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Online Learning News and Research
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Saturday, July 09, 2005
REVEIW of the Encyclopedia of Distance Learning - Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education
The topic of distance teaching and online learning associated technologies and applications covers a vast amount of ideas, concepts, issues, concerns, and opportunities. The innovations in computer and communications technologies combined with on-going needs to deliver educational programs to students regardless of their physical locations, have lead to the innovation of distance education programs and technologies. To keep up with recent developments in both areas of technologies and techniques related to distance education programs, educators, administrators, and researchers are in constant needs of learning about issues, solutions, and challenges of these technologies. Encyclopedia of Distance Learning reference book published by Idea Group consists of four volumes. The encyclopedia edited by 6 editors of whom the five are from USA and one is from Hong Kong. Besides these editors, 19 advisors have supported the encyclopedia. The editors and the advisory board are from different institutions. There are more than 400 contributors to the book. Although majority of the contributors are from USA, there are several contributors from several Asian, European and Australian countries like Hong Kong, Malaysia, Germany, Australia, Turkey, Singapore, and Belgium. All of the contributors are academics and represent a variety of universities. (0) comments
Online Learning Is Open For All - Kate Watkins, FE News
If you watched primetime television over the last few months, you have probably seen those advertisements about that university where you can study from home while working at the same time. Yes, the Open University (OU) has made its mark on the UK with its campaign about how great studying at the OU is. If you are like me, you are still left scratching your head as to what studying at the OU is like. What exactly are online courses and why do people choose to study there? “I wanted to learn skills that I didn't already have and could gain accreditation for (rather than following the numerous online tutorials that are available on the same topics),” said Stuart Brown, 27. “OU study let me learn in my spare time and also discuss and problems with students studying the same topic.” (0) comments
UW online enrollment grows by 16 percent - AP
Online enrollment at the University of Wyoming grew by 16 percent during the 2004-05 academic year, school officials said. Almost 2,300 students took a total of 3,937 courses online last year, up from 3,391 online courses taken during the 2003-04 school year, the university reported Friday. (0) comments Friday, July 08, 2005
Blending the Best of Both Worlds - Scoop New Zealand
Online learning has grown rapidly over the last five years. However, research suggests that some courses taught solely via the net have a high drop out rate. WelTec tutor Pam Protheroe has taken on this challenge in her Business Communication course combining the best of both the virtual world and real world with a ‘blended learning’ approach. “Blended learning gives people the convenience of completing many assignments from the comfort of their own home or workplace but also gives them an opportunity to see the tutors and their peers in person as well” says Pam. (0) comments
Colorado Technical University Online Launches Professional Certificate Programs in 26 Areas
Career Education's Online Education Group strengthens online education opportunities with innovative program that meets student needs. Career Education Corporation today announced that Colorado Technical University Online (Colorado Tech Online) began marketing a new Professional Certificate Program as a stand-alone education opportunity. The program provides students an opportunity to earn an individual Professional Certificate in 26 areas of business, criminal justice and information technology. (0) comments
Online school is bogus, state says - BILL SULON, Patriot News
A self-proclaimed expert witness in structural engineering has one. So does an assistant police chief, a journalist and a library director. All hold phony degrees from "The University of Berkley," an Erie-based online "diploma mill," the state attorney general's office said. And today, human resource departments across the country might be checking resumes to see if their employees have the same credentials. Attorney General Tom Corbett yesterday filed a lawsuit in Erie County Court seeking to shut down the online business. The state's Bureau of Consumer Protection also wants the Web site's owner, Dennis James Globosky, a former New Mexico state trooper, to be permanently barred from conducting business in the state, and to pay up to $3,000 for each violation of state consumer protection and education laws. (0) comments Thursday, July 07, 2005
Credibility helps increase online course popularity - Adam Hines, Purdue Exponent
Last year, 3,000 students took online classes from Purdue. And all of them were full-time students on the West Lafayette campus. On a national level, the amount of students enrolled in online courses is greatly increasing. A new report released recently by Eduventures Inc. said the number of students enrolled in courses that took place solely online totaled nearly one million. That was a 500,000-student increase from 2002. Sean Gallagher, a senior analyst with Eduventures, said that the widespread increase in enrollments is an indicator of the increasing public acceptance for online education. Online education, said Gallagher, has gone from an experimental option to a mainstream alternative. (0) comments
Cisco Launches Packetville eLearning Web Portal
Cisco Systems has launched Packetville, a Web portal rich with interactive and educational content to introduce young students to the marvels of the Internet as it relates to math, science, real-world solutions, education and careers. Students join characters Peter and Penny Packet as they "jump into the Internet" and participate in a variety of fun activities to explore technology and its important role in society. "Gaming is an exciting learning tool, and can be highly effective, depending on the audience and content," said Marcia Sitcoske, senior director of the Creative Learning Studios at Cisco. "The educational and interactive games in Packetville engage students and provide an entertaining learning experience." (0) comments
PACE Center for Girls - Technology News Today
Computer Associates International, Inc. today announced a grant to the PACE Center for Girls to fund an e-learning initiative that builds life-enhancing skills for girls at risk throughout Florida. The initiative utilizes simulated space exploration to teach math, science, team building and problem solving while instilling confidence. The grant brings CA's monetary and in-kind support of PACE to more than $60,000. Previously, CA donated software, hardware, training and support to build the organization's technical infrastructure. (0) comments Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Double-Clicking Through College: Online Classes Are Cheap and Convenient, But Some Educators Balk at Offering Credit - VERONICA LOUIE, Daily Cal
With UC Berkeley students digging deeper into their pockets to cover rising fees for summer sessions, a flexible and less costly alternative is gaining steam in higher education: distance learning. Enrollment in online courses, which are the target of both praise and criticism from higher education advocates, has been on the upswing in recent years, said Kerry Stern, dean of the library and learning resources at Mount San Antonio Community College. “Online courses are becoming more and more popular among college students throughout the state,” Stern said. Mount San Antonio, the largest single community college in the state with enrollment at 38,000 students, has at least 15,000 students taking one or more online courses, she said. (0) comments
Editorial: Korean Army is no university - Joongang Daily
The administration and the governing party have produced what has been titled an "Integrated Military Human Resources Development Plan." It would allow Army conscripts who joined the military while in college to earn up to nine university course credits per year. The Army would also establish an "E-learning Portal System," installing 16 personal computers for each company and connecting them with universities' online lecture programs. Soldiers not enrolled in university would be offered study programs for civil service exams or licensing tests. Giving soldiers the chance to acquire a license, or to study commputing or foreign languages, will not only help the individual soldiers, it will make Korea more competitive overall. It will also do a great deal to ease draftees' dissatisfaction over their "lost days," and improve life in barracks. (0) comments
Vietnam to expand distance education - Q.Dung – Translated by Ngoc Hanh, Thanhnien News
At least 20 per cent of Vietnamese students will take part in distance learning by 2010, according to a project approved by Vietnam’s Prime Minister Phan Van Khai on Monday. The project “Development of Distance Education in 2005-2010” maps out plans for building infrastructural facilities, educational equipment and materials, focusing on e-educational tools via the Internet. A number of key institutions providing distance education in the initial phase will be concentrated to develop into well-established centers by 2010. (0) comments Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Borrowing From Business to Improve E-learning
Adopting an innovative approach to e-learning, the Ped-Care project has applied business techniques to education, creating a system that not only aids students" but also reduces the burden on teachers. Developed over two years by 10 partners in Europe, the EU-funded project borrowed from the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) techniques used in the business world to develop what it calls a Learning Relationship Manager (LRM), a collection of e-learning tools that facilitate student-teacher communication and interaction. The LRM can be used in conjunction with existing Learning Management Systems to ensure a more efficient use of e-learning technologies. "We took a different methodological approach to e-learning by transferring business techniques to the realm of education and we showed that such an approach works," explains Miguel Arjona, the Ped-Care coordinator at Altran SDB in Spain. "Instead of using economic data as in CRM systems, we used pedagogical data, effectively replacing business customers with students." (0) comments
Drexel SoE offers Master's in Higher Education - Jason Hand, the Triangle
The University announced the start of its new Master of Science in Higher Education degree program in a distance learning system June 14. One of the only master's programs of its kind hosted both online and in the classroom will provide working professionals with the tools and the knowledge needed for career advancement in the field of higher education without any instrusion on a person's career. The new curriculum combines the expediency of online study with the academic diligence and reputation of the School of Education, and offers a unique program designed to equip leaders in the higher education realm with a strong foundation for career advancement, executive and senior level positions, and future doctoral studies, according to the SoE Web site. (0) comments
SUNY to create online electrical engineering degree - Newsday
A private grant will help the State University of New York develop what it believes is the world's first online bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. A $300,000 grant from The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation will help create the program. The grant proposal was made by officials from SUNY Buffalo, Stony Brook and Binghamton. The Foundation has provided more than $4.5 million to SUNY's "distance learning" efforts since 1994, which also serves military personnel as far away as Iraq. (0) comments Monday, July 04, 2005
New test would measure students' Web wisdom - Associated Press
Students apply to college online, e-mail their papers to their professors and, when they want to be cheeky, pass notes in class by text-messaging. But that doesn't necessarily mean they have a high Internet IQ. "They're real comfortable instant-messaging, downloading MP3 files. They're less comfortable using technology in ways that require real critical thinking," says Teresa Egan of the Educational Testing Service. Or as Lorie Roth, assistant vice chancellor of academic programs at California State University puts it: "Every single one that comes through the door thinks that if you just go to Google and get some hits -- you've got material for your research paper right there." That's why Cal State and a number of other colleges are working with ETS to create a test to evaluate Internet intelligence, measuring whether students can locate and verify reliable online information and whether they know how to properly use and credit the material. (0) comments
Schools enter 5th eLearning Awards - European Schoolnet
The eLearning Awards is Europe's premier competition rewarding excellent use of new technologies by schools. Over £150,000 has been awarded to schools since it was first organised in 2000. Schools are invited to submit their projects to the 2005 competition via the website. All entries are showcased in a project gallery. The Awards include a number of special categories, including an award for best project by a municipal or regional education authority. The Awards are open to all schools in all European countries. (0) comments
Freedom and Empowerment: An Essay on the Next Step for Education and Technology - James Shimabukuro, Innovate Online
James Shimabukuro acknowledges that the traditional school or college has efficiently educated students of varying ages, with interests in diverse subjects. But he argues that the "factory model" of education will fade quickly when teachers and students are empowered to make full use of Web-based instruction and freed to customize their learning environments. Shimabukuro foresees today's campuses being replaced by electronic zones and multipurpose community complexes; he also imagines that students will turn not to a single teacher, but to a partnership of learning advisors, paraprofessional monitors, and peer tutors to reach their academic goals. The primary impetus for such a revolution will originate inside our schools, Shimabukuro predicts, but legislative and community action will be needed to achieve it. (0) comments Sunday, July 03, 2005
Group-Development Processes in Virtual Communities of Teacher-Learners - Elizabeth Murphy and Thérèse Laferrière, Instructional Tech and Dist Learning
Through analysis of the written trace of asynchronous communication messages among teacher-learners in a virtual community, processes of social interaction were investigated in order to gain insight into how communities of learners may collaborate. Using group-development theory focusing on how a group that is meeting face-to-face moves through stages of initial distrust to trust, an eight-point scale instrument was developed to code messages from two groups of teacher-learners participating in online discussions. Results indicated that there was growth leading to interinfluence but that the group did not fully reach a stage of shared understandings. Group development in virtual communities can be facilitated through use of the various assessment tools provided by group-development theory. Group moderators and participants can formatively evaluate group interactions through an ongoing analysis or monitoring of written traces of communication of electronic messages. (0) comments
Connecting to Class - Kathryn Walson, the Monitor
When Elizabeth Balderas’ toddler fell ill at the end of the fall 2004 semester, she struggled to find time to complete her end-of-semester coursework. "For a moment there I just wanted to quit. I thought I probably wouldn’t pass my classes," said Balderas, a 21-year-old Mission resident who is pursuing an accounting degree at South Texas College. Although she ended up getting good grades, Balderas decided to take online classes in the spring 2005 semester so she could spend more time with her 2-year-old son. She said it was a good decision that she’d recommend to other busy parents. "You can stay home. You can be with your kids. You can take your tests at night," Balderas said. (0) comments
Owens to offer associate degrees online this fall - Toledo Blade
Owens Community College will begin offering online associate degrees beginning in the fall, the school announced yesterday. "It was because of student demand basically," said Mark Karamol, Owens division director of e-Learning. "Many of them specifically said they appreciated online courses and wanted to do more - whole degrees." The college, which has campuses in Perrysburg Township and Findlay, joins a growing number of schools offering degrees online. Among the new "eOwens" associate degree programs available for students to complete entirely online are business management, e-business, information systems technology, and liberal arts general concentration. (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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