Online Learning Update

June 30, 2012

Online Learning Important to the Future of UVa

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

by Kevin Kiley, Inside Higher Ed

Interim UVa President Carl Zeithaml sees himself not as a placeholder, but someone who has to take action in the interim role. He said he would not wait until the university appoints a permanent president before moving forward with efforts to move into online education.  “Our competitors have made major moves,” he said. “We all have a commitment to really seriously explore how the university will get into that. This is a big, big issue that all of higher education school is dealing with.”  He said the university simply can’t wait a year before having discussions about how it will enter the space. He said UVa’s process will include broad conversations across the institution, with deans and faculty members, about exactly what the university should do in terms of online education.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/06/21/uvas-interim-president-addresses-challenges-first-time

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MIT receives $1 million to support edX open online learning partnership

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

by MIT

Institute receives award as part of Gates Foundation efforts to boost postsecondary graduation rates.  MIT has received a $1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support edX, the Institute’s new partnership in online education with Harvard University. Through edX, announced on May 2, the two institutions are collaborating to enhance campus-based teaching and learning and to build a global community of online learners. It is anticipated that near-term course offerings from a range of MIT and Harvard schools will be included on the edX platform. The new Gates Foundation grant will support efforts to develop and offer a new, free prototype computer science online course through edX, and to partner with a postsecondary institution that targets low-income young adults to experiment with use of the course in a “flipped classroom” where lectures take place outside the classroom and homework is done in class. Lessons learned will be captured and shared to advance understanding of how faculty and students use and benefit from online learning tools, as well as how these courses may be adapted to support on-campus learning and a broader range of learners.

http://web.mit.edu/press/2012/edx-partnership-0620.html

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Online Learning: The E-Mail Trail at UVa

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

by Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed

E-mail messages were flying among leaders of the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia in the weeks leading up to the ouster of Teresa A. Sullivan as president of the university. The e-mail messages show that one reason board leaders wanted to move quickly was the belief that UVa needed to get involved in a serious way with online education. The board leaders traded articles in which various pundits suggested that online education is the only real future for higher education — and the e-mail messages suggest that board members believe this view. On May 31, for example, Helen Dragas, the rector (UVa-speak for board chair) sent the vice rector, Mark Kington, the URL for a Wall Street Journal column about online education. Dragas’s subject line was “good piece in WSJ today — why we can’t afford to wait.” The column, a look at the MOOC (massively online open course) movement in higher education, has the subhead: “The substitution of technology (which is cheap) for labor (which is expensive) can vastly increase access to an elite-caliber education.”

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/06/20/e-mails-show-uva-board-wanted-big-online-push

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June 29, 2012

Online Learning Mobile: Top m-learning reports of 2012

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

by MobLearn Blog

Filtering out the best, so you don’t have to! Links to our top m-learning reports for 2012.  You know that mobile learning has hit the mainstream when the big guys start to get it … and 2012 is the year that this happened. With solid reports, and reviews from UNESCO, GSMA and other global giants, as well as a flurry from mobile consultancies across the planet! Here are a few of the best (free) reports.

http://moblearn.blogspot.com/2012/06/top-m-learning-reports-of-2012.html

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Nine steps to quality online learning: Step 6: Set appropriate learning goals

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

By Tony Bates, Online Learning and Distance Education Resources

In this post I argue that you need to think about what kinds of goals could best be achieved in an online course, rather than just doing the same as in a classroom course.  This is the seventh in a series of 10 posts on designing quality online courses. The nine steps are aimed mainly at instructors who are new to online learning, or have tried online learning without much help or success. The first six posts (which should be read before this post) are:

  • Nine steps to quality online learning: introduction
  • Nine steps to quality online learning: Step 1: Decide how you want to teach online
  • Nine steps to quality online-learning: Step 2: Decide on what kind of online course
  • Nine steps to quality online learning: Step 3: Work in a Team
  • Nine steps to quality online learning: Step 4: Build on existing resources
  • Nine steps to quality online learning: Step 5: Master the technology

http://www.tonybates.ca/2012/06/18/nine-steps-to-quality-online-learning-step-6-set-appropriate-learning-goals/

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Interaction in Massive Open Online Learning: Social Network for Class of 400,000

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:02 am

by Elise Young, Inside Higher Ed

Stanford University began sharing recordings of events and faculty presentations on iTunes U in 2005, and since then it has steadily increased its online offerings. With the launch of the updated iTunes U app in January, Stanford began to offer supplemental materials, such as assessments, quizzes and exams, with its 13 courses.  And this summer, for the first time, Stanford is adding another component to one of its online courses — interaction with other students. The course, iPad and iPhone Application Development, is the most popular of Stanford’s 13 iTunes U offerings, with more than 400,000 subscribers to the fall 2011 set of videos. The course, taught by Stanford Professor Paul Hegarty, already uses Piazza for its on-campus students, Izutsu said. The course is one of Stanford’s many experimental MOOCs (massively open online courses), he said. Stanford also offers courses through Coursera, a company which provides MOOCs internationally.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/06/19/stanford-adds-social-learning-component-free-online-course

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June 28, 2012

Online Learning Credentialing: The Real Tsunami

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

by William Durden, Inside Higher Ed

Imagine the moment when these completion exams permit a person to assemble learning from a variety of academic institutions and life experiences to complete a degree. At that moment, the monopoly of institutions over source and cost loosens, and the student gains control of how knowledge is to be gained and at what price. At that moment, the sources of learning are severed from credentialing. At that moment, American higher education is radically changed.

http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2012/06/11/essay-changes-may-most-threaten-traditional-higher-education

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Which college courses are best suited to online study?

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

By the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Going to college is a different prospect today than it was 50, 20 or even 10 years ago. The old days of pens and paper have been replaced with keyboards and laptops, which has made life a lot easier for a wide range of students. First-time and returning students often see great appeal in taking online courses. While brick-and-mortar classroom experiences have value, for many people who have busy schedules or live far away from campuses, online college courses make studying convenient. Some degrees and courses of study demand an in-classroom experience, but there is no shortage of programs that are well suited for an online learning environment. Whether you’re interested in business, engineering, health or liberal arts, there are online college courses that can provide a solid foundation for future career success.

http://www.jsonline.com/sponsoredarticles/education/which-college-courses-are-best-suited-to-online-study8065850111-159420035.html

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UW offers online courses for active-duty soldiers

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

By Meg Jones, the Journal Sentinel

Though many students are in the military, there are also civilian policy-makers, educators and businesspeople taking the three-credit graduate-level courses. Late last week, enrollment was 26 graduate students and another 212 undergraduates for the three classes. Aside from the world economics class, online course offerings include “Problems in American Foreign Policy” taught by political science professor Jon Pevehouse, and “Nuclear Weapons in World Politics” taught by Andrew Kydd, an associate professor of political science. Last fall Kydd’s lectures were recorded. He shortened some of the semester-long course to fit in the eight-week timeline, taped the short video introductions and paired his PowerPoint slides with the audio. Kydd figured some of his students wouldn’t have access to libraries, bookstores or Amazon, so all of the readings can be downloaded from the course website.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/uw-offers-online-courses-for-activeduty-soldiers-ud5q9qt-159370455.html

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June 27, 2012

How To Optimize Your Online Learning Experience Through Technology

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

By Patricia Neff, How to Learn

As a student in any degree program, you will find many high-tech gadgets advertised as invaluable to the online learning process. Some of these devices do provide benefits in the academic environment, particularly for students enrolled in distance online learning programs. The following devices should be considered for any online learning “must-have” gear list.

http://www.howtolearn.com/2012/06/how-to-optimize-your-online-learning-experience-through-technology

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Learning Online: Building Different MOOC’s for Different Pedagogical Needs

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

by Curtis J. Bonk, professor of education, Indiana University at Bloomington via the Chronicle of Higher Ed

My chief concern is that there have been MOOC’s in the past, and some people seem to treat them as a type of religious experience both in terms of the content covered and the ways in which information is displayed, communicated, and reused. However, each MOOC is different. I think we need additional research on how to structure a MOOC, the types and forms of incentives to embed in such a course, the forms of learning assistance or scaffolding that are now possible, the range of resources that can bolster a MOOC-like experience, and so on. But a successful MOOC for an introductory or intermediate college course is much different in content and delivery format than what might prove effective in a professional-development MOOC.

http://chronicle.com/article/Building-Different-MOOCs-for/132127/

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Start-ups want to give you an online learning college education for free

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:02 am

By Mike Abrams, CNBC.com

Technology start-ups are cracking into the higher education market and there pitch is an enticing one: A college education for anyone at almost no cost. Sound to good to be true? The founders of tech start-ups behind this revolutionary idea say they have already had success with their models, but they say there needs to be more momentum if their idea is to succeed. “The 99% should be protesting college campuses,” says Sebastian Thrun, a Stanford University artificial intelligence professor, who recently co-founded Udacity, a technology start-up dedicated to providing higher education at a very low cost.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-06-17/tech-start-up-college-education/55619252/1

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June 26, 2012

A Conversation With Bill Gates About the Future of Higher Education

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:57 pm

by Jeffrey R. Young, Chronicle of Higher Ed

The Chronicle sat down with Mr. Gates in an exclusive interview Monday to talk about his vision for how colleges can be transformed through technology. The Microsoft founder doesn’t claim to have all the answers. In fact, he describes the foundation’s process as one of continual refinement: “to learn, make mistakes, try new things out, find new partners to do things.” The interview comes on the eve of Mr. Gates’s keynote speech at an event Tuesday to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Act, which created the nationwide system of land-grant colleges. The “convocation” will be held in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities.

http://chronicle.com/article/A-Conversation-With-Bill-Gates/132591/

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Reusable MOOC: When massive sync is lasting async

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

by Curt Bonk, Travelin’ EdMan Blog

Five Forms of Openness

Naturally, when you teach a massive open online course (MOOC), there is an emphasis on openness. In fact, I have tried to document and put on display this openness in the prequel to my World is Open book titled, “Sharing…the Journey.” Hence, I better be as open as can be about the MOOC resources or the critics will come out yet again. First of all, the MOOC that I did last month with CourseSites by Blackboard remains open. Register and explore this course or other ones from the CourseSites open course series. I am fully aware that, for various reasons, some people might be hesitant to register for it and explore the materials. So… I move on the second form of openness (i.e., this blog).

http://travelinedman.blogspot.com/2012/06/reusable-mooc-when-massive-sync-is.html

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Online Learning: The Online University Meets the Gym Rat: Online PhysEd

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

By Drew Hendricks, Business2Community

It may seem that fitness fads have been around for eons, but they are actually relatively new, at least in the form we currently think of. What we do know is that doctors and scientists now agree that regular exercise, a diet low in processed foods, and eating in moderation are all excellent starts to becoming physically fit. In fact, these days, it is possible to say that we’re in an era of fitness awareness. So much so, that many universities with online programs also have programs to help people become trainers. There are also associations that can provide online courses in aerobics and fitness generally.

http://www.business2community.com/tech-gadgets/the-online-university-meets-the-gym-rat-online-physed-0197800

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Can Foreign Languages Go Digital with Online Learning?

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:02 am

By Catherine Groux, US News

Today, enrollment in online courses is growing at a faster rate than that of overall higher education, and more schools are striving to increase their web-based programs. However, while many courses made an easy transition to online education, some schools have struggled to create high-quality foreign language degree programs that are offered exclusively over the Internet.

http://www.usnewsuniversitydirectory.com/articles/can-foreign-languages-go-digital-with-online-educa_12458.aspx

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June 25, 2012

‘Anyone With A Laptop Or Tablet Can Take Our Course. We Are Democratising Education.’

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

ASHISH KUMAR SEN interviews ANANT AGARWAL, Outlook India

Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have recently teamed up to form edX, a not-for-profit online education initiative that aims to teach millions worldwide and reinvent campus-based learning. Anant Agarwal, edX president, told Washington correspondent Ashish Kumar Sen in a freewheeling phone interview that he is confident this partnership will transform education. Excerpts: The idea is for edX to create an open source online learning platform on which we can offer courses to people around the world. Our vision is to educate a billion people. We also want to reinvent education on our campuses. We haven’t really had any huge innovations in education in centuries. Our aim is to bring computing technology to bear on learning. With the amazing progress in computing and Internet technologies, we believe that we can reach millions of people around the world who do not have access to a high-quality education. edX will be a creating a platform which will be open source, not for profit, and a portal for a website where universities will offer their courses. For example, mit courses will be offered as MITx and Harvard courses as HarvardX. Over time, other universities will also be joining us.

http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?281311

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For many, summer school courses can be completed through online learning

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

by Phyllis Coulter, Bloomington Pantagraph

Driven by the explosion of online learning opportunities and the need to cut costs, school systems are increasingly turning to new ways of offering summer school and to “credit recovery” programs that allow students to take online classes during the school year. The goal is to keep students on track toward graduation. Instead of a teacher teaching one subject to the whole class as in traditional summer school, students work at computers in the same room on courses ranging from British literature to geometry and music appreciation. These courses cost students $25 — far less than the $200 cost that they would have paid for traditional summer school — but they have limited enrollment.

http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/education/for-many-summer-school-courses-can-be-completed-online/article_cca09b04-b74e-11e1-8c68-001a4bcf887a.html?comment_form=true

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Online Learning: The Future of Higher Education is Online

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:02 am

by Rick Reis, Tomorrow’s Professor (Stanford)

“This talk discusses the future of higher education, which has been based on the same educational model for more than 100 years. But the status quo is about to be disrupted, by the Internet and those educators — including new competitors — who would unleash its potential. Higher education institutions as a whole have not adequately recognized the threat to the status quo, or come close to responding adequately to it. In truth, responding adequately will be very difficult, because higher ed faces a classic innovator\’s dilemma ”

http://cgi.stanford.edu/~dept-ctl/cgi-bin/tomprof/posting.php?ID=1175

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June 24, 2012

Open Online Learning – One of Five Top Tech Trends among Venture Capitalists

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

by Robert Hof, Forbes

Everyone in Silicon Valley wants to know what’s coming next, and every year for the past 13 years, a panel of the most forward-thinking minds in technology and tech finance convenes here to provide a look at what innovations are likely to emerge in the next few years….

2) Zero Marginal Cost Education: Public education faces massive disruption. Gordon (not Thiel, who has been flogging the excessive cost of college) says public schools are not very productive. Moore’s Law improves better than we’re growing great teachers. Anytime you see an industry propped up by monopolist unions and deferred investment, you know it’s tired. At Stanford University, great professors can get 150,000 students, not 150. We just can’t do it in ballrooms. People who grew up digital don’t like sitting around and listening to experts talk. “Technology can enable better education” seems to be Gordon’s message.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthof/2012/05/22/the-top-10-tech-trends-according-to-5-top-tech-vcs/

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U.S. Youth Spend More Time on Computers, Less in Front of TV

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

by DYLAN SCOTT, Governing

America’s youth are plugging into their computers more and watching television a little less, according to the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week. According to the survey, 31.1 percent of high school students spend three hours or more on the computer every day (up from 24.9 percent in 2007 and 21.1 percent in 2005) while 32.4 percent watch three hours of television every day (down from 35.4 percent in 2007 and 37.2 in 2005). Habits vary significantly across states. Students in Hawaii (36.6 percent) are nearly twice as likely as their peers in Utah (18.7 percent) to log three or more hours daily on their computers. The same holds true for television: 42.6 percent of Mississippi youth spend three or more hours in front of the television every day, compared to 19.3 percent in Utah.

http://www.governing.com/blogs/view/gov-us-youth-spend-more-time-on-computers-less-in-front-of-tv.html

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