Online Learning Update

April 3, 2017

Online Degree Programs May Change the Future of Higher Education

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

by Pete Musto, Voice of America

The communications company AT&T gave the Georgia Institute of Technology $4 million to create an online degree program in 2014. In the past few years, the program has become a true success story, says Joshua Goodman, an associate professor of public policy at Harvard University. Goodman says online degree programs have faced two major barriers. First, it has often been lesser-known, lower-quality, or for-profit universities that have offered online programs. Second, well-known, high-quality schools charged the same price for online and in-person programs. But the Georgia Tech program may have solved these problems, Goodman says. Many experts consider the university to have one of the best computer science master’s degree programs in the country. Also, Georgia Tech began offering the online program at less than one sixth of the cost of the traditional program.

http://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/online-degree-programs-change-higher-education/3780203.html

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8 Online Courses Teaching Skills To Boost Your Resume

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

by Laurence Bradford, Forbes

Online courses can help you level up your career and stay competitive–whether you have a job or are looking for one. Unsure which to take or don’t think you have the time? Here are eight resume-worthy skills you can learn from the comfort of your couch with short online courses.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurencebradford/2017/03/25/8-online-courses-teaching-skills-to-boost-your-resume/#120ef9eb2c8a

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Technology and graduation rate: a direct correlation

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

BY Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

There is a lot of talk out there about ways to raise the graduation rate. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan proudly wore #80 in the NBA All-Star celebrity game to tout the highest graduation rate the country has seen since 1974. Educators are collectively working harder to help students make it to the high school finish line and get prepared for college and the workforce. There is a lot of credit to be handed out for the successful graduation rates around the country (of course, there are still plenty of areas for improvement) but I think one shining area deserves a lot of the praise: technology.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/technology-and-graduation-rate-a-direct-correlation/

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April 2, 2017

Develop a Cocurricular Transcript as an Online Student

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

By Bradley Fuster, US News

Online students should consider participating in virtual clubs to build their transcripts. In the early 1990s, residential colleges began encouraging students to develop cocurricular transcripts as a way to organize and document their learning experiences outside the classroom. Increasingly since then, many residential colleges and a few progressive online programs have adopted cocurricular transcripts or similar e-portfolios to help students showcase their out-of-class experiences. While these transcripts lend themselves more organically to on-campus students, I encourage online students to embrace this practice. Doing so can help level the playing field with on-campus students when applying to graduate school, internships, jobs, awards or scholarships.

https://www.usnews.com/education/online-learning-lessons/articles/2017-03-24/develop-a-cocurricular-transcript-as-an-online-student

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Should we re-think the traditional credit hour structure?

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

by Jarrett Carter, Education Dive

For-profit higher education conglomerate American Public University System has announced that four of its online undergraduate degree programs will require learners to master at least 60 competency-based modules for completion, eliminating the traditional credit hour model, Inside Higher Ed reports. APUS is the third institution in the last three years to replace the credit hour system of learning, following fellow for-profit Capella University and non-profit Southern New Hampshire University’s College for America. The APUS “Momentum” program has not yet received approval from the federal government for students to receive student financial aid.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/should-we-re-think-the-traditional-credit-hour-structure/438458/

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Envisioning the Future: An Interview with John O’Brien

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

by John O’Brien and Ray Schroeder, Unbound

Ray Schroeder, Director of the Center for Online Leadership at UPCEA, interviews John O’Brien, CEO of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education through the use of information technology. The two discuss questions raised by Schroeder regarding the potential threats and opportunities in higher education, with an emphasis on academics and technologists working together to build the future.

https://unbound.upcea.edu/online-2/technology-and-tools/envisioning-the-future-an-interview-with-john-obrien/

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April 1, 2017

4 Facts About Internships for Online Bachelor’s Students

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

By Jordan Friedman, US News

Prospective online undergrads should consider whether a program allows students to intern near home, experts say. Though some online students live far away from their institution’s campus, they might be allowed to find opportunities in their own communities. “That becomes a real benefit to the experience because these students are building those networks in the community that they’re ultimately going to work in,” says Shannon Corkery, director of human development and family studies online programs at Pennsylvania State University—World Campus, which has a required internship component for bachelor’s students. It’s also not uncommon for online students to find internships with their current employer in a different department.

https://www.usnews.com/higher-education/online-education/articles/2017-03-23/4-facts-about-completing-internships-as-an-online-bachelors-student

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Florida state universities seeing more online learning

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

By Lloyd Dunkelberger, News Service of Florida

One of the benefits of an expansion of online classes in Florida universities is that it gives students more flexibility in balancing their academic loads with extracurricular activities like jobs, student government or clubs. It has helped a University of Central Florida senior devote the majority of her time this spring to her extracurricular activity: serving as a member of the Florida House of Representatives. As a new House member serving on six committees, Rep. Amber Mariano, R-Hudson, is enrolled in two online classes from UCF. The political science major is taking an online research class where she is developing her senior thesis and another online class called: “Democracy, Capitalism and the Individual.”

http://www.news4jax.com/education/state-universities-seeing-more-online-learning

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Lifelong courses help with second careers

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:01 am

by Korea Herald

Shim Jae-chul, 57, had a new way to make a living when he lost his job three years ago. To restart his career, Shim chose to take online courses to obtain an electrician’s certificate. “I had to find a new job to support my family. However, people who are old like me have problems learning as quickly as young people,” Shim said. “Online courses let me review materials repeatedly. I can even slow down the speed (of the lectures), which is great!”

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170324000820

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March 31, 2017

Executive’s guide to implementing blockchain technology

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

By Laura Shin, ZDNet

The technology behind bitcoin is one of the internet’s most promising new developments. The applications for blockchain technology seem endless. While the first obvious ones are financial — international payments, remittances, complex financial products — it can also solve problems and create new opportunities in healthcare, defense, supply chain management, luxury goods, government, and other industries. In more advanced stages, the technology could give rise to what Gartner calls “the programmable economy,” powered by entirely new business models that eliminate all kinds of middlemen, machine networks in which devices engage in economic activity, and “smart assets.”

http://www.zdnet.com/article/executives-guide-to-blockchain/

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Could blockchain tech make the registrar’s office obsolete?

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

by Stephen Noonoo, Education Dive

Blockchain technology — a means of providing independent verification between two parties — is being looked at by schools and registrar’s offices as a way to provide student transcripts instantly and for free. MIT’s Media Lab is already using the method to make some certificates available to alumni, and it has created an open standards toolkit to help others get started. The goal is to put students in control of their own records, allowing them greater say in when and how their records can be shared (publicly, with potential employers, etc). Proponents hope that more ed tech companies will build blockchain technology into their products in the near future.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/could-blockchain-tech-make-the-registrars-office-obsolete/438833/

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It’s Time to Build a GPS for Credentialing

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:02 am
by Holly Zanville, Lumina Foundation
What if we had a “GPS” for credentialing—an easy-to-use system that would help us navigate the maze of degrees, certificates, certifications, and other credentials in today’s workplace? Such a system would benefit everyone—including learners, employers, policymakers, career counselors, licensing and certification organizations and accrediting agencies—by providing accurate, current, and transparent information about the array of credentials awarded by multiple providers.
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March 30, 2017

Coursera Plans Expansion of Full Degree Programs

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:11 am

By Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed

Online education platform Coursera has set a goal of offering 15 to 20 degree programs by the end of 2019. The company took another step toward that goal Wednesday, announcing new degree offerings from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and France’s HEC Paris. “This is our coming-out party for online degrees on Coursera,” Nikhil Sinha, Coursera’s chief business officer, said in an interview. HEC Paris plans to launch a master’s degree in innovation and entrepreneurship. UIUC, which already offers two degrees on Coursera, will launch a third: a master’s degree in accounting. The university also offers an M.B.A., known as the iMBA program, and a master of computer science in data science. The programs will launch this fall.

https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/03/29/coursera-plans-expansion-online-degrees

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Assessing Online Readiness of Students

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

by Raymond Doe, OJCLA

Important variables that have been considered in assessing the online readiness of students for distance education include attrition and information and communications technology (ICT) engagement. Previous studies have indicated that high attrition rates for online programs can be prevented by assessing student online readiness. The present study examined undergraduate students’ online readiness using an instrument that was developed by the researchers that included constructs such as information communications technology engagement, motivation, self-efficacy, and learner characteristics. The addition of these subscales further strengthen the reliability and validity of online learning readiness surveys in capturing all the domains of student online readiness.

http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring201/doe_castillo_musyoka201.html

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Kids learn better when playing with robots

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

by Matthew Lynch, tech Edvocate

It turns out, one of the best ways to get kids pumped about STEM is through the use of robots. Robots are naturally fun and exciting for kids. When they think of robotics, they might think of their favorite cartoons or superheroes. Learning how they can actually build and use robots is a great way to incorporate STEM into the curriculum without losing students’ interest. The use of robotics is on the rise in today’s world, and allowing students to play with robots and learn how they work can have huge benefits for them. Not only does it give them a head start in subjects like computer programming, math, and science, it can also spark an interest in careers students may have never considered before.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/kids-learn-better-when-playing-with-robots/

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March 29, 2017

Examining Perceptions of Online Faculty Regarding the Value of Emotional Intelligence in Online Classrooms

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

by Diane Hamilton, OJDLA

For this study, the definition of EI was based on the components as defined by Reuven Bar-On’s model. Thirty-eight faculty members were recruited through Linkedin to provide their value of the EI in online classes. A survey instrument was developed for this purpose. The results indicated that the majority believed flexibility was most important for stress management, problem-solving most important for decision-making, relationship building for interpersonal skills, emotional expression, assertiveness and independence were equally ranked for self-expression, emotional self-awareness was most important for self-perception. If online instructors are the ones who develop and deliver curriculum, it is important for them to understand the components of EI to ensure that students receive an education that includes skills that could improve their chances of success in the workplace.

https://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring201/hamilton201.html

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A Comparison of Student Teacher Outcomes from Candidates in Face-to-Face and Online Program Pathways

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

by Dawn Mollenkopf, et al; OJDLA

The study examined the extent to which: (a) content knowledge from an earlier required applied instructional technology course would be retained at the student teaching level, and (b) a significant difference would be found in the learning performance outcomes of student teachers based on program pathway. Student teaching data analyzed over a three-year period indicate that student teachers met expectations in their technology use and in their overall lesson planning and teaching, and that there was no significant difference in student performance in the online program pathway when compared to student performance in the face-to-face program pathway.

https://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring201/mollenkopf_vu_crow_black201.html

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Community colleges begin linking digital badges, ePortfolios and recruiting matches

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

by eCampus

Digital credential provider Credly and Portfolium, an ePortfolio platform that makes a student’s academic and co-curricular experience searchable by employers, announced a new partnership that enables learners to demonstrate evidence of their learning and competencies to potential employers. The new integration allows Portfolium users to access and display digital badges earned through Credly in their ePortfolio, and enables employers to search and find candidates based on badges that match specific job opportunities and targeted skillsets.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/partnership-badges-eportfolios/

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March 28, 2017

10 digital ways to reach Millennial students

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:11 am

BY MELISSA LOPEZ, ecampus news

As the saying goes, you learn more from your mistakes than your successes. However, if you’re a digital marketer, your mistakes might be seen by hundreds of thousands (even millions!) of individuals, and can ultimately be detrimental to a campaign’s performance and overall budget. Hopefully my industry insight will provide college and university marketers with the actionable items necessary to proactively avoid some of the biggest and most common mistakes in digital marketing within the higher education vertical. Linked below are the biggest mistakes I’ve seen higher education digital marketers make:

http://www.ecampusnews.com/featured/featured-on-ecampus-news/digital-marketing-millennials/

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Credentialing remains a slow-growing process for higher ed

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

by Jarrett Carter, Education Dive

Credentialing and competency-based education models remain a relatively-small part of the matriculation process at most colleges and universities, but a new study suggests new ways institutions can more efficiently gauge prior learning and capacity in high-level subject matters. MOOCs and coding bootcamps can offer specific levels of learning and training, and when reviewed against common institutional standards or outsourced to third-party assessment companies, they can be a vital part of an academic transcript for an employer or graduate school. Pitfalls for assessment can include uneven record-keeping by various departments, or inconsistent values placed on differing alternative credit-bearing modules.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/credentialing-remains-a-slow-growing-process-for-higher-ed/438115/

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Innovations in online education

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

By Matt Windsor, UAB

It’s kind of like a call-in show — for equations. Digital marker in hand,instructor Mitzy Erdmann sketches out the answers to practice problems on the Lightboard in the Digital Media Studio in UAB’s Hulsey Center. Her students, watching the broadcast live with GoToMeeting software, “can stop me and ask questions about the problem — or anything — through an earpiece I wear,” she says. Erdmann, facing the camera, writes out chemical equations and scientific names on the Lightboard, which reverses the images so they appear legible to her online audience. “It’s a way for the students to directly interact with me in real time, even though we’re never in the same room,” she says. “It creates more of a sense of belonging to a group, and it’s fairly well documented that students perform better when online courses can create this sense of belonging.”

http://www.uab.edu/mix/stories/innovations-in-online-education

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