Online Learning Update

August 18, 2011

How To Tell If Your Online Learning University Is A Scam

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:01 am

by Michael Finney, Technorati

The recent rise in online universities opens the door for many to complete their degree and academic work via the internet. Google “online degrees” and you get a whopping 28,300,000 results. This list includes everything from colleges and universities, to companies that help facilitate your online learning experience. But the new frontier in education does not come without its challenges. Getting a degree online provides some amazing opportunities for learning, but along with it come the scam with diploma mills, and other fraudulent degrees. Investigations into for-profit online universities over financial aid issues, recruiting, and student completion, have raised questions of the validity of degrees from online universities. Recent media and federal investigations have brought the issue into the spotlight. Whether you are a student of an online university, or looking to teach for one, the question must be raised, “Is my university a valid one or a scam?” There are some easy ways to find out.

http://technorati.com/business/article/how-to-tell-if-your-online/

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August 17, 2011

USC To Offer Online Learning Program For Former Students

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:10 am

by Ellen Meder, CBS 7 North Carolina

The University of South Carolina announced a new program that will let former students finish degree requirements online. “Back to Carolina” will let students who haven’t been in school for three or more years complete courses required for their degree, online. The first classes will start next fall and will include only a few majors at first, including business. Though the details will be decided between now and spring, provost Michael Amiridis said that the program is geared toward people with jobs and families, who might be hesitant to finish their degree, according to the Associated Press.

http://www2.wspa.com/news/2011/aug/12/usc-offer-online-program-former-students-ar-2267094/

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Academic Institutions Slow to Embrace Online Learning Technologies and Practices

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

by Chief Learning Officer

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) has released the results of the 2011 Vision K-20 Survey, its fourth annual national survey to measure U.S. educational institutions’ self-reported progress toward building a framework that embraces technology and e-learning. The report surveyed nearly 500 educators and education administrators, and suggests that K-20 institutions are not making progress toward the education goals and technology benchmarks set forth by the Vision K-20 Initiative.

http://clomedia.com/articles/view/4518

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Online learning is ‘good for small businesses’

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:01 am

 

by Virtual College

Computer-based online training is cost-effective for businesses both large and small, an expert has claimed. E-learning was traditionally seen as only being available to larger corporations with bigger training budgets, however with the advent of open sourcing educating a workforce has become far cheaper, according to project director at Learninglight.com David Patterson. Cost savings for providers of the systems calculated in ratio to the investment made are usually quite economical, the expert said. He added: “Our analysis showed the cost per day of learning delivery [for a large organisation] fell from £187 per day face to face, to £63 per day using e-learning.” However, open source solutions like Moodle and even “the rise of YouTube as a learning resource” have opened up the chance for smaller businesses to take advantage of new learning technology, he added.

http://www.virtual-college.co.uk/news/Elearning-is-good-for-small-businesses-800697785.~

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August 16, 2011

New program aimed at helping adults get their college degree through online learning

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:10 am

by Jonathan Weant, Valley Central

Magda Martinez was studying to get her bachelors degree in applied arts and science back in 2001. But because of family obligations, she could only finish with an associates. Thanks to a new program called grad Texas, she’ll be able to finish what she started years ago and get a bachelors degree. “This made it possible for me to be at home watching my kids, taking care of them and I can be doing my homework in my jammies” said Martinez GRAD Texas is a new program that targets adults who had to stop their college studies after attaining 90 or more credit hours, but have yet to finish the 120 credit hour requirement to receive a bachelors. Classes will be available to each eligible adult student via online learning.

http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=648607

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Students Return to College through Blended and Online Learning Programs

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:06 am

By ELLEN SCHUR BROWN, Cleveland Jewish News

“In this economy, people return to college for career-related reasons,” said Winnie Gerhardt, director of admissions for adult and graduate education at Baldwin-Wallace College. “You don’t have to know exactly what you want to do. Most adults think about it for a long time before they make the decision to call.” At Baldwin-Wallace, adult learners include students who never earned a degree and want to complete remaining credits; those who might be moving to a new profession, updating skills, or getting the next credential that might mean a raise; or teachers adding a new certification area. Classes are offered in Beachwood and Berea locations. People working in the business world may think they want courses in marketing, but it may turn out that a certificate in leadership, accounting, human resources or entrepreneurship is what’s really missing from their résumé. “There are so many opportunities beyond what you might originally think,” said Gerhardt. Many programs and classes, including Baldwin-Wallace’s hybrid master of business administration program, are offered largely online with limited class meetings. Gerhardt said it gives “a huge amount of flexibility if you travel with your work or have a schedule that’s not always consistent.”

http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2011/08/05/family/back_to_school/doc4e3ad71b64c83242324276.txt

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Back to School: Online Learning Helps Students Return to School

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

by Mary Pickett, Billings Gazette

Gabe Holmes, 30, started working at the S Ranch between Pryor and St. Xavier as a cowboy, later he was put in charge of the feedlot, and that got him interested in the business end of ranching, he decided to go to college to get a business degree. Gabe became one of hundreds of students heading to school from their home computers. The availability of online classes at Montana State University Billings was a major reason he decided to tackle a college degree. It wasn’t easy. Except for a couple of auto mechanics classes he took at a community college while he was in high school in California, he hadn’t taken any college classes. And he had been out of school since graduating from high school 13 years before. The first classes were challenging as he learned how to study for a college class. He’d always enjoyed reading, but found studying was a different kind of reading. With his job and a family, Montana State University Billings online classes made it possible for him to work on a degree. “If it weren’t for online classes, I wouldn’t have gone to school,” he said.

http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/education/article_896d7179-0fdf-5664-97d5-9f176884408a.html

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August 15, 2011

New shared distance online learning classes available

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:09 am

by Dr. Patsy Joyner, Tidewater News

Have you ever wanted to take a course in university physics, French, German or Japanese? Paul D. Camp Community College is offering new, shared distance-learning courses through Northern Virginia Community College’s Extended Learning Institute. This partnership provides an opportunity to take online courses that offer a broader choice of career and educational content. The shared courses also can help with those last few courses need to complete degree requirements. Students will register and pay through PDCCC. Additional benefits include online tutoring, career counseling, student success coaches, 24/7 help desk and virtual student social activities. In addition, there will be a special assistant in the college’s distance learning department to provide support.

http://www.tidewaternews.com/2011/08/06/new-shared-distance-learning-classes-available/

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First Fully Integrated Google eBooks Online Learning Device Hits Shelves

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

The iriver Story HD is the first device fully integrated with the Google eBooks platform out of the box. Google has begun promoting a new $140, sub-8-ounce e-reader announced at the Consumer Electronics Show and now shipping through Target. The iriver Story HD from iriver sports a QWERTY keyboard, 6 inch XGA E-Ink display with 768 x 1,024 resolution, and an ARM Cortex A8 chipset. The device can store 1,500 e-books with the 2 GB internal memory; inserting a 32 GB SD or SDHC chip adds another 14,500 e-books on top of that.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2011/07/27/first-fully-integrated-google-ebooks-device-hits-shelves.aspx

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E-Textbooks: 4 Keys to Going to All-Digital Online Learning

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:01 am

By John K. Waters, Campus Technology

When Daytona State College, a 53-year-old former community college in Florida, now a state college offering a four year degree, set out to implement an all-electronic book program two years ago, its goal was to drive down the cost of textbooks by 80 percent. The school is well on its way to achieving that goal, and along the way it made some discoveries about what it takes to make a successful transition to e-texts. “We got it going in the right direction,” said Rand Spiwak, CEO of eText Consult and Daytona State’s recently retired CFO, who led the school’s e-text project. “But we had to adjust our expectations and assumptions considerably.”

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2011/08/03/e-textbooks-4-keys-to-going-all-digital.aspx

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August 14, 2011

Are MOOCs the Future of Online Learning?

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:10 am

by Arienne McCracken, Mind/Shift

In education, we often hear arguments in favor of smaller class sizes. These arguments contend that students learn better when there are fewer of them in a class, because each one gets more individualized attention from the instructor. So it may seem counter-intuitive to support classes that can swell to several thousand participants. How can students learn in these sorts of settings? How can instructors handle the crowd? The answers to these questions aren’t found in traditional classrooms — no surprise. It’s hard to imagine 2,000 students in a traditional lecture hall having a very rich or engaging learning experience. But engaged learning is what you find among the thousands of students who participate in a MOOC.

http://mindshift.kqed.org/2011/08/are-moocs-the-future-of-online-learning/

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Perspective: Top Five Ways Universities Can Innovate To Thrive

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

by Clayton Christensen and Henry Eyring, The Hechinger Report

It’s not easy to find upbeat headlines about higher education these days, no matter what kind of institution you’re talking about. Christensen’s advice: Embrace online learning technology. The future of learning is a mix of face-to-face and online instruction. Education scholars may still be debating the evidence for this claim, but for today’s young digital natives it’s as obvious as a good balance between “hanging out” and Facebooking. Blending the two forms of instruction not only raises learning quality, it also holds the potential to decrease instructional delivery costs and increase student access (more on that next). Don’t wait for others to disprove your assumption that online learning is inferior to the traditional classroom experience.

http://diverseeducation.com/article/16164/

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Benefits of online learning ‘still undervalued’ by some

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:01 am

by Virtual College

An international online learning industry group has claimed that the open access element of e-learning could still be used more effectively by companies. A central positive element in online learning courses is the fact that they can be utilised for a variety of different purposes by various groups, offering “anytime, anywhere access”, according to David Guralnick, president of the International E-Learning Association. He added: “E-learning can mean a lot of different things, and well-designed e-learning can provide effective education that allows learners to do things that they cannot do in a classroom environment.”

http://www.virtual-college.co.uk/news/Benefits-of-elearning-still-undervalued-by-some-800690172.~

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August 13, 2011

Online Learning Classroom Demonstration For Students

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:19 am

by Schoolrack

This is a demonstration of between a teacher and a student learning maths lesson in an online classroom.It’s all about e-learning. Just wish to let more parents and students know more about online learning classroom looks like. it is used for teachers to conduct lessons for students.During a lesson, there are instructions given to students by the teacher-in-charge of the class.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFyRi8ZeBMc

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Online Learning: Course changer

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:15 am

By Mary Carmichael, Boston Globe

Here’s Clayton Christensen, Harvard Business School professor and author of “The Innovative University,’’ on the future and finances of higher education in an era of destabilizing Web technologies: “I think it’s going to get really bad for traditional universities a lot sooner than most people think.’’ Traditional universities are under attack on many fronts. State and federal support is in flux. Most schools have hiked tuition, a move that leaves critics questioning the worth of a degree. Online learning has changed dramatically in the last decade, gaining respectability and attracting the attention of everyone from Bill Gates to Governor Rick Perry of Texas for its potential to help low-income students. Christensen writes glowingly about what online courses can offer: convenient and affordable formats, personalization, and a “growing body of skilled instructors who know how to make the most of the medium.’’ He proposes that brick-and-mortar universities outsource some of their introductory courses to for-profit online providers, a step some have taken.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/08/01/course_change_needed_harvard_professor_says/

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Notes from the ‘Education in the Digital Age’ conference

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:10 am

by Oklahoma Watchdog, Missouri News Horizon

These are edited notes taken during the Education in the Digital Age conference sponsored by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs on Friday, July 29, 2011 at the Oklahoma History Center. Links have been provided to websites that have more information on that subject.

http://missouri-news.org/midwest-news/oklahoma/notes-from-the-education-in-the-digital-age-conference/7167

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August 12, 2011

South Dakota, Internet Online Learning Pioneer

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

 

by Quentin Hardy, Forbes

As the story said, peer and project learning is being taken up in other South Dakota school districts at least nominally as a way of possibly re-igniting student interest in learning. There is also a strong sentimental feeling here for the one-room schoolhouse, where a single teacher handled a range of abilities, and more advanced students often taught those behind them. When, as in the Mid-Central part of the state, you have 13 school districts with fewer than 450 students apiece, anything connected to the Internet is going to offer a richer range of information than anything likely available locally. But the goal here is also measured in the ability to increase the number of students per teacher, and the ability to stretch budgets under attack.

http://blogs.forbes.com/quentinhardy/2011/07/30/south-dakota-internet-learning-pioneer/

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Online Learning Implications: Phone companies present plan to provide rural broadband

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:03 am

By Associated Press

AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and four other telecom companies are offering a proposal to overhaul an $8 billion federal phone subsidy program in order to pay for high-speed Internet access in rural and other underserved areas. They say the plan, which was filed with the Federal Communications Commission on Friday, would bring broadband service to nearly all Americans within five years. The proposal is one of dozens the FCC will likely receive as it seeks to bring the subsidy program, called the Universal Service Fund, into the digital age. But the new plan is significant since it has the backing of six major companies that are among the largest recipients of federal dollars to provide phone service in rural and poor areas.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/phone-companies-present-plan-to-overhaul-phone-subsidy-program-to-pay-for-rural-broadband/2011/07/29/gIQAaXqqhI_story.html

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About 36,500 people in Wichita area lack broadband access, according to FCC

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:01 am

BY DAN VOORHIS,The Wichita Eagle

About 36,500 people in rural areas of the four-county Wichita area do not have access to high-speed Internet, with about half of those in Sedgwick County, according to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. The survey is part of an effort to document the need for rural broadband Internet service. The FCC is redirecting money it spends subsidizing rural telephone service to subsidizing the installation of broadband into rural areas. In Kansas overall, 231,000 people in Kansas, or 8.3 percent of the population, lack access to broadband. In four western Kansas counties, more than half of residents lack access to broadband.

http://www.kansas.com/2011/07/27/1950948/about-36500-people-in-wichita.html

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August 11, 2011

Higher Education and the New Media Reality – Ubiquitious Online Learning

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:10 am

By John K. Waters, Campus Technology

As a cultural anthropologist and researcher in the modern discipline of digital ethnography, Michael Wesch likes to ask the big, complex questions: How do we find meaning and significance in the digital age? How is technology affecting society and culture? How are social media changing teaching and learning practices? But as a teacher, an associate professor of cultural anthropology at Kansas State University, he likes to ask his students one small, simple question at the start of each year. “I ask, How many of you do not actually like school?” he said. “Almost invariably almost half raise their hands. Then I vary the question slightly. I ask, How many of you do not like learning? And I get no hands. These are people who like learning, but they don’t like it to be institutionally created for them. Clearly something’s wrong here.” “Talk to any futurist, and he’ll tell you that we’re headed toward ubiquitous computing, ubiquitous communication, ubiquitous information at unlimited speed about everything, everywhere, from anywhere on all kinds of devices,” he said. “They disagree on how we’ll get there, but everyone agrees we’re going there, and that means that it’s now ridiculously easy … to connect, organize, share, collaborate, and publish with anybody to anybody in the world.” It such a world, Wesch concluded, traditional classrooms are out of place.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2011/07/28/higher-education-and-the-new-media-reality.aspx

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What Happens to Personal Connection with Online Learning?

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

by dcieslak, Issues in Online Education

Sal Khan summed it up well when, in a TEDTalk, he drew the distinction between the ratios of student:teacher time and “student:valuable human time with the teacher.” In today’s traditional classroom, students see a lot of their teacher—usually up in front of the class. Throughout the 20th century the factory model public school system chipped away at opportunities for connection between teacher and student. Some teachers do a great job catering instruction to multiple learning styles, but the model itself doesn’t lend itself to relationship and personalization. Rather than dehumanize education, online learning — in a variety of forms — often facilitates relationship and connection better than today’s traditional public schools. In fact, it harkens back to the days of the personal tutor. The difference is today, every student can access that opportunity.

http://getfree.tv/ilearnproject/?p=1538

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