Dr. Janeil Rey

Dr. Janeil C. Rey, whose tenure at SUNY Fredonia began more than 30 years ago in the Educational Development Program (EDP), has been appointed interim dean of the universitys College of Education, effective Aug. 16.

For the past five years, Dr. Rey has been the director of workforce development at Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES, where she directs career and technical education, P-TECH and adult education programs.

Dr. Reys combination of leadership skills and experience, content expertise, teaching experience and her intimate knowledge of local and regional schools and their administrators make her uniquely qualified to provide interim leadership for the College of Education, said Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Kevin Kearns, who announced the appointment after close consultation with President Stephen H. Kolison Jr.

Rey succeeds Dr. Anna Thibodeau, an associate professor and department chair currently serving as the interim dean of the College of Education, who will retire at the end of August after a long and distinguished career at Fredonia.

Dr. Thibodeau has been instrumental in shaping the direction of the college over the years, Dr. Kearns indicated, and has provided steady leadership during arguably Fredonias most challenging academic year.

At this critical time of enrollment challenges and change it is clear that we need to continue Annas legacy of leadership in the College of Education. Along with leadership changes, the college is challenged by a change in accrediting bodies, new curricular initiatives including the online Education Leadership program and a pressing need to nurture relationships with our school partners, Kearns said.

I am enormously grateful to Dr. Thibodeau for her long history of contributions to Fredonia, especially for her stellar work as interim dean during this past year, Kearns said.

A search for a permanent dean will be conducted by Dr. David Starrett, who joined Fredonia as executive vice president and provost in mid-August.

In a career in education that spans more than 35 years, Rey has been a teacher, professor and administrator.

For over 18 years, Rey held positions as adjunct professor, visiting professor, assistant professor and co-coordinator of Fredonias EDP program and also taught the masters proposal and thesis writing courses and leadership courses for aspiring school principals and superintendents. Rey also led the Belize Service Learning Project, a short-term study abroad program that places Fredonia students as volunteer teachers in Belize schools during the J-Term.

Positions Rey has held elsewhere include assistant superintendent for instruction at Fredonia Central Schools and special projects manager, a part-time position, at Erie 2 BOCES following the birth of her first child. She also served as superintendent and K-12 principal at Ripley Central School. Rey joined Fredonias EDP program as an academic counselor in 1989.

Prior to relocating to Western New York, Rey was an academic counselor for the Watermark Program of Landmark School and also taught reading and English to dyslexic students.

Rey holds permanent New York State Certification as a School Administrator/Supervisor and as a School District Administrator. She has an undergraduate degree in American Studies with New York State certification to teach Social Studies from Barnard College of Columbia University and a masters degree in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her doctoral dissertation on rural school superintendents was through the University at Buffalo.

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Janeil Rey to return to College of Education as interim dean - Fredonia.edu

The district says nearly 150 students are enrolled in the online option, K-12.

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa On the first day of school at Anson Elementary in Marshalltown, kids are scurrying through hallways and filling up classrooms. This year, teachers can look forward to welcoming students in person year-round.

Yet within the walls of Mrs. Jess Althaus' kindergarten classroom, there's still just one person: Mrs. Althaus. The educator of nearly a decade has moved to fully online learning, part of the new Marshalltown Virtual Academy (MVA).

"I definitely dont have a lot of classroom set-up," said Althaus. "I just kind of have my desk."

Though the job involves less set-up, there's more prep time involved. Althaus teaches kindergarten as well as ELL, grades K-6.

"It takes little bit more [time] because I have extra grade levels," she said.

But she says with parents assisting at home, she has extra help.

Althaus is one of MVA's six full-time teachers, grades K-6. At the 7-12 age level, just under a dozen teachers split time between in-person teaching and virtual teaching. In total, the district says between 144-150 students are participating, and they're at capacity.

Twenty-three Iowa school districts are now accredited to offer a full-time online learning option.

Principal Ronnie Manis heads up MVA's K-6 program and says it's providing parents an option for their families to say safe amid the rise of the delta variant.

"COVID is still there, and parents are scared," said Manis. "They are concerned, especially in the elementary school, our kids are at an age where they cant be vaccinated. We have had parents say that they want to stay here until that vaccination is offered for kids if it is safe for them."

Eric Goslinga, principal of MVA's 7-12 program, says it can better accommodate students struggling with mental health issues.

"Through the pandemic, we have seen a rise in generalized anxiety disorders in the population of students," said Goslinga. "So we have some kids who find that they are more comfortable at home and are seeking that comfortable place to do their learning."

Goslinga adds that high school students are choosing to attend MVA to get a head start on preparing for college.

"If you have a collegebound student, this gradual-release model of them being more responsible for initiating getting their work done, I think sets them up well," said Goslinga. "They have a pattern...previous experiences about being self-starters and engaging in their own learning independently."

Both Goslinga and Manis say many students simply prefer the online learning option, regardless of health concerns. It gives them hope that MVA will continue long after COVID-19 is over.

"We capped out [student capacity] before school started, so that tells me that parents are interested. Kids are interested," said Mains. "As long as we keep offering a quality product, which we will, I think theres every opportunity to continue if its possible."

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Marshalltown's new virtual academy joins 22 other Iowa districts offering fully-accredited online options - Local 5 - weareiowa.com

A leading higher education association is setting its sights on alternative credentials, on Tuesday launching two new groups to simplify the process for institutions looking to implement more short-term programs.

The University for Professional and Continuing Education Association announced a council, composed of campus leadership drawn from its more than 400 member institutions, to lead research and discussion on logistics and strategy for offering alternative credentials. Alternative credentials, such as micro-credentials and certificates offered by bootcamps and massive online open courses, are often offered online and are skill-based.

Julie Uranis, the associations vice president for online and strategic initiatives, told EdScoop institutions can struggle with the IT component of introducing credentials that arent based in credit hours, as student information systems are often built for traditional degrees.

When we start thinking about the space a little bit more, we learn that there are barriers to access that are a product of policies and systems that that just need to be reconsidered or reworked, she said.

When students pay to take a course that doesnt end in a degree, sometimes they also arent assigned a student ID number, which can limit access to university systems they need to succeed in the course, Uranis added. She said the council will address these problems by publishing papers on best practices, but the association will also create a formal network for any employee from a member institution to share their experiences and successes and get advice on credential programs.

Uranis said the association conducted a survey on alternative credentials and that many members saw an opportunity for traditional higher education to address specific workforce needs. In the survey, the majority of members said that new credentials were aligned with their institutions strategy, but about 48% said they were unsure that developing these new degrees greatly benefited finances.

For decades upon decades, our university leadership usually comes out of that degree-seeking space, Uranis said. What our members are saying is we need greater attention to this, we need advocacy, we need folks providing a primer to our leadership so that they dont see this as another adult learning initiative.

Uranis said higher education needs to focus on fundamental operational issues to further work in the new credential space, a discussion she said can be facilitated through the member network.

Its a great opportunity for us to really get folks that are interested in this topic and have already successfully engaged in some of these activities to be able to share that with their peers and colleagues, she said.

The announcement comes as more institutions seek ways to boost enrollment, but also as more learners are switching degree paths in light of the coronavirus pandemic or aiming for a promotion at work. Colleges and universities are offering more online programming, often partnering with companies like 2U, Emeritus or the recently-acquired EdX. User numbers for these sites skyrocketed during the pandemic, with EdX founder Anant Agarwal calling the shift in skills needed in workplaces and COVID-19 a double whammy in the online education space.

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Alternative credentials in higher education have a champion - EdScoop

London, Aug. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- D2L, a global learning technology leader, announced today that its partner, The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS) is using D2L Brightspace to develop a blended learning programme for its 46,000 students, combining the benefits of online and in-person teaching.

The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS, in Dutch: Hogeschool van Amsterdam) is a higher education institution which strives to put learners in charge of their own study path, delivering personal education that helps to develop students professional identities.

As part of its plans to evolve the universitys learning programme, AUAS begana phased roll-out of D2L Brightspace in September 2018 before implementing it across the whole institution in September 2019. When COVID-19 lockdown restrictions caused universities to close in spring 2020, Brightspace was integral to delivering lessons that took place completely online.

Without D2L Brightspace, we wouldnt have been able to continue our educational programme during the lockdown restrictions, said Pieter van Langen, Product Owner of AUAS Digital Learning Environment. Implementing Brightspace has helped the university adopt a growth mindset when it comes to digital transformation, which was crucial when adapting to distance learning and thinking about our long-term strategies. A few months into the pandemic, the universitys board agreed that we would never return to normal, fully on-campus lessons. Instead, we will use Brightspace to provide the most value to students of face-to-face and online teaching.

As the Universitys first ever learning management system (LMS), Brightspace has enabled faculty to design their own courses, and provides new functionalities for all of its lecturers.

Building off of the excitement and energy generated by our annual Fusion conference, were celebrating our customers and the ways in which they are changing the world," says Elliot Gowans, Senior Vice President, International at D2L. Were excited to see how The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences will continue to use D2L Brightspace as an integral part of its digital transformation journey following the success made so far.

Learn more about D2Ls work with AUAS here: https://www.d2l.com/en-eu/blog/lms-implementation-towards-an-educational-and-strategic-application/

ABOUT THE AMSTERDAM UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

At the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS), we educate tomorrows professionals in a wide array of fields and disciplines of higher education. With our distinct focus on applied sciences, the AUAS enables students, lecturers and researchers to develop cutting-edge and practical knowledge and innovations.

Our university of applied sciences consists of seven faculties. We have a total of 45,797 students and offer 96 Bachelors, Masters and Associate degree programmes. We are one of the biggest employers in the field of higher education, and in Amsterdam, with some 4,077 staff members.

Learn more about AUAS at https://www.amsterdamuas.com/

ABOUT D2L

D2L is transforming the way the world learns helping learners of all ages achieve more than they dreamed possible. Working closely with clients all over the world, D2L is supporting millions of people learning online and in person. Our more than 950 global employees are dedicated to making the best learning products to leave the world better than where they found it. Learn more about D2L for K-12, highereducationand businesses atwww.D2L.com. ABOUT D2L BRIGHTSPACE D2L Brightspace is acloud-basedlearning platform built for organisations that value continuous investment in people to drive their business success. D2L Brightspace is powering smarter upskilling and reskilling of workforces around the world. It is a place that supports all aspects of learning with better engagement and productivity through personalised learning. It gives your teams the toolstheyregoing to love and makes it easy to support exceptional experiences face-to-face or fully online. D2L Brightspace is designed in close collaboration with clients around the world building a rich set of features to improve engagement, retention and learning outcomes. And it makes it easier to give feedback.Itsworry-free with 99.99% reliability.Itshighly accessible and looks beautiful on any mobile device, making it easier for you to reach every learner. Like many of our clients, D2L uses itsaward-winningBrightspace learning platform to support onboarding, compliance training, leadership development, and upskilling of its own employees. This has led to consecutive #1 in North America awards for new hire and onboarding experiences. To learn more, visit D2L forCorporate Learning. UK PRESS CONTACT Pippa Twigg, Finn Partners 07769 719 719 D2L@finnpartners.com Twitter:@D2L_EMEA 2021 D2L Corporation.

All D2L marks are trademarks of D2L Corporation. Please visit D2L.com/trademarks for a list of D2L marks.

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THE AMSTERDAM UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES TO DELIVER - GlobeNewswire

Every morning, since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Khushi Soni, a student of Class 11 at the Shiv Nadar School in Gurugram, has been attending online classes. She is among millions across the country and the world who were forced to shift to online learning almost overnight.

While challenging, she says that the initial days were also exciting as this was a whole new experience. It was a difficult year for all of us. The online school year had an exciting start. It was something new and seemed futuristic. We enjoyed the comfort of our own room, she says.

Hybrid workspaces are already becoming the norm across the globe and it looks like hybrid learning is gaining popularity as well.

It is not unreasonable to assume that the future of education could involve a mixed, blended, and hybrid model in order to most efficiently cope with the changing times, says Shashi Banerjee, Director of Education, Shiv Nadar School.

Under the hybrid model, a student's progress is monitored through practice tests and extra assignments, and teachers have been made to actively supporting them and their parents throughout this transition

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Hybrid education is a combination of in-person or offline learning and virtual or online learning methods. In this model, online resources replace certain portions of the syllabus that would otherwise have been taught in the classroom.

It is, therefore, important to make sure that there is no clash or conflict in the operation of the two separate models as they both form parts of a whole, adds Shashi.

The hybrid model, while still in its early days of implementation, has proved to have several benefits, the biggest of which is flexibility. Without the constraints of a single classroom, there is significant potential to rethink how a course is taught, how students access study material, and interact with instructors and other learners.

It also creates the possibility of holding classes with mixed groups, providing a personalised teaching-learning experience for both students and the teachers, says Shashi.

Students can also design their own learning pathways based on their own curiosity. An example is the STEAM programme where students have been given more freedom to explore, and the NEP's move towards a more flexible assessment model means that students can choose to focus their energies on learning about things that truly interest them, says Shashi.

These initiatives will enable further development of students who are empathetic, can think for themselves, and take calculated risks, which are the aims of the NEP.

Through the online and hybrid mode of learning, I feel my child has learnt to become more serious about her classes and subjects. She understands that she has to make the best of the limited exposure they have to their teachers. Students want to set and create their own momentum. I am happy that her school played an active role by using tech platforms like Nearpod to creatively engage students to go beyond the syllabus, says Nivedita Mishra, a parent of a senior school student at the Shiv Nadar School.

She says that her daughters progress is monitored through practice tests and extra assignments, and teachers have been made actively supporting students and parents throughout this transition.

However, there will be a steep learning curve as both students and teachers adapt to the new model. Both teachers and the students have to adapt and adjust to this blending of two very different modes of learning, which can be very complex and instead of speeding up the process, might actually derail it temporarily. Over the last year-and-half, schools have ironed out the issues with virtual learning and students have also started adjusting to this mode of education. What helped make the model a success is a greater level of cooperation and collaboration between students, parents, and teachers, says Shashi, who feels that technology, unless used well, can be as tyrannical a regime as the chalk-board power system.

She feels the best way to address this is by encouraging student leadership through the development of student voice and choice in learning programmes, as well as in the design of lessons.

Among the main challenges to adapting to the hybrid model will be ensuring equal engagement and collaboration. With half the students studying online and the other half are studying in the classroom, coordination can be difficult.

For a teacher, involving each student in a discussion is important and ensuring that the lesson has been understood in detail and everyones doubts have been cleared is a must. Therefore, creating opportunities such as group discussions, debates, and presentations can work as a solution, says Shashi.

The hybrid model can result in some students feeling more isolated while their peers who choose to go to school interact in person. However, there are those who have come to prefer online education

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For the students, there is an added layer to consider. There were days I felt distracted with the thought of some of my friends having fun in school while I was stuck at home. Focusing during online classes is hard sometimes, but with friends I haven't met for long in school made it more difficult for me, says Samarth Agarwal, a Class 11 student at the Shiv Nadar School.

He adds that the lockdown has been a mixed bag because the chance to be at home also allowed him to spend more time with himself and take a break from the outside world. While limited social interaction has been a challenge in terms of collaboration and teamwork, students have been using technology for regular virtual interactions as well to have more shared experiences.

Khushi says students were allowed to choose platforms they were comfortable with. Coming to school to clear our doubts and meet our friends impacted us positively. As we moved back to online classes, we started creative clubs to explore our passions together. While we would love to go back to school, we also understand the efforts made by our teachers to cope with these changing times.

With so many changes happening almost overnight, students, teachers, and parents have had to struggle to adapt. In addition to the steep learning curve, many educators who are not tech-savvy were forced not only to learn a new method of education remotely but also to keep students engaged.

The constantly evolving environment is at times a source of stress both for students and teachers. While it may have been fun when it began, that soon gave way to finding ways to sustain motivation and focus. Finding the privacy and personal space to attend classes, constant supervision, and entry of parents into their academic world has not been easy on many of them, says Shashi.

She feels that students can be supported by creating and facilitating opportunities for free and open conversations amongst each other as they would have in the physical school space. Parents should also be supported with ways to manage the pandemic and parenting, strategies to increase the emotional and physical regulation, and with managing their own stress. This will indirectly lead to students having more positive interactions within the home.

It is important to normalise conversations around mental health. The skills needed to work on positive mental health understanding of self and managing stress are as important as academic skills. We must create a safe environment to help everyone talk about their emotions, feelings, and fears comfortably. Having counsellors in the school to take care of students and teachers is essential in todays day and time, says Shashi.

A holistic is important given that it is reasonable to assume that the future of education could involve a mixed, blended, and hybrid model.

However, it is too early to say by when the shift will be a permanent feature in our lives. For now, we will have to ensure that COVID protocols and SOPs from the government are followed to ensure the safety of our children, Shashi signs off.

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Is the hybrid model of education here to stay? - YourStory

ISLAMABAD -President Dr. Arif Alvi on Tuesday emphasises the need that the universities have to increase the quantum of online education with major focus on research and innovation to promote quality education in the country.

Speaking at a briefing on National University of Modern Languages (NUML) here, the President said the universities need to shape their vision in a way to prepare students to cope with challenges of fast changing world.

Appreciating the role of university in educational development of the country, the President emphasized that higher education institutions require to produce intellectually supreme graduates to meet the challenges of the 21st century. He asked the management of university to establish IT Department to provide the youth with employable skills so that they could contribute to the nations economic development. Rector NUML Major General (R) Muhammad Jaffer gave a presentation about the role of university in promotion of education in the country.

Meanwhile, speaking at an international conference on innovation and entrepreneurship here Tuesday, President Alvi said the government was taking steps to build information highways and extend reach of the people to new fourth generation technologies.

He said the goal of present government was to improve digital financial system, achieve women empowerment and ensure economic transparency. He said Pakistan was making great progress with the use of emerging technologies. He noted that Pakistan was left behind during the industrial revolution. In the fourth information technology revolution, the communication and spread of information had become very fast, he said adding the world was now witnessing the advent of fifth generation revolution.

He mentioned that immense information was accumulated by the world through cloud computing. Youth could gain advantage by gathering information and through innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship, he added.

He said the government was making efforts to attain one hundred percent literacy in the country and impart skills to the people who could not get education.

The stress was on making the youth familiar with artificial intelligence and technologies like block chain and computer networking, he added. The president said the companies banking on gathering of information and intelligence had replaced the traditional top companies of the world.

He was of the view that economy of Pakistan could leapfrog to be among the top global economies. Pakistan had the necessary educational infrastructure to train its youth for the emerging challenges and the experienced businessmen should also provide mentorship to the young population, he added.

The president told that the government was working on setting up special technology zones and endeavouring to encourage investment and utilize its youth bulge.

He said the world needed the skilled youth of Pakistan but he wanted that the skilled youth should be retained in the country through joint ventures and other initiatives. Pakistan could learn from the experiences of Japan and Germany to achieve digital transformation and better models of governance and economy.

The president said the importance of brick and mortar schools would decrease while the intellectual communication would gain speed. The industrial infrastructure had already changed in the next 15 to 20 years, he added.

The new technologies have created vibrancy and youth should focus on these technologies.

Dr Arif urged the world to focus on reduction of poverty and merit based distribution of wealth and democratization of societies.

We have to be on guard against the accumulation of wealth as mentioned in so many books on capitalism.

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Universities need to boost quantum of online education, focus on innovations: President - The Nation

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The Calgary Board of Education is giving families one last opportunity to enrol students in online learning this fall as the COVID-19 pandemic carries on.

In a notice to parents and guardians on Thursday, the board said given the state of the public health situation, enrollment for online learning will be open for the entire 2021-22 school year.

If families enrol, it will be a commitment for the entire year, the CBE said.

It is not designed to allow for transitions to in-person learning at any point during the school year, the board said.

Students who transfer to CBe-learn from alternative programs or schools with capped enrolment/lotteries will not have their space held and would need to go through the transfer or lottery process again if they wish to return in future years.

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Online learning is open to students in grades 1 through 12.

Enrolment for online learning starts on Aug. 23, with virtual classes starting on either Sept. 7 or Sept. 13, depending on transfer times and when particular schools officially open.

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More information on the online learning options, as well as instructions on how to sign up, can be found on the CBEs website.

The CBE also said Wednesday that it was reinstating its mask mandate for all indoor spaces, for all students and staff in all schools.

The changes come a week after the province released its back-to-school plan, which saw virtually all previous public health measures removed from schools, including mandatory masking and tracing of positive cases.

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Alberta has once again seen an uptick in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations in recent weeks, with 678 new cases reported on Wednesday. One-hundred-eighty-four people were being treated in hospital with COVID-19, with 48 in intensive care units.

2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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COVID-19: Calgary Board of Education reopens online learning sign-up - Global News

As we approach the possibility of schools requiring remote learning again this fall, the clarion call against it is sure to rear its angry head. While I dont disagree that schools that were never well-equipped to handle virtual learning have tainted the entire concept of online classrooms, I still find it an unfair correlation. Virtual learning isnt bad because its virtual. Its often bad because the school wasnt prepared to offer innovative, interactive online classes. This isnt a dig at teachers who had to upend their classrooms and fully convert everything online. Instead, its an understanding that schools that werent already equipped for online learning cant compete with schools that have it in their mission. This conversation has been focusing on the wrong things. Instead of touting either/or, why not both blended learning?

Blended learning is not a new concept for many forward-thinking schools such as France-based Le Sallay International Academy and Laurel Springs High School in Ojai, Calif., according to a Forbes report in January. Blended learning uses online and in-person learning, giving students the best of both worlds. For schools that have built blended learning into their mission, the often touted horrors of remote learning are irrelevant. As technology evolves, so too should education. The pandemic has shown us that our traditional approach to education is in serious need of an overhaul. With so many educational options like blended learning available, why choose schools based purely on proximity when we have the entire world in our laps?

Mira Mason-Reader, Eugene

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Readers respond: The benefits of blended learning - OregonLive

Students said they were confused and caught off guard by the email that came from the faculty group without warning.

ATLANTA Confusion stirred at Spelman Collegeover whether the fall semester will be in-person or online.

Everyone at the collegereceived an email Thursday morning from the Faculty Council, a group of tenured professors who said they didn't feel safe teaching in-person and want to go virtual. The email quickly went viral online.

Students said they were confused and caught off guard by the email that came from the faculty group without warning, saying they've decided not to teach in-person and will use alternative instructional methods.

"A lot of my peers and I were not upset at all because safety is first, we are in a growing pandemic once again, and we support the faculty decision," Spelman Junior Kaylin Daigle said.

Daigle tweeted a screen shot of the email and it was quickly retweeted by many.

The reaction to the faculty group's email was mixed, but Daigle said the students she knows were supportive.

"Many of them wanted to take a pause. Many of them, not all, they just wanted to take a break on in person classes," she said.

In a statement to 11Alive, a spokesperson for the college said classes will not be virtual. They expect professors to teach in-person.

Vaccines are required on campus, and students and staff have to wear masks both indoors and outdoors at all times.

Read the school's statement below:

"The health and safety of the Spelman community is a top priority as we restore the residential college experience this year. With the guidance of the medical community and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention we have implemented mandatory vaccinations, along with masking and periodic testing, in order to obtain the lowest possible risk to the campus community.

The college remains open for in-person instruction. In response to faculty concerns, expanded guidance has been posted on the Spelman website for students, faculty and staff.

We welcome the input of faculty. We will continue to monitor the state of community spread in the city of Atlanta and Fulton County while continuing to closely following guidance from the CDC, and adjust plans for on campus instruction accordingly."

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Confusion sparked at Spelman College over in-person or virtual learning - 11Alive.com WXIA

Pittsburghs first unicorn has big plans for the future.

Last Friday, East Liberty-headquartered language learning company Duolingo hosted the third annual Duocon, a free, virtual, prerecorded conference providing updates on the companys business strategy and product features, as well as more social events like this years baking class with Sohla El-Waylly.

Like past conferences, Duocon 2021 featured talks that shared a wide range of perspectives on the human connections language can provide, and the important of learning different ones because of that. But this year also shed light on how Duolingo is moving to expand its educational tech capabilities beyond languages, looking at the success of its artificial intelligence platform Birdbrain, and ahead to the impending launch of a new math app. Since the companys IPO earlier this summer, CEO and cofounder Luis von Ahn has also stated that Duolingo, with a current 350-plus employee count, could look to branch out to even more learning subjects through acquisitions.

The idea is that were trying to find subjects that improve peoples opportunities in life, von Ahn said in his State of Duolingo talk.

Updates to the companys product features and future plans are significant largely because of Duolingos momentum throughout the pandemic, when people turned newfound time at home into a chance to learn a new language. Particularly with the shift to online learning for schools to maintain social distancing, Duolingos user experience and use of artificial intelligence have helped to push the barrier of what remote education can look like.

Birdbrain, a machine learning model introduced by the company in October 2020, has so far brought a new, individualized approach to the platform. Burr Settles, the research director at Duolingo, detailed how Birdbrain can help predict a users unique difficulty level at a moment in time, and create lessons that provide the optimal challenge and motivation for that person. A/B testing of this technology over the past several months showed that content length increased by 8.9% and time spent learning increased by 3.1% in skills practice, Settles said.

These advances come in addition to others powered by artificial intelligence on the app, like customized character voices, individualized lesson alert notes and the use of natural language processing for the company to audit content over time.

Until everybody in the world has access to a really great teacher, we think AI is the best way to scale that kind of experience to as many people as possible, Settles said.

Confirming previous reports about the companys plans to move beyond language learning in education, von Ahn shared goals for the year ahead in his end-of-day State of Duolingo talk, laying out objectives to reach more users, increase the number of subscribers and improve the companys language proficiency standard. von Ahn also mentioned recent product features that have helped to make language learning on the app even more immersive.

The new conversation feature, which allows users to have a live conversation with the Duolingo app, and the Hoots feature, which allows users to answer a writing prompt immediately graded with artificial intelligence, offers new capabilities that could easily transition to other educational subjects.

The idea is that you can write really these relatively long paragraphs, especially for beginners, and then we can grade the whole thing without ever using a human, von Ahn said of the Hoots feature.

Both new tools are a sign that Duolingo is looking for ways to make online education even more engaging as it continues to be the norm for many students during the pandemic. Along with these updates will be a revamp of the Duolingo for Schools tool, making it more accessible and easier to use.

The hope is that teachers are going to have a much better time using Duolingo in schools than they did before, said von Ahn. And thats something that were very excited about because we know how much Duolingo can help in schools, especially when schools are not fully in person.

Finally, von Ahn shared previews of the elementary school-level math app in development, sharing that it will be similar to the current version of Duolingo in that the app will be a gamified, fun way to learn math. These expansion plans, he emphasized, directly align with the companys mission, and will define the future of the company.

As long as there are people in the world who cant read or there are people in the world who dont know basic math or there are people in the world who want to continue learning things, he said, we still have a lot of work to do.

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At Duocon 2021, Duolingo shares new AI-powered tools and plans to go beyond language learning - Technical.ly Pittsburgh - Technical.ly