Online Learning Update

September 9, 2014

MIT’s Unique Experiment in Blended Learning Leads to the Birth of 50 Startups in 5 Days

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

by Lauren Landry, BostInno

Fifty startups were launched at MIT in five days, courtesy of a unique experiment “that could reshape existing educational paradigms.” Nearly 55,000 individuals are enrolled in the MITx on edX massive open online course, “Entrepreneurship 101: Who is Your Customer?” Of the thousands, the school welcomed 47 to campus on August 18 to participate in a five-day bootcamp-turned-blended-learning-experiment. The MITx Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp was an experiment by MIT to help students studying online via edX further their education. The event allowed the highly selective group to learn from faculty, as well as from like-minded people worldwide, who were all enrolled in the same course, yet likely would have never met face-to-face otherwise.

http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2014/09/02/recap-of-mitx-global-entrepreneurship-bootcamp-mit-blended-learning-experiment/

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Financial aid now available in UW flex option degree program

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

By Dan Simmons, Wisconsin State Journal

After initially being denied, the University of Wisconsin has gotten approval for federal financial aid to some students in its new “show what you know” flexible option degree program. Students have been enrolled in a small number of programs since January but couldn’t access financial aid available to peers in traditional campus programs. The situation changed last week when the U.S. Department of Education sent word that students earning associates degrees through UW Colleges in the flexible degree program are eligible for aid. It’s the first such approval given to a public college system for what it terms are competency-based degrees, according to the university. Students in other UW degree programs through flexible option still can’t access aid, which in the interim is being provided by UW.

http://host.madison.com/news/local/education/on_campus/financial-aid-now-available-in-uw-flex-option-degree-program/article_e2be9521-21ac-51cf-bc68-ec5b9a602fa1.html#ixzz3CH8x3e5s

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Abbott Lays Out Full Higher Ed Plan for more online classes

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

by Reeve Hamilton, Texas Tribune

Implementing outcomes-based funding for universities, establishing block scheduling at community colleges and requiring all public institutions to give college credit for scores of 3 or higher on AP exams were among the proposals included in the higher education plan laid out by Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott on Tuesday. Abbott unveiled his plan, which also included a call for expanding online education options and ensuring that students are granted college credit for completing online courses, at an event at the University of Texas at Dallas.

http://www.texastribune.org/2014/09/02/abbott-call-credit-massive-online-courses/

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September 8, 2014

A New Twist in Online Learning at Stanford

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:08 am

By JOHN B. TAYLOR, Wall Street Journal

Econ 1v was offered to Stanford undergraduates, including matriculated students and incoming freshmen, and visiting students from other universities who were willing to pay Stanford’s tuition. For Stanford students the credit would count for their degree. For non-Stanford students the credit could be used at their colleges. The course was also offered online free to anyone. The video lectures and the platform for the open online and the for-credit track were identical, but students in the for-credit course had additional interactive sessions and more comprehensive assessments with grades at the end. We gave the open online students the option of taking only key parts of the course—such as the supply and demand model or basic monetary and fiscal policy. People in the open online course could earn a Statement of Accomplishment issued by Stanford.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/john-taylor-a-new-twist-in-online-learning-at-stanford-1409610594

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Quality: The Real Benchmark of Value in Technology-Enhanced Learning (Part 2)

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

By Susan Aldridge, Evolllution

Authentic learning has always been a critical component of professional studies in such fields as healthcare and education, law and engineering — where internships and practicums are routine academic requirements. And with interactive technologies such as virtual reality and videoconferencing, we’re now able to reinforce, and in some cases reproduce, these site-based learning experiences by creating high-quality, digital teaching tools that can be incorporated into any learning environment.

http://www.evolllution.com/opinions/quality-real-benchmark-technology-enhanced-learning-part-2/

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Playing In The Classroom With The Ivanhoe Game

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

by Stephanie Kingsley, Chronicle of Higher Ed

Built as a WordPress Theme, Ivanhoe is simple to install and easy to learn and use. Rather than have students in your course on Gothic fiction write a paper after reading Dracula, why not have them assume their theoretical stances in the forms of roles and experiment with them — and thus better develop them — by playing an Ivanhoe Game on the novel first? Give your game a title and description/prompt, and you’re ready to go! Even create rules for your game if you like — although none are required! Ivanhoe can be played in any discipline, with a variety of media, and with players of all ages and educational backgrounds. Players develop roles related to any topic and then make comments from their assumed roles.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/playing-in-the-classroom-with-the-ivanhoe-game/57713

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September 7, 2014

Top universities’ new platform helps with retention, post-grad careers

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:11 am

by Meris Stansbury, eCampus News

It’s called an LRM (Learning Relationship Management) platform, and as its founder told me, does for learning what CRM did for sales: It boosts collaborative relationships, yields return-on-investment, and ultimately bolsters performance for all involved. Now, colleges and universities are saying one of the most helpful, and innovative, aspects of the LRM is the ability for admin to track student progress of goals throughout their education and receive actionable data on student interactions with communities, businesses, and micro-credentialing opportunities…an incredible tool not just for all institutions, but especially for liberal arts.   “Fewer than 50 percent of students who start college graduate; fewer than one-third of those who graduate have jobs within 6 months of graduation,” said Counselman.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/lrm-platform-institutions-387/

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Reinventing Teaching and Learning Centers for the 21st Century with W. Gardner Campbell

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

by Mary Grush, Campus Technology

We wanted to form something devoted to ideals of learner-centered pedagogies that are digitally empowered. We wanted to create the kind of place where we would see a commitment to what we think of as the four pillars of our center’s work with learning innovation and student success: faculty development, student engagement, communities of practice and technology-enhanced active learning. We were fortunate at VCU that we never quite split into teaching and learning with technology on one side, and purely pedagogical faculty development on the other side. There was always an attempt to find a unity between both of those. The Center for Teaching Excellence got started here in 2000, so there’s a long tradition of that kind of work here.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/08/27/reinventing-teaching-and-learning-centers-for-the-21st-century.aspx

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A Flipped Classroom? Or Should It Be Sideways?

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

By Emily Ko, Edudemic

The sideways classroom utilizes online interactive teacher resources like a flipped classroom, but melds group tutoring and typical classroom discussion with after-school learning. Since it is a less radical departure from what students and parents expect, there’s less stress and uncertainty. If you fear that students may not have access to video lectures or get distracted from learning while on their own time, then teacher resources and equipment available in most schools solve this logistics problem. Wealth and home situation do not become a barrier to learning.

http://www.edudemic.com/flipped-classroom-or-sideways/

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September 6, 2014

Get An MBA-Equivalent Education With These Free Courses

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

by MELANIE PINOLA, LifeHacker Australia

Want to learn everything you might in an MBA program — without having to pay for the expensive classes? Online learning hub SlideRule has gathered free online courses from top schools such as Wharton and Harvard Business School into a well-rounded curriculum. The MBA Essentials learning path covers six core MBA subjects — Finance, Accounting, Marketing, Operations Management and Strategy — plus secondary subjects such as Data Analysis. For each subject, they picked what they thought were the best available classes from sites including edX and MIT Open Courseware, as well as alternative courses if the first choice isn’t available or for a different perspective.

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2014/08/get-an-mba-equivalent-education-with-these-free-courses/

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The Truth about Online College Classes Revealed

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

by Clark Conner, The College Fix

When I graduate in a few months with a degree in political science from North Carolina State University, I will have completed roughly one-third of my required hours over the Internet within the comfort of my own home. My experiences with distance education have made me rather skeptical of some in the academic community who label distance education as the incestuous offspring of trend and convenience. It’s not. For one, participation, exams and papers—they are all part of the distance education model. You don’t get out of them because you’re taking the class online. But participation and human interaction (or the lack thereof) is often the go-to criticism for distance ed detractors.

http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/19049/

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How Blended Learning Fits into the Future of Education

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

by Fannie Cohen, PBS Mediatwits

Blended learning is a hybrid mix of online and in-class teaching intended to boost student engagement and bring learning into the 21st century. This method encourages collaboration, discussion and in-person learning in lieu of the traditional lecture format. Teachers integrate technology into the course with online management systems such as Blackboard or Moodle, which provide video lectures, supporting materials, peer messaging and real-time tracking of student progress. Advocates claim the mix of face-to-face and virtual learning better prepares students for their post-collegiate careers. But not all educators are on-board, and not all platforms work as intended. On this week’s podcast, which is part of EdShift’s larger Special Series, we’ll discuss blending learning and where it fits into the future of education.

https://people.uis.edu/rschr1/onlinelearning/wp-admin/post-new.php

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September 5, 2014

Twitter launches learning hub for agencies – Sara Kimberley, Media Week

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

Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG), WPP and Omnicom have been the first to pilot the online resource, called Twitter Flight School. The hub will teach agencies how to develop high-impact marketing campaigns for their clients, help them maximise their content on Twitter, as well as promote messages at the right time to their target audience. Twitter has also tailored the content and created bite-size modules to address different agency roles and functions, including senior leadership, account planning and campaign management. Agencies will be able to access the curriculum and additional resources on their mobiles or tablets.

http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/article/1309725/twitter-launches-learning-hub-agencies

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Untangling the Web of Online Classes

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

Melissa Spaide, The Horizon (IU Southeast)

A common misconception among students is that online courses are easier than those which are face-to-face. While they can offer advantages for students, it is still a class, Renée Petrina, instructional design and technology specialist, said. “Don’t think it’s going to be a cake walk,” she said. “Professors don’t want to lose the rigor of an IU degree.”  Another misconception is that the amount of time committed is lower than a traditional course. At times, students seem to believe it will not take much time and can be done quickly, Anne Gurensey Allen, professor of fine arts said. “It’s not going to be easier and it does take time,” Allen said. “People think that they don’t have to come to class, but they do. It’s just a different type of class.” A typical three-credit hour course should require approximately twelve hours a week outside of class time. Petrina said this will be true with an online class as well.

http://www.iushorizon.com/14237/features/untangling-the-web-of-online-classes/

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Online Learning Industry Poised for $107 Billion In 2015

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

by TJ McCue, Forbes

Online learning, also known as e-learning, is booming. Market research firm Global Industry Analysts projects it will reach $107 Billion in 2015. More traditional methods of training or education are not going away, not yet, but organizations of all types, from public schools to corporations, are opting to train and inform via the web. Pluralsight, an online training service for technology professionals, announced today it has closed $135 million in Series B funding.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2014/08/27/online-learning-industry-poised-for-107-billion-in-2015/

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September 4, 2014

MOOCs: learning about online learning, one click at a time

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

by Gregor Kennedy, the Conversation

One reason institutions like Stanford University and Edinburgh University embraced MOOCs was that they provided a wonderful opportunity to learn about online learning. These institutions recognised that MOOCs were a vehicle for educational research, particularly through the use of learning analytics. Learning analytics use the digital data trails that students leave in online learning environments to develop an understanding of students’ learning processes. Every video watched, quiz answered and comment posted can be tracked, mined and analysed to better understand how students are learning online. Researchers are able to capitalise on the big data sets generated by tens of thousands of MOOC students to uncover productive and unproductive patterns of learning behaviour.

http://theconversation.com/moocs-learning-about-online-learning-one-click-at-a-time-30782

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Victoria University taps analytics to provide blended learning

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

by Shahida Sweeney, CIO

Victoria University (VU) has gone live with an integrated learning platform that uses data analytics and mobile apps to help design, deliver and manage anywhere, anytime learning programs for more than 40,000 students. The university is using D2L’s data analytics tools for more detailed reporting, assessment and collaboration to revitalise its e-learning environment. “A big component of our blended learning strategy is to be able to support our students effectively,” Dr Germany said. VU’s CIO Professor Peter Creamer, said the concept of blended learning offers a completely different experience. “Learning can be sourced from different places, quite unlike the traditional model.”

http://www.cio.com.au/article/553337/victoria_university_taps_analytics_provide_blended_learning/

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Online Courses Popular, More Costly

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

by Millie Hogue, Arkansas Traveler

With demand for online courses on the rise, UofA faculty work to find innovative teaching methods that allow students to get the credits they need before they graduate. Online enrollment hours at the UofA increased by more than 63 percent in 2014, while enrollment hours for traditional classes decreased by 1.2 percent, according to the Office of Institutional Research. Part of this change is the result of a greater number of on-campus students registering for online courses. Though the university has welcomed them, their presence wasn’t expected. “It was never intended to be that we were creating online courses to support on-campus students,” said Javier Reyes, vice provost for Distance Education.

http://www.uatrav.com/news/article_5d723f32-2bd5-11e4-8026-001a4bcf6878.html

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September 3, 2014

Online Learning Industry Poised for $107 Billion In 2015

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

by TJ McCue, Forbes

Online learning, also known as e-learning, is booming. Market research firm Global Industry Analysts projects it will reach $107 Billion in 2015. More traditional methods of training or education are not going away, not yet, but organizations of all types, from public schools to corporations, are opting to train and inform via the web. Pluralsight, an online training service for technology professionals, announced today it has closed $135 million in Series B funding.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2014/08/27/online-learning-industry-poised-for-107-billion-in-2015/

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Using flipped learning to boost engagement

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

By Laura Devaney, eSchool News

Supporters of flipped learning have proven that the instructional model is more than just a fad. As it spreads to classrooms across the nation, educators are leveraging the flipped model to create a more personalized and engaging learning environment for their students. During an ASCD webinar sponsored by Adobe Presenter, flipped learning leaders Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams discussed multiple ways that a flipped classroom can lead to increased student engagement and personalized learning.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/08/27/flipped-learning-engagement-734/

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Six Tips To Use Google Hangouts For Synchronous Learning

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

by Christopher Pappas, eLearning Industry

There are a variety of advantages associated with synchronous learning, such as increased collaboration and immediate feedback for learners, just to mention a few. To get all of the benefits you have to know which eLearning tools will help you enhance your synchronous learning strategy. In this article, I will share 6 Google Hangouts Tips for synchronous learning that will help you utilize all of the features that Google Hangouts has to offer you.

http://elearningindustry.com/6-tips-use-google-hangouts-for-synchronous-learning

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