Online Learning Update

By Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed

Any online program that has the main goal of revenue generation will, in the end, wind up creating a host of unforeseen and undesirable consequences. This is not to say that online program should not be economically sustainable, and should make sense from an opportunity cost and investment perspective. They should, and they are. In some cases it is also true that new online programs can create revenues that can be utilized to support other strategic programs and initiatives. Higher education, like many activities that exist for the public good, relies on cost sharing to survive. Putting money as the first and ultimate goal of online education will cause a school to make a series of bad choices, while simultaneously closing off other potential benefits of online learning.

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/your-school-should-not-pursue-online-education-money

by Fred Thys, WBUR
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s leading role in online education for all is changing how its own faculty approach more traditional education. For example, at the MIT Center for Real Estate, professors are rethinking the case study approach common in management training.  The change stems from an effort to introduce case studies to MIT’s “Massive Open Online Courses,” better known as MOOCs. “Of course, the classic case study, it’s a PDF file, about 15 to 20 pages,” says the center’s director, Albert Saiz. “It’s very difficult to implement in an online class. Attention spans of students, especially younger students, are getting shorter.” So Saiz led a team that developed case studies designed to more easily hold the attention of big audiences.

http://www.wbur.org/edify/2018/01/08/mit-case-study-online

by Jamie McKane, My Broadband

Online learning portal Coursera has released its list of the most popular online courses on its platform. Coursera boasts over 30 million registered learners and over 2,000 online courses from institutions around the world. Upon completing courses online, students are awarded with a signed and shareable electronic course certificate. Specialisation certificates and university-recognised degrees are also offered through the platform. Coursera’s 10 most popular courses highlight a growing global interest in emerging technologies – including blockchains, machine learning, and neural networks.

https://mybroadband.co.za/news/internet/243612-the-most-popular-online-courses-in-the-world.html

By Jeremy House, Education Dive
According to new federal data, the number of college students taking online classes continues to grow, reports Inside Higher Ed. In academic year 2016, 6.34 million students were enrolled in at least one online course, compared with 5.99 million students in 2015.  Even as overall enrollment at postsecondary institutions is flat (unlike recent numbers from the National Student Clearinghouse, the federal data show enrollments staying roughly constant, not declining), online enrollments climb.  Enrollment dipped for a few universities with large online programs — especially those offered by for-profits — but most experienced a online student enrollment boost.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/online-course-enrollments-continue-to-grow/514255/

By Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed

New book says most colleges — and the vast majority of nonelite institutions — are about to face severe shortage of potential students.  Yes, everyone in admissions knows that certain groups of students — those who graduate from good high schools and have parents able to pay a significant share or all of their tuition and other college expenses — are shrinking in number. And the situation is more severe in the Northeast and Midwest, where populations are shrinking, than in other parts of the country. Those demographic realities, known for years, have led colleges to adjust strategies: new programs to attract adult students. Online education. More outreach to parts of the country where the population is growing. Attracting full-pay international students. Some combination of those and other ideas will work for most institutions, enrollment professionals have said. But what if they are wrong? What if the demographics are about to get much worse for higher education than the experts have expected?

https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2018/01/08/new-book-argues-most-colleges-are-about-face-significant-decline

by Rick Seltzer, Inside Higher Ed

Heightened concern about liberal arts institutions is reflected in presidents’ outlooks and an institute program. Numerous presidents at the institute agreed that they see an increased urgency among their peers interested in exploring significant changes in order to stabilize their colleges’ standing or seek long-term viability. In a few cases, presidents pointed to a confluence of trends causing them to reconsider doing business as usual, such as a declining number of traditional high school graduates in their regions, increased financial pressures, stiffer competition from public institutions or the free public college movement. More often, presidents reported having long been aware of headwinds. But their Boards of Trustees, alumni and faculty members have recently become more open to making significant changes, they said.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/01/08/cic-presidents-institute-increases-focus-solutions-struggling-colleges

BY LAURA ASCIONE, eCampus News.
Students said they vastly prefer classes with digital learning technologies.   Ninety-four percent of students in a new survey said digital learning technologies have helped them retain new concepts, and 53 percent said they prefer classes that use such tools. McGraw-Hill Education’s fourth annual Digital Study Trends Survey, compiled by Hanover Research, includes responses from more than 1,000 college students. Sixty percent of surveyed students said they think digital learning technologies have improved their grades, and one-fifth said those technologies significantly improved their grades. Students in STEM majors were the most likely to say technology has positively impacted their grades. Approximately 60 percent of students agree that digital learning technology increased their engagement with course materials.

Survey: Students sing praises for digital learning tech

by Kristin Houser and Patrick Caughill, Futurism

Children born in 2018 will probably never know the feeling of being tethered to a landline. A trip to the local megaplex to catch Blade Runner 2049 may have stirred up adults’ memories of seeing the original, but children born this year may never know what it’s like to watch a film on a smaller screen with a sound system that doesn’t rattle the brain. Technology is currently advancing faster than ever before, so what else will kids born today only read about in books or, more likely, on computer screens? Here’s a list of the top 10 things that children born in 2018 will likely never experience.

10 Things Children Born in 2018 Will Probably Never Experience

by  BY MERIS STANSBURY, eCampus News

Gen Z, the digital generation, non-traditional students, and potentially many more descriptions have been used to label the current postsecondary body of students, but what may not be so evident is exactly how much their preferences, lifestyles and experiences have radically changed from even a decade ago.  And it’s these large changes that are critical for colleges and universities not just to take notice of now, but also to anticipate what students and their needs may look like in 2027.

#3: 3 big ways today’s college students are different from just a decade ago

By Joshua Bolkan, THE Journal
Apple is now waiving the fees for its developer program for accredited educational institutions and other qualifying organizations. Members of the developer program are able to distribute apps through the Apple App Store and gain access to tools such as app analytics, beta testing resources such as TestFlight, beta software and advanced app capabilities. The move comes in response to complaints directed at the company when it banned apps generated from templates last year, according to TechCrunch.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2018/01/03/apple-waives-developer-fees-for-schools-nonprofits.aspx

by Adam Gordon, Forbes
Many leaders in industries going through digital transformation experience a certain spine-tickling moment when “futures flip-over” happens. That moment is when you get-it that the previously marginal online offering has become the default and the traditional solution has become the exotic. It has happened in music, in newspapers, etc., and this is where university campuses and business schools are fast heading as education designers, coders and entrepreneurs close in on online platforms that replicate and in many ways improve on the traditional live experience. All for much less money.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamgordon/2018/01/05/as-universities-go-online-architects-rework-buildings-for-active-learning/#38e5d2db2a24

by MIT Open Learning

In keeping with its mission to expand access to affordable education around the world through the innovative use of online learning, MIT Open Learning welcomes an international university that has elected to grant course credits to their students who complete the MITx MicroMasters in Data, Economics, and Development Policy (DEDP). The American University in Cairo (AUC) will be the first school in the world to pair with MIT in accepting the DEDP MicroMasters credential to help students embark on their master’s education.

http://news.mit.edu/2018/mit-auc-partnership-masters-credits-mitx-0105

By Marian Stoltz-Loike, US News

Group work in online classes can teach students about working with others remotely and giving virtual presentations.  Many careers today involve collaborating virtually with colleagues who may be located throughout the country or even internationally. To be successful, you will need to develop strong strategies to get the work done – and this can be challenging. Online courses may require students to complete projects virtually in groups, which can teach them critical skills for the fast-paced, rapidly changing, 24/7 global business world. Linked below are four areas where you can develop skills through group work in an online degree program.

https://www.usnews.com/education/online-learning-lessons/articles/2018-01-05/gain-skills-in-online-courses-requiring-group-work

By: Edna Murugan, Faculty Focus

With the increase in online classes being offered by higher education institutions and the convenience and flexibility it affords (particularly for adult learners), it is important that institutions hire, train, and retain high-quality, student-centric online faculty. Just like on-ground students, online students need instructors who are passionate, organized, creative, and manage the (virtual) classroom effectively. Unfortunately, from time to time, online faculty can struggle with burnout, which may make them less effective instructors. Although from the outside, it may appear that online instructors have a dream job that allows them to work from home and set their own schedules, many online faculty experience some form of burnout.

https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/online-faculty-can-avoid-burnout/

by WRAL

For some Triangle students, the weather had no impact on their courses. Students enrolled in online courses at Wake Technical Community College students went to class Thursday, never setting foot in the snow. For Dr. Chris Roddenberry, a professor at Wake Tech Community College, today was business as usual. He taught a class, while sitting in his Willow Springs home. He even met with multiple students, online, for office hours. “It was just another Thursday for me,” he said. “Classes started, students were registering in my class. I had meetings with different students. Nothing changed for me.” Roddenberry said there are many benefits to online classes, and inclement weather is a classic example.

http://www.wral.com/-just-another-day-wake-tech-online-students-attend-class-on-snowy-day/17234539/

Call for Proposals open! Seeking expert and engaging presenters. The DTL conference invites you to submit a proposal to present at the 34th annual Distance Teaching & Learning Conference, August 7-9, 2018in Madison, Wisconsin. We are looking for quality presentations intended for advanced practitioners in distance, online, or blended education and training. We will also consider some basic/foundational proposals geared toward those newer to the field. All proposals should be grounded in evidence-based practice and/or innovative strategies. Deadline to submit is 4:00 pm (CST) on Tuesday, January 23.

https://dtlconference.wisc.edu/call-for-proposals/

BY SUZANNE STOLZ, eSchool News

In recent years, general education teachers have joined special education teachers in emphasizing the need for inclusivity in the classroom. By creating inclusive classrooms, educators aim to foster learning environments that are equitable and nurturing to every student. Inclusive educators often use Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to provide students with consistent access to engaging content and effective paths for achieving educational goals in classrooms where they experience a greater sense of belonging. UDL, which is a set of principles for curriculum development that aims to provide all students an equal opportunity to learn, can be used by educators at any grade level or subject area. According to the National Center on Universal Design for Learning, “UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone—not a single, one-size-fits-all solution, but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs.”

5 ways to leverage UDL for student inclusivity

BY GERALDINE LEE, eSchool News
As technologies and the workforce change, society must help equip students with the skills for success. Today’s jobs are changing, and they are changing at such a rapid pace that many of the jobs our students will hold in the future do not even exist today. But just because we don’t know what those jobs are doesn’t mean we can’t do our best to prepare today’s students, and tomorrow’s work force, for the opportunities awaiting them. A large part of that preparation will rely on equal technology access to all students.

Newsflash: Preparing students for the future workforce is a society-wide effort

by Jeffrey R. Young, EdSurge

Textbook publishers typically deploy sales reps to campuses to convince professors to adopt their titles. But who makes the pitch for free or low-cost alternatives to textbooks known as OER, or open educational resources? Increasingly, the answer is the campus library. Take the University of Texas at Arlington, which has a full-time Open Education Librarian, Michelle Reed. One project she led this year involved creating a series of videos promoting “Textbook Heroes,”professors who have replaced commercial textbooks in their courses with OER.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-01-04-as-campuses-move-to-embrace-oer-college-libraries-become-key-players

Governor Jerry Brown’s Plan to Serve Workers Who Need Skills and Credentials to Move Ahead but Cannot Access Traditional College Courses is described by California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley:
“The Californians we seek to reach cannot stop working to get the education they need to get ahead, and many of them juggle multiple jobs to feed their families. As much as we would like to, we cannot will them onto our campuses. We need to rethink traditional delivery models and pedagogies and meet this population where and when they are ready to gain skills and credentials.” Economic insecurity is expected to increase over the next decade. By 2020, 65 percent of jobs in the U.S. will require a college credential, according to estimates by the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce. Artificial intelligence, the rise of the gig economy and automation are changing the future of work and the skillsets needed to succeed Millions of Californians would benefit from sub-associate degree credentials or short bursts of additional training to move ahead in today’s economy. However, traditional higher education is not accessible for these working learners.

http://doingwhatmatters.cccco.edu/fullyonlinecommunitycollege.aspx

by Orange County Reporter

Cal State University needs to improve students’ access to online courses and how it reports data, according to a state watchdog report released Wednesday. The California Legislative Analyst’s Office detailed a number of issues in evaluating CSU’s cross-campus online education program, which allows students to register for classes at CSU campuses other than theirs. Finding online courses using the Cal State database is difficult, the chancellor’s office provided “insufficient” information needed to evaluate the university’s registration process, and few students registered for online classes at other campuses, the six-page report says. In 2015, some 80,000 undergraduate students, or 19 percent of those in the CSU system, and 6,600 graduate students, or 12 percent, took at least one course in which all of the work was done online. The university system, the largest in the country, offers about 1,500 online courses that do not require in-class attendance.

State report: Cal State University needs to improve online education