Chegg Expands into Online Education

Analyts expect the digital education market to quadruple in size to $450 billion over the next five years. Chegg (NYSE: CHGG) is moving away from its traditional textbook rental service to focus on this disruptive market. >>>

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Technology Tools for a Flipped Classroom

By 1M/1M Premium Member and Co-Founder of Omninox Jake Yap

The idea behind a flipped classroom has become more popular amongst teachers as of late, which can most likely be attributed to the rise of technology in and out of the classroom. Tools such as computers, smartphones, and tablets are typical items in a student and teacher’s arsenal in more recent times. These technological tools allow for the necessary instructional strategy required for a flipped classroom, which include teaching content at home and activities and discussions (often regarded as homework) being conducted in the class. Learning at home can include reading the required textbook lesson or watching online lectures, which would not have been possible if it was not for the advancement in technology. >>>

Future of Education: Three Conversations

There is a lot going on in the educational technology market. In our effort to bring you continued insights in that market, we would like to bring to your attention three recent roundtable discussions:

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269th Roundtable Recording On July 23, 2015: Future of K-12 Education with Betsy Corcoran, CEO of EdSurge

In case you missed it, you can listen to the recording here:

257th Roundtable Recording On April 30, 2015: With Therese Tucker, BlackLine

In case you missed it, you can listen to the recording here:

How To Dramatically Slash The Cost Of College Education

The exorbitant cost of higher education is a recurrent topic of conversation, concern, and discontent these days. Against that backdrop, an announcement from edX and Arizona State University caught my attention last week. ASU and edX announced a program called Global Freshman Academy:

The Global Freshman Academy (GFA) will give learners anywhere in the world the opportunity to earn freshman-level university credit after successfully completing a series of digital immersion courses hosted on edX, designed and taught by leading scholars from ASU. By allowing students to learn, explore and complete courses before applying or paying for credit, the Global Freshman Academy reimagines the freshman year and reduces academic and monetary stress while opening a new path to a college degree for many students.

The program differs from other digital immersion undergraduate programs in the following ways:

• Course Credit for Open Online Courses – By completing the full series of eight Global Freshman Academy courses, students earn full college credit for freshman year; students will also be able to opt for taking individual courses for credit if they prefer
• Cost Effective – Freshman year credit earned through GFA is a fraction of the cost students typically pay
• Learning Before Payment – Students may decide to take a course for credit at the beginning or after coursework has been completed – reducing financial risk while opening a pathway for exploration and preparation for qualified students who may not otherwise seek a degree.
• Unlimited Reach – Because of the open course format, learning takes place while scaling completely – there are no limits to how many learners can take the courses online
• Innovative Admissions Option – GFA’s approach is different from the traditional admissions process of other credit-bearing courses, eliminating such barriers to entry as standardized tests and transcripts that are part of the traditional application process.
• Track Record of Success – This partnership brings together a globally recognized online educational platform founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a university whose innovative online degree programs boast an 89 percent retention rate.

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Thought Leaders in Online Education: Warren Barkley, CTO of SMART Technologies (Part 1)

Warren is the CTO of Smart Technologies, a $500 million provider of virtual classroom solutions. He offers a window into trends in the space and ideas for new entrepreneurs to focus on.

Sramana Mitra: Let’s start by introducing yourself as well as SMART Technologies. What do you do?

Warren Barkley: I’m the CTO for SMART Technologies. I joined about two years ago from Microsoft. I was at Microsoft for about 16 years. I did a whole bunch of interesting things there. I worked on WiFi, networking, and a lot of other cool projects over the years. Before that, I was a teacher and a principal. If I reach far enough back, I was a musician at one point. I didn’t get a Computer Science degree but I somehow figured my way out into technology.

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241st Roundtable Recording On Dec. 12, 2014: With Ann Winblad, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners

In case you missed it, you can listen to this roundtable here:

You can find the dates and register for upcoming roundtables here.

Book: Carnival In The Cloud.

238th Roundtable Recording On November 13, 2014: With J.T. O’Donnell, Careerealism

In case you missed it, you can listen to the recording here:

You can find the dates and register for upcoming roundtables here.

Book: Bootstrapping With A Paycheck.

Women Entrepreneurs: How To Deal With Sexual Advances From VCs

Over the last few months, we’ve read a number of stories of male VCs hitting on women founders. These situations typically arise when the founder is an attractive woman.

My first observation about the issue is that a beautiful, charismatic, smart woman is extremely powerful. Often, young women who fit this description, are unaware of exactly how powerful they are. As a result, they do not fully appreciate the kind of impulses they trigger when they walk into a situation with one of the following categories of male VCs on the receiving end.

Let’s examine each of these scenarios in a bit more detail.

1. The Casanova: Many powerful, rich men have a track record of misbehaving. They have a Casanova complex. They chronically want to seduce. It is instinctive. If you run into one of these fellows, and get the impression that they are more interested in you as a sexual phenomenon than in your business, you should just move on. The dynamics CANNOT be changed. Don’t waste your time trying to. Just stop following up.
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