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Online Learning News and Research
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Saturday, August 09, 2003
Building Academic Skills and Information Competency through Learning Communities - Lucy Dodge, Education, Technology and Society Journal
ABSTRACT: Colleges are finding new ways to incorporate technology skills and information competency into the curriculum. One method used successfully at several campuses involves a coordinated curriculum in which two or more faculty members collaborate to offer a linked group of classes that combine the objectives and course requirements such that students benefit from having an integrated curriculum. This paper describes several of these learning communities and how they benefited community college students and faculty. (0) comments
Using Web Services for Personalised Web-based Learning - Katerina Kabassi and Maria Virvou, Education, Technology and Society Journal
ABSTRACT: This paper describes a multi-agent, personalised learning system operating over the Web. The system is called Web F-SMILE and is meant to help novice users learn how to manipulate the file store of their personal computer. In order to provide adaptive help and tutoring, Web F-SMILE has assigned an agent to constantly observe the user and collect information about him/her. This information is maintained centrally on a Learner Modelling Server. In this way, each learner model is available to any client application that requests it. The agents of the client applications interact with the Learner Modelling Server through Web Services. The main characteristic of Web Services is that they interact with the applications that invoke them, using web standards. Basing learner modelling on web standards has the advantage of enabling the dynamic integration of applications distributed over the Internet, independently of their underlying platforms. (0) comments
UK Government One-stop shop for online learning - Ursula Seymour, PC Advisor
If you fancy brushing up on a particular skill, but don't know where to look for more information about courses, the government has set up an online resource that promises to be a one-stop source for learning information. Waytolearn, http://www.waytolearn.co.uk/ is aimed at all adults in the UK aged from 19-75, and directs users to all manner of courses from formal, classroom-based learning, to more relaxed sessions and voluntary work. The aim is to help people improve their skills and confidence. (0) comments Friday, August 08, 2003
Capella seeks space to double work force - Mark Reilly and Scott D. Smith, The Business Journal
Seeking to keep apace of a booming industry, Capella Education Co. is preparing to double its work force and beef up its marketing efforts. The company, one of the pioneers in the online education sector, wants to replace or significantly expand its headquarters in downtown Minneapolis. It also has launched a national advertising campaign to establish its brand identity. Capella now leases roughly 91,000 square feet on four floors of the Campbell Mithun Tower, but it's started a search for as much as another 100,000 square feet to accommodate its growth over the next two years. Company officials declined to detail their growth plans, but real estate sources said Capella was looking to double its employment, now greater than 400. (0) comments
Distance Learning Consortia: An Assessment - Sally M. Johnstone, Syllabus
.... The Department of Education study reveals that almost 90 percent of public colleges and universities offered electronic distance learning in the 2000-2001 academic year, when the study was conducted. About 60 percent of these distance learning-offering institutions were participating in a consortium for distance learning. Of these, 75 percent were participating in state- or system-level consortia. The study on virtual schools, conducted by Rhonda Epper and Myk Garn, looks behind these numbers to uncover why those statewide consortia were formed and what they are doing. The authors discovered 61 different statewide or system-wide consortia assisting their constituent colleges and universities in distance learning. (0) comments
Transforming the Academic Enterprise: A Conversation with Graham Spanier - Syllabus
....Graham Spanier: I think higher education has been transformed by the deployment of new information technologies. We see it in almost every corner of the university—in our administrative systems, in our Web sites, in our online applications, in distance education, and in resident instruction classrooms. As far as strategic planning, we consider information technology as an integral part of our planning activities. The information technology budget is a rapidly growing area within the university budget, and while it may have slowed down somewhat in the last couple of years, I think it will continue to be a growing part of our budget. (0) comments Thursday, August 07, 2003
Online College Degrees: The Educational Revolution
.... We are living in a time that should go down in history as the beginning of the Educational Revolution. You probably remember studying about the industrial revolution in school. Great industrial and mechanical advances forever changed the way we live. The educational revolution should have the same kind of a large scale impact on society. What exactly is the educational revolution? The shortest answer is "distance learning". You may call it E-learning, web based learning, Internet learning or any number of various descriptive terms. What it amounts to is attending school on the Internet. Mainstream colleges and universities are rushing to create online degree programs at a breathtaking rate. (0) comments
Computers popularize distance education - Scott Bauer - Associated Press
An education revolution is happening across Nebraska, and it rarely involves a classroom. Distance education classes, frequently accessed via a personal computer at home, are becoming more widely available and popular. An ever-growing familiarity with computers is helping to fuel the increase, said David Powers, executive director of the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education. The biggest boom as tracked in the commission's annual report on distance learning was seen in classes that strictly involved interaction with a computer, particularly over the Internet.... Courses where students have no direct contact with an instructor increased 72 percent, from 699 in 2001 to 1,200 in 2002. Those courses have increased almost four times from the 317 offered in 1999-2000. (0) comments
Campus Communications & the Wisdom of Blogging - Sarah Roberts, Syllabus
The advent of "blogging"—online journaling—has breathed new life into the Web. A contraction of the term "Web logging," blogging can best be described as a form of micropublishing. Featuring no or very low start-up costs, few basic infrastructure requirements, and ease-of-use, it has enabled users to publish their thoughts and ideas without barriers.... What, then, is the potential for blogs in higher education? Certainly, offering students space for creating personal content and commentary is the primary application. But the number of uses for blogs are limitless. As a tool for extending learning and encouraging communication and community, blogs are expertly designed to seamlessly integrate the endeavors of many students and faculty. (0) comments Wednesday, August 06, 2003
Massey University E-learning at the core of research center
A new research centre in the University’s College of Business in Palmerston North recognises the demand for innovative learning technologies, driven by the rapid evolution of students’ individual needs. Pioneering research in the area of e-learning technologies within the Department of Information Systems has been strengthened further with the creation of the Advanced Learning Technologies Research Centre (ALTRC). Directed by Associate Professor Kinshuk, the Centre aims to advance the research of learning systems for students in adaptive learning environments, such as mobile and life-long learners. He says the Centre will focus on key research areas including web-based learning system, intelligent tutoring systems, mobile technologies and knowledge management based systems. (0) comments
Access to electronic resources by visually impaired people - Jenny Craven, Information Research
Abstract: Research undertaken by the Centre for Research in Library and Information Management has sought to enhance understanding of information seeking behaviour of blind and visually impaired people when using digital resources. The Non-Visual Access to the Digital Library project (NoVA) aimed to develop further understanding of user behaviour with web based resources, with particular reference to retrieval of information by blind and visually impaired people. (0) comments
If I Wanted to Make Money in Elearning...Here's what I'd Do - George Siemens, elearspace
Introduction: Several years ago, the rush to elearning was driven by visions of profits. The long under-funded educational system was suddenly able to play in the business domain. However, NYU Online, USOU, Fathom, and others discovered that the elearning market did not guarantee instant riches. The elearning market revealed itself as any other unique market - not easily unlocked by traditional business acumen or higher education administration. A great product alone did not result in success. Neither did public awareness. Or superior instruction. Yet, people and organizations are making money in elearning. The revenue models are emerging - many innovative approaches have resulted in profits and promising careers. (0) comments Tuesday, August 05, 2003
Online College Degree - Virginia Butler, Your News Channel
In 2002, more than 2 million students enrolled in distance learning courses. The average student is age 34, employed part-time, has previous college credit and is female.... Kathleen Moore, Ph.D., from the University of South Florida in Tampa, says online degrees are not easy, but they are do-able. She says if you are looking for an online degree program, you should consider the same aspects of a traditional degree as well as the online concerns. For example, she says make sure the program you are entering is accredited. (0) comments
Using Web-Based, Group Communication Systems to Support Case Study Learning at a Distance - Liam Rourke and Terry Anderson
Abstract: This study explored the capacity of Web-based, group communication systems to support case-based teaching and learning. Eleven graduate students studying at a distance were divided into three groups to collaborate on a case study using either a synchronous voice, an asynchronous voice, or a synchronous text communication system. Participants kept a detailed log of the time they spent on various activities, wrote a 1,500-word reflection on their experience, and participated in a group interview. Analysis of these data reveals that each group supplemented the system that had been assigned to them with additional communication systems in order to complete the project. Each of these systems were used strategically: email was used to share files and arrange meetings, and synchronous voice systems were used to brainstorm and make decisions. Learning achievement was high across groups and students enjoyed collaborating with others on a concrete task. (0) comments
Creating an Interactive and Collaborative e-Learning Environment in Educational Processes - Cemal ARDIL, Turkish Online Journal of DE
The world has become a global village with the rapid advancements in information and communication technologies at the beginning of the new millenium. As a matter of course, it is a world of an increasingly global economy, unprecedented knowledge generation and dissemination amid rapid scientific and technological advances, a quest for greater social cohesion and international telecollaboration, and markedly new public and private sector roles. All of these impact significantly upon the demand for and nature of high quality education. These changes present rich, yet still not fully exploited, opportunities to deliver education to all. Turkey; strategically located between Europe and Asia, and borders the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Seas, is a dynamic emerging market economy amongst the leading developing countries across the globe. (0) comments Monday, August 04, 2003
Universiti Terbuka Malaysia offers 4,500 places
Universiti Terbuka Malaysia (Unitem) is offering 4,500 places on a wide range of programmes delivered through the Open & Distance Learning (ODL) mode at diploma and degree levels for the August 2003 semester intake. According to Unitem President/Vice-Chancellor Tan Sri Dr Abdullah Sanusi Ahmad, Unitem, the seventh private university in Malaysia, caters to the demands of an emerging market and employs the latest approaches in the teaching-learning process.... With 13 programmes in its stable, ranging from ICT, Education to Business at diploma and degree levels, Unitem is now expanding its range of programmes with the introduction of three new postgraduate courses - Master of Management, Master of Business Administration and Master of Information Technology. (0) comments
Embedding online information resources in Virtual Learning Environments - Margaret Markland, Information Research
Abstract: A short study of the use of online information resources by university lecturers using Virtual Learning Environments as a teaching tool for the first time provided insights into the strategies they use to select those resources, and into some of the difficulties they encountered when using online materials in their teaching. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, and the interview results were then taken to a group of subject librarians and library managers for comment. Skills training emerged as a key issue for both teachers and learners, and some interesting observations were made on the working relationships of lecturing staff and librarians. The study concludes that the need for 'new alliances' frequently raised in current literature is indeed very apparent, but that to be most effective such co-operation may need to be at individual as well as at group level. (0) comments
UTEP advances online learning - Darren Meritz, El Paso Times
UTEP officials say they're offering more and more people access to a college education online. Also, UTEP is moving aggressively toward making the campus a leader among minority-serving institutions and Texas universities that are enhancing the place of technology in education, officials said.... "The last 10 years have been very dramatic," said Henry Ingle, associate vice president of technology planning and distance learning at the University of Texas at El Paso. At UTEP, distance learning -- the use of Internet technology to provide students with remote lessons for credit courses -- now reaches 1,500 students who can pursue coursework through online tutorials and take a host of classes online, Ingle said. (0) comments Sunday, August 03, 2003
How Long Does it Take? Estimation Methods for Developing E-Learning - Karl M. Kapp, Learning Circuits
Over the years, vendors and clients have struggled to find an effective method for estimating the amount of time it takes to develop e-learning. Here are four methods for developing estimations.... In fact, determining the amount of time it takes to develop e-learning does depend on a large number of variables, including type of media used (streaming video, audio, still photos, line drawings), client experience with e-learning, complexity of the topic, number of interactions, desired quality level, instructional strategies, development team, and a dozen others. Fortunately, the online learning industry has matured over the years, as have the methods for estimating development time. Currently, there are many variations and techniques for developing a time estimate, but most of the methods revolve around four basic techniques. While none of these methods are flawless, they each contain strengths for developing an accurate estimate. (0) comments
Online class rosters on the rise - Ishmael Tate, Greenville News
Upstate adults are choosing to work on college degrees via the Internet, aligning with a national trend, according to registration figures at local colleges. Greenville Tech began offering online courses in 1996, said Diane Thomas, associate dean of online and nontraditional programs. The first year, there were four or five courses and 70 students. Student enrollment for 2,776 slots allotted for online classes had reached 1,574 by July 21, she said. (0) comments
Open content and value creation - Magnus Cedergren, First Monday
....In this paper, I consider open content as an important development track in the media landscape of tomorrow. I define open content as content possible for others to improve and redistribute and/or content that is produced without any consideration of immediate financial reward — often collectively within a virtual community. The open content phenomenon can to some extent be compared to the phenomenon of open source. Production within a virtual community is one possible source of open content. Another possible source is content in the public domain. This could be sound, pictures, movies or texts that have no copyright, in legal terms. (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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