The US Department of Education released the final regulation for the Workforce Pell Grant Program. This has been monitored closely since the launch of a major “redesign” of the program, and the related reduction in funding. The estimate is that $11 billion will be directed to this new approach, but that is substantially reduced from previous commitments AND there are numerous associated expenses that states are expected to cover (filling any funding gap from previous program, cost of collecting data from employers, students, etc. the actual certification process each governor must now put in place and the increased demands on program eligibility/requirements).
I wanted to share some information – this is certainly not an EdTech issue – yes, online learning is used in some of the approved programs – but this is a big issue for our institutions. Given the changes, the number of Pell eligible career programs has been substantially narrowed. There is also an accountability factor – ROI – for these career tracks. There is a logic for doing this – but we have historically supported programs that are critical – like childcare - even though the ultimate income does not correlate to the degree expected.
The recent Federal Government announcement that Title II Accessibility compliance was being delayed for a year was quite a surprise. I know so many of you had been working so hard this past year to ensure you would be ready by the original deadline – I actually heard more frustration than relief.
Why? For those who work directly in the world of accessibility compliance, it has often been hard to get others on campus to buy into what is needed to comply. The Federal deadline had finally gotten everyone on the same page – and the unexpected delay, may now be counter-productive to the progress made. There can be no expectation that the new deadline for next year will be extended, so it remains “all hands on deck” in identifying deficiencies and framing a set of solutions most appropriate for your institution.
For those of you that joined us in Austin, Texas for the ITC Annual National Conference – thank you!!! It was a wonderful conference – and represented the ITC’ return to staging our annual conference on a community college campus. A major “tip of the ITC hat” to our host, Matt Evins, the director of Academic Technology at Austin Community College. He, and his wonderful staff, made everything work and flow so well. The tech support was wonderful, the food and refreshments were wonderful, the Highland Campus (one of twelve campus locations) was gi-normous but worked well for our conference. As you can imagine, most of the board members were immersed in selecting session applications, arranging for keynote speakers, coordinating the Grand Debate or the Awards Ceremony, hosting/participating in our “power panel session, recruiting exhibitors, creating awards and give-aways, planning receptions and facilitating sessions. And the ITC board leaders were “everything, everywhere, all at once” for the entire conference. All deserve a hale and hearty “Hizzah!!” for a fabulous job!
There were many highlights at the conference, but some of our best news concerned the introduction of our new ITC management team as well. No surprise here – you’ve been interacting with our team: Craig and Holly, as they helped with membership renewals and conference registrations over the past eight months – as well as fielding any questions or needs from our membership. But to make this sound official, we formally introduce:
We have devoted a great deal of space to AI-related articles this past year. AI is seemingly everywhere these days. Every week, we learn of a new application or adaptation of AI –and AI has been doing a lot of growing and becoming in the past year. AI is having a greater impact than ever – and is now coming to our online class LMS! I wanted to share a few recommendations to help you “move the needle” in addressing faculty/staff concerns as well as helping those learn how to effectively use AI.
AI Coming To Your LMS
There is an opinion piece this week that discusses the critical need to re-examine the traditional LMS in light of the arrival of AI. AI is – or at least should be – redefining what we teach and how we teach. This is true in the traditional classroom and needs to occur in the online classroom as well. I’d encourage checking out this article and then schedule a conversation with your LMS account representative to learn how your LMS is using/will be using AI and when these adaptations will occur. You need to plan and prepare – yes, your job and what you do is evolving as well. Ultimately, AI will help our faculty and instructional designers create ADA-compliant content, develop more engaging student material, provide assistance for your creation of content and for student projects and assignments, help create more complex course discussions, and will help faculty provide informed/detailed assessments of student work.
As we cycle through the fall national conferences and meetings related to EdTech (chief among them being Educause and WCET), the emerging consensus regarding AI in higher education includes:
Generative AI is here to stay—as you will recall, I teach Political Science (Government) – I tell my students you may hate politics—you don’t have to like it, but you do need to understand it and get involved. The same is true for AI.
Faculty are exercising strong influence over the specifics of implementing AI on our campuses. There are debates over appropriate parameters amongst faculty, on the administrative side of the house, not so much. Administrators tend to accept the inevitability of AI.
Students want our colleges and universities to get our collective act together and help them to better prepare for the expectations and needs in the 21st Century workplace
AI will seemingly be everything, everywhere, all at once for the foreseeable future. Every software will eventually have an AI component.
Users do not like the excessive power needs of AI and expect the industry to find ways to greatly reduce the power drain
Effective, adaptive AI professional development training is needed for students, faculty and administrators
Given the rapidly changing nature of AI, attending a national edtech conference every year is highly recommended. If you are relatively new to attending a national conference. It is important to find the conference(s) that fit your specific needs. I remember attending a conference early in my career that was sponsored by a major brand—turned out to be a waste of time. It was excessively university-centric and solutions required a very large (40+) staff. I quickly learned that “right-sizing” was important to maximize the experience. For me, the ITC has always been my preferred annual conference. It is community college focused, it is more affordable than the “big conference”, and I have been able to more effectively network. I also come back every year with great ideas, proven solutions and probably 15 new friends. I hope you will consider joining us in Austin, T March 13-15. Take a minute to check out the specifics about the conference on our webpage.
For many of us, one of the best benefits of being a member of the ITC is attending the Annual Conference. The conference is “right-sized” and razor-focused on online learning and EdTech at community colleges. There is something for everyone. We have a broad spectrum of attendees that have one thing in common: a passion for what they do. We want to learn more about what you are doing – what is a great success, partnership or even important lesson learned? Every year, I find so many valuable sessions to attend, get great ideas to bring back AND also enjoy outstanding keynote speakers and perennial favorites like the annual Grand Debate. It is also a fabulous friend-making and networking opportunity.
The next annual conference will be hosted by Austin (Texas) Community College March 13-15, 2026. There are a few new ideas with the upcoming conference – being hosted by a community college means we get to spend time on one of ACC’s 11 campus locations - - specifically, the Highland Campus - - AND we are shifting our conference to a Friday – Sunday event to minimize impacting your regular campus routine. I teach, and missing several days of classes is very disruptive. To be honest, we are also trying to avoid the ever-increasing costs of a conference hotel as well.
Registration will be opening soon – but we are accepting conference session proposals right now!!!! I truly hope you have already submitted a proposal, but if you haven’t yet, there is still time. The deadline for submitting is October 31st. I am providing a link to our ITC website to make it easier to learn more about the conference AND to submit a session proposal:
Hotel/lodging information – a VERY reasonable conference rate of $129/night
In addition, we had a great set of conference sponsors last year in Charleston , SC – and want to keep that momentum for this year’s conference. You will find our sponsor fee options on the conference webpage as well. If you have a relationship with a vendor, we’d appreciate your encouraging them to consider becoming a sponsor for this year’s ITC conference. An inquiry link is provided for those vendors interested – AND, we appreciate your help!!
Far from heralding the collapse of higher education, artificial intelligence offers a transformative opportunity to scale meaningful, individualized learning experiences across diverse classrooms.
Higher education is in a period of massive transformation and uncertainty. Not only are current events impacting how institutions operate, but technological advancement—particularly in AI and virtual reality—are reshaping how students engage with content, how cognition is understood, and how learning itself is documented and valued.
In today’s rapidly shifting economy, the average worker is expected to change careers five to seven times over their lifetime. That reality demands a new approach to higher education—one that isn’t centered around a single degree or credential, but around a lifelong learning partnership.
About 19 million people are going to college right now. But one recent poll from Gallup shows that the percentage of Americans who view college as very important is at an all time low, dropping from 75% in 2010 to 35% now.
In this video, we reveal the top 17 breakthrough technology trends that are set to transform the way we work, live, think, and connect in the next two years. From AI-powered everything to quantum computing, brain-machine interfaces, green tech revolutions, and more—this is your ultimate future roadmap.
Leading from the middle requires timing, and a sense of how to influence decisions. It is a valuable skill-set and can help on a number of fronts, from maintaining staff morale during difficult times to seizing on an opportunity – or addressing a problem - that many simply don’t recognize.
I wanted to speak to leaders this week. Who qualifies? All of you!! Regardless of your role or position, anyone can step up to help advance the institution’s priorities. Many may know this style of leadership as “leading from the middle”. Authors like Scott Mautz focused on middle management positions, but honestly, anyone can ultimately influence the decision-making process. Often, leading from the middle is most needed when the institution’s leadership team is distracted but it is also needed to enable new ideas that help the institution better serve its students. It can and does take a village to keep an institution focused and functioning.
