Wearing an orange DOC jumpsuit, Chris Adamcik strolled around Eastons Scott Park handcuffed to his son, 14-year-old Zeven Adamcik, who wore a shirt emblazoned with POLICE.

They were members of the Chillie Willies team getting ready for the eighth annual Lehigh Valley Polar Plunge into the Delaware River, and the team's theme for 2020 was cops and robbers.

"It'll be down to shorts when it's time to go in the water, but for now we've got our costumes going," saiid Chris Adamcik.

Zeven Adamcik is a Special Olympics athlete, playing basketball and baseball, and Special Olympics is the reason the Salisbury Township duo was about to join around 600 others in a river in February.

"We fundraise so there's no cost to our athletes or their families to compete in any of the sports or programming that we offer," said Amanda Sechrist, manager of Northampton County Special Olympics.

When the first of 13 groups of plungers stepped into the river, the air temperature was about 50 degrees with sunny skies. But the water was about 36 degrees, according to a thermometer in a nearby anglers boat, and a steady wind was gusting to about 23 mph. Firefighters from Easton watched onshore and aboard a rescue boat.

Im numb, Im very cold, but it was definitely worth it, said Brianna Groff, an employee of Lehigh Valley Polar Plunge sponsor Wawa, as she raced for her towel.

It was awesome, said 25th Street Wawa worker Joshua Shutt. Way colder than I thought. Definitely was not ready for that.

The local plunges first seven years raised about $640,000, an organizer said. Saturdays event raised an additional $100,000. Participants needed to contribute at least $50, although they can accept pledges online through the end of February. Super plungers had to raise $500 apiece for the right to jump every hour for 24 hours into the indoor pool around the corner at Grand Eastonian Hotel & Suites.

"Team Quack Attack!" members Karissa Hensel, Amanda Haese and Patti Shane were among those who jumped all night into the pool then into the river on Saturday. All three are special education teachers at Middle Smithfield Elementary School through Colonial Intermediate Unit 20.

"I think this was the coldest one," said Hensel, a veteran plunger. "I was expecting it to be cold but I think it was a little colder than I anticipated."

"Very chilly but refreshing," Shane said.

Special Olympics is marking its 50th year in 2020 providing year-round training and activities for children and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities.

"Abilities outweigh disabilities" was the theme of an Easton Area School District team that included special education administrator Elizabeth Brill and high school senior Samantha Kessler.

"The reason why we are doing this is to support our students with special needs," said plunger Tracie Stump, a special education teacher at Shawnee Elementary School in Forks Township. "We feel that as a community and as teachers and students of the Easton Area School District, that it is our responsibility to really support our athletes."

Employees of Avantor in Lopatcong Township with United Steel Workers Local 10-00729 came out for the plunge wearing matching Steel Force Chillers black-hooded sweatshirts. It wasnt the first plunge for local President Tim Sutter.

The minute I said yes, Id do this, I started thinking back to 2016 and how painful it actually is to go in that water, he said. But its for a good cause.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

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Over 600 take the Delaware River plunge to benefit Special Olympics (PHOTOS) - lehighvalleylive.com

Karrie Brady makes $750K annually teaching women how to monetize their knowledge base.

The business of the future is right at our fingertips.

If you follow anyone with a substantial fanbase, youre probably already familiar with the typical approaches most take to monetize influence: brand deals, endorsements, and sponsored content.

Karrie Brady, a 24-year-old business coach and sales expert, has a different idea.

Brady, whose business is currently bringing in $750K annually, teaches women how to become coaches, educators, and authorities within their respective fields. In doing so, she shows them how to turn their expertise into something that can help others and build their income, too.

The opportunities to capitalize on this, she believes, are limitless.

After leaving school for biomedical engineering, Brady returned home to take care of her her father following an accident. Needing a way to make money but remain remote, she began her business as a fitness and health coach at just 19-years-old. Her selling power became something of notoriety, and soon influencers were hiring her to sell their own products.

Today, Bradys own clients utilize her expertise through one of the following:

She explains that the entirety of her income is either generated from one of those modules, or in-person speaking events.

Brady believes that women from all walks of life have the power and potential to monetize their skillsets in a similar way. There are probably 40 different ways that people can get into online education. There's coaching, they can create courses or memberships, e-books are so common, too, she explains. There are so many opportunities. A gardener could be an educator. You could create a course or book called How To Take Care Of The 10 Most Popular Houseplants.

Any skillset can be turned into education, Karrie Brady says.

To date, some of Bradys biggest successes include one woman who, in her first year of coaching, grossed $220K and saved $120K of it. Another was a photographer who transitioned to coaching and earned an additional $75K in her first year.

However, its not just about learning how to package your knowledge into a course, book, or coaching program. Its first about learning how to position, market and brand yourself to draw in potential clients in the first place.

I think what people need to realize is that in today's day-in-age, they want to buy from someone they are connected to. They want to be able to stand behind the brand, Brady shares. When you're positing yourself as an authority and building up a social media presence, you are humanizing your business. It allows people to feel more invested in you and it allows people to stand behind your brand in more ways than just the product.

To do this, Brady helps her clients with everything from the magic formula to writing an Instagram bio, which photos are more appealing (she argues that straight-on is most inviting, second best is when your head is turned toward the follow button, as sort of a subliminal nod). She also coaches on making all content SEO-optimized, how to do your captions the correct way, or how to nail the exact verbiage that would appeal to a potential client.

There are three people youre selling to, Brady explains. The person who doesn't even know that their problem exists; the person who knows the problem but not the solution; and the person who knows the problem and the solution. The last one is who you are positing the offer to. According to Brady, its essential to get into the headspace of each. Over time, youre nurturing them to become clients.

Aside from tech glitches and poor branding, Brady shares that the biggest obstacle she sees women facing is the dreaded imposter syndrome. Its an issue, she says, that requires a lot of work to overcome. People feel like they are not enough, they are not ready. If you're ready, you've waited too long. There's so much power that you have. You only need to be two steps ahead of someone to effectively coach them.

Any skillset can be turned into education, Brady says.

There are billions of people in the world, and I can think out of the top off my head there are probably 10 people in their current audience that would love to learn from you.

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This 24-Year-Old Makes $750K Teaching Women How To Make Money On Instagram - Forbes

EUGENE, Ore., Feb. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Online Schools Report has released their ranking of the Best Online Master's Degrees in Educational and Instructional Technology. OSR, the new student resource site, based their ranking strictly on data, prioritizing the school's ability to deliver an online education comparable to an on-campus degree.

Online education is getting bigger and betterand giving traditional college campuses a run for their money. Leading education researchers have predicted that online education will surpass traditional learning within a decade. What better way to earn an educational technology degree than through the most modern educational technology available: online distance learning?

OSR used six data points to determine the best educational technology degrees. Three data points focus on the quality of the school, and three focus on the quality of the individual program. OSR included these programs in the ranking because their students graduate with minimal debt and have a great support system while in school. These schools are dedicated to delivering a quality educational technology degree online.

For a detailed description of the methodology, visit http://www.onlineschoolsreport.com/methodology.

Here are all the schools with the Best Online Master's Degrees in Educational and Instructional Technology:

Appalachian State University - Boone, North Carolina

Ashland University - Ashland, Ohio

Capella University - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Concordia University-Chicago - River Forest, Illinois

Concordia University-Saint Paul - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Concordia University-Wisconsin - Mequon, Wisconsin

Dallas Baptist University - Dallas, Texas

East Carolina University - Greenville, North Carolina

East Central University - Ada, Oklahoma

Emporia State University - Emporia, Kansas

Fort Hays State University - Hays, Kansas

Grand Canyon University - Phoenix, Arizona

Harding University - Searcy, Arkansas

Indiana State University - Terre Haute, Indiana

Jacksonville State University - Jacksonville, Alabama

Kaplan University-Maine Campus - S Portland, Maine

Kennesaw State University - Kennesaw, Georgia

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania - Kutztown, Pennsylvania

Liberty University - Lynchburg, Virginia

Missouri Baptist University - Saint Louis, Missouri

Missouri State University-Springfield - Springfield, Missouri

National University - La Jolla, California

Northwest Missouri State University - Maryville, Missouri

Ottawa University-Kansas City - Overland Park, Kansas

Pittsburg State University - Pittsburg, Kansas

Southern Arkansas University Main Campus - Magnolia, Arkansas

Southern New Hampshire University - Manchester, New Hampshire

University of Arizona-South - Sierra Vista, Arizona

University of Central Florida - Orlando, Florida

University of Central Missouri - Warrensburg, Missouri

University of Northern Iowa - Cedar Falls, Iowa

University of West Alabama - Livingston, Alabama

University of West Georgia - Carrollton, Georgia

Western Governors University - Salt Lake City, Utah

Wilmington University - New Castle, Delaware

Read the full ranking here:

Best Online Master's Degrees in Educational and Instructional Technology: https://www.onlineschoolsreport.com/best-online-masters-in-educational-instructional-technology/

Email OSR editor Noah McGraw for more information or media assets:

Noah McGraw Managing Editor, Online Schools Report 233521@email4pr.com (844) 677-3383

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/online-schools-report-publishes-ranking-of-best-online-masters-degrees-in-educational-and-instructional-technology-for-2020-301005208.html

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Online Schools Report Publishes Ranking of Best Online Master's Degrees in Educational and Instructional Technology for 2020 - Yahoo Finance

Technology has changed all sectors of the economy, including education. For example, the fact that you dont need to attend a physical class to learn is one great improvement in the way courses are delivered nowadays. With e-learning, you dont have to commute to class and you can learn at your own pace. The only thing you need for this to work is internet connections and an electronic device such as a computer, tablet, or smartphone. While some courses such as medicine and engineering courses would still need students to attend classes for practical operation of machinery, its clear that e-learning has eliminated barriers to deliver education more effectively.

Here are five reasons why e-learning is the future of education.

Online learning is generally cheaper than in traditional classroom learning. For instance, most online courses eliminate the need to attend a physical classroom, thus eliminating travel and visa arrangements. Its possible to take many free online classes to see if you have the ability to tackle it before paying for it. It saves you a lot of money in the long-run.

Most adults, especially those who are working and have families, find attending physical classes to be time constraining. Its never easy finding a balance between work, family, and taking on-campus classes. However, with online classes, you can study at your most convenient time. This will give you ample time to spend with your family and do other things that an on-campus course would leave little or no time. Because of the flexibility of e-learning, people who get paid to take other peoples courses find it very appealing. They enjoy every benefit that comes with online learning and get paid to do it. You can search online for do my online class to learn more about these services and where to get them.

A live class will normally have a maximum number of students it can enroll per course, but this is not the case with online classes. One educator can stream a lesson live to many learners all over the world. Even where live-lessons are not available, the educator can record a lesson they are teaching on-campus and make the material available online for the many students to access. It doesnt matter the number of students an online class has because students can self-learn on a screen.

With e-learning, it doesnt matter where you are located in the world because all you need is an electronic device to access learning materials and internet connections. You can do it from the comfort of your home, the office, and even while on the go. Since its cheaper than traditional learning, many students can afford it.

When taking an online lesson, you can get help from a lot of other online resources on that particular subject you are learning. While some of the resources are free, you would need to pay some money to gain access to other materials. This means that you will have vast knowledge at your disposal when learning on-screen compared to a live classroom session.

One of the aims of education is to give students the best learning experience and environment. While online learning may never completely replace traditional classes, it has so far simplified the ways of acquiring education. It offers improved resources and reduces a teachers workload. This gives educators time to engage in other beneficial activities.

By : Julian Smith

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Is Online Learning The Future Of Education Industry - The Union Journal

Global Online Education Market futuristic report covers an appraise of the market size from 2020 to 2025. The report provides predominant perception into the several segments to untangle the estimate of the global Online Education industry. The analysis is based on various appurtenant factors, consisting of product services, product types, end-users or requisition Online Education market key players and trends about methodologies utilizing to separate themselves from other players. The analysis involves a broad outline of the Online Education market information on different particular divisions. The Online Education research report gives a PESTEL analysis rely upon share, size, development scene, and analysis

The Online Education report intention is to deliver the tactical and proper analysis of this business. A thorough overview of this market covers data of the sections and assessment comprises the descriptions of status, Online Education industry prospects, value series and volume, this market dynamics, along with upgrades. It evaluates the Online Education summary of the market, considering the current and future forecast. It also provides information in terms of development and its capacities.

A deep analysis of the Online Education market, including complete evaluation;

Online Education market size and its commercial landscape through various analysis techniques;

Analyzing the controlling variables of the global Online Education Industry and its particular effect and providing the subsequent analysis;

Value chain analysis of this Online Education market, providing a thorough comprehension of the intermediaries involved, and also their functions;

A comprehension of the Online Education on which plans which are industries currently being embraced;

Highlighting the competitors on the industry adopted;

Porters five forces analysis of this current market, elaborating the efficacy of vendors and purchasers to come up with growth plans;

The report also merges a suitable set of circumstances in markets for stakeholders with the complete perusal of competitive stance. The estimated feature in the report has been obtaining with the help of demonstrated research techniques.

Company Name: Futuristic Reports

Email: [emailprotected]

Phone: +1 (408) 520 9037

Country: United States

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Online Education Market 2020 is slated to grow rapidly in the coming years With key Players by 2025 - News Parents

Ossining families, staff and community members took part in an education equity rally in White Plains on January 18, to fight for greater education funding from the state.

Ossining is one of the Harmed Suburban Five school districts, which receive some of the lowest percentages of Foundation Aid in the state. The Harmed Suburban Five is a coalition of parents, teachers, and administrators who are fighting for equity in the Ossining, Port Chester-Rye, Glen Cove, Riverhead and Westbury school districts.

Dozens of families showed up to the Richard Daranco Westchester County Courthouse on a bitterly cold morning. The Ossining and Port Chester communities had gathered in front of the Martin Luther King Jr. statue at the courthouse a year ago, to push for more state aid. We need to make sure that were not standing here next year, said Dr. Raymond Sanchez, Ossining schools superintendent.

Foundation Aid is the largest state education grant to school districts. The Harmed Suburban Five receive less than 55 percent of the Foundation Aid they are due because the formula has not kept pace with the shifting demographics that have led to significant increases in student enrollment and decreases in community wealth. For the Ossining School District, the funding gap is $14 million.

By contrast, other school districts in New York receive an average of about 80 percent of the funding they are due under the current Foundation Aid formula, which was established in 2008.

State legislators and Governor Andrew Cuomo are in the process of developing a budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year. The governor released his proposal on January 21. The deadline for finalizing the state budget is April 1.

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Ossining Community Rallies for Higher Education Funding - River Journal Staff

Programs in Stanfords Office of the Vice Provost for Technology and Learning (VPTL) will be realigned this fall, integrating them with related university activities and bolstering Stanfords efforts to advance teaching and learning both on campus and globally, Provost Persis Drell announced.

Under our long-range vision, we are embarking on an exciting range of activities to advance the science and design of learning itself, the on-campus educational experience for students at Stanford and global educational offerings for learners beyond Stanford, Drell said. These next organizational changes we are making are about aligning our efforts to help us meet our ambitious goals in education, both on campus and beyond.

Already last fall, VPTLs Center for Teaching and Learning became part of a new Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Development, Teaching and Learning, bringing together a range of functions that support faculty development in the areas of teaching and mentoring.

Effective Sept. 1, two additional changes will be made:

First, VPTLs Learning Technologies and Spaces unit will become part of the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Affairs (VPSA).

The unit provides technology tools and services to support the on-campus learning experience for faculty and students, including the Canvas learning platform, and is leading an effort to imagine the future of learning spaces at Stanford. These activities are closely aligned with those of Student and Academic Services, part of VPSA, which is responsible for classroom planning and scheduling, among other curricular and student support functions.

Second, VPTLs extended education and global learning programs will continue to collaborate in a new structure, with the Stanford Center for Professional Development (SCPD) housed within the School of Engineering, recognizing the schools strong history of innovation, leadership and faculty engagement in extended education. The Stanford Center for Health Education (SCHE), which extends health education to a global community of health professionals, will continue to report to the School of Medicine.

The programs will continue to support faculty across the campus, in all schools and disciplines, in developing online coursework and credentialed education programs for individual learners, along with regionally contextualized custom programs for governments and organizations around the globe. SCPD will continue to manage the Stanford Online brand of online course offerings and credentialed programs.

In addition to Stanfords work in supporting faculty teaching and mentoring, evolving the on-campus learning experience, and advancing global and extended education, Dean Dan Schwartz and faculty in the Graduate School of Education are taking the lead in developing Stanford initiatives to tackle chronic challenges in education more broadly. The GSE will play a key role collaborating with campus partners to advance educational innovation, Drell said.

The existing VPTL organization will wind down when the program realignments occur Sept. 1. Michael Keller, who has overseen VPTL since 2018, will continue as vice provost and university librarian, a role he has held at Stanford for 27 years.

I deeply appreciate Mikes stewardship of these programs over the last two years, and I want to extend generous thanks to the staff in the programs who are working to provide these important and valued services both to the campus community and to learners well beyond our campus, Drell said. These activities will continue to flourish with the support and leadership of the staff and faculty, and we believe the new reporting lines will provide a sound and cohesive path forward for them.

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New Stanford organizational structure aims to support technology-enabled campus and global education | Stanford News - Stanford University News

Desperate institutions offer overflow rooms and YouTube live streams instead of a seat in front of a lecturer

Students paying 9,250 or more for tuition struggled to get a seat at some university lectures. Photograph: Alamy

Students at prestigious universities have been turned away from overcrowded lectures and told to watch classes online or in overflow rooms.

The Observer found that students paying 9,250 or more in Manchester, Nottingham and Lancaster, had struggled to get a seat in lectures. Manchester University maths students in a 600-capacity hall were given slips with a link to a YouTube live stream and told they could sit in a coffee shop and watch. They were also given the option of sitting in a separate overflow theatre to watch the stream, without being able to participate or question lecturers.

Last October, the University of Nottingham advertised a 9.65-an-hour role for a temporary worker to monitor the overflow live stream for first-year law students. In November, psychology students at the University of Lancaster were sent to overflow rooms and given the option to watch lessons on their laptops because lecture theatres were full..

Overflow rooms typically accommodate large audiences when well-known figures give public lectures. All the named universities said that overflow classes were a short-term arrangement to cover busy periods at the beginning of the academic year.

Sofija (who declined to give her surname), a student at the University of Manchester who attended the maths lecture, told the Observer that she saw people being turned away. The economics undergraduate decided to stop going to the class because it was so difficult to concentrate.

Even if you were in the lecture and got a seat, it was literally impossible to pay attention, she said. Ive got an anxiety disorder, which gives me some sensory issues, it was 100% impossible for me to pay attention or learn anything. I did not go to the lectures, I had to watch them online.

The National Union of Students, which represents higher education students, said that packed lectures were a result of desperate universities being forced to bring in as much tuition-fee income as possible.

In a separate example of overcrowding, a physics lecture at Kings College London, one of 24 universities in the elite Russell Group, was reportedly so busy that students were told to cram in, with some standing at the back.

Julio Figueroa, an international student from Mexico who pays more than 25,000 a year to study at Kings College London, said that he had to take his own chair into a physics lecture on at least two occasions. We are in a Russell Group university, I feel like this shouldnt happen, he said.

There is no evidence of the university running overflow lectures, and it said it had no knowledge of students taking their own chairs into lectures.

Universities UK, which represents higher education providers, said it was important that all students could access lectures. Universities will be mindful to ensure this does not compromise the quality of teaching or disadvantage students not attending in person. There is no indication of common or continuing issues with students being asked to join overflow or online lectures against their wishes, a spokesperson said.

The University of Manchester said that the maths overflow was temporary. When overcrowding does occur, we work with schools to resolve it as quickly as possible and use various solutions, including moving the lecture to a larger location or splitting the cohort into smaller groups.

Nottingham said its overflow lecture was the result of a timetabling problem that affected a small number of students. For a two-week period last September, a particular set of law lectures proved more popular than anticipated for the allocated theatre capacity, it said. Rather than disappoint students, we arranged a live stream of the lecture for some 20 students in the adjoining theatre, with full technical support and additional tutorials to ensure they could explore the lecture topic in person with tutors.

Lancaster said it had run overflow lectures owing to the popularity of its course. There is always a staff member present in the streamed venue and there are mechanisms in place so students can ask questions.

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No room for you in lectures, top universities tell first-year students - The Guardian

Sean Cauvet, News Editor February 17, 2020

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There are big changes coming to Grand Valley State University in 2020. GVSU President Philomena Mantella and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced on Wednesday a new education plan that will be geared toward non-traditional students that are over the age of 24, with work experience and at least 30 earned college credits.

Today we are announcing degrees and certificates for the two million working Michiganders who have some college credit, but had to leave school before earning a bachelors degree, Mantella said. These busy adults are looking for realistic, affordable, high-quality offerings to advance their careers and to complete their journey. That is why weve developed and accelerated online degree programs that will support them.

Whitmer plans to use her newly-approved $35 million budget to implement the program, with the hope for expansion on the horizon.

Mantella made sure to clarify that these degrees are geared toward degree completion, not just participation.

They (the students) have the convenience of online learning, but the value added of a community experience. And the program doesnt require you to pick a path but allows you to choose your own. The featured accelerated degree program is 19 months long, and grounds you with an interdisciplinary bachelors degree and one of four certificates built around high-demand workplace needs like project management, data analytics, global communication and leadership.

When asked about how she would give a program that is based online a community feel, Mantella noted design among other things.

The online is not a format of just publishing content. First of all, the online design is one that will encourage teamwork, encourage connections and will be very vibrant. In addition, were utilizing all our sites and again we hope this will be wildly successful and we can do it in other communities with what Ill call light touch experiences where students will gather together face-to-face with their faculty. We will have success coaches for the students along the road so they can have in-person or online meetings, so we have many ways for them to form a network. I call them light touch because Its specifically designed for the working adult who has lots of demands and can intermittently enjoy those experiences face-to-face.

Along with the program, Mantella and Whitmer brought along two students that have already expressed interest in enrolling, Alyx Dean and Dustin Stek. Dean was previously enrolled at GVSU and is seemingly exactly who this program is designed for.

I had the pleasure of actually attending Grand Valley from 2010-13. At that point in my life, I wasnt sure what I was going to do with my degree, I was going for nonprofit management at that time. I decided to step away, did a year of service with a Americorps, then I realized I needed a real job and I ended up in the insurance industry. Several years later, I feel like Im at a solid place in my career where I can take some time for myself and pursue something Ive been looking to do since I left, Dean said.

Similarly, Stek wasnt able to finish his degree when he was younger because life came at him fast.

When I was 19, I had my first child. Being 19 and working full-time, it was pretty difficult to juggle school and raise a family. Unfortunately, I put school on the back burner and focused my efforts on raising a small family. Twelve years later, hopefully a little more stable and more mature, I thought it was wise to finish my degree here and I came across the program. With it being an online format for a working adult, I figured I can spend a few nights a week advancing my career and making that accomplishment of completing my bachelors degree, Stek said.

To help ease those considering and convince them to take the first step, Mantella announced that the first class will be fully refunded.

Getting started is really scary, Mantella said. Grand Valley is confident in our design and in you, so were launching the program with our investment in your success. As proof of our confidence in you, we will reimburse the cost of your first course to apply to a future one. We want to lower your risk to just get started now.

Mantella continued by saying that the changing workplace demands creativity, and GVSU is up to the challenge.

Were confident that this will be a meaningful contribution to our businesses, communities and the state of Michigans full participation in the knowledge economy, Mantella said.

Also, Mantella clarified the difference between the new program and the current online classes that GVSU offers to its students.

(The difference) is in the design of the program. Theyre six weeks and in terms where people can focus intensely on a subject. Theyre not cohort-based, meaning that everyone doesnt have to start at the beginning and go through the same two or three years. Also, weve never offered the portfolio across all of our sites, so in the design, the modality ,and the physical location (there are new) dimensions, Mantella said.

When Whitmer was elected Governor of Michigan in the midterm elections 14 months ago, she made a goal to have at least 60% of Michiganders have a post-secondary certificate or degree by 2030. This program will help her reach that goal, and she says the partnership is a sign of things to come.

Philly, Grand Valley State, thank you for taking this leadership role on and Im hoping that others see the wisdom in the path that you are forging and replicate it, Whitmer said. For now, we know that Grand Valley is going to make a huge impact on so many lives in our state. This is what real leadership that improves peoples lives looks like, congratulations.

The program will first roll out in Grand Rapids, Allendale, Holland, Traverse City and Detroit with more to come. Although Whitmer used many road metaphors throughout the announcement, she ended with a powerful one.

We need to change our culture of thinking of prosperity as a ladder, (where) theres one way up, into more rock climbing. Theres a different path for everyone to independence and prosperity in their work. This is one additional path for Michiganders to be able to get the skills that they need to get into a great paying job, Whitmer said.

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Never too late: GVSU President Mantella and Governor Whitmer announce new online program - Grand Valley Lanthorn

A Queensland university has offered itself as an online backup for rival institutions Chinese students, as Australian universities seek ways to teach almost 100,000 people stranded in China by the Covid-19 coronavirus-related travel ban.

The University of Southern Queensland (USQ) has offered 25 per cent fee scholarships to Chinese students who are unable to attend their regular Australian campuses in semester one, and opt to study online with USQ instead.

Vice-chancellor Geraldine Mackenzie described the offer as a goodwill gesture, backed by our expertise and experience in online learning, to ensure that the Australian university sector continues to maintain its excellent reputation in China.

Students who wanted to take up the opportunity for cross-institutional study would need approval from their regular universities, she stressed.

The offer comes as Australian institutions with significant Chinese enrolments seek ways to maintain course continuity. Most including Melbourne, Monash, Queensland, Sydney and University of Technology Sydney (UTS) are giving some or all of their Chinese students the option of studying online for between two and five weeks, and in some cases a full semester.

Experts question the technical feasibility of rapidly escalating online options for Chinese students accustomed to on-campus delivery. But Professor Mackenzie said USQ had a proud history of distance education.

She said USQ courses had been studied online by Chinese students for decades. Over the past three years people in China had studied 14 USQ degrees online, in areas including commerce, science and business administration.

An education consultant said USQs offer raised all sorts of logistical problems such as the compatibility of its course content and appeared to be an attempt to shore up international enrolments at rival universities expense.

The consultant, who asked not to be named, said USQ should have discussed the option privately with other universities rather than going over their heads [and] trying to get the affected students togo to USQ for the semester.

Professor Mackenzie emphatically denied any intention to poach. She said USQ had discussed the option with other universities last week, and other online-intensive institutions had made similar offers.

She said she expected very few students to take up the option: It certainly wont be in the thousands and it wont be in the hundreds. At most it will be someone wanting to pick up a couple of subjects in maybe a business degree.

We made the offer because we already have students studying online in China with our partner institutions. Very few of us have that sort of capability. To be brutally frank, a student currently enrolled in the University of Sydney isnt going to suddenly change to USQ based on doing one or two subjects with us externally.

USQ and other regional universities have attracted little of the massive cash injection that Chinese students have delivered to large research-intensive universities. University of Sydney sociologist Salvatore Babones has calculated that the Group of Eight institutions and UTS collectively attracted A$2.79 billion (1.45 billion) from Chinese students in 2018. USQ earned just A$45 million from its entire international cohort.

But Professor Mackenzie said all Australian universities would suffer if the virus crisis turned students off Australia. At the moment, everybodys doing everything they can to help. Theres a real sense of camaraderie in this because were all in it together.

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com

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Covid-19 coronavirus crisis: university offers itself as online fallback - Times Higher Education (THE)