Online Learning Update

July 12, 2017

UM System announces plan to adopt open educational resources

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

by GABRIELA VELASQUEZ, Missourian

Parents’ eyes lit up Wednesday when UM System President Mun Choi announced an initiative to move the system towards adopting open educational resources. Or, more simply, free books. Open educational resources are published with open access copyrights, are free for students and can be distributed and used for little to no cost. Instructors also can write and add chapters to tailor textbooks to specific courses. They are accessed online, usually as PDFs, and can be revised and updated fairly quickly, according to previous Missourian reporting.

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/higher_education/um-system-announces-plan-to-adopt-open-educational-resources/article_0ea53ee2-569b-11e7-9195-53257ada9554.html

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The evolution of social learning

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

by Ben Pipe, Virtual College

More than ever before, learners are turning to their colleagues, friends and online forums to aid them in their knowledge. Here we take a look at the evolution of social learning. Social learning is a buzzword in the learning and development world that is transforming the way we absorb knowledge. But what does this term actually mean? In short, social learning focuses on learning by interacting and discussing content with others. It plays a large role in the workplace and includes behaviours such as: collaborating with other employees on project deliverables, guided learning programs, and the use of social media for learning purposes.

https://www.virtual-college.co.uk/news/virtual-college/2017/06/the-evolution-of-social-learning

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July 11, 2017

Deep Partisan Divide on Higher Education

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

By Paul Fain, Inside Higher Ed

In dramatic shift, more than half of Republicans now say colleges have a negative impact on the U.S., with wealthier, older and more educated Republicans being least positive. An annual survey by the Pew Research Center on Americans’ views of national institutions, released this week, found a dramatic attitude shift on higher education among Republicans and people who lean Republican, with the change occurring across most demographic and ideological groups. The latest version of the survey, conducted last month among 2,504 adults, for the first time found a majority (58 percent) of Republicans saying colleges have a negative effect, compared to 36 percent saying they have a positive effect. 72 percent of Democrats viewed colleges positively (up from 65 percent in 2010) compared to a negative response from 19 percent this year. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/07/11/dramatic-shift-most-republicans-now-say-colleges-have-negative-impact

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Free Stanford tool enhances collaborative learning in classes focused on reading, writing

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

BY ALEX SHASHKEVICH, Stanford University

Lacuna, a free online annotation platform developed at Stanford, promotes collaborative learning and interdisciplinary conversations. The platform is being used at higher education institutions around the world. An online annotation tool developed at Stanford is helping students and researchers with reading, writing and fostering an exchange of ideas in the fields of humanities and social sciences. Lacuna is an online platform that encourages interdisciplinary conversations and peer-to-peer learning. Developed in 2013 by researchers in Stanford’s Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis (CESTA), Lacuna is an online platform that encourages interdisciplinary conversations and peer-to-peer learning.

http://news.stanford.edu/2017/06/22/annotation-tool-helps-students-beyond-stanford/

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More Universities Add Blockchain Courses to Meet Market Demand

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

by Alex Leilacher, Bitcoin Magazine

In recent months, there has been a surge in the demand for blockchain professionals. Data from the professional networking site LinkedIn has shown that blockchain related job postings have tripled in the last 12 months. This shows that there is a high demand for blockchain experts as the potential and applicability of blockchain technology becomes more apparent to corporations. Recognizing this opportunity, several universities have added blockchain studies to their fields of study to tailor their educational offerings to these new developments in the job market. The University of Edinburgh, for example, has recently announced the launch of a blockchain technology laboratory within its School of Informatics through a collaboration with technology startup Input Output Hong Kong (IOHK). The new lab will focus primarily on blockchain studies.

https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/more-universities-add-blockchain-courses-meet-market-demand/

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‘I Started at Zero’: How a Syrian Refugee Is Rebuilding His Life Through Education

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

by Katie Reilly, Time

Nearly 18 months after his arrival in Turkey, Althib has found a way to continue his education. Like thousands of other refugees across the world, he has been taking online courses offered by universities as far-flung as Amsterdam and Baltimore, through programs that offer free classes to those who are displaced from their homes. As the global refugee crisis deepens — Althib is one of more than 65.6 million people forcibly displaced worldwide, according to the UN Refugee Agency — many experts have called for a long-term approach to providing refugees with an education. That’s especially important for refugees from countries like Syria, who may not be able to return home and resume their studies anytime soon.

http://time.com/4825289/world-refugee-day-education-hadi-althib/

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July 10, 2017

Why Professors Shouldn’t Ban Smartphones

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

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

As smartphones have become more common, educators have struggled with the question of what to do with smartphones in the classroom. For K-12 educators, the answer has been to ban smartphones from the classroom completely. College professors have also banned smartphones in increasing numbers. But now there’s some evidence to suggest that banning smartphones in the college classroom isn’t such a good idea. A study conducted by researchers in Singapore found that undergraduate students who were allowed to keep their phones with them actually scored better on tasks that measured their cognitive functioning. Even when they weren’t allowed to use their phones, students who were allowed to keep their phones in their pockets performed better than students whose phones were confiscated.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/professors-shouldnt-ban-smartphones/

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Unlike the students they oversee, most college presidents are white and male

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

by Isaac Carey, Hechinger Report

Despite a growing demand for more diversity in higher education, more than 70 percent of college presidents are men, and 80 percent are white, according to a new report. There have been small gains for women and racial and ethnic minorities in the last 10 years, according to the study, by the American Council on Education and TIAA Institute. But the average age of college presidents has also gotten higher, rising to 62 now from an average of 52 three decades ago. Meanwhile, the student body is becoming more diverse. While 30 percent of college presidents are women, female students have outnumbered male students since 1979. And nonwhite students are expected to make up 44 percent of enrollment within the next eight years, U.S. Census data show.

http://hechingerreport.org/unlike-the-students-they-oversee-most-college-presidents-are-white-and-male/

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Online Students Need More Interaction with Peers and Teachers

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

by Meghan Bogardus Cortez, EdTech

New research shows online learners are seeking more interaction, mobile device support and career services.A new report from the Learning House and Aslanian Market Research measures the opinions of 1,500 online students regarding everything from course satisfaction to study methods in the hopes that it can help universities keep their online programs up to students’ standards. “No longer can online education be seen only as ‘flexible’ and ‘covenient,’” reads the report’s introduction. “The conversation needs to become more nuanced, and institutions need to more clearly share the positive outcomes that come with completing degree and certificate programs online.” Most notably, more than half of students indicate that interaction with educators and peers for an online course is important to them. About a quarter of the students surveyed say online courses would be better if there was more contact and engagement. For more on the report, check out the infographic linked below.

https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2017/06/online-students-need-more-interaction-peers-and-teachers-infographic

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July 9, 2017

The Ever-Expanding of Online Degree Options

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

by Matthew Lynch, tech Edvocate

Today, more than 17 percent of higher education schools offer full-time online degree programs, and the options are incredibly diverse. Nearly every student in nearly every field can find courses available online, bringing the world closer to affordable, attainable higher education. To celebrate, here is a brief history of online degree options — and what we can expect from online education in the near future.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/ever-expanding-list-online-degree-options/

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MOOCs Moving On, Moving Up

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

By Cathy Sandeen, Inside Higher Ed

With some exceptions noted, MOOCs are mainly a technology business, focused on providing a return on investment (even for nonprofits like edX) by targeting the large nondegree professional development and technology training market. Though the MOOC experiment over the past five years has resulted in many positives, this era also reminds us that when it comes to degree attainment, there really is no magic bullet. The hard, in-the-trenches work of helping the students of today get and remain focused, learn, and stick it out to degree completion remains the province of mainstream higher education — MOOCs or no MOOCs.

https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2017/06/22/essay-looking-back-predictions-about-moocs

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A National Study of Online Learning Leaders in US Higher Education

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

by Eric E. Fredericksen, Online Learning Journal

Online learning in US higher education continues to grow dramatically. The most recent estimates indicate that about 30% of all students enroll in at least one online course (Allen & Seamen, 2016). As this important type of academic offering has become increasingly important to institutions of higher education, Presidents and Provosts have frequently established leadership positions to coordinate and direct their efforts in this area. But what do we know about the leaders who have been charged with managing this academic transformation? This systematic national study, a first of its kind, sheds light on the leadership that is guiding this new teaching and learning environment.

https://olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/olj/article/view/1164/270

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July 8, 2017

Google Now Employs AI to Help You Land a New Job

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

by Dom Galeon, Futurism

As promised during its annual developer conference, Google launched its search engine for jobs yesterday. Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), this specialized job search uses Google’s Cloud Jobs API. Instead of requiring users to download a new app, this new AI-powered tool allows job seekers in the U.S. to use Google’s existing search function, which are accessible via desktop and mobile. The new feature, currently available only in English, uses the same simple language Google searches are known for. Simply type “jobs near me,” “teaching jobs,” “writing jobs,” or any other query along these lines. The results page would then show the new job search widget, accompanied by a wide range of jobs — from across several online job boards like LinkedIn, Monster, WayUP, and even Facebook — which you could then refine further depending on your preferences.

https://futurism.com/google-now-employs-ai-to-help-you-land-a-new-job/

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Connecting students to the institution through mentors boosts success

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

by Pat Donachie, Education Dive

Western Governors University saw a 10% increase in graduation rates in just two years, while George Mason University saw a 15% jump after both universities zeroed in on the idea of connecting students with mentors, according to eCampus News. Western Governors University, an online institution, used Salesforce’s Communities tech to offer students and mentors the means to establish and maintain connections, allowing the free flow of advice and student access to additional content, videos and FAQs. George Mason University lets students sign up for counseling appointments and name a subject of discussion, which allows staff to be better prepared for the appointment, and educators used software to track students who needed assistance because they were academically at-risk.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/connecting-students-to-the-institution-through-mentors-boosts-success/444202/

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MIT’s first MicroMasters learners earn credentials

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

by David L. Chandler, MIT News Office

The first-ever cohort in MIT’s inaugural online MicroMasters program — consisting of more than 1,100 learners who completed all five of the online courses in supply chain management — has received its final MicroMasters certificates and will be honored at an online ceremony today. Of those learners who opted to take the proctored comprehensive final exam, 622 achieved passing grades, automatically earning a chance to apply for a full master’s degree. Combining credit for the completed online coursework plus one semester of on-campus classes, this “hybrid” master’s is available at MIT or any of several partner institutions: University of Queensland, in Australia; Curtin University, in Australia; Rochester Institute of Technology, in Rochester, New York; and the Zaragoza Logistics Center, in Spain.

http://news.mit.edu/2017/first-micromasters-learners-earn-credentials-0620

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July 7, 2017

Illinois Gets a Budget After 2-Year Impasse

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 10:53 am

By Rick Seltzer, Inside Higher Ed

The Illinois House of Representatives voted Thursday to override a gubernatorial veto of a package of budget bills, ending a 736-day standoff that had left the state’s higher education institutions slashing expenses and scrambling to compensate for uncertain funding streams. Under a package of bills including increased taxes and some spending cuts, higher education funding is being cut 10 percent below levels from 2015, the last year the state had a budget. But leaders at many of the state’s public institutions still issued statements supporting the spending plan because it provides clarity after years of uncertainty. The budget also provides funding for the state’s student aid program known as the Monetary Award Program.

https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/07/07/illinois-gets-budget-after-2-year-impasse

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Students find online courses, classroom technology boost learning

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

by Jesse King, Daily Universe

Researchers found the following based on respondents’ answers:

  • 66.5 percent had a positive experience with the online course
  • 77.6 percent said technology-integrated learning — including online content, audio, visual — helped them better understand complex concepts
  • 73.6 percent said the technology-integrated learning gave them more chances to practice the material
  • 69.9 percent said technology-integrated learning provided better collaboration with classmates
  • 1.6 percent prefer courses with no face-to-face interaction, and all coursework being online
  • 53.6 percent preferred “extensive use of technology” in a course
  • 54.4 percent said technology-integrated coursework improves learning
  • 92 percent said technology allowed more flexibility in completing coursework from various locations

http://universe.byu.edu/2017/06/19/students-find-online-courses-classroom-technology-boost-learning1/

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Reasons to Visit Campus Before Starting an Online Program

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

By Chris Foley and Jan Holloway, US News

It may sound counterintuitive, but location does matter to online students. A 2017 survey by the Learning House and Aslanian Market Research found that nearly 75 percent of online college students chose a school within 100 miles of their home, with 54 percent choosing one within 50 miles. The survey also found that of 1,500 prospective, current and past online students, three-quarters visited their campus at least once, and 59 percent visited between one and five times. Here are three reasons why prospective online students should visit campus before they enroll or begin online classes. https://www.usnews.com/education/online-learning-lessons/articles/2017-06-20/3-reasons-to-visit-campus-when-choosing-an-online-program

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Indiana resident cost to degree: $39,600 at NewU vs. $80,088 at Purdue WL

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

by Purdue University

In its inaugural regular meeting, the Board of Trustees for Purdue’s new affiliated institution, currently referred to as NewU, approved plans to offer a dramatic tuition discount for Indiana resident students and free tuition for Purdue employees. The new Indiana resident rate, also approved by Kaplan University’s trustees, will take effect at the beginning of KU’s next academic term. The faculty/staff tuition policy will take effect when Purdue NewU becomes operational. Purdue employees will be able to take degree and non-degree programs tuition-free, and a spouse, child or immediate family member (sons/daughters-in-law, grandchildren and step-grandchildren) will receive a 50 percent tuition discount. An Indiana resident student pursuing an associate or bachelor’s degree will pay the equivalent of $220, including technology fees, per quarterly credit hour, which is a discount of approximately 45 percent.

http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2017/Q2/newu-board-oks-tuition-rates-for-indiana-residents,-purdue-employees.html

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July 6, 2017

4 Tips For Improving Online Course Design With Learning Analytics

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

By Jim Yupangco, Learning Management Systems

Learning Management Systems (LMS) collect a wealth of data, and much of it goes untouched and unused. But you can take advantage of that data to improve the design of your online courses. Applying learning analytics can help your students become more successful learners, and improve their effectiveness in their roles. In this article, we’ll show you how learning analytics can help you improve your online course design. And we’ll give you some practical tips to get started.

https://elearningindustry.com/improving-online-course-design-with-learning-analytics-4-tips

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7 reasons to teach an online course

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

by Brian Caffo, Coursera Blog

What are the benefits of creating an open online course? Can teaching online actually benefit your on-campus courses and career? Brian Caffo, professor of Biostatistics at Johns Hopkins University and one of three instructors of the popular Data Science Specialization on Coursera, recently shared some of his answers to these questions. When we asked him to elaborate, he shared 7 key benefits he’s seen from teaching 15+ courses on Coursera—from expanding his network, to sparking innovation, to winning a prestigious NIH grant.

https://blog.coursera.org/7-reasons-teach-online-course/

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