Online Learning Update

By Jacquie Posey, Penn Current

When Al Filreis, the Kelly Professor of English, agreed to teach his Modern & Contemporary American Poetry course to tens of thousands of students around the world through the online platform called Coursera, there was no way for him to know how profoundly it would change the life of one young man. There were, after all, 36,000 people enrolled in the class. Yet one student, a 17-year-old from New York named Daniel Bergmann, stood out. Not only because of the quality of his academic work (an essay Bergmann wrote on the poem “I taste a liquor never brewed” by Emily Dickinson is what first caught Filreis’ eye). But also because Bergmann is autistic, and he credits the Coursera class with helping him emerge from the isolation of his condition to become an active participant in the 10-week course on contemporary American poetry. “Please tell Coursera and Penn my story,” Bergmann wrote in an open letter to Filreis, thanking him for teaching him how to function in a larger, expanded, artistic world.

http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/current/2012-12-20/latest-news/how-online-class-poetry-changed-student%E2%80%99s-life

by Harvard Gazette

EdX, the online learning initiative founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), announced its spring course and module offerings today. With an emphasis on the humanities and the social sciences, topics include the concept of the hero in classical Greek civilization and literature, the riddle of world poverty, and global environmental change. Harvard will offer four new courses during the spring season and several “beta” learning modules. Although students will be able to register for the HarvardX and edX courses immediately, the start and completion dates of each will vary.

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/12/edx-springs-into-action/

by Virtual College (UK)

The majority of human resources (HR) and training professionals are planning to boost e-learning facilities at their company next year. According to new research conducted by event solutions firm ON24, 91 per cent of business leaders have these intentions, while one-third claimed they will be increasing use of online learning platforms by 25 per cent. In addition, it was found that almost three-quarters (74 per cent) of learning professionals are considering launching virtual learning environments in the next six to 12 months, while 72 per cent could be rolling out webinars. Tom Masotto, vice-president of product management at ON24, said the study reveals the biggest challenge facing HR professionals and employers at present is an increasingly dispersed organisation. “The need to train global workforces and desires for more engaging training are driving interest in virtual learning environments,” he added.

http://www.virtual-college.co.uk/news/HR-leaders-planning-to-use-elearning-in-2013-newsitems-801509727.aspx

by the Economist

One spur is economic and political pressure to improve productivity in higher education. The cost per student in America has risen at almost five times the rate of inflation since 1983. For universities beset by heavy debts, smaller taxpayer subsidies and a cyclical decline in enrolment, online courses mean better tuition, higher graduation rates and lower-cost degrees. New technology also gives the innovative a chance to shine against their rivals.MOOCs are more than good university lectures available online. The real innovation comes from integrating academics talking with interactive coursework, such as automated tests, quizzes and even games. Real-life lectures have no pause, rewind (or fast-forward) buttons; MOOCs let students learn at their own pace, typically with short, engaging videos, modelled on the hugely successful online lecturettes pioneered by TED, a non-profit organiser of upmarket mindfests.

http://www.economist.com/news/international/21568738-online-courses-are-transforming-higher-education-creating-new-opportunities-best

by Georgia Tech Professional Education

Online education has become overwhelmingly popular and is evolving at a rapid pace due in large part to the expansion of massively open online courses (MOOCs). To meet the increased demands on those who teach via online modalities, Dr. Fatimah Wirth, an instructional designer with Georgia Tech Professional Education, will conduct the first Coursera course focused on creating, designing, and organizing online curriculum. Open to anyone, Fundamentals of Online Education: Planning and Application is a free, six-week course that begins Jan. 28, 2013. In Fundamentals of Online Education: Planning and Application, participants will learn the basics of proper planning and applications for online education. Topics include online learning pedagogy, online course design, privacy and copyright issues, online assessments, web tools and Learning Management Systems. The course format includes lecture videos, quizzes, standalone assignments, and peer assessments. Participants will build an online course as part of their final project.

http://www.newswise.com/articles/georgia-tech-coursera-offering-educates-participants-on-how-to-plan-launch-and-teach-online-courses

by Open Culture

Salman Khan’s model for free online education hinges on the micro lecture—brief tutorials on nearly every subject under the sun—delivered through YouTube. Launched in 2006, the Khan Academy now has a library of 3000 videos. That’s not bad, especially for a site with the elevated goal of providing a “free world-class education for anyone anywhere.” With the help of hundreds of volunteers, the site’s content is accessible in 18 languages. But even with all of that effort, Khan doesn’t achieve the global reach that it promises. The fact is that only 35 percent of the world’s population has access to the internet, which puts the idea of online learning behind a virtual firewall for many people.

http://www.openculture.com/2012/12/introducing_ka_lite_an_offline_version_of_the_khan_academy_that_runs_on_almost_anything.html

by Associated Press

The board that oversees Florida’s public universities is examining ways to expand online learning. The Board of Governors Strategic Planning Committee focused on four options during a meeting Monday in Davie. The panel directed State University System staffers to do further research on combining two options. Those are collaboration among multiple universities and letting one school take the lead in developing online courses for the system. The committee also plans to continue discussion of creating a new online university.

http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/21009352741142/florida-universities-may-expand-online-learning/

by Venture Beat

Grockit, a startup that applies social learning to online test preparation, has raised $20 million in new funding. The investment is part of a partnership with Discovery Communucations, which led the round, and the two companies will work together to promote Grockit’s new product, Learnist. Learnist launched to the public in May and expanded Grockit’s domain beyond standardized testing. The site looks a lot like Pinterest for online learning. Users can view lessons in a user-friendly board format as well as build their own and share. The platform supports over 30 types of embeddable media.

http://venturebeat.com/2012/12/18/grockit-makes-20m-deal-with-discovery-to-invigorate-online-learning/

By Tanya Roscorla, Center for Digital Ed

An elective class arms students with big data analysis skills that are in high demand. In general, people with big data analysis skills and real experience are hard to find, said Gilad Mishne, engineering manager of search at Twitter. And competition between companies for these skilled people is hot, especially in the Silicon Valley. Because users send 400 million tweets a day, Twitter needs complex algorithms to analyze all that data. And it needs skilled engineers to do the job. So it partnered with UC Berkeley on a class that teaches students how to analyze data using real tweets.

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/news/Twitter-Berkeley-Big-Data.html

by the Next Web

While it seems like some brick-and-mortar institutions (such as the aforementioned Stanford) are listening to the way that technology is shifting the way we both teach and learn, there are far more that aren’t moving into the e-learning realm efficiently and effectively. And if that trend continues, then there will be far fewer brick-and-mortar institutions out there in the future – and that’s not necessarily the best news for education either. Educational instituions need only look at the music, print, and film industry to know that if they don’t move to keep pace with what technology will allow, then technology – and ultimately, society – will them behind.

http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/12/15/an-education-in-e-learning/

By Nick Anderson, WASHINGTON POST

The addition of Georgetown to edX marks the latest development in a fast-growing movement that aspires to connect the ivory tower to the world. Millions of people have signed up on Web sites for massive open online courses, or MOOCs, which offer self-paced learning via video lectures, tests, homework, discussion boards, and digital interfaces. Advocates say MOOCs will democratize higher education and spark a teaching revolution. Skeptics call it little more than brand promotion. EdX, which Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology launched in May, hosts MOOCs from those schools and University of California at Berkeley. The University of Texas system joined as did Wellesley College recently. Like Georgetown, they plan to add MOOCs to edX next year.

http://bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2012/12/16/elite-colleges-take-web/y4BAwxPVsSPOvDsUhMYvSI/story.html

by the BBC

Eleven universities in the UK are to provide free online access to higher education courses. King’s College London, along with the universities of Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Anglia, Exeter, Lancaster, Leeds, Southampton, St Andrews and Warwick are taking part in a scheme that is hoped to offer an alternative to US programmes Coursera and edX. Futurelearn is being led by the Open University and its Chief Executive Simon Nelson spoke to the BBC.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-20729043

by William Hersh, Infomatics Professor

As enthusiastic as I am about the use of educational technology, I do not see online courses alone comprising the entire educational experience. Even in our online graduate program, we encourage networking and participation in professional organizations among our students. We have created a practicum and internship program that allows even our remote students to get real-world experience. A “distance education” in our program is not just a succession of online courses. Our students are engaged in a virtual community with us. At the same time, I also worry that low-cost college education may create a two-class system, one of children of parents with the means to afford a four-year in-residence college education and all of its benefits, and the other of students whose college experience is mostly impersonal. I believe we need a balance.

http://informaticsprofessor.blogspot.com/2012/12/if-moocs-are-answer-what-is-question.html

by the Independent

The deal just agreed between the Open University and leading conventional universities to provide courses online could be the most significant development in UK higher education for decades. As a result, students from all over the world will be able to access courses run by Russell Group universities, such as Birmingham, Bristol and King’s College London, through a company – Futurelearn Ltd – set up by the Open University. To some extent, the UK has been slow off the mark in this respect. Although the Open University was a pioneer in distance learning in its time, many US universities have beaten their UK counterparts to the provision of internet courses. Not only that, but as the Universities minister, David Willetts, points out, emerging economies such as Brazil, India and China have already jumped on the bandwagon. As a result, their academies – and those in the US – are becoming household names to students around the world. The new scheme is thus essential to ensure that the UK maintains its position as a world-class provider of higher education.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/editorials/editorial-online-could-be-the-future-of-learning-8418145.html

by JESSIE CHUANG, Classroom Aid

The technology behind Augmented Reality is taking a real-world view and enhancing it with computer-generated imagery. Whether this is done by using a computer monitor and camera or fitted goggles to imprint imagery in the lenses, augmenting in this manner has great possibilities for a variety of tasks. Educators of all kinds are implementing this technology and the progress has been nothing short of excellent. Children that use this technology have remained focused on the task and have seemed more attentive to the lesson. How can AR technology impact our educational system for primary and tertiary learning?

http://classroom-aid.com/2012/12/15/10-ways-augmented-reality-could-change-learning-experience/

by CSU

There are several advantages of online learning, including cost, commute (or lack thereof), and flexibility, not to mention the fact that students can attend class in their pjs. However, online learning can create a feeling of isolation – if someone lets it. Check out this list of online learning tips for things that CSU OnlinePlus is doing and things students can do to make their online learning experience more personal.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/977276#ixzz2F9kzikTn

by leah, Science Exchange

Offering quality education to millions of people worldwide is profound for its potential impact on science. Open education will allow scientists to easily and quickly learn about subjects outside their field of expertise, facilitating cross-disciplinary pollination, which is known to fuel major breakthroughs. Academic scientists can also use MOOCs and Khan Academy to learn basic business skills to help transition to industry. More importantly, increasing the number of people who understand science will effectively broaden our peer base and, coupled with community labs, will facilitate the emergence of citizen science.

http://blog.scienceexchange.com/2012/12/moocs-and-khan-academy-opening-up-science-education/

by Jamie Alexandre, Jamie Alexander Blog

We’re currently experiencing what we’re calling an “online learning revolution” — but what about the 65% of the world that can’t take advantage of it? KA Lite is a lightweight web app for serving core Khan Academy content (videos and exercises) without needing internet connectivity, from a local server. This is the story of how the project came about, and why I think it’s important.

http://jamiealexandre.com/blog/2012/12/12/ka-lite-offline-khan-academy/

By Marc Parry, Chronicle of Higher Ed

Two institutions, the Universities of Edinburgh and London, have recently signed on to offer massive open online learning courses via the American company Coursera. Yet in Britain, said the Guardian newspaper, “there is scarcely a whiff of the evangelism and excitement bubbling away in America, where venture capitalists and leading universities are ploughing millions” into MOOC’s. That’s changing. Some leading British universities on Friday announced plans to offer free online courses through a new company being created by the Open University, a longstanding distance-education provider. The company, FutureLearn, will offer courses from the Universities of Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Anglia, Exeter, Lancaster, Leeds, Southampton, St. Andrews, and Warwick, as well as King’s College London. Many of those institutions belong to the Russell Group, an association of Britain’s top research-intensive universities.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/leading-british-universities-join-new-mooc-venture/41211

by N.S. Ramnath, Forbes India

In the future, there will be more universities, more top-class professors, and more companies like Coursera. The technology promises to improve. So far, courses have spawned face-to-face study groups across the world, and that promises to get more organised. Supplementary services are coming up. Recently launched Coursetalk (coursetalk.org) promises to help identify the best courses from MOOCs, an equivalent of Yelp!

http://forbesindia.com/article/cheat-sheet/how-online-tutorials-became-a-rage/34295/1

By KAREN SYMMS GALLAGHER, US News

What troubles me about the open online class splash is the fig leaf that they provide higher ed leaders who appear to be embracing the full promise of online learning while actually doing little more than installing cameras and brighter lighting in the most popular classes. So much more is possible. Many higher ed leaders have yet to fully embrace the challenge and the promise of the digital revolution, because it’s hard. It takes a willingness to rethink how we’ve been teaching since Socrates. It requires a willingness to restructure and re-examine decades, sometimes centuries, of conventional wisdom about how students learn. It requires updating longstanding curriculum to match today’s digital native students.

Most of all, embracing the promise of online learning requires leadership.

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2012/12/12/rethinking-higher-ed-open-online-learning