Next-Generation Learning in Higher Education: What Did We Learn from the First Wave of Innovations?

The 29 projects funded through Wave I of the Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) were a major investment in diverse strategies for applying technology to improve course and college completion rates. Some of the projects demonstrated positive effects on student outcomes, while others did not. This variation in effectiveness provides the opportunity to investigate the design and implementation features that mark successful technology innovations. Positive effects were found for projects targeting mathematics courses, projects that involved whole-course redesign, and for implementations on the campus of the grantee institution. Students participating in other Wave I projects had outcomes equivalent to those of students in comparison groups. Implications for the design of future technology initiatives will be discussed.