Online Learning Update

by MELANIE PINOLA, Lifehacker

First, as with every other item on your resume, make sure it’s relevant. Listing online programming classes, for example, when the job role doesn’t involve coding or any knowledge of it could be distracting. Don’t list low-level or introductory classes if the position is for an expert. They can make you seem less experienced and detract from your credibility. You might want to only list online courses if you’ve gained a major certification or another credential. Show how you used the skills you got from your online education — in projects, volunteer work and so on. As always, you want your resume to focus on results — quantifiable results — and the skills that will add value to the company. Your online classes can help demonstrate that you’re a lifelong learner, but also make sure they put you in the best light as a candidate for that particular job.

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2016/05/the-best-way-to-list-online-classes-on-your-resume-according-to-recruiters/

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

Families making less than $30,000 per year have to pay 47% of their income just go to to community colleges in Mississippi, after accounting for financial aid. In Minnesota, it’s 61.5% of family income, on average, among the bottom quintile of earners. Julie Davis Bell, education program director for the National Conference of State Legislatures, calls these findings among the most important to come out of the recent College Affordability Diagnosis, http://www2.gse.upenn.edu/irhe/sites/gse.upenn.edu.irhe/files/Natl_Affordability2016.pdf produced by the Institute for Research on Higher Education at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, and the Higher Education Policy Institute.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/college-affordability-diagnosis-presents-sobering-picture-of-higher-ed/418788/

by The Jakarta Post

In recent years, the mobile internet has surged globally. In Indonesia, sales of smartphones exceed 71.25 million and will surpass 100 million in 2018, making it the fourth-largest country by smartphone user after China, India and the US. In the coming years, thanks to the demographic dividend, an upsurge in mobile internet penetration, startup companies and a technical framework that builds a mature mobile ecosystem, users will undoubtedly play a crucial role in mobile internet development. The emergence of the internet has changed talent cultivation in higher education. The mobile internet has taken the global communication network onto a new level and will force higher education to create a new model of talent cultivation.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/adv/2016/05/09/what-higher-education-institutions-can-do-in-the-mobile-internet-era.html

By Mary Grush, Campus Technology

Established in 2015, the Mixed Reality Lab at Oklahoma State University focuses on research and instruction in augmented reality, virtual reality, and digital prototyping for design. It provides space and infrastructure for both students and faculty researchers to work on design-related projects that incorporate AR, VR, and 3D printing tools. The lab helps students, researchers, and, through outreach activities, the broader community learn how to apply these technologies in design. CT asked Tilanka Chandrasekera, an assistant professor in the department of Design, Housing and Merchandising at OSU, about the Mixed Reality Lab’s goals for research and instruction.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/04/19/the-virtuality-reality-continuum-in-design.aspx

By Leila Meyer, Campus Technology

Northwestern University in Illinois has launched a new Digital Learning website to showcase the innovative online and blended learning practices of campus faculty and provide information for those who want to implement digital learning. “The primary goal of the new website is to provide a glimpse into what is happening inside the Northwestern classroom and to help connect the dots between various innovations in teaching and learning,” stated a news release from the university. The site is a partnership project between the Office of the Provost and Northwestern Information Technology, with input from other campus offices, administration and faculty members. The people who created the site hope faculty from Northwestern and other educational institutions will look to the site for information about digital learning and examples of best practices.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/05/05/northwestern-u-develops-new-digital-learning-website.aspx

by Allan Edwards, EDUCAUSE Review

At Eastern Michigan University (EMU), information security is a challenge. We in the IT department understand and recommend security best practices but cannot always insist on them to the degree that we would like. For example, endpoint management tools that catalog the software on users’ machines are viewed as intrusive. Mobile device management is also not possible since the devices in question are owned by the users and not supplied by the university. Because of this, much of our focus needs to be on training and education. But how can an IT department, which is small compared to the entire university, make a meaningful impact?

http://er.educause.edu/blogs/2016/4/security-awareness-at-eastern-michigan-university

by Mara Hancock,et al: EDUCAUSE Review

Chief information officers expect a shift within the next five years, from primarily managing infrastructure and technical resources toward managing outside relationships. Increasing acceptance of increasingly available cloud technologies and services allow redefining higher education’s approach to enterprise IT. Four institutions explain their cloud strategies as developed in response to enterprise challenges and share their lessons learned.

http://er.educause.edu/articles/2016/5/developing-institutional-cloud-strategies

by Marina Gorbis, EDUCAUSE Review

Fundamental transformations are making distinctions between work, learning, and living ever more artificial. The Institute for the Future (IFTF), in partnership with ACT Foundation, recently published Learning Is Earning in the National Learning Economy—a visual synthesis of future forces that are shaping this transformation. The work shows how the proliferation of online learning resources (free and for pay), the rise of alternative learning and making spaces (from TechShop to General Assembly and makerspaces), and the diffusion of mobile technologies and peer-to-peer communities allow every moment of the day to become a learning moment. At the same time, the way we have come to think about work—that is, 9-to-5 predictable jobs in formal organizations—is less and less a reality for the growing number of working-age adults. So in thinking about the future… we need to think about the forces and signals of transformation and what they mean for higher education today and tomorrow.

http://er.educause.edu/articles/2016/5/thinking-about-the-future-of-work-to-make-better-decisions-about-learning-today

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

If all your recorded lectures are no more than PowerPoints with audio, a flipped classroom is no more thrilling or engaging for students than just attending class in person. So why not add some interactivity to your videos and have some fun? According to Phylise Banner, director of online teaching and learning at Clarkson University, your students will thank you. Banner and her colleague Frank Tomsic, director of the McCormick Educational Technology Center at Rush University Medical Center, are the original masterminds behind the “Technology Test Kitchen,” a phenomenon introduced at an Online Learning Consortium (OLC) event that has since cropped up at multiple conferences where faculty, instructional technologists and instructional designers congregate. The idea: to provide an interactive space “where people can come and play with the [technologies] we’re talking about.” Every event features a different roster of experts sharing their favorite tools and showing others how to use them.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/05/04/10-tools-for-more-interactive-videos.aspx

by Bradley Fuster, US News

Because online learners must literally engage course material on the Internet rather than in the physical classroom, it becomes all too easy to copy and paste an unsubstantiated factoid into a discussion forum or homework assignment without giving it rigorous scholarly consideration. The (mis)information superhighway, social media and unverified opinions published on the Web are just one click away from the online classroom. The following six strategies can help online students produce stronger research.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-learning-lessons/articles/2016-05-06/6-strategies-to-develop-research-skills-as-an-online-student

By: Poonam Kumar and Marilyn Skrocki, Faculty Focus

Students like online classes due to their flexibility and convenience. But not all students do well in these courses; the statistics indicate that online classes have a much higher dropout rate compared to traditional face-to-face classes. The attrition rates in online courses tend to be 10 to 20 percent higher than in face-to-face classes. While there are some personal factors that could influence a student’s decision to drop out, many of the factors are related to institutional and course level support—and these barriers can be addressed with thoughtful planning and implementation. Institutional level factors like technical support, academic support, advising, and availability of resources can support student success in online courses. At the course level, there are many simple strategies and techniques that instructors can use to support students’ success in their online classes.

http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/ensuring-student-success-online-courses/

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

A study of college and university digital content management practices found schools are doing little more than publishing content, missing opportunities to deliver experiences and better engage students. Campus Technology reports the study, commissioned by five companies interested in higher ed digital business opportunities, found many schools overwhelmed by basic demands of maintaining the institution’s web presence with little bandwidth to shift from content publishing to digital storytelling. Report authors expect many colleges and universities will not be motivated to improve their digital content until they see negative consequences in student enrollment, but researchers say that will leave them playing catch up.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/study-higher-ed-falling-behind-fast-in-digital-transformation/418435/

by Lloyd Sowers, Fox 13

Michael Barbee is one of the thousands of college students enrolling in cybersecurity courses. “I mean, our power grid is all online. The internet as a whole, everything we transmit goes through nodes around the country,” said the 21-year-old, who plans to make cybersecurity a career. Counselors say graduates are in demand. “I want to be able to go out there and tell these companies that I have the skills, the drive, and the passion,” offered Reena Wright, who plans to get her master’s in cybersecurity. St. Leo has a special computer lab where students practice hacking one another. “You have to understand where the other side is coming from,” said Barbee

http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/138264707-story

By Christopher Jan Benitez, Business.com

The Internet being able to provide more convenient and reliable channels can help students professionally. Students are now able to make good use of online resources to help shape their skills and advance their careers at their pace. Online Courses Make It Easier for People to Acquire Skills and Accreditation! Educational institutions and students have seen massive success from online courses and open universities. Students have been able to take career-focused online training to further their professional lives. The main advantage of online courses is that the information is better structured and organized than those found freely on the Internet. The organization allows students to go through study materials systematically and this improves comprehension in a big way.

http://www.business.com/education/how-can-education-fully-embrace-the-digital-age-to-help-students-professionally/

by Jo Cook, Training Journal

The future of how learning is delivered in the workplace includes Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Jo Cook speaks to Craig Taylor, Solutions Architect at HT2, to find out more. I am always keen to look at how something new can support learning and development, whether it is a model or a technology. Recently I have been dipping into the technology aspect, including using AnswerGarden to publicly ask people what they think of the amount of new technology for learning – the answers so far are in the picture above. I was encouraged to look at this, and other technology, as part of an online course called “Future Tech: Elearning Beyond the Next Button.” I thought I would get the thoughts of the course designer Craig Taylor, about this way of learning.

https://www.trainingjournal.com/articles/interview/how-do-you-design-and-facilitate-year-long-mooc

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

If the United States wants to reclaim its place as the country with the greatest portion of adults with postsecondary degrees, greater attention must be paid to issues around equity. A dozen other countries now have a more educated populace than the United States, not because the U.S. is graduating fewer people, but because other countries are increasing their pace, pushing more of their population through postsecondary programs. At the Education Writers Association meeting in Boston this week, U.S. Under Secretary of Education Ted Mitchell emphasized the need for quality of education coupled with consideration of equity and access. “To talk about quality without talking about equity and access is simply foolish if what we’re looking for is a higher education system that can continually propel the American society and American economy forward,” Mitchell said.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/ted-mitchell-access-without-excellence-is-not-equity/418623/

by Brian Mulligan, Institute of Technology Sligo Ireland

How can Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) be financially sustainable when they are so expensive to build? Well one group of educators in Europe disagree on the grounds that it does not have to cost that much to build one. If you think you can teach, then you can teach online. This group from Germany, Holland, Ireland and Spain have got together to show how it can be done. On the 17th of May, 2016, they will be launching their own MOOC; “Making MOOCs on a Budget” to show people how they can build their own open online courses with very little money and even with limited time.

https://moocs4all.eu/2016/05/05/press-release-thursday-552016/

By Doug Lederman, Inside Higher Ed

Study finds that students who start at community college earn bachelor’s degrees at much lower rates — but those who transfer fare as well as (or better than) “native” four-year-college students. Students who enrolled in community colleges were significantly less likely to earn bachelor’s degrees and had lower early-career earnings than peers who went directly to four-year institutions, but those who ultimately transferred to four-year colleges performed equally to those who went directly into four-year institutions, a new study has found. The research, published by the Community College Research Center at Columbia University’s Teachers College, examines terrain that has become increasingly important as more students (often encouraged by policy makers) consider enrolling in two-year institutions because they are less expensive.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/05/03/study-finds-comparatively-good-outcomes-community-college-transfers

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

A study of college and university digital content management practices found schools are doing little more than publishing content, missing opportunities to deliver experiences and better engage students. Campus Technology reports the study, commissioned by five companies interested in higher ed digital business opportunities, found many schools overwhelmed by basic demands of maintaining the institution’s web presence with little bandwidth to shift from content publishing to digital storytelling. Report authors expect many colleges and universities will not be motivated to improve their digital content until they see negative consequences in student enrollment, but researchers say that will leave them playing catch up.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/study-higher-ed-falling-behind-fast-in-digital-transformation/418435/