USC, Condé Nast and WIRED launch master of integrated design, business and technology degree(USC, 1 Oct 2014) – The University of Southern California, Condé Nast and WIRED announced a partnership on Oct. 1, 2014, to create a new online master’s degree in Integrated Design, Business and Technology. The partnership creates an unprecedented learning experience, combining the expertise of the editors, writers, and designers at WIRED with the academic rigor of USC, a leading research university known for its pioneering interdisciplinary programs. The aim of the 18-24 month degree is to educate creative thinkers and technologists to better equip them to transform the world of industry and enterprise. The first cohort is scheduled to begin in the 2015-2016 academic year.

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Expanding your online pedagogy toolkit (InsideHigherEd, 22 April 2014) – Next-generation online learning differs from last generation e-learning in six distinct ways. First , it is scalable. New instructional support models-including coaches and peer mentors- allow online courses that are not MOOCs to effectively reach many more students in the past. Second , it is personalized. It offers multiple learning pathways tailored to student learning styles, needs, and interests. Just-in-time remediation and enrichment are embedded and content reflects students’ learning goals. Third , it is outcomes-oriented. Mastery of explicit learning objectives, including content and skills, represents its aim. Fourth , it is data-driven. Learning analytics provide students, instructors, coaches, and advisers with dashboards that signal student progress and problems in real time. Fifth , it is social and interactive. Building on the notion of learning as a social process, next-generation online courses encourage student involvement in communities of practice and in personal learning networks, where they have opportunities to collaborate, test ideas, and motivate and assist one another. Six[th] , and perhaps most importantly, it is activity oriented. Next-generation online learning involves challenges, inquiry, and problem solving. Students, individually and in small groups, have opportunities to learn by doing. Depending on the nature of the course, they might engage in hypothesis formulation and testing, data analysis, or constructing and applying rubrics. Simulations, in particular, give students opportunities to mimic professional practice and exercise real-world skills. Here are a series of techniques that you might use to build essential student skills, promote social interaction, and encourage active learning in an online environment * * *

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Treasury Dept. issues license on exchange with Iran (InsideHigherEd, 21 March 2014) – The U.S. Department of Treasury on Thursday issued a general license allowing accredited U.S. universities to enter into academic exchange agreements with Iranian universities and permitting the export of some educational services, including university entrance examinations. The guidance also permits American universities and their contractors to enroll Iranian students in certain online undergraduate-level courses, including massive open online courses, or MOOCs. In January, Inside Higher Ed reported that the U.S. government had blocked access to the MOOC provider Coursera for individuals in Iran and other economically sanctioned nations.

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