Online Learning Update

By David Raths, Campus Technology

When textbook material gets dated — particularly in current affairs or business topics — what is an instructor to do? Some have found a solution in the Flipboard news reader, which aggregates stories in a magazine-format mobile app. Users can create customized magazines from their social network feeds and news outlets, compiling up-to-date content in an engaging interface. Lyna Matesi, who teaches management, leadership, strategy, learning and development, and ethics for the School of Business and Economics at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, started using Flipboard in 2013 and now uses it in every class she teaches. “For my students who are undergraduates and who are going to be entering the professional market for the first time when they leave school, I want them to understand their industry because it will help them secure a job. They will sound much different in an interview.”

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/12/09/turning-course-materials-into-a-digital-magazine.aspx

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

Researchers at a Canadian university have tapped an immersive system to learn more about how the vestibular system regulates balance and motion in extreme and even ordinary environments. York University’s Centre for Vision Research installed Christie Digital’s Edgeless Graphics Geometry (EGG) 3D stereoscopic visualization system in its multi-sensory integration lab. EGG, shaped like the inside of an egg, allows a person to sit at the screen and feel immersed within the environment.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/12/10/york-u-adds-immersive-egg-for-research.aspx

By Leila Meyer, Campus Technology

Valdosta State University in Georgia has achieved a 15-minute response time for second-tier information technology service — even while reducing costs. How? A new Technical Response Unit (TRU) program takes advantage of numerous technologies and operational changes to improve IT support on campus. The university serves approximately 11,000 students and employs around 1,500 faculty and staff. From an IT perspective, it supports about 4,000 PCs in 235 classrooms and labs. As with many other educational institutions, VSU was trying to figure out how to support increasing levels of technology on a shrinking budget. “To be able to continue that level of growth yet maintain the same service and support levels, we had to figure out better ways to utilize our existing resources,” said Benjamin Li, tier 1 coordinator for the IT department.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/12/10/speeding-up-it-support.aspx

by iSchoolGuide

The Department of Education urged teachers to use accessible shared resources online for their class work. The online resources are transforming learning because the materials are constantly updated, unlike the traditional textbooks. The Department of Education urged teachers to use accessible shared resources online for their class work. The online resources are transforming learning because the materials are constantly updated, unlike the traditional textbooks. According to Tes, Arne Duncan, the US education secretary said that the department has launched a campaign dubbed “GoOpen.” The campaign is calling upon teachers to drop traditional textbooks and adapt the online educational resources. Duncan emphasized the importance of subscribing to openly licensed educational resources to ensure that all students access high-quality learning resources.

http://www.ischoolguide.com/articles/38462/20151212/education-department-advocates-online-resources-over-textbooks.htm

BY TROY DREIER, OnlineVideo

Most of the respondents were marketing pros in B2B or mixed B2B/B2C companies.  Here’s a quick take on some of the main findings:

Roughly 1 in 5 already use interactive video. Roughly 1 in 4 are just starting out with it or have plans to use it. 36 percent of the video created by participants was interactive. The top two reasons given for creating interactive video were driving better engagement and e-learning or customer training. The average interactive video budget for the next year is between $30,000 and $40,000. Two-thirds of those studied say interactive video is becoming more important to them.

http://www.onlinevideo.net/2015/12/interactive-video-most-used-for-driving-engagement-and-e-learning/

By Bradley Fuster, US News

​The notion of earning a degree or certificate entirely from the comfort of your couch is appealing to certain students. The recently updated Online Learning Consortium program definitions articulate that in online programs, all credits must be offered fully online, without students needing to show up anywhere in person. While this remains a reality at some institutions, certain programs may require one-time or periodic student attendance. Before enrolling in a far away degree program, here are five attendance situations you might encounter..

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-learning-lessons/2015/12/11/5-attendance-requirements-to-watch-for-in-online-programs

By Ron Bethke, eCampus News

As the demand for digital badges increases, so does the need for policies and processes surrounding them. digital-badge-steps“Digital badges allow students to turn competencies and achievements to marketable credentials,” said Susan Manning, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Yet, unless clearly defined management processes are put into place, this potential may not be realized. This was the main discussion part of a recent panel, “Digital Badges in Higher Education,” hosted by The New Media Consortium, which not only stressed the importance of students earning more digital badges for employment, but what must be done to help propel the digital badge and credentialing movement.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/digital-badges-highered-784/

by PR Web

Codementor, a leading marketplace for on-demand live help from expert developers, announced today that they are partnering with Udemy to provide industry leading curriculum along with live 1:1 mentorship. Codementor is now launching mentorship plans with structured curriculums in 5 categories, chosen from the top programming courses available at Udemy. Weiting Liu, CEO and Founder of Codementor, said “With this partnership, we are combining Udemy’s industry leading curriculum with Codementor’s 1:1 mentorship to help anyone learn new technologies faster.”

http://www.virtual-strategy.com/2015/12/10/codementor-and-udemy-partner-online-programming-courses-live-11-mentorship#axzz3u25tn8bU

Jim North, Connection

There was a time when book-worms and researchers consumed print media only. Today, they consume print media, as well as abundant electronic sources online. Librarians now teach class sessions for faculty who want their students to approach projects strategically. Students learn methods of research, navigation of databases and how to conduct Internet searches. Barnes says, “The great thing is that it’s all one library and if there’s a book you want, you can get it brought from one library to another in about one or two days and sometimes the same day.” “The primary services the library offers are a place to study, meet and relax.” He says help with research questions can be scheduled on a one-to-one basis. Appointments with librarians can also be made for specialized research sessions.

http://theconnectiontcc.com/957/college-news/library-boasts-physical-and-online-presence-for-student-learning/

by Knowledge@Wharton

Since first making headlines in 2011, massive open online courses, or MOOCs, are now offered at hundreds of universities to millions of students around the world, including at Wharton. In the new ebook Mastering MOOCs, published with Wharton Digital Press, Knowledge@Wharton reports on how business professionals are using MOOCs to further their careers, and to help their companies and teams succeed. In the following excerpt, Knowledge@Wharton looks at why some of them take MOOCs.

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/mastering-moocs-using-open-online-courses-to-achieve-your-goals/

by LINDA WHITE, Toronto Sun

Opportunities to learn whenever you want and wherever you are just got better. A brand new online portal — eCampus Ontario — offers more than 13,000 university and college courses recognized for credit at multiple institutions. “Students should be excited about the eCampus online portal, which gives them the flexibility to access high quality online courses wherever and whenever works best for them,” minister of training, colleges and universities Reza Moridi says in a statement. Ontario already offers hundreds of online courses transferable between participating colleges and universities through collaboration with the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer, Contact North and OntarioLearn.

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/12/09/online-learning-becomes-more-flexible

by Craig Marsh, All Africa

Contrary to the belief that online learning is a solitary learning experience, several online learning institutions (such as the University of Roehampton, London Online) have developed networking platforms similar to popular social-media channels to help students build communities among their peers. Despite the thousands of miles between them, a social platform can connect students with faculty members and with each other to share best practices for their course and their careers.  This creation of an academic environment that supports personal engagement both inside and outside the classroom has become an integral part of the online postgraduate learning experience.  Faculty members are key to supporting an integrated and interactive approach to learning, where students complete assignments by engaging in creative online discussions.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201512100535.html#mce_temp_url#

By Ron Bethke, eCampus News

The University of Maryland, College Park, is leading the way in studying the innovative applications of augmented and virtual reality across a wide range of fields. Researchers at the Augmentarium – a unique computer visualization laboratory at the University of Maryland, College Park – are exploring the future of virtual and augmented reality as it relates to public safety, health care, STEM education, the visual and performing arts, and more. The potential applications of virtual and augmented reality in a host of disciplines–including education, science, medicine, the arts, entertainment and industry–are massive, say large institutions like the University of Maryland (UMD), whose Augmentarium serves as a potential instrumental model for innovative research facilities and universities looking to make their impact on the future.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/augmentarium-virtual-reality-122/

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

Higher ed IT leaders share 8 ways to make the best use of the data coming out of the campus learning management system. This fall, Oral Roberts University (OK) issued Fitbits to on-campus students and Garmin vivofits to online students — part of the “whole person” philosophy at the Tulsa-based institution that urges students to be “well prepared” physically. The data generated by those activity trackers on movement, heart rate and sleep patterns drizzles automatically into the university’s D2L gradebook in time for settling up midterm grades and finals. The results are displayed through D2L for faculty and students, just as if they were weekly quiz grades. The Garmin device, added CIO Mike Mathews, syncs with an online service that allows students to set goals and share progress with others. Eventually, the campus will use the analytics to find out whether tracking the fitness data and making it visible gets students to move their bodies more, which is the goal, after all.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/12/02/how-data-from-your-lms-can-impact-student-success.aspx

by Nathan Culmer, EDUCAUSE Review

Although inevitable — and often beneficial — change is hard for everyone involved because it forces us think, feel, and act in new ways. IT personnel often struggle with change more than people working in other areas; in particular, they perceive a lack of personal influence on their larger group or the overall enterprise. Understanding how change affects people and working with key factors such as motivation and trust can help leaders manage inevitable change in a way that empowers and improves IT organizations and the people who work within them. Penn State University’s IT Transformation Project offered fertile ground for a study of how IT people experience change and how to help them best navigate change in their work tasks and roles, as well as in their overall environment.

http://er.educause.edu/articles/2015/12/leading-change-in-higher-ed-it

by Marco De Novellis, Business Because

Online MBA students say disruptive programs match bricks-and-mortar degrees. According to GMAC’s 2015 prospective student survey, 12% of global MBA applicants consider online programs; 21% in the US; 15% in Africa. The data epitomize how e-learning widens access to education for developing countries. With growing numbers of MBA applicants looking to online MBA programs, business schools are having to adapt to the demands of an increasingly digitized world.

http://www.businessbecause.com/news/mba-distance-learning/3644/mba-students-plug-into-online-revolution

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

The University of Texas’s Institute for Transformational Learning has created an all-digital, biomedical sciences competency-based degree program, designed for iPad through the Total Educational Experience, or TEx, program. Campus Technology reports that the decision to use iPads came from timing — it started developing the program, which launched at its Rio Grande Valley campus, in November of 2014 — and connectivity, as some students in the target population did not have reliable cell service. The CBE program pulled technology support from multiple vendors, including Salesforce and Canvas, and developers have focused on constant improvement, with plans to release a version for all mobile devices through a Web app next year.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/u-of-texas-campus-builds-cbe-from-mobile-up/410515/

By Andrew Barbour, eCampus News

“CIOs and provosts don’t know where to start,” said Renny Monaghan, chief marketing officer at D2L. “Everybody’s excited about CBE, everybody wants to do it, but they’re really starting at the very beginning. Not surprisingly, companies like D2L are hoping that colleges and universities turn to them to figure out the answers. In some ways, tech companies are a natural fit for CBE, since it’s a form of education that is almost impossible to scale without a robust technology solution in place. It’s a lesson that the University of Wisconsin Extension has learned firsthand since it launched its Flexible Option CBE program in 2013. The program, which is intended to serve the state’s approximately 80,000 adults who are interested in further educational opportunities, currently has about 1,000 students pursuing everything from certificates in technical writing to bachelor’s degrees in science and nursing, diagnostic imaging, and information studies and technology.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/competency-based-cbe-626/?

By April Cashin-Garbutt, News Medical

Many of our lives have been touched by dementia and with an ageing population the challenge of finding a sustainable solution can seem insurmountable. The recent House of Commons Reception hosted by the University of Derby, however, highlighted some innovative approaches to health and social care development that may enable our workforces to cope with the hurdles that lie ahead. Dean of College of Health and Social Care, Dr Paula Crick, envisioned a future where our health service is not just an illness service and where people with dementia are supported in their own home. She stressed that this would require a change in current workforces. The University of Derby are keen to play an important role in transforming healthcare workforces by ensuring their students graduate fit for purpose and with a wealth of experience from their placements. They want to provide a successful career trajectory for healthcare workers.

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20151208/Open-online-courses-key-to-transforming-dementia-healthcare-workforces.aspx

by MarketsandMarkets

The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) market is estimated to grow from USD 1.83 Billion in 2015 to USD 8.50 Billion by 2020 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 36.0%. The report on the MOOC market considered 2014 as the base year and the forecast period from 2015 to 2020. MOOC market aims at providing online education platforms to evaluate the platforms during their development and deployment phase and ensure that platforms implemented adhere to the international standards. The report aims at estimating the market size and future growth opportunities of the MOOC market across different segments, such as platforms, courses, services, end-users, and regions.

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/massive-open-online-course-market-237288995.html

by Stephen Bailey, Biz Journal

Advances in online learning technology now allow companies to deliver high-quality, engaging programs with top thought leaders across geographic distance. The most cutting-edge programs are providing blended experiences that combine self-paced video lectures and assignments with live interactive events. In many ways, these programs have the potential not only to match the quality of in-person programs, but to surpass it. Advances in online technology are minimizing the traditional disadvantages of online learning, while cutting-edge companies are capitalizing on the inherent advantages of online corporate learning. These built-in benefits include more measurability, more scale, integration into day-to-day workflow, and improved adaptability to the needs of individual learners.

http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/growth-strategies/2015/12/online-learning-prepares-you-for-global-market.html?page=all