Online Learning Update

by PiWorld

One trend in eLearning involves the incorporation of video, and this practice will continue to grow. While informal online video-based learning has been taking place for as long as there have been online videos, the goal of formal eLearning approaches is to incorporate video-based content in structured training frameworks. Another trend in online learning involves compatibility with mobile devices. Mobile learning, or mLearning, has been a buzzword for a number of years, and a study by RnRMarketResearch.com predicts that this segment of the online learning market should grow to $37.60 billion by 2020 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 36.3%. A related trend takes advantage of mobile-enabled virtual reality (VR) systems. A final burgeoning practice in eLearning involves the incorporation of “Big Data” to provide increased personalization.

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/flipped-courses-and-costs

by JANE S. SHAW, the Spectator

Many colleges and universities have hired private companies to build and operate their online education programs. Firms such as Academic Programs, 2U, Coursera, the College Network, and Pearson work quietly behind the scenes to convert traditional courses to online formats, recruit students, follow up with students, and even supply courses. They are known as online program managers (OPMs). The Century Foundation, an explicitly progressive organization, recently expressed concern about these relationships. Its report, authored by Margaret Mattes, was based on reviews of 117 contracts between nonprofit schools (mostly public universities) and private OPMs. She concluded the companies provide “services so intertwined with the actual teaching and learning” that they may undermine the independence of the universities.

https://spectator.org/how-to-fulfill-the-promise-of-online-education/

by Times-Daily
The number of students taking at least one class at the University of North Alabama this fall will be lower for the first time in three years. The loss appears to be in the freshman class. With semester enrollment set to be frozen today, Ron Patterson, vice president over enrollment management, reported Wednesday the preliminary numbers indicate there will be 7,388 enrolled this semester. That’s 129 less than the final enrollment count for the fall semester a year ago (7,517), or a 1.7 percent decline.

http://www.timesdaily.com/opinion/editorials/online-enrollment-a-key-to-una-s-future/article_7963eaa1-bbd1-5863-a949-bb9e6695b2c5.html

by Autumn A. Arnett, Education Dive

The U.S. Department of Education has approved the sale of Kaplan University to Purdue University — a controversial transaction which came with a $1 price tag and allows the Kaplan company to still maintain administrative control, while potentially reaping profits. The department also gave its blessing on the sale of for-profit Art Institutes, which Buzzfeed calls “much murkier” because the buyer, the Dream Center, is “a tiny, inexperienced nonprofit.” These approvals are a good sign for the rest of the industry, as more for-profit institutions consider converting to non-profits as a way to revive the struggling institutions.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/us-dept-of-ed-approves-sale-of-kaplan-to-purdue/505219/

By Paul Fain, Inside Higher Ed

Education Department’s inspector general labels Western Governors as a correspondence-course provider, seeks reimbursement of $713 million in aid and may broadly threaten competency-based education. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General has released the results of a much anticipated high-stakes audit of Western Governors University, with negative findings that could threaten the large online university and, more broadly, the growing field of competency-based education. Citing concerns about an inadequate faculty role — which the competency-based university contests — the inspector general called for the department to make WGU pay back at least $713 million in federal financial aid.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/09/21/education-depts-inspector-general-calls-western-governors-repay-713-million-federal

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

If you’re trying to hunt down research to justify the use of technology in the classroom or argue against it, a working paper may provide you with information you need. “Education Technology: An Evidence-Based Review,” published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), takes a global view in examining how technology can be used to support K–12 and post-secondary education. The goal? To figure out what the literature says overall about causal effects or lack thereof in four areas.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/09/14/survey-of-tech-in-education-finds-mixed-results.aspx

By Mark Lieberman, Inside Higher Ed

A regional accreditor recently denied an Arizona community college’s bid to increase its online degree offerings.  In particular, the reviewers found a lack of required training for online instruction and a general lack of consistency. Meanwhile, success rates in Scottsdale Community College’s face-to-face courses stood at 75.2 percent, compared to 65.4 percent in online courses last fall. This issue prompted several questions: How much standardization of course design, navigation, underlying technology and academic support (among other features) should an institution mandate — and be required to mandate — for its online courses? How should colleges and universities balance the potentially conflicting goals of ensuring that its distance education courses are student centered and of maintaining faculty control over course content?

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2017/09/20/experts-weigh-standardization-accreditor-dings-arizona-community

By Jeffrey J. Selingo, Washington Post

Fewer students are going to college this fall, as enrollment in higher education has fallen for five straight years, according to the National Student Clearinghouse, which tracks enrollment. Some 2.4 million fewer students are enrolled than at the recent peak in 2011.  Several factors are to blame for declining enrollments…. But a third factor that is rarely discussed is also at play: the rise of alternative types of higher-education credentials in an age when we always need to be learning…. The demand for alternative types of credentials suggests another reason: Colleges might not be offering what students want and what today’s workforce needs as entire occupations expand and contract at an alarming pace.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/09/17/students-have-new-ways-of-measuring-degrees-of-success/

By John Cassidy, the New Yorker

With the new school year starting, there is good news for incoming students of economics—and anybody else who wants to learn about issues like inequality, globalization, and the most efficient ways to tackle climate change. A group of economists from both sides of the Atlantic, part of a project called core Econ, has put together a new introductory economics curriculum, one that is modern, comprehensive, and freely available online.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/a-new-way-to-learn-economics

by Markets Insider

The growth rate for Digital English Language Learning in China is a healthy 8.5% and revenues will spike to $1.4 billion by 2022, according to the new report by Metaari called “The 2017-2022 China Digital English Language Learning Market.” There are six major catalysts driving the current Digital English Language Learning market in China: a booming online English tutoring industry, a dramatic increase in private investments made to digital English companies, emphasis on digital English in the schools, the growing use of English in the higher education segment, strong consumer demand for mobile Digital English Language Learning apps, and a high demand for English for Specific Purposes (ESP).

http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/Digital-English-Market-in-China-Surges-to-1-4-Billion-by-2022-1002359286

by Linda Jacobson, Education Dive

A new study from Education Elements finds that personalized learning programs, in which students typically work at their own pace on laptops or tablets, are leading to growth in math and reading skills, according to Business Insider. The consulting organization’s study of 36,000 students in five districts focuses on performance on the NWEA’s MAP and other assessments, and one Alabama district saw 72% of students in grades 3 through 8 reach their target scores on the ACT Aspire test, up from just 28% in the 2014-15 school year. The article notes additional research from the RAND Corporation, which suggested that students using online learning programs performed better than those in classrooms where teachers lectured.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/new-study-points-to-benefits-of-personalized-learning/504663/

Robyn Shulman, Forbes

LinkedIn Learning provides a personalized learning experience via high-quality, personally curated and easily digestible content. The platform has more than 10,000 courses across business, creative and tech categories and offers this content in English, Spanish, French, German and Japanese. Higher education students will also find various resources on LinkedIn. Beside LinkedIn Learning, students can stop by LinkedIn for Students for a plethora of resources including LinkedIn “how-to” videos, tip sheets, career guides, and handbooks. For those on their career paths for the jobs of tomorrow, LinkedIn also provides the opportunity for students to become campus editors for their institutions. Students who like to write, curate content, and represent their universities can find applications open now for the 2017-2018 school year.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/robynshulman/2017/09/11/this-is-how-entrepreneurs-students-and-teachers-can-benefit-from-linkedin-learning/#6f9b5a792ec9

by Shalina Chatlani, Education Dive

In a guest post for Evolllution, Shabana Figueroa and Yakut Gazi of Georgia Institute of Technology’s Professional Education (GTPE) division detail how the institution worked to develop an efficient design approach for its second entirely-online master’s degree program, which would also improve student user experience studied from the launch of the first online degree.  Among these strategies, the authors write that for site development GTPE created a group cross-functional group of independent instructional design and studio teams, the director of learning met one-on-one with faculty members to figure out course content and teaching styles and attended some in-person class sessions for inspiration, and the faculty worked in two-to-four hour design sessions so that content was 95% complete before production commenced.  Some challenges the authors list include needing to become comfortable with the edX hosting platform, developing logistics and technology to handle proctored exams, meeting the needs of students through flexibility, and designing various versions of the same courses for different cohorts. And with the guidance of faculty, the team was able to begin the project in Dec. 2016 and finish in mid-August of 2017 — which is on track for one year.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/georgia-tech-presents-model-for-designing-online-degrees/504806/

by Sheryl Burgstahler and Christian Vinten-Johansen, EDUCAUSE Review
Colleges and universities are subject to various laws and regulations regarding the accessibility of the IT resources they provide. Accessibility leadership can and should come from different levels of an organization. Full accessibility compliance can seem intimidating, but it’s important to begin the work, develop priorities, and sustain the effort.

http://er.educause.edu/articles/2017/9/seven-steps-toward-it-accessibility-compliance

https://www.ecampusnews.com/curriculum/report-faculty-oer/

by Shabana Figueroa and Yakut Gazi, Evolllution

In our at-scale courses and programs, the role of faculty is different than in our residential programs. In residential programs, faculty own and produce the content as the subject matter experts, deliver the content, engage students in learning, and assess student learning and progress. In a degree program with thousands of students, sometimes 400 to 500 students in a single course, we follow a model that unbundles the traditional faculty role.  Faculty are still content owners and creators as well as the face of the course, but delivery of course content and activities is heavily assisted by the instructional team of teaching assistants and instructional designers. Teaching assistants also facilitate learning, actively participating in course discussion forums, conducting real-time recitation sessions, as well as answering student questions. In addition, the student services team answers students’ program-related questions, providing relief to the instructor and program advisors by responding to tier I-type questions.

Under the Hood: Learning Design Behind Georgia Tech’s Degrees at Scale

by David Stone, Evolllution

The Pennsylvania State University created an online course cooperative in 2003 to facilitate online course sharing across the campuses and colleges that comprise Penn State. This initiative has grown into a Digital Learning Initiative that aligns with the University’s access and affordability priority. This effort is a partnership between the Commonwealth Campuses, Undergraduate Education, and World Campus to provide students with access to high demand courses, reduce bottlenecks for program progression, and widely provide access to online course content to faculty for use in both residential and online courses. Many of the Penn State colleges have developed courses as part of programs developed for delivery via the World Campus. The online cooperative, now named the Digital Learning Cooperative, is designed for the planned sharing of these courses across locations. Courses that will be shared are offered on the Digital Learning Cooperative (DLC) for other locations to reserve seats for their location. Each location has the option to reserve or offer courses to other campuses.

https://evolllution.com/revenue-streams/distance_online_learning/cooperating-to-serve-students-across-institutional-boundaries-leveraging-online-ed-in-new-ways/

by Julia McCandless, Converge

When most eighth graders were prepping for high school, he was taking his first college course. By the time he was about 18 years old, he had already earned his bachelor’s degree. In his current role at Maryland University of Integrative Health, he is establishing a new center for online teaching and learning that supports faculty. With a doctorate in education, e-learning and teaching online, Salley has a deep understanding and passion for pedagogical models in the online classroom. For Salley, online learning is not just a way to leverage cutting-edge technology. He recognizes that it’s critical to the future of education. “It is the single most powerful way to transform higher education,” he said. “I think that online education compels us to discover, invent and implement innovative pedagogies that better serve students and yield better learning outcomes.”

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/top30/Witt-Salley-EdD.html

By LAURA ASCIONE, eCampus News

Nearly all deans (91 percent) believe there will be an increase in online education programs at their institution in the next decade. Deans were divided on whether faculty members get enough support in teaching courses online–43 percent said faculty are getting shortchanged in how much help they get in rethinking their courses and teaching with technology, while 40 percent said they believe they are getting enough support and 14 percent are neutral. One-third of deans agree online courses are comparable to face-to-face courses, and roughly the same proportion said they disagree.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/news/college-deans-changes-10-years/

by Kevin Johnson, the Hill

It wasn’t so long ago that people with a high-school diploma, a good work ethic, and a strong body could build solid, middle-class careers in blue-collar jobs like manufacturing and construction. That’s no longer possible.
As traditional blue-collar jobs dwindle, another promising category of jobs is growing: jobs that require a baseline of technical skills but not necessarily a four-year degree. IBM CEO Ginni Rometty calls them “new-collar” jobs and cites examples like cloud computing analyst and services delivery specialists. If those titles sound unfamiliar, that’s the point. These roles didn’t exist a short while ago, and workers suited to new-collar jobs will need to retrain to meet employers’ needs.

http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/labor/349480-how-adults-can-compete-for-new-collar-jobs

By Cait Etherington, eLearning Inside

Most colleges and universities now have some sort of online orientation. In some cases, it’s a simple required module solely designed to ensure all new students know how to log into the universities learning platform prior to the start of classes. In some cases, the activity is designed to direct students to use a specific part of the university’s online learning platform. In other cases, the university is asking students to complete essential modules (e.g., on sexual assault) to be in compliance with efforts to address chronic on campus problems. Rutgers University in New Jersey requires freshmen to complete three online courses. If they don’t complete the courses, they can’t register for the Spring semester.

https://news.elearninginside.com/freshman-orientations-now-include-online-learning/