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Alternatives to (Enter System)

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Alternatives to (Enter System)

Everyone loves comparisons. I mean just today, I compared this stale muffin to a fresh muffin and debated ever so briefly, should I eat the stale muffin, because it is blueberry and I love blueberry. In the end, the dogs got it. They love blueberry too.

Well over a month ago, on LinkedIn, I started a weekly series where I would select one learning system and compare it to a few other learning systems. The interest on this series has been quite high, and thus, I felt, let’s expand it into a whole post, with updates from the original (you can always update from those on LinkedIn), and newbies as well.

Alternatives mean

I kicked off this series because I was tired of seeing all of these sites “best of” “top X” “read me rankings” where they compare a learning system to others, and list it as “alternatives” or some other nomenclature. What most people do not realize is that:

  • Overwhelmingly the people behind these sites are not experts in the learning system space, nor have any extensive knowledge of L&D, Training, etc.
  • Many are affiliated marketing links – this is where a vendor sets up an affiliate program, and folks who are affiliates make money, when you click the link on their site to go to the vendor’s site. This is more common than you think in the industry. Not every vendor does it though, and you will eventually figure out who does it a lot, by checking out the sites.

As a result of the above two factors, I felt that an expert in the space should present an “alternative” to list for some systems, so that folks have options. While some of the systems can be found in Findanlms, for you to do a more thorough comparison, there are plenty on my lists that are not.

This “Alternatives” does not mean you ditch your system or that I dislike a system, no, not at all. Rather it is saying, “if you are looking at this system, you may want to consider these..”.

How I made the selections

A couple were based on readers asking me to do so, others were simply based on requests from folks who contact me, or that I know certain vendor X competes a lot against Vendor Y, and so forth.

I never listen to vendors who tell me, “oh we compete against so and so, because we get a lot of their customers.” – That does not mean you are a competitor. There are always factors involved here, budget, feature sets, support are just a few.

With my altertantives, when I can, I will add pricing ranges – which means the following – “based on multiple user range bases (data that I have collected), this vendor overall charges lower or higher than the system of said comparison.

Remember

  1. Always conduct due diligence here
  2. When comparing, compare accordingly – in other words don’t compare a talent development platform with a talent management system, two different systems
  3. This is just from my perspective. Not Mike’s down the street. Not Analyst World America Elephants. Not your dog, although I would be interested in that. Just me based on my knowledge of the industry, markets, and so forth.

I will note that some folks who follow me on LinkedIn, will see a few and be like “repeat”, and yes, yes you are correct. But I have added some twists here, uh, well, you will see.

Lastly, the list is in no particular order, so under the “Alternative to System Name” you will see a bullet list, in no particular order. I thought about alpha, but I’m too lazy.

Each vendor will have Five to consider.

Alternatives to Docebo

  • Learn Amp – Very strong system, with lots to like, metrics vastly superior (Product Review later this week – i.e. March 18th – Think Post St.Patty’s). Employees
  • SAP Litmos – Similar in many ways. Marketplace options not as many as Docebo, but on the flip side, stronger skills development capabilities, video skills validation component, and better Admin UI/UX. Employees and Customer education competitor.
  • Absorb LMS – Another similar to Docebo, metrics and administration a slight edge over Docebo. Overall though, a worthy consideration. Employees and Customer education competitor.
  • Fuse – With a new feature set soon to be released, I think some folks are going to start paying a bit more attention on Fuse. The system taps a lot into a community angle, so a true-true UI/UX to Docebo isn’t fair. For e-commerce, Docebo has the edge – Fuse, lacks it, but when it comes to Admin, Fuse clobbers them. If you are someone who is a big fan of metrics, Fuse will impress. Employees.
  • Thought Industries – If you are eyeing Docebo for B2B/B2C, customer education, partner training, associations – then TI is the one to compare. They also have a video skills validation and digital coaching component too.

Alternatives to EdCast XP (Enterprise version to large enterprise)

  • Degreed – But only if you are planning on using Degreed as a talent development platform, which means you are also planning on buying “Opportunity” – I recommend you do. If you though think they are very similar to one another, they are and they are not. Edcast offers e-commerce, Degreed does not. EdCast can go very extensive config (pricey but doable), Degreed does configuration, but not to that level.
  • Cornerstone Learning + Develop + Content Anytime – You want the three pack here. Develop full launch is this summer, content anytime is Cornerstone’s marketplace.
  • Fuse – Yes, patterns will start to appear here. Fuse doesn’t have the level of marketplace, EdCast does, but they still have enough of a system to be in consideration.
  • CrossKnowledge Learning Suite – You want the whole thing to match to EdCast XP.
  • Thought Industries – Hello again! Once again if you are eyeing EdCast for customer education, b2b/b2c, association – worthy competitor with an asterisk. TI does not yet have a content marketplace, which you can say, okay well, they are not an alternative, well add Open Sesame to your TI platform, which is a content aggregator, and whalla they have content.

Alternative to Workday Learning

In order to use Workday Learning, you have to have Workday. However, there is an exception if you wish to offer WL to your customers, partners and so forth. In that case, you still have to have Workday, but they do not. Rather, after you purchase the “extended enterprise” add-on for Workday Learning, your customers can now access uh, WL.

Workday like SAP and Oracle would prefer you stay with their system for a smoother configuration or whatever nonsense they like to espouse. If you have the right learning system with a track record of success with one of the three, then you will be fine.

If you are using WL for your extended enterprise (aka b2b/b2c or customer education), uh, why? No seriously, why? My alternative list here is split, three for employees only, two for customers only.

  • EdCast XP – For employees here. Yes, you can slot them for customer education too, but I think the employee is a better angle here.
  • Cornerstone Learning + Develop + Content Anytime – Legit competitor. Employees
  • SkillJar – Total customer education angle here. Although nearly 50% of their audience, are employee. But, I see customer education as a more suitable alternative. Thought industries – fits here too, look at the end of the day, if you think customer education, the system that currently sits #1 in the market is Thought Industries.
  • Schoox – Employees 100% here.
  • Degreed – Employees 100% here.

Alternatives to SAP Litmos

Whenever I think SAP Litmos, three vendors come into mind, as legit competitors, but because of the strangeness that continues with SAP, in a way there is a fourth, SAP SF Learning. This is due to SAP Litmos being within the SF department (they are still two separate systems), but now SAP salespeople will sell Litmos depending on the client’s needs. For whatever reason, SAP has in the past pointed large enterprise customers to SFL rather than Litmos, even though SAP Litmos can handle them as well. I will exclude SAP SFL here, because, well, you can read the former.

  • Docebo – One of the “three that match well with each other”
  • Absorb LMS – Two of the three that match well.
  • SkillJar – Another similar system, and they are nearly 50-50 customers/employees, which again aligns into playing in both segments.
  • Raven360 – Not that known in the wide side of the industry which is a shame. They can play strong in customer education/partner training and equally with employees. If there was a vendor would go jump into the “usual bucket of suspects err vendors like” – here they are. Your welcome.
  • D2L- The corporate version. UI and UX goes to Litmos, features and functionality goes to D2L, which continues to improve. Both offer a video skills assessment component, but D2L adds to that with scenario based video learning too. D2L offers multi-tenant and e-commerce, just as SAP Litmos.

Alternatives to Degreed

Degreed is a talent development platform, which I define as (READ). You want the opportunities add-on when you purchase Degreed. The systems below are all Talent Development Platforms OR have the components to become one with an add-on that they sell.

  • EdCast – This is EdCast XP with their career mapping add-on and Domo add-on. =
  • Juno Journey – Wow. I really enjoyed this system, and I could see a learner having fun on it – I know learning and fun? The content market matches well against Degreed, and I mean very well. Degreed is IMO the top TDP, but after seeing Juno Journey (Enterprise version), they need to be in that same discussion (Product Review coming in April 2021).
  • Cornerstone Learning + Develop + Content Anytime + Careers – You need the whole package here to turn this into a TDP.
  • Schoox – Legit competitor. Very slick system. I enjoyed testing out the system, and found it to be a top tier TDP.
  • SumTotal Learning Management + Performance + Succession – To match the TDP requirements. Percipio wouldn’t hurt, but there is more than enough of Percipio like in STLM, you can hold your money and just go with the STLM+P+S

Alternatives to Talent LMS

Remember when I said there were certain vendors who use “affiliate marketing” quite a bit? Well, let’s see some alternatives to Talent LMS. I based this on the feature sets, UI/UX, and price – since many vendors in the industry know that Talent LMS is at a lower cost than say you buying SAP Litmos with the same seat requirements.

Talent LMS will be launching a major update this year. These listings are based on current version of the system you see as of 3-15-21.

  • Knowledge Anywhere – I like this system, it can do quite a bit, including e-commerce, and while its UI/UX may not match Talent LMS, feature wise it matches and beats it.
  • MATRIX – UI/UX is better on the MATRIX side, features are similar, although MATRIX might have a slight lead.
  • The Brainier – Lots of functionality and capabilities. UI/UX is on Talent LMS side.
  • SmarterU – Legit competitor.
  • eLearning Brothers – They are not there yet, but if you are willing to ride the wave, then this Rockstar (uh it is is the name of the platform) will eventually match and likely surpass Talent LMS. They are really brand new.

Talent LMS vs Docebo LMS

On many of these sites, Talent shows up as an alternative to Docebo. Here is my take:

Honestly, Docebo is a far better system, but I see so many of these alternative sites compare them to Talent LMS, that after I stop laughing, I start to ponder. Okay, not really.

Price wise, Talent LMS is likely going to come in far lower than Docebo, especially once you pass 5,000 users. So the affordable angle can be tossed aside. And did I mention, Docebo is a better system?

Docebo has more feature sets, capabilities, and okay, like nearly everything compared to Talent LMS. And Talent LMS is a solid system, but it is not at the level of Docebo. Maybe SkyPrep. Okay, SkyPrep.

Alternatives to any system I have thought of

Random Lists, from one to three alternatives, and no, there is no reason on why only one is listed versus three.

Alternative to SAP SuccessFactors Learning

  • SAP Litmos – HA!
  • Cornerstone Learning + Content Anytime
  • EdCast XP

Best alternative to Totara Learn and Totara Engage

  • Learning Pool – They have their own system, so no more Totara Partner thing , buy LP and Add Stream LXP (owned by Learning Pool) – Now you have a legit threat to Totara Learn and Engage

Alternative to Brainshark (Brainshark is a Sales Enablement Platform)

  • Spoke – They are getting ready to bring out a new version with Hub360 (their SEP) and a digital coaching feature set too.

Alternative to Crowd Wisdom

After my latest viewing of Crowd Wisdom, I see that it has a lot of potential, especially if they can grab an audience that goes beyond just the folks using the association management platform by Community Brands. Crowd Wisdom is the key player in the association market, one that is gaining a lot of interest from vendors across the board. That said, here are two today that truly worthy alternatives

  • CourseStage – CEO is a Packers fan, but besides that, this is a very good system for the association market
  • D2L – My #1 association learning system for 2021, a lot to like for associations, trade too (most folks only know of professional)

Alternatives to LinkedIn Learning

Who says we have to stick with learning systems. Sure LL is one, but they are also a content provider to other learning system vendors (i.e. vendor has LL in their content marketplace)

Here are three alternatives who do the same thing (i.e. access direct on their system, and offers themselves or their library to other vendors)

  • GO1 – Nearly half of their audience accesses the platform directly, that’s too high IMO, as this is a legit content aggregator and its strength frankly
  • Biz Library – They have an LMS, and are building a skills platform to launch sometime in 2021, they also have content – their own and a few other providers
  • Skillsoft – I debated with them honestly. I mean yes you can buy Percipio and yes you can buy Skillsoft content and get Percipio, but if you go to the marketplace of a vendor and see Skillsoft, is it really Percipio? You be the judge.

Bottom Line

In the eighties, us Gen Xers knew we were onto something. It wasn’t Dad’s rock, nor the seventies easy listening rock, it was what we called New Wave. That wave today is referred to as alternative rock.

Well each of my alternatives listed above, are legit alternatives to the system they are compared to. Not because of affiliate marketing, nor web clicks.

Rather on concrete information.

And analysis.

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Bonus Post this Thursday – Learn Amp Product Review

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Alison acquires Indian edutech company Dash Beyond

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onlinefreecourse
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Alison acquires Indian edutech company Dash Beyond

Alison is delighted to announce the acquisition of Dash Beyond, an Indian edutech company that aids job-seekers in achieving their desired career by helping them make informed education and career decisions.

Through its interactive career encyclopedia, Dash Beyond uses educational cinema and gamified career exploration to help individuals make better choices about their future education and careers. Once users have chosen a career they wish to pursue, the “Dash Beyond Maps” feature recommends to users which school subjects, online courses and skills they should prioritise to achieve their desired career. Dash Beyond also showcases available career opportunities.

The Dash Beyond career encyclopedia can be explored through three unique interfaces: one each for schools, parents and students or those re-entering the job market.

Both Alison and Dash Beyond are excited by the acquisition, as the two companies share a vision and a means of achieving it. Like Alison, Dash Beyond is free to use, with revenue being generated through advertising and premium services.

The intended plan for the merger is to utilise Dash Beyond’s career encyclopedia as a tool for recommending courses to Learners who are pursuing a particular career. As such, the acquisition greatly enhances Alison’s capacity to help Learners identify the courses they need to succeed on their chosen career paths.

 

“By leveraging Dash Beyond’s expertise in gamified learning, career information and research, Alison can offer even more to our millions of learners worldwide,” says Mike Feerick, Alison CEO and Founder. “Combined with our free learning, publishing, and career-focused psychometric offerings for both B2C and B2B, Dash Beyond will help Alison to achieve our ambition of building the world’s leading end to end empowerment platform, accessible to anyone, anywhere, at any time, for free in any language”

Aakaanksh Pothukutchi, Dash Beyond’s CEO, is also inspired by the development. “Because we share in Alison’s mission to make free education accessible to everyone, regardless of their economic background and educational level, the decision to become part of a platform that reaches more than 19 million people across the globe, came easy. We are delighted to join Alison, and to have this unique opportunity to use gamified learning, psychometrics, skills-based assessments and job matching algorithms to enable anyone, anywhere to uplift and empower themselves by pursuing their education and career dreams.”

Should the Government Provide a Guaranteed Income for Families With Children?

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onlinefreecourse
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Should the Government Provide a Guaranteed Income for Families With Children?

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.

According to the government definition of poverty, about 10 million children in the United States fall under this category. Does that surprise you? How does knowing this make you feel?

A child benefit plan in President Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill could soon lift many children out of poverty. In the Morning Newsletter, David Leonhardt explains:

Most families will receive $3,600 a year (paid monthly) for each child age 5 or younger, and $3,000 a year per older child. Other provisions in the bill will further lift income for poor families. The benefits phase out for many households making six-figure incomes. …

Over all, the legislation will reduce the child poverty rate this year to about 6 percent from about 14 percent, according to projections by the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia. The biggest declines will be for Black and Hispanic children.

What is your reaction to this part of the president’s economic stimulus plan? Do you think the government should give money to families with children? Do you have any concerns about the plan?

In “In the Stimulus Bill, a Policy Revolution in Aid for Children” Jason DeParle further explains the idea of a child benefit:

A year ago, Anique Houpe, a single mother in suburban Atlanta, was working as a letter carrier, running a side business catering picnics and settling into a rent-to-own home in Stone Mountain, Ga., where she thought her boys would flourish in class and excel on the football field.

Then the pandemic closed the schools, the boys’ grades collapsed with distance learning, and she quit work to stay home in hopes of breaking their fall. Expecting unemployment aid that never came, she lost her utilities, ran short of food and was recovering from an immobilizing bout of Covid when a knock brought marshals with eviction papers.

Depending on when the snapshot is dated, Ms. Houpe might appear as a striving emblem of upward mobility or a mother on the verge of homelessness. But in either guise, she is among the people Democrats seek to help with a mold-breaking plan, on the verge of congressional passage, to provide most parents a monthly check of up to $300 per child.

Obscured by other parts of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package, which won Senate approval on Saturday, the child benefit has the makings of a policy revolution. Though framed in technocratic terms as an expansion of an existing tax credit, it is essentially a guaranteed income for families with children, akin to children’s allowances that are common in other rich countries.

The plan establishes the benefit for a single year. But if it becomes permanent, as Democrats intend, it will greatly enlarge the safety net for the poor and the middle class at a time when the volatile modern economy often leaves families moving between those groups. More than 93 percent of children — 69 million — would receive benefits under the plan, at a one-year cost of more than $100 billion.

Mr. DeParle writes that there has been relatively little objection to the bill:

By the standards of previous aid debates, opposition has been surprisingly muted. While the bill has not won any Republican votes, critics have largely focused on other elements of the rescue package. Some conservatives have called the child benefit “welfare” and warned that it would bust budgets and weaken incentives to work or marry. But Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, has proposed a child benefit that is even larger, though it would be financed through other safety net cuts.

While the proposal took center stage in response to the pandemic, supporters have spent decades developing the case for a children’s income guarantee. Their arguments gained traction as science established the long-term consequences of deprivation in children’s early years, and as rising inequality undercut the idea that everyone had a fair shot at a better life.

The economic shock and racial protests of the past year brought new momentum to a plan whose reach, while broad, would especially help Black and Latino families, who are crucial to the Democrats’ coalition.

Mr. Biden’s embrace of the subsidies is a leftward shift for a Democratic Party that made deep cuts in cash aid in the 1990s under the theme of “ending welfare.” As a senator, Mr. Biden supported the 1996 welfare restrictions, and as recently as August his campaign was noncommittal about the child benefit.

The president now promotes projections that the monthly checks — up to $300 for young children and $250 for those over 5 — would cut child poverty by 45 percent, and by more than 50 percent among Black families.

Students, read the entire article or listen to the first 19 minutes of this episode of “The Daily” podcast, then tell us:

  • The article follows the story and experiences of Anique Houpe, a single mother in Georgia. How did you feel reading her words and hearing her perspective? Did you relate to her story? Did it remind you of family members or of people in your community?

  • What is your reaction to the proposed temporary expansion of the child tax credit? Do you think this plan should continue after the coronavirus pandemic ends? In other words, do you think the government should provide a guaranteed income for families with children? Why or why not?

  • While there is generally little opposition to the child tax credit, some critics say it could reduce the incentive for people to work or get married. Do you agree? What other downsides should we consider? Do you think the drawbacks of this plan outweigh its potential to lift children out of poverty?

  • Mr. DeParle writes, “The campaign for child benefits is at least a half-century old and rests on a twofold idea: Children are expensive, and society shares an interest in seeing them thrive.” Do you agree with this idea? How might addressing childhood poverty benefit a society? What else do you think your local and national government could be doing to end poverty?

  • While several other wealthy countries subsidize child rearing for much of their populations, policy in the United States has been “more likely to reflect a faith that opportunity was abundant and a belief that aid sapped initiative,” Mr. DeParle writes. Which approach do you think is more effective? To what extent does the government have a responsibility to support families with children?

  • Seeing a gap in government support during the pandemic, mutual aid groups have formed in some communities to provide things like food, clothing, Wi-Fi access for students and help with getting Covid-19 vaccines. How have you or people in your community banded together to support one another, before and during the pandemic? Do you think communities should rely on neighborhood volunteers during times of need? Or should the government be doing more to support families?

About Student Opinion

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Students 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Lesson of the Day: ‘2 Days, 10 Dogs, 150 Miles in the Wilderness: This Is the Iditarod for Teens’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘2 Days, 10 Dogs, 150 Miles in the Wilderness: This Is the Iditarod for Teens’

Option 1: Share your experiences.

Choose one or more of the following writing prompts:

  • When have you faced a difficult journey or challenge, physical or mental? Write about the experience: What made it challenging? What obstacles did you need to overcome? Did you ever feel like giving up? How did you feel afterward? Would you say you were successful? What lessons about yourself, or the world, did you learn from your experiences?

  • Anna Coke said of competing in the junior race: “Nothing in the entire world can beat being out alone with your dogs, with your team. It brings you a lot of peace. And they push you to become a better person through that. They’re relying on you and you’re relying on them. It’s a really, really beautiful picture of teamwork and endurance and hard work.” How does her statement resonate with your experiences? Does anything both give you peace and push you to be a better person? What teaches you and tests your skills, your teamwork and your perseverance?

  • What does the story of these 10 teenagers navigating and enduring a grueling and often dangerous race say about what young people can do, with the right training and preparation? Does reading the article inspire you to push and challenge yourself more? Would you ever want to compete in a difficult endurance contest like the Iditarod, or, say, a triathlon or a marathon? The article says that for some participants in the Junior Iditarod, the event would be the first time they spent a night away from their parents. Do you think young people need to have more opportunities to develop and test their independence and resourcefulness?

  • If you are inspired, set a new goal or challenge for yourself. It can be physical, intellectual or social, but reaching it should both push you and make a difference in your life. So think creatively and big! Keep in mind the example of Anna, who at 10 said to herself, “I’m going to pray every night that I would become a musher.” What is something you have always dreamed of or wanted to do? What kind of preparation will be required? What kinds of obstacles do you anticipate? How can you enlist others to help you on your journey? What lessons from the journey of teenagers like Anna, Morgan Martens and Ellen Redington can be applied to reaching your goal?

Option 2: Learn about how climate change is affecting the Iditarod race and other sports.

In the 2019 article “The Mush in the Iditarod May Soon Be Melted Snow,” John Branch wrote that climate change was forcing cancellations of, and changes in, sled dog races in Alaska and Canada, including the most famous of them all:

What used to be a given in Alaska — enough snow and ice to run the Iditarod and a slew of other sled dog races without much worry — is now fraught with perennial uncertainty.

The cosmic question is how long races like the Iditarod in places like Alaska can keep finding long, continuous threads of snow and ice in a region warming more quickly than most places on the planet.

Several races were altered, shortened or canceled this season. Every year, including this one, adjustments are made to counter problems attributed to warming. Twice in the past five years, the Iditarod moved the start to Fairbanks, 350 miles north.

People now wonder aloud whether the Iditarod will have to climb the latitudinal ladder permanently to escape, or even if its long-term future is in peril.

“In the grand scheme, it’s a very big deal,” said Jeff King, who this year is competing in his 29th Iditarod, beginning Sunday, and has won four times. “What we don’t know is how much, and how fast, climate change will result in those things.”

Are you surprised to learn that climate change is affecting sports events like the Iditarod? Global warming is not only melting the snow and ice necessary for dog sled runs, but it is also affecting sporting events across the globe, from tennis and soccer to speedskating and skiing.

Research one aspect of the effects of climate change on sports: What are the short- and long-term effects? How are sports leagues adapting to these environmental changes? What can be done to mitigate the damages?

To begin, you might research a sport that interests you, or read any of these articles:

After your research, consider how you might share what you learned: How can you best explain the information to others? You might create a poster, an infographic or a public service announcement, like this one, using images, video, text, statistics and music.

Drawing a Crowd

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Drawing a Crowd

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.

One year ago, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. Unimaginable loss, distress and disruption followed. But hope now lies on the horizon.

A successful vaccine rollout is unfurling. The largest school districts in the country are welcoming students back into classrooms. More and more states are loosening restrictions — even allowing sports, concerts and other live performances to resume imminently.

How badly have you missed events with crowds, however big or small? Are you optimistic for a return to normalcy by summer? Do you have tentative plans to attend any shows or events, be it a music festival, comedy show; watching a beloved sports team, attending a county fair or hosting a party?

Tell us in the comments, then read the related article to learn more about the longing for a return to live entertainment.

Word of the Day: ilk

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Word of the Day: ilk

: a kind, sort or type

_________

The word ilk has appeared in 49 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Nov. 18 in the Editorial “Save America’s Restaurants”:

The House already has passed a bill that serves the purpose. The RESTAURANTS Act — it is an acronym, but we won’t bore you with the full name — would provide up to $120 billion in grants to independent restaurants, small restaurant chains (with fewer than 20 locations) and catering firms. The aid would cover the difference between last year’s revenues and this year’s revenues, and could be used to cover most expenses, including payroll.

A pending Senate version, which has bipartisan backing, would provide aid to big chains, too. McDonald’s and its ilk don’t need the money, but it’s easy to imagine a deal.

Can you correctly use the word ilk in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.

If you want a better idea of how ilk can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.

If you enjoy this daily challenge, try using multiple Words of the Day in a 50-word story that you submit to our Monthly Vocabulary Challenge.

Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.

The Word of the Day has been provided by Vocabulary.com. Learn more and see usage examples across a range of subjects in the Vocabulary.com Dictionary. See every Word of the Day in this column.

Should There Be More Public Restrooms?

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Should There Be More Public Restrooms?

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1.

Unlike many other countries, the United States does not have a robust network of public restrooms. Do you think that it should? Why or why not?

What problems arise when toilets are not widely accessible? Which groups of people are most negatively affected? Do you think that a lack of public restrooms compromises human dignity?

What should we do to expand restroom access, if anything?

In “America Is Not Made for People Who Pee,” Nicholas Kristof writes about the lack of public toilets in the United States:

Sure, we need investments to rebuild bridges, highways and, yes, electrical grids, but perhaps America’s most disgraceful infrastructure failing is its lack of public toilets.

Greeks and Romans had public toilets more than 2,000 years ago, with people sitting on benches with holes to do their business. There were no partitions, and Romans wiped with sponges on sticks that were dipped in water and shared by all users.

I’m not endorsing that arrangement, but at least the ancient Romans operated large numbers of public latrines, which is more than can be said of the United States today.

Mr. Kristof discusses how people and the cities where they live are affected:

Japan manages what may be the world’s most civilized public toilets — ubiquitous, clean and reliably equipped with paper — and almost every industrialized country is more bladder-friendly than America. Even poorer countries like China and India manage networks of public latrines. But the United States is simply not made for people who pee.

“I go between cars or in bushes,” Max McEntire, 58, who has been homeless about 10 years, told me as he stood outside the tent where he lives here. “Sometimes at my age, if your body says pee, you’ve got to pee. If your body says poop, you can’t wait.”

Most stores and businesses are of little help, he said, because they often insist on a purchase to use the restroom — and that’s even before a pandemic closed many shops.

“At night you’ll see men and women pulling their pants down and peeing and pooping in the gutter,” McEntire said. “People lose their dignity, they lose their pride.”

Cities also lose their livability, and open defecation becomes a threat to public health. Americans have painstakingly built new norms about dog owners picking up after their pets, but we’ve gone backward with human waste.

Meanwhile, it’s not just the homeless who suffer. Taxi drivers, delivery people, tourists and others are out and about all day, navigating a landscape that seems oblivious to the most basic of needs. The same is true of parents out with kids.

Mr. Kristof also considers how class distinctions contributed to the disappearance of public toilets over time:

In the 19th century, the United States did set up public toilets in many cities. They were often called public urinals, abbreviated as P.U. (this may be part of the origin of “P.U.” to mean something that stinks, although there are competing theories). In the early 20th century, these were supplemented by “comfort stations” for men and women alike, but most closed in waves of cost-cutting over the years.

That’s partly because this is a class issue. Power brokers who decide on infrastructure priorities can find a restaurant to duck into, while that is less true of a Black teenage boy and utterly untrue of an unwashed homeless person with a shopping cart.

Students, read the entire article and then tell us:

  • Should there be more public restrooms? Do you think it should be a government priority to ensure that all people can pee with dignity?

  • Have you ever struggled to find a toilet when you needed one? What did you do? How much time or money did your solution cost? Was there any risk involved?

  • Why do you think there are currently few public toilets in the United States, especially compared with other countries? If you do not live in the United States, are there public restrooms where you live?

  • Do you agree with Mr. Kristof that the dearth of public toilets is a class issue? Who is most negatively affected by a lack of access to restrooms? Do you think that high penalties for public urination or defecation are inequitable — or do you think they are necessary?

  • At the end of the article, Mr. Kristof suggests several ways to expand restroom access:

The White House can work with cities to experiment with various approaches to expand restroom access. We can work with corporate sponsors. We can use advertising to help underwrite the expense. We can give tax breaks to businesses that make restrooms open to all. There are models all over the world, such as India turning old buses into clean public toilets.

Which of these suggestions do you find most promising? What other ideas do you have?

About Student Opinion

• Find all of our Student Opinion questions in this column.
• Have an idea for a Student Opinion question? Tell us about it.
• Learn more about how to use our free daily writing prompts for remote learning.

Students 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Lesson of the Day: ‘Tasmanian Tigers Are Extinct. Why Do People Keep Seeing Them?’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘Tasmanian Tigers Are Extinct. Why Do People Keep Seeing Them?’

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.

Featured Article: “Tasmanian Tigers Are Extinct. Why Do People Keep Seeing Them?”

The Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, is an extinct marsupial predator that was last seen in 1923. However, in February, Neil Waters, president of the Thylacine Awareness Group of Australia, claimed he had definitive photographic evidence of a surviving thylacine. Experts quickly debunked his photos, but the question of how and why Mr. Waters, and others, believe they see things that are not what they perceive, is something that psychologists and scientists have studied.

In this lesson, you will learn about one of the quirks of the human mind that influences how we process information that is familiar, but difficult to perceive. Then you will set up an experiment to test cognitive bias in your classroom.

Does your mind ever “play tricks” on you? Have you ever looked at something and thought you knew exactly what it was, only to find out you were mistaken? Or heard a sound and thought it was an animal or a person, only to realize it was your radiator?

To see one way the mind can play tricks, try to figure out this quick puzzle. You will be asked to identify a rule that some sequences of three numbers obey — and some do not — and then guess what the rule is. Next, read the first two sections of the answer to learn more.

As you read the featured article, see if you can apply the theory from the puzzle to the themes explored in the article.

Read the article, then answer the following questions:

1. How does Neil Waters’s photographic “discovery” fit into a long history of false photographic and video evidence of lost or unknown species?

2. In what ways can the prevalence of smartphones with cameras help scientists? Have you ever taken a photo of an animal and uploaded it to a citizen science database, like Celebrate Urban Birds or FrogWatch USA?

3. How does Susan Wardle, a neuroscientist, explain why people believe they have seen something that was not there, or not as they perceived it?

4. What factors contributed to the decline, and eventual extinction, of thylacine?

5. What does Darren Naish, a paleozoologist, mean when he says that sightings of thylacine were “a social phenomenon, not a zoological one”?

6. The article talks about “confirmation bias.” How would you explain this psychological phenomenon using examples from the article? What are other examples of confirmation bias that you have experienced or observed?

7. What is your reaction to Neil Waters’s insistence that Tasmanian tigers still exist? Mr. Waters has had multiple photographs debunked by experts, but he says that the rejection gives him “more fire in my belly to prove them wrong.” What would you want to ask Mr. Waters about his quest to discover thylacine? Would you encourage him to keep searching, or tell him to give up? Why?

To learn more about how your mind plays tricks on you, watch this six minute video on cognitive bias, created by BBC Ideas.

After watching the video, answer these questions:

  • In your own words, explain self-serving bias, fundamental attribution error, confirmation bias and G.I. Joe Fallacy.

  • The video gives an example for each of the four cognitive biases. Can you come up with your own example for at least two of them?

  • Finally, set up an experiment to test one of the biases with your classmates. Use this template to set up your experiment either in person or virtually. You could create a survey or set up a logical puzzle, like in the warm-up activity or in the video.

    Then come up with a hypothesis and establish the materials, the setup and the procedure you will use. You can then share your results with your classmates or in the comments section of this lesson.

About Lesson of the Day

• Find all our Lessons of the Day in this column.
• Teachers, watch our on-demand webinar to learn how to use this feature in your classroom.

Word of the Day: acquiesce

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Word of the Day: acquiesce

: agree, express agreement or comply

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The word acquiesce has appeared in 24 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on May 12 in “Minor League Baseball’s Opposition to Overhaul Softens in Pandemic” by James Wagner:

The economic realities of the pandemic have been so dire for some team owners that the organization known as the MiLB has increasingly appeared more open to accepting a widely debated plan by Major League Baseball to overhaul the whole farm system. Unveiled in October, M.L.B. would cut a quarter of minor league teams and realign affiliations of MiLB clubs. In recent weeks, the sides have discussed M.L.B. taking over MiLB’s independent operations.

… The fact that MiLB had appeared to acquiesce to M.L.B. — weeks before the worst of the coronavirus pandemic struck — disappointed some minor league owners, particularly those at risk of losing their major league affiliation. The extended coronavirus shutdown has crippled MiLB’s economic footing and its position in negotiations with M.L.B.

Can you correctly use the word acquiesce in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.

If you want a better idea of how acquiesce can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.

If you enjoy this daily challenge, try using multiple Words of the Day in a 50-word story that you submit to our Monthly Vocabulary Challenge.

Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.

The Word of the Day has been provided by Vocabulary.com. Learn more and see usage examples across a range of subjects in the Vocabulary.com Dictionary. See every Word of the Day in this column.

Building Your Online Degree Program: The Definitive Guide

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Building Your Online Degree Program: The Definitive Guide

By Betty Vandenbosh, Chief Content Officer

The pandemic has changed the speed at which higher education is evolving and the role online education plays. Today, there is no question that world-class online degree programs offer a solution to so many of the challenges learners—and learning institutions—have been facing across the globe. Exacerbated by Covid, students are facing increased economic stress and uncertainty about their futures. They are seeking flexible learning experiences and credentials that are both valuable and affordable. Now is an ideal time for universities to develop and optimize their degree offerings for the expanded reach and impact that online programs can make possible.

If you’re currently considering, developing, or actively growing an online degree program, Coursera’s new Building Your Online Degree Program can be your blueprint for delivering a world-class education to your learners online.

In 2016, Coursera launched its first online degree with the University of Illinois, opening new pathways to a high-quality credential. Since then, we’ve grown our portfolio to include 25 degrees from leading institutions in the US, UK, France, Russia, Colombia, and more—catering to the diverse needs of learners worldwide. 

Advance your program with data-driven best practices

Building Your Online Degree Program is a definitive guide on how to create and scale a quality online degree program from scratch. The guide assimilates best practices informed by our own experience of onboarding world-class degrees and is enriched with insights from partner institutions that have seen success with their online degree programs. 

Success begins with tough questions

Building a high-quality online degree begins with asking lots of questions.  For example:

  • Why does the world need this degree? 
  • What resources will be needed in order to be successful? 
  • How will success be measured? 
  • What is the optimal student journey? 

The guide dives deeply into these questions and much more! We hope it becomes a trusted resource that you use, share, and return to as you develop and expand your online degrees.

For more best practices on how to launch an online degree, read the full Building Your Online Degree Program guide.

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