Online Learning Update

by Becky Parton, State Journal Register

While Lincoln Land Community College recently celebrated its 50th anniversary as a college, another significant milestone anniversary is taking place this fall. This semester marks the 20th anniversary of online education at LLCC. English professor Lynn Pfannkuche (Faculty Emeriti) taught LLCC’s first online course, Introduction to Composition, during the fall 1997 semester. What started as a single faculty member with an innovative idea has grown into a robust program with offerings of nearly 500 online courses and over 90 faculty members teaching online each year. LLCC will be celebrating this pioneering milestone started by Professor Pfannkuche throughout the week of Nov. 12 with a series of videos available on the LLCC Facebook page. On Tuesday, Nov. 14, at noon, there will be a formal celebration in A. Lincoln Commons on the LLCC Springfield campus.

http://www.sj-r.com/news/20171104/becky-parton-llcc-celebrating-20-years-of-online-education

By Lindsay McKenzie, Inside Higher Ed

American universities and colleges warned to heed European data-protection rules — or face millions of dollars in fines. U.S. colleges and universities under the impression that new European data-protection laws won’t affect them have been urged to think again. Speaking at a session on the soon-to-be-enforced European Union General Data Protection Regulation, William Hoye, executive vice president and chief operating officer at nonprofit study abroad organization IES Abroad, warned that the new E.U. rules have “very sharp teeth” and would almost certainly apply to all U.S. higher education institutions. Failure to comply with the E.U. rules could lead to fines of up to 20 million euros, said Hoye. “That’s around $23,634,000. Do I have your attention yet?” Hoye asked.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/11/06/eu-data-protection-law-looms

By Mark Lieberman, Inside Higher Ed
One in three instructors who responded to Inside Higher Ed’s 2017 Survey of Faculty Attitudes on Technology said they have taken online courses for credit — but 67 percent of the respondents said they had not. Those numbers, which haven’t fluctuated much in the last few years of the annual survey, conducted in conjunction with Gallup, point to an ongoing debate in online education circles about the value of instructors taking online courses. “Ideally it would be great for an online instructor to have taken an online class,” said Susan Yochum, provost at Seton Hill University, in Pennsylvania. But, she added, “the biggest issue is our faculty have a lot of responsibilities, a heavy teaching load. It’s really a time issue.”

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2017/11/01/online-instructors-differ-whether-they-need-online-course

by Erin Jordan, The Gazette

University of Iowa student-athletes, starting next semester, can take the majority of their required courses online. The UI Presidential Committee on Athletics voted unanimously this week on a policy allowing student-athletes to take only three credit hours per semester in a traditional face-to-face class, reversing a previous policy allowing only one online course per semester. “I do see this as a step in the right direction,” said JoElla Guagliardo, a UI senior and field hockey player from Deerfield, Ill., at the PCA meeting Thursday in Iowa City. Online courses give student-athletes more options if their practices conflict with face-to-face courses, she said.

http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/education/higher-education/university-of-iowa-student-athletes-may-take-more-online-courses-20171103

by Michael Goeden, eLearning Industry
According to Bersin, today’s employee has less than 1% of the working week to set aside for training and development. Engagement is a tricky concept, and you can’t expect to simply offer a new training initiative and see commitment follow. More often than not, employees will see learning as a drain on their time and want to rush through it or check it off their to-do list. So, with so little time amongst today’s time-starved workforces, could the answer to improving employee engagement and, in turn, boosting productivity as well as educational autonomy, be to make learning more interactive? In this article, we explore 5 cutting-edge methods to engage the modern workforce.

5 Ways To Boost The Interactivity Of Online Learning

BY REBECCA ELLIS, Indiana Daily Student
One IU professor spent summer 2016 preparing for class not through writing lecture notes, but by creating 120 10-minute informative videos to post to his students, many of which he deleted to make edits. This was his first time teaching an online class, and he spent a lot of time preparing for it. Astronomy professor Stuart Mufson is one of hundreds of professors teaching through IU Online, a program for students to take courses or complete degree programs from their computers. IU Online combines students and faculty from all seven campuses in the courses offered. “I think it’s the way of the future,” Mufson said. Chris Foley, director of the Office of Online Education, said the courses allow undergraduate students with busy schedules, jobs or families to complete their courses without making a trip to campus. He said it also benefits graduate students who are looking for credentials to enhance their job performance or change career fields altogether.

http://www.idsnews.com/article/2017/11/caonline

By Marian Stoltz-Loike, US News

Before enrolling, determine whether an online program’s instructors hold virtual office hours for students. Prospective online students may be concerned about faculty’s ability to fulfill these roles from afar. In traditional classrooms, students can be one of several hundred, but most online courses have fewer than 25 students, making instructors more accessible. Still, you will need to be more proactive in an online course to build a relationship with your instructor, and doing so with those who can help you reach the next step in your career is key. You can plan to start this as early as right after you enroll or around the time classes start. Here are five tips prospective online students can follow to develop relationships with their professors.

https://www.usnews.com/education/online-learning-lessons/articles/2017-11-03/build-relationships-with-faculty-as-an-online-student

by  Natalie Sears, DM Online

The English department has created an online Medieval class to help a student complete his degree while serving in the military overseas. The class — Studies in Medieval Literature: “Game of Thrones” and Its Medieval Worlds — is being adapted to an online format by English professor Mary Hayes, who has taught the class twice before in a traditional classroom setting, and has taught multiple other classes online. Game of Thrones is the popular HBO series based on the book franchise by George Martin. Classic Medieval literature such as “Beowulf” and Machiavelli’s “The Prince” have been cited by Martin as inspiration for his series, making examining the show from a literary standpoint even more fascinating. Ole Miss is not the only place that Game of Thrones has inspired coursework. UC Berkeley offers a linguistics course, and both Northern Illinois University and The University of Tulsa offer history courses.

English department offers “Game of Thrones” online class

by Mashable

Did you know you can make money by teaching online courses? There’s literally a Coursera class on just about every topic these days, whether it’s Cryptography taught by a Stanford professor or Academic Listening and Note-Taking at UC Irvine. It’s great that so many people want to learn in an accessible way, especially if you’re an instructor, but how can you ensure that the class you’re offering is one people will want to take? Consider taking a course in How To Create An Awesome Online Course (so meta). You probably have a specialized skill you don’t even realize is valuable, like hand-sewing wigs or telling dad jokes. But creating an online course can be tricky if you’ve never done it, so this course will break it down in an easy to digest way across 93 lectures and 8 hours of content (which you can access whenever you want for the rest of your life).

http://mashable.com/2017/11/03/elearning-create-an-online-course/#ELAHtUSkUiqN

By Alyssa Laffitte, Uloop

In a traditional class, you have a professor there in person who can guide you in your studies. It’s easy for them to remind you to stay on track. They can quickly announce before class that there’s a test next week, and sometimes those reminders are much needed. On the other hand, online learners don’t have a professor telling you in person to do your work, so online students should be self-motivated. As an online student, you will have to keep track of due dates and deadlines. No one will be there in person to remind you that the homework assignment is due tomorrow. For this reason, online classes will be easier for someone who is self-motivated. If you are the type of person who needs an extra push, be aware that you will have to be responsible for your work in an online class.

https://www.uloop.com/news/view.php/251804/Online-Learning-vs-Traditional-Learning

By Shalina Chatlani, Education Dive
To stay ahead, higher education leaders must constantly be aware of the latest trends and policies taking over the industry — and social media is often the perfect place to find this. Everything from general tips on improving an institution’s online presence to getting inspiration for innovation on the campus. Here we present ten twitter accounts all higher education leaders ought to follow, so that fresh ideas and quick industry news will rise to the top of their feeds.  [ed note:  Special Thanks for listing my @rayschroeder ]

https://www.educationdive.com/news/10-twitter-accounts-every-higher-ed-leader-should-follow/509800/

by C. Edward Kelso, Bitcoin.com

Professor Dan Boneh of Stanford University Computer Security Lab discussed the attraction to his cryptography course, and how it is due to “the huge valuations in these currencies” such as bitcoin. Second only to machine learning, Computer Security and Cryptography is a wildly popular course. It’s also true bitcoin is “a wonderful way to teach cryptography” he told Mr. Levy of CNBC. The advent of cryptocurrencies means “there are a whole bunch of new applications for cryptography that didn’t exist before,” Professor Boneh added. Getting to cryptography through bitcoin has meant a renewed interest in the mathematical language. Professor Boneh “said that more than 1 million people have signed up for an online cryptography class he teaches through the website Coursera,” CNBC reports.

https://news.bitcoin.com/over-one-million-people-enroll-in-online-crypto-class/

By Cromwell Schubarth, Silicon Valley Business Journal
Some senior executives have reportedly left Coursera Inc. in a wave of departures from the online education startup just months after it raised $64 million in fresh funding and brought in a new CEO. Recode cited unnamed sources in a report that said those who have left the Mountain View company include Chief Operations Officer Lila Ibrahim; Chief Marketing Officer Kurt Apen; Chief Financial Officer John Madigan; General Counsel David Liu and Chief Product Officer Tom Willerer. Willerer joined the venture capital firm Venrock earlier this month. Ibrahim wrote on social media that she “decided it’s time for my next career adventure.” A total of as many as 40 employees have departed, Recode’s sources said.

https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2017/10/30/coursera-executives-leave-shakeup-funding-ceo.html

By Olena Reid, US News

Many times I’ve heard someone say that online degrees aren’t as legitimate or rigorous as on-campus programs. But that mostly comes from those who have never experienced an online course, whether in a structured program or a single class. I want to debunk this notion that online education is always easier than in-person studies. Generally, when we think of an “easier” degree program, we may think of one that takes less time and effort and doesn’t hold students to high standards. Consider these three facts about online degree programs to see how far that is from the truth.

https://www.usnews.com/education/online-learning-lessons/articles/2017-10-30/debunk-the-myth-that-online-degrees-are-always-easier

by NMC Horizon Project

Digital Literacy in Higher Education, Part II: An NMC Horizon Project Strategic Brief is a follow-up to the 2016 strategic brief, supported by Adobe, which explored an increasingly pressing challenge for United States higher education institutions: advancing digital literacy among students and faculty. This second edition aims to examine digital literacy through a global and discipline-specific lens to reveal new contexts that are shaping the way learners create, discover, and critically assess digital content. The NMC’s research examines the current landscape of digital literacy frameworks to illuminate its multiple dimensions — technical, psychological, and interpersonal — around which students’ ability to produce new content generates a sense of empowerment.

https://www.nmc.org/publication/digital-literacy-part-ii-an-nmc-horizon-project-strategic-brief/

by Seamus Conwell, CNBC

Financial professionals are taking online financial technology (fintech) courses to fend off competition and stay ahead of disruption. The boost in uptake is due in part to a feeling among those in the industry that financial technology has reached a turning point in its evolution. A report from Citigroup in 2016 caused widespread debate when it estimated that between 2 million and 6 million jobs would be lost in banking across the U.S. and Europe over the next 10 years. That was attributed to both automation and artificial intelligence (AI), innovation and the rise of more efficient and less cost-intensive challenger banks.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/30/financial-pros-flock-to-online-fintech-courses.html

By Beth McMurtrie, Chronicle of Higher Ed

If students rarely set foot on campuses, says Peter Shea, they may feel less invested in their education. Is there a tipping point at which students who take a blend of online and in-person coursework are doing too much online? That question goes to the heart of something called the online paradox. The online paradox has inspired much debate, and it describes two seemingly contradictory things. The first is that community-college students who take an online course are more likely to fail than are those who take it face-to-face. The second is that community-college students who take some online classes are more likely to complete their degrees than are those who don’t take any.

http://www.chronicle.com/article/What-s-the-Ideal-Mix-of/241616

BY LILY O’NEILL, Missourian
Beginning next week, professors will have more incentive to offer free or low-cost textbooks. As part of a University of Missouri System initiative on educational resources that are free to access online, the four campuses will be launching an incentive grant program next week. This is intended to encourage faculty members to incorporate more of these resources in their courses. With the rising cost of college textbooks, UM System President Mun Choi announced the initiative last spring. Scott Curtis, who’s on the system’s Affordable & Open Educational Resources Taskforce, said he hopes the lower costs of textbooks will help students academically.

https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/higher_education/um-system-encourages-faculty-to-use-more-open-educational-resources/article_b602a3dc-b9d3-11e7-adfb-2f83e6711418.html

by Paul Fain, Inside Higher Ed

A sprawling new project seeks to change that by creating a centralized database of information about postsecondary credentials — all 250,000 or so of them in the U.S., ranging from Ph.D. to badge, professional license to apprenticeship and certificate. The nonprofit Credential Engine, which is planning a formal launch in December, has tapped a broad range of advisers to develop a common language about credentials, with a focus on the “competencies” people should have after earning them. Credential Engine’s web-based registry allows colleges, professional associations, unions, other credential issuers and state governments to post public-facing information about credentialing programs. The site also plans to feature information about how credential earners fare in the job market, including wage data from state and federal sources.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/10/18/credential-engine-seeks-create-database-public-information-all-credentials

BY LAURA ASCIONE, eSchool News

majority of Americans would like to see technology companies take a more active role in improving U.S. education by creating apprenticeship programs and providing more technology resources, according to new data. The new poll from OZY and SurveyMonkey tracks how technology is impacting post-secondary education and the workforce in the U.S. It also gauges how survey participants feel about free public higher education, online learning, classroom teachers, and more.

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/10/27/poll-technology-future-of-work/

by WRAL

Online college courses offer convenience and flexibility, but they also come with challenges. Wake Technical Community College looked at some of its most popular classes in 2015 and noticed students were not doing as well in the online classes as they were in the traditional “seated” classes. In 2015, 67 percent of students in traditional classes earned an “A”, “B” or “C” grade, while only 58 percent of students in online classes earned the same grades.  One of the things we found out is students, even young students, who had grown up as digital natives aren’t as well prepared for taking online classes as you may think,” said Wake Tech Senior Vice President of Effectiveness and Innovation Bryan Ryan.

http://www.wral.com/wake-tech-works-to-improve-success-gap-between-seated-online-classes/17058000/