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We talked to educators teaching online classes in the fallout of the pandemic to find out about the learning curve for brick-and-mortar institutions shifting to the remote learning model, as well as challenges students and families face in pursuing education from home.

The 20s have started with a bang to be sure, with the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic forcing businesses and individuals to reconsider their practices and work habits. This was no less true for the online learning sector as it fielded an influx of students and educators aiming to stay connected for the duration of the pandemic.

Online classes are a great way for students to access learning opportunities around the globe. They have become an especially useful mode for learning as education providers turn to the industry to connect and communicate with students in the wake of school closures due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

One of the challenges with online education today is this kind of check-the-box mentality, where students may have the tendency to view their online education as a means to an end rather than a total learning experience. It’s hard to restrict education to the romance of the classroom. While I would count myself as one of the more hesitant traditionalists, I recognize the absolute need for flexible education today.

Medical science liaisons (MSL) play an increasingly important role in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies. But the Covid-19 pandemic is changing the way MSLs engage with physicians, as well as how they break into the profession. The predominant trend for both is increasing virtualization, with a heavy reliance on online resources.

U.S. Representatives Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware and Dr. Larry Bucshon of Indiana introduced H.R. 6791, draft legislation they call the “Artificial Intelligence Literacy Act.” In short, the bill would codify AI literacy as a key component of digital literacy, and create opportunities to integrate AI literacy into existing programs at the federal, state and local levels. The legislation defines AI literacy as an understanding of the technology’s fundamental principles, along with its applications, limitations, and ethical considerations

Could artificial intelligence have prolonged the five-month-old strike that’s shut down much of Boston University? Or, more specifically, did a dean’s recommendation—an emailed suggestion that professors use artificial intelligence to manage all the course discussion and lab sections left without striking teaching assistants—galvanize the union’s opposition?

While the initial jump into online learning following the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic outbreak in early 2020 was rushed, educators at many traditionally brick-and-mortar learning institutions responded by rapidly adapting lesson plans to swiftly move lessons online. And although distance learning pushed teachers and students to tap into different skill sets to succeed, the move was largely embraced by the public and popularized by big tech companies as new educational opportunities.

It’s part of the American Dream for new generations to achieve a higher standard of living than their parents. In practical economic terms, however, the increasingly educated labor force has presented some major issues, both from a business perspective and from an individual standpoint.

Vocational and technical training has long incorporated new developments to increase efficiency. Middle skills attained for new collar jobs will be at the forefront of discussion in 2020 and beyond. The North Carolina Community College System is a prime example of how community college initiatives bridge the middle skills gap.

Middle skills jobs fall within industries that are considered the foundation of the American economy—yet roles in these fields are increasingly going unfilled. One significant factor is the increasing number of students entering bachelor’s degree programs as opposed to alternative options, like associate’s programs or apprenticeships.

The Workforce Development Board for Central Ohio (WDBCO) operates job centers across the state that offer training, networking resources, and reskilling opportunities. Working through the Ohio Means Jobs Center of Columbus Franklin County (OMJCFC) and other agencies, WDBCO creates ever-evolving workforce solutions for job-seekers.

Following its launch in 2019, Calbright endured a rough start with a long period of slow growth. During those years, it survived numerous challenges from ardent adversaries who argued that the college should be defunded and closed.

Calbright is not designed to replicate a classroom, but to incorporate the technologies available now with the ability to be adapted as it improves. What else can we learn from the college’s innovative online education model?

On July 2, 2024, California’s Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 2370. This landmark legislation is designed to ensure that only qualified human instructors teach courses in the state’s community colleges—not generative artificial intelligence chatbots like ChatGPT.

A controversial new pilot program has started paying students by the hour to attend classes and study at California community colleges. What’s more, the program appears to pay students enrolled in online and hybrid courses and those enrolled in traditional, face-to-face campus classrooms.

OpenAI’s new artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT has received intense press coverage since its launch in November 2022. And with the release of its newest version known as GPT-4 only five months later, its developers are claiming some spectacular educational accomplishments. These jaw-dropping but so far unverified claims include 90th percentile scores on standardized tests like

We talked to professors teaching online classes in the fallout of the pandemic to find out about what learning game design online means for students’ classroom, internship, and career opportunities, as well as how they can get the most from their experiences.

Most people are aware of the gender gap in computer science and technology fields, with women just representing about one-fourth of the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workforce. Many are also under the impression that the proportion of women in STEM is growing, slowly but surely. However, data shows this rise hasn’t been enough to make a difference in the actual gender gap in these professions.

As a society, we need to continue to work on busting the myth that girls aren’t as mentally apt to math and science as boys. If you think this stereotype is behind us, just look at the data. In most countries, girls surpass boys in math. However, in the U.S., boys consistently outperform girls. This isn’t a biological difference in aptitude for mathematics and sciences—it’s a problematic cultural phenomenon.

Finance is still one of the most unequal sectors of the workforce with regards to gender. Women only make up 18 percent of finance professionals in the U.S., according to recent studies. This gap is much greater than science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), which encompasses several traditionally male-dominated fields that are now 50 percent female.

Although the gender diversity problem in STEM has been well-known for some time, it’s only recently that researchers have been able to pull back and see the big picture. Using its own enrollment data, Coursera has taken the lead on how this issue affects the American economy.

In the wake of Covid-19 and stay-at-home-orders, theater and performing arts students were among the nearly 1.1 billion learners across the globe affected by school closures, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Myths about cheating in online education persist because of a lack of information. The idea that cheating is unchecked in virtual classrooms is simply untrue. In fact, while there have been conflicting results from multiple studies done on the issue of cheating in online courses, there is little to suggest that cheating is more common in an online learning environment.

To help raise awareness about children’s mental health issues, the first full week of May is dedicated to Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week. This is an opportunity to spotlight children’s mental health and to increase public knowledge about current issues and how to treat them. “It’s important to take kids’ mental health seriously. Please don’t dismiss it as some kind of phase or a sign of weakness. It isn’t anyone’s fault,” urges Buskirk-Cohen.