TALENT DEVELOPMENT
PRnewswire | April 26, 2023
HEC Paris, one of Europe's leading business schools, and edX, the global online learning platform from 2U, Inc. today announced that HEC Paris is launching its first executive education courses with edX in key business management topics. The new offerings make it possible for professionals around the world to to study with one of the foremost management institutions.
The first course—"The Leader as a Coach"—is now open for enrollment, with a second course slated to launch in the coming months. Both offerings add to edX's catalog of more than 4,000 online learning experiences developed in partnership with the world's top universities and corporations, from free courses to full degrees.
According to Catalyst, employees that work with highly empathetic leaders are both more innovative and more engaged. The new HEC Paris courses will help learners gain the wide set of skills needed to excel as a manager in today's business landscape and become more effective and motivating leaders.
"There's an urgent need across all industry sectors for trained managers who can help guide teams large and small through a fast-paced, dynamic global business environment," said Andrew Hermalyn, president of partnerships at 2U, the parent company of edX. "Now, HEC Paris and edX are making it easy for learners around the world to take on those challenges by making programs from one of the world's most prestigious management institutions available to busy working professionals."
Designed for both aspiring and experienced executives, the HEC Paris courses will teach learners how to build high-impact and resilient teams to boost their earning potential in an increasingly competitive global job market. After finishing a course, learners will receive a certificate of completion from HEC Paris, one of the few business schools to earn the prestigious triple-crown accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the Association of MBAs, and EQUIS.
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 48 million ambitious learners 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.
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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
Newswire | March 30, 2023
Since 2011, Best Brains has provided tens of thousands of students instruction in Math and English concepts by employing real teachers in their over 140 locations. This year, this award-winning company has expanded their platform to provide any child aged 3-14 the opportunity to learn online. Via the app "BBConnect," students connect to the same teachers employed in Best Brains' brick-and-mortar locations. This program, which started development in 2020, is designed to make the Best Brains experience more mobile and flexible to students who may not have a location nearby.
"Even though we have locations in just over 20 states and counting, as well as in Ontario, Canada, we've seen how expansive our reach has become," says Franchise Development Specialist Elanor Smith. "We get inquiries from parents in every state and province who have heard of Best Brains and how effective our learning model is. With BBConnect, we can begin to reach these students for the first time."
By signing up for BBConnect, parents connect with a center administrator - usually an owner of a currently existing franchise location in places like California, Texas, or Ontario. Students are assessed online before being matched with real teachers and provided with a personalized lesson plan. Students log into the BBConnect app each week via their Android or iPad tablet and receive instruction in virtual classrooms. Between classes, new homework pages are unlocked each day so that students can perfect concepts taught in class.
To use BBConnect, students only need a tablet and a stylus. "Handwriting and drawing have always been an essential part of our curriculum," Curriculum Lead Rachel Evans explains. "We work hard to create a curriculum that is engaging and non-repetitive, and the physical aspect of our curriculum is part of that." When describing how Best Brains students feel about completing daily homework, Evans says, "Students love our daily packets and are actually motivated to finish them. I know they'll be excited to log into the app every day and find new assignments waiting for them."
Vice President of Best Brains Hana Adas is very invested in the potential of BBConnect. "Education is for everyone," she says. "There should be no barriers between students and quality education. We designed BBConnect so that we can connect real teachers to students through our program. We use the same curriculum and the same standards for our in-person students on the BBConnect app. We provide individualized feedback each week, something parents are constantly seeking from their education partners. We created Best Brains to be the best learning center there is, and BBConnect gives every student, no matter where they live, the opportunity to Be Their Best.
About Best Brains Learning Centers
Best Brains is an enrichment program for children ages 3 -14. Best Brains is head quartered in Arlington Heights, IL and has over 100 locations across the USA and Canada. The subjects offered at Best Brains are Math, English, Abacus, General Knowledge and SAT / ACT.
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TALENT DEVELOPMENT
Businesswire | April 21, 2023
Labster the world's leading edtech platform for virtual labs and interactive science courseware, is rolling out a major free user experience (UX) upgrade that will improve the Labster platform for millions of students in high school and higher education institutions worldwide. The upgrade will be pushed automatically to users when they log into Labster and will impact more than 80% of Labster simulations across all devices and LMS systems, including the Labster app for iOS and Chromebook.
With Labster, students explore interactive simulations in state-of-the-art laboratories from their digital devices. But the advanced scientific concepts and lab techniques that Labster simulations bring to life can sometimes be challenging for students who are not as well prepared. Based on extensive feedback from both users and instructors, Labster has developed a new intelligent “hint and guidance” system that will nudge students in the right direction toward successful completion of their assignments when needed. Among other features, this includes helpful new indicators and suggestions for students who appear to be stuck or struggling.
Leveraging gamification techniques has been proven to boost student enthusiasm, engagement and learning outcomes. Labster offers 300-plus titles in its catalog of STEM curriculum-aligned virtual lab simulations in fields such as biology, biochemistry, genetics, biotechnology, chemistry, and physics. Labster simulations are especially useful for pre- and post-lab assignments, so science department leads can fully optimize the time students spend on-site in high-demand physical laboratories.
“Labster plays an important role in helping students complete challenging STEM courses, so it’s critical that we leverage the power of our platform to support their learning and progress through each simulation,” said Michael Bodekaer Jensen, co-founder and CEO of Labster. “Our ultimate goal is for Labster to increase STEM student retention by encouraging students on their path to becoming the next generation of scientists to change the world. Our thanks go out to the generous educators and students who helped us build this major upgrade by providing valuable feedback and ongoing testing for continuous improvement.”
Better STEM access for all
According to the National Science Board, academic institutions need to dramatically increase the proportion of students in STEM to preserve U.S. economic and innovation leadership. But women and minority students are already underrepresented in STEM education, and inherent design flaws in introductory STEM-subject courses can actually act as a barrier for minority students rather than as a springboard for success, according to a 2022 Pennsylvania State University research study led by mathematics professor Nathanial "Nate" Brown, Ph.D.
“We know that different students have different levels of comfort with online courseware,” said Jolita Kiznyte, Labster’s lead product manager for content. “That’s why we’re continuously working to improve the UX design of Labster’s gamified, interactive science simulations. It’s really important that we accommodate a diversity of user backgrounds and technical skills. These latest updates provide key hints and signals that can offer a helping hand to students where they need it while navigating the learning experience in our simulations.”
Labster has been innovating in science education for more than a decade, providing educators with the ability to digitally explore and enhance their science offerings and supplement their in-classroom activities. In 2022, Labster released five new course packages, including Basic Lab Skills, focused specifically on practical lab skills and simulations. Additionally, more than 150 of the 300-plus Labster simulations are now available in Spanish, with over 100 also in French, German, and Italian. Labster simulations can be played on a variety of the most commonly used desktop, laptop, and tablet computers available to the broadest range of students.
Getting to know (and love) Labster
About Labster
Labster is dedicated to developing fully interactive virtual training simulations that are designed to enhance traditional learning outcomes by stimulating students’ natural curiosity and reinforcing the connection between science and the real world. The simulations can be used in a variety of different ways, from a full lab replacement to a supplemental learning activity. Over 5 million students in high schools and universities in 100 countries have used Labster to perform realistic experiments, learn key science concepts, and practice their skills in a risk-free learning environment. Labster’s team members are passionate about improving science learning, resulting in collaborations with over 3,000 leading educational institutions.
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