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<ul><li>With consumer interest at the core of the consortium, the <keyword id="1464841" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="edtech" source="Orion">EdTech</keyword> companies have committed to observe and adhere to a common ‘Code of Conduct.’</li><li>It would establish a Two-tier Grievance Redressal Mechanism to ensure that the positive impact of the industry reaches every deserving consumer while protecting their interests and promoting their rights.</li></ul> Leading EdTech companies under the aegis of <keyword id="128625" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Internet-and-Mobile-Association-of-India" source="Orion">Internet and Mobile Association of India</keyword> (<keyword id="149966" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="IAMAI" source="Orion">IAMAI</keyword>) today announced the formation of the India <keyword id="12934640" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="EdTech-Consortium" source="Orion">EdTech Consortium</keyword> (IEC). Aligned with the Government’s recent advisory, the IEC will ensure that every learner shall have access to quality and affordable education, which not only improves their academic performance but also makes them future-ready. With consumer interest at the core of the consortium, the EdTech companies have committed to observe and adhere to a common ‘Code of Conduct’ and establish a Two-tier Grievance Redressal Mechanism to ensure that the positive impact of the industry reaches every deserving consumer while protecting their interests and promoting their rights. Several EdTech entities have joined the IEC such as such as Byju’s, Careers 360,Classplus, Doubtnut, Great Learning, Harappa, Times Edutech &amp; Events Ltd, Scaler, Simplilearn, Toppr, Unacademy, upGrad, UNext Learning, Vedantu &amp; WhiteHat Jr. The move to set up IEC comes at a time when Indian EdTech players are creating immense value for the global audience. The disruptions led by the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns compelled both parents and educational institutions to implement tech-enabled learning solutions, thereby accelerating the growth of the EdTech sector. Indian EdTech operators have been solving for accessibility and affordability through quality courses from best teachers, instructors and faculty members, to ensure that students across all age groups are benefiting from the innovation in the education sector. This has elevated India’s position on the global map as an education hub. The overall Indian EdTech ecosystem impacts over 500M+ school students, college students and working professionals across India. At this scale, it is critical that the ecosystem follows a framework that will protect the rights of our learners and all EdTech companies are committed to this. Subho Ray, President, Internet and Mobile Association of India, said: “IAMAI and members of the India EdTech Consortium (IEC) are deeply committed to ensuring ethical standards to protect learners on online educational platforms. IEC seeks to empower the learners by not just helping them make informed decisions but by also having their grievances redressed timely. The formation of this self-regulatory body is an important step towards protecting learners as more and more students, teachers and stakeholders are becoming a part of the online education ecosystem.” Commenting on the formation of the IEC, Divya Gokulnath, Co- founder of Byju’s said, “We are completely aligned with the Government's principles on safeguarding consumer interests and welcome the creation of guidelines that help students reach their learning goals in a manner that makes them future ready and conceptually strong. We have always believed that the student should be at the center of the education system and as educators we must do everything possible to create the right set of processes and methods to empower and enhance their learning." Vamsi Krishna, Co-Founder &amp; CEO, Vedantu, said, “The Indian EdTech sector has grown considerably over the last two years with funding and consolidations strengthening the ecosystem. However, while business growth is critical, so is consumer protection since this will allow students and parents to make more informed decisions about the future. Therefore, as part of the newly institutionalized IEC, we will build a sounder and more ethical ecosystem for students so that we can ensure their safety and mitigate any risks they may encounter in their journey to be future-ready.” Mayank Kumar, Co-Founder &amp; MD upGrad and Co-Chairperson, IAMAI EdTech Committee, said, “We are honored to be a part of the IEC at a time when the EdTech sector is accelerating its growth momentum. The last two years have witnessed the rise of online education as a connecting bridge to access flexible and quality education for students as well as working professionals. With the sole purpose of improving the delivery of education services, it is now crucial for us to foster and sustain stakeholder trust by safeguarding their interest as a practice. This initiative will go a long way in strengthening the EdTech sector and establishing India as the Teaching capital of the world.” In the recent past, the education sector has undergone significant transformation and EdTech has supplemented in driving new-age academic excellence. Having created a significant impact by offering quality and affordable education services, EdTech entities have also improved learnability &amp; employability for users to address the evolving needs of the job market. The adaptive learning solutions have ensured that learners are not merely ‘knowledge receivers’ but ‘knowledge creators’ as well. The sector has also created large number of employment opportunities. However, as the sector and end users grow at a fast pace, it is critical to establish a standard code of conduct for all Indian EdTech entities to adhere to and ensure that ‘learners’ remain at the core of all the business practices.

IAMAI establishes India EdTech Consortium to uphold Code of Conduct by  EdTech Platforms

Edtech company <keyword id="1309724" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="simplilearn" source="Orion">Simplilearn</keyword> on Monday announced that it has acquired a US-based bootcamp education company, <keyword id="2970662" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Fullstack-Academy" source="Orion">Fullstack Academy</keyword>, for an all-cash transaction. The company, however, did not disclose the acquisition amount. The acquisition, said the company, will help it drive revenue growth to $200 million by FY24, of which 70 per cent is likely to come from global markets. "Through Fullstack Academy's wide-spread footprint in the US and its strong partnerships with top universities, we are confident that this collaboration will enable us to accelerate our global expansion plans," said Krishna Kumar, Founder and CEO, Simplilearn. This will be the company's second acquisition after Market Motive in 2015. Simplilearn said it has grown by over 60 per cent in the past year. The company, which provides training for professional certification courses, last week raised $45 million in Series E funding round from a consortium led by GSV Ventures. Fullstack Academy has built strong partnerships with 20 university and industry partners, growing to over 7,000 alumni across the US. It also runs the �Grace Hopper Programme' with an aim to encourage women and nonbinary students to pursue tech careers. Fullstack Academy has over 300 employees spread across the US and is on track to deliver over $30 million in revenue this year. "Simplilearn is the world's No. 1 online digital bootcamp. I look forward to leveraging our shared vision with Simplilearn to bridge the digital skills gap in the US market," said Jerrad Tausz, CEO of Fullstack Academy. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/dharmaj-crop-guard-ipo-10-things-to-know-before-subscribing-this-ipo/slidelist/95765888.cms">Dharmaj Crop Guard IPO – 10 things to know before subscribing</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/a-year-after-market-debut-paytm-is-the-worst-performer-among-recent-large-ipos-cartrade-policybazaar-and-lic-join-the-party/articleshow/95762071.cms">A year after market debut, Paytm is the worst performer among recent large IPOs – Cartrade, Policybazaar and LIC join the party</a>

Simplilearn acquires US-based bootcamp education company Fullstack Academy

<ul><li><keyword id="1309724" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="simplilearn" source="Orion">Simplilearn</keyword> offers digital skilling programmes to professionals, enabling learners to upskill. </li><li><keyword id="1390524" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="clal-insurance" source="Orion">Clal Insurance</keyword> and DisruptAD ADQ’s venture platform also participated in this round. </li><li>The startup added more than 120,000 paid B2C learners, and over 100,000 enterprise learners on its platform in the last one year. </li></ul>Indian edtech company Simplilearn raised $45 million from a consortium led by <keyword id="11126929" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="gsv-ventures" source="Orion">GSV Ventures</keyword>, a multi-stage venture capital firm on Wednesday, November 16. In addition to GSV Ventures, Clal Insurance, and DisruptAD, ADQ’s venture platform also participated in this round. “With immense experience investing and working with education firms around the world, it is certain that the demand for knowledge-gain and upskilling is omnipresent. Like many other sectors, technology is disrupting education, and edtech has been a key focus area for us,” <keyword id="15531696" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="deborah-h-quazzo" source="Orion">Deborah H Quazzo</keyword>, managing partner, GSV Ventures said. Simplilearn offers digital skilling programmes for professionals, enabling learners to upskill and get certified in fast-growing digital domains. It has collaborated with global institutions like Caltech CTME, MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, UMass Amherst and the Isenberg School of Management. The startup which was founded in 2010, has added more than 120,000 paid B2C learners, and over 100,000 enterprise learners on its platform in the last one year. This is in addition to over 2 million free learners that it adds to its <keyword id="8039870" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="skillup" source="Orion">SkillUp</keyword> platform every year, the company said in a press release. “We continue to witness the accelerated need for digitally skilled workforce across industries. The Blackstone investment last year came at an ideal time to boost our growth globally, and further strengthen our customer-centric approach. Today, we are excited to partner with GSV Ventures, a globally recognized investor with a strong track record in the education sector. This funding came at a time when the industry is going through turmoil,” <keyword id="104932" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="krishna-kumar" source="Orion">Krishna Kumar</keyword>, founder &amp; CEO of Simplilearn, said. <keyword id="283465" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="avendus" source="Orion">Avendus</keyword> continues to be an exclusive financial advisor to Simplilearn and its shareholders on the transaction. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/elon-musks-weight-loss-mantra-is-not-new-but-heres-how-to-do-it-right/articleshow/95550740.cms">Elon Musk’s weight loss mantra is not new, but here’s how to do it right</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/how-to-add-and-remove-your-whatsapp-account-on-your-second-phone/articleshow/95549492.cms">How to use same WhatsApp account on two smartphones</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/delhis-aqi-improves-to-moderate-category-with-176-aqi-today/articleshow/95549297.cms">Delhi's AQI improves to 'moderate' category with 176 AQI today</a>

Indian edtech firm Simplilearn raises $45 million from GSV Ventures, others

As the government begins to take steps to fix <keyword id="1464841" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="edtech" source="Orion">edtech</keyword> platforms like <keyword id="2900267" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="byju" source="Orion">BYJU</keyword>'s, several parents have shared their plight on social media and professional networking platforms as representatives from online education providers continue to force them to buy courses. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs recently pulled up edtech firms during a meeting with them and self-regulatory organisation India Edtech Consortium (<keyword id="306435" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="iec" source="Orion">IEC</keyword>) amid aggressive misselling of courses to parents. "Hey BYJU'S and <keyword id="8080458" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="whitehat-jr" source="Orion">WhiteHat Jr</keyword>... Trust me I am pushing my daughter to start learning coding, and do IIT JEE preparations with you guys, but she is just not willing to do so. Kids these days don't listen to their parents. She just wants to be an artist. So, please stop calling me to sell these plans/devices," Prashant <keyword id="445" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sharma" source="Orion">Sharma</keyword>, who is into business development and a consultant with a penchant for storytelling, posted on LinkedIn. His post led to a barrage of similar situation being faced by parents all over the country, who are fed by constant aggressive selling of courses by the edtech representatives. <keyword id="14487485" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="srikant-ganesh" source="Orion">Srikant Ganesh</keyword>, Vice President at Dentsu Creative India, posted that he can totally relate to Sharma's experience. "My 9 year old son's into chess, plays the keyboard and is into speed-cubing and has no inclination towards computers / coding as such. I believe BYJU's and WhiteHat's of the world realise that there's more to kids these days than just learning to code and yes! They have a mind of their own and no one can push them into something they are not inclined towards. This false sense of FOMO being created by such brands should stop and so should the calls," Ganesh lamented. After the Centre took serious note of mis-selling of courses to parents by edtech firms, self-regulatory organisation IEC said it is committed to protecting consumer interest and has resolved 100 per cent complaints received till June. However, fresh complaints surfaced on social media platforms this month, indicating that the problem has not been addressed in totality. "This happened to me. The sales representatives of #Byju's need to be trained to handle a 'No'. I have personally experienced this when a representative called my wife and she said that we don't want to enroll. He kept calling and then I had to intervene. He kept insisting that your child had been registered on their site, so how could we say No! He didn't seem to understand and finally I had to explain to him by activating my desi side. I registered my complaint on their site but it was removed the next day," posted Dheeraj Grover, Senior Manager, HR, at VVDN Technologies. Thangarathnavel M., Head of Business Development-South Asia at German company Covestro, said on LinkedIn that he could fully relate to it too. "I had enrolled my son 2 years back but it was not much of any use. Few months back I started receiving calls from them again to enrol my son for the physical classes. But even after saying no, the calls never stopped. Once I gave a piece of my mind to one of the callers and asked him to share the mobile number of Mr. BYJU. Now the calls have stopped coming. Hope they stop this forever," he described his plight. Earlier this month, the Centre warned edtech companies against unfair trade practices. In a meeting with the IEC, Consumer Affairs Secretary, Rohit <keyword id="255172" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="kumar-singh" source="Orion">Kumar Singh</keyword>, said that if self-regulation does not curb unfair trade practices, then stringent guidelines would be formulated for ensuring transparency. The meeting was attended by representatives of the IAMAI, along with IEC member companies including upGrad, BYJU'S, Unacademy, Vedantu, Great Learning, WhiteHat Jr, and Sunstone. During the meeting, issues pertaining to unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements for the Indian edtech sector figured prominently. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sustainability/article/opinion-green-financing-in-india-need-significance-urgency-and-way-forward/articleshow/92948265.cms">OPINION: Green financing in India — Need, significance, urgency, and way forward</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/top-10-airlines-in-the-world/slidelist/92950615.cms">Top 10 Airlines in the world in 2022: Stats and performance explained</a>

My child likes chess not coding, parents fume at edtech marketers on social media

New Delhi, <keyword id="20374452" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="think" source="keywords">Think</keyword> and Learn Private Limited (TLPL), the parent company of Byju's, on Monday announced to raise $200 million by way of a rights issue to all its equity shareholders, in its bid to achieve operational sustainability. The proposed rights issuance aims to fund the ongoing capital expenditure and support general corporate purposes, the company said in a statement. According to reports, the edtech major is going to raise funds at a drastic valuation cut of around $250 million, from its all-time high of $22 billion market valuation in 2022. As the largest shareholders, the founders of BYJU'S have invested more than $1.1 billion in the last 18 months. In a note addressed to shareholders, the founders expressed the challenges the company has faced in recent months and their unflinching belief in the mission of Byju's. "The funds raised will be exclusively utilised to clear immediate liabilities and meet operational requirements, while maintaining the current rights of our valued shareholders," said <keyword id="19901244" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="byju-raveendran" source="keywords">Byju Raveendran</keyword>, Founder of the edtech major. "I am also happy to share that Byju's is now less than a quarter away from achieving operational profitability, reflecting the effectiveness of our strategic initiatives and the resilience of our business model," he added. This rights issue aims to offer all existing shareholders the chance to participate in this proposed capital raise to maintain shareholding without the need to ascribe valuations. Meanwhile, overseas lenders of Byju's $1.2 billion term loans last week said they have filed a petition before the Bengaluru Bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (<keyword id="19901085" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nclt" source="keywords">NCLT</keyword>) to initiate corporate insolvency resolution proceedings against Think &amp; Learn Pvt Ltd. The GLAS Trust Company LLC (as administrative agent and collateral agent of the Term Loans) filed a petition pursuant to Section 7 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy code of India, 2016. "The myriad issues facing Byju's are entirely self-inflicted. For months, we sought to avoid this exact situation, repeatedly attempting to engage constructively with Byju's management and other stakeholders and providing them with multiple paths to reach a mutually agreeable resolution, even including after the Delaware court confirmed the validity of Byju's' defaults," the Ad Hoc Group said in a statement. Byju's had secured $1.2 billion in debt through a term loan facility from a consortium of foreign investors in November 2021. Byju's had said in a statement that the validity of lenders' actions, including acceleration of the term loan, "is pending and under challenge in several proceedings, including before the <keyword id="20336646" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="new-york-supreme-court" source="keywords">New York Supreme Court</keyword>". "Hence, any proceedings by lenders before NCLT are premature and baseless," it added. Byju's said that the timing of the lenders' proceedings coincides with the commencement of a rights issue by the company.

Byju's aims to raise $200 mn via rights issue at drastic valuation cut

New Delhi, Around 20 CEOs of Indian startups have quit their posts this year to date, amid the deepening funding winter and regulatory concerns, a significantly higher number than previous years, the media reported. Data compiled by Fintrackr showed that in the first eight months this year, nearly 20 <keyword id="138263" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="startup" source="Orion">startup</keyword> CEOs have left their position to either join a new firm or continue in the same company in a different role. In January, edtech company upGrad's <keyword id="5645" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="CEO" source="Orion">CEO</keyword> Arjun Mohan quit after a nearly three-year stint. Last month, he joined Byju's to lead its international business. Prashant Jhaveri, chief executive of Flipkart's online pharmacy Flipkart Health+, also left the firm after serving more than a year at the company, reports entrackr. Fintech startup Slash and grocery tech startup Milkbasket are yet to announce their new CEOs. Throttle Aerospace's CEO reportedly stepped down from the company. In March, DailyRounds' CEO Deepu Sebin and FreeCharge's CEO Siddharth Mehta announced their resignation after serving for several years at the helm. In May, all three co-founders including CEO of buy now pay later (BNPL) startup ZestMoney resigned. Some startup founders also quit as CEOs voluntarily or were elevated to a new role. For example, co-working space provider 91Springboard has replaced its CEO Anand Vemuri with Anshu Sarin, the report mentioned. Logistics startup Porter promoted its CEO Pranav Goel to executive vice chairman. Consumer electronic brand boAt, higher education edtech platform DataTrained, and Skincare brand SkinQ also promoted their CEOs to a new role within the company. Some of the startups also saw layoffs. Cuemath laid off 100 employees and re-appointed Manan Khurma as its CEO. Before Khurma, Vivek Sunder served as CEO for nearly two years at the startup. Car servicing startup GoMechanic laid off 70 per cent of its workforce as the co-founder Amit Bhasin acknowledged financial lapses. Following its acquisition by Servizzy, a consortium led by the Lifelong Group, all co-founders including the CEO, have left, said the report.

20 CEOs of these startups have quit this year amid regulatory concerns, funding winter

New Delhi, No contact of coronavirus patients detected with UK strain has tested <keyword id="6439681" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="positive">positive</keyword> in a surveillance drive undertaken by the <keyword id="6354952" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Delhi-Government">Delhi government</keyword>, <keyword id="6354750" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="health">Health</keyword> Minister Satyendar Jain said on Thursday. Jain told IANS that all contacts of Covid-19 patients infected with the mutant strain of novel coronavirus had been tested by the <keyword id="26362" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Government">government</keyword> but none was found infected. "We have tested all contacts of the patients with UK strain infection. Noone has been found infected, apart from those 38 admitted in the LNJP," he said. IANS had reported that the number of persons suspected to be infected with the new strain had risen to 38 in Delhi after three more persons, including returnees from the UK and a contact, were found corona positive during a surveillance drive on Wednesday. All 38 patients are kept in isolation at the Lok Nayak Jaiprakash (LNJP) Hospital. Of them, 17 are UK returnees while remaining are their contacts. "All the patients found infected with the new variant have been isolated in different rooms of a special ward designated for suspected patients or those found infected with the new variant," Dr Suresh Kumar, Medical Director of Delhi government-run hospital had said. Besides, the AAP government has quarantined around 200 people, who either returned from the UK within a month or are in contact with those travellers found positive, at two facilities in Aerocity and Chattarpur. The UT government has found over 14,000 passengers who arrived at the <keyword id="89772" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indira-Gandhi-International-Airport">Indira Gandhi International Airport</keyword> (IGIA) since November 25. Of them, around 4,000 were found to be residing in Delhi. The Delhi government has designated 2,000-bed LNJP as the nodal centre for isolation of persons suspected to carry the new variant of Covid-19. Meanwhile, the Centre said on Thursday that five more cases of mutant coronavirus strain from the UK have been detected in the country, taking the total tally of such cases to 25, based on genome sequencing of positive samples released by the Indian Sars-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) labs. The samples have so far been sequenced in seven of the 10 designated labs across the country, with seven samples testing positive in NIMHANS, Bengaluru; two in CCMB, Hyderabad; five in NIV, Pune; eight in NCDC, Delhi; two in IGIB, Delhi and one in NIBG, Kalyani (West Bengal). SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-tata-steel-vedanta-adani-green-tata-motors-maruti-mm-dhfl-v-mart-indian-bank-and-others/articleshow/80038635.cms">Top stocks to watch — Tata Steel, Vedanta, Adani Green, Tata Motors, Maruti, M&amp;M, DHFL, V-Mart, Indian Bank, and others</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/checkout-the-list-of-upcoming-new-mobiles-in-january-2021-with-expected-price/articleshow/80039794.cms">Upcoming smartphones in India in January 2021</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/ten-of-the-most-outrageous-predictions-for-2021-according-to-saxo-bank/slidelist/80040045.cms">From Amazon buying Cyprus to Germany bailing out France — here are ten of the most ‘outrageous’ predictions for 2021</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/india-edtech-in-charts-how-the-shi[%E2%80%A6]es-of-byjus-unacademy-and-others/articleshow/80040270.cms">India’s edtech in charts – How the shift to online learning meant money, valuation and users for the likes of BYJU’S, Unacademy, and others</a>

No contacts of UK returnees in Delhi with new variant of COVID-19 have tested positive so far

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/UTAustinTX/photos/a.397463076929.177793.245640871929/10153003053261930/?type=3&amp;theater">Facebook/University of Texas at Austin</a>The University of Texas at Austin is the flagship of the higher <keyword id="6355445" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Education">education</keyword> system.</div></div></div>The growing learning relationship management market got a major new player this week as the University of Texas System <a href="http://www.utsystem.edu/news/2016/09/27/ut-system-partners-tech-industry-leader-develop-next-generation-learning-platform" target="_blank">announced</a> it will further develop TEx, its homegrown learning platform, in partnership with business software provider Salesforce.TEx, short for Total Education Experience, last year <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/11/06/competency-based-health-profession-credentials-university-texas-system" target="_blank">launched as a pilot</a> in a competency-based degree program at the system's Rio Grande Valley campus. When TEx 2.0 begins in fall 2017, it will have evolved to a personalized learning platform, a marketplace of courses and programs, and an academic record built on block-chain technology.The system's Institute for Transformational Learning, known as <a href="http://utx.edu/" target="_blank">UTx</a>, is leading the development effort. The system opened the institute in 2012 to serve as its <keyword id="94495" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Innovation">innovation</keyword> arm, exploring new ways to offer education and support to its increasingly diverse student body."These kinds of transformational moments are not going to come from the [billions] of ed-tech funding that's coming from venture capital," said Phil Komarny, chief digital officer at UTx. "These transformations have to happen from the inside."The system has previously described TEx as a "stack" of technologies and services. For the 2.0 version, the system plans to make that concept a reality.TEx is first and foremost a learning platform, Komarny said. It gives faculty members across the system a platform where they can experiment with new models of education, as opposed to having to use systems that may not have been created with competency-based education or other alternative models in mind, he said.For students, the key word is personalization. In a promotional video, the system pitches TEx as technology that lets students progress through programs at their own pace and along pathways they build with input from coaches and faculty members. During the pilot, for example, the platform powered a biomedical sciences program that let students access course materials and assessments on a tablet.Personalization could also apply to administrative features such as course registration. The system has for more than a decade run the UT Online Consortium, a clearinghouse of the online courses and programs offered by its campuses. The system could use TEx to turn the clearinghouse into an online marketplace, Komarny said. Instead of students having to go to the website to look for online programs they find interesting, the platform could learn about students' search habits -- like Amazon or Netflix -- and suggest courses that match their interests.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">NetflixThe program could learn students' interests, like Netflix.</div></div></div>In addition to the biomedical sciences program at the Rio Grande Valley campus, the system is preparing a cybersecurity program from the San Antonio campus to launch on TEx next fall. Other programs are scheduled for 2018, but Komarny declined to list them as details have yet to be worked out.Since the long-term plan for TEx is to feature courses and programs from across the system, developers plan to let students track academic progress using block-chain technology, which stores transactions -- in this case, achievements such as credits and credentials -- in a digital ledger.The system sees uses for the platform outside higher education as well, but will initially focus its attention on the university and the state, Komarny said.Salesforce is working with the university system through <a href="http://www.salesforce.org/" target="_blank">Salesforce.org</a>, its philanthropic arm. The nonprofit organization invests 1 percent of the company's own equity, technology and workforce into education and workforce initiatives.While Salesforce.org has worked with a number of universities to build its Higher Education Data Architecture and markets its traditional customer relationship management products to colleges, Allyson Fryhoff, senior vice president of sales, described its work with the Texas system -- building a learning relationship management system -- as the "next generation of partnerships."TEx 2.0 will be built on Salesforce's platform, and the company's own software engineers will help build the platform, Fryhoff said.College leaders in general aren't sure if Salesforce and other customer relationship management platforms designed for the private sector are the right fit for higher education and managing learning relationships, however. In a recent Eduventures <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/09/12/initiative-fatigue-lack-accountability-preventing-colleges-improving-student" target="_blank">study</a> of more than 200 college leaders, two-thirds of respondents said they may require different technology than what traditional CRM systems provide."We would agree that the vanilla CRM doesn't meet all the needs [of higher education]," Fryhoff said in an interview. "When we think about CRM, normally that stands for customer relationship management. At Salesforce.org, we think of it as constituent relationship management."Gunnar Counselman, whose company, <a href="https://www.fideliseducation.com/" target="_blank">Fidelis</a>, provides learning relationship management software and consulting, said Salesforce's presence in the market will change it, though not necessarily for the better.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/salesforce/photos/pb.5634829153.-2207520000.1461261667./10153930513114154/?type=3&amp;theater">Salesforce.com/Facebook</a>Salesforce employees.</div></div></div>"The reason that we chose not to build our LRM on Salesforce was that Salesforce makes it too easy to build a 'salesy' experience, and our perspective was that if the relationships feel like sales, they won't be developmental," Counselman said in an email.In an LRM, by comparison, the student is brought into the system, where they are able to collaborate with faculty members and advisers toward meeting their own goals, Counselman said. That requires more than technology, including mentoring and other support programs, which can be more challenging to build than software, he added.Motivis Learning, an LRM provider whose software is built on Salesforce's platform, did not respond to a request for comment. The company <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/09/29/college-america-spins-its-custom-made-learning-management-system" target="_blank">spun off</a> from Southern New Hampshire University's College for America two years ago.Counselman said he is still excited to see if the Texas system can deliver on its promises. "This kind of effort is focused on exactly the right things, which is building coherent student experiences that involve relationships, goals, content, credentials and connectivity to the employment market," he said. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/new-research-hands-evolution-fish-fin-rays-genes-2016-9">Scientists discovered something 'shocking' that could rewrite a key part of human evolution</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="s0MjFzNTE6iJnX1xYTFzTNSH8EKFEp4H" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

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