Online Learning Update

By NETWORK INDIANA

A new study shows more Hoosier educators are taking advantage of online learning in their classrooms. Indiana Youth Institute President Bill Stanczykiewicz says a poll finds 79 percent of the state‘s school districts use some form of online learning. He says one-third of districts are using technology to offer their normal core 40 classes, including physical education. In some cases, Stanczykiewicz says, the students help with the migration to new learning technologies. “It‘s the only time in world history that the digital immigrants are teaching the digital native,” Stanczykiewicz says. “Most of the teachers, and most of the parents of school children, did not grow up in the this culture of technology that most students take for granted.”

http://indianapublicmedia.org/news/study-shows-4-5-school-districts-elearning-24347/

by Jordan Times

Telecom and consulting experts on Sunday said demand for e-learning in Jordan is expected to witness a boom in the next five years, driven by a rise in Internet penetration and the spread of smartphones in the country. “In Jordan, literacy rates are higher than in other countries in the region and e-learning is the future of education« and in light of fast growth figures in the number of Internet and mobile users in Jordan, I expect demand on e-learning and e-training courses to rise sharply in the next few years,” Umniah CEO Ihab Hinnawi told reporters yesterday. “Students in remote areas, who may not have access to training centres can resort to e-learning and take courses on a variety of skills while at home. They can attend the courses online and interact with the presenters,” he said at a press conference to launch an online learning gateway, dubbed ULearn, which offers courses through web and mobile-based platforms.

http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?storyid=1093461074

by George Lorenzo, the Source on Community College Issues, Trends & Strategies

Many community college providers of online degree and certificate programs can use some significant help getting up to speed in the advertising and marketing arena. This becomes evident when you visit community college websites and see how they present their online degree and certificate programs. While many do a great job, many do not. The “do-nots ” typically don’t have the professional staff and/or fund allocation to create websites that are easy to understand as well as designed well enough to effectively provide relevant information in an easy-to-navigate manner to attract student enrollments. This report is mostly for the do-nots, although others may find some very helpful suggestions.

http://www.edpath.com/images/marketingreport.pdf

By Fred Musante, Stratford Patch

Access to the latest devices and tutorials on how to use them are all available at your local library. If you were wondering about Kindles, Nooks, iPads and other electronic e-book readers and tablet computers, your local public library is the place to go to find out. E-books, electronic readers and tablets are just one of the new ways that public libraries are keeping up with the latest advances in consumer information technology.  Some libraries even loan out the devices, while others loan out e-books and audio books that patrons can load onto the readers and tablets they already own.

http://stratford.patch.com/articles/technology-transforming-public-libraries-vide#video-8547824

BY CLARA HO, Calgary Herald

Bow Valley College unveiled its vision for growth over the next decade, which includes a stronger online presence, more partnerships with employers and post-secondary institutions, and connecting with the community. “Ten years from now, our college will be a radically different place than it is today,” said Sharon Carry, the college’s president and chief executive, at Friday’s announcement. The college will also continue to strive for excellence in applied education and deliver more “relevant, market-driven educational programs and services,” Carry said. That includes offering specialized courses people can couple with their university education, and offering more customized courses and more courses online. The college vowed to continue forging connections with the community as part of its third strategy.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/College+looks+future/5806976/story.html

By Sarah Aube, Lyndon State Critic

It seems that students have stopped hating Moodle. After almost a full semester of everybody using Moodle instead of Blackboard, students have adapted to the new portal. Senior Allison Poulin who had used Blackboard for three years, took an online class using Moodle during the summer and said that it took her some time to get used to the change. “Now it’s okay because I know how to use it, but at first it was really frustrating,” said Poulin. Another student, junior Wesley Hatch who only used Blackboard for a year before the Vermont State Colleges switched to Moodle says, “It’s about the same. It’s nice to have everything on one page now.” Members of faculty have learned and are enjoying the aspects that are different than they were in Blackboard.

http://www.lyndonstatecritic.com/mobile/news/oodles-and-oodles-of-moodle-1.2722997

BY TIM JONES, Regina Post

The trades are on the rise in Saskatchewan. Since 2005, there has been an almost doubling in the number of apprentices working toward a journeyperson’s certification. Apprenticeships have grown from 5,200 active apprentices last year to approximately 9,800 this year. One available option is online education. Upgrading courses are available for a few select trades. Courses are available for eligible carpenters and for eligible electricians. The online upgrading courses parallel in-class upgrading programs, and feature the same material as that taught in the equivalent classroom courses. Unlike the in-class course, the online material is done at the students’ own pace. From the time they start the course, they will have six months to finish it. The online courses have been very well received and the commission is looking at expanding the program to include more trades. In the coming months you can expect to see brandnew online upgrader courses for industrial mechanic millwrights and automotive mechanics.

http://www.leaderpost.com/news/There+always+need+trades/5805626/story.html

By Kristen Marschall, Mercury News

In room 11 at Santa Rita Elementary School in Los Altos, the screen on Nika Darvish’s Macbook is a mess of color. “I don’t like seeing all this orange,” Nika says, pointing to a virtual list of math exercises, with orange designating the need to review them. The advanced math student was working on linear equations Thursday, while her classmates studied their own math problems on school laptops. But Nika has a leg up on her peers as this is her second year using the Khan Academy program to enhance her math skills. She was one of 120 students from three district schools who participated in the program during its pilot phase last year.

http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula-news/ci_19454417

By Elizabeth Tice, Sign On San Diego

Driven by student demand, technology, a troubled economy and roiling demographic changes, the continued growth of online and distance learning has become a force that is not only forever changing how education is delivered but will also drive economic change by preparing today’s workers for the technology-based jobs of tomorrow. The rapid adoption and expansion of online education is closely tied to the growth of technology, the Internet and other new ways of delivering knowledge to more students beyond the previous boundaries of place, time and expense. Pioneers in online education were the early adopters of new digital technology. They created curriculum and delivery methods to meet the needs of working adults and other students who wanted to learn but needed access to education that was available on more flexible schedules.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/dec/03/online-learning-keeps-evolving/

by Virtual College

An independently-made online learning system has been developed to help disabled children learn how to read. In a bid to improve the reading ability of her dyslexic son, Linda O’Sullivan, from County Clare in Ireland, thought up the idea of using a famous tale of piracy originating from the Irish seas to help her ten-year-old Oisin as well as other children in the same position, the Irish Independent reports. She developed an online e-learning game including words of a story and short tasks to encourage literacy learning in a fun, entertaining and interactive way, which will help hold the attention of dyslexia sufferers for longer.

http://www.virtual-college.co.uk/news/Elearning-programmes-could-help-people-with-dyslexia-newsitems-801228812.aspx

By Sarah Boswell, Ball State Daily News

The university wants students to fill out online course evaluations. So much, in fact, that those who participate will be entered in a drawing for one of six iPad2s, according to an email sent from the provost’s office on Friday. “Why not reward students for what we would like them to do?” Associate Provost Marilyn Buck said. As of Friday, only 28 percent of students had filled them out. The evaluations help professors improve their curriculum and style of teaching. But they can also help determine promotion and tenure decisions, Buck said. The response rate was about 80 percent in 2009 when the university still used a paper system. James Jones, director of Research and Academic Effectiveness, said that basically reflected the number of students in class on the day the surveys were given.

http://www.bsudailynews.com/ball-state-announces-ipad-incentive-for-students-to-fill-out-online-course-evaluations-1.2679426

by Tom Vander Ark – Huffington Post

Last year (2010) marked a world-changing inflection point in the sale of mobile devices and applications. For education, affordable access devices is the biggest new driver. It’s now cheaper to give every student a tablet or eReader loaded with content (particularly if some of it is open) than to give them a backpack full of books. Learning online has been growing by almost 50% annually as more students gain access to quality options. Informal learning opportunities like Khan Academy are also expanding. New free learning platforms like Edmodo, which tripled in size to 4.5 million users this year, are giving teachers great new opportunities to engage their students. Add the fact that India and China are in the process of doubling education spending, and you have a global education revolution with an unprecedented level of interest, investment, and innovation.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-vander-ark/questions-about-digital-l_b_1122676.html

by Xinhuanet

China’s elite universities are joining their Western counterparts in putting their best classes online, raising expectations of a new way of learning. Under a program sponsored by the Ministry of Education, 20 online courses from 19 institutions, including Peking University and Tsinghua University, went live in early November. According to latest figures, the courses, available for free, have welcomed thousands of students in their first month. The program’s launch follows Shanghai’s Fudan University joining forces with web portal Netease to publish its “open courses” online in April. With the Ministry of Education planning to put 1,000 more new courses online in the next five years, educators will be looking closely at the results of the body’s initiative one month in. Speaking to students, teachers and experts, there are clearly arguments for and against this brave new digital age for China’s universities.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/indepth/2011-12/02/c_131285067.htm

Call for Proposals

We invite you to submit your proposal(s) to present at the 28th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning, hosted in Madison, Wisconsin next August.

Lead sessions on the planning and management of distance education/training programs.

Share your research and expertise.

Network with other professionals in your field.

Distill essential knowledge/skills.

Demonstrate your successful course and/or training materials to others.

Guide interactive discussions with your colleagues.

http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/

by Abby Eisenberg, the Missourian

Integrating digital technology into the learning process is increasingly common. More than 75 percent of MU courses are on Blackboard, an online tool that allows professors to post resources for students and generate class discussion, among other uses.. Last year, the number of hours students watched recordings on Tegrity, a program some professors use to capture their lectures, doubled. In the past five years, the number of MU students enrolling in distance online courses has almost doubled. In 2005-06, there were 4,276 students enrolled, and by 2010-11 there were 8,385. The number of fully online offerings has gone from about 300 to more than 550 courses. Ten years ago, MU had 11 online degrees or certificates. Today, there are more than 50.

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2011/11/28/growth-online-learning-within-um-system-causes-change-sparks-debate/

by the Virtual College

Outdated ways of thinking about academia inhibit the idea of e-learning, according to one expert who has encouraged adults and young students to embrace the benefits that online resources can provide. Writing for the Detroit Free Press, Michael Van Beek of the Mackinac Center, which is a research and educational institute based in Michigan, US, suggested that with increasing numbers of people using online learning facilities, attitudes towards the new resource should reflect the positive nature of flexible learning solutions. According to figures from the centre, the enrolment on to programs for online learning courses has increased by 30 per cent nationally in the US and predictions show that growth for the industry will continue.

http://www.virtual-college.co.uk/news/Online-learning-provides-tailored-learning-for-individuals-newsitems-801223274.aspx

By Mary Grush, Campus Technology

The movement toward creating and using open education resources–OERs–has been percolating for years, and a vast amount of open materials for education is now easily accessible for online course developers to incorporate in their designs. But some key questions persist about mining this growing resource for online courses. Campus Technology’s recent conversation with Michael Cottam, Rio Salado College’s associate dean over instructional design and new program development, helps shed some light on how OERs may be better evaluated in the future so that course developers can leverage open resources more effectively.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2011/11/30/open-education-resources-feedback-from-the-social-web.aspx

by David Hough, News-Leader

Whether or not online education is better than, equal to, or of lesser quality than traditional, face-to-face formats is not a new concern; however, those with their ears closest to the ground tell me this discussion will be cranked up a notch very soon. If the outcome being measured is learning, then the answer may very well be, “it depends.” For students who learn better by putting their thoughts in writing and by reading the thoughts of others, perhaps various online technologies may fit their learning style very well. For students who need to interact with others in person to maximize their learning, a traditional approach may serve them better. For students who can adapt to either approach, perhaps there is little or no difference. The percent of students in each category has yet to be determined.

http://www.news-leader.com/article/20111130/NEWS04/111300357/online-traditional-education

By Beata Mostafavi, Flint Journal The Flint Journal

It wasn’t the type of requirement college freshman Megan Rheingans expected to find on her syllabus. Not a study guide, textbook or fancy calculator. Mandatory: an iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad. Some of the hottest tech gadgets found on college students’ Christmas wish lists are ending up on their school shopping lists instead. Several colleges, including Central Michigan University where Rheingans attends, are using the latest tech tools as a counterpart to traditional textbooks.

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2011/11/post_251.html

By Kelly Field, Chronicle of Higher Ed

At one college, a student received credit for six plagiarized assignments; at another, a student submitted photos of political figures and celebrities in lieu of an essay, but still earned a passing grade. A third student got full credit on a final project, despite completing only two of the three required components. That same student received full credit for an assignment that had clearly been prepared for another class. In two cases, instructors confronted students about their repeated plagiarism but took no disciplinary action against them. One student received credit for a response that was copied verbatim from other students’ discussion posts. Instructors at the other six colleges followed their institutions’ policies on grading and plagiarism, and in some cases offered to help students who appeared to be struggling.

http://chronicle.com/article/Undercover-Probe-Finds-Lax/129881/

by Joanna Lin, California Watch

For public school students in California, where you live usually determines where you can learn. To David Haglund, that’s not right. This month, Haglund, principal of the Riverside Virtual School, an online independent study program run by the Riverside Unified School District, introduced a statewide ballot initiative that would give students unrestricted access to publicly funded courses — wherever they are. The California Student Bill of Rights Initiative is “designed to eliminate control by ZIP code,” Haglund said. Under the proposal, schools, districts and county education offices would be required to make available to all students the courses needed for admission to the state’s universities. Those courses, known as A-G requirements at the University of California and California State University, could be offered at a student’s school or district of residence or any other publicly funded school, and they could be classroom-based, online or a blended model of the two.

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/state&id=8443390