Online Learning Update

by Leila Meyer, THE Journal

Online and blended learning programs can increase course options for students in rural areas and have the potential to transform face-to-face instruction, as long as state-level supports are in place, including professional development opportunities for teachers and related training for pre-service teachers, according to a new report from the New York State Online Learning Advisory Council. The council was formed in 2014 and tasked with the responsibility of “developing recommendations regarding the statewide delivery of online and blended learning services in school districts,” according to a news release. The council consists of 11 members “whose backgrounds include a wide variety of expertise in online and blended learning.”

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/01/05/new-york-state-issues-recommendations-to-support-blended-and-online-learning.aspx

By Meris Stansbury, eCampus News

New research delves into the personal experiences of first year online learners in an effort to understand low retention rates. Despite a record number of students taking online higher education courses, many of those entering for the first time often have incorrect preconceived notions of online learning’s extreme flexibility—and it’s this notion that may lead to high dropout rates. This is one of the findings of a new research report that aims to explore the dearth in research about what actually happens to first year distance students once they have enrolled in higher education courses.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/first-online-learners-893/

By Joshua Bolkan, Campus Technology

Penn State World Campus is partnering with the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) to offer union members the opportunity to finish their degrees online. Offered through World Campus’ Corporate Alliance program, the partnership will provide access to Penn State’s online courses and educational services. “World Campus provides students with admissions and advising counseling,” according to a news release. “Players who have credits from another university will work with staff to determine how to complete their degree at Penn State online or through another university. Staff also will also work with players who want to start a new undergraduate or graduate degree from among the more than 125 online academic programs in fields including business, health care, liberal arts and sciences.”

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/01/05/penn-state-partners-with-nfl-players-association-on-distance-ed-for-athletes.aspx

By Jordan Friedman, US News

Experts agree that online education certainly has its benefits for introverts, particularly when it comes to partaking in group discussions and thriving in more personal settings. Introverts are also usually good listeners and can better express themselves through their writing rather than verbally. Still, online education has its drawbacks for introverts as well. The most obvious benefit of online learning for introverts centers on class participation, experts say, because in many online courses, students have more time to answer questions. “You don’t have this notion of a 10-second wait time from a teacher to have to respond to; you can respond an hour later or a day later – whenever you feel you have contemplated on the idea enough,” says Curt Bonk, professor of education at Indiana University—Bloomington and author of ​”The World is Open: How Web Technology is Revolutionizing Education.”

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2016/01/05/examine-the-benefits-drawbacks-of-online-learning-for-introverts

by Jessica Terrell, Honolulu Civil Beat

Fully online degree programs are even harder to find. UH Manoa offers two fully online degree programs — a “dramatic contrast” to the average of 16 online-only degree programs offered at comparable public universities elsewhere, according to a Boston University professor who was invited to UH Manoa in 2013 by the dean of Outreach College to make recommendations on distance learning programs. “UHM is falling far behind similar public institutions, many with an even less compelling need in their states to offer online degrees,” Jay Halfond argued in a 2013 memo. Changing that is no easy task. Halfond laid out a series of suggestions in the memo aimed at better positioning UH Manoa’s distance learning programs, from restructuring the financial model of online courses to conducting formal market research and developing new degree programs.

http://www.civilbeat.com/2016/01/why-are-online-classes-degrees-hard-to-get-at-the-university-of-hawaii/

by Jim Cook, Dothan Eagle

Alabama colleges and universities will soon have an easier way to offer their courses to other states online and out-of-state institutions will have the same opportunity to offer online course here thanks to Alabama’s participation in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement. Currently, to offer distance education courses in Alabama, colleges and universities must gain approval from the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. Now that Alabama is a member of SARA, schools in participating states that have been approved by their state’s equivalent to ACHE will be able to offer online courses in Alabama. Colleges and universities in Alabama approved by ACHE will be able to offer classes in participating states without having to go through those states’ approval processes.

http://www.dothaneagle.com/news/education/alabama-moves-to-improve-online-college-access/article_7f7b5176-b33e-11e5-a9c4-67da558cd8fd.html

Meris Stansbury, eCampus News

From predictions on data governance to the influence of elections, higher-ed leaders say 2016 will shape up to be a rollercoaster of a year for student services and campus operations. Virtual Reality is the technology that will dominate 2016, and data will basically permeate every aspect of campus decision-making. At least, that’s what a handful of higher-ed’s innovation and technology visionaries are predicting. Talking to higher-ed speakers that made the 2015 conference circuit, as well as prominent think-tank leaders, in-the-know bloggers, university leadership, IT specialists, and popular vendors, it seems that 2016 will continue its reinvention—focusing heavily on flexible IT infrastructures with technologies that support one another, as well as whatever it takes to attract and retain students.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/2016-higher-predictions-872/

By Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed

Study finds that attractive female students earn higher grades than unattractive female students do. For male students, looks don’t seem to matter. The study was conducted at Metropolitan State University of Denver (an open-enrollment institution with many nontraditional-age students), by two economists there, Rey Hernández-Julián and Christina Peters. Comparing similar groups of students, the study found that the grade punishment for unattractive women disappears in online education.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/05/new-study-finds-women-who-are-not-considered-attractive-receive-lower-grades

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

As 2015 winds to a close, along with the major higher education innovation and controversy that came with it, we look ahead to 2016 and what college and university administrators should expect from the industry and government regulation. The explosion of competency-based education development that we saw in 2014 is going to reach many new classrooms in 2016. Administrators will find new ways to use predictive analytics to improve student outcomes and a range of other metrics on campus. Financial strain in the industry, though down overall, is expected to result in a rise in the number of closures and mergers. Accreditation reform, much-discussed this year, may actually be decided in 2016. And, competition from alternative providers will continue to challenge traditional higher ed.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/5-higher-ed-trends-to-watch-in-2016/411362/

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

Where do you go after you leave a high-profile position in the Obama administration? Back home. That’s where United States Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan headed at the end of the year when he returned to Chicago. And now, so is Richard Culatta, who is stepping down as director of the Office of Educational Technology within the same federal agency. He joined the department in 2011 as the deputy director to Karen Cator’s directorship. When she left to run Digital Promise, he took on the director role. Shortly after the announcement of his pending departure, another news source reported that he’d be returning to Rhode Island to work with Governor Gina Raimondo on education initiatives.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/01/04/eds-top-tech-director-steps-down-to-head-home.aspx

by Esraa Haidar, Wamda

The life of an entrepreneur is hectic, with nonstop demands and success often depending on learning and growing in changing conditions. Wamda is an education advocate, whether it’s a thorough grounding in theory at the university level or the practical education that comes from nurturing a startup. Although most of us don’t have the time or the money to invest in an MBA, there is no shortage of massive open online courses (MOOC) offering practical instruction, often by experts in their fields. We’ve curated seven startup relevant MOOCs from the thousands online.

http://www.wamda.com/2016/01/7-online-courses-for-startups

by Study International

Last month’s OBHE conference has found that digital tools and the provision of effective online learning can massively boost the reputation of an institution on both a national and international level. The OBHE, or the Observatory on Borderless Higher Education, is a higher education ‘think tank’ with institutional members across 30 different countries. At a December conference held at Regent’s University London, experts from the board discussed matters of online learning in a session called The New Landscape of Higher Education, which examined the influence of technology, partnerships, pathways and other education innovations upon the higher education sector. The fact that online learning can be beneficial to a university in terms of both funding and international reputation is already public knowledge, but experts at the recent conference emphasised that it can also advance a country’s soft power (defined as a persuasive approach to international relations), as well as the reputation of its higher education sector, generally.

https://www.studyinternational.com/news/effective-online-learning-could-be-greatly-beneficial-to-global-he-sectors

by Robert Schuwer, et al; IRRODL

Most of the literature focus on the origin of the MOOC movement in the US. The specific context of Europe with on the one hand autonomous countries and educational systems and on the other hand cross-border cooperation and regulations through the European Union differs from the US context. This specific context can influence the way in which the MOOC movement affect education in Europe, both reusing MOOCs from other continents (US) as publishing MOOCs, on a European platform or outside of Europe. In the context of the EU funded HOME project, a research was conducted to identify opportunities and threats of the MOOC movement on the European institutions of higher education.

http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/2153

by Matthias Rohs and Mario Ganz, IRRODL

MOOCs have shaped the discussion on learning with digital media for the last few years. One claim of MOOCs in the tradition of Open Educational Resources is to expand access to education, mainly in the field of higher education. But do MOOCs meet this claim? The empirical data in this article confirm the suspicion that, despite all the heterogeneity of the participants, MOOCs are mostly used by people with a higher level of education. Data of participants from two MOOCs from Germany, as well as, empirical data from large providers and universities are used. But due to the different forms of MOOCs there is no comprehensive proof possible. With respect to the Knowledge Gap Theory and the Digital Divide, a theoretical framework is provided to explain possible causes of a different usage. The aim of the article is to point out the risks of an increase of inequalities as a consequence of hyping MOOCs and to stimulate a discussion about possible answers to make MOOCs an instrument of education for all.

http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/2033/3527

by Beckie Smith, the PIE News

“There is a fundamental difference between a free, unaccredited course, and a degree-accredited programme. We must make sure that we never make that distinction unclear.”  This was one of the key takeaways from a session on online learning held at OBHE‘s conference last month, ‘The New Landscape of Higher Education’, where experts discussed how technology, TNE, pathways and other innovation are developing and shaping the sector.

http://thepienews.com/news/online-learning-can-enhance-soft-power-universities-told/

by Sasha A. Reese, Education Information Technologies

Over the last decade online education has emerged as a way for students and faculty to collaborate more freely, attain greater flexibility, and utilize new media to learn. The burning debate lies in whether online educational options are harmful to traditional education or offer endless benefits necessary to accommodate a 21st century learner. Supporters of virtual learning environments suggest that 21st century learners require the construction and creation capabilities offered through Web 2.0 to succeed while critics suggest that asynchronous interactions are not engaging and rigorous enough for higher education. A balanced online environment should provide a blend of both asynchronous and synchronous opportunities, which promote communication and collaboration among classmates and instructors.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272030180_Online_learning_environments_in_higher_education_Connectivism_vs_dissociation

by Dipti Singh, the Indian Express

The tests, described as first-of-its-kind, would be conducted online and also offline in schools without internet. The state school education department announced these tests across schools affiliated to Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE). The first test is scheduled for February ahead of the board examinations. The state government has entrusted the responsibility of conducting the aptitude test to the MSBSHSE. The outcome of these tests would be used for career counseling of students pursuing higher studies or vocational education. The Institute of Vocational Guidance and Selection, Mumbai and its eight regional offices have been entrusted with the responsibility of guiding students on their career choices post results of aptitude of students.

http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/now-aptitude-test-to-help-class-x-students-chart-their-future/

Here is a peek into the future of eLearning. The possibilities are endless, and The Future of eLearning Infographic highlights some of them. Where do you see eLearning headed to, in the future? What exciting opportunities will they open up for the world?

http://elearninginfographics.com/future-elearning-infographic/

by Wired

Andrew Ng hands me a tiny device that wraps around my ear and connects to a smartphone via a small cable. Ng, co-founder of Coursera, is the chief scientist at Chinese tech giant Baidu, and this is one of the company’s latest prototypes. It’s called DuLight. The device contains a tiny camera that captures whatever is in front of you and sends the images to an app on your smartphone. The app analyzes the images, determines what they depict, and generates an audio description that’s heard through to your earpiece. Ng’s prototype relies on a technology called deep learning. Inside the massive computer data centers that underpin Baidu’s online services, the company runs massive neural networks—networks of hardware and software that approximate the web of neurons in the human brain. By analyzing enormous collections of digital images, these networks can learn to identify objects, written words, even human faces.

http://www.wired.com/2016/01/2015-was-the-year-ai-finally-entered-the-everyday-world/

by the Shanghai Daily

The British Council is launching a six-week course on Shakespeare for non-native speakers who are trying to improve their language skills while learning more about the prolific author’s life and work. The course, available online on FutureLearn website, is entirely free for participants. Shakespeare Lives is supporting English language learning in China. Shakespeare’s 37 plays and 154 sonnets have added more than 3000 new words and hundreds of idioms to the English language.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sunday/technology/Free-English-course-about-Shakespeare/shdaily.shtml

by Associated Press

Portland State University in Oregon started an online business of craft brewing program in 2013, with the first cohort filling up in the first week with around 40 people. It’s become one of the school’s most successful professional certificate programs, drawing people from around the world, said Scott Gallagher, the university’s director of communications. “We discovered that there’s a huge need for people who wanted to get a certificate. They didn’t necessarily want to go to college or already had a college degree and wanted to open up a brew pub,” Gallagher said. They needed some basic and more advanced knowledge, such as in marketing, he said. The demand is so high that PSU is looking at how to develop and expand the program, Gallagher said.

http://www.newsadvance.com/work_it_lynchburg/news/universities-tap-into-craft-beer-growth-with-online-classes/article_7ebe677c-b100-11e5-af11-e36502ac848d.html