certain online courses and then analyzed the data amassed.

The ability to determine what sections of a classroom lecture were being repeated by the majority of participants alerted educators to review that segment and to conclude what, if any, changes needed to be implemented. Online courses require exact precision from both student and educator, realizing attention to detail must be paid and that gray areas can not be tolerated.

Other challenges detailed by the Stanford study are the ability to keep students engaged through online interpersonal communication. This include research on how to make this teaching method viable for smaller colleges with limited technology budgets.

Labyrinth Learning is here to keep you in the know on all the latest higher education technology. Please contact us today for more information.

Image Source: freedigitalphotos

Student on Laptop

Improving the Quality of Higher Education Through Digital Means

Student on Laptop The future has come to colleges all across the world in the form of digital technology. Nowadays, both students and professors are seeing how this new medium is improving the quality of higher education in real time.

  • Going digital has given educators the ability to determine and rate program efficiency through analysis of collected data. Student performance can be tracked, and the curriculum can be finely tuned, depending on what information these data cuts reveal.
  • While professors are often reluctant to begin an online teaching program because they feel it is not an effective time management experience, investing in the necessary hours at the beginning reduces time commitments in the future.
  • Online classrooms have the ability to assist in improving the quality of higher education in a larger group of students. For example, ESL students, who perhaps are having difficulty composing complex grammatically correct sentences, can begin the semester with a specialized interactive tool allowing them to learn at their own pace. This digital technology also gives the instructor the capacity to track each student’s individual progress.
  • With digital learning platforms, the potential is there to establish a more personalized interactive relationship. Everything from feedback about test scores to questions that a student needs answered can be responded to in real time.

Please connect with us today online or call 800-522-9746 for more information on the tools and assistance we offer at Labyrinth Learning. Our products can improve the quality of higher education in your classroom.

Image Source: freedigitalphotos