Online Learning Update

by John Marcus, the Hechinger Report

“There’s just a giant gap there,” said Sean Gallagher, executive director of the Center for the Future of Higher Education and Talent Strategy at Northeastern University. Fewer graduates are emerging from the pipeline than are needed, he said. “I think that’s why the tech sector has been the place where these alternative models are being pioneered.” Tired of waiting, Microsoft, Linux and other employers have teamed up with edX, a collaboration started by Harvard and MIT to provide online education that is much easier than brick-and-mortar programs to keep up to date and to disseminate to vast numbers of students simultaneously. Microsoft, Linux and other employers have teamed up with edX, a collaboration started by Harvard and MIT to provide online courses, which are easier to keep updated than conventional university courses in fast-changing fields such as tech.

http://hechingerreport.org/impatient-universities-slow-pace-change-employers-go-around/

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

Advice about what to study in college comes from four primary sources, according to new survey results: “Formal” sources, such as high school and college counselors and print and internet media; The “informal” social network, including family, friends and community leaders; The “informal” school network, counting non-advisor staff and coaches; and “Informal” work-based sources involving employers, coworkers and people with experience in the field.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/10/17/employer-advice-most-valued-least-used-in-choosing-college-major.aspx

By Mike Averill, Tulsa World

The skills gap refers to the skills required by employers and the training held by the workforce or the number of jobs requiring skills that the workforce does not have.  There are more than 60,000 unfilled jobs in the state, of which nearly 18,000 are deemed critical to growing the economy. In August there were 81,476 unemployed, or about 4.5 percent of the state’s 1.8 million-person workforce. “We have people who have skills who aren’t working and we have jobs that are available but the people who have skills don’t have the right skills for the jobs,” said Shelley Cadamy, executive director of Workforce Tulsa.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/the-gap-between-what-employers-need-and-the-skills-of/article_8142a964-7e45-546c-b641-502a607bb5b0.html

by Shalina Chatlani, Education Dive

Higher ed institutions ought to be prioritizing digital literacy skills revolving around digital savvy, creativity, and complex thinking, as employers increasingly value these qualities in college graduates. The World Economic Forum predicts 35% of the top ten skills employers say they want will change by 2020, and will increasing include to include these competencies, according to a new report from the New Media Consortium.  The report shares digital literacy frameworks from other nations and U.S. schools they consider worth emulating, such as The University of Pennsylvania, which offers students workshops on how to produce and share digital content legally, writes Campus Technology. Most of these frameworks revolve around how to use technology to develop communication, critical thinking, technical, citizenship, and cultural and political awareness.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/digital-literacy-a-key-factor-for-employers-report-finds/504321/

By Christopher Snowbeck, Star Tribune

Employers and a large health insurer are considering a new way of reaching people with social anxiety and depression. Many who suffer from social anxiety, depression and other mental health problems won’t seek help from a therapist. However, they may find a sense of community in online discussion groups and “anxiety blogs,” said Dale Cook, the chief executive and co-founder of Learn to Live, a Minneapolis-based start-up. The company sells access to online courses for people struggling with mental health issues, and touts its strategies for engaging with sufferers. “They’re looking for online resources because they don’t want to tell anyone, or they don’t have time to go” for face-to-face therapy, Cook said in an interview. “We’re able to identify places where sufferers go to commiserate and suffer together and say: Have you found anything that works?”

http://www.startribune.com/employers-insurers-see-promise-in-self-directed-online-therapy/376658941/

By Jordan Friedman, US News

After applicants receive their initial training in person, employers will accept​ subsequent degrees earned online, experts say. ​For James Gregory, a graduate of​ the University of South Carolina’s adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioner​ master’s degree program, online education seemed like a natural choice, as he was able to attend class on a more flexible schedule, he says. Then, when he was applying for jobs, some employers asked him during interviews whether the quality of his online degree was equivalent to what he would have received in person. He says it was. The online degree program was “very challenging and far different, of course for me, than the days of going and having to be at class at 8, 10:15, or whatever, but the expectation was the same,” says the 54-year old, who now​ works as an acute care nurse practitioner​ in South Carolina.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2016-02-23/what-employers-think-about-your-online-nursing-degree

by Jordan Friedman, US News

A degree or certificate may tell an employer about your education, but it won’t necessarily highlight your specific skills. Online education, however, has facilitated the rise of “microcredentials,” namely digital badges, and nanodegrees, that aim to do just ​that. “I would say over the past three years or so, we’ve seen a rise in this arena in a way that we really haven’t seen in the past,” says Lauren Griffin, senior vice president of the recruitment ​agency Adecco Staffing USA. In some online classes, whether it’s MOOCs or for-credit courses offered through universities, instructors have begun incorporating digital badges into their curricula. Students earn these badges once they achieve a certain milestone or develop a particular skill and can then post them on social media or an online portfolio. When somebody – such as a potential employer – clicks on the badge, it will link to information on how and when the badge was earned.​

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2016-01-22/what-employers-think-of-badges-nanodegrees-from-online-programs

By Arnie Fertig, US News

If you’re unemployed, online classes can be a cheap way to show potential employers that your skills are fresh. “The world of work is changing faster than ever before, whether because of technology, automation or globalization. So, people need to keep up,” says Dennis Yang, CEO of Udemy. He’s right. In today’s economy, virtually nothing is done the way it was 20, 10 or even five years ago. And that applies to the way we learn as well. If you are unemployed, taking online courses and gaining certifications can be an inexpensive way to demonstrate that you possess the initiative to keep yourself up-to-date. Companies, such as Udemy, Coursera and LinkedIn’s Lynda, are among the major players in the diverse, growing and still-being-defined territory of online learning. Each has a different payment model and platform type. But they offer viable ways for you to learn a new skill, design or master a piece of software, figure out how to begin a business and more.

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/articles/2016-01-12/how-to-impress-employers-with-online-courses

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

Employers are increasingly seeing the promise of free schooling as a worthwhile benefit to offer employees. The New Hampshire Union Leader reports that Southern New Hampshire University is the latest to forge such a partnership, this time with health insurance company Anthem Inc., opening its online degree programs to 55,000 Anthem employees nationwide in the second stage of a pilot program that began in-state. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, analysts see this move, along with other recent partnerships by Starbucks and Fiat Chrysler, as the beginning of a trend toward employer-directed degree attainment.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/online-education-partnerships-increasingly-popular-among-employers/400174/

by Alan Todd, Carsten Sudhoff; Fortune

In order to keep up with this coming transformation in our world of work, companies can evolve their corporate learning programs in three ways to better engage and equip millennial employees. Employers need to provide ongoing, online learning that is engaging and valuable to this new workforce. Millennial employees are “screenagers,” born and raised online. These digital natives value meaningful online experiences—experiences that many Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) cannot offer through a filmed lecture. Instead, employers should be looking at how an online learning platform can facilitate expert-led, problem-specific learning rather than static, dry lectures or lessons. Technology matters in today’s world and workplace—millennials are 2.5 times more likely to be early adopters of technology than are older generations, and they also stand out when it comes to producing and uploading online content. Organizations must take note of this and embrace the opportunity.

http://fortune.com/2015/06/02/3-ways-employers-can-engage-millennials-at-work/

by Heather Brown, CBS Minnesota

Do employers look at degrees from an online university differently? Good Question. “I think they’re still trying to figure out what online degrees mean,” Paul DeBettignies, principal of Minnesota Headhunter, LLC, said. A survey by Public Agenda, a non-profit that works on education issues, found 45 percent of employers think online classes require more discipline, but 56 percent still say they’d rather have an applicant who learned in the classroom. “It comes down to the company and the manager,” Perry Wedum, Regional Vice-President of Experis, said. Mary Massad, division president of recruiting services for Insperity, a recruiting firm, says about 75 percent of her clients embrace online degrees. “My sense is that the value of a degree is still more closely tied to the reputation of the school itself, rather than the delivery method used,” Carleen Kerttula, head of program innovation at University of St. Thomas’s Opus School of Business, said.

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/05/07/good-questions-do-employers-value-online-degrees/

by Susan Adams, Forbes

The hiring picture keeps getting better for college graduates. According to a new survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), employers are planning to hire 9.6% more graduates for their U.S. operations than they did from the class of 2014. That’s a one percent hike from the 8.6% gain a year ago and a significant jump from 2013, when employers said they would boost hiring by just 2.1% over the previous year. A non-profit group in Bethlehem, PA, NACE links college placement offices with employers. NACE’s questionnaire asked employers to rate the academic disciplines they target for their college hires. At the top of the list: engineering degrees. Some 72% of companies said they want to hire students set to graduate in that discipline. Sixty eight percent are looking for business majors and 58% want computer science majors. At the bottom of the list: health sciences, education and agriculture. Here is a chart showing employers’ hiring expectations by major:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2015/04/15/the-college-degrees-and-skills-employers-most-want-in-2015/

by Devon Haynie, US News

As online programs have grown in popularity, online master’s in education degrees have become more acceptable, experts say. But some programs are more respected than others. As a result, prospective students looking to use the credential for a pay bump or career switch should do some investigating before they enroll. When it comes to choosing the right online master’s degree in education, experts say the reputation of the program matters more than the mode of instruction, regardless of specialty. “I think we’re still in a space where the institution granting the online degree continues to have some sway in at least its perceived value,” says Catherine Horn, associate education professor at the University of Houston, ranked the No. 1 online graduate education program by U.S. News in 2015.

http://news.yahoo.com/employers-think-online-masters-education-140000758.html

By ALLISON GOODRICH, Northwest Herald

With more students coming out of higher education today, a few of the larger employers in the area said for them, a degree obtained completely or partially online is hardly a make or break factor when it comes to hiring. At Centegra Health System, Director of Employment and Development Matt Johnson said both online and traditional degrees are recognized equally. If interviewing two candidates with similar experience, the origin of their degrees “wouldn’t be a factor that would weigh real heavily,” Johnson said. Within Crystal Lake School District 47, potential hires with either type of degree also are welcome, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Greg Buchanan said. “We approve online courses through accredited universities, and we do have staff who have degrees where a portion of their credits were earned via online coursework,” he said in an email.

http://www.nwherald.com/2015/01/15/mchenry-county-employers-indifferent-on-online-education-in-hiring/au3ns8j/

by Tristan Anwyn, Australia Business Review

Time was when the best graduates and brightest minds in any given field weren’t available to employers until after graduation. After graduation, students joined the workforce with a lot of ideas, but not much in the way of practical experience. Online education is changing that by offering much more flexibility not only to students but to the businesses that employ them. Australian businesses can find high-caliber employees who have used online learning to study while employed, combining the best of both worlds in terms of academic prowess and experience in their field. Online education offers employees the chance to engage with lifelong learning, constantly updating their skills and knowledge, which can only be good news for the businesses that employ them. Offering distance education to employees is also a strong selling point for employers who want to show commitment to staff development and well-being.

http://www.businessreviewaustralia.com/technology/1257/Why-Online-Education-Is-Good-News-for-Australian-Employers

by Devon Haynie, US News

When prospective online students approach an employer about tuition assistance, they should do so with confidence in the value of their online degree, Slayter says. “If you come in thinking that there is something that you need to apologize for, you are setting yourself up not to get a ‘yes,'” she says. Most employers will warm up to the idea of online learning, though it may take a bit of extra explanation on part of the prospective student to get them there, says Pamela Tate, president and CEO of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, a group committed to expanding lifelong opportunities for adults.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2014/07/08/try-convincing-an-employer-to-pay-for-an-online-degree

By Jake New, Editor, eCampus News

MOOCs-employers-studentsEmployers are fans of massive open online courses (MOOCs), according to a new study by researchers at Duke University and RTI International. But many first had to have the concept explained to them. “We were interested in exploring how employers viewed MOOCs in terms of whether they would make a difference in hiring decisions or how they might be used for recruiting talent,” said Laura Horn, the RTI’s site principal investigator. The study, funded by the Gates Foundation, was based on a survey of more than 100 human resource professionals from North Carolina employers. About 70 percent of the respondents had never heard of a MOOC before. Once they had a working definition, however, the majority of participants said they were receptive to using MOOCs in hiring decisions. They especially liked the idea of using MOOCs for professional development training.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/employers-like-moocs-004/

By Joe McKendrick, SmartPlanet

The convergence of mobile and cloud capabilities — that makes computing resources available to anyone who needs it, wherever they are — mean tremendous opportunities for today’s enterprises. However, a point that was of significant concern to the enterprise customers on the panel was the availability of skills to make this new world a reality. There simply aren’t enough people with the right skills. Enterprises are being digitized at an enormous rate, and it’s understood that the shift to digital and data-centric approaches means gaining competitive advantage. But many organizations are scrambling to find people with the skills that can make this happen. In addition, there are many smart professionals out there who can help fill these gaps, but have skills that are rapidly being outdated. The rise of massive, open online courses (MOOCs) may offer a means for many professionals to pursue new skill development, while providing employers a relatively inexpensive way to upgrade their workforces.

http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/bulletin/how-free-online-courses-may-help-close-employers-skills-gaps/23610

by the Atlanta Journal Constitution

A recent survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management and commissioned by eLearners.com agrees. It found that 87 percent of 449 randomly selected HR professionals viewed online degrees more favorably than they did five years ago. Seventy-nine percent said that they had hired a job applicant with an online degree in the past 12 months. There’s been an explosion in virtual education in the past decade; and a more recent shift in the debate about online learning, according to Jason B. Huett, associate dean of online development and USG eCore at the University of West Georgia. “The jury is no longer out,” he said. Research has found online learning to be just as effective as face-to-face education. Now that the delivery method has credibility, the debate has moved to comparing the quality between online educational programs. “Online degrees are not all equal,” he said.

http://www.ajc.com/business/more-employers-value-online-1026735.html

by CTV Southwestern Ontario

Employers are increasingly accepting of diplomas and degrees earned online, as many go back to school hoping to find new opportunities. And a 2008 survey by Vault Incorporated shows online learning is increasingly accepted by employers. The survey found 83 per cent of employers think online degrees are more acceptable than five years ago.

http://swo.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110316/online-learning-two-110316/20110316/?hub=SWOHome

by Cool Great Stuff

I am going to go back to school to get a degree in Criminal Justice and it seems a lot of colleges provide online degrees for associates, bachelors, and masters degrees. Are they as good as a degree gotten from actually going to the school? –Read the responses to this question from students and others. (quite revealing)

http://education.coolgreatstuff.com/are-online-courses-credible-to-employers