Online Learning Update

By Meris Stansbury, eCampus News

Online and blended learning, or eLearning, is becoming par-for-the-course in everything from company professional development to campuses across the country. According to SHIFT’s disruptive eLearning blog, there are six eLearning trends that are critical for implementation now to stay relevant in the future. “Technology is changing, and will continue to change, the way we communicate with learners, the way we design courses, how we learn and teach,” said SHIFT. Therefore, eLearning has to adapt and find new ways to meet changing times, the blog continues. Simply incorporating different tools to current eLearning strategy isn’t enough, as faculty, IT and curriculum designers must understand and embrace the meaning and the implications of these changes in the eLearning development process. According to SHIFT, to get from “here” to “there” faculty have to first understand where the “there” actually is. This list represents the “newest and most important “rules” for eLearning today:”

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/elearning-trends-design-339/

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

Digital textbooks are becoming a bigger part of the vernacular in higher education. A recent survey showed that slightly more than three out of five students use interactive textbooks with features that include video, audio and quizzes; more than two out of five students work in courses that use apps, social media and online productivity tools; and one out of three students has attended flipped classrooms in which they watch video lectures before heading to class. About a quarter of students have attended some form of massive, open, online course.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/09/02/survey-digital-textbooks-gaining-esteem-in-student-eyes.aspx

By Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

The global lecture capture market is poised to grow 24.1 percent in the next five years, from revenues of $162.0 million in 2013 to $592.2 million in 2019, according to a recent analysis from research firm Frost & Sullivan. The study spanned lecture capture hardware, software and software-as-a-service. “The global demand for LCS [lecture capture solutions] is on the rise, with colleges and schools alike recognizing that digital learning is a must-have feature for modern education,” said Frost & Sullivan Digital Media Industry Manager Avni Rambhia.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/09/04/analysis-lecture-capture-market-to-grow-24-percent-by-2019.aspx

BY MARK ATHITAKIS, Associations Now

One executive at a state association has taken the lead on educating healthcare workers on a pressing national issue via a MOOC. How do you get more attention for your association? Maybe it’s a membership drive. Maybe it’s a meeting or an ad campaign. For Jan Grimes, it’s meant building a lot of partnerships and putting together a must-attend online course. The MOOC that Grimes has put together covers hospital readmissions—an urgent topic now that the Affordable Care Act penalizes hospitals that readmit patients within 30 days of a discharge. “In my world, we depend on referrals from hospitals at the discharge process,” Grimes says. “I saw that as an incentive [for hospitals] to learn more about the homecare world and how better collaboration with us there and a better understanding of us can help keep patients out of the hospital and further the hospital association’s goals.”

http://associationsnow.com/2014/09/a-big-course-from-a-small-association/

by JACQUES ROUSSEAU, Mail and Guardian

Fears of the ‘digital divide’ are unfounded: a blended mode has proven itself to students. The online mode is arguably a far more natural environment for a student in the 21st century than sharing a room with 400 other students. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds sometimes perform better through online learning, because they can study when they want to and how they want to. This revelation has led to a suite of online courses, launched last month by the commerce faculty at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Called Across Africa, this is an initiative that will allow students from across Africa to earn UCT qualifications by the blended-learning mode – a combination of face-to-face and online instruction. Across Africa is a partnership with GetSmarter, an online education company that works with both universities and industry. The company has developed an immersive and pedagogically rich virtual learning environment that, when paired with UCT’s content and quality assurance, ensures the highest-quality online education.

http://mg.co.za/article/2014-09-08-online-learning-enhances-success

By Michael Hart, Campus Technology

Beginning in January, New York University will offer a year-long graduate-level program targeting the employees of major technology-driven companies who need to stay up to speed on the emerging issues that affect them. The online courses will focus on upgrading employee skills in the areas of cybersecurity, mobility and big data analysis. Taught in three trimesters over a year, upon completion the New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering will grant graduates a certificate and nine credits that can be applied to a qualified master’s degree program.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/09/08/nyu-targets-fortune-500-company-employees-in-new-emerging-technology-course.aspx

By Keith Button, Education Dive

The predictions about the disruptive effect MOOCs would have on traditional colleges and universities have, so far, been overblown. But with two years of experience under their belts, MOOC providers and users are adjusting both their perceptions about online learning and the courses themselves. Here are 10 lessons they’ve learned.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/10-lessons-learned-from-moocs/306113/

by Haley Dover, Journal Courier

Purdue University on Thursday introduced a competency degree program, putting students in control of their education. The College of Technology program allows students to progress at their own rate as they demonstrate mastery of specific skills, rather than performance measured only at fixed calendar intervals of classroom time. Instead of letter grades serving as a general indicator of classroom accomplishment, competencies will indicate to employers what graduates can do.

http://www.jconline.com/story/news/2014/09/04/purdue-creates-competency-degree-program/15069165/

By Brandon Shaik, Oracle

In recent years, online degrees have been critically questioned, and rightly so, given the numerous reports of degree mills. In reality, online degrees require an equal amount of work and more effort on the student’s behalf to communicate with faculty and staff, a fact that employers cannot ignore. Online degree programs are becoming more widely accepted. Employers are more concerned with an applicant’s GPA and field of study than they are with how the student earned the degree, according to New York Daily News. In a survey done by online institution Excelsior College and Zogby International, 83 percent of CEO’s felt online degree programs are just as credible as those earned on campus.

http://www.usforacle.com/news/view.php/845750/Online-degrees-have-more-merit-than-reco

by Alan Henry, Lifehacker

Institutions like Yale University, MIT, Stanford, Monash, Macquarie and many more are all offering free online classes that you can participate in from the comfort of your dorm room, office, couch or computing chair-of-choice. Because we’re all about helping you improve your life at Lifehacker, we put together a list of courses available right now that will inspire you, challenge you, open the door to something new, and give you the tools to improve your life. Grab your pen and paper and make sure your battery is charged — class is in session!

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2014/09/plan-your-free-online-education-at-lifehacker-u-fall-semester-2014/

by Daryl Yarrow, Post Independent

New technologies have changed today’s classroom – at all levels – in ways unimaginable two decades ago. Students can reach for their iPad to access texts or reading material. They can connect with others in another city via video or web conferencing. And what’s more, they can create their own classroom at their home computer, completing courses or entire degrees online. What might be the most surprising element of online learning is that it is highly engaging – and may in fact provide more opportunities for engagement than the face-to-face class. Consider the shy student who won’t speak up in class but will open up at the keyboard. Discussion boards provide a venue for teacher-to-student as well as student-to-student interaction. Teachers and students can also easily share timely and relevant information that supplements their discussions by posting links to news articles, streaming video, photos and more.

http://www.postindependent.com/news/12891888-113/online-learning-face-students

by Iowa State University

The course Veterinary Immunology and Principles of Vaccination, taught for 19 years as part of the annual Veterinary Biologics Training Program in Ames, IA, will now be offered exclusively online. “Now that we have several years of success in delivering this course via the web, we have made the decision to remove it from the annual training program and offer it exclusively online,” said Dr. Jim Roth, DVM, PhD and course instructor. “The information is better suited to be delivered online rather than in a concentrated set of lectures in a short time-frame. People can register for the course at any time and have 3 months to complete the online class at their own pace.”

http://www.bovinevetonline.com/news/Popular-ISU-veterinary-course-moves-to-exclusive-online-delivery–274157311.html

by Nancy Coleman, the Guardian

The UK has a long tradition of online learning, but regulation and a shift in attitudes are needed to stay top on the international stage. Online learning is still seen as the poor relation in the UK – but it’s time for attitudes to change. As the student cap is lifted, and opportunities for expansion increase, online education offers a way for UK universities to compete internationally without struggling to meet capacity. It’s a different story in the US. There, online degree courses have turned a corner. No more lurking in the shadows as the lesser option, the fallback. If it wants to make the most of those opportunities for expansion, the UK can learn some useful lessons from the US experience of learning to love online education.

http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2014/sep/07/online-learning-uk-scepticism-holding-it-back

by the Courier (Australia)

Swinburne Online students have rated their learning experience as good or excellent, according to the results of a recent Student Voice survey. The survey initiative looked at the overall experience of all online students. Swinburne Online academic director Sue Kokonis said feedback from the survey was essential to providing students with an optimised online learning experience. “We launched the Student Voice survey as a way to keep in touch with the needs of our students and to ensure we continue to provide the very best in online study,” Ms Kokonis said.

http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/2356353/students-give-swinburne-online-the-thumbs-up/

by Ann Arbor Journal

If Dr. Lawrence Power has his way, the innovative new online learning program he has just launched at HealthYourself101.com will expand people’s understanding of the causes, consequences and management of visceral obesity. He hass set out to provide a health education platform on this modern epidemic and its ill effects. “The program aims to engage the remote learner — the solitary individual signing on from a desktop, laptop, or smart phone,” Lawrence said. “Its content addresses the obesity epidemic through interactive options like social media, a playfully simulated rocket launch and game play.” “Who knows? This could serve as a model for the online learning methodology that higher education has been seeking.”

http://heritage.com/articles/2014/09/05/ann_arbor_journal/news/doc540486c136d95111031039.txt

by Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, KPCC

A proposal to make it easier for students to take online community college classes offered by any California campus is running into opposition from local faculty. As students seek classes to accommodate busy schedules and campuses look to expand without constructing new buildings, virtual courses have been multiplying in the state’s massive community college system. The latest idea from Sacramento would create one portal for community college online classes and establish phone and online support for students, regardless of which campus offers the courses. “The goal is to create one online education ecosystem that is used for the entire state, fully supported, faculty-run and driven,” said California Community College Vice Chancellor Patrick Perry.

http://www.scpr.org/blogs/education/2014/09/05/17253/battle-brewing-over-online-community-college-class/

by Stuart Dredge, the Guardian

The training company claims the school coding curriculum will improve England’s digital literacy – but it all depends on the skill of teachers. When US-based website Codecademy was founded in 2011, its emphasis was on adults taking online courses to learn programming skills. Three years and 25m users later, the company has found that it is not just useful for adults. In fact, one of its big pushes in 2014 is around children and coding. That is partly because it realised lots of children were taking its existing courses but also through partnerships with schools. Particularly in England, where from this month, coding is part of the new computing curriculum for children as young as five. “What’s going on here is unprecedented. It hasn’t happened in any other G8 or major economy: forcing an entire country to learn programming,” says Zach Sims, Codecademy’s chief executive.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/05/codecademy-coding-schools-education-apps

by the Times and Democrat

Distance learning here to stay, but establishing effectiveness is ongoing process. In an online world, the news is cause for at least a pause. In a nutshell, the teacher has as much to learn about teaching in the online world as students have to learn from the courses they are being taught. While studies such as the one referenced here are important as evaluation on a large scale, the most important key to successful online education, which is here to stay, is continuous dialogue between faculty and students as courses unfold. Educators’ willingness to make adjustments is imperative. As noted, even the most experienced educator must learn in the brave new world of online teaching.

http://thetandd.com/news/opinion/the-rush-to-online-education-requires-a-learning-curve/article_4ff928bc-34a3-11e4-8505-001a4bcf887a.html

By Joshua Bolkan, Campus Technology

Global sales of phablets, smartphones with screens between 5.5 and 7 inches, will top sales of portable PCs in 2014 and surpass sales of tablets in the next year, according to a new forecast from market research company International Data Corp. (IDC). The company predicted that 175 million of the large smartphones will be sold this year, topping sales of portable PCs by about 5 million units. IDC predicted that next year 318 million of the devices will be shipped, outperforming the 233 million sales forecast for tablets in 2015 by a significant margin. Strong growth will continue throughout the forecast period, according to IDC, as phablet shipments increase from 14 percent of smartphone sales in 2014 to 32.2 percent in 2018.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/09/04/phablet-sales-to-top-mobile-laptops-this-year-tablets-in-2015.aspx

By Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed

In simple terms, EdCast is a service provider built on top of Open edX, the Cambridge, Mass.-based MOOC provider’s open-source initiative. The company will help institutions — and particularly groups of institutions working together — build their own online education platforms where they can run multiple instances of the same courses, removing the need for institutions to do the coding themselves. On Wednesday, the United Nations-backed Sustainable Development Solutions Network unveiled one example of what an EdCast-powered platform may look like. The network, which has more than 200 university and organizational members, now has its own online education portal: SDSN.edu.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/09/04/online-education-platform-edcast-puts-universities-charge-their-content

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

Revamping a course to be accessible to students with physical or learning disabilities can help make it more accessible to everybody else too. Blended learning typically involves an element of student control over when, where and how learning takes place. But what happens if a student isn’t very good with “self-direction, self-pacing and self-motivation”? As Ibrahim Dahlstrom-Hakki, a senior academic researcher and associate professor at Landmark College in Vermont, expressed it, those are “critical areas of weakness” for students with learning disabilities — and they can be problems for mainstream students as well.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/09/03/5-accessible-design-tips-for-blended-courses.aspx