Online Learning Update

By Valerie Sweeten, Houston Chronicle

Employers continue to seek prospective employees with degrees, both at the bachelor’s level and advanced. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be a 12.1 percent increase in jobs requiring a bachelor’s degree between 2012 and 2022. Jobs typically requiring a doctorate or a professional degree for entry is projected to increase by 20 percent between 2010 and 2020. UT Tyler’s undergraduate online-only programs are the University College’s Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS) degree completion program and the nursing RN-BSN-Mobility in Nursing Education (MINE) degree from the college of nursing and health sciences. “We’re getting students in their 30s. They might never have finished. These are students who have families, are working full time and doing their classwork at night. For the military, we’re able to count some work experience and are flexible with hours from other facilities,” he said.

http://www.chron.com/jobs/article/Online-classes-provide-ease-flexibility-to-learn-6417451.php

by Curt Bonk, et al; Routledge

As new digital forms of formal and informal learning proliferate, there is an increasing need to better understand how people in different regions of the world are implementing massive open online courses (MOOCs) and other forms of open educational resources (OERs). Educators, researchers, politicians, and numerous other stakeholders want to grasp what the outcomes of these initiatives are and how they can be improved. Ongoing e-learning developments related to both technology and pedagogy have pushed institutions and organizations to grapple with issues of accreditation, credentialing, quality standards, innovative assessment, and learner motivation and attrition, among other areas of concern.  (ed note:  this book includes a chapter on Alternative Models of MOOCs written by Ray Schroeder, Vickie Cook, Carrie Levin and Michele Gribbins).

http://www.moocsbook.com/

By Nicole Comforto, Edudemic

You’ve probably heard about Open Educational Resources and maybe even used some in your classroom. But the world of OERs is growing constantly, with more quality resources available every day. If you aren’t taking advantage of them yet, now is a great time to take a closer look. Open Educational Resources are learning tools like textbooks, lesson plans, and other media that are in the public domain or openly licensed, meaning that use you can freely use and adapt them. Unlike online resources that are free but not openly licensed, you can adapt OERs as much as you like to your own needs, which makes them an infinitely flexible too.

http://www.edudemic.com/guide-open-educational-resources/

by Meg Lloyd, Campus Technology

E-portfolios have always offered an avenue to showcase informal learning, but at the University of Notre Dame’s Kaneb Center for Teaching and Learning, digital learning designers realized that the maximum potential of e-portfolios on their campus was not being met. Most students were not taking full advantage of e-portfolios to document the integration of formal and informal learning. The key, Kaneb’s learning scientists determined, was to promote the inclusion of digital badges in the e-portfolio.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/07/29/pairing-e-portfolios-with-badges-to-document-informal-learning.aspx

By Monique O. Madan, Miami Herald

How are students using mobile devices for educational purposes? Googling, tweeting and texting are an integral part of Professor Andres Caiaffa’s classroom’s culture. “As our student population changes, we need to change with them,” said Caiaffa, who teaches at Miami Dade College’s Benjamin Leon School of Nursing. “Everything around them is related to the use of the Internet, so I’m using to my advantage that they like to be connected, they like to be online.” Caiaffa is not alone. An increasing number of educators in both college and grade school have built cellphones and social media into their curriculums.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/07/30/smartphones-smart-students-093/

by MHEC

Illinois has been approved by the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) as the ninth state to join the Midwestern State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (M-SARA). Illinois joins Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Ohio. Nationally, Illinois is the 28th state to join the agreement. SARA is a nationwide initiative of states that will make distance education courses more accessible to students across state lines and make it easier for states to regulate and institutions to participate in interstate distance education. The effort is funded by a $3 million grant from Lumina Foundation, a $200,000 grant from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and fees paid by institutions.

http://link.mhec.org/v/306/17f0358c3dbfe6bcc756670a4cd7e8bc7b3051c17e5ece2f

by Houston Chronicle

In the modern world of work, a job is no longer necessarily for life – many companies expect and even seek out candidates with a wide range of experience and expertise. At the same time, many people long to diversify their skills, or to specialise and advance within their current field of work. This growing value and appreciation of lifelong learning means that now nearly one in three university graduates is a mature student. But many adult learners work full or part-time jobs, and around half the students surveyed for the HAE study were shown to be juggling caring for their family along with their studies. Full-time education is simply not practical for many people. However, it isn’t necessary to go to university to gain industry recognised training – as the new research emphasizes, flexible part-time learning, online or in a classroom, is a vital part in making those new job ambitions a reality.

http://www.chron.com/business/press-releases/article/Educators-Urged-to-Make-Flexibility-a-Priority-to-6414246.php

by Bloomberg

Emily Chang and Khan Academy’s Sal Khan discuss whether or not online education will ever replace traditional classrooms, and why he thinks paying for that MIT or Harvard degrees may be “a little bit suspect.” They speak on this week’s edition of Studio 1.0.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-07-30/online-learning-won-t-replace-traditional-education-khan

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

Google provides a quick and easy way to search for images, taking just tenths of a second to return millions of results. A person could spend less than a minute thinking of an image, searching for it, and then copying it into a presentation or a video project. But someone photographed that image, and just like scholarly text should be properly cited, so too should digital content be fairly sourced. Copyright issues get less attention than they should among colleges and universities, which are becoming increasingly saturated with video in academics and beyond. Hundreds of individuals on any given campus produce video, often adding graphics, still photos, audio soundtracks, and stock video clips to round out their own footage. In many cases, they follow all the rules, but too often, they do not. Raul Burriel, an information technology consultant at Oregon State University, calls it a question of education.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/with-increased-video-use-comes-greater-copyright-concerns-for-higher-ed/403037/

The Illinois Council on Continuing Higher Education (ICCHE) and the Association for Continuing Higher Education (ACHE)invite you to submit a proposal the 2016 Annual Conference to be held February 10–12, 2016, in Chicago, IL

ICCHE Mission:

The Illinois Council on Continuing Higher Education (ICCHE) is a comprehensive organization of continuing higher education representing all regions of the state of Illinois. Founded in 1975, ICCHE is the only organization in Illinois whose membership includes two and four year colleges and universities, both public and private. ICCHE was established in response to related social, political, and educational issues of the era and continues to evolve, sensitive to institutional,legislative, and stakeholder concerns.

The Association for Continuing Higher Education (ACHE) is dedicated to promoting lifelong learning and excellence in continuing higher education. As an organization of colleges, universities, and individuals, we encourage professional development, research and exchange of information for its members and continuing higher education as a means of enhancing and improving society.

http://www.acheinc.org/Resources/Documents/GreatLakes/ACHE_ICCHE_2016_Call.pdf

by Sarah Gilbert, ATD

Mobile learning is rapidly making its way into organizations across the globe. For many instructional designers and developers, learning about new technology, platforms, and ways of building content can be daunting. We are expanding our skills to include understanding HTML5, responsive design, and device affordances, just to name a few. In the world of native apps versus mobile web, an exciting solution is sometimes overlooked: interactive e-books.

https://www.td.org/Publications/Blogs/Learning-Technologies-Blog/2015/07/3-Reasons-to-Use-Interactive-E-Books-for-Mobile-Learning

by Devon Haynie, US News

Students shouldn’t assume online education is cheaper than brick-and-mortar options. While online students may save on day-to-day commuting costs, they may still be required to pay for travel to campus for short periods. When it comes to choosing an online degree, a program’s price tag tends to be the most important factor for prospective students. In a recent report about online learners, 45 percent of respondents said they ended up choosing the most inexpensive program among their options, up from 30 percent in 2014. While choosing an online degree can indeed be a wise move for a student’s budget, buyers should beware that the cost of a virtual program isn’t always what it seems. Below are several myths about the cost of online education.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2015/07/28/debunk-6-myths-about-the-cost-of-online-education

By Sean Coughlan, BBC

It’s easy to take online learning for granted, whether it’s finding how to do something on YouTube or following a free online course from a university. But Cheril Demasuhid is working as a maid in Hong Kong so that she can send back money to her family in the Philippines. In her spare hours, she goes on to the internet to study subjects such as IT and business.  A course from the Commonwealth Education Trust, on the Coursera online learning platform, is being used in the Dadaab refugee camp, near the border of Kenya and Somalia. It is aimed at providing teacher training lessons for students without any formal teacher education. But the idea of online courses providing a way out isn’t only about geography or poverty. It’s also about people wanting a second chance.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-33478931

by Mary K. Pratt, Computer World

Rick Walter was facing a robust job market when he graduated from Brigham Young University in April of 2014 with an IS degree. But Walter wasn’t interested in a conventional career path. So early in June 2014, when Apple came out with Swift, its new programming language for coding Mac OS X and iOS applications, Walter dove into Apple’s hefty e-manual, then the only way to learn the new language. He’d teach Swift the way he would have preferred to learn it. He recorded himself explaining the language as he worked his way chapter by chapter through the manual. In just four days he made about 50 videos, each just several minutes long. He teamed up with Udemy, an online learning marketplace, to offer the video series as a single course. Walter offered it free on day one, when 1,600 people signed up. Interest soared from there, even after he set the price at $199, and Walter earned about $40,000 over the next several days. All told, he has made about $180,000 from that course and others, even after factoring in Udemy’s cut.

http://www.computerworld.com/article/2950118/it-careers/tech-experts-rake-in-the-cash-by-teaching-online.html

by Riley Katz, the Daily Reveille

The online program started in March of 2013 with three different programs available to students, but since its inception, the program has tripled in size to nine programs, said Amanda Major, interim director of LSU Online.  “LSU wanted to stay competitive in online programs, so we have progressed lightning quickly in the past two years to keep in competition with other universities across the country,” Major said. Looking to the future, Major said LSU Online is hoping to expand programs for in-demand and niche degrees in the future, like the new Master of Arts in education with specialization in educational technology program, slated to start next year on March 7, 2016.

http://www.lsureveille.com/daily/number-of-lsu-online-programs-triples-since-inception/article_46ee9e7a-34b9-11e5-a760-9f075d696711.html

by Michael Moyes and Pat Raymond, Evolllution

Massive Open Online Courses can be a highly successful mechanism to bring students into credit-bearing offerings, but institutions must be strategic about their programming and marketing. When Massive Open Online Courses burst onto the scene in 2012, there was a great deal of excitement around the capacity for these offerings to transform the higher education space. While they have been successful in creating access to higher education for underserved populations, many administrators saw an opportunity to both deliver high-quality programming to students they may never have reached and to encourage these students to also enroll in online credit-bearing programs offered by the institution. While some institutions have not seen the return they were hoping for from these courses, others, like Berklee Online—the continuing education division of Berklee College of Music, which offers a range of for-credit and non-credit online music education options—have enjoyed great success.

http://evolllution.com/attracting-students/enrollment_strategies/free-degree-moocs-open-door-future-online-students/

By David Talbot, Technology Review

China knows a thing or two about distance learning. For two decades, the country’s education ministry has used the television airwaves to broadcast agricultural lessons to more than 100 million rural students—making it the largest such program in the world. And in the early 2000s, the charitable Li Ka Shing Foundation installed satellite dishes and computers to broadcast lectures to 10,000 rural schools. Now this top-down model of online learning is being joined by a surge in new commercial and university offerings. And it’s no longer just about reaching rural provinces. In China a rapidly rising middle class—part of a population that now totals 1.4 billion—is creating a demand for education far outpacing what traditional teachers and schools can supply. In response, Chinese startups are identifying market niches and developing entirely new products, while universities are emulating online platforms first developed in the United States.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/539136/chinas-startup-boom-in-online-learning/

By Nanette Byrnes, Technology Review

Founded two years ago by Max ­Ventilla, a data expert and former head of personalization at Google, AltSchool runs schools filled with data-gathering technology. Information is captured from the moment each student arrives at school and checks in on an attendance app. For part of the day, students work independently, using iPads and Chromebooks, on “playlists” of activities that teachers have selected to match their personal goals. Data about each student’s progress is captured for teachers’ later review. Classrooms are recorded, and teachers can flag important moments by pressing a button, as you might TiVo your favorite television show. The idea is that all the data from this network of schools will be woven into a smart centralized operating system that teachers will be able to use to design effective and personalized instruction. There is even a recommendation engine built in.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/539091/lessons-from-the-digital-classroom/

By George Anders, Technology Review

Of all the U.S. universities offering free online courses to the world, Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, is among the most active. Its professors have filled Coursera’s distance-learning platform with 30 courses, in subjects ranging from astronomy to dog emotions. Since 2013, the university has assigned one administrator exclusively to digital and online education initiatives. There’s even a collection of sunny haikus about online education on Duke’s website. “A few years ago, the question was ‘Should we be teaching online or shouldn’t we?’ says Duke provost Sally Kornbluth, a geneticist by training. “That conversation has passed. Now it’s a conversation about what kinds of innovative things we can do.” In a discussion with MIT Technology Review contributing editor George Anders, Kornbluth explained why Duke is bullish about online education—and what new opportunities lie ahead.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/539151/the-believer-dukes-sally-kornbluth/

by HARI K. RAJAGOPALAN, the Hindu

I work in a small public university in South Carolina, U.S., and we pride ourselves on providing an excellent liberal arts education. The School of Business is accredited at the highest level by AACSB, an international accreditation body. The 2008 recession and the resulting slump in the economy caused enrolments in the MBA programme to drop. The first thing we did was take a survey of our former students and companies in our area who pay for their employees to do an MBA. The most important feedback was that attending classes from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. after a full day’s work was not convenient for them. Online programmes, they pointed out, were convenient and more suitable for working adults. Online learning is here to stay and I believe it will revolutionise the education industry. It will make learning more accessible, cheaper and might enhance the learning experience for students if done properly. It is important, however, to ensure that the learning experience is legitimate and implemented correctly.

http://www.thehindu.com/features/education/college-and-university/online-education-is-here-to-stay/article7464376.ece

by Kit Buchan, Guardian

‘Why are we not doing more to have coding colleges and technical, vocational education alongside university education?” This question, raised by Labour’s Yvette Cooper during an interview with the Observer in May, reflects a wide concern about the availability and equality of software training, an area with a reputation for being elusive, exclusive, expensive and overwhelmingly male. Calls to improve the state of digital education in the UK have become commonplace, with new coding initiatives appearing all the time. The international Hour of Code claims to have given millions of Britons a taste of programming, while the government declared 2014 the official Year of Code”. Female programmers can join Girls who Code’ or Ladies who Code’ programmes; the BBC recently launched its Make it Digital’ campaign; and even the online grocer Ocado has thrown its hat in the ring with a scheme called Code for Life’. But while the national curriculum now includes programming for children as young as five, there is still a dearth of affordable, vocational options in higher education, despite a rocketing number of well-rewarded jobs for software developers.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/26/founders-coders-coding-free-training-london