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Online Learning News and Research
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Saturday, May 21, 2005
Kaplan University Offers 15% Discount to All Active Military
Kaplan University is pleased to announce a 15% discount on all online degree programs currently offered to U.S. troops on active military status. Active members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard branches, as well as active Reserves and National Guard, are now eligible for the reduction when enrolling for classes with the university’s special team of military admissions advisors. "We are very proud of the men and women who are defending freedom and democracy on our behalf," said Andrew Rosen, President, Kaplan University. "Many of these individuals had to put a pause on their pursuit of higher education; we want to make the option of distance learning more feasible to them." (0) comments
Use ICT resources in providing education, says Indian HRD Minister
Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh today called on the educational institutions in the country to effectively utilise the latest Information and Communications Technology (ICT) resources to provide high quality education. "Visual classroom and video resource centres set up by some Universities should be adopted by every institution. It can be a very effective tool for propagation of knowledge to a large number of people," Singh said at a National Convention on 'Impact of ICT Development on Educational and Social Message Communication' here. (0) comments
Virtual schools: the next big thing in public education? - Jay Allen, Blogging Baby
For several years now, colleges and universities have been translating parts of their curriculum into distance learning courses that students can taek without having to set foot on campus. Now, a new trend is emerging: online education for primary schools. These virtual schools, operated by either state governments or local school districts, promise to give students more flexibility while also lowering education costs for the state. Most virtual state-operated schools operated will accept enrollment from students anywhere in the state. (0) comments Friday, May 20, 2005
eLearning for growth, jobs and an inclusive society - Europa
eLearning for growth, jobs and an inclusive society: Commissioners Reding and Figel’ welcome a multi-stakeholder drive towards a learning society. A multi-annual, multi-stakeholder drive to build digital competence at home, school and the workplace was launched by Viviane Reding, the Commissioner for Information Society and Media, and Ján Figel’, the Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Multilingualism, at a multi-stakeholder conference entitled “Towards a learning society”, in Brussels today. Stakeholders from different disciplines and sectors are working closely together to improve research, innovation and lifelong learning in a “knowledge triangle”, through the effective use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). These technologies have the potential to significantly advance our progress towards the growth and jobs objectives of the revised Lisbon strategy, as new open and flexible forms of ICT supported learning (e-learning) are increasingly being used for the re-skilling of workers. This conference launches a joint initiative by the two Commissioners to continue the dialogue, build-upon the results so far and help set strategic priorities for further work. (0) comments
The future of e-learning at the University of Glamorgan - Robert Holbach, Live Journal
E-learning at the University of Glamorgan has been thrown a lifeline that assures its medium-term future, but it is unclear what the shape of future e-teaching will be. Announcing the decision to invest £500,000 per year into e-learning, the Vice Chancellor acknowledged that this is significantly less money than has been spent on e-learning so far. Until October, E-College Wales is funded externally (by the European Union, as far as GlamSpam knows), but that funding expires this year. (0) comments
Virtual learning to come to RRHS - Gary Herron, Rio Rancho Observer
Imagine, from the 'worst-case scenario' file, your high school student has broken both legs in an automobile accident, but is otherwise lucid and ready to continue his or her education. How do you avoid losing instructional experience without taking time off your job to wheel your child around in a wheelchair? Or, throwing in another scenario, your child has failed a class, making on-time graduation looking bleak.What to do? How about attending a virtual classroom? As in online learning, or distance learning, already being utilized by some colleges (New Mexico Highlands University in Rio Rancho has it available) and high schools in several states. (0) comments Thursday, May 19, 2005
Unique challenges found online - Rachel Bobak, BG News Bowling Green State University
With the advancing technology in colleges across the country, students are able to take exams in their pajamas, while sitting at home. Because of the comfortable environment, students may find it easier to take the class online. Connie Molnar, director of distance learning, disagrees with students finding it easier. "There might be a perception that online courses are easier," she said. "[But] it will offer more opportunities for students that can't get to campus. If you work in Archibald and you have two kids, just take a course online." (0) comments
Influencing User Behavior through Digital Library Design: An Example from the Geosciences - Cathy A. Manduca, Ellen R. Iverson, Sean Fox; D-Lib
Each of the elements of a digital library – its collections, the portals to those collections, and its supporting services – plays an important role in determining how the library is used and what impact it will have on users. In this article, we explore how the portal of a digital library can be designed to influence the behavior of its users. Our example is the Starting Point Digital Library (DL), an education digital library designed primarily for faculty who are teaching introductory level geoscience. Like many education digital libraries, we aspire to enhance teaching and learning in a realm of science [1, 2]. (0) comments
College Libraries Set Aside Books in a Digital Age - Ralph Blumenthal, New York Times
Students attending the University of Texas at Austin will find something missing from the undergraduate library this fall. Books. By mid-July, the university says, almost all of the library's 90,000 volumes will be dispersed to other university collections to clear space for a 24-hour electronic information commons, a fast-spreading phenomenon that is transforming research and study on campuses around the country. "In this information-seeking America, I can't think of anyone who would elect to build a books-only library," said Fred Heath, vice provost of the University of Texas Libraries in Austin. (0) comments Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Hyperlink Obsolescence in Scholarly Online Journals - James Ho, Journal of Computer Mediated Communication
Hyperlinks to resources available on the Web are commonly used in footnotes or citation of references in scholarly online journals. A review of three well-established online journals revealed that nearly half of such links are broken, raising questions regarding the archival integrity of the published material. Some practical recommendations are advanced for online journal editors and authors based on a consideration of the role of hyperlinked references. (0) comments
Interview with Tim Stroud, President and CEO of the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL) - DEOS News
Online education in K-12 schools is a relatively new, but rapidly growing, educational phenomenon that provides students in the elementary, middle, and secondary grades with computer-mediated educational programming. The extent of anticipated growth is reflected in the Education Commission of the States’ projection that more than one in five K-12 students will be receiving a substantial portion of their instruction online by 2005 (Hassel and Terrell, 2004; http://www.connectionsacademy.com/virtualreport.asp ). (0) comments
Introducing the teacher to the web's steep e-learning curve - Penelope Debelle, Sydney Morning Herald
Adelaide online education innovator Mark Keough wants to reinvent e-learning through a new education model that reintroduces teachers to the learning experience. Mr Keough, who decided in the mid-'90s that education and the internet were natural companions, started with web-based models for learning transactions. He went on to develop online training and education for Qantas through his company, TechWorks, which was first bought by Morgan & Banks, and then by TMP, owners of America's largest online recruitment company, Monster.com. (0) comments Tuesday, May 17, 2005
E-learning: the new wave on education front - India Financial Express
A student in remote Orissa village taking his MBA exams from a Mumbai university using broadband network; American students taking Maths lessons from teachers sitting in New Delhi or people from across the globe doing a crash course on disaster management from Honolulu university. The power of information technology is using learning tools to make it happen anywhere and anytime. Called e-learning, it uses multimedia and internet to enable learning process. While the West, especially the European Union has embarked on e-learning bandwagon to realise the dream of making Europe a knowledge-based economy by 2010, in countries like India it is only the private initiatives which have started, though the concept is catching up, say experts. (0) comments
Road scholars - Tony Bizjak, Sacramento Bee Staff Writer
Schools ignore a state law requiring driver education classes, and online options provide an easy alternative. Tens of thousands of California teens will turn to unregulated Internet courses this year for their first lesson on the rules of the road, attracted by a booming private industry that boasts a quick and easy route to a learner's driving permit. No classroom. No teacher. And, a Bee investigation has found, no oversight or quality control. (0) comments
Lessons Move with Military Precision - Eric Wilson, Sydney Morning Herald
A conspiracy between notebook computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and the internet is keeping employees out of the office. But as people stray further from base, training becomes a challenge - especially if some of them are in a war zone. That's what Marcia Harrison, Cranfield University's deputy director of information systems in Britain, had to deal with when implementing officer training for the British Ministry of Defence (MOD). Now on secondment to Griffith University in Queensland, Ms Harrison's job was to deliver e-learning suitable for officers located anywhere from Iraq to Northern Ireland. "While troubles are rife, there's a lot of sitting around, where they need something else to do," Ms Harrison says. "Studying is beneficial both for their wellbeing and future career." (0) comments Monday, May 16, 2005
Coventry pilots 'm-learning' scheme - Christina Okoli, Guardian Education
Lecturers at Coventry University have developed a teaching technique called 'm-learning', which allows students to download course material and listen to lectures via their mobile phones. By taking the concept of e-learning a step further, media lecturers at the university now regularly send video clips, still images and sound clips to students' mobile phones. Founders Eduardo Carrillo and Harold Fricker have secured a grant to develop m-learning further, with an aim to establish international links and gain the support of industry. (0) comments
University to Host 'eTeaching Day' May 19 - Boston College Chronicle
Faculty and graduate students from Boston College and Northeastern University will gather at the Chestnut Hill campus on May 19 for "eTeaching Day" to share ideas about how to employ technology in the classroom. The event will include a seminar on distance education and a demonstration of the Urban Teaching Connection, a project of Northeastern's School of Education that links undergraduate and graduate students with practicing teachers, community leaders, alumni and faculty from a variety of disciplines via an interactive Web site. "We wanted to provide an opportunity for BC and Northeastern faculty to meet and see what was happening around instructional technology at both institutions," said Academic Technology Services Associate Director for Instructional Technology Services Elizabeth Clark. "The goal here was sharing resources and knowledge (0) comments
Online Course Materials That Enrich the Classroom Experience for Special-Needs Students - Lori Weir, THE Journal
In early 2002, I participated in a training institute for online methodology that provided several practical techniques for teaching online, including how to select and place content, as well as how to facilitate online discussions and assessment strategies. Since then, I have taught online and hybrid courses every semester, joined forums for online instructors, and attended a handful of conferences and workshops dedicated to online teaching. Interestingly, none of the forums ever included discussions on the development of course materials for special-needs students. And although there has been much dialogue recently about teaching to different learning styles, as I recall, none of these discussions even hinted that teaching to different styles included students with learning disabilities or that students may be using assistive technology, such as a screen reader or voice-recognition software, to access online course materials. (0) comments Sunday, May 15, 2005
Learning visual literacy through on-line discussions - William T. McInnish & Vivian H. Wright, Elect Journal for the Integration of Tech in Ed.
This research focused on using on-line discussion groups to teach visual literacy. What gains are or are not being made through the application of on-line discussions to teach visual literacy? Also, what are students' perceptions of the effectiveness of on-line discussion groups in this discipline? Data from student interviews, an on-line survey of student perceptions, and discussion postings from the class were analyzed. The data indicated that on-line discussion groups could teach visual literacy theories and concepts; however, on-line discussions were not helpful in the students’ group project of applying the visual concepts learned to complete a web-site creation assignment. (0) comments
Making distance learning fun - Hendon Times
Learning something new is always challenging, and the thought of sitting in a classroom full of people can be intimidating, especially if you are returning to learning after a long break. But there are other options available, and distance learning can be a flexible and easy way to get yourself back into education from the comfort of your own home. If your perception of distance leaning involves tedious TV lectures shown in the middle of the night then you're in for a nice surprise. Organisations such as the Open University still broadcast late-night TV programmes but they are now entertaining as well as informative. Many organisations, including Learn Direct, also offer online study which gives access to student forums and huge quantities of study information which weren't previously possible with purely book-based courses. (0) comments
Creating a Low-Budget, Long-Distance Collaboration - John Shafer, George Brown, Be Boyd, Danielle Marino, and Don Merritt, Educause Quarterly
Imagine yourself in Orlando, Florida, or in Peoria, Illinois, sitting in a distance learning classroom or video conference center on a university campus, watching a live adaptation of Sophocles’ Antigone. In Orlando, Antigone (the character) is in the room with you as you watch a projection of King Creon. In Peoria, the projection shows Antigone, while King Creon is physically in the room with you. As an observer of this performance, you are part of the Bradley University–University of Central Florida Dynamic Media Project—a live, interactive, long-distance theatrical piece that conveys the story using Internet2. (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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