I-Light, Merit, and OARnet team up to provide internet access and support online learning, research, and state and local government initiatives to aid communities amid pandemic

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.—Statewide research and education networks (RENs) in the Midwest, including I-Light, Merit, and OARnet, in conjunction with their private sector partners, are collaborating to provide internet connectivity, digital infrastructure, and broadband expertise to support higher education, research, K-12 schools, and state and local governments in coping with the COVID-19 health crisis.

This partnership recognizes that network availability is vital to living, learning, and working amid the coronavirus pandemic. The partnership has been facilitating the large-scale transition to online learning and remote working across Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio and supports rapidly formed, high-intensity, collaborative research at the states’ universities and other sites. [Read the full article on IU | IT News]

Edge, the region’s nonprofit research and education network and technology partner, has announced a partnership with D2L, a global leader in learning technology. Via its EdgeMarket Cooperative Pricing System, Edge has awarded a procurement contract which will give its members the ability to efficiently and affordably engage with D2L’s Learning Management System (LMS) solutions and services.

D2L’s Brightspace LMS is a cloud-based learning platform built by educators, for educators. With Brightspace, users can easily set up individualized learning paths for students, keep them on track with automated nudges, provide personalized feedback, and increase engagement through gamification, social tools, video, and other powerful features. Responsive design also ensures that students and instructors can engage with an attractive, easy to use learning portal no matter the device.

“We’re excited to engage with D2L as the LMS provider of choice for our EdgeMarket participants. D2L has a proven record of mapping to the desires of faculty, students, and instructional designers, and provides intuitive analytics around student data,” said Christopher Markham, Vice President for Information Technology at Edge. “D2L’s innovative place in the market, powerful integrations with third party edtech solutions and intuitive experience for teachers and learners make them an ideal partner for our members.” [Read the full news article on Edge | News & Events]

The latest edition of EdgeDiscovery (Spring/Summer 2020) is now available online. Visit Edge Publications to view this and many other wonderful publication series.

by Louis Fox, CENIC President and CEO

If we have learned anything during this pandemic, it is that access to broadband is now a social determinant of health, education, work, and economic security. Our homes have become our schools, our workplaces, and our clinics via remote education, work, and telehealth.

In 2003, through a grant from the State of California, the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) focused on speeding one-gigabit broadband to all Californians in their schools, colleges, and libraries by 2010. Seventeen years later, many of the 12,000 institutions that connect to CENIC have achieved gigabit status or more. However, there are institutions without this level of broadband access, and for these communities, Californians not only lack broadband access at their schools and libraries, but in their homes and businesses, and in their hospitals and clinics.

CENIC has partnered with schools and libraries throughout California, engaging education, business, and government leaders, and working closely with private sector telecommunications partners to ensure that broadband access is the rising tide that lifts all boats. It is now time to renew and redouble our efforts towards one-gigabit broadband for all Californians at home, as well as at school and work. [Read the full post on CENIC | Blog]