Online Learning Update

By Arnie Fertig, US News

If you’re unemployed, online classes can be a cheap way to show potential employers that your skills are fresh. “The world of work is changing faster than ever before, whether because of technology, automation or globalization. So, people need to keep up,” says Dennis Yang, CEO of Udemy. He’s right. In today’s economy, virtually nothing is done the way it was 20, 10 or even five years ago. And that applies to the way we learn as well. If you are unemployed, taking online courses and gaining certifications can be an inexpensive way to demonstrate that you possess the initiative to keep yourself up-to-date. Companies, such as Udemy, Coursera and LinkedIn’s Lynda, are among the major players in the diverse, growing and still-being-defined territory of online learning. Each has a different payment model and platform type. But they offer viable ways for you to learn a new skill, design or master a piece of software, figure out how to begin a business and more.

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/articles/2016-01-12/how-to-impress-employers-with-online-courses

By Meris Stansbury, eCampus News

Extended campus sees initial course enrollment spike thanks to a six-part, administrator-led strategy. Boosting course enrollment for online learning may seem easy, but for an extended campus that relies not only on adjunct faculty, but funding from tuition, boosting course enrollment is not always the no-brainer it’s made out to be. According to a new report, that’s what Brigham Young University’s (BYU) Salt Lake Center administration came to find as it tried to keep itself financially afloat by offering the same portfolio of courses they offered from the year before, as well as offering courses that were filled to capacity at the main campus—some 46 miles away in Provo, Utah.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/administrators-course-enrollment-715/

by Amy Ahearn, edSurge

A growing number of schools and nonprofits are building their first online courses. If you’re considering migrating your professional development program, curriculum, or training online, you’ll quickly be asking: “What platform should we use?” With a huge array of choices—Canvas, Oppia and Udemy, just to name a few—on the market, it can be hard to narrow in on the best fit for your budget and learning goals. Many companies make bold statements about their ability to “personalize” instruction or generate rich learning analytics. Which claims should you believe, and which you dismiss as entrepreneurial hype?

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-01-10-how-to-choose-the-right-tools-for-your-online-course

by Roshan Choxi, Tech Crunch

In 1984, educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom published research on a new method of teaching, commonly called Bloom’s 2 Sigma Problem. Wikipedia summarizes it: “The average student tutored one-to-one using mastery learning techniques performed two standard deviations better than students who learn via conventional instructional methods — that is, “the average tutored student was above 98% of the students in the control class.” The term “2 Sigma” comes from the result of the study, which showed that students who were provisioned with a combination of one-on-one mentorship and mastery learning performed two standard deviations (“sigma”) higher than students in a conventional classroom setting. Several technology startups have launched “online mentorship” products in the last five years. Udacity added “coaches” to their online programs in 2013, while Pluralsight acquired HackHands and Udemy partnered with CodeMentor earlier this year.

http://techcrunch.com/2016/01/09/how-startups-are-solving-a-decades-old-problem-in-education/

By Melissa Burns, Stanford

All responsible students always try to stay on top of useful things for college and treat their studies very seriously. If you use iPhone or iPad you can choose from a large variety of useful applications which are sure to help you study harder, tackle necessary assignments, organize your time better than ever. So let us see what applications are the most appropriate for modern students and note a few ones which are worth using.

http://collegepuzzle.stanford.edu/?p=5006

by Michael Cooney, Network World

If you are a computer scientist and have any thoughts on developing human brain-like functions into a new wave of computers, the researchers at the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity want to hear from you. IARPA, the radical research arm of the of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence this week said it was looking at two groups to help develop this new generation of computers: computer scientists with experience in designing or building computing systems that rely on the same or similar principles as those employed by the brain and neuroscientists who have credible ideas for how neural computing can offer practical benefits for next-generation computers.

http://www.networkworld.com/article/3020490/open-source-tools/intelligence-agency-wants-computer-scientists-to-develop-brain-like-computers.html

by Oregon State University

Oregon State University is increasing its commitment to online education with a new research unit to focus on online teaching and learning at OSU and across the nation. The OSU Extended Campus Research Unit is designed to create an accessible and inclusive online learning environment for these types of programs. Last month it received its first national grant and named eight OSU faculty members as its inaugural research fellows. “At this stage in higher education, research about online education still has a lot of gaps,” said Extended Campus research director Katie Linder. “There are many questions remaining about different technologies and how they impact student learning. The goal of these new initiatives is to ignite some excitement among faculty in a more collaborative fashion and answer those questions.”

http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archives/2016/jan/osu-opens-research-unit-online-teaching-learning

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

If the unbundling of higher education were like the unbundling of a cable package, most TV viewers would relinquish the Golf Channel and QVC, and so might just as many students give up ample office hours, support from IT, the library, athletics and on-campus social activities in return for a big reduction in tuition and fees. According to Ryan Craig, in his 2015 book, College Disrupted: The Great Unbundling of Higher Education, “Bundling transfers consumer surplus to producers.” Cable operators “inordinately” benefit from selling cable bundles to customers, whereas unbundling returns that surplus to the consumer — in the case of higher ed, the student. But the concept goes beyond basic economic considerations. Students may one day find they don’t need a bachelor’s degree to become employable. When that day comes, the traditional four-year college experience could be considered as “old-fashioned and elitist” as a debutante ball.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/01/06/will-unbundling-kill-higher-ed-as-we-know-it.aspx

by Jack Groves, Times Higher Education

Universities are set to pilot a global credit transfer system that will allow students to use courses taken online to count towards their degrees. Six universities from Australia, Europe, Canada and the US are seeking to establish a new alliance in which each organisation’s massive open online courses (Moocs) are formally accredited by partner institutions. The proposed system – involving Delft University of Technology; ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich; the Australian National University; the University of Queensland; the University of British Columbia; and Boston University – is believed to be the first international initiative relating to online courses.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/moocs-international-credit-transfer-system-edges-closer

by Education World

A survey of school leaders throughout the nation has revealed some key findings about how and why they implement online and blended learning in their schools and districts. It found that four-fifths (79 percent) of all educators surveyed said the number one reason behind why they decided to implement blended learning and online programs into their schools is to offer an alternative to students struggling in a traditional learning environment. “Three other factors were tied for second: providing access to courses otherwise not available, providing flexibility for the time and place students can access courses, and offering a personalized learning experience,” the report said.

http://www.educationworld.com/a_news/79-school-leaders-use-online-learning-alternative-students-struggling778927841947

By Meris Stansbury, eCampus News

Compilation of case studies that describe use of MOOCs as part of blended learning provides insights into new potential for massive online courses. The verdict may still be out on the effectiveness of MOOCs on their own to improve learning outcomes and bring value to an institution, but could MOOCs have a more definitive positive impact in a blended or hybrid model; specifically, as incorporated in traditional, face-to-face courses? To try and help answer this question, Maria Joseph Israel, School of Education, University of San Francisco, reviewed five recent college and university experiments that used MOOCs in a blended format in traditional classroom settings, and synthesized the findings into challenges and opportunities presented by this MOOC integration.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/blended-learning-moocs-145/

by Andrew Fayad, Chief Learning Officer

The past year was productive and innovative, to be sure, but e-learning continues to grow as a viable solution for corporate learning, and neurolearning is progressing as a science and study. A few areas are especially promising for 2016, particularly when attitudes come into play. As forward-thinking and influential companies implement the best learning techniques, a wave of early adopters will take e-learning to the next level. Here are some of the trends that are worth a second look in the coming months.

http://www.clomedia.com/articles/6630-ways-e-learning-is-changing-in-2016

By Meris Stansbury, eCampus News

Researchers at Boise State University say these 17 reports on models and frameworks for mobile learning could help design even better mLearning experiences. As mobile learning gains popularity throughout education, it can be hard to sift through case studies and research on effective models and frameworks for designing mobile learning experiences. Recently, however, researchers decided to list and categorize the most relevant ones.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/design-mobile-learning-836/

by eCampus News

A flexible path to the cloud designed specifically to help colleges and universities achieve student success. As colleges and universities continue to transform to meet changing student expectations, senior institutional leaders want to help students access advanced, easy-to-use solutions anytime, anywhere. They also need better and more timely access to institutional and student data through solutions that inform decision-making, amidst a call for increased accountability.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/collaboration-cloud-solutions-253/

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

“It has been shown that in typical physics classes, students’ beliefs about their own learning deteriorate or at best stay the same. I want to reverse that result,” explained Calvin Kalman, principal researcher and a professor in the Department of Physics at Concordia University, in a press release about the project. “This study shows that if you combine a meta-cognitive activity with an interactive activity, students can better hone their thinking abilities for that course.” In this case students who were part of the experimental group were expected to engage in reflective writing, a meta-cognitive activity, before class in order to express in their own words what various textbook concepts meant, how they connected to concepts in other chapters and how they pertained to personal experiences. A control group of students performed summary writing, simply recapping what the textbook covered. Then when both groups came to class, they did collaborative work with fellow students and instructors in the lab.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/01/05/flipped-learning-improves-how-students-perceive-ability-to-learn-physics.aspx

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

Ryan Craig, author of “College Disrupted: The Great Unbundling of Higher Education,” expects traditional degree programs won’t survive in the long-term at all but the most elite institutions. Campus Technology reports the evidence that the higher education market is getting closer to Craig’s prediction includes the rise of coding bootcamps, nanodegrees, and companies’ removal of academic qualifications from their job criteria. Craig expects LinkedIn will become central to a competency marketplace of sorts, where employers can verify skills of prospective employees and adults can tailor their education plans to their career needs.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/is-unbundling-higher-eds-next-big-disruption/411694/

By Roger Riddell, Education Dive

From the tangible experiences of students and faculty to a campus’ much less-noticed “backend,” simple tech tools and developments can have a major and lasting impact on a college or university. No one is more familiar with this than the people working in an institution’s tech trenches, so to speak. With a number of issues and hurdles, promising developments, and ongoing trends in play, what does 2016 have in store for higher ed tech? One week into the new year, with institutions bracing for the beginning of winter/spring semesters, we reached out to five CIOs to get their opinions on all things higher ed tech.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/higher-ed-cios-share-campus-tech-predictions-for-2016/411552/

by Kelly Walsh, University Business

Most campus leaders surveyed by UB expect tech spending to increase or stay the same. Most campus leaders surveyed by UB expect tech spending to increase or stay the same. Today’s rapidly evolving technology has higher education on the move, literally and figuratively. Mobile devices are powering a shift to more learning on the go, driving increased video consumption and requiring IT to fund ongoing bandwidth and infrastructure expansion. Tech is enabling big changes in how colleges deliver academic programs and grant credentials. Increased automation allows differentiated instruction at a level never before possible. With professors and students taking advantage of these opportunities, technology budgets in support of academic initiatives should grow in 2016.

http://www.universitybusiness.com/article/outlook-technology-learning-shifts-infrastructure-lifts

by Deb Adair, Evolllution

Those leading the innovative work in higher education, those far out in front, could benefit from a good public relations campaign to bridge this gap between the innovators and those educators in the skeptical majority. In my view, higher education has become more sophisticated in what it expects from the use of technology. It’s not about technology for technology’s sake — the next shiny object. Isn’t not about the use of technology primarily as a tool for mass communicating — to improve access. Instead, leaders are looking to technology for solutions to move from an industrialized, factory-model version of education delivery to a customized, personalized one, scaling the gold standard of the faculty-student exchange where educators provide learners the benefits of their expertise.

http://evolllution.com/attracting-students/customer_service/personalization-and-quality-assurance-will-be-central-to-higher-eds-shifts-in-2016/

by Josh Kim, Inside Higher Ed

Admit that the LMS is now a commodity. (Phil Hill calls the LMS the minivan of education). Focus Blackboard’s platform and services on enabling systems, schools, faculty, and students to utilize learning data to make actionable (and evidence-based) changes. What I’m suggesting is a fundamental re-conception of Blackboard from a Learning Management System (LMS) to a Learning Management Analytics System (LMAS). This means a commitment to stop chasing both market share and the full ecosystem of learning platforms, and to focus all the energy on the integration of the traditional platform with the expansion of user-facing analytics.

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/advice-blackboard%E2%80%99s-new-ceo