Higher Ed Institutions Adopt Modern IT Strategies to Keep Up with Technology’s Evolution andy.viano_f0js Thu, 09/05/2024 - 17:17 Technology has always evolved quickly, but we’ve seen a rapid escalation in that evolution in the past few years as tools such as artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) devices continue to gain traction across industries. In higher education, many of these tools are not only useful in the classroom and the back office, they’re also technologies that students will see in the workforce. If higher education institutions are going to prepare the next gener ..read more

Universities Embrace Quantum Computing andy.viano_f0js Wed, 08/28/2024 - 11:58 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has a long-standing reputation as a leader among scientific and technological research universities. And now, as of April, it has another feather in its cap: RPI is the first college anywhere to host an IBM quantum computer. The university, in upstate New York, unveiled the device — the IBM Quantum System One — in a computer center that once served as a Catholic community chapel. The system is housed in an enormous glass cube just a few feet away from a wall of stained glass windows ..read more

Which Classroom Technologies Do College Students Actually Like? andy.viano_f0js Wed, 08/21/2024 - 14:12 Four years after a wave of classroom technology investments, many higher education institutions are taking a step back to analyze their results. Of all the tools and strategies they implemented, which ones have earned their keep by improving outcomes and enhancing the student experience? In the process, institutions are parsing insights into students’ needs and preferences in the post-pandemic landscape. A McKinsey study of eight learning technologies found the most significant increase in ..read more

Best Practices for Creating an Innovative Learning Space in a University Setting mol.doak_ffaa Tue, 08/06/2024 - 12:36 Oregon State University’s Learning Innovation Center (LINC), a four-story classroom building, opened its doors in fall 2015. The shared campus classroom seats 2,300 students across 15 general-use spaces, with an additional 640 informal seats on the periphery for individual and group work. Its classrooms provide a diversity of designs that include both traditional and innovative styles of floor plans. These include two 72-seat active-learning “Scale Up” classroom studios, shor ..read more

Higher Ed Reimagined: Device Program Equips Students for the Future Shenandoah University gives every incoming undergraduate student an Apple MacBook Pro, iPad and Apple Pencil through its iMLearning program. Not only are these devices useful learning tools that students will use throughout their time at the university, they’re also the devices many students will see in the workforce. Matthew Neal, a graduate of Shenandoah’s music production and recording technology program, shared how access to these Apple products impacted his time at college, as well as how the skills gained from using the ..read more

How Universities Can Use Tech to Recruit Students mol.doak_ffaa Wed, 07/31/2024 - 13:17 Colleges and universities have spent more than $1 billion on educational technology since 2020, making enormous investments focused on improving the quality of remote learning and eventually expanding into student tech, campus safety tools and much more. The cash came, for the most part, from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, a multibillion dollar allocation from the federal government that was necessary to allow learning to continue and was critical to keeping many institutions afloat through un ..read more

Can Printers Be Part of a Higher Ed Sustainability Program? mol.doak_ffaa Wed, 07/17/2024 - 09:14 Sustainability efforts are not a new concept, but printers aren’t often thought of as part of those efforts. Instead, campaigns might focus on recycling, reducing waste or increasing remote work to cut down on staff commuting to campus. “People tend to believe that sustainability is only about the environment, and they forget that it is also about society and the economy,” says Noelle Peutat, global strategic sustainability lead for HP’s large-format printing business unit. Given that discrepancy ..read more

What Is Spatial Computing’s Future in Higher Education? andy.viano_f0js Tue, 07/09/2024 - 14:12 There’s been buzz around spatial computing since Apple released its Vision Pro advanced mixed reality headset, but the concept is not new. It refers to the blending of the physical and digital worlds, an umbrella term for virtual, augmented and mixed reality technologies, all of which have been used in higher education for many years. The concept of spatial computing simply means “you’re interacting with digital content in an immersive fashion. The content surrounds you. You feel really present in ..read more

Can Higher Education Do Good with Decommissioned Devices? mol.doak_ffaa Tue, 06/25/2024 - 10:28 Successful higher education institutions are an ingrained part of their communities. They draw students from the surrounding area, their faculty and staff make their homes nearby, they host events ranging from sports to music and theater that bring scores of local residents to campus, and they contribute tangibly and intangibly to the betterment of the region. It’s not always easy, however. University administrators are well aware of the potential pitfalls of community outreach, whether political ..read more

Future-Proofing Classroom Audiovisual Equipment mol.doak_ffaa Tue, 05/28/2024 - 14:53 Today’s educational spaces are designed for digital learning. Zoom- and Microsoft Teams-enabled rooms with ceiling microphones, large touch-screen displays and powerful, reliable connectivity have replaced the traditional classrooms of the 20th century. That evolution was already underway when remote and hybrid learning entered the lexicon four years ago. Unfortunately, there’s no crystal ball to help predict what classrooms will look like over the next few decades. But those institutions that are tackling w ..read more