4 Items on Instructure’s To-Do List After the Sale of the Canvas LMS Provider

edsurge | April 01, 2020

Even without a pandemic, Instructure faced a transformative 2020. The learning management system provider—best known for its Canvas product popular among colleges—is officially under private equity ownership. One of the benefits of this change is a focus on long-term planning over displays of quarterly growth to impress shareholders, says Mitch Benson, the company’s chief product officer. For example, despite increased activity on the platform—concurrent users on the Canvas LMS were up 60 percent from typical use patterns and video submissions are up tenfold from typical use patterns pre-Covid-19—the costs of moving more data and training more educators will keep the company from a short-term windfall, Benson says.

Spotlight

The B2B buyer journey has always been complex. And today, with the ever-changing demands of the modern industry buyer, it has become even more necessary to rethink the buyer journey, creating a future-ready digital experience

Spotlight

The B2B buyer journey has always been complex. And today, with the ever-changing demands of the modern industry buyer, it has become even more necessary to rethink the buyer journey, creating a future-ready digital experience

Related News

TALENT DEVELOPMENT

HMH Acquires Canadian EdTech Company Classcraft

TALENT DEVELOPMENT news | May 12, 2023

Learning technology company HMH today announced the acquisition of Quebec-based education technology company, Classcraft. The acquisition will bring to HMH a best-in-class engineering team and innovative functionality that improves the customer experience, empowering educators and supporting student engagement. "HMH looks forward to welcoming the talented team from Classcraft into the HMH community," says Peter George, Chief Technology Officer at HMH. "Montreal is already home to an HMH technology Center of Excellence, and we are thrilled to begin working together to bring innovative learning experiences to even more students and educators." Known for creating unique, dynamic, learning processes to support student engagement, achievement, and motivation, Classcraft uses science-based motivational principles to support learning. "At Classcraft, we seek to make school more relevant and meaningful by creating playful and collaborative learning experiences that teach the whole child," says Shawn Young, CEO at Classcraft. "We know HMH shares that goal and we're excited to join them in supporting millions of educators and students." Current Classcraft users will continue to have access to Classcraft for the '23-24 school year in its existing form and contracts with schools and districts will be honored. HMH is a portfolio company of Veritas Capital ("Veritas"), a leading investor at the intersection of technology and government. About HMH Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is a learning technology company committed to delivering connected solutions that engage learners, empower educators and improve student outcomes. As a leading provider of K–12 core curriculum, supplemental and intervention solutions, and professional learning services, HMH partners with educators and school districts to uncover solutions that unlock students' potential and extend teachers' capabilities. HMH serves more than 50 million students and 4 million educators in 150 countries.

Read More

EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

ViewSonic Unveils Hybrid Learning Innovations with Stunning 105" 5K Interactive Display at BETT 2023

ViewSonic | March 20, 2023

ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual solutions, is launching a range of comprehensive education technology (EdTech) solutions, with the new addition to ViewSonic's revolutionary 5K 105" ViewBoard interactive display. In terms of software, highlights include ViewSonic's rich digital learning tools from the myViewBoard software suite, and the UNIVERSE by ViewSonic—a 3D virtual campus for online learning. The solutions will be exhibited in in-class, online, and hybrid learning scenarios at the BETT Show 2023 (British Educational Training and Technology Show) in London from 29 to 31, March. "ViewSonic is dedicated to offering innovative visual solutions from hardware, software, service, to digital content. We will continue to implement our Ecosystem as a Service (EaaS) strategy and work with partners across the industry to create a digital education ecosystem that is truly transformative," said Clifford Chen, General Manager of the Presentation Group at ViewSonic. "At ViewSonic, we believe that technology can expand what's possible in classrooms. The digital transition is the key to the future of education, which is why we've designed a range of advanced solutions that can be seamlessly integrated into learning environments of all kinds." As a leading EdTech solutions provider, ViewSonic's ViewBoard interactive displays and myViewBoard software suites are being adopted by educational institutions around the world. Ranging in size from 24" to 105", the company's ViewBoard is one of the most popular interactive displays in the world[1]; in Q4 of 2022, ViewSonic was ranked first in the global interactive display market, while the beginning of 2023 saw the myViewBoard ecosystem swell to over 8 million users. ViewSonic's display at BETT 2023 will offer attendees the ability to experience a range of EdTech solutions across different scenarios: Taking In-class Learning with Digital Content into the Future A teacher will use ViewSonic's ViewBoard IFP8652 4K display and the company's whiteboarding software to showcase how diverse pre-made digital lesson content from ViewSonic Originals, an online resource exclusively designed for interactive displays, can be used to create engaging learning experiences in the classroom. While more and more educational institutions are digitizing, ViewSonic Originals makes planning and running lessons easier by offering thousands of pieces of content within a user-friendly database. The company's latest environmental sensor, Sensor Box, will show how educational institutions can harness technology to optimize conditions such as air quality, humidity, temperature, and automatically switch displays on and off, allowing schools to adhere to the UK Green Building Council guidelines. Additionally, demonstrations of myViewBoard Manager Advanced software will provide insights into how IT departments can remotely manage an entire school's displays—including multimedia broadcasting, permission management, and addressing technical issues, all of which avoid interrupting classes and allow students to focus on learning. A New "UNIVERSE" in Online Learning Recognized by two distinguished EdTech Awards recently, ViewSonic's innovative UNIVERSE virtual learning platform opens up new opportunities in online learning. Attendees at BETT 2023 will be able to experience how UNIVERSE allows participants to engage in interactive classrooms with new 3D educational content and create unique learning spaces. The platform addresses some of the key challenges faced during online learning by increasing student engagement, encouraging collaboration, and fostering a sense of belonging among students. Going Hybrid in with Advanced Audiovisuals To show how higher education can be advanced using hybrid setups to ensure the best learning outcome, ViewSonic will be displaying the 5K 105" ViewBoard IFP105S, which features a 21:9 ratio display and multi-touch capabilities. Attendees will be able to see how students in-class and in other locations can collaborate simultaneously with a breeze. Further, the series is flawlessly complemented by ViewSonic's new Live Mosaic View feature for their latest VB-CAM-201-2. Powered by AI technology, Live Mosaic View can provide close-ups of participants and readjust the view based on each attendee's activity, ensuring that attendees and speakers are automatically framed and focused, offering a more immersive experience for hybrid meetings. [1] Source: FutureSource. Rankings include all markets except for China. About ViewSonic Founded in California, ViewSonic is a leading global provider of visual solutions and conducts business in over 100 countries worldwide. As an innovator and visionary, ViewSonic is committed to providing comprehensive hardware and software solutions that include monitors, projectors, pen displays, commercial displays, All-in-One LED displays, ViewBoard interactive displays, and myViewBoard software ecosystem. With over 35 years of expertise in visual displays, ViewSonic has established a strong position for delivering innovative and reliable solutions for education, enterprise, consumer, and professional markets and helping customers "See the Difference."

Read More

TALENT DEVELOPMENT

Databricks Joins edX Partner Network with Launch of New Expert-led Program in Large Language Models

PRnewswire | May 02, 2023

edX, a leading global online learning platform from 2U, Inc., today announced a new partnership with global data and AI leader Databricks to launch a Large Language Models (LLMs) Professional Certificate program, the first of its kind on edX.org. This program is designed to equip developers, data scientists, and engineers with the applied knowledge and skills needed to understand the foundational technology behind recent advancements in artificial intelligence, such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Databricks' Dolly. Through dynamic lectures, demos, and hands-on labs taught by industry leaders and renowned researchers—such as Matei Zaharia, co-founder and chief technologist at Databricks and computer science professor at Stanford University—students will learn how to develop and productionize LLM applications. Comprising two courses, LLMs: Application through Production and LLMs: Foundation Models from the Ground Up, this Professional Certificate program provides a comprehensive overview of the latest frameworks, techniques, and foundation models used in the field of LLMs. By the end of the program, learners will have built their own end-to-end LLM workflows that are ready for production. These courses add to edX's catalog of more than 4,200 online learning experiences developed in partnership with the world's top universities and corporations, from free courses to full degrees. "With the recent advancements in generative AI, there is an urgency for organizations to leverage LLMs in their own products and applications. This has led to an increased demand for professionals with necessary knowledge and skills related to language models," said Patrick Wendell, co-founder and VP of engineering at Databricks. "Our LLM-focused program taught by leading experts on the edX platform is an important step in meeting that demand while broadening access to the critical skills that professionals need to thrive in a rapidly changing environment." According to Esmi Burning Glass, the number of U.S. job postings requiring AI skills will increase nearly 300% between 2022 and 2024, and a survey by Gartner found that over 50% of corporate leaders see AI as a priority to help them stay ahead of competitors. The new LLM Professional Certificate program from Databricks on edX will enable professionals around the world to build and productionize innovative solutions to natural language processing problems and help elevate their careers. "The demand for professionals skilled in machine learning and AI will continue to grow as automation technology continues to advance at breakneck speed," said Andrew Hermalyn, president of partnerships at 2U, the parent company of edX. "edX is thrilled to partner with Databricks to help address the current market gap by equipping more learners around the world with the necessary skills to succeed in this fast-growing field." Professional Certificate programs on edX are designed to build and enhance critical professional skills needed to succeed in today's most in-demand fields. Learners who complete the Databricks LLM Professional Certificate program will earn a program certificate that showcases their knowledge and skills, which they can include on their resumes. The program is open for enrollment now for courses set to begin in Summer 2023. The Databricks LLM Professional Certificate program is free to try for all learners. Like edX, Databricks is committed to expanding access to education, especially in the highly relevant, in-demand field of AI. About edX edX is the global online learning platform that exists to help learners everywhere unlock their potential. edX was founded by Harvard and MIT in 2012 to make the world's best education available to everyone. Today, as a 2U, Inc. company (Nasdaq: TWOU), edX connects 76 million people worldwide with the skills, knowledge, and support to achieve their goals. Together with the world's leading universities and companies, edX offers thousands of free and open courses, professional certificates, boot camps, credit-bearing micro credentials, and undergraduate and graduate degrees. About Databricks Databricks is the data and AI company. More than 9,000 organizations worldwide—including Comcast, Condé Nast, and over 50% of the Fortune 500—rely on the Databricks Lakehouse Platform to unify their data, analytics, and AI. Databricks is headquartered in San Francisco with offices around the globe. Founded by the original creators of Apache Spark™, Delta Lake, and MLflow, Databricks is on a mission to help data teams solve the world's toughest problems.

Read More