Filtered by tag: edtech × Clear
Universities Lean on Existing Investments to Launch AI Tools
Matched: Artificial Intelligence
Several universities are rolling out AI tools by leveraging existing vendor relationships rather than building new infrastructure. Schools like Case Western Reserve are offering students and staff access to tools like Google's Gemini through existing institutional accounts, lowering costs and implementation barriers while expanding access to AI writing, learning, and image-generation capabilities across campuses.
What Shapes Student Engagement in Higher Education Today?
Matched: AI
Student engagement in higher education goes beyond attendance or participation. It develops when learners understand why content matters, can actively apply knowledge, and feel supported throughout. Real-world relevance, clear outcomes, and purposeful interaction help build that connection. Flexibility aids access but requires structure and visible instructor presence to prevent disconnection. Technology can support engagement, but thoughtful teaching decisions remain central to creating meaningful learning experiences.
How Colleges Are Using Technology To Attract Students on Campus Visits
Matched: AI
Colleges are increasingly using technology to impress prospective students during campus visits, which 86% of enrollment leaders say are the defining factor in securing enrollment. When IT and admissions teams collaborate, institutions can showcase their technical capabilities as a recruitment tool. Smaller schools rely on campus visits most heavily, making these first impressions especially critical to their enrollment strategies.
AI is everywhere. Expertise is the difference.
Matched: AI, Artificial Intelligence
Ellucian argues that generic AI falls short for tertiary education because institutions operate through complex policies, governance, compliance rules, and workflows that pattern-based AI lacks context to navigate. The company promotes "institutional intelligence" — purpose-built AI trained on how universities and colleges actually operate — to support administrative processes, student services, and decision-making while maintaining governance and compliance alignment.
Top Hat Earns Spot on TIME’s World’s Top EdTech Companies 2026 List
Matched: AI
Top Hat has been named to TIME Magazine's World's Top EdTech Companies 2026 list, marking the second consecutive recognition for the Toronto-based higher education platform. Selected from roughly 6,500 companies worldwide, Top Hat was recognized for its student engagement tools and AI-powered product Top Hat Ace, which converts course materials into interactive content and provides students with personalized, course-specific study support.
Active Learning Meets AI: What 9,172 Students Told Us About Success in 2026
Matched: AI
A Top Hat survey of 9,172 students across 550+ institutions found that active learning and AI tools boost academic outcomes. Students using live in-class features reported higher engagement and confidence than average. Those engaging with content outside class showed stronger success rates. Users of Top Hat's AI assistant Ace reported notably higher understanding, engagement, and perceived course success compared to the overall student population.
e-Literacy and Changing Times: Emerging Themes for Learning Impact
Matched: AI
1EdTech CSO Michael Feldstein and Claude Opus discuss why standards bodies matter beyond technical specs. Using Conway's Law—that software reflects the communication structures that produced it—they argue EdTech's failures stem from broken collaboration, not bad intentions. They explore how 1EdTech is shifting toward convening broader conversations around AI, competency standards, learner records, and global interoperability, treating community dialogue as upstream of any specification.
Beyond the Grade: Dr. Susan Blum’s Alternative Assessment Ideas
Matched: AI
Dr. Susan Blum's ungrading framework offers four alternative assessment approaches: specifications-based grading using pass/fail thresholds, labor-based grading rewarding effort over innate ability, contract grading giving students agency over outcomes, and portfolio-based learning capturing cumulative progress. The article also outlines practical implementation steps, including low-stakes knowledge checks, self-reflection activities, and using education technology like Top Hat to reduce instructor workload while supporting these methods.
Top Hat and Wiley Partner to Enhance Student Engagement in Psychology and Anatomy & Physiology
Matched: AI
Top Hat and Wiley have announced a partnership integrating select Wiley Psychology and Anatomy & Physiology textbooks into Top Hat's student engagement platform. Educators can customize content, use interactive tools, and access real-time student performance data. Top Hat's AI assistant, Ace, can generate discussion prompts and practice questions tied to readings. Both companies aim to make course materials more flexible and personalized for higher education.
UW–Madison Saves Students $1M Annually While Scaling Active Learning with Top Hat
Matched: AI
UW–Madison's enterprise license agreement with student engagement platform Top Hat has saved students over $1 million annually by eliminating usage costs. Since the 2022 deal, platform adoption has more than doubled, with course usage up 30% in the past year. Surveys show 94% of students want instructors to use Top Hat again, and 85% report feeling more engaged. The university credits removed cost barriers and faculty support for driving rapid expansion of active learning practices.
Student cheating dominates talk of generative AI in higher ed, but universities and tech companies face ethical issues too
Matched: Artificial Intelligence
Debates about AI in higher education focus mainly on student cheating, but broader ethical issues deserve attention. These include tech companies training AI models on copyrighted material, student data privacy under vendor agreements, and unequal access to AI tools. Experts argue responsibility shouldn't fall solely on students — universities should vet AI tools, disclose vendor terms transparently, and update academic integrity policies, while tech companies must address their own ethical violations.
Top Hat Unveils AI-Powered Content Enhancer to Accelerate Title II Accessibility Compliance in Higher Ed
Matched: AI
Top Hat launched Ace Content Enhancer, an AI tool helping college educators meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards required under the DOJ's 2024 Title II ruling, with compliance deadlines starting April 2026. The tool scans course materials, flags issues, generates alt-text, and suggests improvements. Top Hat says thousands of faculty at over 1,500 North American institutions use its platform.
Teachers are key to students’ AI literacy, and need support
Matched: AI
Teachers are struggling to keep pace with rapid AI advancements in classrooms, according to Canadian education researchers. The Canadian Teachers' Federation has urged federal and provincial governments to enact enforceable AI policies protecting student privacy and promoting ethical use. Researchers argue teachers need structured professional development covering AI literacy, ethics, foundational knowledge, and classroom integration strategies. A collaborative effort from policymakers, school boards, and researchers is considered essential.
At one elite college, over 80% of students now use AI – but it’s not all about outsourcing their work
Matched: AI, Artificial Intelligence
A Middlebury College survey of 634 students found over 80% use generative AI for coursework, with most using it to enhance learning rather than cheat. Students most commonly used AI to explain concepts, describing it as an on-demand tutor. While 42% used AI for automation tasks like essay writing, this typically occurred during high-pressure periods or for low-stakes work. Findings were consistent with global data and verified against Anthropic's actual usage logs.
EEP at 1EdTech Learning Impact: Solving the Right Problems
Matched: AI
The Empirical Educator Project (EEP) has joined 1EdTech and is inviting educators, researchers, and EdTech professionals to collaborate at the Learning Impact conference in Indianapolis in early June. An EEP mini-conference on June 2 will feature speakers proposing ideas for high-impact work. EEP will evolve into Learning Impact Labs, a broader initiative for education-focused research and proactive community-driven projects.