Online Learning Update

May 31, 2016

CMU offers tuition discount to federal employees for online classes

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:09 am

by Central Michigan University

Central Michigan University has entered into a federal partnership to offer tuition discounts to federal employees. The partnership with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, announced May 24, is an effort to close skills gaps in federal government workers, according to a CMU press release. The 15 percent discount is available only to federal employees and their spouses and dependents for online classes and those taken at one of CMU’s 45 satellite locations. The discount does not apply to the main campus in Mount Pleasant.

http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2016/05/cmu_offers_discounted_tuition.html

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Who has ownership of campus analytics?

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

By Roger Riddell, Education Dive

Predictive analytics are now widely used in higher ed, but which administrators and departments oversee their use can vary quite a bit from one institution to the next. University Innovation Alliance Executive Director Bridget Burns tells University Business that the number of traditional administrators, like vice president of undergraduate affairs, taking ownership of these efforts is particularly interesting. Providing further context to University Business’ question of who is overseeing analytics and what that job entails are Excelsior College Assistant Vice President for Analytics Lisa Daniels; University of Kentucky Senior Vice President of Analytics and Technologies Vince Kellen; Sarah Lawrene College Vice President for Administration Thomas Blum and Washburn University Director of Success, Evaluation and Retention Elaine Lewis.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/who-has-ownership-of-campus-analytics/419928/

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4 Ways to Use Social Media for Learning

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:02 am

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

These four uses for social media in STEM courses focus on deepening student learning through better communication. Social media continues to offer great promise for enhancing learning in the classroom. Much of the usage in college and university courses emphasizes collaborative activities, such as sharing ideas and building community — the social half of the term. But sites like Wikipedia, Twitter and YouTube are useful platforms for the media side too, enhancing communication and content delivery. Here, we look at how educators in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) are tapping into both aspects of social media for learning. Of course, many of their methods can benefit students in any subject.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/05/18/4-ways-to-use-social-media-for-learning.aspx

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May 30, 2016

Building a Student-Level Data System

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:09 am

by Ben Miller, Center for American Progress

Comprehensive data collection on students in higher education would substantially benefit everyone involved in higher education. For institutions, a student-level data system would be a powerful tool allowing colleges to better document success by counting all students. Linking such a system to other existing federal data, such as those on workforce results, could provide institutions with new data on outcomes. In combination, these new data could help make the case for additional state funding, as well as potentially help recruit students by showing the value of an education. A student-level system would also offer students and families access to powerful new sources of data that could help them make better choices about college. Current federal data can only tell students how specific cohorts performed—most often, those who enrolled in college for the first time as a full-time student. Individuals who attend part time or transfer colleges thus learn little about what their outcomes might be. A student-level system fixes this issue.

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/higher-education/news/2016/05/23/137881/building-a-student-level-data-system/

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Higher Creducation: Do Students Go to College to Get Educated or to Get a Degree?

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:04 am

by Kevin M. Guthrie, Ithaka S+R Blog

What remains to be seen in today’s rapidly changing economy and society is whether your success in the future will be determined more by whether you have been well-educated or if you have a credential from a place that indicates you are well educated. History seems to have favored the latter. The increase in digital surrogates of our work, connected by the network, combined with more of a gig-based and do-it-yourself economy, may increasingly favor what you know and the actual work you have done, rather than where you may have done it. If that is true, institutions of “higher creducation” will need to become better at education.

http://www.sr.ithaka.org/blog/higher-creducation/

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National Student Clearinghouse Reporting Center Reports Yet Another Drop in College Enrollment

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:02 am

by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center

In spring 2016, overall postsecondary enrollments decreased 1.3 percent from the previous spring. Figure 1 shows the 12-month percentage change (fall-to-fall and spring-to-spring) for each term over the last three years. Enrollments decreased among four-year for-profit institutions (-9.3 percent) and two-year public institutions (-2.8 percent). Enrollments increased slightly among four-year public institutions (+0.6 percent) and four-year private nonprofit institutions (+0.7 percent). Taken as a whole, public sector enrollments (two-year and four-year combined) declined by 0.9 percent this spring.

https://nscresearchcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/CurrentTermEnrollment-Spring2016.pdf

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May 29, 2016

How Blockchain Will Disrupt the Higher Education Transcript

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:10 am

By David Raths, Campus Technology

Last year, the MIT Media Lab began issuing digital certificates to the participants in its Director’s Fellows program. The authentication behind the certificates relies on blockchain technology, best known for its connection to the cryptocurrency bitcoin. In a blog post, Philipp Schmidt, director of learning innovation at the Media Lab, described how blockchain works: “In essence, it is a just a distributed ledger to record transactions. What makes it special is that it is durable, time-stamped, transparent and decentralized. Those characteristics are equally useful for managing financial transactions as for a system of reputation. In fact, you can think of reputation as a type of currency for social capital, rather than financial capital.” The technology has tremendous potential for higher education, according to Phil Long, chief innovation officer and associate vice provost for learning sciences at the University of Texas at Austin.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/05/16/how-blockchain-will-disrupt-the-higher-education-transcript.aspx

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Credentials Reform: How Technology and the Changing Needs of the Workforce Will Create the Higher Education System of the Future

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

by Jamie Merisotis, EDUCAUSE Review

A powerful shift in postsecondary credentialing has taken place over the last few decades, with an explosion in the number of pathways to an education beyond high school. As a result, today’s job-seekers can possess not just four-year college degrees but everything from associate’s degrees and apprenticeships to occupational licenses and education certificates, all the way to digital badges and employer-based certifications. The myriad options—and the subsequent push to better connect them—are unleashing the power of technology to fundamentally reshape the higher education landscape. A future system is shaping up in which students are situated at the center and are able to navigate their postsecondary options, from traditional institutions of higher education to a whole host of other learning providers: employers, unions, online programs, and even libraries and museums. Learning, rather than seat time, will be the core measure of progress in this new system, and students will be able to demonstrate what they’ve learned through dynamic online platforms.

http://er.educause.edu/articles/2016/5/credentials-reform-how-technology-and-the-changing-needs-of-the-workforce-will-create-the-higher-ed

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Report: U Iowa students used Chinese companies to cheat online

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:02 am

by Jeff Charis-Carlson, Press Citizen

Dozens of Chinese students at the University of Iowa are being investigated for cheating in their online courses, according to a news report from Reuters. ProctorU alerted UI that the students may have attempted to cheat by having other people take their exams in one or more courses. In a story posted Wednesday, Reuters reports that most, if not all, of the UI students under investigation are Chinese nationals who stand accused of cheating in online versions of at least three courses. Three of those Chinese students admitted to Reuters that they hired Chinese-run online companies to take exams for them. There are many such services that offer to help foreign students at U.S. colleges do much of the work required for their online classes — everything from writing papers to taking exams.

http://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/education/university-of-iowa/2016/05/25/report-ui-students-used-chinese-companies-cheat-online/84930626/

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May 28, 2016

North Carolina State’s Moodle plug-in gamifies sport management course

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:10 am

By Roger Riddell, Education Dive

A Moodle plug-in developed in-house at North Carolina State University has gamified an Introduction to Sport Management course. Conceived by assistant teaching professor Edwin Lindsay, assistant professor Michelle Harrolle (who is no longer at the university), and NC State business and tech applications analyst Stephen Bader, the plug-in allows students to pursue individualized paths through coursework, gaining skill points so their avatars can complete various objectives. Funded by a grant from NC State’s DELTA (Distance Education and Learning Technology Applications), for which Bader also serves as Moodle lead, the plug-in may be released to the open-source community by the end of this year.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/north-carolina-states-moodle-plug-in-gamifies-sport-management-course/419841/

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Examining overtime rule’s real impact on higher ed

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

By Autumn A. Arnett, Education Dive

An examination of 2014 salary data shows a number of support positions at universities across the country do not meet the threshold for the new overtime guidance. This means hundreds of employees per campus will be eligible for either a raise in base salary or overtime pay for any hours worked over 40 in a week. Average national salaries for construction/maintenance workers, office/admin support staff, service staff, production/transportation employees and those working in sales all fall below the new threshold of $47,476. And while teaching staff are exempt, guidance on postdocs is still murky.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/examining-overtime-rules-real-impact-on-higher-ed/419888/

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How an Online Course Can Help You Change Career

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:02 am

by Say Campus Life

If you consider your options carefully, and still decide that changing career is the right thing to do, you may find that you need qualifications to make the change. This is when online courses can be a real help. If you already have a full time job then you will not have time to attend college as well. Online courses are flexible which means you can fit your study around your job, and all other aspects of your life. You also do not have to leave home to study. You can use your own desktop computer or laptop. This is major positive, especially if you already spend a lot of time traveling to work each day. If you have made the decision to change career then making sure you are qualified to make the change is important. Embarking on an online course enables you to do this while still living the life you already have.

http://www.saycampuslife.com/2016/05/24/how-an-online-course-can-help-you-change-career/

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May 27, 2016

Moocs prove that universities can and should embrace online learning

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:09 am

by Kerri Morgan, Times Higher Education

The demand by students to study by distance, and the increasingly sophisticated delivery methods on offer, has created a truly staggering shift in our understanding of what “going to university” means. No longer are students confined to studying within their borders: a wonderful fact if you come from a poor country with limited university access, or if you want to learn a specialist subject but don’t have the means to travel overseas to study. While the power of technology to improve learning is well understood, the spectre of failure that comes from innovating, including deep technology adoption, sits heavy on the shoulders of universities who are acutely aware of what it would mean to fail. Higher education institutions have a responsibility to ensure that they are wisely adopting technology to support and advance their core endeavours.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/moocs-prove-universities-can-and-should-embrace-online-learning

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Commentary: Colleges need to catch up on game-based learning

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:03 am

By Ramin Nadaf, Philly.com

Given their ubiquity, it makes sense to apply games to schoolwork. Many teachers have done so through game-based learning, in which actual video games are used to teach specific skills. Take the online game “Whack-A-Bone,” which teaches the names, locations, and functions of bones and muscles throughout the human body. Or the H&R Block Budget Challenge, which provides instruction in the basics of personal finance by making a game of saving for college. Done right, game-based learning can be fun. Students who learn through games are more engaged with the material and more immune to distractions. They also benefit from a direct sense of accomplishment while learning.

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20160523_Commentary__Colleges_need_to_catch_up_on_game-based_learning.html

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Our online model will always be free: ALISON founder

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:03 am

by Sanjay Vijayakumar, the Hindu

When compared to other prominent Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) such as Udacity, Coursera and edX, ALISON’s content is not drawn from elite US-based universities, instead it focuses on practical workplace skills. ALISON, which has 7 million learners and over 750 courses, focuses mainly on developing markets such as India and Africa. ALISON calls itself a ‘for profit social enterprise’ and a single platform focused on workplace skills. “We are focusing on job skills at lower level. We are not training any one to become neuro scientist. We are training lots of people to speak English, to learn about IT, to learn about basic principles of business, on entrepreneurship this is what we teach,” said Mr. Feerick. Workplace is where the numbers are when compared to the academics, he said.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-business/our-online-model-will-always-be-free-alison-founder/article8632836.ece

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May 26, 2016

University of Iowa investigates claims of cheating by online students

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:04 am

by Vanessa Miller, the Gazette

Safeguards in place to prevent cheating among University of Iowa online students recently detected “potential irregularities” during an exam, prompting the institution to launch an academic misconduct investigation. The revelations came after ProctorU, a national proctoring service that the university partners with to provide identity verification for several online courses, alerted UI officials that at least 30 students enrolled in online courses might have tried to cheat by having other people take their tests. The proctoring service flagged potential instances of cheating through discrepancies in identification provided by test-takers in one or more exams and — in some cases — in multiple courses. A statement provided by UI spokeswoman Jeneane Beck says the institution is reviewing each case and will determine appropriate next steps.

http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/education/higher-education/university-of-iowa-investigating-cheating-among-online-students-20160520

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3 Ways Online Students Might Take Exams

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:04 am

By Bobbie Lynn Eicher, US News

Different programs have different test-taking requirements and might proctor exams in person or online. Some programs will require that students have the proper equipment needed to take tests online, such as a microphone and webcam. Few students would cite exams as their favorite part of being in school, but doing well on them is crucial to surviving most academic programs. Being an online student means never having to sit in a classroom overseen by a professor and surrounded by others taking the same test, but online programs have still found ways to examine what students know.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-learning-lessons/articles/2016-05-20/3-ways-online-students-might-take-exams

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Role of CIO critical in higher ed’s future

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:02 am

By Roger Riddell, Education Dive

Citing an Educause and Jisc report that states future IT leaders in higher ed must bring strategic focus to the role, EdTech Magazine breaks down the importance of the position as campuses are increasingly required to adapt to the technological demands of the 21st Century. Strategy in the role must go beyond simply being a middle-man between a college or university’s top administrators and IT, addressing how IT fits into the campus overall in relation to its strengths and weaknesses. A survey from CIO magazine suggests this is a challenge those in the position (regardless of official title, which can vary) are more than up for as they increasingly tackle business strategy as part of their day-to-day responsibilities.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/role-of-cio-critical-in-higher-eds-future/419455/

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May 25, 2016

Continuing Education Divisions as Impact Agents in Online Initiatives

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:10 am
by Vickie Cook and Gayla Stoner, Evolllution
Continuing Education divisions have an opportunity to work with their institutions to impact change through standalone centers focused on supporting campus-wide online program development. This article will look at seven key components that will benefit an institution’s centralized approach led by the CE Division as well as the impact of this standalone center approach on the long-term sustainability of a CE Division.
http://evolllution.com/revenue-streams/distance_online_learning/continuing-education-divisions-as-impact-agents-in-online-initiatives/
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What’s Your Type? Making Online Education Work #infographic

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:04 am

by Affordable Colleges

A useful collection of data by type of online student is provided in this infographic. This may be a good orientation to those who are unfamiliar with the growing importance of online learning.

http://www.affordable-online-colleges.net/online-education/

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Take Your Teaching Online: the Micro-Lecture

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:02 am

By Travis Grandy, Inside Higher Ed

Whether you want to supplement instruction for your in-person class or you teach a fully online course (like me), you’re probably looking for effective ways to deliver content and maintain student engagement. Online learning is a different landscape thanks to sites like Khan Academy, the rapid adoption of MOOCs, and digital pedagogies (including blended and flipped classrooms). While online lectures aren’t the only medium for online instruction, they can be a powerful one, and can play a strategic part in how you teach. Short, focused discussions of key concepts or ideas can be a great way to support student learning when they’re working independently or at a distance. For example, if you want to share content quickly in a condensed format, micro-lectures can help cut out excessive verbiage. Beyond creating a good learning experience for students, being conversant about effective online teaching can be a big help when you’re doing a job search.

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/gradhacker/take-your-teaching-online-micro-lecture

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