Online Learning Update

by ECN Magazine

The Learning Innovation and Networked Knowledge (LINK) Lab at UT Arlington has been chosen to lead a $1.6 million initiative to connect and support researchers across the country as they examine digital learning’s effect on higher education today and in the future The new Digital Learning Research Network (dLRN) is funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. LINK Lab Executive Director George Siemens will coordinate work between UT Arlington and nine additional institutions, including Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford University, Teachers College Columbia University, the Smithsonian Institution, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and others.

http://www.ecnmag.com/news/2014/11/ut-arlington-lead-16-million-research-project-focused-digital-learning

by The Associated Press

Purdue University is offering a popular introductory computer science and programming course for free to high school students in Indiana. The online course titled “Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming” offers an introduction to computer science and the Java programming language. The course will not be graded or count toward credit requirements, but it covers material similar to the computer science Advanced Placement course and could help students to test out of freshman programming classes at Purdue and other schools. Purdue says the self-paced course is available to any high school student in Indiana, including those who are home schooled. Enrollment for the spring semester is open through Dec. 1.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/11/18/4241007/purdue-offers-students-free-online.html

by NetIndian News Network

The India-US Higher Education Dialogue held here today explored various forms of collaboration between the two countries, especially in the fields of development of community colleges, massive open online courses, student and faculty exchange and skill development. The two sides reiterated the importance of the Higher Education Dialogue to promote enhanced opportunities for student and scholar mobility and faculty collaboration between the United States and India, including their ongoing collaboration on community colleges, improvement of workforce training, expansion of research and teaching exchanges, collaboration on education technology and innovation, and industry-academia linkages in higher

http://netindian.in/news/2014/11/17/00031457/india-us-explore-collaboration-online-courses-community-colleges-skill-deve

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

The University of Oklahoma’s Janux learning platform makes the university’s online courses available to students all over the world for free. Courses have covered computer science, history, political science, chemistry, education and earth and energy; however, not all of them are necessarily run-of-the-mill college offerings. The most popular Janux class has turned out to be Chemistry of Beer, taught by a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. OU students earn one credit for the beer course; the number of credits given for other courses varies. For example, the same faculty member, Mark Morvant, is also teaching a General Chemistry class, which is worth five credit hours. The classes last for 16 weeks — the same length as the standard semester — and some have a set schedule, where the instructor and students interact in real time.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/11/17/u-oklahomas-janux-flips-the-mooc.aspx

by Seb Murray, Business Because

“It acts as a complement,” says Peter Methot, managing director of executive education at Rutgers Business School, which runs up to 18 “mini MBAs” on topics such as entrepreneurship and digital marketing. “The mini-MBA also serves the purpose of focusing on a specific subject matter in a condensed period of time,” he adds. Where MBA degrees are expensive, mini courses cost as little as $5,000 and have relaxed entry requirements. They are targeting middle-managers, according to Alan Middleton, executive director of the Schulich School of Business’ Executive Education Centre. “The mini-MBA tends to get people later on in their careers,” he says, who want to move into broader responsibilities or more senior roles. “They don’t really have time to go back [to business school] for a year or an 18 month program,” Alan adds.

http://www.businessbecause.com/news/mba-distance-learning/2914/time-starved-managers-to-to-innovative-mini-mbas-online

by Barb Darrow, GigaOM

In case anyone doubted that Linux is the OS king among modern-day software programmers (or would-be programmers), here’s a tidbit: Some 300,000 people signed up for an edX course on Linux that kicked off in August, the largest turnout for any of edX’s 350 courses this year, according to edX president Anant Agarwal. “This Linux course has been one of the top two MOOCs we’ve ever had,” Agarwal said in an interview. (MOOC stands for massive online open course.) It’s been apparent for a decade that startups and older companies alike look for expertise in Linux (in particular) and open-source technologies (in general).

https://gigaom.com/2014/11/18/we-want-linux-say-300000-edx-students/

by Carla Rivera, LA Times

Cal State L.A. biology students are breeding fruit flies to learn how mutations, such as white eyes or curved wings, are passed to future generations. On other campuses, subjects on treadmills are monitored for changes in blood pressure and heart rate. These are fairly common lab experiments, except for one thing: They are being conducted via computer. At colleges and universities across the country, students increasingly are using online simulations, animation and other technologies to replicate — and, some say, improve upon — the hands-on experience of a typical lab.

http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-college-labs-20141115-story.html

by Jamaal Abdul-Alim, Diverse Education

When it comes to making higher education more affordable in the future, the question of whether to go to school online or to a traditional campus won’t be an either-or proposition—it will be a question of how much of which. That was one of the major points made during a panel discussion on college access and affordability Thursday at a National Education Week “Thought Leader Summit” held at the National Press Club. As competency-based credentials and online courses become more common on the landscape of higher education, students will have to decide whether football, fraternities and other things to be found on traditional campuses are worth thousands of dollars more than less costly alternatives, one of the panelists suggested.

http://diverseeducation.com/article/67922/

by Best Education Infographics

Ohio University’s MBA program offers this Online MBA Education Infographic about the rise of the online MBA degree. With over 6.7 million students enrolled in online education, a Master of Business Administration is the #1 most popular online graduate degree offered by 355 accredited programs. Many people believe that online degrees don’t carry as much weight as an on-campus degrees, but 77% of academic leaders say that online learning is of equal quality or better than “Face-to-Face” learning. For part-time students, it takes about 3 years to complete an online MBA. See link below for details.

http://elearninginfographics.com/rise-online-mba-education-infographic/

By Keith Button, Education Dive

Coursera, the for-profit education technology company and massive open online course (MOOC) provider, is offering each of the 21 million U.S. military veterans a free voucher to receive a verified certificate for one of hundreds of courses to help veterans land jobs. Coursera and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will launch 20 veteran “learning hubs” throughout the country to promote interactive learning for veterans, as well as online accessibility and support.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/cousera-pledges-free-mooc-certificates-for-military-vets/332613/

By Keith Button, Education Dive

Only 17.4% of college and university faculty have taught an exclusively online course at their current school, according to a national survey taking during the 2013-2014 school year. For faculty at public four-year higher education institutions, 27.2% have taught an exclusively online course within the last two years, compared to 8.5% at private universities.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/report-826-of-higher-ed-faculty-have-not-taught-online-only-course-at-cu/332620/

by Seb Murray, Business Because

Stanford GSB became the latest leading business school to ramp up its online education offering last week, with a new program for executives that will be delivered entirely through a digital platform. Business schools have been thinking of ways to monetize their free online programs known as Moocs, or massive open online courses, and see off the threat posed by learning technology companies such as Coursera and FutureLearn. Stanford’s new LEAD Certificate program aims to recreate the school’s on-campus experience through instructional video, online exercises, group projects and live-streamed events. It will use technology developed by NovoEd, a distance learning company which also provides tech to business schools Wharton, Darden and Haas.

http://www.businessbecause.com/news/mba-distance-learning/2904/business-schools-bet-on-virtual-learning-for-global-growth

by Rozelle Laha, Business World

In the US — the Mecca of business education — student applications to B-schools have been dropping steadily. On investigation, it was found that students are increasingly opting for MOOCs or massive open online courses. MOOCs have, in fact, caused great disruption in higher education since 2012. This has led some to predict that half the B-schools in the US will shut shop in the next few years. According to data from three of the biggest MOOCs aggregators — edX, Coursera and Udacity, India is currently the second largest market for online courses after the US. While edX has 26,000 students from India, Coursera has 6,18,654 Indians enrolled. A recent Technopak report on higher education says the enrolment from India in Coursera and edX is 10 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively, of their totals.

http://www.businessworld.in/news/b-school/surveys/now-in-session-the-digital-classroom/1616473/page-1.html

By Nellie Bowles, Re-Code

“Over time, yes, there will be some substitution of online degrees for brick-and-mortar, sure,” he said. “But it’ll happen slowly. Access is first, not disruption.” His next move with Coursera will be to expand its “specializations,” like computer science, which offer certificates recognized by companies, and to expand on-demand course offerings. Right now, most of the Coursera courses are offered the way university classes are (livestreamed Tuesday afternoon, 4 pm to 6 pm or some such), but this mirroring is silly on the Internet, Levin argued. “Professors have this idea that students arrive at one time, work in lockstep,” he said. “That’s not what Internet users want. They might want to binge in one day.”

https://recode.net/2014/11/11/yales-former-president-now-courseras-ceo-settles-into-silicon-valley/

by James G. Mazoue, EDUCAUSE Review

Four trends – MOOC-based degrees, competency-based education, the formalization of learning, and regulatory reform – are shifting educational practice away from core tenets of traditional education, indicating not a transient phenomenon but rather a fundamental change to the status quo.  It is ironic that at a time when higher education is seemingly more interconnected than ever, deep divisions exist over how best to carry out the core mission. The recent rancor over MOOCs reveals just how sharply divided the disagreement is between those who wish to preserve educational orthodoxy’s traditions and those who seek to abandon legacy practices in favor of more progressive alternatives. What MOOCs and other emergent trends might signify is a developing schism within education between traditionalists and progressives.

http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/beyond-mooc-model-changing-educational-paradigms

by MSU

A Montana State University online program that helps students complete their bachelor’s degree online saw its first-ever graduates this past year. Shanna Stanley of Conrad finished her bachelor’s in August through MSU’s online liberal studies bachelor’s degree completion program. Stanley has a 4-year-old daughter and works full time as a certified nursing assistant. The liberal studies bachelor’s degree completion program, developed for students who have completed at least two years of college and would like to earn a bachelor’s degree online, saw its first five graduates this past year. Since its inception, more than 90 students have enrolled in the fully online program. Two more students are expected to graduate this December.

http://www.montana.edu/news/15227/msu-online-program-helps-students-finish-a-bachelor-s-degree

By Corinne Hazen, The Miami Student

Miami University students have happily welcomed the addition of the winter term to the university’s calendar. With a total student enrollment increase of 29 percent from last J-term, the administration sees the addition as an overall success. According to Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs David Sauter, there are changes being made to this upcoming winter term. “[There will be] increased online and hybrid classes, more study abroad and more entrepreneurial offerings by faculty” Sauter said. Sauter said both students and faculty have found the additional term to be beneficial.

http://miamistudent.net/?p=17002979

By Dian Schaffhauser, eCampus News

Some community colleges have succeeded in converting their job training programs into full-fledged competency-based degrees. One success story shares five lessons. Community colleges, which have been offering occupational education for decades, have long understood how to address the skills needed by local employers. Now they’re also learning how to integrate competency-based assessment into those courses.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/funding/job-training-competency-927/

by eCampus News

According to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, demand for continuing education for adults aged 35 or older will continue to grow through 2016. “Despite compressed national median family income and claims that higher education might be over-promising and under-delivering, the underlying value proposition for continuing education persists,” said the School. TDJ-SOL’s courses and programs, including The Women’s Leadership Institute and The Daymond John Certificate in Entrepreneurship with marketing classes taught by ABC-TV Shark Tank star Daymond John, are “engineered for adult learners seeking concentrated continuing education opportunities that will help them grow and excel in their professional and personal development,” explained the School.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/business-news/online-industry-regent-571/