Online Learning Update

by David Nagel, Campus Technology

The vast majority of online program managers claimed in a recent survey that faculty resistance is a significant hindrance to the expansion of their online education programs. Forty-four percent of colleges and universities in the United States have restructured their online education programs in the last two years. And, according to new research, 59 percent will restructure them in the coming two years. What’s more, the research found that of organizations that have already restructured, 30 percent expect to do so again within the next two years.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2010/11/12/online-education-budgets-leadership-changes-drive-restructuring.aspx

by Alan Amory, Australasian Journal of Educational Technology  2010, 26(6), 810-829

The aim of this study was to investigate the use of an educational computer video game in teaching and learning. Cultural-historical activity theory is used heuristically to explore the social and cultural interactions during game play. It is argued that knowledge construction occurs when video games function as a tool to mediate learning rather than as instructional media. The unit of analysis is not the game as instruction but engagement with the game. Twelve 14 to 19 year old black orphans from Soweto, South Africa, participated in a case study. Groups of three participants, which included both sexes, played the game for at least six hours, kept a personal reflective journal, and after play answered a knowledge test and participated in a round-robin discussion. Results show that participants gained new knowledge, recognised that the game mediated their learning, identified the object of the activity and discussed how they might help their community. Results support the use of games as tools to mediate learning.

http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet26/amory.html

Debbi Weaver, et al; Australasian Journal of Educational Technology 2010, 26(6), 847-860

An online group work project for off campus students, using wikis as the collaboration platform, has been conducted successfully for several years. Students were given the opportunity and technical means to collaborate, and staff could assess individual students’ participation. However, the actual level of collaboration was less than hoped for, especially in early iterations of the unit. While the teaching staff are confident that, for the overall student cohort, collaborating online using a wiki is meeting the needs of most students, this is varied across the diverse cohort. To gain further insight into the internal machinations of student groups, selected students were invited to submit their experiences of their wiki project. This paper reports the personal stories of two off campus students, and compares the experiences described by our students with the teaching staff members’ perceptions. The two students featured were selected not just for their articulate writing, but because their group experiences were quite different. Considering these students’ experiences has allowed the teaching staff to reflect on how to better support our students during their group project.

http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet26/weaver.html

by Mei-jung Wang, Australasian Journal of Educational Technology 2010, 26(6), 830-846.

The increasing use of innovative blended learning strategies which incorporate online discussion into the classroom requires the examination of asynchronous, computer mediated communication (ACMC) to fully understand the learners’ total engagement and the contribution of such ICT tools to student learning. This study analysed students’ online utterances and offline interactions, to determine the extent of collaborative learning among students from two colleges. Results show that behaviours that characterise successful collaborative learning in an asynchronous networked environment were present, but the patterns were different from previous studies. The implementation of ICT tools in blended learning does promote social interaction among students and their engagement; however, it does not automatically facilitate students in their adoption of active learning strategies. The offline atmosphere in carrying out the ACMC activities were sorted into five major categories: struggling with platform operations, handling technical problems, passive attitudes towards the procedure, tense atmosphere in class, and engagement in tasks. Based on the findings, some pedagogical implications are presented.

http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet26/wang.html

by Susan E. Lee and Kyra J. Woods, Australasian Journal of Educational Technology 2010, 26(6), 775-790. AJET 26

In this paper we describe how we fostered learning by modifying an existing course which covered topics relevant to biosciences. This course was offered predominantly to first year undergraduate science, biomedical science and environment students. The students were trained to find reliable scientific information via computer searches, and shown ways to use and cite references. Small teams of students used Internet resources to find, evaluate and summarise information for 15 minute presentations. An initial lack of confidence in presentation ability improved significantly over this period. The students identified the computer workshop format, the presentations and the interesting lectures as outstanding course features. The structure facilitated student-centred learning by providing interdisciplinary research topics that were considered interesting, relevant and authentic. The learning environment supported the diversity of abilities and interests of the students. Other positive student outcomes were the formation of friendships, a broadened interest in science, discovery of possible career paths, and greater confidence in their ability to find good references. The provision of computers with Internet access in the students’ workshops changed the previously tutor-led approach to a student-centred format, ideal for ensuring active learning. The choice of interesting, multidisciplinary topics and lecturers also helped mitigate the possible negative effect of a student cohort drawn from diverse disciplines.

http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet26/lee.html

by Greg Preston, et al; Australasian Journal of Educational Technology 2010, 26(6), 717-728. AJET 26

There is now widespread recognition of the changing nature of students in higher education: they are demographically diverse, have extensive external time demands, and expect greater flexibility and support during their programs. As a consequence of this and other changes to the higher education sector, many universities worldwide have introduced a range of information and communication technologies to provide students with flexible options for study. Included in these options are web-based lecture technologies (WBLT), designed to digitally record lectures for delivery over the web. This paper reports on recent Australian research into the impact of WBLT on learning and teaching which indicates that, while many academics recognise the changing nature and needs of their students and have introduced WBLT as a consequence, many have not reconceptualised their curriculum and its delivery to meet these changing circumstances. The central premise in this paper is that the introduction of WBLT has been disruptive in nature and has provided a lens with which to view several emerging issues: the blurring of study patterns between internal and external enrolment modes; the role of lectures in technology rich environments; and the changing nature of teaching when technologies are introduced into the curriculum.

http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet26/preston.html

By Amy Crawford, TRIBUNE-REVIEW

In his senior year at Burrell High School, Shaun Cunningham was planning to take a full load of advanced classes. The busy 18-year-old was not looking forward to cramming a required health course into his already packed schedule. So when the school asked him to pilot an online version of the class, taught over the Internet by a district teacher, Cunningham jumped at the chance. “As soon as they said online, I thought, college is coming, so it would kind of prepare me for not having a teacher in my face, telling me, ‘Now it’s time to do this,'” he said.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_708137.html

By JEFFREY WEISS, The Dallas Morning News

Riley Niksich starts his class like most third-graders in Texas: with a pledge to the American and state flags. But Riley’s patriotic flags are only digital, on the laptop computer resting on the dining room table in his Garland home. Denise McConnell helps her son Joseph, 8, with his schoolwork at their home in Grand Prairie. The McConnells enrolled their four school-age children in iQ Academy Texas, a public online school, after they spent a year in Arlington schools. Riley is one of about 3,500 Texas kids taking advantage of online public schools, a free alternative to brick-and-mortar education. These schools must meet the same state-mandated curriculum requirements and TAKS testing of students at any other public school in Texas.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/grandprairie/stories/DN-onlineschools_07met.ART.State.Edition1.4b62ea5.html

By Paige Chapman, Chronicle of Higher Ed

Students chatting on Twitter both inside and outside the classroom got higher grades than their nontweeting peers in a recent experiment conducted at a medium-size public institution in the Midwest. At the end of the semester, the tweeters had grade-point averages half a point higher, on average, than did their nontweeting counterparts. And students who tweeted were more engaged. Twitter users scored higher than those who didn’t use the tool on a 19-question student-engagement survey over the course of the semester—using parameters like how frequently students contributed to classroom discussion, and how often they interacted with their instructor about course material. The results of the experiment were published in the latest issue of the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning in an article titled “The Effect of Twitter on College Student Engagement and Grades.” Researchers did not reveal the name of the university involved to protect the identities of the students.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/tweeting-students-earn-higher-grades-than-others-in-classroom-experiment/28172?sid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en

By Travis Kaya, Chronicle of Higher Education

The University of California has begun to ask faculty to design and teach online courses for a pilot program that could pave the way for widespread Web offerings at the state’s most-selective public institutions. But that doesn’t mean the UC system is ready to adopt a much-anticipated and already-controversial online degree program just yet. The UC Online Instruction Pilot Project, run out of the university’s Office of the President, announced on Wednesday that it is looking for 25 faculty volunteers across the system’s 10 campuses to develop and teach online courses in the 2011-12 academic year. Participants will be chosen by a faculty-appointed review committee in January, and will work with Web developers and other university faculty members over the course of the pilot project.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/u-of-california-readies-its-for-credit-online-course-venture/28027

By TRIP GABRIEL, New York Times

The University of Florida broadcasts and archives lectures less for the convenience of sleepy students like than for a simple principle of economics: 1,500 undergraduates are enrolled and no lecture hall could possibly hold them. Dozens of popular courses in psychology, statistics, biology and other fields are also offered primarily online. Students on this scenic campus of stately oaks rarely meet classmates in these courses.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/05/us/05college.html

by Courtney Boyd Myers, The Next Web

TEDxBrooklyn, a satellite TED event with the same mission to share: “ideas worth spreading,” was an intellectual call to arms for local New Yorkers yesterday, who absorbed a several hours of diverse, divergent and inspiring 17-minute presentations under the theme “One Moves Many.”

http://goo.gl/hRrIE

by Real Online Degree Success

Many students choose to get an online degree primarily because they need – or like – the flexibility that online study offers. Unfortunately, too many students take a “hands off” approach to online courses. They think that “out of sight, out of mind” means that they can fly under the radar and quietly complete their courses without incident. Unfortunately, many students learn too late that a little bit of communication goes a long way in regard to online college success. If you’re serious about your studies, here are five tips you can employ to increase the likelihood of online college success:

http://www.realonlinedegrees.com/online-degree-success-begins-with-good-communication_2010-11-03/

By Tony Bates, e-Learning and Distance Education Resources

I’ve been doing some analysis recently of the costs of a fully online master’s degree program from a major research university (which for the moment will remain nameless, although this has been a very successful program, both academically and financially). I was doing this for our forthcoming book. Unlike face-to-face teaching, where, after the initial planning phase, costs remain pretty much the same from year to year, the costs of online programs vary considerably over time. In the case I’ve been studying, if we take a point seven years after the program was approved, and five years after the first full cohort of students were enrolled, the costs break down something like this.

http://www.tonybates.ca/2010/10/25/open-content-and-the-costs-of-online-learning/

By David Muscat, Campus Slate

The argument of whether or not a classroom setting or an online interaction would make a difference to a students learning is a big question being asked today. The main argument is that the material being taught is not any different, just the environment is. One would say being in an isolated room might be an advantage, while another would say online lectures are just as useful. However, online students in terms of technology, depends on the preferred learning style of the student. Students who prefer online classes may find that online learning fits their learning style better than the traditional classroom lectures. With the use of online technology, students have more time to think about answering questions. This allows them the option to interact with classmates and with those who might not connect with socially.

http://www.thecampusslate.com/is-there-a-future-for-universities-1.1725510

by Mendon Library

Micro lectures or one minute lecturing is a concept of offering lectures at the shortest time span, introducing the concepts, touring across the essence of the subject and also helping students take their own time in understanding the subject at their own pace given a set of assignments to complete. Different though, considering the fact that hour long lectures are ok with traditional classrooms it might be not be the same with online learning. Distractions are an integral part of online learning and making students cope up with it becomes extremely important. Shorter the lectures the more interesting and effective it becomes, enabling students concentrate best. These lectures simply take you through a list of what is being covered? What should you look for? And how the faculty group is going to monitor your progress? Its simple yet a little complicated, not for the students but for the teachers, as they are left with finding an all new way of handling things.

http://mendonlibrary.com/online-learning/online-learning-through-micro-lectures

by Sandra Kelly, Classes2Carees

This grant money will allow Kirtland Community College to focus on improving several areas they have been considering in recent years. The $2 million grant will allow KCC to focus efforts on developing eLearning technology, which has been a major focus of the college. It seems that more and more community colleges are moving to online services for their students these days and KCC is no exception. It is great to see the federal government investing so much money into various community colleges around the country. Grants such as the Title III federal grant will go a long way in helping these small colleges improve their curriculum and services. One of the best ways this grant will be used is by implementing online courses for KCC students. With so many Americans having to work full-time to pay their bills they do not have the necessary free time to go back to college and earn their degree so that they can advance within the workforce. By providing online courses more adult students will be able to earn their degrees on their own time from the comforts of their own homes, improving their quality of life as well as the quality of life in the Kirtland Community College area.

http://www.classes2careers.com/kirtland-community-college-receives-2-million-grant/

by Tom Vander Ark, Huffington Post

Becoming an online elementary teacher was a steep learning curve, even for Joyce Voelker, a former principal and veteran teacher, “it took an entirely different skill set.” She was skeptical of an online elementary school, but after one year of teaching online, she is a wholehearted advocate after seeing the benefit to a wide span of families. “For every student, there is a different reason — behavior issues, health conditions, or students that are just a little different — but they come alive in this program and it is a godsend for these families.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-vander-ark/online-partnerships-for-e_b_776285.html

By Christl Dabu, Our Kids Blog

In the e-learning era, it’s all about video tutorials, merging iPhones with digital courses, and online learning management systems such as Blackboard. Educators shared ideas on the best ways they teach students using some of the latest technology at the first “Best Practices in Online Learning Conference” inside the beautiful grounds of the Bishop Strachan School (BSS), Canada’s oldest day and boarding school for girls, in Toronto. The conference was hosted earlier this month by the CIS eLearning Consortium, a not-for-profit consortium of independent schools that offers online courses to school members across Canada.

http://www.ourkids.net/blog/index.php/online-learning-elearning-school-6539/

by Fox Providence

When you talk about learning online, most people think about distance learning programs, where students can take classes to get a degree from home. But online classes are becoming a part of life on campus at a growing number of colleges across the country. Here to talk about it is Peter Kerwin of the Rhode Island Education Assistance Authority. (video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_gBQN5rXBA

by Texas Southern University

Take advantage of initiatives by peer institutions offering access to virtually all their course offerings for free. Institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology (mit.edu) among others are offering a huge catalog of courses to the world for free. These courses are available in text, video or audio format. You may choose to include portions of these free resources in your course but you MUST reference the source of the material if you so choose. Visit the links below for access to various free courses from reputable institutions.

http://www.tsu.edu/pages/4119.asp