Rice University has named its inaugural associate provost for digital learning and strategy. Photo via Rice University/Facebook

Rice University is beefing up its digital education efforts with the hiring of an internationally known expert from Duke University.

Shawn Miller is set to join Rice on November 1 in the newly created position of associate provost for digital learning and strategy. Miller’s hiring culminates a nationwide executive search announced in May 2023 and led by C. Fred Higgs III, vice provost for academic affairs.

Rice explains that Miller “will be the key steward of Rice’s digital strategy — leveraging best practices already in place across the university as well as introducing new approaches and collaborations to be scaled.”

Miller comes to Rice from Duke, a North Carolina school where he most recently has been associate vice provost and chief of staff for learning innovation. Miller previously was Duke’s interim associate vice provost for digital education and innovation. And for six years, he directed Duke Learning Innovation, which he co-designed and launched. He began working for Duke in 2006 as an academic technology consultant.

Shawn Miller is set to join Rice on November 1 in the newly created position of associate provost for digital learning and strategy. Photo courtesy of Rice

Earlier, he led creation of the first learning management system for the University of Texas at El Paso. Miller holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UTEP.

“I’ve spent the better part of my career helping universities transform and change to better serve their students,” Miller says in a Rice news release. “I look forward to leveraging my skills to empower Rice’s community of scholars, researchers, and learners to transform themselves, their communities, and others through education.”

In the news release, Joshua Kim, director of online programs and strategy at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, calls Miller “an internationally recognized leader in the digital learning and online education space.”

“His move to a new leadership role at Rice is a very significant development within our education innovation community,” says Kim.

Miller’s accomplishments at Duke include:

  • Setting up a digital publishing platform for learning
  • Shifting thousands of faculty and students from a legacy learning management system to a new digital system
  • Building a partnership with online education provider Coursera

“Shawn is a national leader in digital innovation and has a deep understanding of digital learning as well as proven experience in building a sustainable, long-term strategy for innovation and developing an integrated approach across the university,” says Amy Dittmar, a Rice provost who is executive vice president for academic affairs.

“I am excited to work with Shawn as he leads Rice to enhance digital education for current students,” Dittmar adds, “and look forward to seeing more professionals in Houston and around the world benefit from a Rice education as a result of his efforts.”

Initiatives spearheaded by Miller and other professionals in digital education have gained traction since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced Rice and other colleges and universities to accelerate their embrace of virtual learning.

“The growing adoption of digital learning technologies continues to push education into uncharted areas,” according to an article published this March in the research journal Sustainability.

“While teachers must rethink what it means to provide a learning experience,” the article goes on to say, “higher education institutions must match their educational technology solutions to students’ demands. Digital learning is far superior to the conventional classroom paradigm in many ways for both teachers and students.”

The value of the global market for digital education is projected to jump from $1.2 billion in 2018 to $77.23 billion by 2028, driven in part by growing interest among colleges and universities in augmented reality (AR).

Ad Placement 300x100
Ad Placement 300x600

CultureMap Emails are Awesome

Houston female-focused health tech pitch competition names top 3 startup founders

A female-focused pitch competition named its top health tech startups for the fifth year running.

Ignite Healthcare Network, a Houston nonprofit founded on the mission of supporting women in health care, hosted its annual Fire Pitch Competition on November 9 at the Ion, crowning the award recipients and doling out cash prizes.

This year, Ignite accelerated 19 female health tech founders through its program that connects entrepreneurs with mentors and industry professionals. The program concludes with a select number of finalists presenting at the Fire Pitch event.

This year, eight finalists presented at the competition for judges and an audience:

  • Suchismita Acharya, CEO of Fort Worth-based AyuVis, an immunotherapy platform that's developing treatments and prevention for inflammatory and infectious diseases, specifically of the lung, kidney, skin, eye, and sepsis.
  • Piyush Modak, co-founder, vice president of research and development of New Jersey-based EndoMedix, a technology platform developing engineered biosurgery devices that address clinical needs. The first device based on this platform is PlexiClotTM Absorbable Hemostat for brain and spinal surgery.
  • Somer Baburek, co-founder and CEO of San Antonio-based HERAbiotech, which is developing a non-surgical, molecular diagnostic test for endometriosis.
  • Melissa Bowley, founder of Flourish Care, a B2B health services platform and network addressing maternal health disparities and improve outcomes. The Boston company works with health systems and insurance companies..
  • Patty Lee, co-founder and CEO of Orbit Health, a Munich-based company that uses AI and sensor technologies to develop digital health solutions for the management of Parkinson's.
  • Tawny Hammett, chief revenue officer of New York-based Paloma Health, a patient-focused technology providing holistic approach to thyroid care all from the comfort of home.
  • Meghan Doyle, CEO and co-founder of Chicago-based Partum Health, a company focused on combining specialty reproductive care, including mental health, lactation, nutrition, physical therapy, birth doula support, and more.
  • Asma Mirza, CEO and co-founder of Houston-based Steradian Technologies, creator of the RUMI, a medical device that's providing diagnostic accessibility.

Ayse McCracken, founder and board chair of Ignite, and her partners presented several prizes and awards, including naming the winners — EndoMedix won first place, Hera Biotech secured second place, and Steradian Technologies was awarded third place.

In addition to naming the three top companies, the following prizes were doled out:

  • Memorial Hermann presented AyuVis with a certificate indicating interest in a potential partnership.
  • Golden Seeds awarded a $1,000 cash prize and three hours of mentoring to Steradian Technologies.
  • Texas Children's Hospital presented Flourish Care with a certificate indicating interest in a potential partnership.
  • Southwest-Midwest National Pediatric Device Innovation Consortium awarded Hera Biotech with $20,000.
  • Houston Methodist awarded each of the three top companies with mentorship from innovation leadership.
  • JLabs presented EndoMedix with a one-year virtual residency.
  • Donna Peters, founder of The Me Suite and mentor for Ignite, presented Hera Biotech with three coaching sessions.

Last year, Joanna Nathan, CEO of Houston-based Prana Thoracic, won the top award for her company. The company went on to raise a $3 million seed round.

Earlier this year, McCracken sat down with InnovationMap to share how she's grown the program over the past five years — and why she's so passionate about what she does.

"Having an impact in the health care industry and finding solutions is important to me," McCracken says on an episode of the Houston Innovators Podcast. "The second aspect of that is there are so many women in health care, and yet you don't see them in leadership roles."

New immersive, live-action gaming venue powers up Houston debut

hi, tech

Houston is leveling up its gaming scene with the debut of a new high-tech immersive experience. Called Activate, the indoor venue combines technology and physical activity in 75-minute gaming sessions, which can be played in teams up to five people.

Simply put, the whole place is like stepping inside a live-action arcade.

Activate's first Houston-area location opened softly November 2 at 20225 Katy Frwy., Katy. Official grand opening is set for November 16-17. It is the high-tech brand's sixth location across the country, and second in Texas (behind one in Plano, which opened in spring 2023).

According to a release, the Katy facility spans 9,600 square feet, with 11 different activity rooms offering more than 500 unique games across all difficulty levels. Games include Megagrid, Hoops, Press, Hide, Laser, Strike, Portals, Control, Grid, and more. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) wristbands track participants’ scores and progress.

"Our mission is to fuse technology, movement, and strategy to create a unique interactive gaming experience," says Activate partner Bryce Anderson in the release. "We want guests to bring their closest friends, family, or co-workers and leave with a feeling of achievement, ready to come back for more."

While gaming activities are mostly adult-focused, children aged 13 and younger can participate with adult supervision.

During Activate's soft opening phase through November 15, 10 percent of sales will be donated to Best Buddies International, a nonprofit that provides mentorships for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. (Check the website for limited hours during soft opening.)

After the grand opening November 16-17, Activate will be open daily, 10 am-10 pm. Gaming sessions (75 minutes) are $24.99 Monday-Thursday, and $29.99 Friday-Sunday. Reservations are encouraged.

Activate has been creating live-action gaming experiences for adults since 2019, and has plans for further expansion, they say.

"As we continue expanding Activate across the United States, we are confident our concept will fill a void for interactive entertainment," says Anderson in the release. "We believe the Houston community will embrace this experience and find it both thrilling and challenging."

More information and reservations can be found on the website.

------

This article originally ran on CultureMap.