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Online Learning News and Research
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Saturday, February 14, 2004
Accessibility in Distance Education
As more and more universities and colleges continue to experiment with various forms of distance education, there is a heightened sense of responsibility that various online materials be accessible to those persons with disabilities. The Access in Distance Education (ADE) website, supported by the NEC Foundation of America and Verizon Foundation, has been designed to "meet the needs of faculty teaching students with disabilities in the online environment." Based in the Office of Distance Education and Lifelong Learning at the University of Maryland, the site both explains accessibility problems that may be faced by students with disabilities and also helps them develop solutions within their course websites. The site is divided into a number of sections, dealing with topic such as What is accessibility?, Legal Issues, Understanding Disabilities and a How-to section. The section devoted to legal issues spells out the legislation that requires faculty members to provide such assistance, and also offers a brief five question quiz to test their working knowledge about such laws. In terms of pragmatic information, the Best Practices area of the site contains several well-honed examples of how to adapt various course materials for effective use by those with disabilities. From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2003. http://scout.wisc.edu/ (0) comments
The Relationship of Sociometric Indicators and Synchronization in Online Case Discussions- Roberto Vinaja and Mahesh Raisinghani, DEC 2003
The main objective of this research-in-progress paper is to analyze whether the discussion method (asynchronous vs. synchronous) and the group structure (as measured by sociometric techniques) have an effect on the effectiveness of the case study as an online learning tool. Many online courses are incorporating the benefits of the case study as an innovative pedagogical tool, however, more research is needed in regards to the issues surrounding the implementation of online case studies. (0) comments
The Open University has become an attractive option. It even outperforms Oxford - Kate Youde, the Telegraph
Thanks to shiny new technology - and the fear of debt - the Open University is convincing record numbers of young students to turn their backs on mainstream universities. In need of a new look: the OU has updated its image since the 1970s This year, the OU has 15,000 students aged 24 or under, equivalent to a good-sized university and treble the 1997 total. (0) comments Friday, February 13, 2004
Content Delivery in the 'Blogosphere' - Richard E. Ferdig and Kaye D. Trammell, THE Journal
The interest in new media for teaching and learning has highlighted the potential of innovative software and hardware for education. This has included laptops, handhelds, wireless systems and Web-based learning environments. Most recently, however, this interest has focused on blogs and blogging. Weblogs, or blogs, are Web pages often likened to online personal journals. They are noted for being the "unedited, published voice of the people" (Winer 2003). Winer provides a more technical definition, suggesting that a Weblog is "a hierarchy of text, images, media objects and data, arranged chronologically, that can be viewed in an HTML browser." Blogging is writing your thoughts into your blog, and the "blogosphere," a term coined by William Quick (2001), is the "intellectual cyberspace" that bloggers (i.e., those who blog) occupy. (0) comments
Blackboard Releases Building Block APIs Built on the Microsoft .NET Framework
Blackboard Inc. today announces the release of Building Blocks built on the Microsoft .NET Framework, which give clients an easy new way to customize their Blackboard Learning System(TM) installation and further enhance the e-Learning experience for students and faculty. Blackboard clients can use Building Blocks to build their own .NET applications or integrate the Blackboard Learning System with Microsoft's powerful server and productivity applications. (0) comments
Using Online Education To Develop Graduate Portfolios - L. Dayle Yeager, DEC 2003
A summative portfolio is a document, either electronic or paper, that depicts attributes and corresponding competencies, artifacts, and statements of connectivity for the purposes of understanding and assessing an individual’s worth for a given setting or climate. Guidelines for not only creating and managing these documents but also bringing them to closure and assessment are demonstrated using online techniques. Portfolios are classified mainly by function or purpose. The more common classifications are formative and summative portfolios. Formative portfolios are easily described as those reflecting an assessment mode for given circumstances. Consequently, they are not used to establish grades but to denote weaknesses and strengths for a particular course or situation. A formative portfolio’s ultimate use is to improve or redirect rather than evaluate an individual. Summative portfolios depict an assessment mode executed ex post facto for individuals participating in given endeavors. Often related to a curriculum or degree program, they are used to denote attributes and proficiency levels for such individuals with the data being used to assign grades and/or validate certifications. (0) comments Thursday, February 12, 2004
Streaming Media for E-learning is On the Rise, Claims Aberdeen Report
Aberdeen Group teamed up with StreamingMedia.com to identify top trends in the streaming media market. Its findings are released in a new report, “Uses of Streaming and Digital Media,” which is based on two surveys conducted in conjunction with StreamingMedia.com’s end users. According to report analysis, approximately half of all streaming and digital media will be used for such business applications as executive communications, Webcasting, and distance learning by the end of 2004. (0) comments
Effective—and Ineffective—Instructional Strategies - Jackie Dobrovolny, Learning Circuits
Here’s a closer look at the features of self-paced, technology-based training that adults say are useful and the relationship between those course features and the learning strategies adults consistently use. (0) comments
Emergent Learning - Kathleen Gilroy, eLearning Magazine
Howard Dean’s use of the Internet catapulted him into the top ranks of the Democratic candidates for President in the U.S. Whether Dr. Dean ultimately prevails in his quest for the nomination or not, his campaign’s use of the Internet has been extraordinarily successful at creating a high-performance learning community. And there are enormous lessons to be learned here for designers of e-learning programs for corporations and universities. (0) comments Wednesday, February 11, 2004
The Law Catches Up With Distance Education - Karen Hughes Miller, THE Journal
Legal issues in postsecondary Education is a popular course in the Department of Leadership, Foundations and Human Resource Education at the University of Louisville College of Education and Human Development in Kentucky. The course is required for most master's- and doctoral-level students in education administration, but also admits students from other programs. Because so many graduate students at the university are working professionals, online courses are steadily gaining in popularity. So, it was just a matter of time before "Legal Issues" went online. The first step in developing the course was to identify the issues that made it unique such as... (0) comments
eCollege makes Forbes' fastest growing list - Denver Business Journal
ECollege provides online learning opportunities to the post-secondary education market. Since the Top 25 list was compiled, eCollege has more than doubled in size through the acquisition of Datamark, a previously privately held company in Salt Lake City. (0) comments
Kaplan Transforms CPA Preparation With Web-Based Programs for New Exam
With the CPA Exam about to undergo its most significant change since 1994, Kaplan, Inc., one of the world's leading providers of computerized test prep and online learning, today launched a major new CPA test prep initiative, based on its years of experience in web-based educational programs. The launch comes as the Uniform Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Examination, the qualifying test for those seeking professional licensure as CPAs, shifts from a paper-based test to a computer-based format, beginning April 5, 2004. In preparation for the new exam, Kaplan CPA Review's new technology-based program will include live, Internet-delivered video classes with interactive Q&A, practice simulations, unique software providing unprecedented flexibility to customize preparation, and an online bank of 3,000-plus questions. (0) comments Tuesday, February 10, 2004
Investigating Triggers in CMC Text Transcripts - Krista R. Poscente and Patrick J. Fahy, IRRODL
Computer Mediated Conferencing (CMC) provides the opportunity for interaction in distance education courses. Successful asynchronous text-based conferencing overcomes transactional distance (Moore, 1991), permitting student-student as well as instructor-student communication. This interaction is thought to foster the development of an on-line learning community. Strategic initial messages, triggers, in asynchronous text conferencing can lead to rich cognitive discussions. Such initiating messages or triggers have been reported in previous literature, defined either in relation to their effects (number of actual responses received), or their intentions (the writer’s evident purpose of evoking responses by being in some way provocative). In Zhu’s (1996) study, a good student starter usually pointed to a few major discussion themes for a weekly discussion. Fahy (2001) defined “response triggers” as messages that generated large numbers of subsequent postings. Triggers in the Community of Inquiry model are defined more in the latter sense, as messages that are intended by the writer to evoke discussion, whether or not they actually succeed in doing so (Garrison, 2002; Garrison, Anderson, and Archer, 2000; Garrison, Anderson, and Archer, 2001). The characteristics of postings which succeed in triggering responses, as compared with those which fail to do so, was the focus of this inquiry. (0) comments
University of Puerto Rico to build electronic library - Lorraine Blasor, Caribbean Business
The University of Puerto Rico (UPR) will make the jump into the 21st century with the opening of its first electronic library at the Utuado campus. Construction of the multimillion-dollar project, to be housed in a building designed by architect Tom Marvel, will go out to bid at the end of February, said Ida de Jesus, in charge of UPR’s Office of Development & Infrastructure. She said construction should begin in May and take between 24 and 30 months. The earliest delivery date is the end of March 2006. (0) comments
E-learning sent to Coventry - James Mortleman, Vnunet
Coventry University expects 60 per cent of students to be using e-learning facilities by the end of the year following a major systems upgrade. Half of the university's 20,000 students already use the existing WebCT virtual learning system, but it is five years old and struggling to keep up with demand. Upgrading to the latest version, WebCT Vista, will allow the university to expand the number of users in line with increasing demand. (0) comments Monday, February 09, 2004
Internet publishing could be future of textbook industry - Elizabeth Thomas, Daily Pennsylvanian
As the price of textbooks continues to rise, several colleges and universities are beginning to make entire texts and videos available to students over the Internet. Cornell University recently implemented the Internet-First Publishing Project, an experimental measure designed to allow the online publication of academic works in lieu of the traditional print method. "We are trying to create an alternative way of scholarly publishing ... . In the past, we have created content and have had to buy back excess," said James Robert Cooke, a Cornell professor of Biological and Environmental Engineering and principal investigator for the project. (0) comments
Pilot online program aims to make paper citations easier - Amy Horst, Minnesota Daily
For Chantal Norrgard, writing papers will never be the same. Instead of spending a lot of her research time compiling bibliographies, the second-year graduate student will use RefWorks, an online tool that seeks to simplify the process of making a bibliography. Norrgard is one of about 1,000 University students, staff and faculty who use the Web-based software University Libraries began offering in November as part of a one-year pilot program. (0) comments
Lousiana offering more Internet classes; trend convenient, to curb excuses - SCOTT DYER, Baton Rouge Advocate
Online courses are a major new trend in higher education, and the new point-and-click formats could mean bad news for lazy students who rely on traditional excuses for not completing their lessons. "There's no reason for me to hear that someone didn't do their assignment because they couldn't get to the campus, or their dog ate their paper, or they had car trouble," said Carolyn Person, director of Southern University's e-learning unit. (0) comments Sunday, February 08, 2004
College distance learning programs increase their revenues - eMedia Wire
College distance learning programs increased their revenues by a mean of 9.67% in 2003, according to a new survey published by Primary Research Group, “The Survey of Distance & Cyberlearning Programs in Higher Education, 2004 Edition" (ISBN# 1-57440-066-5). Growth was slightly faster among 4-year than 2-year colleges. Private colleges increased revenues by a mean of less than 6%. The report presents the results of a survey of 71 college distance learning programs conducted from September 2003 to January 2004. The sample includes fifty 4-year colleges, and twenty community colleges. The mean equivalent full time attendance for the colleges in the sample was 10,270 for all programs, not just distance learning, with a median of 6,300. The largest college in the sample had more than 39,000 students while the smallest had 140. (0) comments
College-class options get easier Online courses, distance learning help students earn degrees - Jane C. Parikh, Kalamazoo Gazette
Natalie Gianetti, dean for Spring Arbor University's School of Adult Studies and Off-Campus Operations, said the private Christian school began offering online-learning options four years ago because of an interest from students. Gianetti said Spring Arbor has about 1,200 online students who are among a total of 3,500 students enrolled at 14 sites throughout lower Michigan. Gianetti said she doesn't think online courses are for everyone. (0) comments
More students earning college degrees through online classes - Patti Brandt, Bay City Times
These armchair scholars count time as their most valuable asset, and they don't want to spend it sitting in a classroom or in a car driving to a far-off university. Enter the online college. Class is when you have the time to log on. Online classes cater to the nontraditional student who may be older, working full-time and have a home and family to take care of. (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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