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Online Learning News and Research
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Saturday, October 02, 2004
Using Internet Audio to Enhance Online Accessibility - Linda Matula Schwartz, IRoDL
The impetus to provide accessibility in online learning comes from many sources. First and foremost, it is the moral thing to do. Houtenville (2003) indicates that 1 in 13 people aged 18-64 in the United States reports a disability; and this population may be expected to increase as the population ages. Blair, Goldmann and Relton (2004) report that 10 – 20 percent of post-secondary students in 2002 identified themselves as having a disability. Schmetzke (2001) found, however, that only 15 percent of 219 DE homepages examined with Bobby (an accessibility validation tool from the Center for Applied Special Technology) were free of major accessibility errors. Similarly, a study by the National Center for Education Statistics (2003) indicated that 95 percent of 2- and 4-year institutions offering distance education (DE) courses use websites for course delivery, but that only 18 percent of these sites ensured accessibility to a major extent. A recent British Disability Rights Commission study indicates that these trends still prevail, with more than 80 percent of websites unusable by persons with disabilities (Adams-Spink, 2004). Rowland, Burgsthaler, Smith and Coombs (2004), report the specific under-utilization of DE programs by disabled students, possibly due to the failure of those programs to adapt to their needs. DE institutions, no less than face-to-face (f2f) ones, should give accessibility issues a high priority. (0) comments
Pedagogy: Theory and Online Application - NYU
The pedogogical concepts and theories used in traditional education apply to online education as well. We've developed a tool to graphically navigate the complex relationships between schools of thought, theorists, theories and concepts. The exploration covers Behaviorist, Cognitivist and Constructivist Schools of thought. It includes a comprehensive list of theorists from Piaget to Guilford, theories including Metacognition and Andragogy and concepts such as Scaffolding and Learner Centered Education. (0) comments
BAOU to be first distance learning varsity - Times of India
To survive in an increasingly competitive job market, you need to add value to your degree especially if you are simply an arts or commerce graduate. It is this realisation that has dawned on working professionals and unemployed youths looking for short-term professional courses. To tap the market, Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University (BAOU) will go online from the next academic year.... Members of the university’s board have passed the online proposal, making it the first among open and conventional universities to offer such facility. “The university will conduct examinations as well as tests online. Each student will be provided a password after enrolment so that he could start his distance education from home. We will also provide question papers of the past ten years online for reference,” says Vice-Chancellor Amrapali Merchant. (0) comments Friday, October 01, 2004
Online-only courses draw avid audience - kimberly siegal, Daily Pennsylvanian
Press the "on" button. Sign onto the Internet, and voila -- Penn students are ready for their first PennAdvance class.... PennAdvance courses receive equivalent credit to in-class lectures, which may also be transferred to other colleges. Still, according to the PennAdvance Web site, this program "is not a degree program," but instead provides an opportunity for "students from around the country and even the world" to take Penn courses. The student response to PennAdvance has been overwhelmingly positive, according to the program directors. (0) comments
Values of Community Source Development - Lois Brooks, Syllabus
To help us understand open source in the context of higher education, Lois Brooks lays a groundwork based on the work of some of the best thinkers in the software development world. There are a lot of projects underway in higher education institutions right now that are pushing software into open source. Open source isn’t new, of course, and in the 30 years that it has been a viable model for software development, some common practices and values have emerged. The structure and beliefs of the open source community are increasingly present in higher education. In recent years a trend toward community-based projects has emerged, where institutions pool their talent and resources to develop products for use by the education community. The definition of open source is access to the raw, original code of an application. The intellectual underpinning is that the code itself is at liberty—the source itself is available to anyone who wishes it. Others can modify, extend, poke around to learn, or whatever they wish. The notion is not that open source is free of cost, though often there are no licensing fees. (0) comments
Open source - opens learning: why open source makes sense for education - the r-smart group
Because of the rise in popularity and consideration of open source applications in all markets from education to government to business, it is critical for all decision makers to understand what open source applications are and what the implications are for their organization. This is especially true in the education market where budget pressures make the right decision an imperative. This white paper will offer a simple, yet thorough definition of open source in the context of education, describe the new market models, and dispel the myths about open source. (0) comments Thursday, September 30, 2004
The Role of Scaffolding in a Learner-centered Tutoring System for Business English at a Distance - Elena Bárcena & Timothy Read, EJODL
This paper considers some of the key theoretical frameworks and concepts in the field of learning and their application to a system for the tuition of business English. A critical overview of learner-centered technology is undertaken from the perspective of the mainstream theoretical frameworks that have been adopted since computer-assisted learning started. Attention is then given to the specific concept of educational scaffolding, a recently revitalised topic that many teachers and educational systems adopt to intervene in the learning process, assisting the learner mainly in the early stages. Finally, an application of some of these key theoretical principles to a personalized learner-centered system for the tuition of business English, called I-PETER, is presented. (0) comments
Online learning Wave Of The Future - New Zealand Scoop
From primary school children accessing information on the internet through to university students attending lectures - it's increasingly happening online. So it's crucial for New Zealand's e-learning leaders in the tertiary sector to share information and tap into best practice both nationally and internationally so that kiwi students around the country are kept up to speed with the latest developments. Waikato University is managing a $775,000 e-Learning Collaborative Development Fund contract with the Tertiary Education Commission designed to do just that. Based on a similar programme operating since 2000 in Australia, the Flexible Learning Leaders in New Zealand (FLLinNZ) scheme aims to help e-learning leaders collaborate and to experience what is happening at other institutions, both here and overseas. (0) comments
UK Study: Computers 'do not boost learning' - Justin Parkinson, BBC
Efforts to promote "lifelong learning" using computers have done little to increase the number of adults in education, a survey says. People were more likely to use the internet for hobbies such as music-making and compiling a family tree, research at Cardiff University found. Background had more bearing than online access on whether people studied. Some 1,001 people were interviewed in Cardiff, Bath, Somerset, Blaenau Gwent and the Forest of Dean. (0) comments Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Educators increasing use of video streaming for the deaf - Ohio News Network
Pastor Fred Adams is relying on video-streamed classes to expand enrollment at Sword Deaf College, a suburban Cincinnati religious college he founded to train people to minister to the deaf. "Students who cannot attend classes at deaf colleges or universities can take courses online this way," said Adams, who lost his hearing at the age of 8 months. While videotaped instruction has been available to the deaf and hard of hearing for years, tapes _ and later CDs and DVDs _ had to be kept and stored and required students to have the equipment to view them. Video streaming allows easy viewing of large video files that can be offered live or pre-recorded. Now it also allows the quality of transmission needed to view sign language. In the last couple of years, more communities have gained access to affordable high-speed connections with broadband, cable and DSL (digital subscriber line) and that has allowed more deaf people to benefit from video streaming," said Stephen Campbell, manager of technology support services at National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y. (0) comments
Miami International University of Art & Design Announces New Online Master of Fine Arts Degree Programs
Miami International University of Art & Design will offer two online Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree programs beginning in April 2005. The two online MFA degree offerings, Graphic Design and Computer Animation, will provide a fresh, innovative academic environment for artistic-minded students and will allow Miami International University of Art & Design to be at the forefront of online MFA education. Miami International University of Art & Design's online MFA programs are designed for people currently in the creative field or teachers who wish to increase specific knowledge and skills in graphic design or computer animation. Also, with the online program's convenient format, these MFA programs may be attractive to adults struggling to balance work and family life, as well as to those seeking a superior online learning experience that provides flexibility and academic challenge. (0) comments
Cascadia launches online degree - Kelly Kearsley, Seattle Times
After trips to three campus offices yesterday morning, Cascadia Community College student Helen Khin finally sat at a computer in the school's lab. She tried to log on four times. "It's not recognizing my password," Khin said. "I think I need some help." It was a typical first day of classes, complete with long lines and computer crises. But it won't be a usual day for Khin. The 22-year-old student will spend most of her freshman year learning — and stressing about computer problems — from home. Beginning this fall, Cascadia Community College students can complete an associate's degree in integrated studies entirely online. The Bothell college has offered online courses since it opened four years ago, but this is the first degree available via the Internet. (0) comments Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Driving Higher Ed Institutions to an Enterprise Approach - Barbara Ross, Learning Circuits
Since its introduction in the 1990s, e-learning has grown rapidly at post-secondary institutions around the world. At leading colleges and universities, nearly all students take at least one course with a technology-supported component. As e-learning enters its second decade, many institutions find themselves at a critical juncture. With the use of course management systems continuing to expand, and course, program, and institution-level activities dependent on technology for success, many institutions have outgrown their current approaches to e-learning. For many institutions, linear expansion of e-learning—adding a program, a person, or a larger server to an existing model—cannot scale to meet current needs or future demands. Moving e-learning to an enterprise level requires institutions to re-think the way they currently support technology-enhanced instruction. Adopting an enterprise approach to e-learning results in systems and processes that are powerful, reliable, and, most of all, flexible enough to support all stakeholders and provide benefits across the institution. (0) comments
Utah colleges, universities are embracing future with Web classes - Stephen Speckman, Deseret Morning News
The time is not far off that all college courses will have "some Web aspects" to them. So says Jerry Fullmer, director of information technology for the Utah System of Higher Education. Soothsayer? Nope. In fact, that time is already here for most Utah schools. Fullmer made the statement to Salt Lake Community College officials in a recent request for an extended leave of absence. But his time away from his job at that school has been no vacation, as he's spent it working with USHE. Fullmer and others have been working with Utah's public institutions on using software to enhance a course's Web-based components. Schools like SLCC and Weber State University, which has about 800 courses that use some aspect of Internet technology, have already embraced the future. (0) comments
Students surf for hard-to-find classes - KELLY HANNON, Frredericksburg Free-Lance Star
Planning for a career in marine biology, senior Jordan Ross signed up to take Advanced Placement biology at Brooke Point High School this fall. Unfortunately, she had little company, and the Stafford County school couldn't offer the course. In the past, Ross would've had to take a different class. Instead, she enrolled in the Virtual AP School, a Virginia Department of Education program that helps students who are having a hard time signing up for AP classes by offering them online or via satellite television. It's part of Gov. Mark Warner's Senior Year Plus program. Designed to help students get a financial and academic head start on college, it aims to enroll more high school seniors in college-level courses. The Virtual AP School kicked off this July, offering a mix of 15 popular and slightly more obscure AP classes to high school students. (0) comments Monday, September 27, 2004
Growing Virtual Communities - Debbie Garber, IRoDL
As online collaborative technologies become easier to use, an increasing range of “virtual communities” are being established, often for educational purposes. This report stresses that an efficient technology is only part of the process underlying a successful online community. It considers the social process on which an online learning community must be founded if it is to flourish and be useful. Definitions of community, learning community, and virtual learning community are reviewed, and the experience of an online community member is discussed. The importance of nurturing the community’s health, and the natural life cycle of a virtual community, are examined. (0) comments
Faculty Training for Online Teaching -Peg Pankowski, THE Journal
Experts agree that faculty need training to teach online, yet a survey of faculty who teach undergraduate mathematics courses online indicates that most faculty at two-year colleges are still not receiving adequate training. While 89% of the participants in this research received at least some training, about half said that the training they received did not adequately prepare them to teach online. In addition, 60% said that they would have benefited from more training in facilitating online interaction before they began teaching online. (0) comments
MIT Open Course Ware: Mathematics
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and MIT, has launched this "large-scale, Web-based electronic publishing initiative." The website posts lecture notes, problem sets, and other materials from courses across the MIT campus. This section highlights MIT's undergraduate and graduate program in Mathematics. Courses are listed by title and include topics such as Differential Analysis, Linear Algebra, and Statistical Inference. The materials serve as valuable resources for educators, students, or anyone interested in learning more about these topics. From The NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2003. http://scout.wisc.edu/ (0) comments Sunday, September 26, 2004
Why I Teach Online - William Wade, THE Journal
While distance learning is not for everyone, the flexible education alternative provides teachers and students with many advantages. A colleague once asked me why I teach online. After several seconds of thought, I realized how that answer has changed over the last 10 years. I first began teaching online because it allowed the students to use the current technology to their advantage and have a little flexibility in their schedule. In 1991 that flexibility was limited, and compared to now, the technology was even more limited.... I believe that online teaching and learning is as good as in-class teaching and learning. Like in-class teaching, online teaching requires a careful awareness of what is going on. But one format does not take more concern or awareness than the other. I teach online because of the challenge, because students seem to need the alternative format, and because I also like the flexibility that it allows. (0) comments
Campus Life Comes to Second Life - Daniel Terdiman, Wired
Aaron Delwiche, an assistant professor at Trinity University in San Antonio, often gathers students in his Games for the Web class in an unlikely classroom: the metaverse known as Second Life. It's not unusual for teachers and students to use an online environment like a chat room to meet. But Delwiche and a few other college professors are taking advantage of Second Life's fully three-dimensional virtual world and are the first to teach classes in a world where the students can fly, change body types at will and build fantastical structures that can float in the sky. Second Life's "online environment tends to be a little less stuffy than the real-world classroom," said Delwiche. "Suddenly (the students) got to adopt these ridiculous avatars and interact with each other in a completely different context. They had a lot more fun." (0) comments
Subcommittee considers how to combat diploma mill fraud - Alyson Klein, Congress Daily
The federal government has not been effective enough in cracking down on so-called diploma mills, said House Education and the Workforce 21st Century Competitiveness Subcommittee Chairman Howard (Buck) McKeon, R.-Calif., at a Thursday hearing. The Internet, with its increased emphasis on distance learning, has made diploma mills more prevalent and profitable, said Allen Ezell, a retired FBI agent who investigated education fraud during his tenure at the bureau. Teachers, physicians and government employees have used these phony degrees to get jobs or promotions, Ezell said. Some diploma mills can print authentic looking certificates from real institutions, which could be used by terrorists and others to create fake identities.... Ezell suggested assigning at least one FBI agent to investigate these institutions full-time. He also said Congress should encourage the Education Department to develop and publish a list of legitimate accredited colleges to be used by federal agencies and other employers when making hiring decisions. (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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