Online Learning Update

By Bridget McCrea, THE Journal

The top 6 technologies that are either under development or already in use in the flipped learning environment, as seen by our education professionals. Ever since the first classroom was “flipped” about eight years ago, a number of hardware, software and app makers have developed products to enable this blended learning process. Because the strategy relies heavily on technology and connectivity to operate smoothly, flipped learning pioneers and proponents are always on the lookout for tools that will help them work smarter, better and more efficiently. Here are six areas that they’ll be watching in 2016.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/03/16/6-flipped-learning-technologies-to-watch-in-2016.aspx

by Class Central

Online learning is transforming education. There are many innovations taking place, such as coding bootcamps, MOOCs, and learning in virtual reality — to name but a few. Everyone is beginning to debate and reevaluate the meaning of degrees, certificates, academic credit, portfolios, and so on. Linked below are all the ways you can receive academic credit for completing MOOCs.

https://www.class-central.com/report/moocs-for-credit/

By Phil Hill and Russ Poulin, Inside Higher Ed

A coalition of consumer groups, legal aid organizations and unions object to the state of New York joining an agreement that would change how colleges offering distance education courses in the state would be regulated. As coalition members asserted in an Inside Higher Ed article, the state would be ceding its authority to other states. Students would be left with no protection from predatory colleges, and it would make it easier for “bad actors to take advantage of students and harder for states to crack down on them.” That all sounds ominous. It would be, if it were true. A backlash against state reciprocity in the regulation of online education is misguided, write Phil Hill and Russ Poulin, who argue that consistently applied regulations are good for consumer choice and protection.

https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2016/03/29/essay-value-states-banding-together-stronger-more-clear-regulation-online-education

By Kristine Goodrich, Mankato Free Press

South Central College is studying whether the high cost of textbooks is a barrier to student success and encouraging faculty to consider incorporating less expensive and more customized alternatives. With a grant from the Minnesota State Colleges and University system, SCC is exploring the prospective benefits of using more open textbooks and other online resources in classes. The nearly $25,000 grant will fund student and staff surveys and summer training for faculty.

http://www.mankatofreepress.com/news/local_news/scc-to-study-textbook-costs-online-alternatives/article_cc344db2-f20c-11e5-a89e-8bc1e295582d.html

by Jerusalem Post

The Council for Higher Education announced on Monday that for the first time Israeli higher academic institutions will be able to provide online courses to millions of students worldwide. The CHE plenum, headed by Dr. Rivka Shauman, approved the recommendation of the Council’s Planning and Budgeting Committee, headed by Prof. Yaffa Zilbershats and issued a tender for academic institutions to offer online courses on the edX international education platform. As part of the tender, issued by the CHE along with the PBC and the Digital Israel headquarters, higher academic institutions will be asked to submit proposals for online courses.

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/The-digital-age-of-Israeli-higher-academic-learning-449442

By Michael Hart, Campus Technology

An innovative course evaluation system that the University of Toronto has used for some time will now be marketed to other colleges and universities. eXplorance, a company that provides learning experience management products, will market evalUT, which was created by the university’s Centre for Teaching Support and Innovation. The course evaluation framework uses a cascaded approach to measure learning metrics. By incorporating multiple levels of evaluation into a single form, the model enables any institution to include questions from divisions, departments and individual instructors. Meeting differing priorities, the approach enables a centralized evaluation and data control process with the ability to preserve autonomy.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/03/28/u-toronto-makes-course-eval-system-available-to-other-institutions.aspx

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

Rift has arrived. Oculus announced in a blog that it had begun shipping its virtual reality (VR) headset first to those who invested in its idea through Kickstarter. Next, pre-ordered Rifts will ship out, starting “mid-week.” Everybody else will have to hold on until July. That’s when the $599 units are expected to be available through the Oculus shop online. Or customers can choose a bundle that includes the headset and a gaming-caliber PC (most sans monitor) from Microsoft and Best Buy. A few hustlers have also listed their Rifts for sale through Amazon for prices ranging from $1,200 up.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/03/28/oculus-rift-begins-shipping.aspx

by Inside Higher Ed

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration will spend $10 million on a grant to Arizona State University to encourage the development of personalized, digital online courseware in science education, the university announced this week. The money will help fund a five-year project, led by faculty members at Arizona State, who seek to build on their experimental work with adaptive science courses, which respond to individual learners. A few years ago, Ariel Anbar, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the university, created a popular online course, dubbed Habitable Worlds, which introduces nonscience students to space exploration, climate science and the search for life beyond Earth. The course uses adaptive technology from Smart Sparrow, an adaptive learning company.

https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/03/28/nasa-backs-arizona-state-adaptive-science-courses

OLC Innovate is scheduled April 20-22 in New Orleans.  There will be a series of engaging hands-on workshops aimed at fostering organic interactions and collaborative cross-disciplinary problem solving. Together we will build new foundations for stronger, better higher education environments. And because innovation scales best when ideas are shared, our work sessions will explore emerging technologies and adapted teaching behaviors aimed at informing policy, inspiring leadership, and evolving practice at all levels impacting institutions, universities and colleges.

http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/olc-innovate/