BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–ConnectEDU, a market leader in connecting learners to possibilities, announced today that Evan Nisonson has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer and will join the company’s Board of Directors. Evan succeeds Craig Powell, who founded ConnectEDU in 2002 and served as the company’s CEO since 2009. Craig’s vision and the company’s growth under his leadership have established ConnectEDU as a market leader in managing student transitions.

“My past 10 years with ConnectEDU have been a phenomenal journey. I’m very excited to be transitioning the day-to-day leadership of ConnectEDU to Evan and the management team that I have had the pleasure of working with for the past several years. Evan is a knowledgeable, education technology executive and is perfectly suited to lead ConnectEDU through its next phase of growth,” stated Powell.

Evan joined ConnectEDU in 2012 as part of the Epsilen acquisition and served most recently as the company’s Chief Services Officer. In that role, Evan focused on providing clients with the services needed to best support their institutional goals. “Adding Evan to ConnectEDU’s management team was one of the key benefits of our Epsilen acquisition,” said Tom Riley, Chairman of the ConnectEDU Board. “He is a seasoned executive with deep experience in the education space.”

While at Epsilen, Evan was the Chief Executive Officer and was instrumental in finalizing the strategic acquisition between ConnectEDU and Epsilen. Prior to Epsilen, Evan served as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Portfolio Management at SunGard Higher Education. From 1999 to 2005, Evan was director of e-learning solutions at WebCT, an online proprietary virtual learning environment system known today as the Blackboard Learning System. Prior to that, he was an instructional technology coordinator at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), overseeing implementation of academic and related technologies for the university, and a lecturer in the English department at Loyola Marymount University.

“I’m excited to continue partnering with and leading the team to service our customers in the critical areas of college and career readiness. Being able to advance our shared mission of driving student persistence and success is critical to local, national and global educational imperatives,” explains Nisonson. “We have a unique offering to help learners succeed from K12 all the way through to their careers, and we have only scratched the surface of what is possible. I couldn’t be more excited about our future.”

About ConnectEDU

(www.connectedu.com)

ConnectEDU is a privately held technology company, committed to preparing and transitioning 21st Century Learners on their pathways from school to college to career, helping them realize their potential, achieve a secure financial future, and ultimately connect to life’s possibilities. Today, ConnectEDU serves more than 20 million registered learners, 5,000 educational institutions, and 130,000 employers throughout 40 countries.

According to the TechCrunch article, Edxus plans to consolidate the fragmented European e-learning market, rivaling similar U.S. edtech giants such as Pearson, Blackboard, Macmillan, Kaplan and McGraw-Hill, which top the list of acquisitive e-learning companies.

From Edxus’ site, Charles McIntyre, the chief executive of IBIS Capital, added: “The European e-Learning industry currently displays both disruptive innovation and rapid growth but it is highly fragmented and lacks a dominant player. These are all characteristics of an attractive pre-consolidation phase industry so we expect our strategy to help the marketplace as a whole meet its enormous potential.”

Perth, Western Australia (PRWEB) May 22, 2013 - Moodle, the open source learning platform used by millions around the world, has released Moodle 2.5, adding hundreds of improvements and exciting new features for teachers, students and administrators.

Inspire with Badges: Educators can award badges based on a variety of chosen criteria with the new Badges feature in Moodle, making it easy to acknowledge student’s skills and hard work. Moodle’s Badges are fully compatible with the Mozilla Open Badges standard, so they can be exported to external repositories or included in portfolios and CVs.

Use it on mobile: Moodle themes can now utilise the popular Bootstrap framework from Twitter. This means the appearance of Moodle can be attractive, flexible and responsive, allowing the site to perform equally well on desktops and mobile touch screens without additional work. In addition Moodle 2.5 supports the latest Moodle Mobile app for iOS and Android, which provides additional features for offline access to Moodle content and easy uploading of photos and videos from mobile devices.

Easier to maintain: It’s now possible to install and upgrade add-ons directly from the web interface, either directly from the official Moodle Plugins repository on moodle.org or by uploading them as a zip file into the administration page. This makes it simpler to install and maintain new community-created features in Moodle.

Improved usability: Moodle 2.5 has a host of smaller improvements for usability. Forms now look a lot simpler, with advanced settings being collapsed by default. Drag and drop images and text straight into a course page from the desktop or another browser window. Display course folders directly on the course page. Jump quickly between course sections, and more. This continues Moodle’s focus on usability improvements in every release.

About Moodle:

Moodle is an Open Source Course Management System (CMS), also known as a Learning Management System (LMS) or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It has become very popular among educators around the world as a tool for creating online dynamic web sites for their students. To work, it needs to be installed on a web server somewhere, either on one of your own computers or one at a web hosting company.

Links:

Moodle overview (video)
Moodle company
Moodle partners
Moodle community

Read the original press release at PRWeb.

The 20-minute air-to-ground event will be broadcast on NASA Television and streamed on the agency’s website. Students will be able to ask Cassidy questions about life, work and research aboard the orbiting laboratory. He began his stay on the station in March.

NASA activities have been incorporated into classes at the school in preparation for the conversation. Linking students directly to astronauts aboard the space station provides them with an authentic, live experience of space exploration, space study, and the scientific components of space travel and possibilities of life in space.

This in-flight education downlink is one in a series with educational organizations in the United States and abroad to improve science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning. It is an integral component of NASA’s Teaching From Space education program, which promotes learning opportunities and builds partnerships with the education community using the unique environment of space and NASA’s human spaceflight program.

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For information about NASA’s education programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/education

For information about the International Space Station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

In addition to Arizona, other states already announced are:

• Alaska—$1.5 million;
• Arkansas—$5.3 million;
• Connecticut—$3.6 million;
• Delaware—$1.4 million;
• Florida—$26.8 million;
• Iowa—$3 million;
• Kentucky—$7.7 million;
• Maryland—$6.8 million;
• Minnesota—$5.5 million;
• Mississippi—$6.1 million;
• Montana—$1.5 million;
• New Jersey—$10.4 million;
• New Mexico—$4.1 million;
• North Dakota—$1.2 million;
• Ohio—$20.2 million;
• Oklahoma—$5.5 million;
• Oregon—$5.4 million;
• South Carolina—$7.4 million;
• South Dakota—$1.5 million;
• Texas—$49.7 million;
• Utah—$3.4 million;
• Washington—$7.8 million;
• West Virginia—$3.3 million;
• and Wyoming—$1.1 million.

In addition to continuation awards, the Department awarded SIG grants to 10 states to run new competitions for previously unfunded schools.

“When schools fail, our children and our neighborhoods suffer,” Duncan said. “Turning around our lowest-performing schools is hard work but it’s our responsibility. We owe it to our children, their families and the broader community. These School Improvement Grants are helping some of the lowest-achieving schools provide a better education for students who need it the most.”

Grants are awarded to State Educational Agencies (SEAs) that then make competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) that demonstrate the greatest need for the funds and the strongest commitment to use them to provide adequate resources, in order to substantially raise student achievement in their lowest-performing schools. Under the Obama Administration, the SIG program has invested up to $2 million per school at more than 1,300 of the country’s lowest-performing schools. Early findings show positive momentum and progress in many SIG schools. Findings also show that many schools receiving SIG grants are improving, and some of the greatest gains have been in small towns and rural communities.

Read the original press release at ed.gov

Greenville, WI (PRWEB) May 17, 2013 - School Specialty’s science division, Delta Education, announced today its Full Option Science System® (FOSS) is a finalist for the 2013 Association of Education Publishers (AEP) Distinguished Achievement Awards.

FOSS is the leading inquiry-based science program in America. Developed at the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley, and published by Delta Education, this research-based curriculum for elementary school students is the first program to reflect the national vision described in A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (National Research Council, 2012). An all-new elementary program, FOSS Third Edition is based on the belief that students learn science by doing science. Research supports that the best way for students to understand the scientific process, learn important scientific and engineering concepts and develop creative thinking skills is to participate actively in scientific practices through their own investigations and analyses.

The AEP Awards honor excellence and innovation in the educational resource community and spotlight the best resources for teachers, parents and students. Each submission undergoes a rigorous three-round review by a panel consisting of educators and education professionals. Only products with high scores and comments from each round of judging are recognized as finalists and winners, with just 25 percent of overall entrants advancing to the finals. The largest of the AEP Awards, the Distinguished Achievement Awards honor the widest range of educational content available for use in educating learners of all ages.

“We are extremely honored to have FOSS Third Edition recognized by such a prestigious organization as the AEP. This new edition of FOSS debuted just last year and we continue to be pleased by the enthusiasm it has garnered from educators,” said Mike Lavelle, president & CEO of School Specialty. “This new edition of FOSS is a truly blended program with hands-on activities, reading and writing and meaningful digital resources. It puts young learners on the track to building the critical thinking skills necessary for career and college readiness and beyond.”

Winners will be announced on June 4 at the AEP Awards Gala in Washington, D.C.

For more information about FOSS Third Edition, go to http://www.deltaeducation.com/science/foss3/.

About School Specialty 
School Specialty, Inc. (OTCQB: SCHSQ) is a leading education company that provides innovative and proprietary products, programs and services to help educators engage and inspire students of all ages and abilities to learn. The company designs, develops and provides preK-12 educators with the latest and very best curriculum, supplemental learning resources and school supplies. Working in collaboration with educators, School Specialty reaches beyond the scope of textbooks to help educators, guidance counselors and school administrators ensure that every student reaches his or her full potential.

Delta Education, CPO Science, and Frey Scientific, all part of School Specialty’s Science division, deliver the best of hands-on, inquiry-based science education to K-12 students. Trusted brands include FOSS, Delta Science Modules (DSM), Delta Science Content Readers, CPO Science, and Inquiry Investigations. For more information about School Specialty Science, visit http://www.schoolspecialtyscience.com or http://www.schoolspecialty.com.

Read the original press release at PRWeb.

EdX continues to grow its network of the world’s leading institutions of higher education to meet global demand and increase access to quality education.

CAMBRIDGE, MA – May 21, 2013 – EdX, the not-for-profit online learning initiative composed of the leading global institutions of the xConsortium, today announced another doubling of its university membership with the addition of its first Asian institutions and further expansion in the Ivy League. The xConsortium is gaining 15 prestigious higher education institutions, bringing its total to 27, including Tsinghua University and Peking University in China, The University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong University of Science & Technology in Hong Kong, Kyoto University in Japan, and Seoul National University in South Korea, and Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The expansion reflects edX’s rapidly growing global student body and supports its vision of transforming education by bringing the power of learning to all regardless of location or social status.

EdX also welcomes nine universities from North America, Europe and Australia. In the United States, in addition to Cornell, the Consortium has added Berklee College of Music, Boston University, Davidson College, and University of Washington. From Europe, edX welcomes Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet, Belgium’s Université catholique de Louvain, and Germany’s Technical University of Munich. The University of Queensland in Australia becomes the second Australian university to join the xConsortium.

“As we continue to grow the xConsortium and offer courses from institutions as diverse as our global community of students, we are moving forward with our mission to reimagine education,” said Anant Agarwal, president of edX. “These schools, with their unique faculties and student bodies, will help us conduct collaborative research on best practices which improve education online and on campus.

While MOOCs, or massive open online courses, have typically focused on offering free online courses, edX’s vision is much larger. EdX is building an open source educational platform and a network of the world’s top universities to improve education both online and on campus while conducting research on how students learn. To date, edX has more than 900,000 individuals on its platform. The addition of these new higher education institutions will add a rich variety of new courses to edX’s offerings:

Asia

• The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (HKUx), the territory’s oldest institute of higher learning and an internationally renowned research-led comprehensive university, will provide a series of HKUx courses including Vernacular Heritage in Asia, Chinese and Western Philosophy, Infectious Disease and Public Health, and Law, Economy and Society.
• Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Hong Kong (HKUSTx) is a world-class international research university excelling in science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. The University is committed to providing an interdisciplinary, forward-looking education nurturing well-rounded graduates with a strong entrepreneurial spirit.
• Kyoto University, Japan (KyotoUx) is a world-class research university founded in 1897 as the second oldest national university in Japan. Kyoto University has advanced education and research of the highest standards, cultivating its tradition of open-minded dialogue and a philosophy of academic freedom. It currently consists of 18 graduate schools, 10 undergraduate faculties, and more than 30 research institutes and centers.
• Peking University, Beijing, China (PekingX), founded in 1898, is the first national comprehensive university in China. With a full spectrum of disciplines and over 3,000 faculty members, Peking University is devoted to excellence in teaching and research, and is determined to make education openly accessible to everyone in China and the world.
• Seoul National University, South Korea (SNUx), Korea’s first national university and the indisputable leader of higher education in Korea, wants to share creative knowledge and experiences. SNU has produced fruitful achievements in various fields, ranging from business, politics, natural science, technology, and the arts. SNU will provide a series of SNUx courses on diverse topics.
• Tsinghua University, Beijing, China (TsinghuaX), one of most prestigious higher learning institutions in Asia, is dedicated to excellent education in science, engineering, humanities, social sciences, architecture, management, law, medicine, arts and design. Tsinghua will provide TsinghuaX courses in a variety of areas of study.

Australia

• The University of Queensland in Australia (UQx) is one of the world’s premier teaching and research institutions with more than 45,000 students and 7,500 staff. UQ’s teaching is informed by research, and spans six faculties and eight research institutes. UQ will provide a series of UQx courses including Tropical Coastal Ecosystems by Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg and The Science of Everyday Thinking by Dr. Jason Tangen.

Europe 

• Karolinska Institutet, Sweden (KIx) is one of the world´s leading medical universities with a mission to contribute to the improvement of human health through research and education.  Since 1901, the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has selected the Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine.
• Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium (LouvainX) one of Europe’s oldest universities, located in the heart of Europe, will provide LouvainX courses in both French and English, including a course on political science (in French) led by Nathalie Schiffino, and a course on international human rights by Olivier De Schutter, the special rapporteur to the United Nations on the right to food.
• Technische Universität München, Germany (TUMx) is one of Europe’s leading universities committed to finding solutions to the major challenges facing society: health and nutrition, energy and natural resources, environment and climate, information and communication, mobility and infrastructure. 

United States

• Berklee College of Music, Boston (BerkleeX), for over 65 years Berklee has evolved to support its belief that the best way to prepare students for careers in music is through contemporary music education. With a diverse student body representing over 130 countries and a music industry “who’s who” of alumni and faculty that have received 229 Grammy Awards, Berklee is the world’s premier learning lab for the music of today – and tomorrow.
• Boston University, Boston (BUx) is the fourth largest private university in the United States, with a global footprint and a leading study abroad program, offering 250 programs of study in science and engineering, social science and humanities, health science, the arts, and other professional disciplines.
• Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. (CornellX), a world renowned and diverse Ivy League institution dedicated to a mission of teaching, research and public engagement, will provide a series of CornellX courses in areas ranging from engineering and the sciences to the humanities.
• Davidson College, Davidson, N.C. (DavidsonX) has a renowned faculty and innovative transdisciplinary programs that have earned the college distinction as one of the most research-active liberal arts institutions in the country, as well as consistent national recognition for overall quality and faculty-student research collaboration.  Over the next few years, Davidson will offer several original DavidsonX courses in a range of topic areas.
• University of Washington, Seattle (UWashingtonX) is ranked number one among public universities nationally that receive federal research and training funds, and since 1975 has been in the top five for public and private universities. The UW is a leader in online learning with 15 online degrees and 40 online certificates, and recently won a prestigious Educause grant for a new undergraduate online degree completion program in Early Childhood and Family Studies.

In addition to adding these institutions, edX recently launched more than 20 new courses ranging from HarvardX’s Science & Cooking to UTAustinX’s The Ideas of the 20^th Century to DelftX’s Solar Energy to GeorgetownX’s Introduction to Bioethics to BerkeleyX’s Introduction to Statistics: Inference to MITx’s Mechanics ReView to WellesleyX’s Introduction to Human Evolution.  These and other online and blended courses offered by xConsortium institutions are designed to take advantage of the unique features and benefits of online learning environments, including active learning, game-like experiences, instant feedback and cutting-edge virtual laboratories.

The new member institutions will join founding universities MIT and Harvard, as well as the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Texas System, Wellesley College, Georgetown University, McGill University, Australian National University, University of Toronto, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Delft University of Technology and Rice University in the xConsortium. The new X University Consortium members will offer courses on edX beginning in late 2013 or 2014. All of the courses will be hosted on edX’s open source platform at www.edx.org.

About edX

EdX is a not-for-profit enterprise composed of 20+ leading global institutions, the xConsortium. Founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, edX is focused on transforming online and on-campus learning through groundbreaking methodologies, game-like experiences and cutting-edge research on an open source platform. EdX provides inspirational and transformative knowledge to students of all ages, social status, and income who form worldwide communities of learners. EdX is focused on people, not profit, and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the USA.

ARLINGTON, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sixteen student teams have been named regional winners in the eleventh annual eCYBERMISSION competition. Sponsored by the U.S. Army, one of several science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) initiatives offered by the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) and administered by the National Science Teachers Association, the online collaborative learning competition is designed to cultivate student interest in STEM by encouraging students in grades six through nine to develop solutions to real-world challenges in their local communities. The teams will advance to the National Judging and Educational Event (NJ&EE) taking place in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, where they will present their projects to a panel of judges and a national winner from each grade level will be selected.