Archive for July, 2010

NOOKstudy, announced July 12, is Barnes & Noble’s (BN) bold new effort to gain a foothold in the nascent etextbook market. The product was pre-released to a small group of college campuses this summer. BN expects the general release of the product for free, open use in August-to coincide with the beginning of the new school year. The software application promises to enable students “to manage all their digital content-etextbooks, class materials, and notes-on the computing device they rely on most, their PC or Mac.”

—– In an effort to track the eTextbook marketplace the Gilfus education Group will be providing continuous updates -—— Barnes & Noble announces NOOKstudy eTextbook college program Regular readers know that the Barnes & Noble Nook is my preferred ebook reader device for a number of reasons I have written about in various articles. One [...]

—- The Gilfus Education Group is tracking progress in the eTextbook marketplace and will be posting updates as various vendors make headway in providing education institutions with new capabilities.  —– CourseSmart Partners with Select Higher Education Institutions to Provide Instant Access to eTextbooks — Faculty at Universities Across the Country Will Have Direct Access to [...]

What is IV&V Software Verification and Validation (V&V) is a system engineering discipline which helps the development organization build quality into the software during the software life cycle.  The purpose of Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) is to provide an objective review of a software product under development by an independent third party that is [...]

jim Washington, DC – Blackboard, the DC-based provider of software and services to educational institutions, said that it will pay $116 million cash to acquire Calgary-based Elluminate and New York-based Wimba, both developers of virtual classroom technology. The acquired companies will form the backbone of Blackboard Collaborate, a new, standalone platform that will allow educational [...]

(RTTNews) – Blackboard Inc. (BBBB: News ) said it agreed to acquire both Elluminate Inc. and Wimba Inc., two of the leading providers of synchronous learning and collaboration technology to the education markets, for a total of about $116 million in cash, excluding transaction costs and subject to certain adjustments. These leading teams and solutions [...]

Overview of an ERP Project Management Philosophy Project management processes and tools are designed to (1) keep the implementation on schedule, (2) manage project costs, (3) manage the project vendors, (4) help the agencies and/or institutions avoid problems and ensure a successful implementation or upgrade of enterprise resource planning  applications. What to do in the [...]

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recently announced the Next Gen Learning Challenges which will provide grants to innovators, build evidence of what works, and foster an engaged community of professionals committed to helping students and young adults prepare for college and successfully complete their postsecondary educations. The Foundation has engaged several leading edge organizations [...]

Academic Analytics is the term for business intelligence used in an academic setting. There is an increasing distinction made between academic analytics and traditional BI because of the unique type of information that university administrators require for decision making. – Wikipedia Why Academic Analytics By leveraging technology, skills, and process improvements to bring data and [...]

Research Planning and Review Committee The ACRL Research, Planning and Review Committee, a component of the Research Coordinating Committee, is responsible for creating and updating a continuous and dynamic environmental scan for the association that encompasses trends in academic librarianship, higher education, and the broader environment. As a part of this effort, the committee develops [...]

Analytics tools provide statistical evaluation of rich data sources to discern patterns that can help individuals at companies, educational institutions, or governments make more informed decisions. Colleges and universities can harness the power of analytics to develop student recruitment policies, adjust course catalog offerings, determine hiring needs, or make financial decisions. In a teaching and [...]