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Online Learning News and Research
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Saturday, May 29, 2004
SUNY online enrollments at all-time high - Christine Margiotta, The Business Review
Enrollments reached over 70,000 for the state University of New York's online Learning Network this school year - an all-time high for the program, Chancellor Robert King announced Friday. Enrollments reached 70,669 students, a 32 percent increase over the 2002 to 2003 school year. About 28,200 students enrolled this spring semester alone, beating last spring semester's enrollment by 28 percent. (0) comments
Prospects for Internet-based learning in Indonesia - Sidatajudi, Jakarta Post
I once read an article written by a local education activist proposing the nationwide adoption of Internet-based distance learning to help provide quality tertiary education at a low cost for those living in small towns. Although the idea is very noble, there are some very serious challenges that need to be addressed before we can see Web-based distance learning offered by Indonesian colleges and universities. The first challenge is, of course, the availability of a market for this service. Many universities in the northern hemisphere, where most of the developed countries are located, except perhaps Australia and New Zealand, offer Web-based learning because they have a big potential market for the service. These countries, especially the English-speaking ones, have for many years been the destinations for thousands of students wishing to obtain the kind of quality education they cannot find in their homelands. (0) comments
E-learning gets top marks - James Mortleman, Computeractive
Employees have given top marks to electronic learning, with more than nine out of ten saying it is an enjoyable and effective way to acquire knowledge and skills. A survey of 200 e-learning users across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, conducted by online training provider SkillSoft, found that 92.5 per cent of respondents said they had learnt what they needed even where they had not completed full courses, while 93.5 per cent said they found the technology enjoyable. (0) comments Friday, May 28, 2004
Accessibility goal: Tear down barriers to virtual schooling - Corey Murray, eSchool News
For hundreds of thousands of students across the United States, virtual schooling--instruction that takes place entirely online--has opened educational doors previously inaccessible. But for students who are blind, visually impaired, or who have certain other disabilities, cyber-education programs might actually create more barriers than they remove. Bringing down those barriers was the objective addressed by a select group of special-education experts and industry executives who convened earlier this month at the National Summit on Disability and Distance Education in Washington, D.C. Their goal was to form an agenda that would help make the promise of virtual instruction a reality for the nation's special-needs learners. (0) comments
'Plagiarist' to sue university - BBC
A student who admits down-loading material from the internet for his degree plans to sue his university for negligence. Michael Gunn claims his university should have warned him his actions were against the regulations. The Times Higher Education Supplement reports that he was told on the eve of his final exams that he would get no marks for his course work. The University of Kent at Canterbury says students are warned about plagiarism. Michael Gunn, a 21-year-old English student, told the Times Higher: "I hold my hands up. I did plagiarise. I never dreamt it was a problem. (0) comments
More students trying online courses as a summer option - Kathy Walsh Nufer, Appleton Post-Crescent
With the deadline looming for area high school students to enroll in summer online courses available through Appleton eSchool, Stephen Now can think of several reasons to sign up. For starters, the Hortonville 15-year-old said, “It’s a good learning environment, it’s a very good way to get your grade point up, it gives you choices of assignments you can do at home at your own at your own pace, and you learn how to use the Internet better.” And it’s a great way for many busy students to clear packed high school schedules for other classes they want to take, said Connie Radtke, eSchool coordinator and online learning program leader for the Appleton Area School District. (0) comments Thursday, May 27, 2004
Designing Collaborative E-Learning For Results - Glen Mohr and Julia M. Nault, Learning Circuits
Because we can communicate by email and over the Web, we no longer need to meet face to face. The more connected we are, the more isolated we are. The connectivity/isolation paradox is manifesting itself in many aspects of our professional and personal lives and is a fundamental reason why e-learning programs can be unsatisfying to instructors and learners. How can we design e-learning programs to overcome the connectivity/isolation paradox? A program that The Otter Group adapted for CDM from a lunch seminar and then reengineered for synchronous online delivery, demonstrates strategies for building connection, interactivity, and relationships via online learning. (0) comments
Survey Reveals Top 10 Online Business Degree Majors
The popularity of online degrees continues to escalate. However some degree majors are clearly more in demand than others. GetEducated.com, LLC, a consumer-oriented, online degree clearinghouse, has uncovered the following trends among learners seeking graduate degrees online: Top 10 Online Business Degree Majors: 1) Business Administration 2) Management 3) Leadership 4) Project Management 5) Information Systems Management 6) Finance 7) Technology Management 8) Entrepreneurship 9) Human Resources 10) International/Global Business Most Popular Online Graduate Degree: The Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) (0) comments
Purdue, IU offering dual program for engineers - Indianapolis Star
Purdue and Indiana universities are offering a dual distance-learning program that gives engineers a chance to earn two degrees that will help them advance into management positions. The program uses online and media-based instruction so students can keep their jobs while earning degrees. Engineers can earn a master of science in engineering and a master of business administration. (0) comments Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Evaluating Online Discussions: Four Different Frames of Analysis - Katrina A. Meyer, JALN
ABSTRACT: This study uses four different “frames” to analyze 17 online discussions that occurred in two doctoral-level classes in educational leadership. Two of the frames were developmental models: King and Kitchener’s Reflective Judgment Model and Perry’s model of intellectual and ethical development. Two of the frames captured levels of thinking: Garrison’s four-stage critical-thinking model and Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. Of the 278 individual postings, 45.3% were at levels five through seven of the King and Kitchener model, 100% were at levels five through nine of the Perry model, 52.2% were at the two highest levels of the Garrison model, and 54.3% were at levels four through six in Bloom’s taxonomy. These results seem appropriate to the level of response expected of doctoral students. For each frame, the analysis resulted in additional findings. The study concludes that each frame has value and focuses attention on different aspects of the student’s thinking as evidenced in his/her posting to an online discussion; however, some frames are more difficult to use than others, which argues for specific training and/or tailoring the topic of discussions to address issues in a particular manner. Lastly, the question initiating each of the online discussions influenced the level of the responses from students. Each frame has the potential to illumine students’ online discussions, although using multiple frames may have more benefit than using any one frame exclusively. (0) comments
Online learning focus - Australia Manning River Times
The days of solely face-to-face teaching of TAFE students in a classroom environment have changed dramatically since Lexie Stephens began her teaching career. Today, more students are involved in 'blended learning', involving online technology. More students, too, are mature age, rather than the high school leavers of years ago. Lexie Stephens has played an important role in engineering the facilities for the change, and continues to be a leader in her field. Mrs Stephens has received the Director-General's Award for excellent service to public education and training, during an award ceremony at Education Head Office in Sydney. The award recognises her efforts ‘above and beyond the call of duty' particularly in education innovation in the field of online learning. (0) comments
Cornell to Provide Management Skills to Restaurant Professionals Online - Hospitality Net
The Cornell Hotel School, eCornell and The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) have combined to produce a series of self-guided online courses designed to help restaurant professionals develop their management skills and maximize operating efficiency. Beginning this summer, restaurant managers and assistant managers, chefs, and entrepreneurs will choose from 14 courses conveying specific skills and knowledge in finance, revenue management and strategic management and leadership. These interactive courses use multimedia technology, creating an engaging experience far more effective than standard online learning programs. (0) comments Tuesday, May 25, 2004
MERLOT International Conference Online Resources: Sharing the Future
The MERLOT International Conference, Costa Mesa, California August 3 - 6, 2004, seeks to address the needs of faculty members, digital library providers and developers, authors of digital learning materials, and those involved in administering and supporting instructional technology. NEW this Year - The Learning Objects Fair As we look to sharing the future of learning objects (learning resources), we have initiated a new way to help our conference participants who are making use of learning objects to share their learning objects and to get feedback on them from users. This year we are implementing the Learning Objects Fair. The Fair will be held from 5:30 - 6:30 on Wednesday, August 4, 2004. We invite authors and developers of learning objects to attend the fair to introduce conference attendees to their learning objects. The following morning before that start of the day's sessions, we will hold a breakfast for authors/developers and attendees to meet again for a more in-depth look and review of the learning objects. This is an excellent opportunity to gather feedback on learning objects that are 'in-process' as well as those that are complete and ready for release. . It also an opportunity to work with others in how to reuse or use a learning object. (0) comments
Coping as a distance learner - Zoraini Wati Abas, eMedia
Distance learning has grown significantly, especially with the advent of the Internet. Browse through the Net or the newspapers and you are bound to see advertisements on distance learning programmes. What is so appealing about distance learning? There are a few factors. Firstly, it is the flexibility in terms of time and place. Secondly, the ability for one to pace his own learning and thirdly, the convenience distance learning offers in terms of following the learning activities. Picture this. Attending tutorials once a fortnight. Being able to meet the tutors online in between the face-to-face sessions. Reading the specially-designed learning modules at your own pace. Accessing the digital collection comprising thousands of books and journal articles online. Meeting classmates online. Discussing with tutors and classmates online. (0) comments
Taking advantage of new era in education delivery method - Maya Salleh, Borneo Bulletin
The evolution of the Internet has paved the way to a new era in education delivery method, one that must be taken full advantage of especially with the advent of e-Government initiatives in the country, scheduled to be fully implemented by next year. The impact that the Internet has brought upon society as a whole opens wide opportunities to distribute education and training afforded by the Internet, and offers challenges as earlier paradigms have already been applied to such a technology. Students now clamour on simple online access to course materials and this results in an urgent move towards a change in the instructional delivery. (0) comments Monday, May 24, 2004
Learning to share - Colleen O'Hara, FCW
From the Defense Department to the Internal Revenue Service, federal officials are embracing e-learning to teach managers the ins and outs of team building, help soldiers earn a computer science degree or teach the basics of microeconomics. But in many ways, building an e-learning system can be a lesson itself. One of the biggest problems organizations face is how to integrate into the electronic courseware the content that is often located in different places on different systems and in different formats. (0) comments
CMU's 'Million Books' on the Web project makes slow, steady progress - Byron Spice, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Ethics of Sex Acts" is the most downloaded book on this Web site, but before you get the wrong idea, consider that "Early Jazz" and "A Brief History of Mathematics" rank two and three. And consider that the sexual ethics tome, written by Rene Guyon, was last printed in 1958. The three books are among thousands currently accessible on the Web through the Million Book Project. An international effort spearheaded by Raj Reddy and colleagues at Carnegie Mellon University, its goal is to make a million books available free-to-read on the Web by 2007. Most, like Guyon's, are older books no longer protected by copyright, or are out of print. (0) comments
What is Workflow Learning? - Jay Cross, eLearning Magazine
A buff venture capitalist in a designer suit steps into my elevator. Soon she asks, “Workflow learning? What’s that?” I reply: “That’s something you won’t have to ask five years from now, for by then Web Services and the integrated, real-time enterprise will be commonplace. Learning will have become a core business process. It’s what will connect humans to their work. Now, we call it workflow learning because it’s a different animal from the workshops, reference manuals, computer-based training, and courses that have been the staple of corporate training departments. The goal of workflow learning is to optimize business performance. It employs “smart” software to guide, inform, and assist workers to do their jobs better. When appropriate, it will put the worker in touch with the right expert or mentor or help desk, someone who’s both knowledgeable and available. (0) comments Sunday, May 23, 2004
Taking E-Moderating Skills to the Next Level - Shelagh M. Ross, Agnes Kukulska-Hulme, Brian Joyce; JALN
ABSTRACT: This paper reports an analysis of computer conference structures set up for a distance education course in which major components of the teaching and learning involve group discussions and collaboration via asynchronous text-based conferencing. As well as adopting traditional e-moderator roles, tutors were required to design appropriate online spaces and navigation routes for students. Tutors’ views concerning conference structures focussed on tensions between enabling easy access to conference areas, facilitating the successful running of activities, and addressing students’ subsequent needs for retrieval of conference material for assessment tasks. The geographically dispersed course tutors initially explored these issues in reflective online conversations. Comparisons were made between structures that were set up differently but all used for essentially the same tasks and purposes. Evidence from conference messages, from student feedback given in questionnaire and interview responses, as well as from students’ written assignments, provided insights into the impact such structures may have on the student learning experience. Students found conference areas for their own group easy to navigate, but they had concerns about managing the large number of messages; these concerns centred on the volume, threading, linking, length, and language of messages. (0) comments
Classical Finally Cracks the Internet - ANNE MIDGETTE, New York Times
On a sunny afternoon last month, a group of cellists from the New World Symphony, a training orchestra for young professionals based here, opted for the relative dimness of the Lincoln Theater in South Beach. They were taking a master class on Beethoven's Fifth Symphony with two notable teachers: Carter Brey, of the New York Philharmonic, and Stephen Geber, formerly of the Cleveland Orchestra and still of the Cleveland Institute of Music. But Mr. Brey and Mr. Geber were not there — not, at least, in the flesh. Instead, they were projected onto a wall of the lovingly restored Art Deco movie house, listening, commenting and demonstrating fingerings, all in real time.... It was, in short, a musical video conference, held over the Internet. Not just your regular home Internet but Internet2. (0) comments
University of Miami brands high school on the Web - Robin Londner, South Florida Business Journal
In the first venture of its kind for each institution, the University of Miami has allied with what used to be known as the Sagemont Virtual School - an online education venture from the Weston private school - to create the University of Miami Online High School (UMOHS). Christopher Gentile, executive director of the 3-year-old, private online high school, said he decided the Sagemont Virtual School could use added guidance, plus utilize UM faculty and graduate students looking to do research on online education. It didn't hurt that UM already had a relationship with the bricks-and-mortar Sagemont School, which houses the Broward campus of UM's School for Continuing Studies. (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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