Online Learning Update

by EMILY DERUY, the Atlantic

A new study offers a look at what happens when schools shutter. Dozens of for-profit colleges could be forced to close in the next several years. This week, the Obama administration published a list of schools and programs that are at risk of losing access to the federal loans many of them depend on to survive. More than 800 vocational programs the department reviewed (at for-profit schools, private nonprofit schools, and public community colleges) failed to show that their graduates were able to find decent jobs, meaning the former students have annual loan payments that are more than 30 percent of their discretionary income and more than 12 percent of their total earnings. Not insignificantly, virtually all—98 percent—of the programs that do not meet that bar are for-profit schools. Not a single community college appears on the list. If schools that have been flagged by the government don’t begin to turn things around within several years, they stand to lose aid, and, in many cases, would likely shutter as a result.

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/01/what-happens-to-students-when-for-profit-colleges-close/512831/

by Campus Technology

Last month, Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC) was hit with a ransomware attack, forcing the California Community College system to pay an unidentified hacker nearly $28,000 to retrieve stolen data. The investigation is still in the early stages, and as of now no breach data was identified. LAVC consulted with its leadership, outside cybersecurity experts and law enforcement before making the payment. “It was the assessment of our outside cybersecurity experts that making a payment would offer an extremely high probability of restoring access to the affected systems, while failure to pay would virtually guarantee that data would be lost,” according to a statement. The attack has disrupted many computer, online, e-mail and voicemail systems. Education is the sector most targeted by ransomware, according to a recent report from security analyst BitSight, which found that 13 percent of institutions experienced ransomware attacks last year.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/01/10/community-college-pays-hacker-28000-for-ransomware-attack.aspx

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

At the College of Business at the University of Illinois, video operations don’t come in one size. Here’s how the institution is handling studio setup for MOOCs, online courses, guest speakers and more. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Business’s video production studio (photo courtesy of UIUC) When the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign began running massive open online courses through Coursera, the institution quickly realized that the real power of those free courses was to introduce a world of prospective students to its campus programs — including the iMBA, its new online master’s degree in business. The Digital Media team within the College of Business has played an important role in helping the college’s production capabilities grow in quality and quantity. Now that team faces what may be its biggest challenge ever: accommodating up to 3,000 students in any particular online course.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/01/11/how-to-build-a-production-studio-for-online-courses.aspx

by Kristen Betts, Education Dive

The ubiquity of technology has transformed education, making online learning part of the “new norm.” Over the past three years, online enrollments in higher education have continued to grow although overall enrollments in the United States have continued to decline. From 2002 to 2014, the number of students enrolling in “at least one distance education course” increased from 1.6 to 5.8 million students according to WCET Distance Education Enrollment 2016. Online enrollments are being driven by the growing number of students who are seeking flexible formats for courses, certificates, and degree programs to support career placement, advancement, and transition as well as to pursue advanced studies. Increasingly, students enrolled in on-campus programs are also registering for hybrid to fully online courses throughout their enrollment. Nontraditional is the new “traditional” in higher education in the United States.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/the-growth-of-online-learning-how-universities-must-adjust-to-the-new-norm/433632/

By Joshua Bolkan, Campus Technology

Consumer smartphone sales will rebound this year after hitting a three-year low in 2016, according to a new survey from Accenture. Increased shipments will be pushed by device refresh schedules, better security, improved performance and new features, according to the survey. Based on responses from 26,000 consumers in 26 different countries, the survey found that demand for wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers will remain sluggish owing to high prices and concerns about privacy and security around personal data. Artificial intelligence features, such as digital voice assistants, are being embraced by consumers, according to survey responses.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/01/05/report-smartphone-shipments-to-rebound-after-3-year-low.aspx

by Seb Murray, Business Because

These are the hottest innovations in edtech that are reshaping how students learn online. Throughout 2016, online learning continued to explode. More students enrolled in online courses. Top-tier universities trialled virtual and augmented reality. Online providers launched nano-degrees. And employers, from Google to Goldman Sachs, began warming to digital credentials. Meanwhile, demand for campus education fell in most US business schools. As we usher in the New Year, here are five edtech trends to look out for in 2017.

http://www.businessbecause.com/news/mba-distance-learning/4385/5-online-learning-trends-for-2017

by Jarrett Carter, Education Dive

Ben Rossi writes in Information Age about the emergence of educational technology, and how colleges and universities could become more effective with Integrated Learning Systems by using them for more than regurgitating old styles of instruction on new equipment. He writes that ed tech should be more than just an innovative way of educational delivery, but part of the education itself by allowing students and teachers to create their own questions, answers and theories on a variety of elements on a given subject. Technology has the capacity for education to replace the currency of grades and test scores with imagination and creation in action, a necessity for an industry which spent more than $6 billion on teaching technology in 2015.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/machine-learning-can-transform-higher-ed-if-used-correctly/433622/

BY LAURA ASCIONE DEVANEY, eCampus News

New study shows lecturing is likely not effective for developing problem-solving skills in students. The traditional lecture format found in nearly every university isn’t the most effective instructional approach if faculty want to help students develop problem-solving skills, according to a new study from the University of British Columbia. Researchers at UBC’s Okanagan campus created a testing system to measure the problem-solving abilities of students in various stages of their undergraduate degrees. Their data shows that while freshman students see their problem-solving skills increase by nearly 10 per cent in their first semester, students in the majority of disciplines experience little-to-no improvement in all the semesters that follow. “It does not appear that the traditional, lecture-style of information delivery is well suited to helping students build those skills,” said Klegeris, an associate professor of biology.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/curriculum/faculty-rethink-lecture/

By Thomas Carey, Inside Higher Ed

How can we better prepare graduates to engage with future learning and knowledge practices? Amongst the discussion of curricular changes, skill development and supportive mindsets, a common central theme began to emerge: let’s treat our teaching and learning environments as model workplaces, full of experiential learning opportunities for reflective practice on changing knowledge work, practices and roles. Reframing the learning environment and the progressive trajectory of learning practices could thus provide our graduates with opportunities to develop capability in both professional learning and in dealing with innovation in workplace practices.

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/preparing-graduates-future-knowledge-practices-1

by Jamie Adame, Arkansas Online

No student will be asked to purchase a textbook in Scout Johnson’s U.S. history class this spring semester at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Johnson will instead assign a textbook that’s available for free online. “It helps our students tremendously by cutting that textbook bill,” said Johnson, a UA doctoral student and speaker for the university’s Associated Student Government graduate student congress. The group and UA’s Associated Student Government senate, made up of undergraduates, approved a joint resolution last fall supporting the adoption of what are known as open educational resources. Open materials may be freely copied and distributed.

http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2017/jan/08/faculty-nudged-to-texts-on-web-20170108/

by Diogo Costa, Tech.co

The internet is a useful tool for many things, including learning a new language. Possible sources are online courses, specific websites or watching videos spoken in other languages, for example. But there are many more sources that can be used to learn a new language without leaving home. Even social networks like Twitter and Facebook can be considered in the category of useful tools for learning languages online. In an ever more globalized world, knowing a second language is very important. Professionally, it can even be a differentiating factor, giving you extra points when applying for a new job. Some of the aforementioned learning sources are not exactly obvious, which is why it is important to mention them.

http://tech.co/5-easy-ways-learn-new-language-internet-2017-01

By MATT CARSTENS, Daily Record

As far as total online enrollment, 3,840 students are enrolled in at least one online class at CWU, which makes up 33 percent of total enrollment. In 2011, that number was just 1,782.The university has been tracking online enrollment since 2011, when 186 students were pursuing online undergrad degrees along with 41 pursuing graduate degrees. Today a total of 1,137 students are enrolled in online degree programs, including 930 in undergraduate studies. That makes up 10 percent of Central’s total enrollment. Schedler said each college at the university has an online degree program. Information technology administrative management is the biggest program. “For the sciences it’s more challenging, definitely,” Schedler said about online instruction. “Most are in the social sciences like sociology, psychology, law and justice.” As far as total online enrollment, 3,840 students are enrolled in at least one online class at CWU, which makes up 33 percent of total enrollment. In 2011, that number was just 1,782.

http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/news/online-degrees-classes-expanding-curriculum-at-central/article_c27b7dfe-f12f-594c-b821-a6b3c413b365.html

by Carolina, Hack Read

If you’re considering enrolling in an online degree program, the one piece of technology that you will be relying on for the next four or more years is your laptop, so it’s no surprise that many online students will invest in a new one. We’ve put together some top tips to help you pick the right laptop for online study. When it comes to buying a new laptop, the best thing is that the market is now so huge, so you can find excellent laptops in almost all of the price brackets. However, when putting aside a budget for your new laptop, you will need to think in realistic terms about the amount that you should spend. Often, many online students, particularly those taking advanced courses which require a lot of work, will need to invest in a more high-end laptop in order to ensure that it will last them for the duration of their course. When choosing a laptop, you need to be thinking in terms of long-term value for money, rather than the cheapest price that you can pay at the time.

https://www.hackread.com/how-to-choose-perfect-laptop-online-study/

BY SETH ODELL, eCampus News

In response to widespread stagnation in postsecondary enrollments, many institutions look to scale their programs and attract students beyond their own backyards. And since online education makes logistical sense for delivering instruction to wider audiences, an online program is often looked at for expansion opportunities. Yet frequently, colleges and universities don’t realize just how competitive the national online education market is. Not only are they stepping onto a court with the biggest brands in higher education, but national marketing efforts are notably costly compared to local marketing efforts. The fact of the matter is that for most institutions, online education is most successful when considered as an alternative modality for local students familiar with an institution’s brand rather than a path to the national market. One common mistake is to try and make an online program go national right away; instead, go local for better success, sustainability.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/online-learning/online-program-mistake-2017/

By Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

A new forecast from International Data Corp. estimates that the total worldwide spending on the Internet of Things (IoT) will reach $1.29 trillion by 2020. According to the market research firm’s Worldwide Semiannual Internet of Things Spending Guide, that represents a compound annual growth rate of 15.6 percent over the 2015-2020 forecast period. Much of that spend will go toward hardware — the largest spending category throughout the forecast, followed by services, software and connectivity, according to IDC. The company predicts that hardware spending will approach $400 billion by 2020; modules and sensors that connect endpoints to networks will represent the bulk of hardware purchases. On the other hand, IDC said, hardware will be the slowest growing IoT technology category, beaten out by software and services.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/01/05/internet-of-things-spending-to-reach-1-29-trillion-by-2020.aspx

by ANDHRA PRADESH, the Hindu

Digital technologies would help in improving teaching methods while digital learning can improve student achievement if the tools are integrated into teaching and learning, according to I.V. Subba Rao, Chief of Literacy, Basic Education and Non-formal Education at Unesco. A panel discussion on ‘pedagogy and teacher in the digital era’ was held at the Navyandhra Pustaka Sambaralu (book festival) here on Friday. On the occasion, Mr. Subba Rao said that technology would act as an assistant to a teacher. Both teaching and learning processes would be simplified and improved with digital technologies. Time and space were no barriers to learning through open online courses. At the same time, digital technologies would not eliminate the teacher from the learning process as human interface was a must in this aspect, he said.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/%E2%80%98Embrace-digital-technology-for-better-teaching-learning-experience%E2%80%99/article17003490.ece

by Jane M. Kirschling, Baltimore Sun

RNs make up the single largest segment of the health care workforce, with more than 3 million in the United States and more than 79,000 in Maryland. The demand for nurses will continue to increase along with demands on the nation’s health care system as America’s population ages and as we strive to address inequities in the care that racial and ethnic minorities experience. To have a substantive impact on health outcomes given these emerging challenges, nurses must continue to advance their education. Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs are providing RNs the option of completing their coursework in traditional face-to-face formats and through online learning.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-nursing-force-20170108-story.html

By Amy Ahearn, EdSurge

As a thought experiment, I tried to recast my Strava fitness app experience in pedagogical terms. I realized that I was recording hours of deliberate practice (my early morning runs), formative assessments (the occasional speed workout on the track) and even a few summative assessments (races) on the app. Strava was motivating my consistent use by overlaying a digital grid on my existing offline activities. How could we apply the same practices to learning? I’ve come to believe that one of the biggest misunderstandings about online learning is that it has to be limited to things that can be done in front of a computer screen. Completing the course on top of other priorities required an almost superhuman effort for sometimes limited external validation. That motivation was provided by Strava.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-01-06-the-future-of-online-learning-is-offline-what-strava-can-teach-digital-course-designers

by Doug Black, Enterprise Tech

As companies increase their digital footprints, ‘identify and diagnose’ capabilities will not defend against the growing array of security threats, according to analysts at Gartner Group. Because the types of data ingested by analytics packages are evolving from structured to hybrid data–containing text, objects and other formats– the market will respond to that transition by offering packaged applications that utilize more powerful predictive and prescriptive analytics. Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) (I use these terms interchangeably) continue to be hotly debated in security circles. The pessimists believe hackers will always outmaneuver ML, while the believers view AI as an essential companion to finding and displaying threat patterns in a complex, cloud-enhanced IT environment. While both sides have merit, the market itself is moving ahead with real-life ML applications in 2017.

http://www.enterprisetech.com/2017/01/05/machine-learning-online-security-2017/

By Jordan Friedman, US News

Experts predict more online programs will offer alternative credentials and degrees in specialized fields. Online students: There’s a lot in store for you in 2017. In the past few years, more students enrolled in online courses, more organizations offered alternative credentials such as digital badges and nanodegrees and more employers accepted online degrees from job candidates. Here are five trends experts say students might see in online education in 2017.

http://www.usnews.com/higher-education/online-education/articles/2017-01-05/5-online-education-trends-to-expect-in-2017