# data[].attributes.headline
Kaelie- At my high school in New jersey, there was a group of girls who started a branch of the Girls who Code club. They heard about it through social media and the internet, founded the sanction at our high school and one of the girls ended up getting into a STEM program at Northeastern for computer science because of her affiliation with the club.

# data[].attributes.subject
Kaelie- At my high school in New jersey, there was a group of girls who started a branch of the Girls who Code club. They heard about it through social media and the internet, founded the sanction at our high school and one of the girls ended up getting into a STEM program at Northeastern for computer science because of her affiliation with the club.

# data[].attributes.body
Students in a local Oregon school  through MESA, a local afterschool STEM program, present their invention to the public. The theme was "from harvest to table" and gives students an idea of how to solve real-life problems.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Klamath Falls, OR- Oregon MESA is holding a student showcase called Demo Day through Oregon Institute of Technology.

MESA is an after-school STEM program which students are exposed to science, technology, and engineering.

MESA represents students who are underserved and underrepresented in middle and high school. They have the opportunity to showcase inventions they've created to a panel of judges.

This year MESA students were challenged to create a solution for people who bring food to the Oregon community. The theme is 'From Harvest to Table', it's focused around human centered design.

"It introduces students to how do you come up with an idea, right, how do you solve potentially a community problem," says Carleen Starr.

Carleen Starr is the Director of Educational Partnerships and Outreach for Oregon Institute of Technology. OIT supports the MESA program by supplying supplies as well as student mentors for teachers and students.

"Access and exposure to those opportunities go a really long way for our students," says Starr.

Students who fall under the underrepresented category are female students, low-income students, and minorities.

"We are trying to bridge that gap and give students more perspective on what STEM education is all about and what those careers can provide for them long term," says Starr.

MESA's Demo Day is taking place this week. Saturday February 26th will be the Demo Day ceremony that's held virtually. This event is open to the public and is hosted be OIT.

Follow @KDRV12 on Facebook and @KDRV on Twitter for the latest news, sports, and weather in Southern Oregon and Northern California.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Underrepresented students showcase their technology-based inventions at MESA event

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Klamath Falls, OR- Oregon MESA is holding a student showcase called Demo Day through Oregon Institute of Technology. MESA is an after-school STEM program which students are exposed to science, technology, and engineering. MESA represents students who are underserved and underrepresented in middle and high school.

# data[].attributes.headline
McKenna- Braham students use technology to follow their hearts 

# data[].attributes.subject
McKenna- Braham students use technology to follow their hearts 

# data[].attributes.body
These new technologies were able to show students their stress levels before and after tests as well as give them all kind of information about their heart rates and their overall health.

# data[].attributes.headline
Lilly - Accessibility in Education and Technology

# data[].attributes.subject
Lilly - Accessibility in Education and Technology

# data[].attributes.body
With the services of CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) they were able to create UDL (Universal Design for Learning). This sets out a foundation for what accessible and inclusive technology should look like and how it can be used in different ways in the classroom. Along with this is the Web Accessibility Initiative which can look at how well websites are doing at accommodating to individuals with disabilities being able to access them. These types of technology allow a greater range of access for students to work and participate in the classroom in different ways.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Educators have always had to be extremely flexible reinventors, perhaps never more so than recently. Students and teachers are connecting digitally in ways that were previously unimagined. Although virtual connections have been instrumental throughout pandemic teaching, they've also exposed the larger digital divide between student opportunity and achievement beyond the four walls of a classroom.

The rapid switch to technology means that everyone needs to move from just consuming and sampling new technology to a true application and reliance on digital tools to transfer learning. Educators need to understand what tech equity is-leveraging technology to support all students' needs-and how to best apply instructional design through culturally responsive teaching to assist learner-centered modalities.

Tech to Support Equity

The International Society for Technology in Education ( ISTE) is a "community of global educators who believe in the power of technology to transform teaching and learning." Educators can begin to grasp tech equity by first understanding the ISTE Standards for Educators -for example, "Leader Standard 2b: Advocating to meet the needs of all students with technology." The first step to take toward advocacy for our students is authentically applying UDL, accessibility, and inclusion in our design.

Universal Design for Learning

CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) set up the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a framework to "improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn."

When we apply the principles of UDL, we ensure an inclusive approach to learning because we give students opportunities to make choices based on their strengths. Examining how we infuse technology with UDL lesson plans helps identify components that complement the strengths of all students and circumvent inequities.

Accessibility

One way to ensure ease of access is to consider how accessible digital tools really are for our learners. The Web Accessibility Initiative makes clear that students' needs vary online and in person. "When websites and web tools are properly designed and coded, people with disabilities can use them. However, currently many sites and tools are developed with accessibility barriers that make them difficult or impossible for some people to use."

We can also use a tool like Grackle to evaluate how accessible our digital documents already are (e.g., accessing images, headings for screen readers). Accounting for accessibility while considering UDL is one step in ensuring equity in the technology we're integrating.

Application

Understanding how technology increases the need for UDL implementation, accessibility, and inclusion is integral to our short- and long-term educational settings. The following applications can act as a guide as we increase our learners' opportunities:

Productivity apps allow students to collaborate in real time and produce in multiple modes (e.g., Google Slides, Google Forms, Jamboard, Sway).

Feedback and online discussion platforms permit conversations to suit the strengths of each learner (e.g., Flipgrid, Padlet, Mote).

Prerecording encourages students to learn asynchronously, at their own pace (e.g., Edpuzzle, Loom, Pear Deck).

Gamification provides students a new way to interact with content and increases engagement (e.g., Quizlet, digital escape rooms, choose your own adventure, choice boards).

Digital libraries supply reading materials in text, in audio, and with additional tools to further increase access (e.g., Epic, CommonLit, Newsela, StoryCorps).

Conversion tools accommodate to help all students feel successful (e.g., Chrome extensions, screen readers, closed captioning, YouTube's speed adjustment, transcriptions, printed-out HyperDocs).

Incorporate diverse curriculum and reflection throughout all digital learning activities to make greater connections (e.g., #OwnVoice texts, virtual field trips, content to dismantle stereotypes, inviting diverse speakers).

Enhance digitalformative and summative assessmentswith the tools above (e.g., using EdPuzzle for formative assessment or Flipgrid to present a final project). Vary these assessments as one-on-one, group work, or voice and choice crossover, using UDL and ISTE standards to continuously support accessibility and inclusion.

Reinventing Transformation

The pandemic has taught us not to fear advances in technology, but instead to view them as ways we can explore how to best assist our students. Continuous learner-centered design will help us build upon tech equity advances so that we can unite all learners through inclusion and access for success. To commit further to tech equity in a digital or in-person class, we must continuously ask these questions:

What do my students know? What strengths can I build upon?

How is the technology I use enhancing equitable teaching through UDL, accessibility, and inclusion?

Are my students' voices being heard?

There's still work to be done because putting a device in every child's hand and providing Wi-Fi alone doesn't bridge the digital divide, but we must have confidence in our ability to minimize the inequities. Focusing on tech equity in virtual and in-person instruction strengthens 21st-century skills. If we continue to go forward with confidence, creativity, and an attitude of meeting challenges head-on, we will persevere in our transformation to best foster growth for all of our students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Leveraging Technology to Support Students' Needs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Educators have always had to be extremely flexible reinventors, perhaps never more so than recently. Students and teachers are connecting digitally in ways that were previously unimagined. Although virtual connections have been instrumental throughout pandemic teaching, they've also exposed the larger digital divide between student opportunity and achievement beyond the four walls of a classroom.

# data[].attributes.headline
Emma and Alexis - Using TTS for Helping Students w/ Alternative Needs and Neurotypical Students Alike

# data[].attributes.subject
Emma and Alexis - Using TTS for Helping Students w/ Alternative Needs and Neurotypical Students Alike

# data[].attributes.body
https://acerforeducation.acer.com/education-trends/inclusive-education/the-importance-of-edtech-to-create-an-inclusive-classroom/

TTS allows students of different needs to communicate with one another and promote inclusivity. It is also malleable and can offer different services based on the students needs. While technology cannot replace teachers, TTS can help make up for lack of teachers and insufficient budgets.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Inclusivity is a keyword in today's education. The ideal classroom is a place where students who face unique challenges in their learning process are not segregated, but welcomed among their peers and given the same level of education.
This dream often ends up clashing with reality: insufficient staff or budget can often make it impossible for a school to give disadvantaged students the attention they require.
The use of specialized assistive technology can ease the strain on the teaching staff and increase the level of independence of students with physical or intellectual difficulties, bringing the classroom one step closer to being truly inclusive.

Different technologies for different needs

When we think of an inclusive classroom, the first category that comes to mind is students with disabilities; compensating for a physical or intellectual impairment, however, is only a part of what makes an environment inclusive.
A child who has trouble reading and writing might be dyslexic, but might also be struggling because the material is in their second language, because they have poor eyesight, or because an extremely low-income family situation has affected their education and they are reading far below their grade level. One apparent problem, many potential causes, not all of which are disabilities.
Text-to-speech can help in case the problem lies in the physical act of reading; access to a dictionary that provides the definition of unfamiliar words at a click might be a better solution for students who are struggling with their vocabulary. When it comes to composing a response, again, not all students have the same issues: some may benefit more from typing instead of writing by hand or giving dictation to a computer in case they struggle with both, while others can write just fine, but need a more extensive use of spelling and grammar aids than most before they can produce a piece that does justice to their understanding of the topic.
And these are only a few examples of how technology can help fulfil different needs in different ways. In truly effective education, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and if this holds true for students with no particular challenges, it goes double for those with unique disadvantages.
Special education teachers are ideally equipped to deal handle the challenges posed by these students, but that does not relieve regular teachers of the responsibility to do their part, and their role is not just to give special needs students a piece of assistive technology and expect them to cope: even outside of individualised solutions, the material should be accessible to everyone to begin with.
From keeping any eyesight or reading struggles in mind when choosing fonts and colours for their presentations, to offering multiple options for students to demonstrate their progress in the way they are most comfortable with, a clever use of the basic technologies a classroom is already equipped with can go a long way towards inclusivity even before specialised tools come into play.

Making the race to knowledge fair

Another important responsibility a teacher has in a truly inclusive classroom is to listen.
Listen, first and foremost, to the disadvantaged students themselves, because ultimately, they know what is best for them. Get to know them and the unique way their special needs manifest, help them overcome any communication barriers preventing them from stating their difficulties, and come up with solutions together if one is not already in place.
Listen to any grievances their peers might have and correct any misconceptions about an inclusive classroom. Does anyone feel they are being held back in their education by the presence of special needs classmates? Does anyone perceive assistive technologies and other compensation strategies as an unfair advantage rather than a tool designed to put everyone on the same level?
These are natural reactions, but they can affect the social success and quality of life of special needs students if they are not kept in check. The trick to having assistive technologies in the classroom is not just to let students with unique difficulties use them, but to help everyone understand their true purpose as an equaliser that places everyone at the same starting point and gives them a fair chance at the finish line.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The importance of edtech to create an inclusive classroom - Acer for Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
From compensation tools to making the classroom a welcoming place for everyone. How to use assistive technology to make education inclusive?

# data[].attributes.body
Technology has helped these kids because they have early access to different languages and inevitably cultures. This enables them to learn several aspects of that language, including culture, in a personalized environment that is suitable for their age.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Center for Language Teaching Advancement

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Okemos World Languages (OWL) Partnership is a collaborative project between Okemos Public Schools and Michigan State University (MSU), specifically the Teacher Preparation Program and the Center for Language Teaching Advancement. OWL is a bi-weekly after-school program that introduces Okemos children in grades 1-4 to different languages and cultures. It is an introductory opportunity for students to practice basic communication skills in Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish. We aim to expose students to world languages and encourage them to pursue whichever language they enjoy in the future. Introducing languages in any capacity at a young age is invaluable. Additionally, learning a second language (or third, or fourth) is a process that continues for a lifetime, and we are excited for this opportunity to provide your children with a new way of developing their academic and interpersonal skills.

Our lessons actively engage the students in the learning process. We incorporate a variety of language activities, games, and cultural information to cater to different learner types and learning styles. Our lessons emphasize functional language use and cultural awareness. The lessons are implemented by pre-service student instructors from the Teacher Education Program at MSU under the supervision and guidance of MSU faculty mentors.

The OWL Partnership incorporates the following elements:

Communication in the target language in real-life situations,

Student-centered activities based on what students need, already know, and can do,

Prioritizing cultural awareness and integrating culture in every aspect of language instruction, and

Catering to diverse learning styles, while encouraging the development of a wide range of skills.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Okemos World Languages (OWL) Partnership

# data[].attributes.body
Jon Markowich, a STEM teacher from Pennsylvania, began to use G suite in his classroom which is a Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals. It's purpose is to allow students to have accessibility, communicate, and interact beyond the classroom setting. It contains all of the Google Apps in one menu for easy accessibility in the classroom. It is a tool to organize and structure education.

# data[].attributes.headline
Surveillance and alert internet system for mental health specialists in schools

# data[].attributes.subject
Surveillance and alert internet system for mental health specialists in schools

# data[].attributes.body
"GoGuardian Beacon system" - analyzes online activity and use in real time. This tool for administrators serves as an alert system when students, both on campus and at home during the pandemic, may be engaging in online activity that suggests mental health concerns: such as suicidal thoughts or self-harming behaviors. This technology was especially helpful for this particular school district once student started learning remotely in the pandemic, as it was a way for counseling services within the school to still engage and reach out to students who may have been adjusting poorly or just needed their services in a time of social distancing.
- Carleigh and Sophie

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
This Technology Helps School Counselors Better Support Student Mental Health - EdSurge News

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A few years ago, Neosho School District in Southwest Missouri realized they were in a crisis. Their suicide rates between 2014 and 2018 were well above ...

# data[].attributes.headline
Sue and Rachael - Technology helping students still be engaged and succeed in learning during the pandemic

# data[].attributes.subject
Sue and Rachael - Technology helping students still be engaged and succeed in learning during the pandemic

# data[].attributes.body
Due to COVID-19, we aren't able to be as active in class, but with technology students and teachers are still able to communicate and be active in learning via online classes, computers, and more. Though we have this hold in education due to the pandemic, we can still see students succeed.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The focus of higher education's COVID-19 adaptations is on remote learning and working. Advising systems, degree progress tracking, and other technologies to support student success will be equally critical to help students complete courses and attain credentials.

Credit: MSSA / Shutterstock © 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic is prompting many colleges and universities to abruptly and comprehensively adopt online learning, remote work, and other activities to help contain the spread of the virus. In the past decade, institutions have recognized the importance of advising, early alerts, degree planning, and other services to help students attain their academic goals affordably and efficiently. A wide range of new applications and technologies to support student success are now available and may prove invaluable to help students adapt to fully remote learning. EDUCAUSE data from 2019 reveal that many, but far from all, institutions, students, faculty, and staff are ready and able to use these technologies during the pandemic.

This research summary is one of a series of reports outlining higher education's readiness to adapt in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

How Many Institutions Are Using Technology to Support Student Success?

Core technologies that support student success include advising center management (which is deployed partially or institution-wide at 76% of institutions) and an advising case management system that tracks student interactions (70% partial or institution-wide deployment).

Other data and analytics technologies and practices support managing, sharing, and decision-making related to student success. Table 1 shows technologies that support student success, which are in place in at most half of institutions. Technologies that allow students to opt in or out of data collection or analytics are still uncommon (in place at only 28% of institutions).

Table 1. Student success data and analytics technology and practice adoption

Table 2 lists best practices related to student success data management and governance. Although policies and practices to safeguard data are widespread (in place at 78% of institutions), fewer institutions report having the data they need and sharing data across systems. This suggests that even though most institutions have the core technologies and policies in place, they still have significant progress to make in accessing and integrating needed data.

Table 2. Student success data and analytics best practices

Some types of institutions are more prepared-or less prepared-than others to use technology to support student success. Figure 1 compares student success technology maturity (i.e., the extent to which an institution has incorporated EDUCAUSE's recommended student success technology best practices) by Carnegie class. Bachelor's institutions, which typically place the strongest emphasis on campus-based learning, are least ready to use data and technology to support student success, while associate's institutions, which generally adopt learning and instructional technologies more rapidly, are the most prepared.

Figure 1. Student success technology maturity, by Carnegie classification

Are Faculty, Staff, and Students Able to Use Technology to Support Student Success?

Having technologies and analytics is one step. Providing students, faculty, and staff with the access and training to use these systems is a critical additional step. More than half of institutions take steps to facilitate the adoption and use of student success technologies by faculty, advisors, and other staff (see table 3). Six in ten institutions provide applications that enable students to access data such as current academic standing and resources including tips for improvement. Students at institutions that don't provide such access might struggle to track their progress during times when it's difficult to get such feedback, and faculty, advisors, and other staff may lack sufficient training or even access to use tools to help students.

Table 3. Best practices in place to support faculty, advisors, and staff use of student success technologies

Do Institutions Have Technology to Help Students with Credential Planning?

Students need to develop, monitor, and adjust their academic plans to ensure they are on track to attain the credentials they seek as expeditiously as possible; sometimes that entails managing academic credits across multiple institutions. This need may be even more pressing given the current disruption and uncertainty brought on by the pandemic. Fortunately, most institutions have a core set of applications to help students plan their educational programs and manage credits, even across institutions. However, fewer than half of institutions have technologies that can recommend courses or degree programs for students based on their academic record or other factors. Most students who have used these technologies find them very or extremely useful (see table 4).

Table 4. Institutional availability and students' perceived utility of systems to support degree planning and credit management

Percentage of Institutions with System

Percentage of Students Who Find the System Very or Extremely Useful

What about Technologies to Help When Students Are at Risk?

Even in stable times, students may encounter academic or personal difficulties. The COVID-19 pandemic is upending lives and livelihoods, increasingly the likelihood that large numbers of students will need extra help. In the past decade, technologies to help identify and support students at risk have become increasingly useful and widespread.

Most institutions have systems to identify academic difficulties early and to help students, faculty, and advisors address those difficulties. More than one-third of institutions (39%) also have tools that can refer students to social or community resources for help (see table 5).

Table 5. Deployment of tools to help students at risk

Although tools to support at-risk students are still relatively new, growing numbers of students and faculty who use them are finding them useful. In 2019, more than half of students and between 30% and 40% of faculty rated them as very or extremely useful. Fewer than 10% of student users found them not very useful or not at all useful, but as many as one in five faculty saw them this way (see table 6).

Table 6. Students' and faculty rating of tools that support at-risk students

Technologies to help identify and intervene with students at academic risk or to give students social or community resource referrals are still extremely new. Even so, students in particular appreciate them and might especially need them now.

Institutions that have adopted student success technologies early and deployed them widely have a significant advantage during COVID-19, when digital life is far less constrained than life in the physical world. Students need help completing their academic terms and earning credentials during this extraordinary crisis, and EDUCAUSE data show that student success technologies can provide digital sources of help and support. The COVID-19 pandemic will have many, many lessons for us all; among them will likely be the ways in which student success technologies can help ameliorate students' academic and even personal concerns and the ways in which these systems and data can be improved to better help students and those who support them when a new normal has established itself.

EDUCAUSE will continue to monitor higher education and technology related issues during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. For additional resources, please visit the EDUCAUSE COVID-19 web page.

Notes

1. This report is based on three data sources: the 2019 study of faculty and technology, the 2019 study of undergraduate students and technology, and the 2019 Core Data Service survey. ↩

2. Comparing the 2017 student and faculty surveys with the 2019 data, more students and faculty find the tools useful, and fewer find them not useful. ↩

Susan Grajek is Vice President of Communities and Research at EDUCAUSE.

D. Christopher Brooks is Director of Research at EDUCAUSE.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
how technology can support student success during covid-19

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How Technology Can Support Student Success during COVID-19

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The focus of higher education's COVID-19 adaptations is on remote learning and working. Advising systems, degree progress tracking, and other technologies to support student success will be equally critical to help students complete courses and attain credentials.