Today the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) released an # infographic depicting the state of online learning in higher education. Drawing from over 15 public, private, and self-sponsored sources, the graphic presents the increase in online enrollment and the implications on access and affordability for low-income and non-traditional students.
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-04-13-olc-maps-the-online-learning-landscape
Share on Facebookby Doris Cheung, EDUCAUSE Review
Online formative feedback using Google Forms and Sheets combined with FormMule facilitated instant data collection and structured feedback for a course at the University of Colorado Law School to optimize learning outcomes. By giving and receiving ongoing, timely feedback, students can practice and modify their behavior during the learning experience, which stimulates motivation and deeper learning. Adopting a low- or no-cost approach can make formative feedback easy to implement. Investing time and effort to give and receive feedback benefits both instructors and students by providing valuable information to adjust teaching and learning and helps ensure shared goals.
http://er.educause.edu/articles/2016/4/optimizing-student-learning-with-online-formative-feedback
Share on FacebookBY ELIANA OSBORN, Good Call
Taking courses online is a great way to meet the demands of work and family while still pursuing higher education. The problem is that too many students don’t have a great experience with online classes, leading to low pass rates and academic consequences. New research published in the journal Computers and Education reveals some design features that lead to greater student success. Shanna Smith Jaggars with the Community College Research Center at Columbia University and Di Xu of the University of California-Irvine looked at different elements of online courses to see which ones were related to higher grades. The biggest factor leading to student success? Quality interpersonal interaction.
Share on FacebookBy Richard Chang, THE Journal
Education technology hardware spending increased worldwide by 7 percent in 2015, according to a new report issued by Futuresource Consulting. Spending on educational hardware, such as Chromebooks, classroom displays and mobile PCs, rose to $15 billion globally last year, said Colin Messenger, senior analyst at Futuresource Consulting, a U.K.-based ed tech research firm. Growth has been strong over the past several years, rising $4.5 billion since 2012, Messenger said in a statement released Thursday. The increase in spending has been primarily driven by the surge in the mobile PC market, which at $10.1 billion currently represents 67 percent of the total expenditures, compared to 63 percent last year.
https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/04/14/ed-tech-spending-on-the-rise.aspx
Share on FacebookBy Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive
The University of California, Irvine, was slow to upgrade its wireless availability in student housing, primarily because of budget constraints, but its recent upgrade means the school has powerful infrastructure that will remain relevant for several years. Campus Technology reports that students had started bringing their own wireless routers to their dorm rooms, but when the campus’ wireless network launched in December, 85% of residents logged in on day one and the network had no hiccups. The IT department is saving money because of the reduced tech support load and the obsolescence of prone-to-breaking wall jacks, and it planned ahead for long-term capabilities by choosing its system with the expection that students will continue bringing more Wi-Fi-enabled devices.
http://www.educationdive.com/news/uc-irvine-leaps-ahead-with-new-wi-fi-infrastructure/417361/
Share on FacebookBy Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive
A new study by researchers at the University of Washington has found significant differences in the types of people who take massive open online courses in developing countries, as compared to users in the United States — and they have different outcomes. In the U.S., MOOC users are disproportionately wealthy and already well-educated, and they more often take MOOCs for personal, rather than professional, reasons. But in developing countries, less than half of survey respondents had completed college, and they reported taking the courses to advance their education or career. Perhaps because of the motivations behind taking MOOCs, completion and certification rates are higher, and 49% of respondents said they had received certification for a course while 79% said they completed a course.
http://www.educationdive.com/news/people-in-developing-countries-use-moocs-differently-1/417358/
Share on Facebookby Jordan Friedman, US News
In some programs, learners can earn several smaller credentials for an immediate career boost and build their way up to a degree. “Employers are showing trends of paying more attention to those levels of education and completion,” says Deborah Seymour, chief academic innovation officer at the American Council on Education, an organization representing more than 1,700 college and university presidents, in reference to microcredentials. Seymour says the trend of stackable credentials is still in its early stages, especially in online education, but believes it will continue to catch on and remain an option for online learners in the future. The University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign, in collaboration with the MOOC provider Coursera, recently launched a stackable online MOOC-based Master of Computer Science in Data Science program. Students can, for instance, first earn a MOOC specialization certificate in data mining or cloud computing, and then choose whether to go on to finish the full master’s degree. Overall, the degree costs less than $20,000.
Share on Facebookby Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed
Improving economy leads to lower enrollments at community colleges, report shows. Can online programs help stanch the flow? Online courses have for years driven enrollment growth at community colleges, but as more students take their chances in the job market, institutions face new challenges to retain them, a new study found. During the height of the recent recession, community colleges saw double-digit percentage growth in their online courses, according to the Instructional Technology Council, which is affiliated with the American Association of Community Colleges. But the ITC’s most recent survey of trends in online education at two-year colleges shows growth last academic year sat at 4.7 percent — the lowest in about a decade.
Share on Facebookby Megan Geuss, Ars Technica
NCAA’s report said that “after the enforcement staff confronted [the graduate assistant] with computer metadata, he admitted doing ‘some assignments’ and knowing that his actions constituted NCAA rules violations. An IP address “associated with graduate assistant B’s Pennsylvania hometown” was found to have submitted online coursework for a student in the town where one student-athlete was living, during a period in which graduate assistant B was traveling to that town. The metadata also apparently showed that graduate assistant B’s mother had completed some of the online math coursework, and then graduate assistant B modified it. And his mom wasn’t the only person in on the gig—the metadata for the online coursework also showed that a friend of the two graduate assistants had been completing and modifying psychology and English coursework as well.
Share on Facebookby Laurie Rees, Tribune Live
At North Hills High School, students are earning credits for playing video games. But first, they must create, design and program those games. It’s all part of the school’s new entertainment technology curriculum, which aims to equip students with skills and creativity for the global digital workplace. Gaming research firm Newzoo estimated that Americans spent $21.96 billion on video games in 2015. And the industry continues to surge, according to Drew Davidson, director of the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University. “The (video game) industry is spreading even more with mobile and digital distribution,” he said. “But getting into the field (of video game design) has gotten so much more competitive.”
http://triblive.com/news/neighborhoods/northhills/10250627-74/game-video-students
Share on Facebookby Stephen Corrigan, Connacht Tribune
ALISON began ten years ago when Mike Feerick spotted the opportunity of providing free education in the form of a sustainable, for-profit social enterprise, made easier with the decline in broadband and server costs and the growth of online advertising. “I guess that said two things to me; firstly, what an interesting financial business, but also what an exceptional social impact you could have by making education free,” he said. ALISON diplomas and certificates are not accredited in the traditional sense, but that is something that Mike sees as a positive. “We want to get away from traditional accrediting because it is too expensive. We want learning to be free and if we were to be traditionally accredited, we would have to be paying some other organisation, whether it’s Harvard, Cambridge or NUI, to use their brand – but we don’t need their brand, we are smart people and we stand by the quality of our courses,” said Mike.
http://connachttribune.ie/philanthropists-global-vision-for-free-degrees-via-the-internet-201/
Share on FacebookBy Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed
At hybrid learning conference sponsored by the Teagle Foundation, participants discuss how to get students who signed up for a traditional liberal arts experience excited about online education. Rui Cao, instructor of Chinese at Schreiner University, was one of several participants who said faculty members need to be aware that blended learning may clash with student expectations. Instead of in a hierarchical model where faculty members lecture and students listen, the blended learning model challenges students to assume a more active role, she said, adding that there should be ample training opportunities both for faculty members and students. “The reason that we see sometimes resistance both from our students and from faculty to this kind of learning is neither of us are fully prepared for this new era,” Cao said. “If both students and teachers are realizing this changing dynamic in our classrooms, that’s going to prepare us better.”
Share on Facebookby Dave Frey, EdSurge
Change is imminent. How schools adapt to incoming change, however, remains to be seen. In the face of an extensive range of education-technology resources, what are the best ways to move forward? Decades-old research has pointed to the clear advantages of one-on-one learning, but only in recent years has technology become capable of providing everyone access to it. This change begs the question: Which edtech resources should educators focus on in order to produce the healthiest future of education, and where does one-on-one tutoring fit into that?
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-04-09-is-online-tutoring-the-future-of-personalized-learning
Share on FacebookBy Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive
The University of Massachusetts’ online arm, UMassOnline, has announced a non-credit badge program in project risk management, bringing the university in line with an alternative credentialing trend sweeping the higher ed marketplace. According to eCampus News, the self-paced program is made up of three modules that teach risk management planning, risk identification, qualitative and quantitative risk analysis, risk response planning, and risk control. Students can progress as quickly as possible through the modules or take up to a year from the time of enrollment, and, once they pass the assessments, they receive a digital badge for display on resumes and social media profiles.
http://www.educationdive.com/news/umassonline-joins-the-ranks-of-alternative-credentialers/416742/
Share on FacebookBy Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive
The Institute for Advanced Computer Studies at the University of Maryland College Park is at the forefront of visual communication and learning, and virtual reality is expected to become an important element for students and faculty.EdTech reports the latest generation of virtual reality technology, including the recently released Oculus Rift headset, could achieve mainstream adoption in five to 10 years, giving students a way to experience their lessons firsthand, without leaving the classroom. The University of Maryland is launching a major in immersive multimedia design, training the students who will go on to create virtual reality content to meet the demand in the classrooms of the future.
http://www.educationdive.com/news/is-virtual-reality-poised-to-transform-higher-ed/416741/
Share on FacebookBy Chandra Johnson, Deseret News
For millions of Americans with Internet access, technology has become more than a fun way to pass the time or keep in touch with friends and family; it can also open them up to a world of knowledge. But that’s only if they know how to access it. A recent Pew Research Center survey found that while most Americans (73 percent) consider themselves “lifelong learners,” few were aware of the many digital tools available to keep learning long after they finished school. Of the just over half of Americans who have a smartphone and a home broadband connection, 82 percent engaged in some “personal learning” activity in the past year, yet most Americans said they were “not too much” or “not at all” aware of how technology can help with education such as distance learning or massive open online courses from major companies and universities.
Share on FacebookBy Yizhu Wang, EdScoop
Blended learning experts shouldn’t be afraid to push other teachers into an online learning environment. That’s what Michele Eaton, virtual education specialist of Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township, suggested to school technology chiefs and administrators during CoSN’s annual conference in Washington, D.C. last week. Eaton helps to oversee the Achieve Virtual Education Academy at her district in Indiana. She created an online forum for teachers to share their experiences using text or video, and post questions.
http://edscoop.com/tips-for-designing-an-online-course-from-a-nextgen-leader
Share on Facebookby Beckie Smith, PIE News
Rick Levin was the longest-serving president of Yale University, before moving into the edtech space in 2014 to become CEO of online learning giant Coursera. The PIE: Why did you choose to move to Coursera? Principally because the mission truly appealed to me and it resonated with what I had tried to do in my time at Yale, which was to open up the university’s teaching resources to the wider world. Coursera’s mission is to reach anyone anywhere to enable them to transform their lives by access to the world’s best learning experience. I think that’s what we’re providing: great universal access for people who’re stuck mid-career, who see a course as an opportunity for real change, or a person who’s never had an opportunity to go to a top university who builds self confidence simply by learning they can master courses offered by these universities. I found it very inspirational.
http://thepienews.com/pie-chat/rick-levin-coursera-ceo-usa/
Share on Facebookby Udemy
Udemy has announced that they have released a new course that encourages people to make money teaching through online universities as distance learning adjunct instructors. The course is suitable for graduate degree holders and helps them generate a lucrative household income. The course can be accessed through https://www.udemy.com/making-money-teaching-online-get-your-first-academic-job/ Daniel Hall, J.D. from Udemy says: “We’re very happy to see that the Udemy course that we are promoting is proving to be very popular, and that it is helping people find work. Perhaps most important to us, however, is the fact that those who are finding work thanks to our course are providing an invaluable service to others, which is teaching the next generation of academics.”
http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/2894157
Share on Facebookby KU Today
Online education is growing rapidly, reaching millions of students every day. However, a Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities at the University of Kansas study has found the majority of online educational products are not designed to meet the needs of students with disabilities and struggling learners. Sean J. Smith, professor of special education and a co-principal investigator with the center, has authored “Invited In: Measuring UDL in Online Learning.” The report analyzes how six popular vendors of online learning products meet the principles of Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, the concept that education should be designed to meet the needs of all students. It also provides a tool that K-12 school districts across the country can use to evaluate online education programs they are using or considering for their students.
BY WILLIAM FENTON, PC Magazine
While I will focus my attention on the report’s four main recommendations, I recommend the background section to those interested in educational theory and the state of online education. The authors provide some of the sharpest synopses I have encountered, anchoring buzzwords such as “flipped classrooms,” “active learning,” and “student-centric education” to educational history and theory. Those interested in that research would do well to peruse the notes, which includes direct links to scholarship.
http://www.pcmag.com/commentary/343501/mit-just-released-an-online-learning-report-worth-reading
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