Insights
Design Learning To Promote Mastery Rather Than Failure
Published By Carrie O'Donnell
on Jan 16, 2019
Too often, learning experiences are designed for failure, or at least to weed out those who fail. In many college courses, it is expected that students will attend class, read the textbook, complete assignments and then take an exam that a significant portion of the class will fail. What if we turned learning design upside…
Going Beyond Big Data: Why Edtech and Higher Ed Efficacy Needs Qualitative Research
Published By Carrie O'Donnell
on Sep 13, 2016
Organizations often question why qualitative research is critical to product success. Market research is one of O’Donnell Learn’s (ODL) cornerstone service offerings, so we like to answer that question. Here’s the simple answer: Talking directly to customers will answer the why behind their behavior. The data and analytics capabilities of your platform or product may…
The Next-Gen Learning Eco-System: Is It Here Already?
Published By Carrie O'Donnell
on Jul 05, 2016
There are few people who can address the evolution of the LMS and the edtech ecosystem with as much insight and expertise as Ray Henderson, Blackboard’s former President and Chief Technical Officer of the Academic Division. Earlier this year, Henderson gave an in-depth interview with Acrobatiq, From Course to Curriculum: An Interview With Ray Henderson on…
Leadership and Experience Relate to Education
Published By Carrie O'Donnell
on May 18, 2016
Retired four-star General McChrystal delivered the closing keynote at ASU GSV Summit 2016, which I attended. I was struck by the difference between his speech and the closing ASU GSV keynote of 2015 delivered by Sir Richard Branson. Talk about opposites! And yet they share one thing in common. Both are innovative but within vastly…
The Argument for (more) Competency Based Education
Published By Carrie O'Donnell
on Apr 16, 2016
A few weeks ago I finished a book by Todd Rose called The End of Average, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. For more than 25 years I have worked in education, initially in college textbook publishing and then in consumer publishing at Harper Collins, where my focus on reference and…