Technology

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Ghana: Education experts call for partnership between industry and academia

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Ghana/November 28, 2017/ Source: http://citifmonline.com

Experts in education at a high level panel discussion organised by the Association of African Universities (AAU), have called for strong partnership between industry and academia, to accelerate Ghana’s socioeconomic development.

The panelists said such a collaboration will enable universities get funding from industry, whereas industry gets the needed research from universities.

They expressed the hope that a strong collaboration between industry and universities, will also help prepare graduates adequately with the requisite skills for employment by industry.

The panelists included Professor Nicholas N. N. Nsowah-Nuamah, President, Regent University College of Science and Technology; Dr Eva Esther Shalin, the Associate Dean, Students Affairs and Collaboration, BlueCrest University College (GH) Limited; Mr Rizwan Ahmad, the Director, IPMC; and Mrs Eva Hazel, the Director of Tertiary Education, Ministry of Education.

The panel discussion forms part of the AAU week celebration on the theme “AAU@50: Achievements and Prospects for Sustainable Development in Africa”.

It was attended by participants from the Regent University College of Science and Technology, Bluecrest University College, University of Energy and Natural Resources and Koforidua Technical University.

Others are University of Professional Studies, Accra, Knutsford University College, IMPC, Accra Institute of Technology, Ghana Institute of Journalism, Anglican University College of Technology and Wisconsin International University College.

Prof Nsowah-Nuamah said in designing the syllabus for various schools, there is the need for universities to find out from industries whether the programmes they intend to run are in line with their needs.

He said in addition, the inputs of other stakeholders should be sought before the new programmes take off.

He urged the Government to come out with a new policy that would make industrial attachment compulsory for all tertiary education students; stating that at the moment, it was only the Technical Universities and the Polytechnics which were implementing such a policy.

Dr. Shalin urged industries to open their doors to the universities; adding that universities must be innovative and proactive.

She advised students to have mentors and be mindful that research was about global networking.

Mr. Ahmad called for a holistic approach in addressing the needs of education and industry.

Mrs. Hazel said the Ministry of Education was developing a new policy that would ensure that the syllabi of educational institutions, right from the kindergarten to the tertiary level, are related to industry.

She said the syllabi of educational institutions would be structured in such way that it would give people employable skills.

She said the Ministry would be coming out with a new policy to ensure that students actually benefit from industrial attachments.

Professor Etienne Ehouan Ehile, the Secretary-General of the AAU, reiterated the AAU’s commitment to partner with the right institutions in improving the quality of higher education in Africa, as demanded by its mandate.

“The AUU is further playing a key role in promoting and sustaining best practices across higher education institutions on the continent,” he said.

Source:

Education experts call for partnership between industry and academia

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India can learn from China, Turkey how to infuse technology in education: Intel

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India- China – Turkey/November 28, 2017/By:  IANS/Source: http://www.financialexpress.com

Technology can do wonders in providing a great educational experience and create a pool of talent for these disrupting technologies.

With emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data Analytics knocking at India’s doors, the country needs to sow the learning seeds early — in the classroom — and China and Turkey can show the way, top global Intel executives have said. The world has realised what is coming its way in the next 10-20 years and has already begun modernising classrooms at schools to prepare a technology-ready workforce. “The Chinese and Turkish authorities have given kids IoT-enabled devices in millions of schools. Every student has a device connected to an intelligent whiteboard at the front of the classroom. There are teacher-controlled devices too. The curriculum is designed for that kind of environment. This is the future of education,” Joe D. Jensen, Vice President, Internet of Things (IoT) Group, and General Manager, Retail Solutions Division at Intel, told IANS. “Intel has installed 400,000 IoT-enabled connected devices for schools in Turkey, a million-and-a half in Chinese schools and another million to go in China in the next two years,” Jensen informed.

Technology can do wonders in providing a great educational experience and create a pool of talent for these disrupting technologies. “In China, the newest innovation is that there are eight video cameras and a series of microphones in a classroom at certain private schools and colleges. The videos of the classroom activities are recorded daily. Parents can later log on and see the student-teacher interaction,” Jensen told IANS. For Lisa Davis, Vice President and General Manager, IT Transformation for Enterprise and Government at Intel, while India is at the cusp of dramatic changes in delivering next-generation education, it is also set to learn new ways to infuse technology in many other sectors. “Not just education, we are looking at the financial services, transportation, retail and health-care sectors too in India. The next big wave is coming in video surveillance and the security sector, and our teams are engaged with the stakeholders in the country,” Davis told IANS.

Intel has also pushed the envelope towards creating a modern workforce in India. In April this year, Intel made a commitment to democratise AI in the country by training 15,000 developers and engage with not just businesses but also the government and academia to enable the adoption of AI. Intel India has trained 9,500 developers, students and professors in the past six months. The chip giant has collaborated with 40 academic institutions that are using the technology for scientific research and 50 public and private organisations across e-commerce, health-care, technology, defence, and banking and financial services.

Intel India has also launched an initiative to strengthen the use of technology in the country’s education ecosystem. It is collaborating with leading device manufacturers, education digital content publishers and education solution providers to build end-to-end solutions that promote the use of technology. The company will then help deploy management solutions for schools, classrooms, content and learning, and also manage student information systems. There is an Intel India Maker Lab in Bengaluru to drive the innovation ecosystem in the country. The lab offers access to start-ups of hardware and software development kits, reference boards, design collaterals, test and debugging equipment. It provides technical support for design, development and testing products. “India is at the cusp of a technology boom, but needs training and teaching right from the beginning to prepare a future digital workforce,” Davis stressed.

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India can learn from China, Turkey how to infuse technology in education: Intel

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STEMming The Flow: What British Parents Value In Education

Pluma Invitada

By: Christopher Cederskog

Managing Director Europe for Wonder Workshop, creator of award-winning Dash & Dot robots

There are so many useless acronyms in the world that anyone would be forgiven for not knowing the meaning of most of them, but there is one important acronym that has been gaining momentum in global education in recent years: STEM. Despite the fact that the principle is now root and branch of the British educational system, 60% of parents don’t actually know what STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) stands for or means.

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics are now essentially what the ‘three Rs’ used to be. Reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic are as important now as they ever were, but while they used to be the pinnacle of achievement, they’re now the bare minimum; what employers, and wider society, are now looking for is STEM subjects. But, while more than two thirds (68%) of parents think that proficiency in tech is as necessary a life skill as budgeting or learning to cook, few of them seem to know what this means.

Traditionally, STEM have been viewed as masculine subjects. With the rare exception, girls ‘didn’t do’ science or engineering, technology, or even maths, despite the fact that in my school – and presumably very many others – some of the top performing students in these classes were girls. In primary school and high school, it was OK to shine, but once you got to tertiary education the engagement dropped off. Consequently, by 2014, only 12.8% of the STEM related workforce in the UK were female. And that figure hasn’t really increased in the last three years. Why? Not because of lack of inherent ability in females, but because of skewed perceptions: if society doesn’t deem these sectors as viable for women to work in, how incredibly difficult must it be for an individual to succeed, even in these times of perceived gender equality? And if your immediate role model doesn’t know enough about STEM to encourage, then it becomes more difficult still. As they say ‘You can’t be what you can’t see.’

 In recent research conducted by Wonder Workshop, it was revealed that despite so many parents paying lip-service to the importance of a technical education, when asked to value learning to code versus learning a new language, a massive 63.7% of parents of both boys and girls opted in favour of the language. The ironic thing being that coding is actually a language in and of itself, and one that is used globally, in practically every sector.

Of course, coding isn’t the only part of STEM, or even of a technical education – it’s just one of my personal areas of interest, which is why that figure caught my eye. But when you broaden the questions to take in technology as a whole, the main concern seems to be focussed on the amount of screen time a child should, or should not have, rather than what they’re doing with that time. Broaden the questions again, and ask about home engagement with all STEM-related toys, and only just over half (57.6%) of parents believed that STEM toys should be used outside of the classroom, while 42% said that their kids have STEM toys but they (the parents) sometimes don’t understand how to use them.

There are so many different decisions to be made when bringing up a child and so many priorities to balance, but if the UK is to succeed in holding its place among the world leaders, to forge a place among the technical elite, then children need to be given the opportunity to learn – and value – the skills that are being viewed as internationally important.

From doctors and vets to programmers and research scientists, STEM subjects open up a vast array of careers. And even if kids don’t go onto a career that uses STEM directly, the disciplines teach them problem solving and logic, and you can’t get far in life without those.

There are so many useless acronyms in the world that anyone would be forgiven for not knowing the meaning of most of them, but perhaps it’s time for parents to get to the root of STEM.

Christopher Cederskog is Managing Director Europe of Wonder Workshop

Source:

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/christopher-cederskog/stemming-the-flow-what-br_b_18455452.html

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Nigeria: Dangote Plans N200 Billion Technology Varsity for Abuja

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Nigeria/August 28, 2017/Allafrica

Resumen: El presidente y fundador de la Fundación Dangote, Aliko Dangote, ha reservado N200 millones de dólares para establecer una universidad de clase mundial en Abuja.

The President and Founder of Dangote Foundation, Aliko Dangote, has set aside N200 billion to establish a world-class  in Abuja.

Former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, NUC, Julius Okojie, who is the chairman of the technical team for the establishment of the university, said the foundation intended to drive technology and research in stimulating economic growth.

Okojie, who led his team to the current Executive Secretary of the commission, Abubakar Rasheed, said the proposed university was meant to be technology-driven and asked for the cooperation and support of the NUC towards the realisation of the goal.

According to a National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN, publication, the team, accompanied by the Chief Executive Officer, CEO of the foundation, Zouera Yousouffou, disclosed that Dangote’s desire was to float a unique university of technology with all the necessary infrastructure and best faculty members from across the globe.
Rasheed, who applauded the bold step, promised to offer all the needed assistance for the success of the project.

He, however, advised the team to reconsider its plan of establishing a university of technology to ‘a conventional university running all programmes but with specialty in the area of technology.’

The executive secretary, who underscored the advantages of the conventional university over the special one, said with the countless impacts on society by the business mogul, the project would be a success.

He asked the team to consult widely and look at the universities in Nigeria and abroad, with a view to creating a unique university that would be different in terms of quality in all its operations.

Fuente: http://allafrica.com/stories/201708250388.html

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The future of 3D printing in education

Simon Biggs

By: Simon Biggs

In the 1950s, the slide rule was the most commonly used classroom tool for mathematical and engineering calculation, but by the mid 1970s, the newer technology – the electronic scientific calculator – made the slide rule almost obsolete. Since then, there has been an explosion of new technologies hitting the classroom for engineering and mathematical learning including the computer, the iPad and more recently 3D printers.

3D printing is a well-established industrial technology for prototyping and manufacturing, particularly popular with the aerospace and defence sectors. Also known as additive manufacturing (AM), 3D printing is the process of making a solid 3D object from a digital computer aided design (CAD) file. The printer adds successive layers of material together until the final object has been created. This is different from traditional manufacturing methods like CNC machining, which removes material from a solid block using rotating tools or cutters.

3D printing is a rapid production method with minimal waste material. Its design flexibility means users can manufacture bespoke objects for a low cost. These advantages have made it increasingly popular as a production method in the manufacturing industry.

“Exciting and innovative projects are a simple way to keep pupils engaged in STEM subjects, which is a vital step forward in addressing the skills shortage”

Understanding and using this growing technology can benefit children’s learning, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects but also beyond these more traditional fields in music, design technology, history, geography and biology. In 2013, a pilot project introduced 3D printers into 21 schools to investigate learning through 3D printing. This project highlighted the need for robust training and good technical support for the widespread incorporation of 3D printing into the curriculum to be successful.

This project confirmed the potential for 3D printers as a teaching resource, providing that teachers can access adequate training for the technology. Many of the schools reported increased pupil motivation when engaged in 3D printing projects. Exciting and innovative projects are also a simple way to keep pupils engaged in STEM subjects, which is a vital step forward in addressing the STEM skills shortage. Since the pilot project in 2013, 3D printing has become more accessible and popular as a classroom technology.

The rise of 3D printers in schools

The increasing numbers of 3D printers in schools is not only due to the increasing recognition of 3D printing being a relevant and engaging educational tool, but also relates to the number and availability of low cost 3D printing machines. It is now possible for schools to buy a 3D printer for around £500, whereas previous versions were cost prohibitive. The decreasing price tag is drastically improving the technology’s pick up in the education sector.

Advances in resources available for teachers and other education professionals are also making 3D printing more widely accessible. Teachers can now download design software and access it via tablets and mobile phones. Easy tutorials for beginners are available for those without basic knowledge of the technology.

3D printing software is considerably more user friendly than it was two years ago, which makes it ideal for younger children to grasp. Innovative apps for mobile phones and tablets make it easy and efficient to create designs and send them to a 3D printer for production. These apps build up students’ skills using design platforms. However, the primary reason the technology is able to positively influence the learning process in design is the ability to learn through trial and error.

Developing new skills

Using 3D printing as a production method enables students and pupils to move from the conception of an idea to producing a physical object with relative ease. The technology provides the ability to produce a part quickly, which is an advantage for students learning about design, particularly the limitations and constraints of the different technologies. Interrogating a physical object can make it easier for pupils to spot mistakes in designs. This allows them to gain valuable problem solving skills in a creative, hands-on way; without the ability to print prototypes, it would be considerably more difficult for students to identify weaknesses in their designs and improve upon them.

In recent years, the price of consumer 3D printers has dropped as the market has expanded. This makes the purchase of a machine easier to justify in the education sector, but for those schools that feel unable to justify the cost of owning a 3D printer despite recognising the benefits it can offer to learning, a purchase is not always necessary. Facilities such as the Fabrication Development Centre (FDC) at the Renishaw Miskin site, near Cardiff, contains five 3D printers that local schools use during their design and technology lessons.

Believed to be the only facility of its kind in the UK that is attached to a manufacturing site, Renishaw’s FDC enriches pupils’ learning experience further by showing them how industrial metal additive manufacturing machines are made and used to produce medical devices and dentures within the co-located Healthcare Centre of Excellence. This gives students the opportunity to see Renishaw manufactured metal 3D printers in action — producing objects such as dental frameworks and facial implants. Students are able to relate their learning in the classroom with practical applications in industry, a link that may otherwise be difficult to grasp.

3D printing has a number of benefits to a wide range of school subject areas, from design and technology to physics and even model building for subjects such as biology and geography. A major hurdle to overcome in the education sector was mastering 3D printing machines. However, the emergence of simple software packages and the availability of online tutorials have greatly improved accessibility to the technology. With the reduction in cost of materials and printers, and schools’ focus on active learning and addressing the skills gap, it would be logical for 3D printers to become a widely used educational tool in years to come. Who knows, they might even prove as popular as the electronic calculator.

Source:

The future of 3D printing in education

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Is Online Education a Jobs Engine?

Pluma Invitada

By Joshua Kim

I like nothing better than getting things wrong. When we are wrong, we learn something.

So I interested to read a NYTimes piece on 7/10/17 on e-commerce, the tech sector, and job creation.

For a while now I’ve thought that the growth of online shopping is killing retail jobs, and that this trend would inevitably result in overall job losses as less the role of sales people and cashiers is eliminated.

But maybe I’ve been wrong.

And if online shopping is really a jobs engine, couldn’t online learning also be a job creator for educators?

The Times article summarizes research from Michael Mandel, chief economic strategist at the Progressive Policy Institute, that makes the case that online shopping has created more jobs than it has displaced in bricks-and-mortar retail stores.

According to Mandel, in the decade between 2007 to 2017 the e-commerce industry created 397,000 jobs in the United States. This compares to loss of 76,000 jobs in the traditional retail industry. Even better, the jobs created in e-commerce fulfillment – such as warehouse jobs – pay on average 30 percent more than retail positions.

The article is quick to point out that Mandel’s findings are controversial. It is difficult to assign job creation directly to the growth of e-commerce, as it is not always clear what tasks employees of Amazon or Google or other tech companies are assigned. Nor is it certain that warehouse job creation will not plateau, as productivity around online shipping grows as the sector grows, and as warehouses themselves become more automated.

Might online education be operating in some similar ways as online shopping?

How many good jobs in education have been created by the growth in online learning?

From 2002 to 2014 the number of students who took at least one online course rose from 1.6 million to 5.8 million. The bulk of all online learning programs are concentrated in non-profit institutions, accounting for over 2 million of the total 2.8 million enrolled in online only programs. From 2012 to 2014 the percentage of 4-year schools offering online degree programs rose from 46 percent to 59 percent.

Has anyone counted the number of jobs, and what types of jobs, that the growth in online education has created?

Conventional wisdom would hold that online learning has the potential to displace full-time residential faculty with contingent online instructors. But is this really true?

Many schools that I know of draw their online faculty from the same pool of full-time and tenure-track/tenured faculty as their residential programs – as well as from the same pool of part-time and adjunct faculty teaching in-person.  If anything, I’ve seen online learning offer more opportunities for teaching gigs for all higher ed teachers.

Has anyone been able to count the number of instructional design and other non-faculty educator jobs that have been created by the growth of online education?  Quality online programs require a team approach to course development.  Faculty (subject matter experts) are paired with experts in learning design and technology.

The indirect impact of online learning on higher education employment may also be under-appreciated.  I’d like to see some national level data on the revenue impact of online programs on the budgets of non-profit institutions.  How much cross-subsidization of residential programs is occurring from online units?  How many higher ed jobs have been saved or created by profitable online units?

Where would one start in unpacking the higher education employment impact of online education?

Can we interest Michael Mandel and the Progressive Policy Institute in taking up this question?

Is this a question that WCET, OLC, EDUCAUSE, or the National Council for Online Education could answer?

When have you been wrong lately?

Source:

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/online-education-jobs-engine

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China Distance Education Hldgs : CDEL Announces Strategic Investment in Beijing Ruida

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China/July 11, 2017/Source: http://www.4-traders.com

China Distance Education Holdings Limited (NYSE: DL) (‘CDEL’, or the ‘Company’), a leading provider of online education and value-added services for professionals and corporate clients in China, today announced that it signed a definitive agreement to acquire 40% equity interest in Beijing Ruida Chengtai Education Technology Co., Ltd. (‘Beijing Ruida’), a leading provider of exam preparation services for participants in China’s national judicial examination, for a total consideration of RMB192 million ($28.3 million), subject to adjustments under certain pre-agreed conditions. In addition, CDEL has the right, at its option, to further increase its equity interest in Beijing Ruida up to 60% before April 2019 under certain pre-agreed conditions. The acquisition of 40% equity interest in Beijing Ruida is an all-cash transaction, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017.

Mr. Zhengdong Zhu, Chairman and CEO of CDEL, said, ‘Our investment in Beijing Ruida is ideally aligned with our strategy to build industry-leading comprehensive lifelong education verticals. With this investment we immediately strengthen our legal education vertical by adding a prominent national judicial exam preparation provider to our portfolio of education services.’ Mr. Zhu added, ‘Beijing Ruida has enjoyed impressive growth since being launched last year due to its highly acclaimed instructors, best-of-breed educational content, and innovative new media marketing strategy. We welcome the Beijing Ruida team to the CDEL platform.’

Mr. Fengke Liu, Founder and Chairman of Beijing Ruida, said, ‘We are delighted to have CDEL as our strategic investor. CDEL and Beijing Ruida share the common goal of providing high-quality education services to help professionals advance in their careers. We believe our focus on delivering high-quality educational content and services for participants in China’s national judicial examination will further complement CDEL’s broad array of industry-leading exam preparation services.’

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but instead are predictions about future events. Future events are inherently uncertain, and our forward-looking statements may turn out to be incorrect. The Company may not realize the anticipated benefits of the investment in Beijing Ruida. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required by law.

About Beijing Ruida

Founded in 2016, Beijing Ruida was established by eight highly acclaimed instructors in China’s legal education industry. Beijing Ruida provides exam preparation services and products, including proprietary books and reference materials, for participants in China’s national judicial examination. Beijing Ruida delivers services and products at six campuses in China (Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen) as well as through its online platform and a nationwide network of education partners.

About China Distance Education Holdings Limited

China Distance Education Holdings Limited is a leading provider of online education and value-added services for professionals and corporate clients in China. The courses offered by the Company through its websites are designed to help professionals seeking to obtain and maintain professional licenses and to enhance their job skills through our professional development courses in China in the areas of accounting, healthcare, engineering & construction, and other industries. The Company also offers professional education courses for participants in the national judicial examination, online test preparation courses for self-taught learners pursuing higher education diplomas or degrees, test preparation courses for university students intending to take the nationwide graduate school entrance exam, practical accounting training courses for college students and working professionals, as well as online language courses and third-party developed online courses. In addition, the Company provides business services to corporate clients, including but not limited to tax advisory and accounting outsourcing services. For further information, please visit http://ir.cdeledu.com

Source:

http://www.4-traders.com/CHINA-DISTANCE-EDUCATION-3860988/news/China-Distance-Education-Hldgs-CDEL-Announces-Strategic-Investment-in-Beijing-Ruida-24725738/

 

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