Tag Archives: education

UM-Dearborn offers new data science grad program

By | August 4, 2017

A new UM-Dearborn graduate program will teach students how to effectively process, analyze, and use massive data collections. The 30-credit-hour Master of Science in Data Science degree teaches students how to locate relevant data, clean it, manage it, analyze it, interpret it and use insights drawn from it. Housed in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS)… Read More »

Gaming vs. gamification in the classroom

By | July 27, 2017

Used in conjunction with books and lectures, sophisticated educational games designed for college classrooms can offer active learning that some instructors say is hard to replicate in a traditional classroom. Still, not every professor who believes well-designed games are valuable in education uses video games in courses. Barry Fishman, a professor in the School of Information and the School… Read More »

Better writing through automation

By | July 20, 2017

This fall, U-M will test whether an automated text analysis tool can help integrate more writing into large introductory science courses without imposing significant new time constraints. The tool is the latest addition to M-Write, a program run by the Gayle Morris Sweetland Center for Writing. Anne R. Gere, professor of English language and literature who serves as director of the… Read More »

M-Write adds automated text analysis

By | May 22, 2017

M-Write, a program built on the premise that students learn complex material by writing, will expand in fall 2017 to add automated text analysis (ATA) to its digital toolkit. M-Write was created by U-M professor of English Anne Gere, director of the Sweetland Center for Writing, and Ginger Shultz, assistant professor of chemistry. M-Write helps students develop their conceptual… Read More »

Medical, dental educational tool adds new apps

The SecondLook™ Series, an award-winning educational tool that fosters self-review and evaluation, is expanding beyond histology to include mobile applications for musculoskeletal anatomy, neuroanatomy, and oral radiology. The technology behind the SecondLook™ Series was a collaboration between the Health Information Technology & Services (HITS) education and training group and Michael Hortsch, associate professor of cell and developmental biology and associate… Read More »

Mythbusters: “Slow” universities vs. “fast” edtech companies

By | May 15, 2017

James DeVaney, associate vice provost for academic innovation, thinks the myth that universities are slow to embrace change and edtech companies are always agile is limiting the collective potential of the wide range of actors seeking positive change in higher education. He believes that examining the difference between partnerships and vendor relationships is the key to moving past this paradigm and… Read More »

Computer use can affect child speech development

By | May 11, 2017

Growing evidence suggests that screen time may have some negative consequences for young children’s development. In a new study of nearly 900 children between six months and two years old, researchers found that those who spent more time using handheld devices were more likely to have delays in expressive speech, compared to children who didn’t use the devices… Read More »

Teach-Outs: A new online model?

By | May 4, 2017

James DeVaney, associate vice provost for academic innovation, explores how U-M’s new Teach-Outs might represent the next step in developing an online education model that moves beyond MOOCs to create a “compassionate public square for the information age.” In his guest commentary for Inside Higher Ed, Devaney writes: “While I continue to encourage patience to those who care to… Read More »

Virtual patients help med students learn empathy

By | May 3, 2017

Delivering bad news in a caring way — and coping with a patient’s reaction — is a key skill for doctors. Researchers at U-M and Medical Cyberworlds, Inc. are studying how virtual human technology helps medical students learn the best approaches. MPathic-VR, a computer application, allows students to talk with emotive, computer-based virtual humans who can see, hear, and react… Read More »

The future of learning

By | April 25, 2017

Buckle up your backpack for a futuristic ride through U-M’s new world of cyber-learning. Imagine being able to predict how students will perform in class and then helping them achieve more. Picture students learning policy development by acting as stakeholders in simulated political events. Envision an online platform that can mentor a whole new generation of civil rights… Read More »

HITS presents at annual HPE Day

Health Professions Education Day 2017 (HPE Day) engaged faculty, students, and staff across all three campuses and ten health science schools on April 13 at the Michigan League. The result: collaboration and networking that will inspire future research and practices for educational efforts across all of the health professions schools at U-M. Staff from the HITS Education &… Read More »

Digital Islamic studies

By | April 24, 2017

Pauline Jones, director of the U-M International Institute, is passionate about the need for education around some of the most complex topics in the world, like Islam. “Islam is much more than a religion. It’s also a civilization, a variety of cultural traditions and sometimes a basis for political ideologies,” said Jones. “Its diversity, complexity, and geographical expansiveness makes it… Read More »

UM-Flint announces new online-only grad program

By | March 30, 2017

Pending final approvals, the UM-Flint School of Education and Human Services will launch a new online Master of Arts in Inclusive Education degree program in Fall 2017. Offered in an interactive, completely online format for the convenience of working educators, courses will be taught by doctoral-level education faculty members who have significant classroom teaching experience. The program aims to… Read More »

U-M launches digital “teach-outs”

By | March 14, 2017

Authoritarian rule and fake news are among the topics for the University of Michigan Teach-Out Series, a new open online opportunity for global learners. President Mark Schlissel kicked off an Academic Innovation forum March 13 with the announcement of the first four global community learning events on the edX platform, intended to encourage public discourse about relevant issues.… Read More »

Transforming the transcript

By | March 11, 2017

Timothy A. McKay, professor of physics, astronomy, and education, thinks it’s time for the academic transcript to catch up with 21st century information technology. In a recent blog post, he examines how higher education has undergone dramatic changes over the last two decades, particularly in the way that much of what happens in college is digitally mediated. Courses are… Read More »

Software changes business accounting

By | March 10, 2017

A good accountant is hard to find. Some companies are avoiding the search by replacing human bean counters with computer software. The increasing use of software is also changing how students and schools are approaching accounting education, according to Cathy Shakespeare, faculty director for the masters of accounting program at U-M. She said basic bookkeeping skills are becoming… Read More »

New models of online education

By | March 8, 2017

Scott DeRue, dean of the Ross School of Business, thinks higher ed needs a new business model. DeRue’s vision is akin to Spotify’s offering to music fans, with users able to download lectures and teaching material for a small subscription fee. The dean is relaxed about giving away some teaching material for free as now happens with MOOCs. However,… Read More »

Encouraging today’s “Hidden Figures”

By | February 27, 2017

The film Hidden Figures has taken not only the box office by storm, but the education world as well. Studies show that female and male students actually perform equally well in mathematics and science on standardized tests, but larger gaps exist between students of different racial and ethnic backgrounds or family income. Research by U-M professor emerita Jacquelynne S. Eccles points… Read More »