Online Learning Update

By Michael B. Horn and Curtis Lefrandt, AshokaU

When MIT launched its OpenCourseWare (OCW) initiative almost a decade ago to provide free, open access to anyone, anywhere to the course material for its undergraduate- and graduate-level courses, it created a stir in the education community. At the outset, many questioned not just OCW’s value but also the value of learning online more generally. At the time, online learning was still a niche offering in the landscape of higher education—and it had generally been the domain of the for-profit universities. Since then though, more than 120 universities have joined MIT’s initiative. MIT itself has had more than 100 million users access its content, and 1.4 million more are visiting each month. Over 30 percent of higher education students now take at least one online course, and according to a meta-study from the Department of Education, “Students who took all or part of their class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction.” Online learning is coming of age and transforming the way we learn. And given that it bears the classic hallmarks of a disruptive innovation, that isn’t all that surprising.

http://ashokau.org/michael-horn-on-disruptive-innovation-in-higher-ed-teaser-for-the-socentchat/

by Sue Gee, iProgrammer

Last autumn hundreds of thousands of students signed up for three computer-related free online courses offered under the auspices of Stanford University. This year the number of courses on offer has expanded, but now run by two newly launched companies, Udacity and Coursera. The formation of Udacity was announced at the end of January. The successor to Know Labs, which delivered the record-breaking Introduction to Artificial Intelligence class, it has been founded by Sebastian Thrun with two other roboticists, David Stavens, who was another of the principal co-creators of Stanley the driverless robot car that won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge, and Mike Sokolsky who was another Robotics Research Engineer at Stanford University.

http://www.i-programmer.info/news/150-training-a-education/3729-online-computer-science-education-for-free.html

By: Michelle Maisto, eWeek

Smartphone sales surged past PC totals—even with the iPad helping numbers—for the first time ever during the fourth quarter, according to Canalys. Smartphone sales surpassed those of PCs for the first time ever, during the fourth quarter of 2011, according to research firm Canalys. What’s more, smartphones also outsold PCs—even with the inclusion of tablets, such as the Apple iPad, into the mix. In all, vendors shipped 158.5 million smartphones during the quarter, up 57 percent from 101.2 million units during the same quarter a year ago, compared with 120.2 million PCs. Smartphones led for the full year 2011, as well, on shipments of 487.7 million units to 414.6 million PCs. Of those PC units, 63.2 million were tablets. “Smartphone shipments overtaking those of client PCs should be seen as a significant milestone,” Canalys analyst Chris Jones said in a statement. “In the space of a few years, smartphones have grown from being a niche product segment at the high-end of the mobile phone market to becoming a truly mass-market proposition.”

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Smartphone-Sales-Beat-PCs-for-First-Time-Ever-Canalys-164565/?kc=rss

by Mary Carmichael, Boston Globe

The group convened in Harvard’s Northwest Science Building for a one-day symposium on learning and teaching, the first salvo in a $40 million attempt by Harvard to rethink education. The initiative’s proximate goal is to make Harvard’s teachers better, but the ultimate goal is much more ambitious: to improve education beyond Harvard Yard, perhaps in ways that cannot yet be foreseen. “We’re going to experiment with lots of things. Some of them will work, and some of them won’t work,’’ Harvard president Drew Faust said in a phone interview yesterday. “But students are inventing new ways of doing things that will change classrooms, no matter what we do.’’ At the symposium, many professors argued for making classes more interactive and moving them online.

http://articles.boston.com/2012-02-06/news/31031164_1_harvard-yard-answer-professors

By Tanya Roscorla, Converge

During the next five years, six emerging technologies show potential to influence teaching and learning in higher education, according to a new report. The 2012 NMC Horizon Report on higher education suggests when these technologies could become mainstream, meaning 20 percent of colleges and universities adopt it within the specified time frame. Keep reading to find out what technologies appear on the short list and how they could affect universities.

http://www.convergemag.com/policy/6-Technologies-to-Watch-in-Higher-Ed.html

Full 2012 Horizon Report:

http://www.educause.edu/Resources/2012HorizonReport/246056

by University of Missouri

The new e-portal allows new and existing students to search for online courses and programs at any campus and apply, register and gain access to all their courses and support services from one location. “We know the demand for online course delivery is increasing, and the four campuses of the University of Missouri System are meeting that challenge,” said University of Missouri System Senior Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs Steve Graham. “By having a single portal, new and current students can see the array of online course offerings from any one of our four campuses and then have the tools at their fingertips to enroll in those classes if they choose.”

http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/50628/

by Steve Kolowich, Inside Higher Ed

Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced today that registration has opened for its first online course through MITx, its new online spin-off devoted to offering “interactive” online versions of MIT courses to people not enrolled at the prestigious university. Registration will cost nothing, and there is no limit to enrollment. The “modest” fees that the university has said it will charge for MITx will most likely be tied to the credential, according to a spokesman. He said pricing has not been determined yet.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/02/13/mitx-opens-registration-interactive-online-course

By Jeffrey R. Young, Chronicle of Higher Ed

L. Rafael Reif, MIT’s provost says “First of all this is not a degree, this is a certificate that MITx is providing. The second important point is it’s a completely different educational environment. The real question is, What do employers want? I think that for a while MITx or activities like MITx—and there is quite a bit of buzz going on around things like that—will augment the education students get in college today. It’s not intended to replace it. But of course one can think of, “What if in a few years, I only take two MITx-like courses for free and that’s enough to get me a job?” Well, let’s see how well all this is received and how well or how badly the traditional college model gets threatened. My point is that for a while I view this as augmenting the education you get on a residential model. And yes, it may threaten, and if it does the residential model has to get better. Our objective is to actually use MITx to even increase further what we do on campus, to make it stronger and to be able to resist and survive and do very well in this potential disruptive situation.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/mits-new-free-courses-may-threaten-the-traditional-model-programs-leader-says/35245

Using Role Play Simulations to Promote Active Learning (ed.- works well in online learning!)

By: Laure Paquette, Faculty Focus

Role play simulation is a form of experiential learning that allows you to “cover” the same sort of topics as you would in a lecture course while moving your students from passive to active learners. For example, I found success in using this model for a course in the domestic politics of foreign countries that I teach. Originally I lectured on political parties, election systems, leadership, major political issues, success and failure in politics in the UK. Now, with the role play model, I invite students to form teams based on political parties: Labor, Conservative and Liberal Democrats. During several class periods, the students go through a mock election, with all the usual events – a stump speech, the unveiling of a new commercial, the leaders’ debate on television. In other words, instead of the drip-drip of information from the professor in lectures, the students immerse themselves in the content. Over the years, I have developed simulations for lobbying government, preparing a federal budget, even the application and selection process for government grants.

http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/instructional-design/using-role-play-simulations-to-promote-active-learning/

by John Naughton, The Guardian Observer

Once upon a time, a very long time ago, in 1995 to be precise, a scholar named Eli Noam published an article in the prestigious journal Science under the title “Electronics and the Dim Future of the University”. Under the classical model, universities were institutions that created, stored and disseminated knowledge. If students or scholars wished to access that knowledge, they had to come to the university. But, Noam argued, the internet would threaten that model by raising the question memorably posed by Howard Rheingold in the 1980s: “Where is the Library of Congress when it’s on my desktop?” If all the world’s stored knowledge can be accessed from any networked device, and if the teaching materials and lectures of the best scholars are likewise available online, why should students pay fees and incur debts to live in cramped accommodation for three years? What would be the USP of the traditional university when its monopolies on storage and dissemination eroded?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/feb/05/desktop-degree-stanford-university-naughton

by ERIC WEDDLE, Journal and Courier

As part of the redesign, lectures are mostly online videos and classes are taught in a special room inside Hicks Undergraduate Library. There, small moveable tables allow students to interact more easily and white boards are used at each table. “Everyone has a pen in their hand,” Delworth said. “The chairs are not bolted to the floor. For what we are doing, we need to move around. A normal classroom doesn’t let you do this.” In Delworth’s algebra and trigonometry course, students are in the classroom for one weekly 75-minute class, instead of three 50-minute classes. Videos of Delworth’s lectures are available online. Students are expected to watch the lectures before the Thursday class. Once in class, students work on problems together.

http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/d89e8a29095d442e8bd796f00b1a3c71/IN–Exchange-Purdue-Course-Redesign/

by Matt Townsley, School CIO

Google Docs is a tool that breaks down barriers and creates less paperwork for our staff members. Teams create agendas and track minutes in a Google document that is shared amongst the team and with building and district administrators. Some of our teams use Google spreadsheets to share student assessment data as well. This approach has several distinct advantages. Accountability – At any given time a team member can refer back to previously made decisions within the document. Administrators can also gain a better understanding of the team’s progress without being present. Organization – Teams no longer need to shuffle through 3-ring binders full of handouts, agenda and minutes. Teams are required to create a collection within Google Docs that encompasses their agendas and minutes, norms, goals and other pertinent documentation.  Accessibility – Our administrative team can access these documents where ever and whenever.

http://www.schoolcio.com/Default.aspx?tabid=136&EntryId=3688

by Lisa Bachelor, the Guardian

Distance learning has come far since the days of late-night TV lectures. We speak to students who have turned their lives around from the comfort of their homes. The Open University is probably the best known name in distance learning, with 256,000 students worldwide, but it is not the only institution to offer degrees that can be completed at home. Most campus universities now offer at least some element of distance learning on a selection of courses, while others, such as the University of Liverpool, have developed postgraduate courses that involve no face-to-face interaction at all. “We are at the stage now where we are a serious player in total online learning,” says Alan Southern, director of e-learning at the University of Liverpool. “On some courses we have introduced some face-to-face contact, but our courses are predominantly built on the premise they are 100% online.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/feb/03/distance-learning

by MARGARET WENTE, Globe and Mail

Until now, online learning has been regarded as the poor stepchild of the higher-education world – widely suspected of being a second-rate substitute for the real thing. But that’s about to change. The digital revolution is going to disrupt higher education in the same way it’s disrupted so many other industries. And it’s about time. Higher learning still relies on the medieval model, when scholars gathered in one place to listen to professors lecture at them. It’s increasingly expensive, and doesn’t do a very good job of delivering what a lot of students want and need in a way that society can afford. The digital revolution will make higher education better, cheaper, more accessible, more engaging and far more customized than anything that exists today.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/margaret-wente/were-ripe-for-a-great-disruption-in-higher-education/article2325979/

By JANESE SILVEY, Columbia Tribune

The University of Missouri System will soon unveil a new e-learning portal, a one-stop shop where potential students can browse online courses and enrolled students can better manage their schedules. Zac March, UM’s director of distance and e-learning education, showed off the technology at yesterday’s Board of Curators meeting. It’s expected to be running in the coming weeks in time for would-be students to start enrolling for summer and fall classes. System administrators have been focusing on boosting e-learning for several years not only to compete in a changing market but also as a way to find new streams of revenue. Last year, MU developed Mizzou Online, which combined previous programs aimed to educate students from a distance.

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2012/feb/03/um-almost-ready-to-open-e-learning-portal/

By Bridget McCrea, THE Journal

Over the last few years technology implementations in the K-12 sector reached record levels with tablets, laptops, social networking, and other e-learning technologies making their debut in classrooms around the nation. The frenzy is expected to continue in 2012 as districts implement e-learning tools that impact all aspects of the educational and administrative experience. To find out what’s on tap for the next several months THE Journal conferred with several academics and instructional technologists who revealed the following top five trends to watch in the year ahead.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/02/02/5-k12-e-learning-trends.aspx

By Daniel de Vise, Washington Post

The stars are aligned for this new disruption to emerge — whether you call it “the unbundling of the university,” the “modularization of education” or “eliminating the middleman” (the College). Steve Jobs said, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.” However, when some of the bread crumbs start to line up, it is an indication that a change is coming… In any case, we think that the Arab Spring of higher education is already starting to take place, and will change the face of higher education in fundamental ways. Whether it is an Amazon model, or an eBay model, or some combination of both, we’ll have to wait and see.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/college-inc/post/guest-post-an-arab-spring-of-free-online-higher-education/2012/02/03/gIQAXiOFnQ_blog.html

by Mary Stegmeir, Des Moines Register

Two Iowa school districts will launch online-only academies next fall, a development that Department of Education officials say highlights the need for expansion of virtual learning opportunities in the state. “(This proposal) addresses the diversity among Iowa school districts,” he said. “We have small, rural districts and large urban districts … and both will be able to offer courses that are now impossible (to offer) because of the limitations of the personnel that you need in a rural school.” The provision would allow the state to better “level the playing field for all school districts in the state,” Nagel said.

http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2012/01/23/online-learning-key-part-of-education-reform-backers-say/

by GENE OSTROVSKY, Med Gadget

Amgen has unveiled a new website that aims to educate patients, the lay public, and maybe even some clinicians about bone biology. The various animations in the site titled New Insights into Bone Biology are visually quite striking and really show off the biological processes involved. If you like this style of learning, do check out their other site that teaches about angiogenesis: Pioneering New Frontiers into Angiogenesis.

http://medgadget.com/2012/02/a-quick-and-beautiful-online-course-about-bone-biology-from-amgen.html

By KYLE HARDGRAVE, Daily Pennsylvanian

While some peer schools are hedging their bets that online education is part of the future, Penn is taking a more decentralized approach. On Jan. 19, Apple announced the launch of 100 free college courses through iTunes U — the latest in a recent trend in which schools are opening their classes and educational materials to global audiences online. Peer institutions like Stanford and Yale universities were among those that partnered with Apple. For its part, Penn’s smattering of online learning opportunities is growing from the ground up, through a number of different venues. One of Penn’s oldest offerings in free online education is Knowledge@Wharton, the Wharton School’s online business journal. The publication, which began in May 1999, publishes interviews, lectures and articles that tackle issues in the business world. “The goal is to take the school’s intellectual capital and make it available for free online,” said Mukul Pandya, executive director and editor-in-chief of Knowledge@Wharton.

http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2012/02/online_education_growing_from_bottom_up

by KIM SUNG-MI, IT Times

The combination of education and cloud computing has created the wind of change to the education system. Today, we live in a world of digital information, which makes us enjoy smart education unhindered by spatial or time restrictions. Smart education or smart learning is construed as the new education system emerging from the development of information and technology. We have come to the age of smart Learning after e-Learning (electronic Learning), m-Learning (mobile Learning), and u-Learning (ubiquitous Learning) developed in the onset of the21st century. Dr. Kwak Duk-hoon, CEO of Educational Broadcasting System (EBS) in Korea and Chairman of Korean Smart Learning Forum, is the pioneer of smart learning and lifelong education. He is the fearless leader who led EBS to become the world’s best education media group and helped the country to learn more about the significance and vision of smart learning.

http://www.koreaittimes.com/story/19513/along-e-learning-and-cloud-computing-comes-advancement-smart-learning