WGU Labs

College students are weary. Among the more disturbing trends to accelerate during and persist beyond the pandemic is the decline in student well-being. According to many studies, students have become more stressed and less socially engaged. However, researchers have identified a sense of belonging as a key protective factor against the stressors caused by the pandemic. This year, we surveyed 359 faculty members from six institutions to find out the faculty perspective on belonging in the classroom. Our data revealed four key takeaways: 👭 87% of faculty believe it is important to ensure that all students feel like they belong at their institution 🏫 75% of faculty received training on implementing inclusive practices in the classroom  👩🏫 Women faculty are ten percentage points more likely than men to take steps to increase students’ belonging and tailor their instructional approaches for diverse learners 💻 Faculty that reported most looking forward to a tech-enabled future for education were also most likely to value cultivating belonging in the learning environment. Find the full research brief on our site: https://lnkd.in/guzisMHn

We found that many faculty are pessimistic about the future of higher education in our latest EdTech report. Nearly two-thirds (64%) reported that technology makes it difficult for them to take a break from their work, and 41% reported burnout, which was correlated with tech fatigue. Discover our three suggestions for improving the faculty experience in this article from University Business: https://lnkd.in/e8rRevxr

ICYMI: Last month, we published new research on the faculty and student experience with EdTech, shared preliminary insights from our AI pilots, and welcomed our latest Accelerator client, CodeSignal. Catch up with the monthly digest ⬇

“If students are using AI to cheat, perhaps the ultimate blame lies not in the technology but in the education model,” writes WGU Labs Senior Learning Experience Designer Tadd Farmer, Ph.D. in our latest blog post. A competency-based education (CBE) model establishes clear connections between classroom learning and workplace expectations, minimizing students’ desire to cheat. “This observation isn't merely theoretical. We have observed that CBE students pause or stop their use of AI when they perceive it as being ‘too helpful.’ In our user testing, students expressed concern about relying too heavily on a tool they would either be unable to use on the course assessment (enabling them to pass the course) or would inhibit their skill development for their future careers.” https://lnkd.in/gWVrr5g2

In our latest Faculty EdTech Survey, we found that less than one-third of faculty believe higher education is headed in the right direction. That perception appears to be impacted by teaching modality. Only 20% of faculty teaching face-to-face agreed that higher education was headed in the right direction, compared to over 42% of faculty teaching online asynchronously. Further, over 45% of faculty teaching face-to-face believed the value of higher education will decrease and that students will have lower quality education experiences in the future, compared to less than 31% of faculty teaching online asynchronously. Faculty working in online asynchronous formats may have more experience in a tech-enabled learning environment, which allows them to see the benefits of this direction of higher education compared to faculty teaching in more traditional face-to-face formats. It is also possible that working in fully online educational systems built to support tech-enabled learning allowed these faculty to easily learn and become comfortable with teaching in a more tech-enabled format. Find the full report on our site: https://lnkd.in/d3RdGrBU

Mitigating AI hallucinations is crucial for the success of tutoring bots that aim to improve student outcomes. Two researchers from University of California, Berkeley, recently published the results of an experiment in which they successfully reduced ChatGPT’s instructional errors to near zero in algebra. While there are still challenges to overcome, such as low engagement with these tools, the results show promise for scaling 1:1 tutoring. Read more about the research via The Hechinger Report https://lnkd.in/gUADfH7Z

AI has made it easier than ever for a transactional higher education experience — students can simply outsource their assignments to ChatGPT while professors can likewise outsource the assessment of those assignments to ChatGPT. As a result, we must fundamentally rethink how teaching and learning are done, argues Professor Dan Sarofian-Butin for EDUCAUSE. Of course, most faculty believe college is about more than the mere transfer of knowledge from teacher to learner. It’s about the act of learning — and the critical thinking skills that are developed along the way. But this is where many teachers fall short. Sarofian-Butin acknowledges that professors have long struggled to show their students why college really matters. “If college is about helping students to think critically, then the research is clear that we need to do three specific things in the classroom: foster dialogue, engage in authentic instruction, and provide individualized mentorship. We have already moved into a learning-centered model where dialogue and authentic high-impact practices have become commonplace. Yet, and this is the key, researchers note that ‘mentoring may serve in a catalytic capacity’ for such critical thinking. Mentorship is exactly where mass education has always fallen short. How am I supposed to mentor a room of twenty or two hundred students individually? I can't. Until now. ChatGPT can serve as a real-time ubiquitous tutor and mentor.” By embracing ChatGPT, Sarofian-Butin posits, we may finally be able to achieve a personalized, learner-centered model of education at scale. https://lnkd.in/gA-zmA8k

Meet WGU Labs, the nonprofit EdTech consulting, incubation, research, and design arm of Western Governors University. We're proud to call them one of our #EDTECHWEEK 2024 sponsors. Be sure to join Jason Levin, Executive Director at WGU Labs, at our Navigating Career Pathways Shark Tank at #EDTECHWEEK 2024. Thank you, WGU Labs for your involvement in this year’s festival! #newyorkcity #festival #edtech #aiineducation #conference #civichall

“Time poverty” — the concept that some students, especially those from under-resourced communities, have less time for their studies — can explain major differences in student outcomes, according to a new The City University of New York study. The research underscores how time poverty is often the result of structural inequities in higher education: “Black women had the least time for college of any group. Compared with the group with the most time — Asian and Pacific Islander men — Black women had, on average, 24 fewer hours per week to devote to their studies. However, both groups spent the same amount of time on college. How is this possible? Black, Hispanic, and women students sacrificed an even greater proportion of their free time — time left over after paid work, housework, and child care — on college than their peers. The average total time Black women spent on college as well as paid and unpaid work was 75 hours per week, or equivalent to more than two full-time jobs.” According to Claire Wladis, one of the report’s authors who broke down the findings for The Conversation US, on-campus childcare, and better wraparound support to cover basic needs expenses beyond tuition are needed to ensure opportunity for all. https://lnkd.in/gkz2xhYT

Today, I’m looking forward to a future where 1 million lives will have been changed through pathways to opportunity at Western Governors University. In our relatively short 27 years, 340,000 individuals have earned competency-based degrees and certificates, applying their innate talents and skills learned through life and work to their educational journeys. But through the recognition that tens of millions of individuals are still unable to access education, we know we must continue to innovate and meet individuals where they are. To reinvent pathways to opportunity, we must ensure they are relevant to the world of work. To that end, I’m happy to announce today that WGU is committing to further innovating and scaling work-based learning pathways. To accelerate that endeavor, we have acquired Craft Education System, a leading #edtech company specializing in apprentice-based programs. Craft's innovative platform facilitates on-the-job training aligned with degree programs and work-ready skills that will enable WGU to scale new programs and activate more of America’s diverse talent into opportunity. The personalization of learning is just that – it’s personal. Whether gaining expertise through formal education programs, personal instruction, on-the-job training, or online learning, there are so many ways in which individuals acquire knowledge, skill, and ability. As we continue to lead the way in integrating these diverse modalities and learning pathways, I am excited about a future where untapped talent is not only activated and rewarded but also seamlessly connected with employers to fulfill their strategic workforce needs. If you’d like to read more, I’m including a link to the press release in the comments. I’d also be curious to hear your ideas on the future of bridging education and the workforce.