Page 3 - Campus Technology, October 2017

Campus +Industr y TECHNOLOGY HAPPENINGS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
ALTERNATIVE CREDENTIALS.
A new digital marketplace dubbed Course Market is helping colleges and universities turn existing courses and content into certificates and digital credentials. Its goal: to streamline any institution’s ability to deliver modular course offerings that meet shifting learner and employer demands. A col- laborative effort among three education technology companies, Course Market combines iDesign’s design and pro- cessing support, Instructure’s learning management system technology and Credly’s credential technology, allow- ing institutions to: enroll students in continuing education programs; accept payments; deliver content; and issue digital badges or certificates, shareable via LinkedIn or Facebook. Read the full story online.
FREE COLLEGE. A free “on-ramp” to college has just opened. The Modern States Education Alliance, a philanthropy dedicated to making a college degree
Modern States courses are free, including digital textbooks.
more affordable and attainable, has posted a set of on-demand college classes that wannabe-students can take for no cost, including digital textbooks used in the courses. When they feel ready, those same students can take the College-Level Exam Program (CLEP) or Advanced Placement exams issued by the College Board to earn credit for their efforts. “Freshman Year for Free” credits are accepted by 2,900 U.S. institutions, according to the alliance. Read the full story online.
COMPUTING DEVICES DOWN.
Global shipments of personal computing devices are expected to decline slightly through 2021, at a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of -1.7 percent, according to the latest forecast from International Data Corp. The market segment includes both traditional PCs (desktops, notebooks and workstations) and tablets (slates and detachables). While the category will decline overall, some devices will experience more growth than others. Detachable tablets and convertible notebooks will see the biggest increase, with a five-year CAGR of more than 14 percent, while ultraslim notebooks are expected to grow 11.8 percent over the same period. Notebook PCs will see just 0.7 percent growth, IDC predicted. Read the full story online.
RURAL BROADBAND. The Federal Communications Commission recently announced that it would open an auction to address gaps in broadband services around the country. The Connect America
Fund Phase II auction (otherwise known as “Auction 903”) will award up to $198 mil- lion annually for 10 years to service provid- ers that commit to deliver 10 Mbps-caliber voice and broadband services to fixed locations in unserved high-cost areas. This project is mop-up work left from funding not issued in a previous Phase II competi- tive bidding process because none of the winners wanted it; it represents about 23 million people living in rural areas. The auc- tion is scheduled to begin in 2018. Read the full story online.
SIMPLIFYING ADMISSIONS. Students applying to multiple Indiana University campuses can now do so through a single application and fee. The “Apply to IU”
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CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY | October 2017
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