Online Learning Update

By Sean Coughlan, BBC

An online university is offering 500 refugees from Syria’s civil war free places on its degree courses. The University of the People, based in California, is a fast-growing, non-profit project designed to provide higher education for those with the academic ability to study, but without the ability to pay or without any practical access to a traditional university. “There isn’t a better reason for the invention of the internet,” says the university’s founder and president, Shai Reshef. The university offers fully accredited four-year degrees, completely taught online, with students scattered across 180 countries. “We open the gates to higher education. We are an alternative for those who have no other alternative – survivors of the genocide in Rwanda, refugees from Syria, the earthquake in Haiti,” says Mr Reshef, speaking to the BBC in London.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-36738442

by Walmart and Cengage

Cengage Learning has partnered with Walmart to offer accredited high school diplomas and credentialed career certificates through Career Online High School (COHS). Part of Walmart’s Lifelong Learning program, COHS is designed to reengage adults in education and is free for Walmart associates beginning on the first day of their employment. To date, more than 130 associates have received their high school diploma through COHS, with another 433 currently enrolled. “Working with Walmart, we have a tremendous opportunity to make a real impact in the lives of associates who are seeking a better future,” said Dawn Gerrain, General Manager, Skills Group, Cengage Learning. “The Career Online High School program is designed to help people succeed – whether to get better jobs with greater salary potential or to position individuals for further education.”

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/walmart-cengage-learning-deliver-h-130500673.html

by the Independent

There was a time when juggling studies with work, social life, and a family was just not possible. Thankfully, though, in the digital age and amid an ever-changing modern-day learning climate, dealing with all of the aforementioned couldn’t be easier with the help of the Internet, along with other options. This option allows students to learn remotely and without the need for regular face-to-face contact with a teacher in the classroom and, according to The Complete University Guide (CUG), more than 270,000 undergraduates are taking their first degrees by distance learning this year, along with around 108,000 postgrads. “In recent years, the advent of the Internet and widespread use of the computer has led to a huge growth in distantly delivered tuition and study,” CUG adds among distance learning’s many advantages.

http://www.independent.co.uk/student/student-life/Studies/juggling-work-and-university-study-in-2016-couldn-t-be-easier-a7133326.html

by Raytheon Company

Raytheon has launched a suite of weather preparedness training modules to help teach the general public and school-aged children how to keep themselves safe before, during and after significant weather events. The modules, which were developed by Raytheon as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador™ initiative, incorporate feedback from both NOAA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “These interactive videos provide individuals with useful information on actions to take to prepare for extreme weather and water events,” said National Weather Service Director Louis W. Uccellini, Ph.D. “Working together, our Weather-Ready Nation Ambassadors are helping to improve weather readiness across the nation through projects like this one.”

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/raytheon-introduces-online-classes-prepare-124000712.html

by Hannah Augur, Dataconomy

Who doesn’t want to learn about data scientist these days? The field is still hot, and the ample job listings for data scientists might make folks working in other fields instantly jealous. For young students, there are full degree programs and specialized courses to prepare them for the data-driven world but for those already in the field it’s not so simple. Going back to school is a huge and pricey ordeal. Thankfully, there are several online options. Whether you want to learn the basics for fun, sharpen your technical knowledge, or feel properly trained on specific platforms, there’s a course for you. Choosing a course isn’t easy. It’s important to know exactly what goal the course should fulfill and what your limitations are.·

http://dataconomy.com/10-online-big-data-courses-2016/

By Jarrett Carter, Education Dive

New York University has launched a series of instructional videos on social media to pilot content delivery to students at its Shanghai campus, attracting hundreds of thousands of views in just days. The school plans to expand the series, working around censorship issues and cultural barriers to potentially offer college degree programs to students in China. Shanghai’s middle class is an untapped opportunity for student recruitment from families which can afford NYU tuition.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/nyu-seeks-to-expand-online-learning-in-shanghai/422453/

By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway, THE Journal

Let’s start with the blog’s ending: A transition, quietly but most assuredly, has occurred:

Today, in 2016, discussions under the heading “mobile learning” are becoming more about how “all-the-time, everywhere learning” can be supported with “mobile” technology.

Yesterday, in 2010, discussions about “mobile learning” were about what technology — what devices, what apps — should be used in the classroom.

The change in what mobile learning means isn’t just academic quibbles; rather, the change in what mobile learning means has huge pedagogical implications.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/07/05/mobile-learning.aspx

By David Nagel, THE Journal

Michio Kaku — theoretical physicist, author and pop science celebrity — has an emphatic message for educators: We are rapidly entering what he terms the “fourth-wave” of scientific advancement, and it’s the duty of educators to prepare young people to survive and thrive in the radically different milieu that portends. By Kaku’s reckoning, science is the engine of economic prosperity and has been for hundreds of years. Steam power ushered in the first wave of prosperity enabled by scientific advancements that had a direct impact on the way we live. The harnessing of electricity brought the second wave. The third wave, the one in which we live now, is powered by computers and communication. Each of these waves has brought revolutionary changes to the way humanity lives and interacts. And that will continue into the fourth wave, one driven by nanotechnology, biotechnology and artificial intelligence.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/07/06/education-in-the-fourth-wave-of-science-driven-economic-advancement.aspx

by Andrew Rikard, EdSurge

When edtech companies approach Kara Monroe, they all tout how their product is different from everybody else’s. But without proof, Monroe, vice president of academic innovation and support at Ivy Tech Community College, and her colleagues are searching in the dark to find the right tools that faculty can use to improve learning outcomes for the more than 200,000 students in the Indiana community college system. So much is coming at us,” Monroe says. That’s why she’s excited about recent efforts to make sense of the latest digital courseware products. A new free tool called the Courseware in Context (CWiC) framework aims to categorize and compare the range of emerging products that faculty are using to teach their online and blended courses. Tyton Partners, a Boston-based consulting firm, developed the framework in collaboration with the Online Learning Consortium and research firm SRI International, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-07-10-not-sure-what-courseware-to-try-this-tool-wants-to-make-your-decision-easier

By Sri Ravipati, Campus Technology

Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) at John Hopkins University announced two new graduate courses that will use a mixed modality teaching model, combining onsite and online learning. The first two AAP classes incorporating this education model will be Biochemistry, part of the Biotechnology master’s program, and Molecular Biology, part of the Bioinformatics master’s program. Both classes will be hosted at the Frederick Center for Research and Education in Science and Technology (CREST) for the upcoming fall semester. A regional higher education center, CREST serves as a local onsite alternative for students who would otherwise need to travel to the university or take the courses entirely online. The center hosts a number of local Frederick student cohorts, offering a diverse learning environment focused on area STEM activities.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/07/08/johns-hopkins-launches-mixed-modality-courses.aspx

by Tim Dodd, Financial Review

Australian universities are joining the global trend to offer credit towards a degree to students who complete free online courses. The massive open online course (or MOOC) World Music offered by Open2Study now attracts bachelor degree credit at James Cook University. James Cook University school of creative arts lecturer David Salisbury, who presents the four-week World Music MOOC on Open2Study, said awarding credit for the online course was a fair reward for a student’s effort. The course introduces students to music from four different cultures – African, Indian, Latin American and Indonesian – and so far over 8000 students have enrolled in it. Dr Salisbury said he was rewarding students who completed the MOOC with 10 per cent bonus marks if they were enrolled in a degree subject that included the world music material.

http://www.afr.com/leadership/innovation/earn-credit-towards-a-degree-from-free-online-courses-20160707-gq18kg

by Techworm

There has been an increasing demand for ethical hackers (also known as white hat hackers or penetration testers) in the last few decades, as they protect the computer systems from dangerous intrusions. Businesses and government-related organizations that are serious about their network security hire ethical hackers and penetration testers to help probe and improve their networks, applications, and other computer systems with the ultimate goal of preventing data theft and fraud. Ethical hackers or white hat hackers identify weaknesses in data computer security for business and organizations across the globe, to protect them from hackers or criminals with less honest motives. This not only helps them earn a good and honest living but also keeps them away from facing prison time.

http://www.techworm.net/2016/07/10-youtube-channels-learning-ethical-hacking-course-online.html

by eCampusNews

Just one year into its massive digitization initiative, Indiana University has already rescued from ruin more than 100,000 precious audio and video recordings, thanks to a successful collaboration with Memnon Inc., a Sony company. IU has extended the use of the facilities, created for its Media Digitization and Preservation Initiative (MDPI) project with Memnon, to enable Memnon to accept digitization work from new clients including other universities, museums and commercial broadcasters. This move strengthens Bloomington’s position as a hub for high-volume media digitization and preservation work. Laurie Antolovic’, MDPI executive director, and Indiana University associate vice president and deputy chief information officer, says “The massive bicentennial MDPI project is now well ahead of its expected pace, and we are delighted with this progress and the quality of the services that Memnon has provided.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/news/digitization-initiative-memnon/

By Jordan Friedman, US News

Contrary to popular belief, online classes aren’t always easy and many employers accept online degrees, experts say. Some people are skeptical about online education, but experts say that prospective students shouldn’t trust everything they hear.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/slideshows/avoid-falling-for-these-10-online-education-myths

By Christopher Watkins, Udacity Blog

If you’re not familiar, Women Who Code is a non-profit dedicated to inspiring women to excel in technology careers. The organization has executed more than 3,000 events around the world, garnered a membership exceeding 50,000 and has a presence in 20 countries. The event we partnered on was called Careers in Data Science. 70 Women Who Code members joined us at Udacity to network, and to learn more about education opportunities and career pathways in data science. Our guests also enjoyed presentations from expert speakers: four from Udacity, and two from NetBase Solutions.

http://blog.udacity.com/2016/07/careers-data-science-women-who-code-udacity.html

by Study International Staff

Over the past few years, online learning courses have grown exponentially as students eye cost and convenience. But questions have always lingered over the effectiveness of online learning (or e-learning). After all, if students have easy access to assignment answers (whether through search engines or in-built mechanisms), they may be tempted to game the system without achieving meaningful learning. Fortunately, a recent study presented at the conference of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) suggests otherwise. California researchers found that most students genuinely try to answer online assignment questions even when the answers can be revealed in a simple click of a button.

https://www.studyinternational.com/news/few-students-cheat-when-doing-online-learning-assignments-study-shows

By Anna Patton, Devex

Kiron, which opened in Germany in 2015, is also looking to expand into Turkey and requires a minimum standard of English. Students take modules from world-class universities including Harvard, Stanford and MIT for up to two years online via an established massive online open course provider. Kiron then transfers credits to one of its partner universities, where students complete a further year or two toward an accredited degree. With 300,000 euros ($334,400) of funding from Google, the organization covers the approximate 3,000 euros ($3,313) cost per person. The model accommodates mobile populations, since individuals can begin the course online in one country and attend a partner university in another if they move. Kiron currently partners with 18 universities in three countries, and is in negotiations with another 120 around the world. No universities have confirmed partnerships in Turkey, but Kiron’s co-founder and managing director, Markus Kressler, said several showed high interest after initial meetings.

https://www.devex.com/news/getting-syria-s-college-students-back-into-class-88380

By Emilia Benton, Houston Chronicle

As technology continues to advance, we are seeing increasing opportunities to for students to take courses and programs online. Online classes are typically very similar to those offered in a typical classroom setting in that they use the same syllabus, learning outcomes, faculty, and many of the same instructional materials. The primary differences are the requirement for a set time to meet face-to-face is removed and the instruction is delivered through the Internet in text, video and other media formats. Online classes follow the same semester schedule for delivery while being guided by a faculty member engaging with the students throughout the semester. A key difference is online learning allows the student the flexibility to be online and do the work at times that are convenient for them, allowing them to fit the courses into their lives and schedules, which is a significant advantage for working students.

http://www.chron.com/news/article/Online-courses-net-flexibility-for-working-8343539.php

by Jane Marshall, University World News

Massive open online courses, or MOOCs, have been expanding rapidly throughout the world since the ‘Year of the MOOC’ in 2012, offering higher education, often free, to millions of learners – especially in developed countries with wide access to the right technology and resources. Now there is a guide to raise MOOC awareness in less well equipped developing nations, and to advise their educational policy-makers how, through online learning including MOOCs, they can build new routes to higher education and lifelong learning to benefit increasing numbers of their young – and older – people. Making Sense of MOOCs: A guide for policy-makers in developing countries is edited by Mariana Patru of UNESCO and Venkataraman Balaji of the Commonwealth of Learning.

http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20160703202312477

by the University of Queensland

More than one million people are eager to learn from University of Queensland experts, with UQ’s Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) program accepting its millionth enrolment at the weekend. UQ runs 16 MOOCs through its UQx program, a service that offers free online university courses to anyone with access to the internet. UQx Director John Zornig said UQx released its first MOOC, The Science of Everyday Thinking, in March 2014. “To grow at this rate – reaching more than one million students in less than two and half years – demonstrates the quality of our courses and the desire our international audience has to learn,” he said.

https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2016/07/online-education-more-one-million-students

by Ramzauva Chhakchhuak, Deccan Herald

Small private online courses (SPOCs) implies learning in smaller and more focused groups as compared to the thousands of people who enrol for MOOCs or distance education courses. The ease and flexibility of online learning may have made the concept of massive open online courses (MOOCs) very popular. However, one particular variation of the MOOCs is gradually gaining ground among mid-career professionals and a few academic institutions in the city. Small private online courses (SPOCs) implies learning in smaller and more focused groups as compared to the thousands of people who enrol for MOOCs or distance education courses.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/555828/small-private-online-courses-score.html