EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
Zovio | August 02, 2022
An education technology services company that partners with higher education institutions and employers, announced today that it has closed on an agreement to transition its online program management (OPM) business to the University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC).
Over the past six months, Zovio has taken steps to implement a process designed to unlock shareholder value by rightsizing the company, accelerating growth of subsidiaries and exploring strategic alternatives, which included the potential divestiture of all three of its businesses.
In May 2022, Zovio completed the sale of TutorMe, for $55 million and used a portion of the proceeds to repay bridge financing. This left the company debt free and allowed Zovio to satisfy obligations stemming from a decision of the Superior Court of California while the company appeals the decision.
Continuing to execute on its strategic alternatives process, Zovio and UAGC negotiated, signed and closed on an asset purchase agreement with an effective date of July 31, 2022, after receiving approval from their respective Boards of Directors. Under the asset purchase agreement, UAGC is acquiring Zovio's operations and assets that previously provided services to UAGC through a long-term Strategic Services Agreement.
"Zovio has been at the forefront of providing innovative online learning products and services for almost two decades, We are pleased to have reached this agreement with UAGC and are excited about their future,"
- Zovio Chief Executive Officer, Randy Hendricks.
Zovio will continue to support the continued growth and expansion of Fullstack Academy and simultaneously explore strategic alternatives for that business.
About Zovio
Zovio (Nasdaq: ZVO) is an education technology services company that partners with higher education institutions and employers to deliver innovative, personalized solutions to help learners and leaders achieve their aspirations. The Zovio network, including Fullstack Academy, leverages its core strengths to solve priority market needs through education technology services. Using proprietary advanced data analytics, Zovio identifies the most meaningful ways to enhance the learner experience and deliver strong outcomes for higher education institutions, employers, and learners. Zovio's purpose is to help everyone be in a class of their own. For more information, visit www.zovio.com.
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TALENT DEVELOPMENT, ENTREPRENEURS, AND LEADERS
edX | September 23, 2022
The London School of Economics and Political Science, a member institution of the University of London, and edX, the global online learning platform from 2U, Inc., today announced the launch of LSE's first two MicroBachelors® programs in Statistics Fundamentals and Mathematics and Statistics Fundamentals as well as An Introduction to Pre-University Mathematics, its first Massive Open Online Course. LSE is the first university to expand its degree partnership with 2U to launch a series of edX microcredentials that provide learners with a flexible, stackable pathway towards pursuing a fully online undergraduate education.MicroBachelors® programs deliver immediately transferable skills while providing a pathway towards pursuing a full Bachelor's degree. Each of LSE's new MicroBachelors® programs includes four university-level courses from leading LSE faculty. Learners who successfully complete a MicroBachelors® program from LSE and are admitted into select online undergraduate degree programs from the University of London, with academic direction provided by LSE, will be eligible to apply for recognition of prior learning (RPL), creating an accessible pathway into the degree program. The Introduction to Pre-University Mathematics MOOC, which is free to audit, will expand access to a foundational mathematics education worldwide. It will also teach the competencies required to succeed in university-level courses, including LSE's new MicroBachelors® programs.
"Over the past five years, our partnership with 2U has enabled LSE to become a leader in digital education, bringing high-quality education to life online. We've reduced barriers, removed international borders, and extended our reach,Building on our partnership, the new innovative offerings from LSE on edX create an incredible opportunity for us to further increase our global impact by providing a vast community of learners with a clear pathway to gain the critical mathematics and statistics knowledge to achieve academic success."
Wim Van der Stede, Academic Dean for Extended Education at LSE
The school's initial partnership with 2U has played a role in LSE's strategy to expand its educational offerings and make teaching, learning, and research accessible to people who wouldn't have been able to access the institution in traditional formats. To date, over 26,000 learners have completed online certificate courses offered through LSE and 2U, and over 1,000 students have enrolled in its online undergraduate degrees powered by 2U. The addition of the MicroBachelors® programs and MOOC will help further expand LSE's reach to over 45 million learners around the globe.The launch of LSE's first MicroBachelors® programs and MOOC demonstrate the power of 2U and edX to expand access and increase the affordability of higher education at one of the world's most renowned social sciences institutions," said 2U Co-Founder and CEO Christopher "Chip" Paucek. "Creating new pathways to degree attainment is an essential part of edX's mission to unlock the potential of our community of 45 million learners worldwide, and we're thrilled to expand our partnership with LSE to bring that mission to life through the first truly stackable path to a fully online undergraduate degree.
About London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is an internationally renowned university specialising in the social sciences. Its expertise spans a wide range of disciplines from economics, politics and law, to sociology, health policy, accounting and finance. As one of the most international universities in the world, the School's diversity of people, ideas and interests make it an exciting centre for research, teaching and public engagement. Established in 1895, the original vision of LSE as 'a community of people and ideas, founded to know the causes of things, for the betterment of society' remains true to this day. It continues to use its research-led expertise to influence governments, NGOs, businesses and others to help tackle the world's most pressing problems. For more information visit lse.ac.uk .
About edX
edX is the education movement for restless learners and a leading global online learning platform from 2U, Inc. ( Nasdaq: TWOU). Together with the majority of the world's top-ranked universities and industry-leading companies, we bring our community of over 45 million learners world-class education to support them at every stage of their lives and careers, from free courses to full degrees. And we're not stopping there — we're relentlessly pursuing our vision of a world where every learner can access education to unlock their potential, without the barriers of cost or location.
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ONLINE EDUCATION
ASU Prep Digital | July 19, 2022
ASU Prep Digital, an accredited online K-12 school offered through Arizona State University, has partnered with Google Public Sector, to make remote immersive learning technology more accessible to students across the United States and around the world. ASU Prep Learning Cloud is a streaming solution that empowers schools to deliver innovative and interactive 3D learning experiences to students using low-bandwidth devices. The technology was developed on and is powered by Google Cloud.This new platform invites students to solve challenges by immersing themselves in interactive settings made possible by technology. For example, students can watch geologic formations emerge through simulations rather than reading about it in a textbook. Students can also explore human organs in 3D or examine a plastic mannequin. This brings topics like erosion, hydrolysis, and human anatomy to life.
To successfully complete a lesson, students must think critically about the concept, explore it, and learn through discovery. Real-time, instructive feedback also helps contribute to a more individualized learning experience.
“We’re turning students into explorers by embedding learning into the digital formats that students love, We spark curiosity by asking students to navigate 3D worlds, hypothesize, and discover knowledge by manipulating game-like simulations to solve real-world problems.”
-David Sudarma, ASU Prep’s chief technology officer
Advancing Accessibility
The ASU Prep Learning Cloud represents an important step toward accessibility for students in rural areas, with limited broadband access, and districts where limited technology funding makes it difficult to deliver cutting-edge learning opportunities. This immersive cloud-based education technology can be experienced from mobile devices or Chromebooks, increasing accessibility for all learners, anytime, anywhere. Removing those barriers is especially important for a program like ASU Digital Prep, which can be instrumental in bridging gaps for districts where resources are slim.
ASU Prep Digital has allowed us to partner and advance educational opportunities for thousands of K-12 students who might not have otherwise had access to the courses, credits, mentors, and teachers we offer, said Arizona State University President Michael Crow, who is widely known as a pioneer of online education.
Crow’s vision has created a tech-enhanced learning environment across ASU, inclusive of pre-collegiate students via ASU Prep Digital. A key element of that vision is expanded opportunities in online education, which offers a path to higher education for students who are otherwise hindered from pursuing their education goals. In addition to its rapidly expanding K-12 enrollment, ASU Prep Digital’s School Partnerships continue to grow. The program supports entire school districts in states like Utah, Louisiana and Ohio, as well as schools in 22 states and 12 countries.
Powerhouse Partnerships
In addition to the full- and part-time students who enroll directly with ASU Prep Digital, the school also teams with private schools, public schools, and districts worldwide to offer a K-12 curriculum and one-on-one instruction in a virtual environment. The program’s latest suite of courses, which will be available this fall to partner schools via the ASU Prep Learning Cloud, powered by Google Cloud, can be used in compliance with Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
As pioneers in their respective industries, ASU Prep Digital and Google Public Sector worked to develop the platform, which is based on game engine technology. The ASU Prep Learning Cloud features responsive design optimized for the most commonly used devices (e.g., Chromebooks, mobile phones) using Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
“Our partnership with ASU Prep Digital has the ability to unlock new and innovative academic opportunities for learners across the country, We’re unleashing the power of Google Cloud to help make individualized, digital, and interactive learning the new standard in education.”
-Steven Butschi, director of Education, Google Public Sector
Courses integrate seamlessly into existing learning management systems, while supporting robust interactive features that personalize learning. The platform currently supports ASU Prep Digital partner schools, but in the future, could be rolled out to other educational institutions.
As immersive technologies become more widely adapted in education, 3D learning environments such as augmented reality and virtual reality offer great potential for engagement and retention, Our collaboration with Google Public Sector is a terrific first step in expanding access to immersive solutions across many devices, and we’re working together to explore ways immersive technologies can be made even more universally available to eager learners.
To preview a snapshot of ASU Prep Learning Cloud courses, visit: https://vimeo.com/623494408 or take a deeper look at the immersive platform here: https://vimeo.com/689344144/795e785a7c
About ASU Prep Digital
ASU Prep Digital is an accredited online K-12 school that offers a single online course or enrollment in a full-time, diploma-granting program. Because it is part of Arizona State University, ASU Prep Digital offers an accelerated path toward college admission and the chance to earn concurrent high school and university credit. For more information, visit asuprepdigital.org.
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