We are looking forward to EDUCAUSE 2011! Please join us at booth #1210 for our solutions demonstrations or visit us online at www.pearsonlearningsolutions.com/educause.

Solutions Demonstration Schedule

Wednesday, October 19th
Pearson LearningStudio	12:40 – 12:50pm
Searchable Lecture Capture Software	1:00 – 1:10pm
Centralizing Content Resources	1:20 – 1:30pm
Live, Online Tutoring 24/7	1:40 – 1:50pm
Pearson Integrated MyLabs	2:00 – 2:10pm
Thursday, October 20th
Live, Online Tutoring 24/7	10:00 – 10:10am
Searchable Lecture Capture Software	10:20 – 10:30am
Pearson Integrated MyLabs	11:40 – 11:50am
Integrating Assessment with Online Courses	12:20 – 12:30pm
Centralizing Content Resources	12:40 – 12:50pm
Pearson LearningStudio	3:30 – 3:40pm
Customizing Online/Blended Courses	3:50 – 4:00pm

I’m writing this at 35,000 feet and I’m worried. I think it’s only me though. The guy next to me is playing Angry Birds, the man in front of me is reading the NY Times, and the mom and daughter behind me are playing some kind of color and numbers card game. But none of them is worried.

Mind you, I’m not worried about the plane going down or the wing falling off. I’ve flown over 150,000 miles this year and if that was my phobia, I should find another line of work. No, I’m worried about something that many of you are probably worried about too, although likely with a different spin. You see, I’m worried about school. I’m worried about readiness. I’m worried about Addie.

My four year old started pre-school last year. She absolutely loved her first day, walking away from the car with a wave and a, “See you guys later!” My wife cried for a week but Addie was in her element. Ms. Shannon’s class was exactly what she needed: supportive, academic, structured, and fun.

Here we are, a year later and a year wiser. Addie has grown up a lot in a year. And since pre-school started again last week my wife and I have to answer a big question. Is she ready for kindergarten?

See, she’ll turn 5 a month before kindergarten starts next year. That means she will be one of the youngest in her class throughout all of her education. Is that a domino effect that my wife and I should start or should we allow her to wait one more year, with another year of psychological, emotional, and physical development? It is a very tough question. Researchers and writers from Gladwell to E Dhuey to Lubotsky have (controversially) suggested that younger classmates have “catching up to do” and are diagnosed with ADHD more than their older counterparts. Young students are typically followers instead of leaders and even test worse for schools in NCLB standardized tests.

Of course my mind goes to psycho-social aspects of her development. She’ll be surrounded by kids driving a year before she will get a license. She’ll be surrounded by girls who are interested in boys a year earlier than normal. In fact, the boys argument alone makes me want to forget kindergarten next year and go straight for a convent…but that’s another discussion.

As you can see, we have some thinking to do. But in the midst of all my own personal angst, it made me think of you. Why? Because you too are getting ready for students to come back. New students, young students, non-traditional students – they are all getting ready to start another Fall term. College readiness is on a LOT of your hearts and minds right about now.

But the questions surrounding my little girl are important to keep in mind I think. See, it seems that every level of education is a gateway to something. Whether a student is moving on with education, getting a job, or starting a family, the tools we give (or don’t give) them when we have them are extremely important.

Specific to college, I think about the myriad of surveys I have seen which describe tremendous employee gaps in skills and thinking. Of course these trouble me and likely you too. I think of Oxford’s employer survey in (2008) where EU and North American leaders suggested skills of major importance were only identified 15% of the time in new, college educated employees. Or the Scottish survey where industry leaders said of newly graduated and hired employees, “Where skills problems arise this is mainly because of weaknesses in softer core skills such as planning and organizing, customer handling, problem solving and team working (2010).” Or the Conference board survey report which explained, “U.S. employers continue to struggle with finding new hires who have not just the basic skills, but also higher-level critical thinking and creativity skills, according to a new report from The Conference Board. Since the education system is not supplying young workers with these skills, companies may have to devote more of their own resources to bringing workers up to their required skill levels. Some options include providing internships and working more closely with community colleges. The goal should be to prepare workers before they go out into the job market (2011).”

These reports and dozens, possibly hundreds of others show major skill deficits in all of the “Big C’s” as I like to say:

• Computer competency
• Creativity
• Communication
• Critical thinking
• Customer Service
• Collaboration
• Cultural awareness
• (Notice employers don’t talk about weaknesses in math, science, history, etc.?)

So what can WE do about it? Obviously teaching our students in the same way we have for generations is not the answer. It just isn’t working anymore. We’ve changed, the students have changed, society has changed, the marketplace has changed, and on and on. It’s time to stop teaching our single subject in a vacuum and piece together curriculum that is holistic as well as individualized, comprehensive yet specific, and altogether more useful. It’s time to realize that we have an important job beyond just teaching math, science, history, etc. – we have to prepare them for whatever is next.

I think back to my daughter. My wife and I could put her into a situation where she has a lot to overcome. We could bank on the notion that she will eventually catch up and will likely be “fine”… Of course, we want more than “fine” for her. And why would we, as parents put her into a situation where she even needs to catch up? Why wouldn’t we give her every opportunity to succeed decidedly?

Why wouldn’t we also do that for our students in college? Yes, for some of us that means teaching out of our comfort zone. It means leaving the lecture that we’ve known for 20 years and finding new, innovative ways to reach students in a more meaningful way. It means accepting technology as a valuable life-skill and an amazingly powerful toolset and not simply as a distraction. It means collaborating with our own peers to create curriculum integration experiences, gamifying our courses, and creating safe places for our students to fail.

Are your students ready to come back to school? I think the better question is, are YOU ready for them? Good luck and good teaching.

Jeff D Borden, M.A.
Sr. Director of Teaching & Learning

Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers: www.gladwell.com/outliers/index.html

Elizabeth Dhuey’s work: http://homes.chass.utoronto.ca/~edhuey/index.php/home/page/publications

Darren Lubotsky’s work: Kindergarten Entrance Age and Children’s Achievement: Impacts of State Policies, Family Background, and Peers

Scottish Employer Survey of Employee Skills: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy/labour-market/national-context/employers-views

The Conference Board survey results: http://www.conference-board.org/

Bridging the Skills gap analysis from ASTD: http://www.astd.org/NR/rdonlyres/FB4AF179-B0C4-4764-9271-17FAF86A8E23/0/BridgingtheSkillsGap.pdf

Written by: Kim Harwell, Reporting Analyst and Consultant, Pearson

Over the years I’ve heard it over and over again, students planning to take an online class because they’re convinced it’s “easier” than a traditional course. The good news is this perception seems to be changing. Everyone is figuring out that the online course can be an effective and engaging environment for learning. However, for those who aren’t aware yet and for those who are, one of the best things faculty can do to help students be successful in the online environment is to appropriately set expectations. As instructors we can make sure they are aware, as soon as they log into class, approximately how much time will be required of them.

In this age of information and technology, data is power. Enterprise Reporting is a tool made available to Pearson LearningStudio administrators that makes it possible to view a variety of course data. As an instructor, you can ask your administrators to pull student activity time specifically for your courses, over the last several terms or even for all of the terms you’ve taught. They can even combine the activity information with final grades for the students who completed your course (either anonymously or not). You can, in turn, use this information to help your students understand the time and effort they can expect to dedicate to your course. Enterprise Reporting can even help you understand WHERE students spend their time. We can break total time down to let them know which features demand most of the student’s time. Take a look at these examples:

What powerful information to have! Powerful for you as an instructor to know what your course generally requires and powerful to be able to share that information with your students. Sharing these small bits of information improves their ability to manage their time appropriately and therefore increase the likelihood of success!

The American Council on Education (ACE) and Pearson announced the creation of a ground-breaking new business that will drive the future direction, design, and delivery of the GED® testing program. Building on the goals of the GED 21st Century Initiative, the two partners will combine their collective expertise and resources to develop a new GED Test aligned with Common Core State Standards that will assure colleges, universities and prospective employers that adults who have passed the GED Tests are prepared to compete and succeed in a global economy.

Read the full story here.

More from:

New York Times
Chronicle of Higher Education
Education Week
Inside Higher Ed 

The Pearson Foundation is awarding Pearson Prize Fellowships to 70 students in recognition of their academic achievement and commitment to local communities. Applications for the 2011 Pearson Prize for Higher Education are being accepted through March 18, 2011.

The Pearson Prize offers:

• 20 Pearson Prize National Fellows a cash award of $10,000;
• 50 Pearson Prize Community Fellows a cash award of $500;
• Access to unique student resources and opportunities from the Pearson Foundation and from Pearson, the world’s leading learning company.

The Pearson Prize recognizes students who have:

• Been attending a two- or four-year school, or private sector college or university;
• Completed at least one year of college, or six months of an eighteen-month private sector program;
• Demonstrated leadership in community service.

Apply Now

•     Visit pearsonfoundation.org/pearsonprize to apply for the Pearson Prize;

•     Completed applications must be received by March 18, 2011;

•     Scholarship recipients will be notified by July 8, 2011.

Learn More: http://pearsonfoundation.org/pearsonprize/