Cialfo’s Post

According to a global survey Cialfo conducted in March 2024, 93% of counselors confirm that Direct Apply has unlocked cost-saving benefits for their students. These savings come through application fee waivers for all UK universities and on the initial application to an Australian university. Additionally, opting into our comprehensive suite of post-application solutions offers further substantial cost efficiencies. This value extends into Direct Apply's broader offering of empowering counselors and their students to apply to thousands of university programs in top study destinations worldwide with one application form. It's not only about saving money but also simplifying processes, ensuring you can focus on what truly matters — guiding students towards their future! Streamline your school's operations and boost your counseling effectiveness with Direct Apply. Book a demo today to see how: https://hubs.li/Q02zclgQ0 #Cialfo #UniversityAdmissions #HighSchoolCounselors #K12Counselors #Counselors #HigherEducation #CollegeApplication #CollegeApplicationsManagment #WorkflowManagement #ChampioningStudents #CreatingSuccessfulCommunities #StudentRecruitment #AI #DirectApply #DirectApplybyCialfo

☎️ Calling all academic advisors and higher Ed professionals! ☎️ Are you aware of institutions utilizing #AI in academic advising and #student services? I’m currently working on a report to showcase innovative practices in this area and would love your input! Please message me with any examples or insights you have on the cutting-edge work happening in higher education. Your contribution could help shape the future of student support systems. #HigherEd #StudentSuccess

Incredibly robust research by Southern New Hampshire University and EdSights on the positive impact of a conversational AI on student engagement, persistence, and academic success. "Following the pilot's success, SNHU decided to expand Penny's reach, launching the AI in February 2023 to about 125,000 undergraduate online learners and 708 advisors. After the expansion, the SNHU team vigilantly monitored outcomes each term. Even after the expansion, student engagement remained high, and within one-year post-expansion, Penny had received a staggering 2.5 million messages! In addition to proactively identifying persistence barriers, Penny was also addressing approximately 10,000 questions each month, covering a diverse array of topics, including academic queries, administrative processes, and general FAQs. With Penny efficiently managing routine tasks, advisors were empowered to shift their focus to more nuanced interactions and "works of the heart," directly addressing the personal challenges encountered by students and flagged by Penny." https://lnkd.in/gGHriFV4

One to listen to! Professor Sally Wheeler, Vice-Chancellor Birkbeck, University of London, Dr Ant Bagshaw, Executive Director Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN Universities) and our own Studiosity CEO Mike Larsen discuss with Professor Rose Luckin on the The Edtech Podcast how (ethical) AI can have a role in supporting diversity, closing the knowledge gap, reducing the digital divide, promote learning gain, help support teaching and learning staff, and if used effectively can create economic efficiencies. Listen in 👇

Call for participation: Pre Service Teachers We are looking for 15 Preservice Teachers who are interested in being interviewed for a project exploring how GenAI is impacting you, as both a Student and a Teacher. As a preservice teacher, you hold a unique perspective—experiencing the impacts of generative AI both as a student in higher education and as an emerging teacher in schools. I invite you to share your thoughts on how GenAI is shaping these two critical spaces in education. > Are you noticing changes in the way you’re expected to work or learn? > How has GenAI influenced your approach to teaching and assessment, and how are these shifts being felt in your coursework or placements? > Are you feeling supported, or has this added new pressures and expectations to your role as both a learner and a teacher? Your voice is essential in understanding the real-world effects of GenAI. You’re not only navigating new technology in your studies, but also preparing to manage its impact in the classroom. This project aims to capture your experiences from both sides of the educational spectrum. If you are a preservice teacher, you are invited to take part in this research. We are looking for diverse perspectives and individual voices. There are two ways to contribute: 1. Complete a short 10-minute survey to share your insights on how GenAI is affecting your dual role as a student and teacher. 2. Volunteer for a follow-up interview to explore these ideas in more depth and help shape the future of teaching and learning in the age of AI. > You can volunteer for the interview by leaving your contact details at the end of the survey. To take the survey and express your interest for an interview go here: https://lnkd.in/g5cwGm2q Your perspective matters—let’s ensure preservice teachers’ voices are heard in shaping the future of education. #GenAIinEducation #FutureOfTeaching #AIandLearning #EdTechSurvey #ShapeFuturePolicies Please share widely!

As admissions in higher education continue to shift amid policy and legal regulations, the perceived enrollment cliff, and the introduction of AI, potential students and their families need easy-to-use resources to better understand the changing landscape of admissions. once place to start is FlowingData's charts and matrix of acceptance rates. It is important to remember that almost 90% of our institutions accept more than 50% of their applicants, with some institutions accepting close to 100%. These institutions are the drivers of many small-town and state economies and offer great economic mobility for their graduates. What do you think of tools like these? Link: https://lnkd.in/guRt-c3p

Professor Rose Luckin: "There's been other similar publications that basically demonstrate that even the people who make these Large Language Models (LLMs) don't really know how they work. And this was one - giving you a very generalised summary here - where by tweaking particular parts of the model, you could produce a result where the answer to questions input by the user, that didn't mention anything about California or the Golden Gate Bridge, would have Anthropic's Claude LLM give out an answer that somehow related to the Golden Gate Bridge. "So for example, a user would ask the Claude LLM what a really good way to spend $20 would be, and Claude would spontaneously respond that it should be used to go across the Golden Gate Bridge, which just shows that the people who are making these models are still exploring how these models work. "And I think that leaves us with a dilemma, and it makes me to come back to a really important point: we have to find ways of helping students to deal with this. I don't think this kind of hiccup can be used as a reason not to get involved, because students are going to need to be able to understand what it might mean that a Large Language Model has behaved like this? What does it mean in terms of how a student uses these models, because they're going to be using them throughout their careers" Our latest episode #280, is all about what are the student expectations for AI in education, particularly in higher education. Sponsored by Studiosity, its mission to increase the life chances of every student in the world, and partnered with universities to support millions of students, with ethical, trusted feedback for success, Rose asks guests Mike Larsen, CEO of Studiosity, Professor Sally Wheeler, Vice-Chancellor at Birkbeck, University of London, and Dr Ant Bagshaw, Executive Director of the Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN Universities), what the ethical implications are at the heart of our AI revolution in teaching and learning. Listen below! #ai #technology #ethics #regulation #students #highereducation #education #he #highered #fe #students #parents #pupils #learners #data #datascience #impact #safety #safeguarding #hallucinations #llms #generativeai #genai #machinelearning #algorithms #risk #digitalstrategy #digitaltransformation https://lnkd.in/de8Nhkxw

Did you know that 4 out of 5 veteran counselors endorse Direct Apply by Cialfo for fostering successful student outcomes? Direct Apply is a technology portal for unified global college application submissions and management. It allows counselors and their students to use a single application form to apply to thousands of university programs in top study destinations worldwide! Counselors particularly praise Direct Apply for maximizing accuracy in college application submissions. This is achieved through a centralized submission process, seamless data transfer, and a technology-aided review of each application. Streamline your school's operations and boost your effectiveness as a counselor with Direct Apply by booking a demo today: https://hubs.li/Q02xJtDp0 #Cialfo #UniversityAdmissions #HighSchoolCounselors #K12Counselors #Counselors #HigherEducation #CollegeApplication #CollegeApplicationsManagement #WorkflowManagement #ChampioningStudents #CreatingSuccessfulCommunities #StudentRecruitment #AI #DirectApply #DirectApplybyCialfo

A good webinar from QS Quacquarelli Symonds on innovative solutions universities are using for international admissions, including: - how universities are flexing their admissions resource to deal with the current landscape - what panellists and participants think about the role of AI in admissions - if you could create international admissions from scratch, what would it look like? https://lnkd.in/eKm3fKC2 #admissions #internationalstudents #universities

AI in Education: Are We Ready for the Paradigm Shift? Delighted to share that my latest article, "AI in Education – Preparing for a Paradigm Shift," has just been published in Independent Schools Magazine. At the RGS Worcester Family of Schools, we’ve been grappling with the profound implications of #AI in education but believe the biggest threat of AI to education is inaction... In this piece, I explore how RGS Worcester is integrating AI into our educational practices to help prepare our students for a technology rich future: 🧠 Fostering AI Literacy: How we are equipping our community with the necessary AI literacy to use AI tools responsibly. 📚 Enhancing Teaching and Learning with AI: Are AI tools genuinely impacting teaching and learning? 🔐 Addressing Ethical Concerns: How do we ensure ethical and transparent AI use in classrooms while protecting privacy? 🌍 Bridging the Digital Divide: How do we ensure equal access to AI technology for all students? 🚀 Preparing for an AI-Driven Future: Are our strategies effectively preparing students for a future dominated by AI? Check out my article on page 36: 🔗https://lnkd.in/eCRTJu85 We may not have all the answers, but we have started to ask questions... #AI #AIclassroom #AIeducation #innovation