Nov 18, 2014 01:55 PM EST By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Researchers at the University of Texas at  Arlington has been chosen to lead a $1.6 million effort  to better understand digital learning's effect on higher education today and in the future, school officials announced.

The Learning Innovation and Networked Knowledge (LINK) Lab has been chosen to coordinate the new Digital Learning Research Network (dLRN), which is funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. As part of the project, Link Lab Executive Director George Siemens will coordinate work between UT Arlington and nine additional institutions, including Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford University, Teachers College Columbia University, the Smithsonian Institution, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and others.

The aim of the grant is to close a gap that has existed between digital learning research and its impact on practice, as well as amplifying the breadth and depth of research being conducted. This effort will benefit universities who are making the transition to digital learning and learners from groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education.

"UT Arlington is a recognized leader in digital learning, and we are committed to fostering robust research as to how technology can be leveraged to help all learners realize their dreams," UT Arlington President Vistasp Karbhari said in a statement. "The Digital Learning Research Network combines those two aims. It puts UT Arlington at the center of a vital global conversation about the future of higher education."

Siemen said the research project will address the barriers to digital learning and articulate the conditions needed for all learners to succeed, better their own lives and participate in the global economy.

Some of the areas to be addressed by research include: competency-based learning; learning analytics; growth of higher education globally; learning at scale and Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCs; personalization and adaptation; and credentialing and accreditation through digital programs.

"Contrary to a popular narrative that higher education is not innovating, there is world-leading activity in teaching, learning and technology happening on campuses across the U.S. Unfortunately, this innovation often doesn't make it outside of research labs. With dLRN, we aim to change this," Siemens said.

The new $1.6 million grant is part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Postsecondary Success Strategy, which aims to dramatically increase the number of young adults who complete postsecondary education.

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