Online Learning Update

By Rick Armon, Akron Beacon Journal

One of the biggest complaints among college students taking online classes is that they miss personal interaction with professors. How ironic. That was an unexpected conclusion in a new Kent State University survey of more than 250 online students. “I was surprised that was at the forefront of students’ minds and they were so aware of what was missing from the online classroom,” said Bethany Simunich, Kent State director of online pedagogy and research. The study shows how important it is to encourage more communication — albeit over the computer — between instructors and students, especially at a time when so-called distance learning is becoming more popular.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/online-students-professors-098/

by Robert Kelchen, Center on Higher Education AEI

Competency-based education has the potential to streamline the path to a college degree for a significant number of students, both working adults who can apply their skills and experiences to earn credit for what they already know and other students who prefer self-paced learning over the traditional time-based model of earning credits. But little is known about who is currently enrolled in CBE programs or the programs’ pricing structures. Currently, 34 colleges have CBE programs, with at least 18 more colleges working on developing programs. Nearly all of these colleges are less-selective institutions, and they are located across the country.

http://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Landscape-of-CBE.pdf

By: Stuart M. Butler, Brookings Institution

Two years ago the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching announced that it was going to “rethink” the credit hour as the benchmark for learning in higher education and other levels of schooling. So it was disappointing last week when Carnegie’s long-awaited report on its rethink finally came out. The Foundation agreed with most of the criticisms of the credit hour, calling it “a crude proxy” for learning. Other problems recognized in the report are that tying federal aid to credit hours undertaken is an inefficient way to link financial support with student progress. Moreover, with the growth of online learning, which allows students to learn at their own pace, seat time is not a meaningful measure of progress.

http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2015/02/06-need-bettermeasure-of-college-learning-butler

by the University of Manchester

The first ever set of online courses developed by a university and the Natural History Museum has opened for enrollment, with a focus on extinction. In a unique partnership, The University of Manchester and The Natural History Museum have created short, personalised online courses for the public. The courses bring together the world-leading knowledge and teaching expertise of both institutions, covering topics such as extinctions, forensics and the biology and classification of biodiversity.

http://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/article/?id=13797

by John Kennard, Training Zone, UK

Last week, Learning Technologies took over much of the Kensington Olympia events complex for its eponymous two-day conference and expo, a permanent fixture in most L&D professionals’ calendars, and one of the biggest events of its kind in Europe. Normally we would have a stand in the exhibition hall with an iPad or two, but this year we thought we’d try something different. Teaming up with leading industry benchmarkers Towards Maturity we created Generate, a community-led initiative that aimed to solve a few L&D’s problems. And it went pretty well! And beneath are the answers to question 1: How do I engage my learners more effectively in online learning?

http://www.trainingzone.co.uk/blogs-post/generate-how-do-i-engage-my-learners-more-effectively-online-learning/188316

by EMBIN, Military.com

During the days of vacation, excitement and reflection that surround the beginning of a new year, setting resolutions is a common occurrence for many. If your resolution was advancing your education, the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Operations School located at the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center can get you started. The USAF EOS recently began two new distance learning courses in response to combatant commander and AF educational needs. The Air Force Expeditionary Site Survey Process and AF Fundamentals of Expeditionary Mobility Operations joined 23 other interactive distance learning courses developed by the USAF EOS here.

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/02/02/usaf-school-creates-two-new-online-courses-for-dod-personnel.html

By Karen Herzog, Journal Sentinel

While most people still think of college as a bastion for young adults fresh out of high school, a new effort by the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Continuing Studies gives evidence to the evolving role of higher education by making courses for working adults easier to find online. UW-Madison announced Thursday that it launched a new one-stop web portal, advanceyourcareer.wisc.edu highlighting the important details that busy professionals want to know about the flagship’s flexible and online degree and certificate programs that may help them advance their career or move into a specialized field.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/new-uw-madison-web-portal-to-help-adults-take-classes-online-b99436643z1-290942501.html

By Sara Shepherd, L-J World

Kansas University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is ramping up its online course offerings, enough that it has dedicated a new administrative position to the task. Longtime psychology professor Paul Atchley has been appointed CLAS associate dean for online and professional education, KU announced this week. Atchley will oversee development and implementation of CLAS online academic programs, including courses, certificates and degrees.

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2015/feb/05/ku-ramping-online-course-offerings-liberal-arts/

By Keith Button, Education Dive

Jet Blue and Virgin America airlines now offer video college lectures during flights. The airlines plan to update the lectures with new selections about every month, according to Money magazine. Jet Blue’s lectures are from MOOC provider Coursera, while Virgin America offers selections from the Great Courses series.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/in-flight-college-courses-come-to-jet-blue-and-virgin-america/361454/

by the New Media Consortium

The NMC Horizon Report > 2015 Higher Education Edition is a collaborative effort between the NMC and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI). This 12th edition describes annual findings from the NMC Horizon Project, an ongoing research project designed to identify and describe emerging technologies likely to have an impact on learning, teaching, and creative inquiry in education. Six key trends, six significant challenges, and six important developments in educational technology are identified across three adoption horizons over the next one to five years, giving campus leaders and practitioners a valuable guide for strategic technology planning. The report aims to provide these leaders with more in-depth insight into how the trends and challenges are accelerating and impeding the adoption of educational technology, along with their implications for policy, leadership and practice. View the work that produced the report at www.horizon.wiki.nmc.org.

http://www.nmc.org/publication/nmc-horizon-report-2015-higher-education-edition/

by Anita Babu, Business Standard

Better start-up environment along with higher internet and smartphone penetration is aiding the sector. The education sector in India is no longer bound to just classrooms. Thanks to new start-ups and higher internet and smartphone penetration, the online learning space in India is growing manifold. The e-learning market in India is estimated to be around $3 billion. The central government’s efforts to make digital learning available to students in every corner of the country is also aiding the sector. Another reason why online training will gain momentum is because of the need for re-skilling, For instance, about a decade ago, all that a software professional was required to know were programming languages. Now these professionals need to update themselves on other aspects like big data analytics and cloud computing. Better salary hikes and promotions are also the reasons why people undertake new courses.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/online-education-the-next-big-thing-in-india-115020600130_1.html

By Roger Riddell, Education Dive

With nontraditional students quickly becoming the new traditional, online degree programs have increased in prominence. As U.S. News & World Report noted in September, their reputation has also risen to that of an alternative, equally prestigious route. The latest study from Babson Survey Research Group shows that while online enrollment has slowed, its still grew 3.7% in 2014, increasing to 5,257,379, and a majority of higher ed leaders reported that it’s essential to long-term strategy. But in a more competitive market, what do colleges and universities need to do to make sure they differentiate their offerings and stay in the game. We spoke with Pearson Senior Vice President of Online Learning Services Todd Hitchcock, who shared the following five strategic tips with us.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/pearson-svp-shares-5-key-strategies-for-successful-online-degree-programs/359585/

by Jordan Friedman, US News

If you are considering pursuing a new career field, online learning might be the right choice for you. While both online and face-to-face learning can help students achieve their new career goals, online study often allows for greater flexibility, particularly when it comes to balancing a job with an education, says Melissa Venable, online instructor and course designer at Saint Leo University and University of South Florida. In a 2014 survey conducted by Aslanian Market Research and Learning House, Inc., a company that helps colleges and universities develop and deliver online degree programs, 26 percent of undergraduate respondents and 19 percent of graduate respondents said they pursued online learning because they wanted a career in a new field.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2015/02/04/online-degrees-can-help-adults-switch-careers

BY ADELIA CELLINI LINECKER, Investor’s Business Daily

If terms like MOOCs, nanodegrees and digital badges befuddle you, you’re not alone. As tech improves and tuition soars, higher education is transforming big time. Ryan Craig, who wrote “College Disrupted,” says that schools are responding to market demand. The future, he told IBD, will look something like this: “A student can walk into a school and say, ‘I want to become an environmental engineer,’ show her competencies and ask for a program that will fill the gaps.” If you’re considering going back to school, whether full time or to take a few classes, here’s what you should know about the options.

http://news.investors.com/management-leaders-in-success/020415-737835-higher-education-responds-to-market-demands.htm

Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed

The Babson Group now uses a combination of enrollment data from IPEDS reported by 4,891 colleges and universities (most recently from fall 2013) and additional survey responses from 2,807 of them (from fall 2014), but it is more interested in trends than totals. Across all of higher education, the growth from 2012 to 2013 in the number of students taking at least one online course — pegged at 3.7 percent for a total of 5.2 million students — is the smallest year-to-year increase since the inception of the survey. The growth still is triple that of overall enrollments, which during the same period grew by 1.2 percent.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/02/05/babson-survey-research-group-considers-changes-annual-report-distance-education

by Eric Fredrickson, the Conversation

A common misperception of online education has been that it is an isolating experience for students. In fact, research studies that I have conducted with colleagues show quite the opposite. Another advantage is the ability to facilitate peer review – a beneficial instructional strategy for learners to share their individual views and knowledge with their classmates regarding papers or projects. This feedback benefits the student author and the student reviewer. So what’s the future for online classes? My hope is that we continue to evolve different models of online learning. The spirit of “blended” or “hybrid” online courses strives to capture the best of online with the best of traditional classroom experiences. Ultimately, I believe we will progress and develop instruction to the point where these historically based distinctions and categorical terms will blur and become less meaningful, and we will simply just focus on learning.

http://theconversation.com/is-online-education-good-or-bad-and-is-this-really-the-right-question-35949

By Peter Ehrhard, Lab Manager

This spring, Missouri University of Science and Technology is offering its first fully online section of a biology laboratory class using an at-home lab kit. Students can perform “wet” laboratory experiments, hands-on chemical-based work in open-air areas, and follow provided instructions for biological course work. The introductory course, designed for students who aren’t biology majors, allows students to perform 13 experiments outside of the classroom during the semester. Students document each step of the experiment and upload them for the professor to review. The kits contain all the equipment, chemicals and personal safety items students need for the semester.

http://www.labmanager.com/news/2015/02/university-pilots-online-laboratory-course

by Fast Company Design

Nicholas Felton, the information designer behind Facebook’s Timeline and the annual Feltron Report, has just uploaded a course on Skillshare that will introduce you to the art and techniques of data visualization. You’ll have to enroll for $10/mo to watch it. Over the course of 16 short videos (none is longer than nine minutes, and most are just a few minutes), Felton teaches you how to render meteor strikes on a map. You’ll learn to deal with the data-shaping app Processing, juggle scalable vector graphics, parse a major data set, link that information to markers, and even pick up a few pointers about typography while you’re at it.

http://www.fastcodesign.com/3041900/infographic-of-the-day/nicholas-felton-will-teach-you-data-viz-in-a-free-online-class

By: Nancy Mann Jackson, University Business

Before switching to a new LMS, administrators should determine a learning strategy and the functions needed to support it. “It’s very stressful to tear out and replace technology in any environment, so part of this process should be exhausting all possibilities with your current provider and current system,” Rochelle says. “Look into ancillary technologies that can be used with the current LMS that will do what you need before you make a wholesale change.” Some colleges and universities determine that a new LMS is their best option. Here’s a look at six schools that switched, why they did it and how they made it happen.

http://www.universitybusiness.com/article/how-colleges-make-big-lms-switch

by Sarah Spickernell, City AM

Not only is more of the world’s population gaining access to digital platforms on a daily basis, the quality of online learning is improving rapidly.In 15 years the material on offer will be “wildly better” than anything available today, and all available through phones and tablets. “Online learning will dramatically improve education in developing countries,” explained Gates. “It makes it easier for students and teachers to connect.” “We are not yet at the point of providing the world’s best teacher, who can see when you’re confused and set the right pace for you, but 15 years ago we were just sticking videos online and claiming that was the solution. “It won’t replace face-to-face social contact, but it will play a huge role in helping students catch up and get ahead, as well as overcoming any limitations related to class size.”

http://www.cityam.com/208484/bill-gatess-vision-2030-how-world-will-change-over-next-15-years

by Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed

This week at Dartmouth we are launching our first open online edX (DartmouthX) course, Introduction to Environmental Science. Everyone I know in higher education seems to have a set of strong opinions about open online education at scale. What have we actually learned from participating in this movement? What are the biggest myths about open online courses at scale?

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/5-myths-about-open-online-courses-scale