Blog
Stay up-to-date on the latest Higher Education, K-12 and Curriculum Design content.
Recent Blogs
Emergency Remote Learning (ERL): 9 Fundamentals Colleges Should Follow
In addition, leaders who focus on communication help drive results. Also, leaders can partner with IT, creating faculty webinars on how to use the emergency remote teaching tools. Still, what gets measured gets done. Updates on goal progress keep faculty in the loop. Also, Q and A sessions with IT and faculty can help build relationships and sharpen skills. Still, this moment is an important time for faculty and IT to revisit testing in ERL situations.
Webinar: Transadaptation and its importance to K-12 and Higher Ed curriculum
You're invited to register for our upcoming World Languages & Translation webinar on September 29th at 12:00 p.m. (ET). This educational webinar will be led by Dan Souers and our World Languages & Translation department leaders, Haris...
Announcing our new Vice President of Content Development, Haris Papamichael
A Pass is proud and happy to announce our new Vice President of Content Development, Haris Papamichael. Dr. Haris Papamichael has over 25 years of experience in the industry. He comes from Victory Productions where he worked as Executive Director of Product...
Inclusive Leadership: 6 Characteristics Deans Can Promote at Their Schools
Likewise, a dean’s leadership circle reaches into the communities inside and outside their school. Inclusive leaders build across real and imagined boundaries. Their responsibilities include reconciling the interests of many. Besides that, a dean will understand a range of people, groups, and communities. Schools that reach into the neighborhoods do more than fill a college pipeline. Deans get to co-lead with residents and businesses to support the community. Programs that serve underserved communities create opportunities for everyone.
Accessible Education for K-12: 5 Points Publishers Should Understand
Therefore, accessible content can be easily accessed and manipulated by students. K-12 readers with or without disabilities can experience the same content. Likewise, publishers can meet readers’ needs. Familiar examples include large print texts and braille. Also, text-to-speech features give many students access to education. Yet, more features are sprouting up. Structurally tagged content and a navigable table of contents are two examples. Alternative text descriptions explain visuals and photos for visually impaired students. Also, font size, style, and color impact readers for accessible education. Content that lets readers select alternate background colors and control line spacing helps support and instill comprehension.
6 Ways Deans Can Promote Access in Education
First, liberal arts programs help to build equity in education. Vibrant theater performances attract the community. Likewise, partnerships between colleges and community groups offer theater, music, and art camps to diverse populations. These short-term programs portray shared humanity. Besides that, liberal arts camps create access as students are shown as more than test scores. These programs demand students apply in demand workforce skills such as teamwork and critical thinking. Also, these programs are portable recruitment centers.
Bridge the Digital Divide: 7 Methods Publishers Could Implement
Still, digital delivery is easier and cheaper for publishers. Yet, many readers cannot access digital books. Sadly, these readers need books the most. So, a blended approach lets publishers offer options to these readers offline. Physical books of popular titles and backlist classics let publishers supplement them with curriculum tie-ins. Publishers can dive into their backlists to offer families those familiar stories and characters. Beloved characters can serve as online cheerleaders and guides. Also, publishers can prioritize access to highly-anticipated books. Most importantly, online bookstores that work on mobile devices are an effective sales funnel to a physical bookstore filled with quality products.
ASU-GSV Summit 2021: Visionary Notes from Andrew Pass
Several weeks ago, I attended the ASU-GSV Summit 2021. After not traveling to any conferences for 16 months, it was a very exciting experience! The conference’s beautiful location, on the San Diego Bay, was invigorating. I connected and networked with folks from organizations like Kiddie Kredit, Michigan Virtual, and Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). Here are a few great moments from the summit:
Digital Credentials: 7 Reasons Why Colleges Need to Offer Them
First, digital credentials let colleges show their courses are up to date. Leaders can break traditional degree programs into micro-credentials. Learners complete micro-credentials to earn a badge. Participants earn a badge to show a single skill, like lab safety. Badges can be combined to create a digital credential, like for a lab technician supervisor program. Thus, they can be used by schools to add the latest research discoveries or new laws to keep the topic up to date. Also, these learning bytes let schools swap outdated content on the fly. Micro courses reassure learners that they are getting the best degree for the workforce.
Learner Variability: Publishers Should Highlight These 6 features
Providers can give educators the power to choose content that matches students’ learning gaps and needs. Yes, high-functioning students get appropriate content. Struggling students receive assignments to bridge learning gaps. Teachers see early warning signals. This scaffolding helps teachers create different learning levels for their classrooms. Besides that, everyone learns the same general topic. This characteristic lets teachers build an inclusive environment to promote learner variability. Also, teachers can focus on social and emotional topics.
Upskill: The Need for Colleges to Skillify Curricula for America’s Workforce
Often it is cheaper for employers to upskill their current workforce than to recruit and train new employees. Workforce development partnerships translate education to applied skills. Technical programs make sense to those students who need their investment to end in a job. Likewise, when a college invests in teaching the skills in need by local businesses, both partners win. Schools attract a new pool of students. Companies get a skilled workforce. Still, the best news is businesses needing skilled workers. Savvy colleges invest in long-term relationships with business partners. Likewise, the school keeps itself relevant and its classrooms full.
3 Content Localization Characteristics Publishers Should Know
First, a document’s purpose shapes content localization. Textbooks have one form. Work instructions present another. Legal documents take yet another form. Also, the translated document needs to meet the expectations of the local readers. Teachers in Spain expect their guides to read a certain way. Teachers in Mexico and Portugal expect their guides to read in a different way. Yet, it is the same language, Spanish. Second, a clear purpose makes sure key points of the text do not get lost in translation. Also, professional translation services know the quirks of a region. Most importantly, professional content creators understand how to format the resources in ways that benefit the publisher.