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Online Learning News and Research
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Saturday, December 06, 2003
Illinois Online Conference Call for Proposals
The IOC is accepting proposals, through December 10, 2003 for the 2004 Online Conference for Teaching and Learning. Presentations from P-12 educators, 2- and 4-year college faculty, staff and administrators, and work force development trainers will provide a glimpse into the innovative and forward thinking uses of technology to facilitate teaching and learning. Anticipating that the next leap in technology-mediated learning will be of unprecedented learner-centered, Internet- and other technology-facilitated forms of interaction between students, the student and instructor, the student and learning resources, and the student and administrative services, this conference will come to you in your home or place of work via multiple delivery methodologies. It will provide you with tools that enable innovation and will capture your imagination or vision of what is to come in your particular discipline or area: instruction, learning support, administration, counseling, student-centered services, learning technology, etc. (0) comments
WebCT User Conference Call for Participation
The heart and soul of our Annual User Conferences is user participation. We invite you to play an important role in this year's conference and to share your knowledge with the user community by submitting a proposal for participation. The Annual WebCT User Conference provides the opportunity to examine the impact WebCT has on the learning environment in institutions worldwide, critically evaluate how we measure this impact, and discuss how we plan for success. (0) comments
Diploma mills cast a shadow over valid distance learning - Steve Orr and Gary Craig, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Distance-learning programs are offered by many legitimate institutions and are growing fast as more colleges offer Internet-based studies. It is when a distance-learning institution is not properly accredited that would-be scholars should be suspicious, said Gregory Ashe, a senior staff attorney with the Federal Trade Commission in Washington. “One of the problems is (diploma mills) put a cloud on legitimate distance learning, which is a valid option for a lot of working people who don’t have the time or can’t afford to stop working for two or three years to get a degree,” he said. (0) comments Friday, December 05, 2003
University of South Florida Web site deters college cheaters - Stefanie Green, USF Oracle
As the semester comes to an end this week, students will be taking final exams and turning in term papers. However, students should beware that any paper they submit may be tested for plagiarism with a new software that is being offered to USF's faculty and staff. At the beginning of this semester, faculty and staff were able to request to subscribe to an e-mail account at Turnitin.com. The Web site allows professors to crosscheck students' papers against databases to identify plagiarism. USF is not the only school in the state that is licensing Turnitin.com. The University of Florida, Florida State University and University of Central Florida are also using the site to deter students from cheating and plagiarizing. (0) comments
Barriers to Learning Online - Sohn Hong-keun, Korea Times
At an international education forum in Australia, Ross Bosanquet of the Australian Instructional Management Systems (IMS) Center, said, "...linked to international standards, we'll be leaving the way wide open for technology-savvy overseas alliances to come in and offer a very competitive alternative..." It would be possible for students to acquire a degree over Internet by selecting courses from a wide range of universities and colleges on different continents. He went on, "...education institutions will need to take e-learning as seriously as business takes e-commerce..." The message on the inevitable revolution of e-learning and online learning systems is reality today. Worldwide alliances of higher educational institutions are fast taking over the traditional campus and classroom settings. Globalized education network expenditure would rise more than $4 trillion by the end of this year, while e-commerce is expected to grow beyond $200 billion. (0) comments
Malaysian Private colleges accept move on dubious programmes - New Straits Times
Private colleges today accepted the Government’s move not to recognise dubious part-time distance learning and e-learning programmes conducted by foreign institutions of higher learning. Malaysian Association of Private Colleges and Universities secretary-general Dr Lee Fah Onn said the association supported measures to preserve the quality of education. "I think this is a very serious issue. The Government is very concerned with the booming online programmes and the mushrooming of little known or unknown institutions of higher learning," he said today. (0) comments Thursday, December 04, 2003
Swiss Virtual Campus to Pilot National e-Learning Platform for Swiss Higher Education Institutions
The Swiss Virtual Campus (SVC) has chosen WebCT Vista(TM) as the e-learning platform that will be available to all Swiss Higher Education institutions as a pilot for a national platform. Through this e-learning initiative, funded by the Swiss government and aimed at promoting educational success in Switzerland, WebCT Vista will be available to all higher education institutions in the country, providing students with access to high quality education whenever and wherever they choose. "To maintain high success and retention rates, it is important to offer students flexible educational opportunities in a way that matches their learning styles," said Professor Peter Stucki, President of the Swiss Virtual Campus Steering Committee. "Online learning can help institutions do this by providing students with access to leading ideas, debate and resources through chat rooms with peers, online tutoring and online assessments. This type of e-learning can really enhance students' educational experiences and better prepare them for industry with the increasing requirements for lifelong learning. (0) comments
Blackboard Looks Likely To Go Public - Shannon Henry, Washington Post
A steady stream of investment bankers has been going through the 18th and L Street offices of Blackboard Inc. over the past few months, meeting with executives of the online learning software company. Such a parade of suits often means that a company is shopping for bankers in preparation for an initial public offering. Indeed, much of the Washington area tech community has been waiting for Blackboard -- listed by Inc. magazine last year as the nation's sixth-fastest-growing business -- to go public. (0) comments
No to online qualifications - Sujatani Poosparajah, New Straits Times Kuala Lumpur
Part-time distance learning and online qualifications at all levels from foreign universities will not be recognised by the Public Service Department for purposes of employment, Education Minister Tan Sri Musa Mohamad said today. He said the decision was made by the Permanent Committee for the Assessment and Recognition for Qualifications (JTPPK) with immediate effect.... "The ministry has received numerous reports regarding the dubious quality of education offered via these e-learning and online courses and some of the courses are conducted by unknown or little known foreign institutions. Most are not even recognised in their own countries, he said after chairing the post-Cabinet meeting at the ministry today. (0) comments Wednesday, December 03, 2003
A crisis on campus - Open Access Now
Librarians have been concerned for decades about the rising costs of academic publications, sometimes referred to as the 'serials pricing crisis'. Scholarly journal prices have been rising faster than inflation, and faster than library budgets, for more than thirty years. The transition to electronic access should have brought relief for librarians - but instead they are now embroiled in lengthy negotiations with publishers who are demanding high prices for electronic site licenses. Open Access Now talked to Beverlee French about her challenging job as the Director for Shared Digital Collections at the California Digital Library. (0) comments
Needs, Concerns and Practices of Online Instructors - Barbara K. Mc Kenzie, Nancy Mims, Elizabeth (Kirby) Bennett, Michael Waugh; Journal of Distanc
Abstract: While the delivery of on-line instructional courses in higher education institutions is flourishing, it is the faculty who play the key role in its successful implementation (Betts, 1998; Rockwell, Schauer, Fritz, & Marx, 1999; Willis, 1994; Wilson, 1998). Limited research has shown that a number of circumstances influence whether or not faculty choose to teach via on-line. Since faculty are pivotal to the success of online instruction, this study explored their backgrounds, concerns, and their on-line teaching practices. The information that is provided will update decision-makers of the current needs and concerns of on-line instructors so an effective distance-learning program can be fostered. (0) comments
Internet explorers on a learning curve - Jennifer Sharples, Telegraph
Apart from online learning courses that further academic qualifications or lead to a career boost the internet has opened up another world; that of stimulating lectures and seminars by leading experts, scholars and curators that are not only free but offer a front row seat that you can access from your own computer anywhere in the world. Have you ever longed to attend Oxford or Yale? Well now you can in a manner of speaking. The Alliance for Lifelong Learning (http://www.alllearn.org/) has a veritable feast of intellectual delights that have been developed by an online learning consortium among Oxford, Stanford and Yale universities to provide the highest quality, college level online courses and educational offerings. (0) comments Tuesday, December 02, 2003
Taking Charge of Learning: Tips for Students - David G. Brown, Syllabus
My recurring pedagogical theme is that each student is at the center of his or her learning. As teachers-professors we catalyze. We coach. We connect. In the end, however, each student must take personal responsibility for learning. Properly used, each student’s computer is an efficient and very effective tool that enhances the pursuit of this responsibility. Along those lines, here are some views that professors may find useful to pass along to their students. First, use e-mail to form a learning support group with students in the same class and keep in touch throughout the course. Consult with the professor to clarify a confusing assignment. Share the response with the rest of the class. Use e-mail to help others, and to get help from others. (0) comments
Bisk Education and Tulane Law School Launch Nation's First Corporate Governance Certificate Program
Bisk Education, Inc.... and Tulane University Law School, one of the nation's oldest law schools, announce the launch of the first-ever online Certificate in Corporate Governance Program -- designed specifically to help business professionals deepen their understanding of one of today's most critical business issues. "From Enron to Worldcom, from the New York Stock Exchange executive compensation debacle to recent mutual fund trading scandals, recent events have highlighted the critical need for a renewed focus on teaching corporate ethics and the principles of proper corporate governance to a new generation of businessmen and women," said Nathan Bisk, chairman and founder of Bisk Education. "The very foundation of the American market-based economy depends on it." (0) comments
USC to study terrorism and economics - Dibya Sarkar, Federal Computer Week
The University of Southern California will receive $12 million in federal funding over the next three years to study economic risks from potential terrorist threats and events to targets, such as critical infrastructure systems, and develop tools for planning responses and emergencies.... The center will offer courses and a certificate program in risk and decision analysis to distance-learning engineering students and develop professional workshops, fellowships and outreach to local and regional communities, among other research activities. (0) comments Monday, December 01, 2003
The challenges of Web-based language learning: An English conversation course from Canada to Japan - Sandy McIntosh, NAWEB 2003
Abstract: The English Language Program at the University of Alberta developed and offered a Web-based course in English conversation. The students were graduates in Pharmacy at Toho University in Japan who were preparing to travel to Canada for clinical orientation seminars in hospitals. Courseware was largely based in HTML and derivatives, presented through WebCT. Oral conferencing was facilitated through Wimba Voice Boards, accessed through WebCT. Orientation tutorials were available to students through WebCT, based on Power Point slide shows converted to Java format with Impatica for Power Point. The courseware performed well but scheduling issues and changing student preferences limited the effectiveness of the course. The coordinator of the project learned that design and development of Web-based courses requires an unexpected amount of time and related resources. If the required resources are not available for the development process, issues such as scheduling and student consultation may be squeezed out of the process. (0) comments
Tracking the Digital Puck into 2004 - Kenneth C. Green, Syllabus
This article extends the “digital puck” metaphor that first appeared in Syllabus in December 2002 (“Tracking the Digital Puck”). Then as now, a continuing source for information about the “digital puck” of information technology in American higher education is The Campus Computing Project (www.campuscomputing.net). Begun in 1990, the project is the largest continuing study of information technology in American higher education (Green, 1990-2003). Data from the Project’s 2003 Campus Computing Survey, typically completed by CIOs or the senior campus IT officer, provide interesting insights into where the digital puck has been in various sectors of higher education, and also the direction of the digital puck is going—in 2004 and beyond. (0) comments
Making it to class easy for online students - DIANE D’AMICO, Press of Atlantic City
In fall 2002, Egg Harbor Township High School graduate Lauren Birdsong went to college in Philadelphia and hated it. "I just was not ready to go away," she said. "I missed my family. I missed my room. My roommate was awful. It just wasn't what I expected." Two weeks later, she was home, working in the family business, Cox Carpets, and examining her options. In January 2003, she began attending Atlantic Cape Community College. She has taken 84 credits so far and plans to graduate with a dual major in history and psychology. Yet she has attended class on the Mays Landing campus just once. Birdsong is getting her degree almost entirely online. She plans to attend Thomas Edison College online and hopes to get her bachelor's degree next year. After that, she wants to get her teacher certification, also available online through Drexel University. (0) comments Sunday, November 30, 2003
Mediating affect and attitude while learning in a web-based format- Paul Jerry, Heather Demish, Sandra Collins, NAWEB 2003
Abstract: The Campus Alberta Applied Psychology: Counselling Initiative delivers a Master's degree in counseling psychology using a primarily Web-based / summer school format. Students and faculty in this program are engaged in teaching and learning counselling psychology, a discipline that explores the interaction between two people or groups in a helping context. This paper explores the issues that have emerged as counselling psychology students and faculty expand their learning and teaching experiences in a technologically-rich web-based learning environment. Specific strategies include the deliberate use of counselling skills and the working alliance construct in maintaining virtual community, relationship-based approaches to computer-mediated communication forums participation, and instructor training for web-based teaching. (0) comments
Students hope to test 3G e-learning - CNETAsia
A group of students at a local polytechnic hope to test the use of high-speed data mobile phones to remotely attend classes. According to a report in news daily The Straits Times, seven lecturers and two students hope to interest Singapore mobile carriers in their project. The scheme by the staff and students of Singapore Polytechnic will allow a group of 10 students access to Internet-based remote learning tools, but instead of using a notebook or handheld, the team hopes to use mobile phones equipped with third-generation (3G) wireless data features. (0) comments
eLearning in the UK: detailed investigation by ESRC - Public Technology
The Economic and Social Research Council has published a research report today entitled Learning online: eLearning and the domestic market which is a valuable piece of work, for anyone involved in educational ICT or eLearning strategy. The research project examined the production, textual characteristics and uses of 'educational' websites aimed at the domestic market. It focused on the early growth of the eLearning industry, and the interpenetration of public and private interests in this field; on the pedagogic style of these sites, for example in terms of mode of address, navigation, multimodality and interactivity; and on children's and parents' orientations towards the use of these new media in the home. The research took place against a background of growing interest in home education, on the part of government and commercial corporations. (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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