OLDaily

How Dx Powers the Post-Pandemic Institution
EDUCAUSE, 2021/09/22

This recent initiative and roadmap from Educause is based on the concept of Digital Transformation (Dx). It includes a strategy design framework (slides) and ongoing conversation around the challenges created by the need for a digital strategy. There's also a checklist and self-assessment tool for institutions (more). The strategy itself is a straightforward planning model that begins with 'Purpose' (why are you undertaking the process), the context and input (sometimes called the 'drivers', but not here), desired outcomes and outputs, and then finally inputs (or resources). I think the main contribution here is the rebranding of 'x' to mean 'transformation' (instead of 'additional' or 'extra', as in EdX or TEDx).

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Possible Actions to Operationalize the UNESCO OER Recommendation
Cable Green, Google Docs, 2021/09/22

The UNESCO Recommendations on Open Educational Resources (OER) (covered here; my response), adopted in late 2019, have helped guide work internationally on OER in the years since. This document, shared during the Creative Commons Open Education Platform meeting, outlines strategies to put the recommendations into practice. There's a lot there; there are detailed suggestions for both governmental initiatives and institutional initiatives over its 14 pages.

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An Artificial Neural Network (ANN)-Based Learning Agent for Classifying Learning Styles in Self-Regulated Smart Learning Environment
Yusufu Gambo, Muhammad Zeeshan Shakir, International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 2021/09/22

"Every student learns and processes information differently, mainly due to their behavioral or cultural differences." To me, it would be surprising if this were not true. Despite the repeated assertions in several quarters that there are no such things as learning styles, research on them continues to be published. In this article the authors use an artificial neural network (ANN) to identify individuals' learning styles based on their work. It's not the first such study, and I expect that future data mining research will continue to find differences in the way students study and learn. And if studies continue to find them it becomes absurd to continue saying they don't exist. The best that can be said, I think, is that knowledge of learning styles is not relevant to instructional design or selection of learning materials. The authors report that "the findings of this study are now being used in the development of a self-regulated smart learning environment to support students learning experiences." So even these latter assertions become more difficult to sustain.

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Crowdsourced U: designing a university in 60 minutes or less
Gary Guadagnolo, WonkHe, 2021/09/22

This is an interesting thought experiment, though of course a large part of the outcome is defined in the question (designing a university) and in the participants (100 attendees at a session at Wonkfest), and even more so in the design prompts. So it's utterly no surprise that in the resulting university, "services will be outsourced in some form or fashion", they would "focus on a few areas of specialty" and "prioritise relationships with local employers." The more interesting discussion is in the section about trade-offs. Being distinctive is nice, but carries risk. Providing services is great, but requires a wide range of capabilities. People would like universities to be more flexible, but that creates a lot of complexity in management and organization.

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How corporate universities fit into hybrid learning strategies of the future
Andie Burjek, Chief Learning Officer, 2021/09/22

This article describes how consulting companies like KPMG and Deloitte have adapted their learning strategies in response to the shift to digital. Some of the shifts are telling. For example, "The organization began to focus on skills-based learning rather than role-based learning." Also, "we’re also focusing on culture, connection and community.” Good lessons to learn, if a bit late for their clients. And in a bit of reverse logic, the article suggests that "As the workplace becomes more hybrid, the (in-person) university will become more important to the organization’s culture... since many people will have even fewer opportunities to meet their teammates in person."

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