The 2016 Digital Study Trends Survey

According to the 2016 Digital Study Trends Survey, an annual survey of students (in 2016 there were 3,311 students, ranging from freshmen to PhDs) about 22 % of students said smartphones and other mobile devices are “extremely important” to studying (in 2014 there were only 13%). Other findings:

  • A majority of students said technology makes studying more accessible (82%), helps them earn better grades (81 percent) and improves their focus (62%).
  • Cost remains a barrier to technology use. About 39% said they would buy technology not required for a course, even if it was recommended.
  • The laptop remains a #1 device for studying; 90% of students said the device is extremely or very helpful, easily “beating” professors and teaching assistants (72%), textbooks (67 %), and learning management systems (63%). The full report is available here.

Study: Student, Faculty Views on Digital Materials

Quality of  materials and affordability will play a major role in adoption of digital materials. More details ate in the study done by by the market research firm Penn Schoen Berland and education company Pearson.  About 80% of the 1,000 students and 200 faculty members surveyed said they believe digital course materials will supplant physical textbooks in the future.

UN Considers Proposal on Goals and Indicators for Educational System Outcomes and Equity

…”This report on measuring educational outcomes and equity from UNESCO is quite ground-breaking for the breadth and approaches toward identifying indicators for educational outcomes”.

The post is available at iNACOL and the UNESCO report Thematic Indicators to Monitor the Education 2030 Agenda: Technical Advisory Group Proposal is published as well.  17 goals and 169 indicators!

Horizon Report App Makes Higher Ed Trend Data More Accessible

New Media Consortium developed an app “transforms the NMC Horizon Report: 2016 Higher Education Edition from a static, 56-page PDF into an engaging tool complete with video and embedded links.

“The interactive features really set this apart from the traditional PDF and certainly print or web,” said Lorenzo Vallone, senior vice president of the company that designed the app, in an interview with EdScoop.

The new design allows policymakers and college and university faculty to drill down into the report findings, which include a list of the six technology trends impacting higher education.”

More here.

The app is available in the Google Play store or on iTunes, where it’s available for smartphones and tablets.

Report: Using Ed Tech to Boost Development of Social-Emotional Learning Skills

“Educational technology can help students develop social and emotional learning skills such as collaboration, communication and problem solving, which are critical factors for success in the 21st century job market, according to a new report from the World Economic Forum, prepared in collaboration with The Boston Consulting Group”. Full version of the report New Vision for Education: Fostering Social and Emotional Learning through Technology is available online.

Marzano’s 13 best practices for teaching strategies and behaviors

Though a post about Marzano’s 13 best practices for teaching strategies and behaviors proven to increase student achievement is complied for secondary education, many of these practices are applicable for higher education as well. Who can argues with these:

  1. Communicating course/assignment rules and procedures
  2. Providing students with all materials needed to complete an assignment
  3. Clearly presenting the goal/objective for each assignment.

Get the rest together with the implementation tips and challenges here.