Online Learning Update

June 30, 2018

College Credit MOOCs that Are Still Free to Access

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

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology
It has become a truism that MOOCs aren’t always open anymore. Increasingly, courses pegged as massive, open and online are actually intended for use in for-credit programs that help people earn partial degrees (as long as they’re enrolled in a university program and pay tuition). Sometimes these courses can’t even be audited by people who are interested in the subject but don’t necessarily want the credit or fees. Class Central recently made a list of all the courses it could locate that are part of for-credit programs and are still free to access. There are 370 of them, according to the company, which operates an online MOOC search engine and curates a MOOC catalog. According to publisher Dhawal Shah, the search found offerings from 49 different universities, with subjects “spanning technology, business, the arts and engineering.”

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/06/20/college-credit-moocs-that-are-still-free-to-access.aspx

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The Audacity to Innovate: Pioneering an Online J.D. Program

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

By Christopher P. Chapman, Inside Higher Ed

The good news for aspiring lawyers and our society is that many law schools have taken the initiative to evolve their curriculum to meet tomorrow’s needs, improve teaching and student services, and increase access. Syracuse University College of Law’s implementation of the nation’s first live, online J.D. program stands out for its audacity and its far-reaching potential to dramatically improve access and affordability. And recently, the University of Dayton School of Law announced that it too plans to offer a program that blends online and on-campus instruction beginning in August 2019. One of the immediate advantages of hybrid and online programs is the flexibility they allow, as flexibility begets access. Syracuse or Dayton may now become an option for a talented student for whom the opportunity and other costs of a residential program would have been too high even to consider

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/views/2018/06/13/importance-online-innovation-legal-education-opinion

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How Blockbuster MOOCs Could Shape the Future of Teaching

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:04 am

By Jeffrey R. Young, EdSurge

There isn’t a New York Times bestseller list for online courses, but perhaps there should be. After all, so-called MOOCs, or massive open online courses, were meant to open education to as many learners as possible, and in many ways they are more like books (digital ones, packed with videos and interactive quizzes) than courses.  The colleges and companies offering MOOCs can be pretty guarded these days about releasing specific numbers on how many people enroll or pay for a “verified certificate” or microcredential showing they took the course. But both Coursera and EdX, two of the largest providers, do release lists of their most popular courses. And those lists offer a telling snapshot of how MOOCs are evolving and what their impact is on the instructors and institutions offering them.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-06-19-how-blockbuster-moocs-could-shape-the-future-of-teaching

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June 29, 2018

What does the future of online learning look like? – report

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

By Study International Staff
Every year an increasing number of students take to their computers and access education through online or distance learning programmes. However, this could be set to change according to Learning House’s annual report with Aslanian Market Research (AMR). The report found that increasing annual numbers of online students are set to slow by 2019. In 2017 alone online programmes saw an increase of 3 percent, totalling 3.85 million full or majority distance learning candidates worldwide, but this is likely to reduce in coming years according to Eduventures. The market is expected to peak at 4 million students in 2019 and 2020 before leveling off as the global economy improves and the number of high school graduates falls.  Competition is also getting fiercer among institutions that provide online learning as they strive to outdo each other and prove they can help students reach their goals, or risk losing out to other, more competent providers. The report revealed four key findings; courses must be mobile-friendly, online students need access to career services, online learning is good value for money, and online programs are becoming increasingly diverse.

What does the future of online learning look like? – report

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From Founding CEO Of One Of The Largest FinTechs To CEO Of The Largest EdTech – Coursera

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

by Peter High , Forbes

Jeff Maggioncalda was recently named CEO of Coursera. I have interviewed both founders of the company, Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, so I was curious about Maggioncalda’s perspective on the company, education technology and the massive open online courses more generally, and his own background as an entrepreneur. Regarding the last point, Maggioncalda was previously the founding CEO of Financial Engines Inc, a company that was founded by Nobel Prize winner William Sharpe and recently sold for $3 billion. During his 18 years as CEO of Financial Engines Inc, Maggioncalda had to pivot three times from his original idea before becoming a success. Financial Engines would go on to become the largest independent online retirement advice platform with more than $100 billion under management.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterhigh/2018/06/18/from-founding-one-of-the-largest-fintechs-to-ceo-of-the-largest-edtech-coursera/

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Is AI disrupting higher education?

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

by Shalina Chatlani, Education Dive
The workplace of the future will be marked by unprecedentedly advanced technologies, as well as a focus on incorporating artificially intelligent algorithms of automation to drive higher levels of production with fewer resources. Employers and education stakeholders, noting the reality of this trend, question whether students will be workforce ready in the years to come. This has become a significant concern for higher education executives, finding that their business models could be disrupted as they fail to meet workforce demands. A 2018 Gallup and Northeastern University survey shows that of 3,297 U.S. citizens interviewed, only 22% of those with a bachelor’s degree said their education left them “well” or “very well prepared” to use AI in their jobs.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/is-ai-disrupting-higher-education/525130/

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June 28, 2018

How Blockchain Can Truly Revolutionize Higher Education

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

by Ryan Craig, Forbes

Credentials are a currency. And as far as it goes, higher education’s current degree-currency is an unwieldy one – not unlike the giant stone coins from the island of Yap. These coins – up to 13 feet in diameter – were laboriously mined and shipped from Palau, an island nearly 300 miles away. On Yap, they remained in one place, and unit ownership was transferred virtually; because the community was small and tight-knit, everyone knew the current ownership of every stone coin. Blockchain – or distributed ledger technology (DLT) – is a similar digital solution for a community that’s not so small or tight-knit. To achieve a Yap-topian virtual currency, DLT codes ownership of the currency unit into the currency itself in the form of a lengthy data file that is built, stored and verified in a distributed manner. So the analogy for credentials is clear. Credly, the leading provider of digital credentials, has demonstrated the power of unbundling credentials down to the level of the competency and thousands of employers, associations, training providers, colleges, and universities are already issuing digital credentials via Credly. (My firm, University Ventures, is an investor in Credly.)

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryancraig/2018/02/22/how-blockchain-can-truly-revolutionize-higher-education/#43d3e55326b7

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A computer program that learns to “imagine” the world shows how AI can think more like us

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

by Will Knight, MIT Technology Review

Machines will need to get a lot better at making sense of the world on their own if they are ever going to become truly intelligent. DeepMind, the AI-focused subsidiary of Alphabet, has taken a step in that direction by making a computer program that builds a mental picture of the world all by itself. You might say that it learns to imagine the world around it. The system, which uses what DeepMind’s researchers call a generative query network (GQN), looks at a scene from several angles and can then describe what it would look like from another angle.

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/611453/a-computer-program-that-learns-to-imagine-the-world-shows-how-ai-can-think-more-like-us/

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How we improved decision making at Indiana University

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

BY AARON NEAL, eCampus News
You don’t have to look far to understand that data is arguably an organization’s most valuable asset. The Economist declared that “The world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data,” while Facebook is being scrutinized over its handling of data and how it may have been used to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. However, many higher education institutions fail to recognize the value of the data they hold beyond their day-to-day operational needs. In 2015, Indiana University embarked on the Decision Support Initiative (DSI). Our goal was to improve decision making at all levels of the university by dramatically enhancing the availability of timely, relevant, and accurate information to support decision makers.

How we improved decision making at Indiana University

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June 27, 2018

5 ways for universities to build corporate partnerships

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

BY MARY DAVIS, eCampus News

When it comes to higher education and corporate partnerships, it’s not a “nice to have;” it is mission-critical for colleges and universities to survive. The job market is evolving so quickly that institutions need a steady stream of information from employers on what they want and need from their workforce so curriculum and learning can reflect those needs. The key here is “partnership.” Think quality over quantity. Both sides—institutions and employers—are looking for return on investment (ROI), and these five approaches will help universities build impactful relationships with mutual benefits.

5 ways for universities to build corporate partnerships

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3 higher ed experts share their blended learning advice

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

BY THOMAS GOLDRICK, eCampus News
With a growing non-traditional student population, many colleges and universities are looking to blended learning technology and strategy to meet their pedagogical needs. But finding a combination of online and in-person components that match the expectations of both students and faculty can be daunting. Thankfully, higher ed’s collaborative culture makes networking and sharing expertise with other IT professionals easier. On March 1st, the higher ed IT Professional’s Meetup gathered at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., to discuss how attendees could find the right blend for their university’s blended learning offerings. A panel of industry experts came together: Eric Palson, director of academic technologies at Babson College; Kristen Palson, director for Simmons Online at Simmons College in Boston; and Gaurav Shah, director of academic technologies at Bentley University in Waltham, Mass. Elmore Alexander, the dean of the Ricciardi College of Business at Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Mass., moderated the discussion.

3 higher ed experts share their blended learning advice

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People with More Education Have a More Positive View of the Internet

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

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology
The share of online adults who say the internet has been good for society is on the decline. While 76 percent in 2014 said the internet has been “mostly” good, by 2018, the proportion sharing that sentiment had dropped to 70 percent. Among older adults, those 65 and older, the shift was starkest, dropping from 78 percent in 2014 to 64 percent this year. Young people — ages 18 to 29 — were slightly more upbeat; 79 percent said the internet has been mostly good for society in 2014 compared to 74 percent in 2018. These results came from a phone survey of 2,002 adults, 18 years or older, run by the Pew Research Center during January 2018.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/06/12/people-with-more-education-have-a-more-positive-view-of-the-internet.aspx

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June 26, 2018

The Prime Real Estate of a Library Address

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

By Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed

We all know the 3 most important attributes when it comes to real estate: location, location, location. Higher education offices are just another form of real estate. And the most valuable real estate on campus is in the library. Today, academic libraries are both physical and digital spaces. As a digital learning person, I care greatly about the services and resources available via browsers and phones – and which can be accessed from anywhere in the world at any time. A robust digital library presence is the enabler of our online learning revolution.

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/prime-real-estate-library-address

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UJ introduces 100% online degrees

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:04 am

by Sibahle Malinga, IT Web

The University of Johannesburg (UJ) has introduced 100% online degree programmes as part of its strategy to create a learning ecosystem that aligns with international benchmark institutions. The newly introduced 100% online programmes, according to UJ, are part of the institution’s commitment to provide alternative means of acquiring internationally renowned qualifications available to students who are not able to attend face-to-face lectures.

https://www.itweb.co.za/content/O2rQGMApKRD7d1ea

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Face-to-face versus online training for the interpretation of findings in the fiberoptic endoscopic exam of the swallow procedure

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

by Susan L Brady, Dove Press open access to scientific and medical research

The aim of this study was to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of an online, interdisciplinary, interactive course designed to increase the ability to accurately interpret the fiberoptic endoscopic exam of the swallow (FEES) procedure to traditional, face-to-face (F2F) lectures for both graduate medical education (GME) and graduate speech language pathology (GSLP) programs….  Conclusion: Incorporating technology into GME and GSLP programs yielded comparable gains to traditional lectures. Findings support the use of online education as a viable alternative to the traditional F2F classroom format for the instruction of the cognitive component of the FEES procedure.

https://www.dovepress.com/face-to-face-versus-online-training-for-the-interpretation-of-findings-peer-reviewed-article-AMEP

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June 25, 2018

Survey: Most Students Say Online Learning Is as Good or Better Than Face-to-Face

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

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

In a survey of 1,500 students who are seriously considering, currently enrolled in or recently graduated from a fully online program, most (86 percent) considered the value of their degree equal to or greater than the cost they paid to take it. Among those who have attended face-to-face and online courses, the majority (85 percent) said that online learning is as good as or better than attending courses on campus. In fact, two-thirds of online college students (67 percent) reported that they’d achieved the original goal that motivated them to enroll in their program; graduate students were more likely than undergraduates to feel that way (76 percent vs. 62 percent). The survey was conducted by Learning House, a company that manages online programs for colleges and universities, and Aslanian Market Research, a research arm of EducationDynamics, which performs student prospecting and enrollment management.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/06/18/most-students-say-online-learning-is-as-good-or-better-than-face-to-face.aspx

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Online Course Creation for Dummies

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

By Mark Lieberman, Inside Higher Ed

Developers at Penn State believe their new tool will make creating online courses easier than ever, even for the non-tech savvy.  Creating an online course requires time, patience, ingenuity — and, often, technical expertise beyond the grasp of many instructors accustomed to teaching primarily face-to-face. Developers at Pennsylvania State University’s main campus have created a tool they think will address the latter hurdle. The Headless Authoring Experience (HAX) organizes in a single browser screen all the functions necessary to create an online course or an open educational resource. Its aim, according to Bryan Ollendyke, an instructional technology systems developer, is to make the creation of online courses possible even for instructors with limited technical capabilities. “HAX is basically a way to let people write really complex HTML without having any idea that that’s what they’re doing,” Ollendyke said.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2018/06/13/open-source-tool-aims-make-online-course-creation-accessible-all

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Scaling programs that support unique needs of online students

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

By James Paterson, Campus Technology
Colleges must support online offerings with many of the same initiatives they offer to on-campus students, though some programs may need to be tailored to the online learner’s unique needs, according to three officials at the Arizona State University who are helping to shepherd the online university, which is a priority with the university. Writing in The evolllution, the three suggest that Arizona State actively recruits online learners with approaches that best suit them, including communications through various media, unobtrusive automated contact technology that can be easily customized, and a website that fully informs the students and allows for a growing number of “stealth applicants” who interact with the admissions office very little or not at all. University officials also make close connections to the business community for these students. The authors suggest that colleges can support them with initiatives such as student services and online communities, noting that research shows the top reasons online learners drop out they feel the university doesn’t care about them.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/scaling-programs-that-support-unique-needs-of-online-students/525435/

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June 24, 2018

Udacity and Google Launch Free Online Career Courses

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

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology
Google and Udacity have teamed up to offer 12 free career courses for recent graduates, mid-career professionals and those re-entering the workforce. The duo tested out the concept in March, when Udacity launched a “Networking for Career Success” course for 60,000 “Grow with Google” learners in Europe and the United States. The Grow with Google program is an initiative to help students and teachers, business owners, job seekers, startup operators and developers get better at what they do. Now 12 courses have been produced, and the classes have been opened to everybody.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/06/12/udacity-and-google-launch-free-online-career-courses.aspx?admgarea=news

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The Number of Students Taking Online Courses Is Quickly Rising, But Perceptions Are Changing Slowly

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:04 am

By Jenny Abamu, EdSurge

Researchers that have looked into public perceptions of online learning note that over the last 15 years views inched in a more positive direction, evidenced by the increase of students enrolling in courses and surveys given to pupils and professors. A Gallup poll conducted back in 2015, found that 46 percent of Americans “strongly agree” or “agree” that online colleges and universities offer a high-quality education—up 30 percent from when the poll was conducted in 2011. However, researchers caveat these findings, noting that these perception changes happen within particular pockets and are sometimes the result of strategic practices, such as universities not listing the medium of learning on student transcripts.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-06-12-the-number-of-students-taking-in-online-courses-is-quickly-rising-but-perceptions-are-changing-slowly

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Price Matters but Doesn’t Rule

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

by Doug Lederman, Inside Higher Ed

Issues of price and perceived value are increasingly central in many discussions of higher education, as tuitions climb and public questioning of higher education intensifies. The survey comes at matters of price from several angles, to try to “add nuance” to the topic, as the Learning House’s Andrew J. Magda put it. Tuition and fees easily outdistanced other reasons when respondents listed their three “most important factors” in choosing a specific online program, with 34 percent saying that, followed by program reputation (13 percent), reputation of the college (11 percent) and location of the institution (11 percent).

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2018/06/13/online-students-price-matters-doesnt-dictate-choice

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