Online Learning Update

November 16, 2019

UMN College of Biological Sciences looking to add in-demand online biology classes

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

By NATALIE CIERZAN, Minnesota Daily

The Center for Online Biology Education would include a website featuring CBS online classes, resources for faculty and a new research program about biology online teaching.  Faculty from the University of Minnesota’s College of Biological Sciences are working to fill the demand for online biology classes. They are creating the Center for Online Biology Education, which would include a website that features all available CBS online classes. Faculty said they hope to launch the website by the end of fall semester. The center also includes faculty resources and a mentorship program for instructors looking to teach an online class.

https://www.mndaily.com/article/2019/10/n-umn-college-of-biological-sciences-looking-to-add-in-demand-online-biology-classes

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A Certificate, Then a Degree: Certificate-first programs can help tackle America’s college-completion crisis

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

Clark G. Gilbert and Michael B. Horn, Education Next

Helping students earn certificates upfront offers a promising path to address the dropout rate. Postsecondary institutions offer these credentials of student educational attainment in a growing variety of subjects, which run the gamut from auto mechanics to unmanned aircraft systems to finance. Although community colleges have long offered such programs, name-brand institutions also have gotten involved: the extension program at the University of California, Los Angeles, for example, provides certificates in subjects like cybersecurity and interior design, and delivers some of its programs through an app.

https://www.educationnext.org/certificate-then-degree-programs-help-tackle-college-completion-crisis/

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IBM Looks Beyond the College Degree

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

Paul Fain, Inside Higher Ed

Citing a serious skills gap, the multinational International Business Machines Corporation is looking for different recruiting channels for its workforce of 360,000 employees. IBM’s view is that “new-collar” jobs in cybersecurity, cloud computing and other high-demand fields don’t necessarily require a traditional college degree. The company also has created one of the most developed digital badge portfolios for an employer, which both its workers and those outside IBM can earn, and it is adding more and different apprenticeship opportunities as well launching its own boot camp-style offerings. At the same time, IBM continues to partner with traditional colleges, particularly through its expanded work with community colleges.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2019/10/29/interview-ibm-official-about-companys-new-collar-push-look

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November 15, 2019

Online learning sees advances for students’ needs

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

By Jan Burns, Houston Chronicle
Online learning has become a powerhouse for today’s students. Each year improvements in technology and methods enhance the virtual classroom.
The use of interactive media, such as audio, video, and gamification, the use of gaming and gaming technology, are now widely used. Also popular are augmented and virtual reality (VR), where learners in a realistic environment can demonstrate they have mastered the required skills.
“Online learning continues to grow and outpace overall higher education enrollment,” said Dr. Dwight Smith, Lone Star College, vice chancellor of academic success. “Lone Star College has seen a 52 percent increase in distance-learning course enrollments from fall 2015 to fall 2019. Distance learning includes fully online courses and hybrid classes, which are a combination of face-to-face and online learning.”

https://www.chron.com/education/article/Online-learning-sees-advances-for-students-14562566.php

 

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Should Computer Science Be Required?

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

By Robert Sedgewick, Inside Higher Ed
Every college student needs a computer science course, and most need two or more. More and more educators are beginning to recognize this truth, but we are a long way from meeting the need. Should we require all college students to take a computer science course? That is perhaps debatable. But, without question, we need to make such courses available to all students.

https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2019/10/28/why-every-student-should-study-computer-science-opinion

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6 Ways to Adapt Your Mobile Learning Strategy to the Needs of Modern Learners

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

Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Smartphones have been part of our lives for over a decade now. These little computers in our hands have put the world at our fingertips; from the ability to access Google Maps to tracing a health tech company that specializes in finding cures for rare diseases. Your mobile device is also an access point for mobile learning. Mobile learning, defined as education or training conducted using portable computing devices such as smartphones or tablet computers, is only viable if you give the following points serious consideration.

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/6-ways-to-adapt-your-mobile-learning-strategy-to-the-needs-of-modern-learners/

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November 14, 2019

The role of universities in a highly technological age

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:09 am

Gerard A Postiglione, University World News

Universities are, however, facing the challenge of how to align their core missions with the rapid emergence of technological innovations such as artificial intelligence, big data and algorithms, facial recognition, biosensors, augmented reality, gamification, blockchain, cloud computing and other yet-to-be-created technological innovations. These can become disruptive, but they can also be tapped for their potential to improve how students are selected, how courses are offered, how student learning is programmed and evaluated, how higher finance is managed, how knowledge networks are organised, accessed and expanded, and how more graduates can be prepared for entrepreneurial jobs, smart cities and sustainable development.

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20191023081415452

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‘Backchannel’ Tools Let Students Ask Questions Anonymously. And That Brings More Voices.

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

By Rebecca Koenig, EdSurge

So the professor developed a backchannel tool that allows students to submit questions online during class and receive real-time answers from a teaching assistant. Question-askers remain anonymous to fellow students, but Samson and his TA can see their names. As Samson suspected, students had plenty of inquiries when offered an alternative method to raise them. But to be sure the backchannel made a real difference, Samson teamed up with colleagues from the university’s school of education to study his tool. They found that the use of the backchannel dramatically increased student inquiry in class.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-10-24-backchannel-tools-let-students-ask-questions-anonymously-and-that-brings-more-voices

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Study: Less state funding has hiked college tuition by nearly 40% since 2008 crisis

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

ByDaniel Uria, UPI

Decreases in state funding have pushed the cost of higher education to historic levels over the past decade, according to a new report by a budgetary think tank. The 22-page analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said Thursday the average cost for tuition at four-year public institutions in all 50 states increased by nearly 40 percent between 2008 and 2018, or a little over $2,700. Overall funding for two- and four-year state colleges and universities, meanwhile, decreased by $6.6 billion.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2019/10/25/Study-Less-state-funding-has-hiked-college-tuition-by-nearly-40-since-2008-crisis/6241571963849/?sl=2

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November 13, 2019

5 Microlearning Myths You Need to Stop Believing

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

Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Microlearning is a modern educational tool that provides learners with bite-sized pieces of content on their mobile devices, be it smartphones, tablets, or laptops. In today’s complex business environment and with technologies evolving all the time, employees must continue to learn and upskill. According to the Deloitte report The Future of Work, 47% of today’s jobs will be gone in ten years, and 67% of employees believe they must continuously reskill themselves to stay relevant in their careers. The fact that microlearning focuses on short learning content to cater to an audience whose attention span has shrunk doesn’t mean that that is all microlearning is about. Let’s clear up some misunderstandings about microlearning.

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/5-microlearning-myths-you-need-to-stop-believing/

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10 Incredibly Useful YouTube Channels For Professors

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

Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

With thousands upon thousands of videos added to the service every hour, YouTube can be an unwieldy service to parse through for college professors looking for useful and applicable content. With that in mind, we decided to highlight the 10 best YouTube channels for college professors looking for an extra dose of material or inspiration.

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/10-incredibly-useful-youtube-channels-for-professors/

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Decreased higher ed market share signals shift in online program management

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

Tim Goral, University Business

As more colleges and universities add online courses to their catalogs, the market share for online program managers (OPM) has begun feeling the effect. At the end of July, 2U, an OPM, issued its latest report on earnings, which were well below expectations. The announcement led to an almost immediate 25% drop in the company’s stock price, although it soon rebounded. It was enough for CEO and co-founder Christopher “Chip” Paucek to announce a change of course, recognizing that the online education market is in transition. As part of 2U’s strategy, he noted plans to reduce new graduate program starts by at least half over the next few years and lower enrollment expectations. He said the change was the result of seeing what was ahead and that other OPM vendors would face similar challenges.

https://universitybusiness.com/changes-ahead-for-the-online-higher-ed-learning-market/

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A Taxonomy of Inclusive Design: On Disclosure, Accessibility, and Inclusion

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

Lorna Gonzalez and Kristi O’Neil, EDUCAUSE Review

Whether or not students need to self-identify or disclose their circumstances is not the point. The point is that invisible circumstances exist regardless of disclosure, and, collectively, we can all do a better job of awareness: identifying and removing barriers from courses can benefit everyone, but doing so can also be critical to those who need it.

https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2019/11/a-taxonomy-of-inclusive-design-on-disclosure-accessibility-and-inclusion

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November 12, 2019

Building Community in an Online Class

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

University of Nebraska – Tomorrow’s Professor

So, how is a community of learners formed in an online course? What are the typical characteristics and practices? Taking an online course is more than sitting in front of a computer. Connecting with fellow students and the faculty member is crucial to get the most out of the experience (Rovai et al, 2004). Instructors might encourage students to reach out to classmates with similar life circumstances as the first step to building relationships in the online environment. Fellow students could be cohorts in the same graduate degree program or students from a variety of other disciplines taking a required general course, e.g. statistics or research methods. Students may also form their own communities from the online courses. If your instructor has asked you to introduce yourself to your classmates, your classmates may have provided information about shared interests or work experiences.

https://tomprof.stanford.edu/posting/1741

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5G brings new capabilities to the University of Miami

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:07 am

eCampus News

“In collaboration with AT&T, the University of Miami will be able to support 5G using millimeter wave spectrum (“5G+”) and Edge technology on its Coral Gables campus, placing the university at the forefront of digital transformation impacting every field,” says Ernie Fernandez, vice president of Information Technology and chief information officer for the University. “It will allow students, faculty, and staff to develop, test, and use the next generation of digital apps, including Magic Leap’s spatial computing platform, in new and exciting ways.”

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2019/11/20/5g-brings-new-capabilities-to-the-university-of-miami/

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Not Future-Ready

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

Doug Lederman, Inside Higher Ed
Survey of four-year-college leaders finds they lack confidence in their institutions’ ability to adapt — and aren’t planning ahead in ways that would ensure success. The report, “The Transformation-Ready Higher Education Institution,” included a survey of nearly 500 senior administrators at four-year colleges and universities, roughly half of whom were presidents and chancellors. The survey sought to gauge the campus leaders’ assessments of the most significant challenges awaiting their institutions in the next three to five years, how prepared they felt to respond to those pressures, and whether their institutions were structured and managed with agility and responsiveness in mind.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2019/10/22/four-year-college-leaders-not-feeling-ready-future

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Report: College leaders not confident they can beat new competition

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

By Hallie Busta, Education Dive

When it comes to strategic planning, just one in six colleges is looking a decade or more ahead, according to a new report from the American Council on Education (ACE), Huron and the Georgia Institute of Technology based on a survey of 495 leaders at four-year institutions. They cite several challenges ahead: more competition for new students, particularly from national universities investing heavily in online education; an increase in nontraditional students; less state and federal support; and declining public confidence in higher ed’s value. While they say their institutions are prepared to meet students’ changing needs, they are less confident in their ability to address new forms of competition or change how the public views higher ed.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/report-college-leaders-not-confident-they-can-beat-new-competition/565483/

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November 11, 2019

Students serving our country

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 10:59 am

Data Points, AACC

About 6 percent of all undergraduate students indicate that they are currently serving in the military, in the reserves or National Guard, or are a veteran of military service, according to data in the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study of 2015-16. For-profit college students have the highest rate of participation with nearly 14.1 percent being veterans, 3 percent on active duty and 0.2 percent in reserves/National Guard.

https://www.aacc.nche.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/DataPoints_Military-Students.pdf

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Algorithms are grading student essays across the country. Can this really teach kids how to write better?

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:09 am

Loren Katz, Vox

The reason it’s so hard to figure out who’s affected by AI grading is because there’s not just one program that’s being used. But they’re all made in basically the same way: First, an automated scoring company looks at how human graders behave. Then, the company trains an algorithm to make predictions as to how a human grader might score an essay based on that data. Depending on the program, those predictions can be consistently wrong in the same way. In other words, they can be biased. And once those algorithms are built, explains Reset host Arielle Duhaime-Ross, they can reproduce those biases at a huge scale.

https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/10/20/20921354/ai-algorithms-essay-writing

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AI Can Help You—And Your Boss—Maximize Your Potential. Will You Trust It?

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

Marco Annunziata, Forbes

Would you trust an Artificial Intelligence (AI) to tell you how to become more effective and successful at your job? How would you feel if you knew your HR department uses AI to determine whether you are leadership material? Or that an AI just suggested to your boss that she should treat you better or else you might soon quit and join a competitor—well before the thought of jumping ship entered your mind? Meet Yva, introduced by her creator David Yang in this fascinating podcast discussion.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcoannunziata/2019/10/20/ai-can-help-youand-your-bossmaximize-your-potential-will-you-trust-it/

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The world’s top economists just made the case for why we still need English majors

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

Heather Long, Washington Post

As humanities majors slump to the lowest level in decades, calls are coming from surprising places for a revival. Some prominent economists are making the case for why it still makes a lot of sense to major (or at least take classes) in humanities alongside more technical fields. Nobel Prize winner Robert Shiller’s new book “Narrative Economics” opens with him reminiscing about an enlightening history class he took as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan. He wrote that what he learned about the Great Depression was far more useful in understanding the period of economic and financial turmoil than anything he learned in his economic courses.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/10/19/worlds-top-economists-just-made-case-why-we-still-need-english-majors/

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