As reported this week in The Washington Post the Encyclopedia Britannica has stopped the presses and will cease production of its print based books.   After 244 years of production of one of the world’s most respected information resources, the publisher must now change its way of doing business.  When I first heard this news it evoked some sentimental sadness.  I remember the great joy each time that my family would get a new set of encyclopedias or the annual edition of the Year Book.  OK, so I was one of those geeks who enjoyed learning.  Well, I still enjoy learning, but it is rarely in the form of a book that I hold in my hand.  After going down memory lane for a couple of minutes I was then jolted back to reality by the realization that as a business owner, I must realize that no business – however well-established or well-respected, can continue doing business the same way forever.  Visions of Woolworths, Oldsmobile, and Polaroid flashed through my mind. 

So what are we at SmarterServices doing to remain relevant?  We are listening.  Listening to you.  We are listening to the expressed needs of our clients and then envisioning services that can be done in a smarter way.  The evolution of all of our services has been prompted by the suggestions of our clients.
•    Just over ten years ago we listened as there was a need expressed by the US Army for an online learning readiness assessment.  Now over 1.25 million students have benefitted from the SmarterMeasure Learning Readiness Indicator.
•    Then as distance learning exploded we listened to schools as they needed an efficient way to find online faculty.  Now over 12,000 online faculty have created searchable profiles in SmarterFaculty.
•    Next we listened as schools needed a smarter way to collect student perception data.  Now over a half million course evaluations have been submitted through SmarterSurveys.
•    Most recently we listened as schools requested a way to ensure online student authenticity and learner integrity.  We will soon be releasing SmarterProctors. 

What will we be doing next?  We are not sure, but we are listening to you to find out.  Let us know how we can help you be smarter as you educate learners.

Reflections from Company President - Dr. Mac Adkins

Safety on the internet and all the applications we use daily is a concern that we need to be reminded of every now and then.  This infographic is a reminder of to check those privacy settings, be mindful of links you click on, and the importance of password protection.

Created by: OnlineMarketingDegree.net

Internet Safety and Security

Today we honor Martin Luther King, Jr.  A crusader made of true character and conviction. Happy Birthday, MLK!

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically... Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

A recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education highlighted what Central Piedmont Community College is doing to help their online students succeed.  Creating a "home grown" assessment that measures student's learning styles is the way they are "getting the conversation going".  It is crucial for student success to know what challenges may lie ahead and for administrators to be to know what to talk about.  Having an honest conversation about a student's motivation, discipline, plan, and ability to take online classes is a responsible move in guiding them to completing courses. 

A home grown learning styles assessment certainly is a beginning step in the right direction.  However, is it enough?  SmarterMeasure includes a learning styles assessment but also measures readiness in other areas including technical competency, life factors, individual attributes, reading rate and recall, and typing speed and accuracy.  It provides a complete profile about a student.  Using a tool such as SmarterMeasure gives administrators insight about what students need while providing the student with strong feedback to build their confidence and guide them in their opportunities for improvement.

Measuring Learning Styles - Is It Enough?

A recent article from the Los Angeles Times reports, California has spent $480 million over the past five years on community college drop outs - citing ill-preparedness, too little support, and lack of remedial help as possible triggers to poor attrition.  The article acknowledges the stats of dollars and cents spent across the country on drop outs but doesn’t provide insight about how to “fix” this problem.  

Accountability is in question for many schools with the question being, who is responsible for these students?  For-profits have been under scrutiny about their recruiting practices over the past couple of years and have begun to make efforts to screen their students more carefully examining their motivation, readiness levels, and financial obligations.  Community Colleges across the country have experienced sky rocketing enrollments with the unstable economy.  Traditional universities are looking for ways to provide flexible options to students having to juggle financial responsiblities, home life, and school work.  So while students are responsible to do their part, prepare for school and commit to completing course work, schools are also having to fund the fall out of those who don't follow through. 

SmarterMeasure is a tool many schools are turning to in an effort to be proactive when it comes to predicting what students may withdraw due to ill-preparedness or motivation and commitment.  Learn more at www.SmarterMeasure.com.

Costly Drop-Outs