Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday said that there is a "fear that online education might create a digital divide," and added that the Delhi government will implement a model of education in which "reach out and connect" will be the focus.

With an emphasis on "learning with human feel," Sisodia said that the Delhi government has made a model of education.

"Digital technology to complement the efforts of teachers in reaching out to every child and assist them in learning. We are following the principle that a 'Digital Divide' should not come in the way of children's access to learning opportunities," Sisodia said.

The core of the approach is outreach and connect between teachers and students, he noted. Sisodia said that teachers will reach out to students through WhatsApp or regular phone calls. They will give them assignments and take regular feedback.

He shared that students from KG to Class 10 will receive daily exercise and feedback from class teachers through WhatsApp, while teachers will connect through a regular phone with those who do not have WhatsApp or smartphone.

On the other hand, students of Classes 11 and 12 will attend live online classes to be conducted by Delhi governments teachers.

For the same, follow up will be done by the teachers through phone call or WhatsApp to clear their doubts.

Sisodia said that the Delhi government will ensure that students do not lose out on academics due to COVID-19.

(ANI)

Also Read: CBSE Board 2020 Pending Exams Update: Class 10th exams cancelled, 12th optional

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There's fear that online education might create 'digital divide', says Manish Sisodia - Catch News

Nick Velikonja, Contributing Writer July 2, 2020

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Macalesters online classes were rough. For the online portion of the semester, Id wake up five minutes before my zoom lecture, scramble to make coffee and inevitably end up looking at another tab while the professor spoke. This happened in classes that had been my favorites before distance learning, not to mention the droll sterility of asynchronous instruction and the disheartening shredding of syllabuses. Students and professors alike trudged through the second half of the semester in it to finish it.

Dreading another year of online class, I have been following the administrations emails closely for definitive signs one way or another: will we be online or in-person? The question felt crucial, and yet it always seemed like the administration did not want to answer, wanted to reserve a definitive statement until we knew all the information. Unfortunately, the public health situation is constantly changing. No one knows the full picture.

While they took months to reach a decision, students are expected to decide whether or not to attend in the next 15 days. But Macalester is more focused on guaranteeing their best efforts to keep the community physically together. As we have seen from the recent student letter to the administration, this is not the students prime concern.

By committing to in-person instruction, Macalester is trying to side-step the debate around whether the inevitable transition to online education should cost as much as in-person education.

My argument is that this is not a question to be side-stepped. It is key to Macalesters consistent platform of equity and student participation that the administration addresses the imposing figure they are prepared to charge for online learning. Macalester cant claim to be attending to student needs with their in-person policy while leveling the business end of the stick at students. An open discussion about online education pricing is imperative for students to retain their confidence in college leadership.

Meanwhile, Macalesters public discussion is closer to how will we as a community build a new campus with social distancing?

The answer is that we wont.

Coronavirus wave 2 is coming and it will be more severe than the first.

For those who have heard about a second wave, but do not know the details, the following broadly explains why the second wave of coronavirus will be much worse than the first.

Virus deaths are seasonal, because a) most people have weaker immune systems in colder weather and b) there is a human behavioral change towards more time inside, near one another. In Minnesota particularly, this seasonality will be pronounced, as winter here is long and deep.

In addition to the viruss seasonal danger, during the second wave, the novel coronavirus no longer has to spread geographically. Before, rural regions, and cities and states that took more precautions, were protected by the time it took for the virus to reach those communities. Because the virus has had time to spread, seeds of the first wave will be present in each community, essentially resuming coronavirus infections and deaths everywhere at once, instead of only in the highest-density regions.

With cases reaching new highs in the U.S. before the inevitable winter wave, the second wave will be devastating. By not social distancing, Americans contracting and passing along coronavirus are allowing the coronavirus to stay around in high levels in our population until the fall. Higher case numbers leading into the fall will directly result in more deaths in the winter.

Ethically, Macalester should not contribute to this effect. But even while the college moves forward with in-person instruction, they will be forced to shutter by the Minnesota Department of Health by the second modules beginning.

Looking at the above graph, seasonal effects will start at the very latest in November. Module two is set to begin on October 28. It is hard to see Macalester continuing in-person learning after this date. In fact, the November estimate assumes that case count isnt rising in those months prior to the start of seasonal virus peaking. Given rising cases around the country, and flat cases in Minnesota, the overwhelming likelihood is that three if not four of the modules will need to be completed online. Macalester administration must know all of this information, and yet they propose prices reflective of an in-person year of college. Three quarters of a year online is not an in-person education, and the price tag needs to reflect that.

So why has Macalester indicated it will do in-person classes in the fall?

In the financial year 2020, the college was set to bring in $118 million, and spend $115 million. However, these numbers will change in the face of coronavirus.

The college stands to lose money if classes go online.

This is what the fuss is about. Macalesters operating budget is based on in-person learning, and they stand to lose out if that model is disrupted.

The budget breakdown here is more or less: $71 million from student tuition, $38 million from the colleges endowment and $7 million from donors. This is subject to change in two major ways: student enrollment and room & board. If Macalester does go online, the financial draw from room and board is out completely, and enrollment could drop up to 10 percent. Combined, this results in (5.4 + 16.5) million = $22 million in losses this year alone.

The expense breakdown is more or less: the college spends $74 million on employee salaries, $29 million on program expenses and $13 million on debt servicing.

What can be cut here to afford reduced online tuition?

Start with program expenses, which are operating expenses across Macalesters departments. These expenses are the things that make a liberal arts institution what it is: speaker fees, supplies, professional development, etc. Certainly, a sizable portion of program expenses can be voided in the event of online class, as can the colleges financial commitment to study abroad (which has already been canceled for fall, and likely will be for spring). Together, the program, study abroad and reserve cash columns total more than $18 million in savings, assuming both that the college must retain 30 percent or $4 million worth of program expenses and that all study abroad money can be repurposed. This does not quite account for the $21 million left on the expense sheet for this coming year were the college to go online.

Financial grievances acknowledged, Macalester is a wealthy institution, worth over $1 billion with an endowment of $775 million as of 2019, and dont forget that the benchmark S&P 500 index has risen 11 percent since the publication of the last audited financial report in which this value for the colleges actively managed endowment is declared.

Indeed, this expense report is not the whole story. Macalester has other financial sources from which to draw to cover this years deficit. The college has a lot of assets that are non-yearly, which I was able to locate in their audited financial report, including upwards of $12 million in cash, and $44 million in short term investments expiring before May 31, 2020. The fact is, Macalester will likely run a loss this year, and they can afford to.

Changing products and costs in the case of a move to online learning.

In all likelihood, additional costs of moving classes online, like an institutional zoom subscription are a drop in the budget ocean. The real costs are the money that they cannot pull in without a physical presence. Dining and residence are two of the largest revenue streams for colleges across the country, which Ive always found a little brutal, given underclassmen cannot opt out of these highly profitable programs.

Macalester has not publicly considered a tuition reduction, despite students complaints at other colleges around the country and recently at Macalester that the online experience is not what they paid for. In fact, data from a recent writeup from Northeastern, which offers a fully online undergraduate degree, point to an uncertainty around online learning, and how it will be received by employers. It is still a question as to whether students learn as well in person as they do online.

(Image: https://www.northeastern.edu/cfhets/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Online_Ed_in_2019.pdf)

For Macalester, which heavily advertises their campus community in student recruitment, this contrast is stark. The close-knit community and immersive learning experience which students come to the school for is at risk in the coming year. Any student who experienced this shift last semester knows that online instruction is not the same. Neither is online education sold at the same price as in-person education. Smaller universities charge about 40 percent less in tuition for online learning than they do for in-person education.

Northeastern University: 13k/sem vs 8k/sem

Bellevue University: 10k/sem vs 6.3k/sem

(both Northeastern and Bellevue are around 10k undergraduate enrollment. Macalester-size liberal arts colleges dont offer online degrees.)

While larger institutions charge up to 60 percent less for their online courses:

U of M in person: 14k/sem vs 5k/sem online

University of Southern New Hampshire in person: 25k/sem vs 5k/sem online

So far, the online model just isnt valued the same as in-person education, and Macalester, though a non-profit, is still a business. In-person education is their product. With a lower-quality product, students deserve to pay a lower price, or enrollment (read: demand) will retreat. And while students looking to continue or finish their degrees will likely stay in larger numbers, interest in gap years is up to 40 percent for recently-graduated high school seniors. Students are legitimately considering what they could do with their time, instead of paying an average of 26k for a year of online courses.

The case for tuition reduction

Many students paying for college may sour at the price tag of their newly Zoom-based education, and instead opt to defer or take a leave of absence. The costs of losing students in 2020 are not limited to this years balance sheet. If a significant number among the class of 24 defer as is expected, the class will be small for all four years, potentially losing the college $20 million about $5 million per class year.

It is a difficult decision and a shame that Macalester has squeezed the timescale to make this decision so thin.

To increase enrollment, I suggest the college level a 30 percent tuition cut after financial aid. So for a student who pays ten thousand dollars per year to attend Macalester, they would pay seven thousand after the cut. If instruction is carried out online for three out of four modules, this would reflect a 40 percent tuition cut for each online module, consistent with pricing at other institutions that offer online instruction.

This may not even be that bad for Macalester financially. Students may decide against a gap year of social distancing with their parents basement in favor of college with fair tuition. This would cost Macalester $15 million in the financial year of 2020. Macalester could take out a bond to afford this cut, or resume campaigning with wealthy donors as they often do to fund one-time projects like the $100 million Mac Moments campaign. Not only would a tuition reduction show that Macalester sees and cares about their students, but it might be palatable with up to $20 million in enrollment loss on the line.

Think of it as an investment in the students, in equitable education. A tuition cut in the interest of fairness would stand outside of students and their families experiencing the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression, and students, staff and professors poised to risk their health in the midst of a global pandemic. Dr. Rivera, Karine Moe, Donna Lee and David Wheaton, what more evidence do you need to commit to fair tuition reduction for online education?

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When Classes Move Online, Reduce Tuition - Macalester College The Mac Weekly

Express News Service

KOCHI:Though online classes are going on in full swing in the state, many students and teachers are still struggling to cope with the new system. To address these challenges, Transstream, a Bengaluru-based company envisioned by the management team of TransformIT Solutions and Zocio, has come up with an online educational solution that helps students and teachers transition from a traditional classroom to the virtual classroom easily. The educational solution is an integrated platform that can be accessed both offline and online by the students. Malayalis Aparna Viswanathan and Prasanth Konoth, who have been in the training space for more than a decade, are behind this concept.

While most educational institutions use applications like Google or Zoom to conduct online classes, some schools are even dependent on WhatsApp to impart lessons to their children. The teachers are under a lot of stress as they need to be technically adept to prepare for each class and most often students find it difficult to attend the classes on time due to bad connectivity or technical glitches. Through Transstream, this teaching process gets relaxed.

The application has three elements. First, a Learning Management System or the LMS. Second, an online teaching tool that connects teachers and students virtually and the third component being content for teachers which is provided in audio, video and text format s with a database of more than a lakh assessments. This helps teachers reduce the stress. Teachers can either conduct classes online or record their lectures which are uploaded to the LMS.

Students can access the LMS any time and study at a comfortable pace. This reduces the pressure of tuitions, says Prasanth Konoth, director, Transstream. Our LMS can be accessed by the students on the web as well as ones mobile phone (android and iOS) platforms. As the system provides more than a lakh assessments, creating questions and conducting regular tests become easy for the teachers. The platform is customised in tune with the respective educational institutions name, he adds.

The main issue students are now facing is bandwidth and connectivity. To address the same, our platform gives the advantage of downloading the content and storing it on the app whenever the students has access to internet and learn at his or her pace which takes away the worry of having constant connectivity. The emotional and mental stress on a child also reduces significantly, which, as a teacher, I am more concerned about, says Aparna Viswanathan, director of operations at Transstream.

The app is now operational across schools, colleges and other coaching/training institutes in more than five states. More than eight schools in Kerala are using the platform on a trial basis. The creators believe using the application will make a teachers more comfortable as they take less time for class preparation and can retain their personal teaching style. The platform offers security and hence teachers find it much more comfortable since the classes can be accessed only by the students of the respective school, adds Aparna.

The Transstream team plans to keep adding features to make the software more effective. Work is afoot to soon integrate artificial intelligence into the solution. Most of the schools have invested time, money and effort to put systems in place to make sure learning process is not affected majorly. We believe most of the schools will adhere to either online or hybrid model this academic year. We are also trying to address the issue of children being left out of the learning curve due to unavailability of seamless connectivity through this solution, says Aparna. The team is launching their services in the schools in West Asian countries soon.

Excerpt from:
New app by Malayalis to make online education seamless - The New Indian Express

Members of Keiser Universitys Online Division have been named winners of the Blackboard Catalyst Award for Training and Professional Development.

While recognizing the opportunities presented by distance learning, the group divided into teams to develop a dynamic program geared for remote learning. The training platform became even more valuable for Keiser University campuses during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it presented a variety of tools designed to enrich the learning experience including adaptive learning software, video production programs, Keiser Live lecture technology, and more.

In this time of uncertainty, an entire nation of college students was transitioned to online learning rapidly and that is why we feel so honored to be recognized with the Blackboard Catalyst Award for our online delivery system and our commitment to student success, said Keiser University Chancellor Dr. Arthur Keiser. As an early adopter of online degree offerings, we were positioned to move swiftly during the pandemic, accommodating our student body and employees seamlessly due to the leadership, compassion and innovation of our online education team led by Associate Vice Chancellor Sherry Olsen.

With significant measures of achievement for both distance and traditional learning being student retention, engagement, and realization of performance goals, the effort proved successful as was evidenced by enrollment, student survey responses, and feedback.

I am extremely proud of the Instructional Design, Faculty Training, and Dean teams for providing this constant training and development. They consistently exhibit our students first philosophy as they ensure our faculty are well trained, have peer support, and are provided with well-developed courses. When faculty are well trained and engaged, students are motivated to do well and stay in school. Retention of online faculty is high for Keiser University due to providing robust training and professional development opportunities with online and face to face faculty members, said Associate Vice Chancellor Sherry Olsen.

Founded in 2005, the annual Catalyst Awards recognize and honor innovation and excellence in the Blackboard global community of practice, where millions of educators and learners work every day to redefine what is possible when leveraging technology. Winners are selected by a cross-functional team of Blackboard experts.

Were pleased to honor this years Blackboard Catalyst Award winners for their commitment to improving the educational experience for all learners through EdTech and sharing these insights with the broader community, said Lee Blakemore,Chief Client Officer and President, Global Markets at Blackboard. Were proud to partner with institutions that are innovating to advance student success.

The Keiser University teams will also be announced alongside other Blackboard Catalyst Award winners during BbWorld 2020, Blackboards annual user conference to be held virtually July 21 and 22. Blackboard is the leading provider of learner success-focused technology solutions and services. Its product portfolio is unmatched in the marketplace, spanning teaching and learning, analytics, community engagement, and student services. For more information on the Blackboard Catalyst Awards, please visit https://community.blackboard.com/catalystawards.

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Keiser Universitys Online Division Wins Blackboard Catalyst Award - Keiser University

We recently interviewed Adam Brimo, CEO of OpenLearning Limited (ASX: OLL). Based in Australia, OpenLearning, together with its subsidiaries, provides a platform to education providers for the delivery of online education courses. Mr. Brimo co-founded OpenLearning in 2012. We appreciate the time taken by him to answer our questions and would like to thank him for sharing his thoughts.

Simply Wall St: What changes have you seen in your industry since you co-founded OpenLearning in 2012 and what emerging trends are you most excited about?

Adam Brimo: The world has changed significantly since OpenLearning launched in 2012. Online education has gone from a nice to have to an indispensable segment of the higher education sector, and now, due to COVID-19, it is the primary mode of education delivery around the world.

However, the quality of most online education around the world is low and the outcomes dont always match up to expectations. Most online courses are made up of videos and quizzes testing memorisation and rote learning which does not provide learners with the skills needed to compete in the modern world.

OpenLearning solves this problem by providing a platform and a methodology for online education that focuses on collaboration and project-based learning. In addition, OpenLearning is a turn-key solution for education providers to move online, offering a platform, services, and a marketplace to increase brand awareness.

Today, were excited by the increasing importance of critical and analytical thinking for the future of work, which will increase demand for OpenLearnings approach and Platform.

SWS: Revenues have declined in the past year. What components of the business have caused this decline?

AB: In FY2019, the Company carried out a planned transition from a professional services business that provided a learning platform for free to a SaaS business. This change in strategy resulted in a decline in Services revenue in FY2019 as compared to FY2018 but led to strong growth in Platform SaaS and Marketplace sales, which grew by 91% and 108% respectively y-o-y.

As of the end of 31 st March 2020, OpenLearning has had over 3 million enrolments from 2.17 million registered learners across 8,000 courses provided by 76 education providers, making it one of the worlds largest online education platforms.

A strong result considering the Companys change in business model to focus on SaaS and its restructure.

SWS: You seem to have lowered your operating expenses in the past year as well. Was this directly the result of lower revenues? Whats the relationship between cost and revenue in your organization?

AB: As a result of the Companys transition from a services model to high margin SaaS business model, which accounted for 37% of gross sales in FY2019, the Company saw a 20.30% increase in operating cash receipts to $2.24m.

As a result of a restructuring carried in FY2019 to support this transition, the Company was able to reduce operational cash burn and operating costs significantly Q4 FY2019. This provided a strong tailwind to the Companys FY19 results.

OpenLearning is a highly scalable cloud platform and the Company saw its gross margin from platform SaaS fees increase from 4% in Q4 FY2018 to 57% in Q4 FY2019 as revenue grew at a faster rate than costs.

SWS: Based on the latest reports, the company has enough cash on hand to continue operating for almost 2 years. What according to you is the best use for this cash?

AB: OpenLearning had cash at bank of $6.6m at 31 st March 2020, ensuring that it is able to fully execute our growth strategy in FY20 and take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves as the world looks towards online education in the years to Come.

The Company is primarily investing these funds in sales and marketing to grow the number of education providers using the platform, accelerate the onboarding process for new clients and further develop its platform to ensure it stays at the forefront of online education.

SWS: Lastly, why do you enjoy your work?

AB: Every day we are delivering on our vision to increase access to quality education. This solves a significant challenge for learners, education providers, and society at large. I also enjoy working with the amazing team at OpenLearning, who are located in Australia, Malaysia, and distributed worldwide all passionate about improving education.

SWS: Thank you for your time, it was great to hear your thoughts about your industry & work, and were sure our readers will appreciate it, too.

Our team here at SWS had a great time putting together these questions. Readers who would like to know more about the company can visit ASX: OLL.

P.S: We are trialling company interviews for a limited time to gauge reader interest. If you are an executive or company representative and would like to organise an interview similar to this one, please contact us at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.

Our interview was conducted via email on June 24, 2020. Minor grammatical corrections have been made to the text. Simply Wall St was not compensated for the production of this interview and has no financial interest in any company mentioned. Company representatives are responsible for the answers provided to our questions.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation.

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The Future Of Online Education: An Interview With Adam Brimo, CEO of OpenLearning Limited (ASX: OLL) - Simply Wall St

Parts of a nearly $30 million education program vetoed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will be revived and transferredfromthe University of West Florida,Politico reports.

On Tuesday, DeSantis vetoed the Complete Florida Plus Program, which teachers and students relied on when school went virtual, amid budget cuts.

Just before the program was set to be dismantled completely, the State University System Board and Governors and UWF announced that parts of the program would be saved via an emergency rescue.

The program in its current form will no longer exist. Programs deemed essential will be brought back under a new name. The move allows the program to be taken away fromUWF's controland gets around a law that prevents money from being spent on vetoed programs, according to Politico.

The programs include online courses and an online library service that provides 17 million books to 1.3 million users.

Until the transition takes place, DeSantis spokesperson Helen Aguirre Ferr told Politico that leftover rolled over funds will allow the program to continue to operate.

It is unclear what programs will be deemed essential under the transition.

2020 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

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Parts of Vetoed Florida Online Education Program Will Be Revived - Newsmax

By Erica Thomas, managing editor

ASHVILLE The St. Clair County Board of Education met on Tuesday, June 30, to discuss plans for the upcoming school year.

Superintendent Mike Howard said meetings to put plans into place will continue over the next couple of weeks, but the school system has decided to offer students three options: Traditional school, hybrid school and virtual school.

The hybrid option offers students some in-classroom time and some virtual classroom time.

The full-time virtual option will be offered through the countys Virtual Preparatory Academy and that option is available for all St. Clair County students as well as for students in surrounding school districts. Anyone interested in the Virtual Preparatory Academy must apply online.

The start of school is set for Wednesday, Aug. 12. Howard said operations for each school will depend on how many students take part in online education.

It could vary depending on the school but teachers will be required to have a virtual presence and to help any student who is online and not in the school, traditionally, Howard said.

The superintendent said the coronavirus pandemic has caused educators to face ever-changing obstacles.

Its going to be a challenging year for everybody, Howard said. I encourage everybody to remember that the word of the year is flexibility,' said Howard. We all have to be flexible.

Employees will be required to wear a face cover if they are unable to maintain a 6 feet distance from others in the classroom. Employees will also be required to wear a face cover in common areas, including hallways. Students will be strongly encouraged to wear masks, according to Howard.

As more recommendations and guidelines are handed down by Gov. Kay Ivey, the Alabama Department of Public Health and the Alabama State Department of Education, Howard said more changes should be expected.

Its basically shooting a plane with a slingshot, explained Howard. From 30,000 feet. Its kind of like the target were hitting right now. You make a plan and it changes 10 times before you make a new plan, so its very challenging right now.

Howard said his goal is to plan ahead and consider all scenarios. He said as long as the school system makes the best decisions day-by-day, the students will benefit, even in a trying time.

Were going to get through it, said Howard. Well survive and were going to provide a great education for our students.

School system leaders have several meetings planned over the next few weeks. After the BOE makes plans based on the ALSDEs Roadmap to Reopening Schools, school system administrators will meet with members of the community. Parents, community leaders and local lawmakers have been invited to voice concerns and to give input.

After hearing from the community, the superintendent will meet with each school administrator to outline specific operations for schools.

You can watch the full St. Clair County Schools June Board meeting below.

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VIDEO: St. Clair County students will have 3 options for education in the fall - Trussvilletribune

(PanitanPhoto / Shutterstock)

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Ivanka Brutus, a fifth-grade student in a Black and low-income county in Miami, Fla., struggled to complete her coursework when school moved online. Her Internet connection is extremely spottythe beginning of Tropical Storm Arthur brought flood levels to the county that havent been seen in 20 years. And as hurricane season continues, its only expected to get worse. I have experienced many tough things while learning online, Brutus told The Nation. I still dont have access to my own computer, and our power can cut off at any time.

Brutus is one of thousands of low-income students of color who struggled to keep up with coursework during the pandemic because of a host of financial and structural barriers. In addition to dealing with an increased health risk and lack of governmental financial aid, these students are also more likely to live in overcrowded or unstable housing, lack access to reliable food that they may have otherwise received at school, and face other obstacles in the way of a fulfilling virtual learning experience.

In anticipation of virtual learning continuing this fall and possibly well into next year, the ACLU is calling on Congress to address inequities among low-income students, students of color, disabled students, and others whose needs are not being addressed through current remote learning strategies. On May 14, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) wrote to Congress demanding that it provide several billion dollars in funding toward equal remote learning access and privacy protections for K-12 students as part of the phase 4 Covid-19 relief package.

According to Senior Advocacy and Policy Counsel Chad Marlow, the ACLU is proposing several strategies to ensure that all students needs are met in distance learning. Representatives from the ACLU argue that students should be provided with hardware such as a laptop or tablet to complete their online coursework if they do not own one, should be able to freely access software such as online applications or programming needed for school, and should have reliable Internet access at home.

We want to make the schools understand what their obligations are in terms of providing equal access to remote education, Marlow said. Students are required under law to provide accommodations to disabled students, poor students, undocumented students, and other students who might have specific needs in this moment, and we want to make sure that everybodys needs are met.

This story was produced for Student Nation, a section devoted to highlighting campus activism and student movements from students in their own words. For more Student Nation, check outour archive. Are you a student with a campus activism story? Send questions and pitches to Samantha Schuyler atsamantha@thenation.com. The Student Nation program is made possible through generous funding fromThe Puffin Foundation.

In its letter to Congress and in letters to state and local leaders from over 25 state chapters, the ACLU is urging members to provide $23 billion per month for the duration of the crisis, and at least 30 days after the crisis ends, which would go toward an emergency benefit to make broadband services available to all eligible low-income households. To help students further, the organization is calling on Congress to provide $4 billion for an Emergency Connectivity Fund, proposed by Representative Grace Meng and Senator Ed Markey, to cover immediate assistance for students and library patrons who need access to technology to engage in remote learning in their homes.

The ACLU argues these measures are necessary to address the digital divide that the pivot to online education has exposed: Poor and rural students across the country are struggling to complete coursework because of lack of technology or Internet access. According to 2019 data from the Pew Research Center, only 63 percent of people living in rural America have a broadband Internet connection at home and 46 percent of people living on less than $30,000 a year do not own a computer.

Online learning has understandably been devastating for these communities, and governmental and school-specific responses have often been inadequate. A school district in Philadelphia advised students without a proper Internet connection to study in parking lots to access free Wifi. Students deprived of Internet service in rural Alaska have been forced to study at McDonalds. While federal funding has been set aside for K-12 education through the CARES Act and the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, this funding has not provided comprehensive care to the nations most vulnerable students.

My personal laptop tends to freeze and disconnect from the Internet, and my school laptop is worse, said Angela Muralles, an 11th grader at James Monroe High School in North Hills, Calif. During my AP English language exam, my computer disconnected from the Internet around five times while my time kept counting down. I also live in a home of eight, and our Internet connection isnt the best. When someone among us has a test, my siblings and I take turns disconnecting from our Zoom classes in order to avoid any technical difficulties. The four of us feel powerless when it comes to this form of education.

Muralles is one of many students struggling to complete standardized testing remotely. Recent AP exams administered online in May caused glitches and technical difficulties for many students, and about 1 percent of students were not able to submit their test, according to the College Board. While some schools such as UC Berkeley have dropped standardized testing requirements in light of the pandemic, most colleges continue to require these tests as part of admissions. As both the SAT and ACT are currently planning to potentially move online this summer, the consequences of students facing barriers to complete this standardized testing could be formidable.

In addition to Internet and technology concerns, the ACLUs letter to Congress addressed the need to protect students privacy during online learning. Many have expressed concerns over the surveillance tactics that third-party video applications such as Blackboard and Zoom have employed on users. Zoom in particular has been criticized for privacy violations, including allowing outside websites to join a call without the users consent and allowing the host of a call, usually a teacher, to track whether other participants have separate browsers open. In the context of virtual learning, this means that students are often surveilled without consent.

In the rush to roll out these technologies, there was very little attention paid to protecting student privacy, which is a major problem, Marlow said. Data collection from these third-party applications could have serious implications for students down the line in a number of ways. Students could end up not being able to get home loans, not get into the colleges they apply to, or worse.

According to Marlow, certain data such as a students name, date of birth, and submitted homework assignments are being uniformly collected by third-party providers. Some providers, like Zoom, allow even more access, as hosts are able to capture the screen of a student or remotely turn on microphones or webcams. Different providers have various regulations surrounding what information is collected, how long they retain the information, and whom they share it with. While providers often boast that users information is safe and not to be sold, recent discoveries have indicated that this might not always be the case, meaning a student can potentially put personal information at risk every time they log on for class.

Lets say a student checks a box saying they would prefer to have their provider in Spanish rather than in English, Marlow said. ICE would be very interested in learning more about this student, and if they or someone in their family is undocumented, they have now been put in an immediate, tangible, and truly problematic risk. The ways that private data is collected on students can be used to disadvantage them later in life, and no student should be exposed to risk because they want to learn during a public health crisis.

Many students are unaware of the risk that these third-party platforms expose them to and are unable to give real consent to being surveilledstill, platforms like Zoom are required for most virtual learning. Students as young as preschool age are in online classrooms during the pandemic. I am afraid sometimes because apparently people can hack into Zoom and look at us, Brutus, the fifth-grader, said. Its very scary because we are all only kids and our faces are exposed.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos stated recently that most students can expect a mix of in-person and online classes in the fall. New York and Virginia are creating contingency plans for an online school year, once more necessitating that funds be found for adequate technology and that proper privacy restrictions be put in place. While some, including many parents, are looking forward to in-person classes so that they no longer are forced to juggle full-time child care with work, others view this shift to remote education as good news. One in five teachers reported being unlikely to return to campus if schools were to reopen in the fall, according to USA Today.

Linda Jordan, a math teacher at a public high school in Georgia, told The Nation that online learning has been beneficial for many of her students. Every school handled remote learning differently, but we elected to stop holding formal classes and instead just gave the students assignments that they could complete on their own, Jordan said. If students had a question we could schedule time for a one-on-one call, so they would get more personal attention. Online learning also helped with a lot of behavioral issues, and things like bullying went down as well. My view is that we should be moving more virtual in the future.

Jordan continued that her school provided every student a Chromebook before the pandemic began, and noted that many low-income students at the school were able to get free WiFi through a program that Xfinity offered. Marlow argues that this furthers the ACLUs assertion that students can excel in online learning if provided the proper tools.

Education in this country is a right, not a privilege, he said. We have a duty to provide students with a proper education to the best of our ability, even during a pandemic. There are resources available, and where the resources are not adequate, we need to come up with more.

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Online Learning Isnt Even Remotely Equal - The Nation

Over the next three months, the company doubled subscription sales. Students now spend 90 minutes every day on the platform, up from an hour earlier. Selling has become easier for its 200-strong sales force. Instead of explaining the concept of online education to customers, all the company needs to do now is to convince them how were better than others," Lido Learning CEO Sahil Sheth said.

Another startup, Vedantu, which is the market leader for live classes within K-12 (kindergarten to XII grade), was overwhelmed by the flood of new customers in early April, triggering an acute shortage of teaching assistants. Instead of 300-400 students in every class, the companys teachers were now instructing 1,000 students. In May, 1 million students took live classes on Vedantu, up from 200,000 in normal times.

Only a small fraction of these were paid users, but monthly revenues still jumped by more than three times from January, CEO Vamsi Krishna said. What was happening in a years time in terms of growth happened in three months time," he said.

The pandemic-driven expansion in online education has been so broad that its hard to find an education startup that hasnt followed a similar trajectory. From market leaders to smaller startups, entrepreneurs are certain that this is the defining moment for the sector.

Education has always had a quasi-religious importance in India, as a degree is seen as the only means to prosperity. With schools and colleges shut, entrance exam schedules in disarray, offline classes inaccessible, parents and students are fretting about the future even more than usual, prompting them to try out online tuitions like never before.

Usually, when a new category is being created, companies have to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising over 8-10 years to get customers to shift from offline to online. In the case of edtech, this is happening super-fast because of the lockdown and because all the schools have gone online," Lido Learnings Sheth said.

Entrepreneurs and investors tend to divide the online education market into two segments: K-12 and post K-12. Both segments, which in turn have many specialized verticals, were anyway growing rapidly. The pandemic has greatly accelerated this expansion. By 2022, the K-12 market will expand by six times to about $1.7 billion, while the post K-12 market will increase by about four times to $1.8 billion, according to estimates by RedSeer Consulting.

On cue, investors are lining up to pick up stakes in education startups. Byjus, Unacademy and Vedantu, three prominent education startups, are all raising large quantities of capital at soaring valuations. More than a dozen smaller startups, including Lido Learning and WhiteHat Jr, are in talks to raise anywhere between $5-50 million.

The most exciting feature of this sectoral boom is the hope that apart from rapid growth it could yield something that has eluded other sunrise sectors: profitability. If education firms avoid destroying their fat margins in the race for users, they could leapfrog their bigger and older internet peers in generating shareholder returns.

However, it is far from certain if the education startups can continue unimpeded towards realizing their promise. The flood of new capital is already prompting companies to rush into new categories, binge on marketing and hire freelybehaviour that tends to lead to value destruction. And while the pandemic has brought millions of news users online, its impossible to predict how many of them will stick over time.

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The landscape

Online education is a far more varied sector compared with other internet businesses, but the biggest categories are naturally those linked to better job prospects. Hence, within K-12, the most popular categories are math, science and English. There are firms that teach coding to children, provide doubt-solving services, and have platforms for extracurricular activities.

The post K-12 category is even more diverse although it has two large segments: higher education and test-preparation, which includes tests for engineering colleges, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the Common Admission Test (CAT). Separately, there are B2B startups that sell software to coaching institutes and schools to enable their digital operations.

According to data with Tracxn, more than 500 education startups have received angel or institutional funding in the past decade in the K-12 and post K-12 categories. Dozens more are expected to crop up this year. To be sure, most education startups arent trying to replace schools and colleges; they are trying to shift the offline tuition market online.

Since India has an acute shortage of qualified teachers, especially in smaller cities and towns, a majority of online customers come from tier II cities and below. For instance, non-metro cities account for more than 70% of the paying subscribers at Vedantu. In metros, standardized content and the convenience of being able to learn from homes draw users.

Though customers are spread out geographically, a majority of them are upper or middle-income families, as subscriptions tend to be pricey, ranging typically between 12,000-30,000 annually in K-12; fees are even higher in post K-12.

Now, some startups are finally trying to sell to lower-income families. (This segment) will require a completely different product, completely different pedagogy, and a very simplified UI (user interface) like WhatsApp and TikTok," said Aditya Singhal, co-founder of Instasolv, a new startup that plans to cater primarily to lower-income students in tier III cities and below. And the product will have to be delivered in vernacular languages rather than English."

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The likely winners

In the crowded field, some clear market leaders have emerged: Byjus and Vedantu in the K-12 category and Unacademy in the exam preparation market for older students. Already, there are clear signs that the three companies are seeing a sharp acceleration in growth, further pulling away from the rest of the market in K-12 and test-preparation.

In March, Byjus saw a dip in revenues, as many of the companys salespeople were unable to meet potential customers in person. But after an advertising blitz, monthly revenues jumped to 375 crore in May and will be close to 500 crore in June, more than double the pre-covid levels, chief strategy officer Anita Kishore said. From introducing courses in vernacular languages to launching more subjects, we will continue to strengthen our offerings and penetrate further into India to address learning needs of all students. Given the current demand, we plan on accelerating several launches this year," Kishore said.

Last week, Byjus, the only edtech unicorn at present, raised capital at a valuation of $10.5 billion, up from $8 billion just four months ago. If the company, which is also expanding in the US and other international markets, keeps up its momentum, it will surpass Paytm, valued at $16 billion, as Indias most valuable internet startup. Unacademy and Vedantu, valued at $500 million and $300 million, respectively, are expected to join Byjus in the unicorn club soon. All the top players are getting enormous inbound interest from investors," Vedantus Krishna said.

In addition to raising large amounts of capital, Byjus, Unacademy and Vedantu are buying up smaller edtech firms. And though the edtech market has two distinct categories, Byjus and Unacademy are trying to straddle both. New capital will not only intensify competition between the top players but also see a bunch of smaller verticals create niches.

What helps the cause of the verticals is that edtech is unlike e-commerce or transportation or food delivery where duopolies have emerged on the back of disproportionate capital, leaving very little room for others to build even mid-size businesses. That ed tech already has a proliferation of mid-size companies is proof of this. Under-the-radar companies like Great Learning, a technology learning platform that hasnt raised venture funding, can boast of annual revenues of hundreds of crore of rupees.

Students learn in different waysapart from learning categories, even learning formats vary. For instance, some startups offer live classes, some recorded, and some both. Live learning can be one teacher per student or one teacher for many students, and so on. This inherent variety in the way lessons are imparted and learnt means that one or two platforms cannot build dominant positions to the extent that their peers in other internet niches have, entrepreneurs and investors said.

There are two distinct student profiles based on the seriousness of students, according to Lido Learnings Sheth. One, from classes I-IX, where students are not dead serious about education. The other category comprises students in XI-XII and beyond, a phase in which they get increasingly serious about their careers. These two categories necessarily require different treatment.

Its just not possible" for any single firm to take up more than 15-20% of the market in edtech, unless they keep buying companies, said Akshay Chaturvedi, CEO of Leverage Edu, a higher education startup. Within a single category like K-12 or post K-12, a single student tends to use multiple platforms at the same time. The variety is too much for one company to offer everything," he said.

Karthik Reddy, managing partner at Blume Ventures, an early-stage investment firm, added that over the next two years, there could be as many as 15 mid-sized and large education platforms backed by venture capital. Beyond the next two years, its impossible to predict how the sector will evolve because itll depend on whether all these companies are able to show real profits," Reddy said.

Post-pandemic scenario

While Indias consumer internet startups have raised tens of billions of dollars over the past six years, most of them are nowhere near profitabilityapart from Byjus. In the year ended 31 March 2019, the company reported a standalone net profit of 20 crore on revenues of 1,341 crore (it still reported a net loss on a consolidated basis). The next year, Byjus revenues doubled to 2,800 crore (its latest bottom-line figure is not yet available).

That Byjus achieved profitability just four years after becoming an online platform (it had started out as an offline tuition centre) shows that edtech is potentially a profit mine. Gross margins in education range between 50-70%, many times higher than spaces like e-commerce or food delivery, where logistics operations and spending on discounts eat up cash.

Education is not a discounting play. Despite the increase in competition, theres been no need to lower price points as people are more than willing to pay for quality," Lido Learnings Sheth said. The entrepreneur profile in the sector is different too. Many founders have spent close to a decade or more in the space, establishing a collective expertise that few of their internet peers can boast of.

To be sure, edtech startups wont have it so easy forever.

Once the pandemic passes, many users may simply go back to offline coaching, preferring the in-person interactions that are thought to be crucial for holistic learning. Plus, offline coaching classes are scrambling to go digital, and a few of them are bound to find success.

Startups may also soon face competition from international firms like ByteDances TikTok as well as Reliance Jio, which has been expanding in the sector in both K-12 and post K-12, mostly through its acquisition of Embibe. Jio has also bought two other edtech startups, OnlineTyari and Funtoot, and plans to continue buying more companies in the space.

For now, investors remain confident that edtech will buck the trend of other internet booms and produce profitable companies, provided that most entrepreneurs limit their ambitions.

Big companies like Byjus and Unacademy can afford to take risks and splurge cash because they have unlimited capital, but the others will need to show more discipline," an edtech investor said, on condition of anonymity.

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The hope and hype driving online education - Livemint

BEIJING, July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Color Star Technology Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq CM: HHT) (the "Company", "we" or "HHT") is pleased to announce that Color China Entertainment Limited ("Color China"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Color Star Technology, has just signed a cooperation agreement with a renowned guitarist, Zhengyan You (a.k.a. Masa). Masa will take on the role of a Star Teacher of the "Color World" online education platform, created by Color Star.

Masa, who is widely known as a "Guitar Guru" in Asian pop music, has participated in the production of thousands of albums since he entered the entertainment industry in 1974. His albums include top pop music stars in Chinese music, such as Wenzheng Liu, Dayou Luo, Qin Cai, Rui Su, Qin Qi, Xiang Fei, Jie Wang and so on. Multiple record labels and fellow artists have also been known to reach out to Masa for cooperation. His music has influenced musicians throughout the ages, solidifying Masa as a representative of guitar performance in Asian pop music.

No matter the genre, classical, pop or rock, Masa's performances were widely praised. Many producers, guitarists and entertainers of Chinese pop music are honored to be able to learn from Masa.

On June 26, 2020, we have invited Masa to join Color World as a teacher, as we believe that there will be a great demand for his teachings in the Asian market. The addition of Masa allows our students, regardless of whether they are ordinary music lovers or professional practitioners, to be able to learn and improve with the best, as is the original intention of Color World. We hope that more entertainment enthusiasts will be able to learn what they are truly interested in, and that they can also improve their skills professionally. The signing of this contract with Masa also marks the beginning of Color World's development of its reach into the Asian market. Sean Liu, the CEO of Color Star, said, "In the future, we will cooperate with more top artists and producers in Asia, including music, film, television, animation, dance and other industries. We believe that Color World has the potential to bring richer content to our students." In the future, Color China will continue to sign contracts with top artists from China, South Korea, Japan, Thailand and other countries. We believe that their additions will greatly improve Color World's competitiveness in facing the Asian market of over 2 billion consumers.

About Color Star Technology Co., Ltd.

Color Star Technology, is a holding company whose primary business is offering both online and offline innovative education services. Its business operations are conducted through its wholly-owned subsidiaries Color China Entertainment Ltd. and CACM Group NY, Inc. The Company also anticipates providing an after-school tutoring program in New York via its joint venture entity Baytao LLC, and providing online music education via a platform branded "Color World."

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made herein are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "estimate", "plan", "outlook", and "project" and other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. Such forward-looking statements include the business plans, objectives, expectations and intentions of the parties following the completion of the acquisition, and HHT's estimated and future results of operations, business strategies, competitive position, industry environment and potential growth opportunities. These forward-looking statements reflect the current analysis of existing information and are subject to various risks and uncertainties. As a result, caution must be exercised in relying on forward-looking statements. Due to known and unknown risks, our actual results may differ materially from our expectations or projections. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: there is uncertainty about the spread of the COVID-19 virus and the impact it will have on HHT's operations, the demand for the HHT's products and services, global supply chains and economic activity in general. These and other risks and uncertainties are detailed in the other public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") by HHT. Additional information concerning these and other factors that may impact our expectations and projections will be found in our periodic filings with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019. HHT's SEC filings are available publicly on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov.HHT disclaims any obligation to update the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

Color Star Technology Co., Ltd. Contact: Investor Relations FinancialBuzzIR [emailprotected] Tele: +1-877-601-1879

SOURCE Color Star Technology Co., Ltd.

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Color Star Technology Announces that Masa, Asia's "Guitar Guru," has Joined its Education Platform - PRNewswire