24 JANUARY – Business education initiatives are rapidly adapting to the demands of modern employees. A recent Ladders report found that over a quarter of professional jobs in the US will be fully remote by the end of the year. This trajectory is compounded by the current industry standard of employees with basic digital skills training, everywhere from administration to cyber-security.

These factors, which are essential in developing a prepared workforce, are what businesses are struggling to integrate into their education programs. A 2014 survey from DecisionWire found, amongst one-million employees from various fields, that nearly one-third of line-level managers felt that they lacked the information required to do their job effectively. In contrast, 78% of mid-level managers said they did have the required information. These findings highlight a discrepancy of knowledge when it comes to internal business practices.

Intellum, a business education solution for customers, employees, and partners, recently launched the Intellum Framework. A step-by-step process, which provides a foundation for companies to enact their education strategy.

The Framework was developed by Intellum CEO Chip Ramsey’s trialed and tested methodology. It is composed of three guided exercises that focus on a company’s key performance indicators: goals, audiences, and content. The worksheets work by relying on buildable objectives for each section, from what problem needs to be solved, to what education initiative or resources are being put in place. Let’s say a company is experiencing a declining customer renewal rate. The Framework guides them through an exercise of identifying what audiences impact that problem and what educational initiatives can help those audiences make positive changes to achieve the goal of having happier, more engaged customers who want to renew.

eLearning Inside spoke to the Chief Strategy Officer and VP of Education Strategy, Vicky Kennedy, about the development and purpose of Intellum Framework.

“In 2019 Chip (Ramsey) had done a lot of work with the methodology itself and worked with different clients to demonstrate why a repeatable procedure can create successful educational programs with meaningful impact. I was part of the client side so I was part of that whole process of giving feedback and homing in on this methodology. This includes: making sure you have a business goal, that you understand your audience and you’ve identified audience needs and learner personas, and that you have the right resources in place to do all this because educational programs require unique resources that other types of content issues don’t. It’s different from a marketing content initiative, it requires its own unique resources.”

When all three worksheets are completed, a final mapping worksheet is done to piece all the objectives together and provide a cohesive action plan for the company’s education program.

“We look at each initiative from the perspective of achieving a goal,” said Kennedy. “We map it all together at the end, so we say “this audience member participated in this certification, and they passed with an 85% score, and because of that they renewed their contract for six months. We start telling that story with education, and that’s what the Framework does. Bring it all together so we can actually see the story we’re trying to tell and make sure that everyone is on the same page to work towards the same goal.”

Intellum Framework was trialed on Kennedy’s own team to see whether the Framework created a positive change.

“I actually went through the exercise with my own team as an initial practice and it was quite interesting to see how it’s not just about filling in this sheet, it’s not just an academic exercise. It forces a lot of conversation around “what is the goal here, how did these two programs work together, how did these two audiences interact and what are we trying to achieve with this.” I used that conversation as kind of a framework to the Framework. As we rolled it out with different clients it’s kind of the same phenomenon where you see that it’s not just filling out a worksheet but it’s really sparking conversation around business goals.”

Kennedy goes on to discuss the main purpose of this exercise is to help companies prioritize their goals. “Business goals are the most important thing. It’s the first thing that we recognized in the methodology, to make sure that you are actually achieving ROI with education, and going back to my L&D examples, it makes things a little clearer for businesses, who are focused on educating employees and want to see a change in employee performance.”

Intellum is partnered with a catalog of industry giants, including Google, Amazon, and Mailchimp. The gap for upskilling employees remains wide, with 1-in-3 Americans having the potential to access higher-paid jobs with the right to skills training. Intellum Framework has the potential to be a game-changing tool for mass-scale employee education.

Featured image: Intellum.

The post Supporting Employees in the Changing Business World: Intellum Framework appeared first on eLearningInside News.

DECEMBER 29 – The number of reported cyber incidents in K-12 schools and districts in the U.S. stands at 1180. Covid-19 and the introduction of remote and hybrid learning have only made cybercrime more frequent and sophisticated in the education sector. In the past 30 days, Microsoft Security Intelligence has seen 8,253,516 devices in the education industry encounter malware, making education the largest affected industry in front of retail, healthcare, and high-tech.  That number will only increase in the new year.

The K-12 Cybersecurity Act of 2021 was passed by President Biden on October 8th. This legislation comes as a direct response to the growing rise in ransomware and data breaches occurring in K-12 education, as found by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

From the day of its passing, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is to conduct a 120-day study into the specific risks impacting K-12 institutions.

60 days after the study, the director will develop a list of recommendations, including cybersecurity guidelines designed to assist K-12 institutions with potential crimes.

120 days after this, the director will then develop an online training toolkit for K-12 superintendents and officials, both to inform them of the recommendations of the study and to provide strategies on how to implement those recommendations.

Last year, the K-12 Security Information Exchange (K-12 SIX) reported the types of incidents and growing threats present in 2020. Cybercrimes included: Data breaches, class invasions/denial of service, ransomware, and phishing. Such common incidents occurring recently range from holding personal student information for ransom to hijacking a superintendent’s board meeting to project racial slurs.

One explosive incident occurred in March with Buffalo Public Schools, where hackers were able to shut down classes for days, steal sensitive student and employee information, and destroy vital school records. This attack resulted in a $10 million pay-out. A recent exclusive found that IT staff were cautious of an attack months prior, but due to bad judgment and an absent cyber insurance policy, they failed to stop the attack.

The transition into hybrid working has shifted the priorities of IT staff and cybersecurity managers, creating a brittle environment in which they have little experience of working. These attacks have followed a distinct pattern, in which specific types of cybercrime have been identified. The range and scope of these incidents have also been tracked across America.

A team of researchers at CompariTech studied data breaches in U.S. schools across 15 years. The highest number of recorded breaches were found in Nevada with 717,626 exposed records.

Districts most affected included Washoe County (114,000) and Clark County (559,487), both were hit by the Pearson data breach, as were many around the U.S. Regarding ransomware attacks, CompariTech found Nevada again to be the most affected, followed by Texas, Virginia, and Maryland. From both data breaches and ransomware attacks, big school districts have been affected the most by cybercrime.

Dr. Hanine Salem, a managing director at Novus Consulting Group (NCG), who has over 20 years’ worth of experience in public-sector development, explains what types of schools are most exposed to these incidents. “According to research from the K12 Security Information Exchange: larger school districts are at a significantly greater risk for experiencing a cyber incident than other types of school districts, as are school districts located in more densely populated parts of the county. It reports that there are a few reasons that might explain this pattern. First, larger school districts manage more technology devices and systems than smaller enrollment districts and have more students and employees using that technology. Smaller enrollment translates to offering a smaller threat profile to malicious actors and a lower chance of being affected by user actions (whether intentional or by mistake). Second, incidents that occur in smaller school districts may be less likely to become publicly disclosed than in larger, more urban school districts.”

Interestingly CompariTech found no incidents of breaches in Wyoming. According to Governing, Wyoming has one of the smallest numbers of school districts (48), and lowest student enrollments (92,563). These numbers are in parallel to high-risk states like California and Arizona, which were hit the hardest with data breaches. Their total number of districts are (941) and (226), respectively.

There is a clear pattern indicating that schools and districts that deal with a larger number of students, thus larger volumes of information, are most affected by cybercrime.

Dr. Hanine Salem explains how schools are not doing enough to protect and inform students about the cybercrime affecting them.

“With federal funding as a result of COVID, right now, schools have a unique opportunity to pay for training courses like the Cyber Citizenship course.” Said Dr. Salem. “If a school, is improving cybersecurity to better meet the educational and other needs of students related to preventing, preparing for, or responding to COVID-19, it may use Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) funds.”

NCG’s Cyber Citizenship course was designed to teach students the fundamentals of cyber security and how to stay safe online when using technology. Non-governmental cybersecurity platforms have been tirelessly providing online resources and information on cybersecurity since before the pandemic, and have only been developing their services. K-12 SIX has their K-12 Cybersecurity Resource Center, which provides an up-to-date map of recorded cybercrime incidents in K-12 schools, and a cybersecurity self-assessment service intended for K-12 IT and cybersecurity managers. Fortinet and Dell Technologies also provide cybersecurity software and information for K-12 schools and districts, with solutions for network and cloud security. Along with these companies, there are numerous courses available online concerning K-12 cybersecurity and how to stay safe online from Coursera to Udemy.

EdTech companies are holding the fort for both assisting schools with their security and teaching students about cybercrime.

“Students need to learn to be their own best defense against cybercriminals. Children and youth are often considered to be soft targets, mainly because they have not yet been trained on basic cybersecurity subjects and ways to protect themselves and their devices, making them an easy gateway into the more valuable home and school devices and networks.” Said Dr. Salem.

The results of the CISA director’s study will be revealed in early 2022. With a large amount of information and resources available online from EdTech companies and organizations, the government can provide K-12 schools with a stronger line of defense from recurring cybercrime.

Featured Image: Mikhail Nilov. 

The post The K-12 Cybersecurity Act of 2021 and The State of Cyber Crime in Education appeared first on eLearningInside News.

DECEMBER 6 – At the height of the pandemic, online learning was essential in keeping schools up and running on a remote basis. According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2020, nearly 93% of households with school-age children reported some form of distanced learning, with 80% of that being online. Flexpoint Education Cloud, an online learning provider, helped school districts across the US train over 14,000 educators, amounting to more than 500 hours worth of live professional development (PD).

The Florida-based company has been operating for over 20 years in providing learning materials for schools to create kindergarten to K-12 level learning programs. This is coupled with their catalog of over 180 online learning courses which can be customized to various state standards. With this background, the company has pinpointed several training topics teachers are most eager to learn, from leveraging LMS to keeping students engaged.

A 2021 Survey from Educators for Excellence found that 67% of teachers learned ways to integrate technology into their teaching and plan on carrying this on after the pandemic.

Personalized learning is a big issue that can be tackled through online tools. Teachers are looking at how best to utilize their learning management systems to create customized interactions with their students, according to Brooke Bess, the National Training Manager for Flexpoint. When training teachers in their PD sessions, Flexpoint uses a variety of visualization techniques that help educators transfer the activities they implement in a traditional brick-and-mortar classroom, to an online classroom setting. These activities are translated into the LMS, e.g. creating a digital homeroom that students can go to before logging on to their classes.

Bess goes into further detail about how LMS can be used by teachers, “we helped a group of science teachers build out a science fair project in their learning management system for students to participate in. We partnered with them to identify the assets and resources they wanted to include in the project and trained them on how to use the tools in the learning management system to create an engaging scientific inquiry experience for their students.”

Since 2018, Flexpoint has also been offering online learning courses for elementary school and pre-kindergarten teachers called Littlest Learners, which helps young students with learning online.

The Littlest Learners series contain multiple courses adapted for online learning, from their Emerging Readers course to their Littlest Mathematician course. Similar to the K-12 training sessions, teachers are taught how to implement LMS into their learning activities, and how best to plan and track the programs they deliver to their students. Also, like older students, young learners too benefit from connection and building a relationship with their teachers. This, in part, helps students become more engaged with their work.

“We show elementary teachers how to take their tried-and-true best practices from the physical classroom, and evolve them into fun and engaging activities for their students online,” Says Brooke Bess, when describing the type of training offered to kindergarten and elementary school teachers specifically. “Sometimes it looks like a “lunch bunch” so that teachers and students have more time to interact outside of lessons or teachers doing a science experiment that involves making a mess of their kitchen while their students laugh in Zoom. The engagement comes from the connections and relationships that the teachers make with their students.”

Flexpoint is also part of the Florida Virtual School (FLVS), a fully accredited statewide school district, providing tuition-free part-time and full-time online learning platforms. Students outside of Florida can also benefit from FLVS with the Global School.

The stress of the pandemic provided even more incentive for Flexpoint to extend online learning materials to hard-to-reach places. In early 2020, the company partnered with the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development (AK DEED), to create its first statewide virtual school. Alaska is home to some of the most rural school districts in the US, where teachers from small schools tend to teach across multiple subjects and grade levels.

Deborah Meyer, the Senior Director at Flexpoint, went into further detail about the importance of a virtual schooling platform for such remote learning environments in Alaska. “The COVID-19 pandemic hit, forcing school closures and requiring AK DEED to press fast forward on their plans for Alaska’s first statewide virtual school. With no time to spare, we partnered with AK DEED to launch Alaska State Virtual School in March 2020, two years ahead of schedule. We also licensed our digital curriculum with more than 180 courses and hosted intensive teacher training for more than 190 Alaskan teachers who wanted to help as many of their students as possible by teaching online during the pandemic. By partnering with AK DEED, we were able to establish a Kindergarten-12th grade virtual school to ensure equity and opportunity for all their students.”

With a virtual school, parents from hard-to-reach areas in America can enroll their children outside their designated state school, expanding their options for education.

A recent Flexpoint survey found that 75% of parents believe that online learning does help their children learn new skills which they would not otherwise learn in traditional teaching.

Meyer goes on to cement the ethos of Flexpoint, explaining how the importance of online learning and training extends past the immediate needs of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our goal is to be able to help even more educators deliver the right learning experience so their students can succeed – whether they are new to online learning and are looking for best practices or have experience with online teaching and want new and innovative techniques to use in the classroom.”

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FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich.- Gale, a Cengage company, has partnered with social and emotional learning (SEL) innovator IMAGO, to launch an online SEL and career readiness platform, Gale Presents: Imago. The video-based platform, covering content from cognitive flexibility to convergent thinking, will be available to K-12 schools and curriculums across the country. With a focus on soft skills development, the learning tool will be used to improve emotional intelligence and social skills among young learners.

“As a society, we haven’t always prioritized personal health and well-being preventively, and we are still helping to normalize mental wellness intervention.” Said Lemma Shomali, a senior director of product management and strategy for domestic learning at Gale. “Gale Presents: Imago will help schools achieve both for their students. The lessons included on the platform will help users understand that wellness, health, and emotional well-being are as critical to developing skills and habits as other “academic” skills, like reading and writing.”

A 2019 psychological study, found among 450 employees of various enterprises, that there was a significant positive effect emotional intelligence had on job performance and satisfaction, which lowered the chances of burnout.

The study also provided evidence showing how high levels of emotional intelligence can act as a competitive advantage for employees. A further study conducted by TalentSMartEQ found among employees of various sectors and levels, that 90% of top performers were high in emotional intelligence, with a higher average income per year.

Gale Presents: Imago is designed to facilitate both synchronous and asynchronous lessons with a wide range of accessibility, so students can access their content at any time, anywhere.

The platform also includes family wellness lessons, which focus on areas such as loneliness, anger, and grief.

“What our partnership with Gale can best control is providing individuals and families with the knowledge, language, mindsets, and emotional intelligence skills to use in their lives and model it in their circles. A healthy home is made with healthy habits.” Said Spencer Wallace, Head of Growth at IMAGO. “Family wellness lessons are a product of the unfortunately frequent school district response to crises such as wildfires in California that annually are closing schools and displacing families. Provided free to families, these wellness lessons are a tool to support well-being in schools and beyond.”

Career readiness is an essential conversation for students. Career counselor Jonie Watanabe Tsuji stressed the importance of starting conversations early for young learners and giving them the space to figure out what they want to do outside of academia. “To me, career readiness is a student who has a good sense of him/herself and is willing to listen and have a conversation about the world of work,” Tsuji explained.

On the purpose of Gale Presents: Imago, Wallace says, “our mission is to embed social and emotional learning into every aspect of the human experience to equip students with the critical skills and knowledge for workforce readiness, success, and beyond.”

Though currently available only on K-12 curriculums, IMAGO has mentioned that they are interested in collaboration and looking into expanding Gale Presents: Imago to a higher education audience.

Featured Image: Gale, A Cengage Company. 

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BENGALURU, INDIA – The world’s largest education technology unicorn, BJYU’s, has launched its new innovation hub, BJYU’s Lab. The company, known best for its online learning platform BJYU’s Future School, launched the product on November 9th, in its continued effort for global market expansion. This innovation hub, based out of the UK, the US, and India, makes use of EdTech’s newest and most sought-after technologies, from augmented reality and artificial intelligence (AI), to computer vision capabilities and gamification.

Dev Roy, Chief Innovation and Learning Officer of BYJU’S said, “The role of online learning is not just to replicate offline classes in digital space but to make it more interactive, engaging, and personalized.

Roy continues: “By combining the ability of computing, technology, and data, we at BYJU’S Lab, want to explore the power of information and technology to create more personalized, enhanced, and democratized learning. As a global company, we are looking to harness a global talent pool to build innovative tools and leverage new technologies to positively impact the learning experiences of children across the world. As we continue to grow and experiment, we will operate at the intersection of business and technology to make innovation real and relevant for our end customers. We are looking at strengthening our team and look forward to working with bright and curious minds to transform the way children learn,” he added.

BJYU has amassed over 100 million online students, 6.5 million of which are paid subscribers, across its learning products.

It’s most popular of which, BJYU’s Future School and BJUY’s Exam Prep have found users from Indonesia to Mexico. BJYU’s products cover a range of educational topics and modes of learning, from classes in coding and maths to vocational exam preparation in banking and law. With an already strong education base, the launch of BJYU’s LAB will see the company incorporate the use of new technology into its learning products.

BJYU’s is currently valued at $18 billion, recently securing $1.2 billion via a term loan from the overseas market, raising much more than its projected $700 million. The company’s buying portfolio has attributed to much of its growing success. BJYU’s acquired AR-focused EdTech company Osmo for $120 million in 2019, as well as the online reading platform Epic for $500 million. From partnering with European and US investors, and securing the $1.2 billion in funding, BJYU’s is looking to expand through further acquisitions. The innovation lab is an effort to cement its reach in the overseas EdTech market.

BJYU’s is also shifting its focus to tech engineers and industry professionals. For BJYU’s Lab, the company is looking to hire machine learning and AI experts from the UK, US, and India. This ensemble of new professionals will work, according to BJYU’s, “to make technology transparent for the user and harness it in a way that tech-enabled education can reach the largest number of people.”

Featured Image: Julia M Cameron, Pexels. 

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The E-rate funding application window is expected to open in January 2022. Officially known as the Universal Service Schools and Libraries Program, E-rate supports eligible K-12 schools and libraries across America with access to affordable telecommunications and information services. For the program, participants must carry out a competitive bidding process where they select the most cost-effective companies to provide the goods and services they requested.

The challenges brought about by the pandemic and remote/hybrid learning, have highlighted the main issues and resources needed by education institutions. From network connectivity to cybersecurity, schools and libraries have more insight than ever to invest in resources that strengthen their online reach to their students, wherever they are situated.

Though the window is opening soon, the E-rate bidding season has yet to pick up. According to E-rate compliance services firm, Funds for Learning, though most competitive bids will be posted later on in the year, schools and libraries will fair better by starting early with the bidding process. According to the firm’s research, a key contributor in E-rate delivering faster connection speeds at low costs is the increase in competition in Form 470 competitive bidding process.

As someone not so familiar with the E-Rate bidding, how does the E-rate process work?

The bidding process is designed to increase competition and lower costs. Once an eligible school or library determines what telecommunications goods or services it needs, it files Form 470, and possibly a request for a proposal (RFP). These forms provide a specific, detailed description of what the school or library is looking for, and serve as the formal request for competitive bids. Vendors review the requests and submit bids, outlining how their specific products and services can best support school and library needs. Schools and libraries then select the vendor they want to work with and apply to the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) for purchase approval.

Why is E-Rate so important for schools and libraries, and why should they prioritize it when looking into new technology?

Technology touches every part of our lives, and that’s a trend that shows no signs of slowing down or reversing. Schools and libraries can use the internet, apps, IoT devices, and more to give students unique learning experiences, make research and studying easier, and prepare them for future careers. E-Rate makes even the latest technologies affordable for any school or library.

COVID has naturally made an impact on E-Rate bidding, the count of Form 470s is lower than it has been in recent years. Why do you think there has been a steady decline in applications?

I think many eligible schools and libraries aren’t aware of how many technologies can be purchased using E-Rate. In the beginning, E-Rate was largely seen as a great way to bring high-speed WiFi to schools, and it is, but there are so many more products and services available that can help students, teachers, librarians, administrators, and staff. I think we need to do a better job sharing that information.

Has COVID highlighted anything specifically in bidding behavior?

The government realized the additional burden that was suddenly put on the IT staff, and allowed additional time for certain forms.

There are a variety of technology offerings and solutions available to schools right now. What kinds of technology do you think schools and libraries should be investing in? Especially during this time of remote and hybrid learning?

It’s important to keep students and all library users connected and engaged – with each other, with teachers, and with the world. Technologies that support that – whether by improving the WiFi, providing apps or VR simulations for an out-of-the-classroom experience, or more – are a good investment.

It’s also critical for schools and libraries to have remote access to their WiFi networks, so any technology that provides that is key right now. With remote access, IT can analyze, troubleshoot, and optimize networks even if teams are unable to be onsite. This keeps everything running smoothly, and makes sure that end-users (students, staff, teachers, etc.) have uninterrupted access to everything that depends on the WiFi – which is a lot.

Schools and libraries will currently be in the process of planning their bids. From previous years, what factors should they consider before making their bids, and how should they best prepare for this season?

Ideally, they all have access to historical network data and can see how network behavior and performance have changed over time. This includes the performance of connected devices and infrastructure. This data helps decision-makers predict future needs, which is great when it comes to preparing E-Rate bids. If anyone doesn’t already have access to that data, I recommend taking a month to gather as many data points as possible from the entire network, and then use that information to decide what goods and services are most needed.

Is there anything schools and libraries should avoid when placing bids/sending applications during the E-Rate process?

E-Rate is a time-based process, so the sooner one can start the better it is. Our recommendation is to not wait until the last minute to submit Form 470/471. There is a 28-days waiting period after Form 470 has been submitted. Similarly, there is a deadline to submit Form 486. On the process side, it is always a good idea to state “equivalent products are acceptable”, to allow an open bidding process, and prevent PIA queries.

It is very important to choose not only the right Category under which a selected product or service belongs but also the correct “Service Type”. Having either of these incorrect can result in funding request denial from USAC. Since USAC does not allow amendments to a Form 470 that has already been submitted, it is often good practice to reference an RFP linked externally, even if it is an empty one. Some changes can be indicated via an RFP amendment.

Why is WiFi automation necessary, and how do you get Wifi Automation technology through E-Rate?

School and library WiFi networks often consist of hundreds of devices – everything from access points to laptops, projectors, printers, thermostats, and more. These devices send thousands of data packets a second, and those packets have the information that IT needs to understand network health and behavior. It’s impossible for a human to analyze that much data, identify issues and their root causes, and resolve them in real-time, yet, that’s exactly what is needed for reliable, optimized WiFi. This is why WiFi Automation is necessary.

WiFi Automation platforms automate the analytics process. Depending on the platform, they can keep eyes on the entire network ecosystem 24/7, automatically alert IT to any issues, and provide actionable resolutions for quick troubleshooting, often before end-users are affected. This saves schools and libraries significant amounts of time and money. Wyebot’s Wireless Intelligence Platform is an award-winning, vendor agnostic WiFi Automation platform and it is E-Rate eligible.

Is there anything else you’d like to mention which I have not covered?

In case there is a need to amend a Form 470, one would need to submit a new Form 470. A commonly-used trick is to use a nickname, and then later change the nickname to “Cancelled”. This will indicate to bidding vendors to respond to the correct/updated Form 470.

Featured Image: SCREEN POST, Unsplash. 

The post E-Rate Bidding Process Open: What Should Schools Prepare For? appeared first on eLearningInside News.

Webflow, the no-code web-design platform, has recently announced that it will be offering its services for free to all students. Last month, the company made the move to provide a free annual CMS site plan to help students build a strong design portfolio, without the barrier of affordability or specialized coding skills. The unique no-code feature has proven successful amongst users and investors, with Webflow having raised over $200 million in funding, valuing the company at $2.1 billion as of 2021.

“The web is an essential part of learning and expression–and for too long, it’s been too hard for too many to harness the web’s full power. Webflow’s mission is to remove barriers for anyone to build for the web and by offering Webflow free to students we’re dramatically expanding access to a modern platform to boost student studies,” said Vlad Magdalin, the CEO of Webflow. “We’ve already seen incredible websites built by students at Carnegie Mellon, California College for the Arts, Dartmouth, Purdue, and more–and we can’t wait to see what students will build next.”

Webflow worked with the students on the Masters in Human-Computer Interaction (MHCI) program at Carnegie Mellon, surveying the design portfolios the students managed to develop with the platform. eLearning Inside caught up with the program coordinator of MHCI, Jennifer McPherson, who talked about their experience with Webflow:

When were you first introduced to Webflow? Was there a particular project you needed it for?

I was first introduced to Webflow in April 2019 when some of my team came to me and asked if they could purchase a lite version of Webflow to build their project website.

Were you familiar with web design or website builders before using Webflow?

Yes, I was familiar with website building prior to Webflow; several of my students had been building websites for many years leading up to the switch.

Webflow gives people the ability to learn and share their work with other people, do you think this community-building aspect is encouraging for those who have never tried web design before?

Absolutely! In the case of our particular program, we have found that using Webflow has encouraged all team members to get involved in the platform. It’s been nice because we often have students working in teams of five or more, and Webflow enables them to work together.

The site includes tips on SEO, advanced CMS, and customizing domains, all design features which are essential to running a website today. How accessible has Webflow made these features? Are you comfortable using them?

Webflow’s tips across features have made the platform super accessible, easy to deploy, and test quickly. Many of my students like using Webflow because of the ease of accessibility and features.

Before starting any project, Webflow asks users a series of questions to personalize their experience of using the platform. Does this make web design easier to navigate, especially for beginners who may not know what they want to build?

Absolutely! Our students come from a variety of technical backgrounds. Some have extensive experience while others don’t have any. Webflow has made it easy for students to create their websites using templates and used the other tips provided to build out their websites to their liking.

The stand-out feature of Webflow is its capability of building and managing a website without the use of code. Has this omission been helpful to you? Will it encourage those intimidated by web design to try it out?

Yes, the low and no code features have been a game-changer! As part of our program, my students have a required portfolio as well as a website for their capstone projects. Webflow has made it easier for a team with less technical knowledge to create a website with ease. And again, students are able to deploy it and test it quickly, make changes, deploy and test again!

Is there something Webflow can offer to people who already have experience in web design and coding? would it provide a different approach for them?

From my experience, the students with more technical experience have still used Webflow because of its ease of creating, deploying, and being able to host a website directly with the platform. Webflow has allowed those students to create complex websites and portfolios while taking away the stress of web designing and coding.

There are website builders similar to Webflow, like Wix and Squarespace. What makes Webflow different from them?

Webflow’s mission is to democratize building for the web and I’ve seen that as a primary focus when it comes to education, especially now with their free offering for students. Through our partnership, Webflow has continued to make investments in its product to better help users. Webflow facilitates the creation and support of completely customizable immersive web experiences.

Are there any design features the site hasn’t included that you would like to see?

So far, Webflow’s design features have covered everything that I’m looking for from an educator standpoint.

Is there anything else you would like to mention about Webflow?

Webflow has been a great collaborator! I have worked with Webflow for the last several years to get my current and former students access to the tool. I’ve had so many students create their professional portfolio using the tool, as well as their capstone website in which they talk about their client-sponsored project for the spring and summer semesters.

Part of my role for our program is to seek tools the students wish to use and try to build relationships with those companies and tools as a way to provide the students with a wide range of tools they’ll use during their one-year professional program and hopefully beyond that as well. Webflow has been a great partner in this endeavor.

Featured Image: Brooke Cagle, Unsplash

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From universities to corporate offices, learning management systems (LMS) have become an essential tool for people who want to share and distribute information online. CYPHER LEARNING, a leading provider of learning platforms across multiple mediums, has re-invented the way we use LMS, prioritizing user accessibility and retention.

Early last month, CYPHER LEARNING launched a range of new features for its suite of learning management systems, this includes its new graphical dashboard system for administrators, teachers, and students, the dark mode feature, and their site-wide surveys feature. These additions came fresh from their previous LMS updates, one of which is their integration with the popular payment service YooMoney.

We caught up with the CEO of CYPHER LEARNING, Graham Glass, to discuss the new developments of the company’s LMS.

“A lot of the learning management systems are pretty clunky, they’ve got tons of features, but when you log into them, it’s like 1980 or something,” said Glass. “We wanted to build something that was like the Apple of LMS […] we wanted to do a consumer product, but at the same time a very deep, very rich feature set. So we spent a lot of time on the user interface design of our product.”

CYPHER LEARNING’s LMS operates beyond the education sector. They provide LMS to universities and schools with NEO LMS, businesses with MATRIX LMS, and most uniquely, entrepreneurs with INDIE LMS, which the company is planning to invest more into in 2022. When discussing the different LMS, Glass explained how users across all sectors are looking for more accessible ways to share, and that even though NEO, MATRIX, and INDIE cater to different audiences, what attracts them to LMS are many of the same features.

“I was predicting that K-12 would love gamification the most followed by higher education followed by business and it’s actually the opposite way round,” said Glass when discussing which demographic responded most vehemently toward the LMS user interface.

Gamification is becoming an important factor in learning management systems, and online learning as a whole. Systems like Blackboard and, most recently Microsoft SharePoint have taken further measures the embed game mechanics into their products, as it has shown to drive user engagement. A report from Fortune Business Insights, which forecasts the trends in the LMS market for the next seven years, highlights the driving force for success in LMS is with platforms that give users the ability to “administer, report, track and automate the process of online learning courses.” This is why many organizations and companies, as the report lays out, have adopted LMS platforms to implement online learning methods.

MATRIX LMS has been adopted by businesses across America, from retail chain COSTCO to personal care brand Dermologica. Earlier this year, CYPHER LEARNING managed to secure a $40 million growth equity round from Invictus Growth Partners, marking their first outside financing.

Talking further on the mechanics of the LMS and their appeal, Glass explained, “if you use automation and gamification and some of the other features that are built into our platform, it’s almost like you are a moviemaker, you can script out the adventure that your students are going to have with your course, and you can make it so your course really surprises and delights. It’s not a boring thing anymore.”

According to a recent report by Adroit Market Research, CYPHER LEARNING is a key player in the international Corporate Learning Management System marketplace

The learning provider currently hosts over a million users across 20,000 organizations, their LMS specifically, supports 40 languages. The worldwide reach of CYPHER LEARNING is due in part to their focus on giving users a sense of community. As Glass puts it, by expanding to 25 offices around the world and providing an automatic translation feature for all LMS, users “in Poland or Malaysia or the Philippines if they want to select a learning platform, the fact that we actually have an office in their country, we speak their language, we know their customs, we adapt to their local pricing, all that kind of stuff, it’s really appealing to them.”

This push in international reach and scope in features are CYPHER LEARNING’s effort at creating an LMS which can operate on all levels, so users do not have to work outside the system to carry out necessary tasks. LMS which do not adapt to the needs of users in terms of accessibility and ease, rarely fair well with their audience. It is with this incentive that CYPHER LEARNING has developed the features it has, from their survey feature, or their in-system report card feature, a new NEO feature more typical of student information systems (SIS). Glass has mentioned this new addition will be launching in the coming weeks. The inclusion of adaptable features is important for LMS, especially at the height of remote and hybrid learning, as it eliminates the need of using different tools to complete an otherwise simple task, like filing report cards.

LMS as a Learning Companion

Developing LMS with multi-functionality and an acute focus on personalization pushes toward CYPHER LEARNING’s biggest goal for 2022.

“So one of the things we’re doing with NEO is that we’re incorporating matching learning and artificial intelligence so that NEO is going to become an active learning assistant. So if you are a student and you learning biology at school, or you’re in a large company and you are in technical support, and you’re doing various courses, our site is going to give you recommendations on how to improve your learning goals. We’re are also going to allow students to include their own learning goals, and we’re going to allow tutors and teachers to include learning goals on behalf of the students. Our learning platforms are going to be like this intelligence platform which is going to start helping people proactively on their learning journey.”

CYPHER LEARNING, much like its competitors, is in a constant state of innovation and improvement. The push toward an AI-backed system is a new development in the EdTech sector and one which proves most in line with the LMS 2021-2028 market report. Whether it be synchronous in-person learning or asynchronous remote learning, CYPHER LEARNING is leading a growing trend among LMS providers, in making learning management systems the first point of directory for learning and working online.

Featured Image: Van Tay Media, Unsplash 

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The past three years have highlighted the growing reliance students have on online learning platforms, accelerating our use of both training sites to learning management systems. The catalyst of COVID has seen an explosion in the EdTech sector, according to Grand View Research’s 2021 report, the market size was estimated at USD 89.49 billion in 2020, and is expecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of almost 20% from 2021 to 2028. With all this attention from investors, it is important to remember the audience of EdTech companies and the fundamental communication needed with them for online learning to work. The Institute For Education Innovation (IEI) consists of over 60 of the nation’s most innovative superintendents, who are dedicated to working with education technology providers to make learning more engaging and accessible to K-12 learners.

eLearning Inside connected with CEO of IEI Doug Roberts to talk about the fresh insight superintendents bring to the EdTech conversation and the launch of the organization’s Supes’s Choice Award:

You mention on your website how due to COVID your organization had to transition to smaller, more virtual, events and meetings. How has COVID changed the landscape of K-12 education, both for students and education bodies?

A: While at-home learning works well for some, and flexibility in learning modalities is important, there is broad recognition that students need to be in schools.

There is a lot of talk about “learning recovery,” but superintendents aren’t looking back — they’re looking ahead and focused on meeting the needs of their students and families where they are now. That requires flexibility, adaptability, and innovative thinking — qualities our superintendents demonstrated manifestly throughout the pandemic.

In addition to instruction, school districts are increasingly being asked to provide a multitude of services to students and their families, including social, professional, medical, counseling, mental health, dental, and food services. The more roles we ask our schools to play, the more critical they become.

The pandemic also changed the relationship between school districts and technology providers. EdTech companies have done an incredible job of rolling out solutions for the many challenges brought about by the pandemic. But at the same time, there is still a disconnect between some of the technology being offered to school districts and the solutions they actually need.

What do superintendents bring to the EdTech conversation? Do they represent perspectives lacking in other areas of the field?

A: The pandemic demonstrated how dedicated, adaptable, and entrepreneurial the nation’s superintendents are. They know their districts better than anyone and can offer valuable insights to solution providers about use cases, the feasibility of business models, and implementation plans. Superintendents understand the classroom, the procurement process, the budget, and the politics of the boards and communities they serve.

At the Institute for Education Innovation (IEI), my role is to bring together education technology providers and superintendents to engage in constructive problem-solving and innovative thinking around technology in schools. Companies, investors, or philanthropists considering rolling out a new education solution can come to IEI, meet our superintendents, get feedback on their idea, and hear from superintendents about their districts’ particular needs. Entrepreneurs and executives seeking to scale up or continue to grow their existing services or solutions can work with IEI to grow their relationships with some of the nation’s most innovative district leaders

Are there any online learning platforms that have stood out to you during the pandemic?

A: The pandemic was a reminder that one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to technology. Every school district has unique challenges that require specific solutions. School is ultimately an engagement system, so whatever tools can best support that critical engagement between teacher and student, is the technology that’s most needed.

That said, we have seen a rise in the number of solutions providing direct instruction to students and those helping districts manage multiple platforms for digital instruction. The pandemic exposed that our industry has produced a wide variety of high-quality solutions and services, but districts were left to connect dots among a disconnected patchwork of independent solutions. IEI hopes to lead the charge to galvanize the EdTech industry around the needs of districts through the leadership of some of the nation’s most forward-thinking superintendents.

You recently launched the Supes’ Choice Awards, what features do you look for in a good EdTech product?

A: Each school district has unique needs and the technology required to meet those needs will vary. What works well for one school district won’t necessarily work well for another, depending on its demographics, location, size, culture, etc. It can be difficult for superintendents to weed through the many emails they receive from well-intentioned solution providers, and it can be just as difficult for those companies to understand the needs of the districts they are pitching.

Edtech companies often make the mistake of overthinking features before they have spent time listening to superintendents about what their school districts need. IEI superintendents don’t look for features. They look for partners. The younger the company, the more priority they place on the people who started and run the company. You may not have figured it all out yet, but if you bring your product team onto a

Zoom with a district leadership team to scope out a potential new feature or report, you’ll earn a district’s partnership for several years. The “features” that IEI superintendents look for are humility, an ability to listen, and an unrelenting commitment to the students they serve.

That’s why IEI launched the Supes’ Choice Awards — to give EdTech companies of all sizes an opportunity to have their products reviewed by school district superintendents and receive valuable feedback about what a good product looks like for their district.

Supes’ Choice Awards uniquely offers feedback to all entrants, not just the winners. There are 15 categories that companies can enter (and companies can enter multiple categories), including Innovator of the Year, Best Pivot on a Dime, Equity and Anti-Racism Champion, and STEM/STEAM Instructional Solution. Entries are due October 30.

In parallel, what features do you think EdTech companies should avoid when developing their products?

A: What superintendents prefer, and what works best, is when companies engage with school districts about their individual needs and specific challenges, rather than just pushing the latest product or “kitchen sink” solution on them. These two-way conversations, which IEI helps to facilitate, unfortunately, don’t happen often enough but can provide tremendous value for both parties.

There are no silver bullets, so if you pitch one, the conversation is over before it starts. And the surest way to get ignored by district leaders is to email them that you have a solution for “learning loss.” That’s a red flag that you are not listening to what districts need.

What do you think EdTech companies should be paying attention to when it comes to what students need from online learning?

A: While it’s great that companies are working on solutions to support virtual and remote instruction, the core of the K-12 experience still occurs within the “four walls” of a classroom at the direction of a trusted classroom teacher. Solutions that seek to support students outside of the school day should include opportunities to engage classroom teachers.

It’s also really important that all solution providers pay attention to equity in not only their business models and use case designs, but in staffing their leadership teams. Districts increasingly want to work with providers whose teams look like the students they serve.

What new advancements in EdTech are you looking forward to/ keeping an eye out for in the future.

A: My hope is that EdTech companies will do a better job of engaging with the districts they are doing business with in order to learn more about their specific challenges and needs and then invest in technology to address those needs. There is too often a disconnect between the products being created and the actual needs of a school district. Focus less on features and focus more on people. The way to build your business is not by building features, it’s by building relationships. That’s what we do at IEI.

Featured Image: Compare Fibre, Unsplash

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October 13th – leading digital skills developer Penn Foster announced that it will be combining with Carrus, one of the biggest healthcare training providers in America, to develop an affordable middle-skills training program in the healthcare sector. The venture looks to combat the growing shortage of experienced healthcare workers in the US, a discrepancy that has only been aggravated by the demands of COVID-19.

By 2025, the shortage of healthcare workers will reach over 500,000, from home health aides to nurse practitioners, a Mercer HPA report found.

The shortage in the healthcare field has not been new. Yet, the onslaught of the pandemic has caused an immense strain on already overworked staff. A Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that at least a third of frontline healthcare workers have considered leaving the profession. The American Hospital Association highlights that a big reason for this outlook lies in the lack of staff and appropriate training needed to deal with the current demands of the field.  

“We’ve seen firsthand the rapid shift in the labor force that has left more and more middle-skill workers behind. Healthcare jobs are among the most in-demand and evolving in the economy and it’s crucial we address this issue now by providing workers with the tools and knowledge to meet employers’ ever-changing needs,” said Misty Frost, CEO of Carrus. 

Carrus provides custom learning programs for workers, both starting out and currently in the healthcare industry, who need medical expertise on medical policy, procedures, and methods of care. Penn Foster provides online skills training for a range of professions, it is a vocations-based service for working learners who require specific skills. This merger represents Penn Foster’s further expansion into the healthcare sector. 

The combined company will serve more than 400,000 enrollees per year with 115,000 participating in its healthcare training vertical, making it one of the largest skills-based training platforms in the country.

Together, Penn Foster and Carrus will enhance the healthcare training process with data science and technology. They also aim to facilitate access to a variety of careers in the industry, from medical billing and coding to pharmacy technicians and medical assistants.

Frank Britt, CEO of Penn Foster, said in a statement, “we have long admired Carrus, a company whose values, mission, and culture mirror our own. Together we will create greater value for employers by connecting them with highly trained employees entering the job market in ‘hard to staff for’ areas, while also providing learners with accessible, high quality, skills-based training, and placement services to ensure a seamless transition to the workforce.”

In March of this year, Penn Foster acquired Sokanu, the creator behind CareerExplorer, the popular career navigator used by job seekers when searching for a profession that matches their expertise. The new merger will utilize CareerExplorer to build personalized learning plans around the career options they recommend.

Penn Foster is an educational technology company bridging the gap between education and economic opportunity to build tomorrow’s workforce. We partner with employers, education and workforce organizations, and local community groups to design and deliver digital and blended learning programs that attract, upskill, and retain workers in America’s fastest-growing fields and professions. Together with Carrus, Penn Foster helps more than 400,000 individuals each year discover pathways to opportunity through accredited diploma, certificate, and degree programs that matter in the world of work. For more information, visit https://www.pennfoster.edu.

Carrus delivers quality, trusted healthcare learning content, continuing education, and certification management to new learners, healthcare professionals, and institutions through an integrated technology platform that provides the most seamless healthcare learning experience possible. In 25+ years, Carrus—through its CareerStep and CareerCert divisions—has trained over 150,000 learners for new careers, partnered with more than 150 colleges and universities nationwide, and educated more than 100,000 healthcare professionals.

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