Online Learning Update

by Alan Wiig, Vantage

The relationship between data to space extends beyond the network equipment, services, and mobile devices that transmit and present information to a user. Pervasive wireless connectivity and ubiquitous computing, as ‘the cloud’ are central, common elements of contemporary urban life. Data centers translate, as it were, between individuals and their experience of the city by mediating experiences through digital augmentation. An example of this is Google Maps’ locative ability to place the user on the map and then orient said user to wherever they need to go. While data is largely immaterial except in the action it enables, like getting you to your meeting with that map, the storage, maintenance, and transmission of data require many layers of interfacing telecommunication infrastructure that function nearly everywhere but are always, inherently embedded in particular places.

https://medium.com/vantage/the-urban-infrastructural-geography-of-the-cloud-1b076cf9b06e#.20nb1elgr

By Braulio Tellez, The Shorthorn

Nursing senior Natasha Gatti takes online classes at UTA from halfway across the nation. She wouldn’t be as successful as an online-only student without being able to properly budget her time. Gatti began taking online classes in the fall. She is a full-time student working toward a bachelor’s in nursing and takes 18 hours of online classes. She also works part-time as a night shift nurse at a CareOne long-term acute facility in New Jersey. Online classes really do not differ from on campus courses, she said. The interactions in class are replaced by class discussions through BlackBoard. Face time with professors is compensated by working with academic coaches, assistants assigned to online nursing students. They have the same degree of knowledge as professors and help students in their courses.

http://www.theshorthorn.com/life_and_entertainment/students-balance-online-classes-with-work-family/article_38c58dc8-be10-11e5-95af-177b9e9767f4.html

by Seb Murray, Business Because

Education tech companies including Coursera, edX, Udacity and their b-school and university partners are delving deeper into big data analytics to improve teaching and student learning. Simon Nelson, CEO of online learning company FutureLearn, says: “The potential is incredible — and we are just scratching the surface.” A report to be published in January by the UK’s Higher Education Commission (HEC) envisages that big data will help identify risk of failure; give students instant feedback; and benchmark their performance against peers.

http://www.businessbecause.com/news/mba-distance-learning/3726/edtech-explores-big-data-to-boost-online-learning

by eCampus News

At the University of Texas at Arlington, a four-year state university, serving approximately 35,000 students, data show strong positive correlations between average MyFinanceLab homework scores and both average Learning Catalytics and average Dynamic Study Module grades. Also, students who earned higher average Learning Catalytics and Dynamic Study Module grades earned higher average exam scores. Specifically, students who completed the most assignments scored eight percent higher on exams than students who skipped more than the average number of assignments. Learning Catalytics is an interactive, classroom-based feature of MyLab and Mastering that uses students’ smartphones, tablets, or laptops to engage them in more sophisticated tasks and thinking.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/adaptive-learning-outcomes-651/

By Matt Lawson, eCampus News

While that hype has not panned out, MOOCs did find a good foothold in our nation’s community colleges, where online classes provide scheduling flexibility for nontraditional students dealing with life demands; lower-cost options for students who need more cost-effective alternatives; or a stop-gap remedial solution for students needing help to fill in holes in their educational backgrounds. That last use case has proven to be a top priority for community colleges across the nation. When I was the Director of Enterprise Services for Virginia’s Community Colleges, improving student success was a cornerstone strategic goal for the community colleges. Community colleges face unique challenges with student success: in the U.S., at least 50 percent of entrants need at least one year of developmental education in order to be prepared for entry-level college courses. MOOCs offer the possibility of allowing students to improve their basic skills and test into college‐level courses without having to pay for remedial classes.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/moocs-community-colleges-109/

By Rica Bhattacharyya, Economic Times

MOOCs was earlier about creating individual courses in many areas and people could take them for free. Today, we have broken through in many major dimensions. One big example is today we offer complete programmes, not just individual courses, and we have also made a breakthrough with offering programme credit and certificates. For example, we launched a major data science programme with Columbia University. So, imagine, if you are student or working with a company you can complete a whole program.  You can learn anything on MOOC for free, but if you want a micro masters credential, you have to pay a fee of $200-300 for the entire programme.

By: Cassie Lipp, University of Cincinnati

Todd Foley had never taught a class of more than 25 students before he began teaching Introduction to Co-op and Mid-Curricular Co-op for Engineering courses at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Engineering and Applied Science. To get started, he turned to tools from the eLearning backpack project. Meeting the goals of the co-op courses can be challenging, especially with only one hour of class each week and students with varying levels of experience all in one large lecture room. Foley looked for a way to make the course as personalized as possible for the students. “How do you create a learning environment that is conducive to all types of learning?” Foley asked. “I use technology to level the playing field.”

http://www.uc.edu/profiles/profile.asp?id=22707

by Laurie Alexander,et al; EDUCAUSE Review

Libraries increasingly offer the technological capacity and staff expertise to support student publishing, but this activity tends to happen in isolation from other library activities. Harnessing publishing as a pedagogical tool improves student learning outcomes through high-impact learning practices: extensive writing, teamwork, service learning, undergraduate research, and experiential learning. Partnering with students to achieve their publishing ambitions clarifies the requirements that the next generation of digital scholars may have for library technology infrastructure designed for preservation and access. The University of Michigan Library connects scholarly communication and instruction by focusing on publishing as pedagogy, as illustrated in three case studies.

http://er.educause.edu/articles/2016/1/publishing-as-pedagogy-connecting-library-services-and-technology

by PR Newswire

Canvas, the team behind the Virtual Learning Environment from the software-as-a-service company Instructure Inc, released new research today that shows how personal tech devices are being banned in classrooms due to teachers’ fears that they will cause distraction, although many recognise they may have future uses in the classroom.  The study reveals that more than one-third of teachers (34 percent) in the UK have banned personal devices like mobile phones and tablets from the classroom – significantly more than in U.S. schools (23 percent). Many teachers (62 percent) believe such technology distracts students from learning, although the profession remains broadly open to the potential future benefits, with three quarters (74 percent) agreeing that when integrated effectively and used as an education tool rather than a leisure device, such technology can make their job easier.

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/enUK201601151566.htm

By Meris Stansbury, eCampus News

Deep thinkers in the higher ed-tech world share their thoughts on reinvention, the new IT model, management changes, and what really works in the classroom. Though Twitter is always good for a quick one-sentence thought-and-reply, it’s still blogs that evoke not only the most thoughtful opinion summations from its authors, but also attract a community committed to engaging in meaningful dialogue: two characteristics that lend well to higher education.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/higher-ed-blogs-277/

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

These ideas and technologies are jolting the education segment from the outside in. Heavy adoption of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are at the top of many prediction lists. “2016 is the year these puppies will actually roll out to the general public,” declared Yahoo Finance reporter Andy Serwer. The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) featured some four dozen exhibitors serving this segment in two separate marketplaces, “gaming and virtual reality” and “augmented reality.” The Consumer Technology Association, which runs that event, expects sales of headsets to reach 1.2 million units this year.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/01/14/4-trends-that-will-recharge-higher-ed-it-in-2016.aspx

By Jon Marcus, Times Higher Education

Two networks in Australia and the US backed by the same start-up technology are blazing a new teaching trail. “Academic crowdsourcing is what I’m calling it,” said Nicholas Hawkins of the University of Queensland, head of the Biomedical Education Skills and Training network (BEST), through which the virtual lab was made available. That network has now been followed by a similar operation based at Arizona State University in the US, driven by technology from the same start-up company and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to improve basic science instruction. It is a mirror image of the massive open online course, or Mooc; instead of connecting huge numbers of students, it connects large numbers of teachers to collaborate in ways that academics have not traditionally practised.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/academic-crowdsourcing-allows-lecturers-share-ideas

By Paul Riismandel, Streaming Media

Streamed lectures, it turns out, are a poor replacement for classroom learning. To help students absorb what they hear, add interactive activities to the curriculum. Recently, five researchers from Carnegie Mellon University decided to test out what difference extra activities make on learning outcomes inside a massive open online course, or MOOC. The title of their study belies their conclusion: “Learning Is Not a Spectator Sport: Doing Is Better Than Watching for Learning From a MOOC.” They tested a 12-week introductory MOOC in psychology that featured 10- to 15-minute lecture videos as part of the instructional content along with weekly quizzes to measure progress. Looking just at the final, the average score of the students who used the OLI activities was nine points higher than the students who didn’t: 66 points vs. 57 points. Many more students completed the interactive course, too; 939 of the OLI students took the final exam, while only 215 of the students in the non-OLI version did.

http://www.streamingmedia.com/Articles/Editorial/Featured-Articles/Online-Students-Do-Not-Learn-By-Video-Alone-Finds-Study-108552.aspx

by WLOS

The state’s community college board on Friday opted against launching a feasibility study into the pros and cons of offering a four-year nursing degree. About a half-dozen states offer advanced nursing education at community colleges. A study by community college leaders and health-industry groups said the idea is one way to reach a goal of 80 percent of nurses holding four-year degrees by 2020 as the health care environment gets more complex. The community college board decided instead to develop online learning and expand the ability of graduates to earn nursing degrees from a public university.

http://www.wlos.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/NC-Community-Colleges-Skip-4-Year-Nursing-Degree-250815.shtml

by Paul Fain, Inside Higher Ed

Accreditors and the department of education are in charge of determining whether a distance education program meets federal requirements for faculty interaction. The inspector general recently has issued rebukes to both the feds and a regional accreditor for their review of competency-based programs related to this question. Previous audits from the inspector general have questioned whether some competency-based programs should be classified as correspondence courses. That question appears to be at the center of the office’s inquiry into Western Governors, which is a nonprofit.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/15/education-departments-inspector-generals-high-stakes-audit-western-governors-u

by Bravetta Hassell, Chief Learning Officer

Massive open online courses were hot last year — growing by more than 17 million students since 2014. Growth is still climbing, as is perceived value and prices. Driven by increased platform connectivity and device-based computing adoption, as well as the emergence of online and collaborative learning and technology personalization, Reportlinker estimates the MOOC market to grow by nearly $7 billion by 2020. Self-paced courses are getting a boost. About half of all courses listed on Class Central don’t have a start date per se, which indicates a growing trend toward customer-friendly services. “In 2016, we can expect to see a lot more credentials and credits,” Shah wrote in edSurge.com post. “But as MOOC providers try to aggressively monetize, early adopters may find that critical components of the learning experience will no longer be free.”

http://www.clomedia.com/articles/6673-why-you-should-care-that-moocs-had-a-great–

by Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

A survey of the shared design elements and emerging practices of competency-based education programs by Public Agenda, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates and Lumina foundations, gives perhaps the clearest view yet of competency-based education in U.S. higher education. According to eCampus News, the more than 170 respondents had near universal agreement on four design elements: using clear, cross-cutting and specialized competencies, having measurable and meaningful assessments, creating proficient and prepared graduates, and being learner-centered. The most commonly experienced challenges of developing CBE programs include using data systems that are automated and compatible with one another, designing pricing models to be compatible with financial aid, and securing the confidence of external stakeholders in the quality of the credential.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/national-survey-provides-first-clear-look-at-competency-based-ed/412134/

by Adam Gordon, Forbes

Omni-learning continuously and digitally integrates all real and virtual learning sites –classroom, workplace, customers’ premises and beyond. The concept owes much to data-tracking adaptive feedback systems that have emerged in other industries, for example Fitbit wearables that track health and fitness activity and provide ongoing interaction with peers and feedback to doctors. Or, similarly, Waze (a Google company) which aggregates continuous distributed peer imputs about the state of traffic into knowledge that guides driver choices. Kaganer and Aurrichio isolate three key features of omni-learning: Continuous and Cross-Context. Learner-Led. Data-driven.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/adamgordon/2016/01/14/executive-learning-iese/#2715e4857a0b677b408a2b41

by Cade Metz, Wired

Udacity, the online educational service founded by artificial intelligence guru and ex-Googler Sebastian Thrun, is offering a new set of tech degrees that guarantee a job in six months or your money back. Starting today, the Silicon Valley-based startup is attaching this money-back guarantee to four of its online courses, courses designed to train machine learning engineers and software developers that build apps for Google Android devices, Apple iOS devices, and the web. These online courses typically span about 9 months and required about 10 hours of study per week, and they’re priced at $299 a pop. That’s about $100 above the company’s usual fee, but the idea is that students will also work closely with specialists that can help them prepare for interviews and find a job after their degree is complete.

http://www.wired.com/2016/01/udacity-coding-courses-guarantee-a-job-or-your-money-back/

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

In its annual list of top IT issues, Educause encourages college and university IT leaders to divest, reinvest, and differentiate in 2016. A panel of experts — including IT and non-IT leaders, CIOs, and faculty members — curated the list, organizing the top 10 critical areas of focus into groups based on these three major challenges. Susan Grajek, vice president of data, research, and analytics at Educause, is the lead author on the IT issues report and a companion report that details the top 10 strategic technologies that institutions can use to address the divest, reinvest, and differentiate challenges. In announcing the publications, Grajek highlighted the power of information technology to help institutions gain a competitive advantage, especially through analytics and ed tech.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/what-are-educauses-top-10-it-issues-and-technologies-of-2016/411980/

By Alexandra Pannoni, US News

Just because a program is online doesn’t mean it will be easier to get into, experts say. The first step adults need to take to complete a bachelor’s degree online is to apply. Undergraduate Seamus Yarbrough decided to apply to the University of Florida Online​ in 2014 because he wanted to finish his bachelor’s​ degree while working.​ ​ While the 28-year-old says the application process was pretty streamlined and easy, he still had to submit the same kinds of admissions materials, like transcripts, he needed ​when he applied to the school as a potential on-campus student​ years ago. ​The Tennessee ​resident, a paralegal, had to wait about two months to learn he was accepted.​ Applicants should consider the following when applying to top undergraduate online programs.​

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2016-01-12/4-tips-for-adults-applying-to-top-online-bachelors-degree-programs