Educational Technology

by UPI

Tracking facial expressions can gauge emotions of students in interactive online learning and predict the effectiveness of online tutoring, U.S. scientists say. Researchers at North Carolina State University report software allowed them to automatically track facial expressions related to anxiety, confusion, engagement and frustration. “The program, JavaTutor, will not only respond to what a student knows, but to each student’s feelings of frustration or engagement,” computer science Professor Kristy Boyer said. “This is important because research shows that student emotion plays an important role in the learning process.”

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Technology/2013/06/27/Software-tracks-facial-expressions-to-gauge-on-line-learning-success/UPI-20941372369761/

by Colby Gallagher, Fox 31

Like regular classes, officials say online course also have their fair share of problems, including the temptation to cheat. However, as the classes have evolved so has the technology to ensure grades are correct, such as a webcam proctor that requires a photo ID. “If you use a book or anything like that, it records that so when they’re looking at that test they can see if you did compromise the integrity,” said Webb. Others simply require all tests be performed in front of a proctor and at a center that’s been cleared by the college. Teachers say another less complicated way to detect cheating is to simply know your student. If a piece of work stands out, chances are it wasn’t done by the same person.

http://www.mysouthwestga.com/sports/story.aspx?id=915121#.Uc3xZPnVCuY

by Virtual College (UK)

Companies are increasingly looking at addressing their education and training requirements by taking advantage of the possibilities offered by online learning courses. A particularly popular means of delivering this is through custom e-learning course developments. This involves the creation and conversion of existing instructor-led course content into an electronic format. Some of the benefits of this option include significant cost reductions on delivering professional training, as teams of trainers and administrators will not have to be employed in order to teach current members of staff. Instead, the older training processes are replaced with a newer alternative that is much more progressive and modern – and it could be argued that e-learning has become the key to broader business development.

http://www.virtual-college.co.uk/news/Custom-elearning-courses-deliver-flexibility-newsitems-801604971.aspx

BY DEVON HAYNIE, U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT

NBA great Shaquille O’Neal told the AP in 2005, after earning his online MBA degree from the University of Phoenix, ‘This right here means more’ than his sports accomplishments. O’Neal, who went on to earn a doctorate in education through Barry University’s blended program last May, is one of several celebrities who have taken online courses. Shaquille O’Neal played on four NBA championship teams, won three consecutive NBA Finals MVP awards and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history. But the 7-foot-1 star believes his sports achievements hold no candle to his academic ones. “Sports for me has always been, you know, fairy tale life. And this right here is real life,” he told the AP in 2005 after earning his online MBA degree from the University of Phoenix. “This right here means more.” O’Neal, who went on to earn a doctorate in education through Barry University’s blended program last May, is one of several stars who have taken online courses.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/7-celebrities-online-courses-article-1.1372040

By Blackboard Inc., Herald Online

Online classes are increasing in popularity among both students and parents, according to a survey report released today from Blackboard Inc. and Project Tomorrow®. Nearly half of high school parents and students grade 6-12 would like more online courses, according to the report, yet only 17 percent of teachers are interested in teaching a class online and only 20 percent use online curriculum as a part of instruction. While support for online learning among educators continues to lag, the survey showed that teachers who do embrace it may be better able to prepare students for the upcoming Common Core standards, which are changing the look of learning in the classroom. In preparation for the standards, many districts are creating more content online to maximize class time and addressing new goals such as analytical skills and student progress.

http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/06/25/4975085/parents-and-students-support-online.html

by Jeff Gamet, Mac Observer

Apple released iTunes U 1.3.1 for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch on Tuesday. The update for the iTunes U online course management app added a pull-to-refresh gesture for checking for course updates, and also fixed an issue related to updating course information. iTunes U makes course updates easier with pull-to-refresh gesture The version 1.3.1 update also fixed a problem that caused the app to crash when opening the Catalog, and improved Arabic, French, German, Greek, Italian, Russian, and Spanish support.

http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/itunes-u-adds-pull-to-refresh-for-courses

By Sara Grossman, Chronicle of Higher Ed

Many people outside of higher education have never heard of massive open online courses, according to a new survey of public attitudes toward the free offerings. While an overwhelming majority of respondents to the survey said they were familiar with online education in general, only 22 percent said they were familiar with MOOCs, and only 4 percent said they were very familiar with them. The survey, which was based on a nationwide sample of 1,042 people interviewed online in May, determined that a majority of people were modestly in favor of colleges’ offering MOOCs. But there was a distinct split in attitudes among specific subgroups of respondents.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/survey-finds-only-limited-public-awareness-of-moocs/44549?cid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en

by Melissa Kaulbach, Faculty e-commons

This is part one of 10 Proven Steps to Accelerate Your Online Course. Below, Dr. Melissa Kaulbach shares the first five steps of the course acceleration process; part two will address the remaining five steps. Because of the flexibility and convenience online learning offers, more students want degree programs delivered online, specifically in the accelerated format. Many online learners are non-traditional students—they typically have full time jobs and responsibilities in the home. By offering accelerated courses, we meet these students’ unique needs to best set them up for success on their track towards a degree. Unfortunately, there’s no “easy button” for the course acceleration process; however, for many years, I have successfully coached faculty during this process using a proven 10-step method to ease fear and uncertainty among instructors who are new to designing accelerated courses.

http://facultyecommons.org/10-proven-steps-accelerate-online-course/

By: Arun Pereira, Economic Times

The traditional classroom in higher education is going through radical changes, all for the better. Expect classroom sessions of top teachers to be interactive, loud, and involved — leading to deep and lasting learning for students. If you are a teacher in higher education, you may have little choice but to be part of this change, or risk becoming obsolete. If you are a student in college or a manager who attends training programmes, you should demand these changes of your teachers, because otherwise, you are compromising your learning journey, and ultimately, your career prospects.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/jobs/expect-sessions-of-top-teachers-to-be-interactive-loud-and-involved/articleshow/20753975.cms