Online Learning Update

May 31, 2014

Tomorrow’s Professor; “Private and Secure” Online Classes?

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

by Ellen Cohn, University of Pittsburgh

The posting linked below addresses privacy vulnerabilities in the online learning environment. Given the seriousness of potential breaches, the authors suggest that universities and their instructors collaborate to construct “Privacy Policies,” and “Terms of Use Policies,” and that all persons who access an online course site affirm they have read and accept such policies before they are afforded access to the content of an online class. Written by Ellen Cohn, PhD and Valerie Watzlaf, PhD, from the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, the post is adapted via terms of the Creative Commons License, from “‘Informed “Privacy’ and ‘Terms of Use’ Policies for Online University Courses,” published in the Proceedings of the 2013 Technology, Colleges and Community and Worldwide Online Conference.

http://cgi.stanford.edu/~dept-ctl/cgi-bin/tomprof/posting.php?ID=1329

Share on Facebook

Missouri State U Improves Learning Outcomes With Flipped Course

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:04 am

By Leila Meyer, Campus Technology

Missouri State University (MSU) has implemented a flipped classroom model for its Introductory Psychology course, resulting in dramatic improvements in student learning outcomes and course completion rates. The faculty members in the MSU psychology department developed the redesign plan. “We did a lot of reading of the literature and we knew pedagogically we wanted to break this course down and start over,” said Danae Hudson, associate professor of psychology. That reading led them to select a flipped classroom model. “We really wanted that kind of model for our class, where we basically had to force the students to be engaged with the material because prior to this they weren’t,” she said.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/05/21/missouri-state-u-improves-learning-outcomes-with-flipped-classroom.aspx

Share on Facebook

Online courses increasing in popularity

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

by China Economic Network

Massive Open Online Courses – which involve widespread participation and open access through the Internet – were initiated in the West. However, users in China now form one of the largest student groups. On April 29, 2014, the Ministry of Education set up its xuetangX.com online education center under Tsinghua University. This online course platform is based on edX, which was jointly established by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2012. Tsinghua University started to work with and provide courses to edX in May 2013, and launched its first series of online courses in October. So far, the university has provided 25 online courses, first through its own website and now through xuetangX.com. The platform has more than 120, 000 registered users.

http://en.ce.cn/National/Education/201405/26/t20140526_2874045.shtml

Share on Facebook

May 30, 2014

Community colleges to offer online, at-your-pace degrees

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

by eCampus News

Competency-based learning catching on at Washington state community colleges/ They are known as two-year colleges, but soon some of their students likely will receive degrees without regard to how much time was spent earning them. Taking a page from a popular online university, some of Washington’s community colleges plan next year to let students earn a degree at their own pace and get credit for what they already know. The all-online degrees will be available to students at a growing number of schools, including Pierce College, with Tacoma Community College expected to join the list. At first, the new kind of degree will go only to students earning associate degrees in business that prepare them for transfer to a four-year business school.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/community-colleges-online-022/

Share on Facebook

What universities need to know about net neutrality

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

By Jake New, Editor, eCampus News

How will the FCC’s recent ruling on net neutrality affect colleges and universities? The internet is abuzz with reaction to the Federal Communication Commission’s proposal this past Thursday to change net neutrality rules and create a “fast lane” for the internet (at extra cost). Free-internet advocates, internet providers, politicians, and online companies are all weighing in on the controversial ruling. But Jeff Livingston, senior vice president of education policy at McGraw-Hill Education, says there are some voices that may need to be louder: those in education. Livingston talked to eCampus News on Wednesday about how the ruling — which would allow (or, depending on who you’re talking to, force) companies and websites to pay for a faster internet — could affect colleges and universities.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/colleges-net-neutrality-022/

Share on Facebook

4 easy solutions for a successful blended learning transition

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

By Peter West, eSchool News

The blended learning classroom is different, and the strategies of the past need to be modified. The world changes, and when it does the old ways of doing things may no longer work. The answers that used to be correct in the past may now lead to incorrect answers. This should be a mantra for education in the 21st century; it should be a mantra for the move to blended learning. In the past an experienced teacher could modify a traditional lesson, and even a traditional course “on the fly.” However, the “rules” of the past no longer apply in this area; it is very difficult to build a blended learning course “on the fly.” Some explanation of this statement follows, with a course delivered in a “traditional” manner compared to a course delivered using a blended learning model.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/05/26/students-blended-learning-251/

Share on Facebook

May 29, 2014

How to graduate more students with bachelor’s degrees in Washington state

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

by Eric Spangeberg, Seattle Times

A common barrier to innovation is hesitancy in changing our view of what constitutes a college experience. In the future — indeed, even now — institutions will not be collections of buildings, but a combination of those fixed assets along with innovative people using technology to meet students where they are, delivering relevant and affordable educational opportunities. Efficiencies are obvious: It takes the same number of faculty to deliver the same degree program online to 10 times the number of face-to-face students. Instead of constructing unnecessary buildings at locations around our state, devote more intellectual and financial resources to developing new models for offering degree programs. Perhaps blended programs mixing face-to-face with online delivery make the most sense moving forward for many degree programs, as WSU is developing in Everett. (NOTE: Eric Spangenberg, originally from Kelso, is leaving as dean of The Carson College at Washington State University to become dean of The Merage School at University of California Irvine.)

http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2023684067_ericspangenbergopedcollege25xml.html?syndication=rss

Share on Facebook

The Crisis In The ‘Ivory Tower’

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

by ANYA KAMENETZ, NPR

Ivory Tower is a new film about higher education at a crossroads. A trillion dollars in debt. Financial outlook downgraded. Skyrocketing prices, yet falling or stagnant revenue for 40 percent of the sector. Government threatening to increase regulation. By the standards of Wall Street, higher ed is in deep trouble. Ivory Tower, a new documentary from CNN and Participant Media opening in theaters next month, attempts to unpack that complexity. Turmoil is nothing new to filmmaker Andrew Rossi. His previous film, Page One: Inside the New York Times, explored another troubled American institution.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2014/05/23/314923096/the-crisis-in-the-ivory-tower

Share on Facebook

How Do We Teach Digital Literacy to Digital Natives?

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

By A. Honeysett, Edudemic

Is it possible for our students to be both digital natives and digitally unaware? Young people today are instant messengers, gamers, photo sharers and supreme multitaskers. But while they use the technology tools available to them 24/7, they are struggling to sort fact from fiction, think critically, decipher cultural inferences, detect commercial intent and analyze social implications. All of which makes them extremely vulnerable to the overwhelming amount of information they have access to through the digital tools they use—and love!—so much. In fact, teachers surveyed in a recent Pew Study say they worry about “students’ overdependence on search engines. In total, 83% of teachers surveyed agreed that the amount of information available to students online is overwhelming, and 60% agreed that today’s digital technologies make it harder for students to track down and use credible sources.

http://www.edudemic.com/teach-digital-literacy-digital-natives/

Share on Facebook

May 28, 2014

2U’s University Partners to Offer Cross-University Course Enrollment

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:04 am

by 2U

2U, Inc., a leading provider of cloud-based software-as-a-service solutions for leading nonprofit colleges and universities to deliver high-quality education to qualified students anywhere, announced today a new cross-university course enrollment initiative. This is an opportunity for students in 2U-enabled graduate programs to enroll in select courses from other 2U-enabled programs. The new initiative was announced today at the first annual 2U Symposium in Santa Monica, California, a gathering of education innovators and leaders from 2U’s network of partner colleges and universities. Nine 2U partner programs are participating in the initiative, and more than 50 courses from the network will be available to students in these programs. Through this cross-program initiative, students will have an opportunity to expand their studies to areas that may not be offered within their own graduate program.

http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20140522-912254.html

Share on Facebook

5 rockstar superprofessors of online learning

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

By Jake New, Editor, eCampus News

Much has been written about how massive open online courses (MOOCs) have given rise to a cast of so-called “rockstar professors.” rockstarWhile rockstar professors aren’t actually a new concept, their star power has always been more-or-less confined to the campus where they teach — unless, of course, they get their own TV show, like Neil deGrasse Tyson. MOOCs, however, have given these other charismatic professors a global stage in which to teach and — for better or worse — to entertain.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/rockstar-superprofessors-023/

Share on Facebook

Enrollment doubles in UGA online summer courses

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

By LEE SHEARER, Online Athens

Enrollment in a set of high-demand University of Georgia summer courses has nearly doubled in the second year the university has offered them. “Enrollment was 1,096 last year, and it’s almost 2,000 this year,” said Keith Bailey, director of UGA’s Office of Online Learning. The university was slow to embrace the world of online teaching and learning, but began ramping up such classes a little more than a year ago. Some UGA units such as the College of Education have had not only online courses, but online degree programs for years. But last summer, UGA began offering three dozen courses that were online versions of courses students have to take before graduation.

http://onlineathens.com/breaking-news/2014-05-23/enrollment-doubles-uga-online-summer-courses

Share on Facebook

May 27, 2014

UT Pilot Program Success in MOOC Technology Leads to Continued State Investment

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

by the University of Tennessee

One year into a two-year pilot program, UT’s test of a new online learning technology platform has achieved successful outcomes that have resulted in additional state funding. Launched in May 2013, the pilot program uses technology developed by Coursera and edX, national innovators in massive open online courses, or MOOCs. The initiative is a partnership between the UT System and the Tennessee Board of Regents and is funded by a $1 million appropriation from the state of Tennessee for online innovation projects in connection with Governor Haslam’s “Drive to 55″ campaign. Based largely on the pilot’s initial success, an additional $1 million appropriation was approved by the legislature last month. The funding will be used to apply lessons learned from the pilot or to test additional ways technology can be leveraged to improve student outcomes.

http://tntoday.utk.edu/2014/05/22/ut-pilot-program-success-mooc-technology-leads-continued-state-investment/

Share on Facebook

Six Online Learning Trends To Watch: A Q&A With Curtis Bonk

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

By Mackenzie Hurlbert, Skilled-up

As a longtime expert in e-learning, Curtis Bonk, Professor of Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University, has a reputation as a trend spotter and thoughtful analyst of online learning. He’s also an experienced teacher in this format himself, and his series of 27 YouTube videos on how to teach online was for many years the go-to resource for teachers new to this environment. Bonk is the author of several books about online education, including a new one titled Adding Some Tec-Variety: 100+ Activities for Motivating and Retaining Learners Online, which is available to download free as a PDF or to purchase in hard copy from Amazon.

http://www.skilledup.com/blog/online-learning-trends-curtis-bonk/

Share on Facebook

Northwestern to offer free online course for alumni

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

by Tyler Pager, Daily Northwestern

Northwestern is offering a free massive open online course this summer exclusively for NU alumni and friends.  The course, Content Strategy for Professionals: Engaging Audiences for Your Organization, will run from June 9 to July 20. It is designed for professionals to better understand audiences and improve communication strategies. In the winter, NU offered its first content strategy MOOC, which drew interest from more than 21,000 professionals in 141 countries. This edition of the course be available only for NU alumni and other individuals they recommend, including clients, family and friends.

http://dailynorthwestern.com/2014/05/20/campus/northwestern-to-offer-free-online-course-for-alumni/

Share on Facebook

May 26, 2014

U.S. Online Degrees Pose Challenges for International Students

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

By Devon Haynie, US News

Online education can provide great opportunities for international students like Reda, but they can also have their drawbacks, experts say. In this article experts share insights on the unique challenges online learning can pose for students outside of the U.S. While online education is becoming a more accepted form of study in the U.S., that’s not always the case in other countries, says Judith Murray, CEO at EdVantage America, a company which helps prepare students to succeed in the American education system. Understanding American cultural references can be tough for any international student, but perhaps more so for online students, who don’t have the benefit of living inside the country while they’re studying.

http://news.yahoo.com/u-online-degrees-pose-challenges-international-students-130000085.html

Share on Facebook

Codecademy Takes Its Free Coding Lessons Worldwide

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

BY CHRISTINA WARREN, Mashable

Codecademy, the free online learning platform that teaches users to code, is going global. Since its launch in 2011, more than 24 million users have completed more than 100 million exercises on the Codecademy platform. But even though 70% of all those users are from outside the United States, the lessons themselves have always been in English. Until now. On Thursday, Codecademy announced a new global initiative to help bring those lessons and skills to other languages. According to Codecademy CEO and cofounder Zach Sims, this initiative is the first step to making the platform truly global. Codecademy has partnered with governments and education groups in Brazil, France, the United Kingdom, Estonia and Argentina to better align its lessons and platforms for those regions.

http://mashable.com/2014/05/22/codecademy-international/

Share on Facebook

Prisoners Should Get Free Education to Reduce Recidivism, Newt Gingrich Says

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

by Michael Gryboski, Free Republic

Prisoners should be provided free education in order to reduce crime and recidivism, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich declared at a gathering of conservative advocates of prison reform. Right on Crime, a Texas-based coalition of conservative public figures and elected officials, had a two day Leadership Summit at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center Tuesday and Wednesday. Newt Gingrich gave remarks at the Wednesday morning session, describing some of the needs he believed had to be met for meaningful prison reform. While still supportive of the early 1990’s “war on crime” measures championed by the likes of New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Gingrich believed that more had to be done than merely arresting people. Gingrich told The Christian Post “If we can’t figure out a way to use online learning and other systems to help you learn how to read and how to be productive why would we think you are going to get a job when you get out of prison?”

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3158738/posts

Share on Facebook

Creighton high school student uses online classes to graduate a year early

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

By Natasha Rausch, Daily News

KyLeah Sorensen was ready to get out of the high school scene. One year and 13 classes later, Sorensen received her diploma as a third-year student thanks to an online program known as APEX Learning System. Sorensen, who lives in Creighton, attended Creighton Community High School for just three years before graduating. Nearing the end of her sophomore year, Sorensen decided she needed a change of pace. “I realized school wasn’t for me,” she said. “So I tried to come up with a way to get out early.” After meeting with the principal, superintendent and her parents, Sorensen decided that online classes would be the best option.

http://norfolkdailynews.com/news/creighton-student-uses-online-classes-to-graduate-a-year-early/article_3544abe0-e0f2-11e3-ab39-001a4bcf6878.html

Share on Facebook

May 25, 2014

Federal Student Privacy Legislation Opens Up for Public Discussion

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

by Center for Digital Ed

After months of talk about updates to federal student privacy legislation, senators Edward J. Markey and Orrin Hatch have published draft federal legislation that’s open for public comment. The proposed update to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act was announced on Wednesday, May 14, and focuses on shoring up student data privacy loopholes that third-party technology companies could exploit. The draft legislation places restrictions on how third-party companies can collect, use and store student data. It also holds school districts even more accountable for keeping student data private. In addition, the senators give parents more rights when it comes to knowing what student data schools are collecting and who is able to access it. The language outlines steps that parents can take to request access to information, correct inaccurate or misleading information, and see which private companies can view the information.

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/news/Federal-Student-Privacy-Legislation-Opens-Up-for-Public-Discussion.html

Share on Facebook

As Law Schools Recover, Online Learning Part Of The Equation

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

By MICHAEL BRINDLEY, NH Public Radio

New Hampshire Bar Association President Jaye Rancourt says online learning is likely have a larger place in legal education, as schools adapt to a changing market. But she says there’s already growing tension between older, more experienced lawyers and the younger generation coming into the field and relying more on email to communicate. “I would hate to see a movement of more younger lawyers coming out of law school relying even more on technology and less on face-to-face contact.” Another part of what may be holding law schools back are restrictions when it comes to accreditation. “Under our rules, a law school may give students up to 12 units of credit for fully online courses toward the Juris doctorate. And the standards, our standards require a minimum of 83 credits to graduate,” said Barry Currier, managing director of accreditation and legal education for the American Bar Association.

http://nhpr.org/post/law-schools-recover-online-learning-part-equation

Share on Facebook
Older Posts »

Powered by WordPress