Online Learning Update

December 18, 2016

Deakin to offer postgrad degrees via FutureLearn

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

by Natalie Marsh, Professionals in International Education

UK-based online learning platform FutureLearn has announced a partnership with Deakin University in Australia, making it the first MOOC provider to offer a series of postgraduate degrees from one partner institution. FutureLearn and Deakin University partner to offer online postgraduate degreesDeakin University will offer these courses through FutureLearn from 2017. The six master’s degrees and two postgraduate certificates will be launched towards the start of next year, in six different subject fields. Students will also be able to enrol in a free, two week taster course before fully enrolling. “This is a testament to how far we have come in just three years” Taking the step to offering full degrees was a natural progression for FutureLearn, according to Mark Lester, its director of partnerships.

https://thepienews.com/news/futurelearn-deakin-partner-postgraduate-degrees/

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ECU removes education hurdles for distance students

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

by The Daily Reflector

East Carolina University has made it easier for out-of-state students to take their online classes. In November, ECU was approved to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA) which removes many of the barriers associated with distance education class enrollment across state lines. SARA Institution members can provide online education to students from all 44 SARA member states. “NC-SARA opens the doors of enrollment for students throughout the United States while ensuring they are being provided clear and consistent means of raising issues,” Charlene Lee, ECU’s state authorization compliance specialist, said.

http://www.reflector.com/News/2016/12/10/ECU-removes-hurdles-for-distance-education-students-outside-North-Carolina.html

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December 17, 2016

More Mississippi State Students Choosing to Take Online Classes

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

By: Quentin Smith, WCBI

This is the weekend that many students at Mississippi State University have been working so hard for. Graduation. Both traditional and online students will finally be able to accomplish their goals when they walk across the stage in their cap and gown and receive their diplomas. More and more people are opting to take classes online rather than in person. Many of the new graduates at Mississippi State have never to Starkville prior to graduation this weekend. The university’s Distance Learning Program doesn’t require them to set foot on campus while they’re earning their degrees.

http://www.wcbi.com/people-choosing-take-online-classes/

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UK Online Learning Is Finding Its Feet After Stuttering Start

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

by Nick Morrison, Forbes

Social learning platform FutureLearn revealed today that it is partnering with a leading university to launch online-only postgraduate degrees. Heralded as the first time a MOOC (massive open online course) provider has offered several fully online degrees entirely on its platform, it will also give students the opportunity to take short taster courses before committing to a degree. FutureLearn will team up with Australia’s Deakin University to offer degrees in cyber security, information technology, financial planning, humanitarian and development action, property, and diabetes education from early next year.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorrison/2016/12/08/online-learning-is-finding-its-feet-after-stuttering-start/#56c217d15493

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Rising tuition makes intersession and online courses a priority

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

by Daily Campus Editorial Board

As tuition continues to rise at the University of Connecticut, more students seek to graduate early in order to save time and money. Intersession courses are vital to early graduation, with Winter Session courses providing a convenient way to earn credits at an accelerated pace. However, prohibitive cost continues to limit the feasibility of using these courses to facilitate accelerated, affordable graduation. However, as of this coming Winter Session, online courses actually cost more than in-person courses. The Office of Summer and Winter Programs lists a winter online course as costing $1,542 per student, with in-person courses costing $1,482 for the same three-week period. Even with the additional need for online software capable of handling the instruction of large courses, the lack of facilities use and other conveniences afforded by online instruction should mean reduced cost.

http://dailycampus.com/stories/2016/12/8/rising-tuition-makes-intersession-and-online-courses-a-priority

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December 16, 2016

5 critical considerations for CBE and CBL implementation

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

BY DEBORAH EVERHART, eCampus News

As schools begin to invest in competency-based education (CBE) and higher ed institutions set up competency-based programs, two of the big questions often unanswered become “is their focus on education or on learning?” And “what’s the difference?” Educators can argue that the characteristics of CBE call for increased attention to learning: clearly defined competencies, flexible time structures for competency mastery, and teacher and faculty roles for mentoring learners, to name a few. But to what extent is academic culture, even in CBE programs, actually changing to be more learner-centric? How often are educational business decisions made with clear consideration of learners’ perspectives? Are academic credentials simply assumed to represent relevant learning, or do they actually document and verify competencies with evidence of learning? Are we meeting the needs of lifelong learners?

http://www.ecampusnews.com/alternative-pathways/considerations-cbe-cbl/

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6 Dimensions for More Effective Online Instructional Videos

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

By Richard Rose, Campus Technology

Quality instructional videos require a balance of content, design, teaching style and more. Here are six factors to consider. Today, the tools of the online instructional design trade are far easier to work with, and support in using them infinitely more available. Companies are no longer impressed that an instructional design job applicant can create online materials quickly using a set of industry-standard software applications. They are looking for professionals who can put together lean, attractive and highly effective online courseware — and have portfolios to prove it. Today’s designers need to know what separates a merely adequate product from the totally awesome.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/12/07/6-dimensions-for-more-effective-online-instructional-videos.aspx

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RIT launches MicroMasters program in cybersecurity with edX

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

by Scott Bureau, RIT

Starting in March, learners can begin the RIT Cybersecurity MicroMasters program with edX. Upon completing the five-part program and earning a MicroMasters credential, learners can apply to RIT and may be awarded nine credit hours toward their degree requirements—making up nearly one third of a master’s program. The program is currently open for enrollment, with the first offering beginning March 21. “We still don’t have enough professionals to protect our infrastructure,” said Bo Yuan, chair of RIT’s Department of Computing Security. “This MicroMasters program is a terrific opportunity for RIT to engage with edX’s more than 9 million global learners and encourage more workers to become qualified in cybersecurity.” RIT’s MicroMasters program in Cybersecurity will provide learners with the expertise in network security and forensics needed for a cybersecurity position in enterprise environments.

http://www.rit.edu/news/story.php?id=58625

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December 15, 2016

A Siri for Higher Ed Aims to Boost Student Engagement

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

By Marguerite McNeal, EdSurge

When third-year students in strategy classes at BI Norwegian Business School have a question about their assignments next semester, odds are a robot will provide their answer. A chatbot—a computer program designed to simulate an intelligent conversation—will respond to routine student inquiries and prompt students to complete assignments, mimicking some of the tasks of a teaching assistant. Although chatbots are common in other industries like retail and finance, they’ve only recently made their way into higher-education. The idea is that if a chatbot on an e-commerce site can help with common customer-service scenarios, why not bring a chatbot to a course Web site to answer frequently asked questions from students?

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-12-07-a-siri-for-higher-ed-aims-to-boost-student-engagement

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A Shift Toward Learning Design: What It Isn’t, Why It’s Needed, and If It’s Right for You

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

By Edward Maloney, EdSurge

At the university level, course design has traditionally been easy for faculty to manage on their own—until, that is, digital technologies began to play a role and online courses started to take off. What’s more, curricula are growing more complex and variable, employers are broadening their expectations, and students are required to engage intelligently with challenging issues such as social justice and human rights. One way of acknowledging the uniqueness of instructional design in higher education is by marking the shift from instructional design to what is being called “learning design.” As a result, there is a growing demand for pedagogical design experts—instructional designers, learning engineers, and learning designers—to help deepen and enrich the learning experience for students in colleges and universities.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-12-05-a-shift-toward-learning-design-what-it-isn-t-why-it-s-needed-and-if-it-s-right-for-you

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Why the Coming Jobs Crisis Is Bigger Than You Think

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

by Knowledge@Wharton

Here is a sobering prediction: over the next 25 years, 47% of jobs will likely be eliminated by technology and globalization, according to WorkingNation. We’re going to have to re-skill the 48-year-olds in this country. Knowledge@Wharton: Some corporations would rather choose to not reinvest in the 48-year-olds; they would rather go with the 22- and 23-year-olds. Venture capitalist Art Bilger founder of WorkingNation says: Individually, even if the corporations want to do it, will they be prepared to be re-educated? We’re running some small projects, and we’re already seeing the resistance level of those 48-year-olds to the concept of going back into a classroom. Now, I think there’s some pretty interesting areas that I’m focused on. The whole area of augmented reality for training and education purposes, I think, is pretty interesting. But you know, that’s an example of how you can train that older workforce without having to sit them down in front of a blackboard or a whiteboard and redo a lot of it.

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/why-the-coming-jobs-crisis-is-bigger-than-you-think/

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December 14, 2016

Students make gains in math placement, thanks to online adaptive learning

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

By Cheri O’Neil, UC Santa Cruz

A pilot program offered via online adaptive learning at UC Santa Cruz has led to higher placement in math courses for newly admitted freshman students—and a commitment to instruct students in math in ways that adapt to their own proficiencies. Of the more than 722 entering students who completed math placement via online assessment during the summer of 2015 and made use of adaptive learning software to review and reassess, 84 percent showed marked improvement that enabled them to qualify for higher math courses. Many students who had placed into College Algebra (Math 2), for example, were placed into Pre-Calculus (Math 3) or Calculus after working through online adaptive instruction.

http://news.ucsc.edu/2016/12/adaptive-learning.html

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Science Course, Lab Options Vary in Online Bachelor’s Programs

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:06 am

By Jordan Friedman, US News

Online students might complete lab requirements virtually or at home using a kit. “Science is a really, really old discipline, and it’s basically been taught in the same way since its inception,” says Danny Welsch, the American Public University System’s associate dean for the school of science, technology, engineering and math. “Now with the advent of online learning and a lot of the technological tools available, we’re kind of turning that on its head.” Though the concept of online undergraduate natural science courses is still in its infancy, schools such as UF Online, the undergraduate arm of the University of Florida; Oregon State University’s Ecampus; and the University of North Dakota have launched programs in the discipline. In online science classes, professors typically teach in ways similar to other disciplines: Students might interact on discussion boards, view live or pre-recorded lectures and complete readings with quizzes.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2016-12-05/science-course-lab-options-vary-in-online-bachelors-programs

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Rich Colleges’ Endowments Targeted by Trump Backer in U.S. House

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

by Janet Lorin, Bloomberg

Wealthy U.S. colleges must spend more of their endowment gains on aid for middle-class families or lose their prized tax-exempt status, a Republican U.S. House member and a vice chair of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team proposed Monday.  In little-noticed remarks during the campaign, Trump himself endorsed this view. Along with new endowment spending rules, U.S. Representative Tom Reed’s proposal would also require all universities receiving federal aid to provide more disclosure about administrative salaries and perks. In addition, colleges would have to file “cost-containment plans” to keep tuition increases below the inflation rate. The federal government would take money away from those who fail to curb costs — and give it to those who do.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-05/rich-colleges-endowments-targeted-by-trump-backer-in-u-s-house

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December 13, 2016

Ask 4 Tech Questions as a Traveling Online Student

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:08 am

By Beth Kungel Borck, US News

Prospective online students should check if there are restrictions on internet access in their destination country. We live in a world where we can work alongside our colleagues overseas through digital channels, and it should be no different while pursuing your degree online. When considering an online program as an expat, frequent business traveler or overseas student, ask these four questions to ensure you meet your technology needs. 1. Do you have the right technology to succeed while traveling? Online programs require students to engage with technology in a way that in-person programs do not. Any student should have a reliable computer that is fast enough to watch streaming videos. You may also need a camera if programs require you to record yourself taking exams or work in teams.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-learning-lessons/articles/2016-12-06/ask-4-tech-questions-as-a-traveling-online-student

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6 Anti-Conventional Wisdom Recommendations for Online Learning Programs: What to do and what not to do

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

By Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed

There seems to be a widespread belief that every college or university is already deeply enmeshed in online learning. The reality is that many schools are still trying to figure out their online learning strategy. If you are thinking about investing in a new online learning program then you will have no shortage of advice. Lots of consultants and online program management (OPM) providers will be willing to share their recommendations. (For a great picture of the OPM market landscape, check out Phil Hill’s e-Literate post from September of this year). I’m here to tell you that much of the advice that you get from the “experts” in online learning will be wrong. And particularly wrong for liberal arts colleges and smaller mission-focused schools.

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/6-anti-conventional-wisdom-recommendations-online-learning-programs

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The Simple Economics of Machine Intelligence

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

by Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans, Avi Goldfarb, Harvard Business Review

The year 1995 was heralded as the beginning of the “New Economy.” Digital communication was set to upend markets and change everything. But economists by and large didn’t buy into the hype. It wasn’t that we didn’t recognize that something changed. Today we are seeing similar hype about machine intelligence. But once again, as economists, we believe some simple rules apply. Technological revolutions tend to involve some important activity becoming cheap, like the cost of communication or finding information. Machine intelligence is, in its essence, a prediction technology, so the economic shift will center around a drop in the cost of prediction.

https://hbr.org/2016/11/the-simple-economics-of-machine-intelligence

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December 12, 2016

UIS Chancellor Susan Koch: Nontraditional becoming traditional at UIS

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

By Susan Koch, State Journal Register

Adult learners, sometimes referred to as “nontraditional students,” have been a growing presence on college campuses for several years. That is certainly true at the University of Illinois Springfield, where, almost 41 percent of UIS undergraduate students this year are over the age of 24. According to Vickie Cook, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Service, about 1,500 students are pursuing their degrees online at UIS this year, which allows them to schedule time to study and participate in coursework based on their individual schedules. “Our faculty design online courses that engage students and promote a learning community,” says Cook, “and online program coordinators provide sustained support and services to ensure a positive learning experience, and ultimately, program completion.” Looking at the trending demographics of today’s college student body, nontraditional may, in fact, become the new traditional.

http://www.sj-r.com/news/20161210/susan-koch-nontraditional-becoming-traditional-at-uis

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Transformation and Access: The Past, Present and Future of Continuing and Professional Education

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

by Kathleen Burke, Evolllution

Continuing and professional education divisions were originally established to serve a small subset of learners who had different characteristics and expectations than the traditional student. These so-called “non-traditional” students, however, are now the majority in the postsecondary environment and their numbers are growing. So how does this shift impact the role of CPE, and where do these divisions go now to continue to serve as innovative hubs? In this interview, Kathleen Burke, who has spent much of her career in the CPE environment, reflects on how the role of CPE has evolved and shares her thoughts on how these divisions will continue to transform in future.

http://evolllution.com/revenue-streams/market_opportunities/transformation-and-access-the-past-present-and-future-of-continuing-and-professional-education/

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Nine Factors that Drive Success for Non-Traditional Learners

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

by Catherine Koverola, Evolllution

I recently attended an alumnae event at one of our regional campuses and was deeply moved by the speech of a one of our alums, who shared her story as a non-traditional learner. She began her academic journey as a single mother raising a child on the autism spectrum while also working as a professional—truly someone with a full life. Whenever she questioned whether she was going to be successful or wondered if she was going to make it the finish line and get the coveted degree, inevitably one of the faculty, staff or administrators would reassure her and say, “no worries, we got you.” What follows are some concrete experiences that this alum referenced as demonstrating to her that we were serious about educating her as a non-traditional learner. Also included are some concrete strategies that our college has used successfully.

http://evolllution.com/attracting-students/retention/nine-factors-that-drive-success-for-non-traditional-learners/

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December 11, 2016

12 strategies to get your online learning program off the ground

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

BY LAURA ASCIONE DEVANEY, eSchool News

A new report looks at online learning’s growth in recent years and recommends ways to bolster these programs’ online-learning-strategies. Online learning is on the rise at private colleges and universities, with 61 percent offering fully online degree programs in some fields, according to to a new report–but what are the strategies that create these successful programs? The increase is a jump from 52 percent of private institutions that reported offering fully online degrees just three years ago, according to the report from from the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) and The Learning House, Inc. This growth is in line with growing acceptance of online curricula among faculty, as well as an increase in demand from traditional college-age students.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/online-learning/strategies-online-learning/

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