When you think of education you might typically think of schools, colleges and universities. But, there’s another type of institution becoming increasingly attractive to learners - the specialist and independent providers, living somewhere in between the world of colleges and universities and experiencing their own set of challenges.

Shifting interviews with potential learners to the online environment is something lots of FE colleges are rapidly having to come to terms with, and Tribal customers have been discussing their plans and how they are using the tools in ebs OnTrack to make this process go smoothly.

Did I hear you say Taxi?

Yes, TCSI (pronounced “taxi”), you heard that right! It stands for Transforming the Collection of Student Information (TCSI). It’s a joint project between the Department of Education & Training (DET) and the Department of Human Services (DHS) to transform how student information is collected to build a better solution that benefits both Australian education providers and students.

There’s little doubt now that enrolments for colleges and universities are going to look very different this year. Luckily, although there is nothing ordinary about 2020, educational staff are rising to the challenge and seeing it as an opportunity to push through much needed change and create a new kind of student experience this year and beyond.

COVID-19 Response Barometer

The COVID-19 Response Barometer has been borne out of necessity – the necessity for Higher Education Institutions to hear and understand the student voice during the pandemic, and the necessity to understand that student voice in the context of a global comparison. Here we look at how the survey has been received and the aspirations of those institutions that are sharing the survey with their student population.

As colleges and educational institutions across the nation try to adapt to a ‘new normal’ way of working in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic, how will enrolment look for a new year of learning?

For anyone returning to university, the apprehension and unknows that Covid-19 presents will likely be playing on student minds. Indeed, Student Minds, the UK’s student mental health charity and Headspace in Australia, have been providing unprecedented levels of dedicated support to both students and staff to help them through this period, and publishing up to date  guidance and resources on a regular basis.

Starting university life is challenging at the best of times. From meeting new people, to moving away from home (likely for the first time), and discovering a new way of learning… it’s not unusual for students to feel apprehensive about what lies ahead. Throw Covid-19 into that mix and the new challenge becomes even more overwhelming. With so much uncertainty and lack of clarity on what the future holds, there has never been a more important time for universities to provide a robust student support and welfare service, especially to those first year students who will be joining the university in the near future.

The funding crisis within the UK education sector has led to curriculums being cut back, staff recruitment and retention suffering and teachers reporting of working on average 50-70 hours per week in order to plug the gap.

To date, our blog series on AI in education has focussed on ‘the future’ and how AI could improve the delivery and provision of learning. Today, we’re looking at what technology is available and valuable to educators, now and why it pays to have an AI strategy.