Online Learning Update

By Meris Stansbury, eCampusnews

“This is going beyond online functionality,” said Connor Gray, chief strategy officer for Campus Management and a recent presenter at EDUCAUSE. “The On Demand Model is a much broader concept, including dynamic models of engagement and delivery. Engagement includes how to deliver the right message to the right person via the right channel. Delivery includes knowing the right place and right time; not just which courses delivered how, but access to student counselors, financial aid options, community groups, career and alumni services, and many others for helping with student retention and completion.” “The On Demand Model is an ecosystem to support fully customized and personalized students needs,” he continued. What also makes this model unique from other vendor-branded messaging is that it’s not focused on the technology first.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/online-demand-campus-113/

By Meris Stansbury, eCampusNews

Gaming in education has, for the most part, been a K-12 trend, with its popularity relegated to supplemental learning for elementary school students. But gamification, from its implementation at MIT to its praise from the job industry, has much more serious implications for college students—and perhaps it’s time higher education got serious about incorporating game design. Today’s course design is under incredible pressure from popular practices favored by students—practices like the inclusion of interactive mobile technology, blended learning, Flipped Learning, and the integration of peer community forums—and according to experts, understanding the reasons why students prefer these methods of instruction can be gleaned from taking part in gaming.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/gamification-in-higher-education-993/

By Keith Button, Education Dive

Collaborations between universities are nothing new, but several factors are fostering more cooperative agreements between a number of higher education institutions — even one-time rivals. Technology advances, an increasing acceptance of online learning, financial pressures, and international ambitions have been the catalysts for several recently announced joint projects between colleges and universities. Here are seven of the more notable examples.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/7-ways-higher-ed-institutions-are-increasingly-joining-forces/343545/

by Nicolás Pino James, Edutopia

This is because students may be behaviourally and/or emotionally invested in a given activity without actually exerting the necessary effort to understand and master the knowledge, craft, or skill that the activity promotes. In light of this, research suggests that considering the following interrelated elements when designing and implementing learning activities can increase student engagement behaviourally, emotionally, and cognitively, thereby positively affecting academic achievement.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/golden-rules-for-engaging-students-nicolas-pino-james

By Dennis Pierce, Campus Technology

Although assistive technologies and other supports can help, too few students who need them take advantage. The transitioning of students with learning disabilities from high school to college “is a very important issue, and it often gets overlooked,” said Tracy Gray, managing researcher for education at the American Institutes for Research. A nationally known expert in improving opportunities for students with disabilities, Gray used to head the now-defunct National Center for Technology Innovation, which supported researchers and entrepreneurs in creating new assistive technologies to help all students learn.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/12/18/how-colleges-can-better-serve-students-with-learning-disabilities.aspx

by Toni Fuhrman, Campus Technology

In addition to the iPad, the initiative includes about 40 applications — “hand-picked by faculty,” said Boniforti — ranging from productivity to note-taking to social media, plus MobileIron, a mobile device management system, iTunes U, a LiveText license subscription and iBook options. There’s also a “no questions asked” iPad replacement package, with a small deductible. So far, Boniforti noted, very few iPads have been lost, stolen or broken.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/12/18/using-ipads-to-lower-the-cost-of-a-degree.aspx

By Jennifer Baires, Contra Costa Times

For more than 35 years, Barry Eckhouse has taught at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif., but this term he’s taking on a new kind of student–fellow professors. As the college expands the number of classes it offers online, Eckhouse is busy training instructors on how to teach web-centered classes effectively. He calls the training program a Digital Driver’s License, and he believes it’s the first of its kind in the nation. Eckhouse, who helped launch the college’s hybrid online MBA program in 2006, said the need for a training program at this point is critical, and that every professor needs to be on board with it.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/professors-online-instruction-832/

By Meris Stansbury, eCampusNews

CIOs, IT leaders say the key to expanding online is knowing your goals and vision. By now, most colleges and universities know that providing some type of online program—fully online, MOOCs, or blended learning—is critical to staying current in today’s changing higher ed landscape. But how do you determine your institution’s online readiness, and how can MOOCs work for everyone? According to Elke Leeds, assistant vice president for Technology Enhanced Learning and executive director of the Distance Learning Center at Kennesaw State University, the one question all institutions must first ask themselves is: “Why would we want to do this?”

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/mission-key-moocs-237/

By Roger Riddell, Education Dive

From the make-up of student bodies to the way materials are delivered, higher ed is rapidly changing — and largely due to technology. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, that statement isn’t particularly shocking. Online learning has empowered non-traditional students, almost to the point that they’re the new “traditional,” and mobile devices have all but guaranteed the end of the textbook as we know it. Technological disruption isn’t so bad, though. For as much as it impacts the traditional business model for institutions and corporations, it also improves access and cost issues for students while opening new paths to revenue for those wise enough to see them. To get an idea of what the future of higher ed might look like in 2015 and beyond, Education Dive examined three emerging technologies that could facilitate some of the space’s biggest shifts in years. And the future looks bright, indeed.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/3-emerging-technologies-reimagining-higher-ed-in-2015-and-beyond/344103/

By Meris Stansbury, eCampus News

As textbook prices soar, tuition skyrockets, and educators are more pressured than ever to provide innovative courses and lectures packed with multimedia and current materials, the open education movement and its open education resources (OERs) have never been more critical for success than now. What began in the ‘90s has now evolved into massive national, state, and university repositories that can be accessed by anyone, anytime…and the best part is, almost all OERs are free. What makes these current repositories worth investing time, however, is that thanks to decades of feedback, many are vetted by educators and are organized into highly-accessible repositories. Many of these OER resources also provide step-by-step guides and OER tools to make multimedia, such as videos and tutorials.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/oer-resources-educator-555/

by Shivaji Chatterjee, Financial Express

Universities will see more students accessing their coursework from outside the traditional classroom. As per the Docebo report issued in July 2014, the worldwide market for self-paced e-learning reached $35.6 billion in 2011. The five-year CAGR is estimated to be 7.6%, so revenues should reach $51.5 billion by 2016. While the aggregate growth rate is 7.6%, several world regions have higher growth rates. The highest rate is in Asia at 17.3%, followed by Eastern Europe (16.9%), Africa (15.2%) and Latin America (14.6%). According to another report, India’s online education market size is set to grow to $40 billion by 2017 from the current $20 billion. India has one of the largest education systems in the world with a network of more than 1 million schools and 18,000 higher education institutions. More than half of the country’s 1.2 billion population falls in the target market for education and related services.

http://www.financialexpress.com/article/industry/jobs/why-e-learning-has-a-promising-future-in-india/19204/

by elearning Infographics

This infographic describes the concepts of online learning programs. Elearning is the online learning methodology utilizing the digital technologies. The Infographic also deals with the perspectives to be considered for the online learning programs, top highlights of the online programs and a lot more. The world of technology continues to grow and the reality of online learning has become more relevant today than ever before. The trend of Online Learning is expanding rapidly, both in scope and level of general acceptance. Online learning can expand student options, provide new staffing for hard-fill subjects and enhance power-blended learning.

http://elearninginfographics.com/prepare-for-an-online-learning-program-infographic/

by Justin Pope, Technology Review

Indeed, for all the focus on the role of MOOCs in higher education, they might have a significant role to play in high schools and below. Teachers are already a big audience (a study of 11 MOOCs offered by MIT last spring found that nearly 28 percent of enrollees were former or active teachers). This is particularly promising because teachers pass what they learn on to their own students: when they make use of edX and other resources in their classrooms, they multiply the effect. As Coursera moves explicitly into teacher training, its classes could have as much impact by reaching a few hundred teachers as they would with thousands of other students.

http://www.technologyreview.com/review/533406/what-are-moocs-good-for/

by NATALIE WRIGHT and PAULETTE PARKER, Washtenaw Vocie

Elearning students take courses at a community college for myriad reasons, and as diverse as students are in their intentions, they are equally diverse in their station in life. Part-time and full-time jobs, sometimes multiple jobs, courses at other colleges, families, children and disabilities can all hinder students’ abilities to pursue an education. But with today’s technology, an education is more accessible than ever.  “It has become the preferred method of delivery for many students,” said Associate Vice President of Enrollment and Recruitment Evan Montague. “I think it responds to a wider set of individuals and helps people see education can be possible.”

http://www.washtenawvoice.com/2014/12/wcc-takes-students-lead-focuses-on-online-classes/

By John G. Flores, the Hill

Today’s advanced learning platforms, content and networks have become so integral that learners quite reasonably expect to use technology that is fast and reliable to help them achieve their goals. And yet, students and teachers continue to discover all the ways technology can help them learn, offering stimulating lessons and interactive methods that create invaluable learning experiences. By encouraging continued investment into these 21st century solutions, we can help ensure that distance learning continues to benefit more students every day.

http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/education/226987-distance-learning-is-revolutionizing-education

By Timothy Chipp, Abilene Reporter-News

A text message can have a profound effect on the ability of students to learn, according to some researchers at Hardin-Simmons University. Scott Hamm, director of online education at the school, along with Chuck Ruot, a professor of fitness and sport sciences, and Wade Ashby, director of academic technologies and system integrations, explored how communication on a student’s level can help teachers impart their knowledge and entice learning outside the typical classroom setting. And being on a student level means using text messaging instead of email, Hamm said.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/teacher-texts-student-392/

By Meris Stansbury, eCampus News

Instructor-generated video can increase student satisfaction with, and engagement in, online courses. But there are many variables to a video’s success. Here are eight tips to help educators create effective videos for their online courses. According to a new report published in the MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, instructor-generated video can have a positive influence on student satisfaction with, and engagement in, online courses. Research conducted by the American Academy of Neurology also reveals that “watching videos helps boost brain plasticity,” or the ability of the brain to undergo physical changes at any age. Learners who were trained to perform a particular task through videos performed better than those who learned through images and text, the researchers found—and they concluded that video has a “higher impact on the brain.”

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/creating-video-online-426/

by Dean Florez, the Bakersfield Californian

What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object? Governor Jerry Brown — a longtime proponent of low-priced college — and UC President Janet Napolitano — politically adept agency manager and public college advocate — are at loggerheads over whether UC can raise its tuition 5 percent per year for the next five years. Though seemingly a routine budget battle, at issue are fundamental questions about the “public” part of public higher education. Should UC focus on maintaining prestige or keeping tuition down? In an educational landscape with vastly more educational options for students, what obligation does the UC have to enable choice?

http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/hot-topics/x1524581698/The-Governor-versus-The-Board

by Gregory Ferenstein, Venture Beat

Soft-spoken education revolutionary Sal Khan has a few ideas for how to radically overhaul higher education. First, create a universal degree that’s comparable to a Stanford degree, and second, transform the college transcript into a portfolio of things that students have actually created. Khan is the founder, executive director, and faculty member at the Khan Academy, an online education provider. Speaking at the Atlantic’s Navigate tech conference, Khan said that the online education providers and independent technology “boot camp” schools will end up playing an important role in pressuring legacy universities to change their outdated ways.

http://venturebeat.com/2014/12/14/khan-academy-founder-has-a-couple-of-big-ideas-for-overhauling-higher-education-in-the-sciences/

By Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed

Technology can address some of the financial and organizational challenges facing public flagship universities, according to a new report, but those challenges have to be solved with input from the entire institution — not just a “coalition of the willing.” Ithaka S+R, a nonprofit research organization, last academic year traveled to 10 institutions in the Public Flagship Network, a group of 17 such institutions, to learn how the universities are using technology to respond to shrinking state funding and changing student behavior. Ithaka’s researchers interviewed 214 senior administrators, directors of online learning, department chairs and staffers at those universities, finding similar concerns: The institutions are struggling to perform the traditional functions of a research university as outside forces — politicians and students among them — urge them to make higher education more affordable and accessible.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/12/15/report-recommends-public-flagship-universities-plan-incentivize-technology-classroom

By HELEN STORMS, Purdue Exponent

The amount of online classes available to Purdue students has continued to grow in recent years. Currently, there are about 135 undergraduate courses that can be taken online each semester, and this number will only increase in the future. In fact, according to statistics from Purdue’s spring 2015 graduating class, about 51% of the graduates have taken at least one online course throughout their time at Purdue. Some of these classes are almost entirely online, whereas others still conduct the course partially face to face. This type of course is becoming the preferred format because it allows students to listen to the lecture before coming to class to make better use of class time.

http://www.purdueexponent.org/campus/article_95bbc052-f949-56f4-a377-878dc0fd4d5a.html