Online Learning Update

By Rebecca Koenig, EdSurge

Open educational resources have gone global and may help make learning more accessible, equitable and inclusive around the world. So says the new Educause Horizon report, which identifies technologies and trends that are changing higher education. This year’s forecast was created by nearly five dozen higher education experts, a third of them from institutions outside of the U.S. OER was one of six “emerging technologies and practices” the panelists highlighted as most likely to significantly influence postsecondary teaching and learning in the future.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-03-03-open-educational-resources-are-moving-up-the-adoption-ladder-around-the-world

Natalie Schwartz, Education Dive

Colleges may need to lean more on artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics to curb the effects of a declining number of traditional-age students, as well as lower levels of state support, according to a new report from Educause. The 2020 Horizon Report pinpoints some of the challenges higher education leaders are facing and how emerging technology may be able to help. AI and data analytics could aid institutions in finding new pockets of prospective students and help them be more successful while in college, the report’s authors write.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/report-enrollment-woes-could-push-colleges-to-use-ai-and-data-analytics/573512/

Ray Schroeder, Associate Vice Chancellor of Online at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) and UPCEA Senior Fellow shares observations of best practices in the emergency response.  Based on 25 years in the field and having played an instrumental role in the 2005 Sloan Semester emergency response to the Katrina hurricane, Ray shares practical advice to colleges and universities.

https://youtu.be/DeRY0mEqIVI

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal
A UK company that specializes in advertising jobs in esports globally said that the number of opportunities in esports has nearly doubled year over year. According to an analysis of its own data, Hitmarker reported that 11,027 jobs were listed in 2019 compared to 5,896 in 2018. However, nearly 12 percent of those were unpaid. The data for the analysis was taken from 16,923 jobs posted on Hitmarker between Jan. 1, 2918 and Dec. 31, 2019. Among all countries, the United States led the way, hosting 56 percent of job openings in 2019. The bulk of those — two-thirds or 63 percent — of U.S. jobs were located in California, totaling 3,943 for the year.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2020/02/13/esports-job-openings-double-year-over-year.aspx

Bay View Analytics

A majority of U.S. higher education teaching faculty now report that they are aware of open educational resources (OER) — an increase of 19 percentage points over the past four years. Increasing numbers of faculty are adopting OER and they rate the quality as equal to commercial alternatives.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/survey-finds-faculty-rate-the-quality-of-open-educational-resources-oer-as-equal-to-commercial-textbooks-301021333.html

By Mikhail Zinshteyn, Education Dive

To address demand for job-specific training, these colleges are giving students more ways to gain work experience and short-term credentials while in school.  Pressed to respond to students’ concerns about the rising cost of higher education and their sometimes-foggy understanding of how their learning translates into jobs, some colleges are reshaping the degree pathway. Their motivation for doing so is not only internal. Nontraditional education providers are proving to be stiff competition. Bootcamps prepare information technology and web-development workers in months, not years. And multinational firms now produce their own certificates that promise to be gateways to meaningful entry-level work.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/how-the-skills-gap-is-changing-the-degree-path/572382/

Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed

The good news is that most campuses are now well set up to move meetings from face-to-face to online. It is only over the last couple of years that web-meeting platforms have become a ubiquitous campus tool. (Can anyone argue against this assertion, or provide any data to back it up?) The quality of web meetings has also greatly improved in recent years. Again, I give Zoom lots of credit for this advance. Zoom’s focus on simplicity (fewer features) and quality (video and audio streams) has made web meetings a more reliable experience.

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/learning-innovation/7-best-practices-covid-19-necessitated-online-meetings

New Vision

Many opt for online learning because they have demands, such as jobs and family commitments that they cannot walk away from for prolonged periods. At the same time, in Africa, specifically Uganda, many institutions are unable to accommodate all those who want to take classes on campus while also being flexible with their own responsibilities, escalating the demand for online learning. Marcus Mutyaba earned his master of international business by studying online and highly recommends it. “It required a lot of study time, but I was glad to keep my job and stay close to my family as I studied at a reputable university overseas,” he says. He adds that he earned a promotion after getting a masters degree.

https://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1516128/online-learning-help-propel-levels

Kerrie Kennedy, PIE News

In a major effort to keep students on track with their studies, last month NYU Shanghai launched a digital teaching and learning program to deliver 293 courses using state-of-the-art digital tools to engage students and encourage live feedback and interaction.  In order to make it work, “an extraordinarily high level of collaboration and coordination” had to take place internally, explained NYU Shanghai provost, Joanna Waley-Cohen. As more institutions embrace digital technology as a means of mitigating some of the impact of coronavirus-related school closures, questions are arising as to how seamless the switch from offline to online delivery can be, and how both modes of delivery compare in terms of learning impact.

https://thepienews.com/news/sector-shares-mixed-views-on-the-surge-in-online-learning-due-to-travel-bans/

We are at an inflection point in the US today – if we don’t act seriously now, we will be like Italy and Iran within one week!

Nanette Asimov, San Francisco Chronicle

The California state auditor will take a deep look at the state’s unaccredited new online community college, Calbright, to learn whether it’s offering students what it promised — and whether its $120 million cost to taxpayers so far is money well spent, lawmakers said this week.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/With-120-million-and-few-students-15090852.php

Lindsay McKenzie, Inside Higher Ed

New online learning stats show growing demand for online programs across state lines and shed new light on in-state online enrollments. The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) has been collecting data on the number of out-of-state students studying online for the past four years. This year for the first time the report includes in-state students studying online in addition to out-of-state students studying online — painting a much fuller picture of the online learning landscape.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/27/nc-sara-report-paints-detailed-picture-distance-education-landscape

Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed

The 2020 Horizon Report: Teaching and Learning Edition is noteworthy given how much the publication has improved in comparison to previous efforts. The team that Educause gathered to create the Horizon Report has pulled off a difficult trick. They built on the traditions of the report (which dates back to 2002 with the now-defunct New Media Consortium), while thoroughly updating the methodology and presentation of the project. The Horizon Report begins by discussing five macro trends that provide the context in which postsecondary teaching and learning are evolving.

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/learning-innovation/2020-educause-horizon-report-teaching-and-learning-edition

Washington State University
Although academic operations currently are continuing uninterrupted, the Provost’s Office is urging faculty and instructors to begin reviewing options and alternatives in the event of future disruptions related to the spread of COVID-19. In a message sent Tuesday by interim Provost Bryan Slinker and Dave Cillay, vice president of Academic Outreach and Innovation, faculty and instructors were asked to review the Tool Kit for Extended Campus Closure. The site has guidance on recording lectures as well as strategies for continuing instruction if not all students and instructors can meet face-to-face as usual.

https://news.wsu.edu/2020/03/04/faculty-asked-review-online-learning-tools-resources/

Jill Duffy, PC Magazine

The outbreak of the coronavirus has more people working from home. If you’re new to working remotely, these tips from a home-office pro can help you stay productive and maintain balance. Some employers are encouraging or requiring people to work from home for an indeterminate amount of time. If you’re new to the work-from-home lifestyle, whether due to coronavirus or because you’ve managed to find a remote-based job, you’ll need to change some of your habits and routines to make working from home a success.I’ve worked 100 percent remotely for more than five years, and I have some friends and colleagues who’ve done it, too. Many of the core issues we face as remote employees are the same.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/get-organized-20-tips-for-working-from-home

Chronicle of Higher Ed

The novel coronavirus and Covid-19, the disease it causes, are becoming a public-health threat across the world, fueling fears of a possible pandemic. As more cases are reported, colleges are re-evaluating their study-abroad programs, moving courses online, and taking other preventive measures. Meanwhile, some academic associations are canceling their conferences. We’ve compiled what you need to know — to be updated regularly — on the virus’s spread and its implications for higher ed.

https://www.chronicle.com/article/The-Coronavirus-Threatens-to/248175

Anemona Hartocollis
One after the other, like dominoes, colleges announced that because of coronavirus fears, they were suspending classes and asking students to pack up and go. The abrupt disruption of the semester caused widespread concern and a feeling of chaos on campuses across the country. Administrators saw spring break as a chance to reset the clock in the battle against the coronavirus. One after the other, like dominoes, they announced they were suspending classes and asking students to pack up and go.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/us/colleges-cancel-classes-coronavirus.html

Tomorrow’s Professor

Apropos to the current situaion, the posting below gives some helpful guidelines for improving your online teaching.  It is from Appendix 1 — Tool Kit for Online Instructors, in the book, Jump-Start Your Online Classroom – Mastering Five Challenges in Five Days, by David S. Stein and Constance E. Wanstreet. Published by Stylus Publishing, LLC 22883 Quicksilver Drive Sterling, Virginia 20166-2102. https://sty.presswarehouse.com/books/features.aspx

https://tomprof.stanford.edu/posting/1778-1

OLC, QM, UPCEA, WCET

Over the next several weeks, we anticipate there will be increased conversations about the effectiveness of online education, the role online education can and should play in continuity planning, how to effectively transition face-to-face courses online during a crisis, and how to best support both faculty and learners who might unexpectedly need to navigate online learning spaces. These are all critical conversations that the four organizations are working to address, both independently with their members as well as collaboratively for higher education. We will shortly be releasing plans for joint research, writing, and sharing of information about online education during the upcoming year.

https://upcea.edu/joint-response-regarding-covid-19-and-advice-on-transitioning-face-to-face-courses-online/

BY DAN ROBITZSKI, Futurism
It’s official: The World Health Organization (WHO) just declared that the ongoing coronavirus outbreak is a pandemic. “We’re deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference, according to CNBC. “We have rung the alarm bell loud and clear.” As of Wednesday, COVID-19 has caused 4,585 deaths and infected 124,775 people around the world. Initially, most of those cases and fatalities occurred within China, and China has still had more reported cases and deaths than every other country combined.

https://futurism.com/neoscope/coronavirus-outbreak-officially-pandemic