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Online Learning News and Research
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Saturday, October 12, 2002
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-961563.html MIT tries free Web education Paul Festa, Staff Writer, CNET News.com The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has decided to publish online all its course materials--a $107,840 value. The MIT OpenCourseWare project launched two weeks ago with a preliminary pilot that just scratches the surface of MIT's publishing ambitions. As of Sept. 30, people with an Internet connection and a Web browser have been able to access the syllabus, lecture notes, exams and answers, and in some cases, even the videotaped lectures of 32 MIT courses. So far, more than 130,000 Web visitors from around the world have plugged into the pilot, tapping into a vein of information for which MIT undergraduates pay $26,960 per year for tuition.... (0) comments http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/OCT02_Issue/article06.html Training New Online Teachers Brent Muirhead The distance educator is challenged by the need to foster and sustain online discussion during courses. A quick review of distance education literature highlights the importance of communication in the teaching and learning process. The focus of this discussion is assisting new teachers to establish an online dialog philosophy that include essential strategies. The Mentoring Process : The new online instructor often has an assortment of feelings when he or she starts their first online class. They are excited about teaching online and participating in a new instructional role that is filled with diverse educational challenges for professional growth. Yet, the new teacher can have fears about failing that need to be addressed prior to the start of their online class.... (0) comments http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/OCT02_Issue/article04.html Courses for e-Teachers and Course Designers Anita Pincas ABSTRACT: The paper will highlight the relevant objectives of training for e-course planners, either staff wishing to initiate e-teaching themselves, or intending to become members of e-learning development teams. Proposed objectives are based on the writer’s twelve years of experience in the field of online teaching, and data is drawn from the ten year old international online Certificate in Online Education and Training which she conceived and still runs for the Institute of Education of the University of London, UK. The principal theme is that such training should include focus on the important time-honoured role of the teacher, as contrasted with a moderator. A second important theme is that e-training courses are best seen as workplace learning and therefore need to be balanced towards immediate practical relevance, rather than theory.... (0) comments Friday, October 11, 2002
http://www.ouhk.edu.hk/CRIDAL/cridala2002/speeches/taylor.pdf Teaching and Learning Online: The Workers, The Lurkers and The Shirkers Taylor, James C, University of Southern Queensland Abstract: Despite the exponential growth in the availability of online education programs, there appears to be little empirical evidence that could provide a cogent basis to guide the practice of, or judge the quality of, such offerings. The purpose of the current paper is to xplore certain elements of existing pedagogical theory that can help provide a framework for empirical research that should ultimately establish instructional design principles that can shape potentially efficacious practice in online teaching and learning. Such research efforts are fundamental to the long-term credibility and viability of distance education theory and practice.... (0) comments http://ts.mivu.org/default.asp?show=article&id=970 Blending Online and Traditional Instruction in the Mathematics Classroom Gene Abrams and Jeremy Haefner Recently, educators have expressed considerable interest in blending several e-learning approaches, especially synchronous and asynchronous learning, via the Web (Ravaglia, 2001). In this study, we describe the MathOnline system, a learning delivery method that, in addition to blending these two types of learning, combines traditional mathematics instruction with distance learning as well. Student surveys indicate that the system greatly enhances traditional learners' educational experiences while also accommodating a wide variety of student learning styles.... (0) comments http://www.westga.edu/%7Edistance/ojdla/fall53/diotalevi53.html Case-Study: FGCU's Legal Studies Bachelor of Science Online Program Bob Diotalevi, Florida Gulf Coast University ...Many states have geographical areas that do not have four-year schools, or whose two-year colleges do not offer particular majors of interest. In Florida the State Legislature has attempted to solve these problems by allowing two-year institutions to offer four-year degrees under certain circumstances. Community colleges have to undergo a formal state approval process showing need for a program if they wish to offer a baccalaureate option. Institutions such as Miami-Dade Community College, Daytona Beach Community College and others have proposed programs of study in nursing, public administration, computer science and culinary arts. Saint Petersburg College, formerly SPCC (same name but with the word "Community" therein) is now offering four-year curricula under its new moniker. However, no two-year Florida school has in existence or ever proposed a four-year degree in Legal Studies (LS).... (0) comments http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/OCT02_Issue/article08.html A Case Study of Essentials of Practice at an Online University Muhammad Betz Introduction: As the momentum for offering online courses at all levels of the educational enterprise continues to show significant growth, expertise in the online medium is becoming more valuable. It was for this reason that I sought out a position with a prominent, online university about a year and a half ago. In a recent article, Faculty Training at an Online University (Muirhead & Betz, 2002), I described my experiences in preparing to become an online instructor at said online university. The major preparations were conducted in a four-week training course that stressed the basics of "facilitating"an online course. Like any world class organization, an online university cannot allow one initial training course to suffice as a harbinger of educational quality and excellence. The next step in the quality assurance matriculation is a mentorship, in which faculty candidates offer their first course online under the watchful eye and expert guidance of a Mentor, who has undergone formal preparations for that role.... (0) comments http://www.icohere.com/cl2002 Collaborative Learning 2002- An Online Conference on e-Learning and Blended Learning November 19 - 22, 2002 Collaborative Learning 2002 will be a unique event. Sponsored by iCohere and Replay Rich Media, it blends the in-depth resources of a physical conference with online convenience and cost advantages. We've arranged for leading industry experts to be accessible from your computer: Hands-on practitioners from Capella University and the University of Phoenix. E-Learning experts from The National Institutes of Health, Hewlett-Packard, and American Express. And Marcia Conner, Editor in Chief of Learnativity and LineZINE.... (0) comments Thursday, October 10, 2002
http://chronicle.com/free/2002/10/2002101003t.htm Student Group's Web Site May Keep Its Link to a Suspected Terrorist Organizations DAN CARNEVALE The University of California at San Diego has withdrawn demands that a student group, the Ché Café Collective, remove from its Web page Internet links to the sites of suspected terrorist organizations. But the university still wants the student group to quit hosting a Web page called BURN that is within the "ucsd.edu" Internet domain and that is supportive of one of the suspected terrorist organizations. Ché Café, a left-leaning student group, has not indicated whether it will comply.... (0) comments http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/OCT02_Issue/article05.html The New Literacy Stephen Downes Time and again we hear from academics bemoaning the loss of the cultivated and literate student in today's schools, the victim, they say, of a multi-media diet of McDonalds, music videos and post-modernist pabulum. Such students fail, moan the critics, to engage in complex dialogue and complex thought. They are capable of understanding only simple and sanitized text, and even then only when it is accompanied with moving pictures and a soundtrack. I have spent a large part of my working life in the company of the literati, listening to their seminars, attending their lectures, reading their journalistic contributions to the pool of public knowledge. For me, the greatest invention of recent years has been the introduction of wireless networking so I can have something to do while waiting through the interminable gaps in their reasoned arguments. Even while reading, I prefer to have the radio or television playing to occupy my mind as I wade my way through the text. I am not alone, as one exasperated instructor after another struggles to keep online clat to a minimum during class time. Scollon (et.al.) calls this polyfocal attention: "Perhaps the most striking thing about our students' attention is that it is polyfocal. That is, very rarely do they direct their attention in a focal, concentrated way to any single text or medium.... (0) comments http://www.thebatt.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/10/08/3da2794c0946e Texas A&M Regents approve new distance education Melissa McKeon Texas A&M is adding educational administration and educational psychology master's degree programs online to make it easier for students to earn another degree. "There is a huge teacher shortage in Texas, so people can continue teaching and work on this (their degree) in the evening," said Preston DuBose, marketing coordinator for the office of Distance Education. "The people who would be taking classes are already in the system." Classes can be accessed through the Internet or through video conferencing equipment allowing distance education students to interact with an on-campus class.... (0) comments http://thelantern.com/main.cfm/include/detail/storyid/291002.html OSU Doctoral dissertations now accepted electronically Jennifer Marinov Beginning this quarter all doctoral students will be required to submit their dissertations electronically and will no longer be required to submit a paper copy to Ohio State. "The OSU Libraries is supporting this transition by offering workshops and clinics for faculty and graduate students," said Jane C. Duffy, assistant professor and collection manager for physics and astronomy at the Science and Engineering Library.... "The libraries are sponsoring the conference to address technological as well as scholarly concerns about electronic dissertations," Duffy said. One of the speakers scheduled for the conference is Dr. Edward Fox of the Department of Computing Science and founder of the National Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations at Virginia Tech.... (0) comments http://www.dailyiowan.com/main.cfm/include/detail/storyid/292764.html U Iowa tests online plagiarism police Nick Mueller - The Daily Iowan Cheaters beware. Twenty UI professors are testing out a new online tool this semester that detects plagiarism in papers. Turnitin.com evaluates each paper, highlighting and underlining material that is found in its extensive database. The site will send a report back to the instructor with a list of links, each leading directly to the material in question, which is color-coded to indicate the severity of the problem. Lola Lopes, the university's associate provost for undergraduate education, said observations among professors suggest that the availability and popularity of the Internet has made plagiarism easier and more prevalent.... (0) comments http://websterjournal.collegepublisher.com/main.cfm/include/detail/storyid/292839.html Webster University Online forum will foster worldwide discussion, creator says Erik Shelquist After Sept. 11, 2001, President Richard Meyers wanted a way for students to communicate and discuss issues which arose from the tragedies. In response, Andrius Juknys, a graduate assistant in the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, (CID) set up the Webster University Community Forum, an online messaging and chatting service, to foster discussion in the Webster community. The goal is for students to write comments, post messages and stay within the forum.... (0) comments Wednesday, October 09, 2002
http://www.educause.edu/conference/mwrc/2003/ Midwest Regional Conference Proposals Due by 11/11/02 Just as you've benefited from your colleagues' skills and experiences, you have the potential to enrich others' professional lives as a presenter at the 2003 Midwest Regional Conference, March 24-26 in Chicago, Illinois. Submit a presentation proposal online at http://www.educause.edu/conference/mwrc/2003/program.asp ... (0) comments http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue7_10/harrison/index.html Hypertext Links: Whither Ghou Goest, and Why Claire Harrison The link is the basic element of hypertext, and researchers have long recognized that links provide semantic relationships for users. Yet little work has been done to understand the nature of these relationships, particularly in conjunction with the purposes of organizational/informational Web sites. This paper explores the semantic and rhetorical principles underlying link development and proposes a systematic, comprehensive classification of link types that would be of use to researchers and Web production teams.... (0) comments http://cleo.murdoch.edu.au/projects/cutsd99 Learning-Centred Evaluation of Computer-Facilitated Learning Projects in Higher Education Executive Summary: This staff development project, funded by the Australian Government Committee for University Teaching and Staff Development (CUTSD) was managed by the Teaching and Learning Centre at Murdoch University, on behalf of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE) and a consortium of 10 other universities. The project sought to address widely-acknowledged shortcomings in the evaluation of Computer-facilitated Learning projects (CFL), identified in a CUTSD report by Alexander & McKenzie, in 1998. It involved staff development in evaluation of CFL projects, proceeding from the premise that academics in most discipline areas generally have neither the skills nor expertise to carry out scholarly evaluations of student learning.... (0) comments http://www.dailygamecock.com/news/290745.html?mkey=200811 Web sites help detect plagiarism - Technology makes it easier to cheat and to get caught Alexis Stratton New technology and widespread Internet use make plagiarism easier for college students to commit, but also easier for professors to detect. Mary Ann Byrnes, [University of South Carolina] assistant dean for undergraduate studies in Liberal Arts, said that, while plagiarism continues to become simpler to do than it used to be, it is "actually pretty easy" to get caught. "What students fail to realize when they're plagiarizing is that their faculty members do read, their faculty members are familiar with the material in their discipline, and they're also trained researchers," Byrnes said. "And they're pretty good researchers on the Internet as well."... (0) comments http://chronicle.com/free/2002/10/2002100901t.htm Colleges in 16 Countries Work to Create Virtual Medical School KATHERINE S. MANGAN Led by Scotland's University of Dundee, an international group of medical schools is trying to create the world's first online medical school. More than 50 institutions in 16 countries have helped plan the International Virtual Medical School, which its organizers plan to open in the summer of 2004. The institutions include all five of Scotland's medical schools, at the Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and St. Andrews. Initial financing for the project, amounting to $140,000, came from the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council. The virtual school would allow students around the world to pursue a medical education through a combination of computer-based learning and clinical experience in local health facilities. The goal is to counteract the "brain drain" of students from developing countries who, having left to pursue a medical education, often don't return.... (0) comments Tuesday, October 08, 2002
http://k20.internet2.edu/index.shtml Internet2 K20 Initiative The Internet2 K20 Initiative recently conducted a survey designed to provide a high level view of connectivity and enabled technologies within each Sponsored Education Group Participant as well as the totals for the entire SEGP program(as of August 2002). For more information please visit the survey results page on the Internet2 K20 website -http://k20.internet2.edu/segp/stateconnect/segpsurvey.shtml. The Internet2 K20 Initiative brings together Internet2 member institutions, primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, libraries, and museums to get new technologies—advanced networking tools, applications, middleware, and content—into the hands of innovators, across all educational sectors in the United States, as quickly and as “connectedly” as possible.... (0) comments http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,55507,00.html All the World's an MIT Campus Kendra Mayfield For about $27,000 a year, elite students can earn a degree at MIT, one of the most prestigious schools in the nation. And now the rest of the world can access MIT's curriculum on the Web for free, no tests or admissions essays required. Earlier this week, MIT posted a sampling of 32 classes in 17 departments on its OpenCourseWare (OCW) website, a pilot offering to the public. Over the next decade, the university will post lecture notes, assignments, syllabi, tutorials, video simulations and reading lists from over 2,000 courses on the site. No credit will be offered for online course materials, however.... (0) comments http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/Interaction.htm Interaction The following is a summary of "content created" as a result of Week 3 of discussions using a non-traditional approach to learning (participants of "elearning noncourse").... Introduction: Interaction is foundational to effective learning. Often, however, the term interaction is used without a clear understanding. Interaction has at least the following components that need to be considered: Interaction can be grouped by type/sort of interaction (human-human, human-computer, computer-computer). The following influence types of interaction: time (synchronous or asynchronous), number of people, location (proximate, distance) - The uses of interaction types needs to reflect inherent characteristics (i.e. what each is best suited to achieve) - Degree of interactivity (the amount of information exchange between participants is one measure) - Amount of info conveyed is relative to the needs of the receiver (the learner) - "Thus, a measure of the quality of learning materials would include, first, the quality of information transmitted, and second, the degree of interactivity afforded by means of transmission." - "Greater interactivity tends to increase time spent" - What is Interaction?... (0) comments http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/view/v1n2/coverv1n2.htm Customers of Alma Mater? Synthesis of a Sloan-C listserv conversation, June 2002 In June this year, Frank Mayadas posed a general question to the Sloan-C listserv: "What exactly is offensive about the idea of calling students 'customers'?" The passionate response—97 listserv postings—shows that the question is centrally important. Because online delivery is easing place-bound constraints, prospective learners can easily shop programs to compare curricula, services, flexibility, scheduling, price, personalization, responsiveness and more. When learners do not find what they seek in one school, they can easily transfer to another. Thus, customer satisfaction becomes an important factor in institutional planning, and from an administrative perspective, viewing students as customers seems prudent.... (0) comments http://chronicle.com/free/2002/10/2002100801t.htm Congress Eases Copyright Restrictions on Distance Education DAN CARNEVALE President Bush is expected to sign a bill, passed last week, that would open the door for professors to use some copyrighted works in online courses without having to seek permission. On Thursday, the Senate approved HR 2215, a bill authorizing spending for the Department of Justice. The bill includes a provision that would ease copyright law for online education. The House of Representatives passed the same bill the previous week. The legislation would amend the Copyright Act of 1976 so that online-education instructors could use excerpts from recordings of dramatic literary and musical works -- such as plays, musicals, and operas -- on course Web sites without seeking permission from the copyright owners.... (0) comments Monday, October 07, 2002
http://www.westga.edu/%7Edistance/ojdla/fall53/valentine53.html Distance Learning: Promises, Problems, and Possibilities Doug Valentine, University of Oklahoma Introduction: Distance learning and its relationship to emerging computer technologies have together offered many promises to the field of education. In practice however, the combination often falls short of what it attempts to accomplish. Some of the shortcomings are due to problems with the technology; others have more to do with administration, instructional methods, or students. Despite the problems, many users like technologies such as compressed video and see continued growth in the area. This paper will examine some of the current research and thought on the promises, problems, and the future possibilities in modern distance learning, particularly types that are delivered via electronic means.... (0) comments http://ncolr.uidaho.com/journal/current/sundberg/1.html Utilization of Communication Technologies to Facilitate Follow-up to On-site Professional Development Cheryl White Sundberg, University of Alabama Abstract: The primary research objective of the hypotheses-generating study focused on the viability of the communication technologies (Internet, e-mail, phone, and fax) as effective media for professional development. The central research question was: What impact does communication technology have on the facilitation of follow-up sessions to traditional on-site professional development? First, the study explored the facilitation of follow-up professional development for teachers in rural and underserved areas. Second, the research considered the type of communication technology that is best suited to the needs of teachers in rural and underserved areas. Third, the study investigated the impact of various factors, including technical skill with computer and related technologies and adequate equipment, on the utilization of communication technology as a means of continuing education. The findings indicated communication technologies were useful for follow-up to on-site professional development. However, inconsistent access to the Internet and e-mail at school was a barrier to their effective utilization.... (0) comments http://www.westga.edu/%7Edistance/ojdla/fall53/olt53.html Ethics and Distance Education: Strategies for Minimizing Academic Dishonesty in Online Assessment Melissa R. Olt, Capella University Abstract: This paper discusses ethics and student assessment, as applicable to the growing field of distance education. In particular, this paper discusses strategies for minimizing academic dishonesty in online student assessment. Among the strategies discussed are acknowledging the disadvantages of online assessment and overcoming them, designing an effective, cheat-proof online assessment, keeping online courses current, and providing students with an academic dishonesty policy.... (0) comments http://www.distance-educator.com/dnews/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=7667 Carnegie Mellon To Showcase Innovative New Technology For Live Internet Broadcasts PITTSBURGH- Carnegie Mellon University researchers will use a new technology called End System Multicast (ESM) to transmit interactive audio and video to Internet viewers around the world next week, when they conduct a live, Internet broadcast of the Council on Competitiveness National Symposium on Competitiveness and Security being held in Pittsburgh, Oct. 8-9. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~ESM-streaming... (0) comments http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/19583.html Wireless Tech Gives 'Continuing Education' New Meaning Lou Hirsh, NewsFactor Network The surge of interest in mobile education suggests new revenue opportunities for software developers, particularly those involved in learning and testing platforms, authoring tools and virtual campuses, as well as for providers of online educational services. Burgeoning wireless capabilities could create a boom in new opportunities to live and learn over the next few years -- and most of those who take advantage of mobile education will not be public school students, but adults already in the workplace. (0) comments Sunday, October 06, 2002
http://www.westga.edu/%7Edistance/ojdla/fall53/rivera53.html A Comparison of Student Outcomes & Satisfaction Between Traditional & Web Based Course Offerings Julio C. Rivera, M. Khris McAlister, University of Alabama at Birmingham Margaret L. Rice, The University of Alabama Introduction: With the recent growth of the Internet and other distance technologies, web based course delivery has become an attractive option for expanding the educational opportunities available to students. Our institution, like others, is actively pursuing this means of delivery in order to expand its reach to new students and to facilitate the scheduling of existing students. During a recent academic term, our students had the opportunity to enroll in such a course. Unique circumstances resulted in the simultaneous offering of additional course sections in a traditional lecture/discussion format, as well as a web-enhanced format. This pilot study documents a comparative evaluation of the three course formats.... (0) comments http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue7_9/wallsmith/index.html The Network Society: A shift in Congitive Ecologies? Mathew Wall-Smith By examining the psychodynamic effects on human cognition of the adoption of the technology of writing we can logically assess and contextualize the potential effect of the massification of networked information systems on our day-to-day thought processes. The identification of congruent, parallel and differential affect between writing and network technologies demands that their development be considered above and beyond the dictates and imperatives of consumer capitalism, it demands that the Internet be thought of in terms of public infrastructure rather than saleable capital.... (0) comments http://www.convergemag.com/events/conference.phtml?confid=82 The City University of New York Technology Forum Conference Dates: November 15, 2002 Be part of CUNY history as the Converge brings together instructional and infrastructure decision makers for this action-packed event. This event is produced in conjunction with the CUNY Office of the CIO, the Task Force for Educational Technology and the CUNY Online Faculty Council.... (0) comments http://www.aace.org/conf/site/call.htm Call for Participation: SITE 2003 Submissions Deadline: October 22 March 24-30, 2003, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA SITE 2003 is the 14th annual conference of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education. This society represents individual teacher educators and affiliated organizations of teacher educators in all disciplines, who are interested in the creation and dissemination of knowledge about the use of information technology in teacher education and faculty/staff development. SITE is a society of the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).... (0) comments Online Learning News Blog Archives OTEL - Ray's Home Page - Notebook - UIS Online - U of I Online - UIS Home Fair Use |
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