Online Learning Update

By Alexandra Tilsley, Inside Higher Ed

The latest model-busting higher education program comes from a novel partnership between a nonprofit college and a nonprofit organization, helped by a push (and some money) from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Each of Portmont’s degree programs — business administration, computer science, liberal arts and pre-science health — is built around “core capabilities,” like critical thinking, teamwork, problem solving, and performance character. The core capabilities, a hallmark of the Portmont program, are taught and measured through projects and other tasks assigned during a student’s regular course of study. Vasan hopes the focus on the core capabilities throughout the Portmont curriculum will develop students who are prepared to enter a bachelor’s degree program or the work force, and will provide employers with a guarantee that they are getting competent employees. Of course, the value of a Portmont degree will depend on the quality of the program’s graduates, which is why Vasan is dedicated to finding the students with the most motivation and, in his words, “grit.”

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/10/23/foundation-and-four-year-college-team-online-associate-degree-program

by the Michigan Community College Association

This is a useful site which answers some of the common misconceptions of prospective students. For each of the myths, a written and a video clarification is offered.

http://scos.mccvlc.org/FIPSE/PLAY/elfusers/orientation/What_Is_Online_Like/ONLINE_LEARNING_MYTHS.xee

By COURTNEY BALGOBIN, Daily Princetonian

Daphne Koller, a Stanford computer science professor, addressed the purpose and vision of Coursera at Princeton and throughout the entire world. Princeton was one of the first four schools to partner with Coursera, along with Stanford, Penn and Michigan. Within a few months of its launch, Coursera grew immensely and is now partnered with 33 institutions. More than 1.5 million students currently take courses on the site, and it is gaining about 70,000 new users every week. Koller discussed limitations that prevent people around the world from obtaining education. She explained that Coursera provides a means of receiving education to anyone who has an Internet connection, regardless of geographic location or financial status. She highlighted the rising costs of college tuition and recognized that tuition can put college out of reach for many people.

http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2012/10/18/31567/

by Terry Anderson and Jon Dron, EURODL

This paper expands on an earlier work, Three generations of distance education pedagogy (Anderson & Dron, 2011) by describing the technologies and the synergetic results of using effective pedagogy in combination with emerging technologies – to create powerful learning opportunities. Unlike earlier classifications of distance education (Garrison, 1985; Nipper, 1989; Taylor, 1995), which were based solely on the technology used, this analysis focuses on the pedagogy that defines the learning experiences encapsulated in the learning and instructional designs. The three generations of technology enhanced teaching are cognitive/behaviourist, social constructivist and connectivist. The paper looks at recent developments in emerging educational technology and discusses the ways in which these tools can be used and optimized to enhance the different types of learning that are the focus of distance education theory and practice.

http://www.eurodl.org/?article=523

by the Pennsylvania State University

Penn State’s total enrollment has remained steady from 2011 to 2012, according to an annual snapshot count taken at the end of the sixth week of fall semester classes. The University saw a slight increase in total enrollment to 96,562, up from last year’s final total of 96,519.  Notably, the number of students enrolled exclusively in online courses through Penn State’s World Campus rose by 1,670 to 11,984, an increase of more than 16 percent over 2011. This figure continues a recent trend of double-digit growth in World Campus enrollment at Penn State and reflects a wider national trend in the popularity of online learning.

http://live.psu.edu/story/62048

by Fast Company

P2PU isn’t just revolutionary because it’s online, it’s revolutionary because it’s reshaping traditional educational models by replacing them with a community of people who are both teachers and students. Ask any college graduate what the most important thing he learned in college was, and it’s unlikely that he’ll refer to facts delivered in the lecture hall. Still, as education increasingly moves online, the lecture remains the traditional method of delivering information–from expert to student, pre-recorded or live–that’s the most common way of digitizing academics. A new online university called P2PU is attempting to take advantage of the openness of the Internet to break away from that model and do something new, creating a community of learners who also teach, code, and shape the direction of the university. On P2PU you’ll find crowdsourced courses in anything from writing to app-development and a community of more than 30,000 registered users (6,000 of whom log on each month) working toward non-credit bearing “badges” instead of degrees.

http://www.fastcoexist.com/1680741/an-online-university-reinvents-what-learning-can-be

by Todd Finley, Edutopia

Months ago, Google entered the massive open online course (MOOC) space by introducing the free Power Searching with Google course to 150 thousand self-enrolled students (shocker: Google is not particularly concerned with enhancing your use of dozens of alternative search engines). More recently, Google gave away Open Course Builder — tools that were used to construct its popular course — and further disrupted traditional notions of who gets to play teacher (anyone) and how many students can take a class for free (1 or 100,000).

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/googles-open-course-builder-todd-finley

By: Nicole, Degree Search

Making the decision to continue your education can be a difficult one.  Over the last few years, the offerings for online learning courses have become more plentiful, and non-traditional students have more options. With the advent of the massively open online course (MOOC) schooling model, people all over the world are taking advantage of this free schooling option. Higher education portals, such as edX, Coursera, Udemy, and Udacity now offer courses from top-tier universities around the United States and beyond. You don’t need to have the grades or money to be accepted to Ivy League schools to benefits from the courses that are offered online.

http://degreesearch.org/blog/how-to-choose-the-right-mooc-for-you/

By Emily Hutt, UVa Cavalier

Tens of thousands of students have signed up for the University’s non-credit online courses set to begin January as part of the University’s venture with online-learning company Coursera, according to data released by University Information Technology Services. Online learning became a hot-button issue during the failed ouster of University President Teresa Sullivan this summer. After Sullivan’s reinstatement in July the University announced its partnership with online-course company Coursera following months of dialogue between both parties. Enrollment in each of the University’s six non-credit online courses ranged from fewer than 10,000 to nearly 40,000 per class as of Monday. More than 127,000 total enrollments have been counted so far, though students may have enrolled in multiple courses.

http://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2012/10/university-online-courses-attract-thousands-of-students

By Nicole Freeling, University of California

This spring, students enrolling in UCLA professor Susanne Lohmann’s popular course on Diversity, Disagreement and Democracy — usually taught in a lecture hall — had another option: an online format that allowed them to explore key concepts through multi-player gaming. Students explored the dynamics of decision-making in situations where individuals’ real identities are unknown. The online environment enabled the students to complete more exercises, and to do so in larger groups, than was possible in a face-to-face environment, according to Lohmann. “It was a great class,” said Judson Aiken, who graduated from UCLA in June and now works in risk advisory at Ernst & Young. “It was really interesting to play these games and get these tangible, real-world results.”

http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/28491

By Jennifer R. Lloyd, Houston Chronicle

The pace toward online college courses open to anyone with Internet access just reached full tilt in Texas. In a meeting Monday, University of Texas System regents approved a $10 million investment in “massive open online courses,” informally known as MOOCs, becoming the first public university system to join edX, the nonprofit partnership started by Harvard and MIT. The goal is for UT institutions – led by the University of Texas at Austin – to launch four yet-to-be-determined courses through edX by the fall of 2013, UT System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa said. The courses will be free. Learners will not earn college credit, though the system intends, eventually, to offer that and may charge some form of tuition when it does, he said.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/UT-System-touts-plan-for-free-online-courses-3951066.php

By Tanya Roscorla, Center for Digital Ed

A group of instructors and other teaching professionals spent a week in August investigating massively open online courses (MOOCs). And some of the results were surprising. “We weren’t trying to tell people what MOOCs are,” said Stommel, assistant professor of English and digital humanities, as well as director of the English and Digital Humanities degree program at Marylhurst. “We were trying to have people experiment with the form so they’ll play with the form, talk about the form and also think about how they could use the form in their own classes.”

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/news/3-Lessons-from-a-Massively-Open-Online-Course.html

By Jacques Coetzee, Memeburn

Author and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has said that “big breakthroughs happen when what is suddenly possible meets what is desperately necessary.” Then it would be no surprise pointing out the exciting ventures trying out to improve the struggle we have with education. Though the implementation and execution have always been under scrutiny, some have come up with interesting experimental solutions. Salman Khan, founder of the Khan Academy has recently published a book, The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined, in which he is re-imagining and rethinking the current education system. He notes that society’s current idea of education is of “state-mandated calendars” for example, and is a primitive afterthought of 18th century Prussia’s education mentality. He argues that this method of implementing education should be re-imagined and that students together with the teachers should be liberated.

http://memeburn.com/2012/10/how-people-are-using-e-learning-and-crowdlearning-to-change-education/

by Kelly Whitmire, Red and Black

By the year 2020, the college experience could be drastically different. One potential change is a move toward distance learning. “What you may see is, perhaps some redistribution of the types of courses they’re taking. Maybe fewer face-to-face, some classes where they have to log in online, while they’re living at wherever the campus is located,” said Robert Toutkoushian, professor of higher education at the University.

http://www.redandblack.com/news/future-of-higher-education-lies-in-distance-learning/article_fb26e414-13f7-11e2-aa2b-001a4bcf6878.html

by Tim Pitman, the Conversation

Online learning divides opinion like few other issues in the world of higher education. But regardless of whether you think this is a good or bad thing, there is no escaping the fact it is here to stay. Despite claims about the democratisation of education through free online university courses and open educational resources, some potential students are being left on the wrong side of the digital divide. Learners need not only the physical connections to the internet and appropriate hardware, but also the familiarity with technology to make online learning work. Universities and governments need to do more to improve access to these resources or risk leaving some of the most disadvantaged students behind.

http://theconversation.edu.au/online-education-can-we-bridge-the-digital-divide-9725

By Becca Clemons, the KY Kernal

UK Chief Information Officer Vince Kellen led a discussion about MOOCs — massive online open courses — which are growing quickly but haven’t yet figured out how to make money. Student Government President Stephen Bilas said he sees online courses as a teaching aid rather than a replacement to getting a degree on campus. “While we have to adapt to survive, take into consideration how we are adapting and if it’s in the best interest of students,” Bilas said. “Can we trust students to be accountable to use these as primary sources of education?” he asked. “Do they need that personal interaction with peers and teachers?” Trustee Bill Britton tasked the president with making a plan. “What’s going to be here five years from now?” Britton asked Capilouto. “Do we have a plan for the next three years, five years for what we are going to do with online education? It’s here. We can either embrace it or get run over by it. But we’re not going to get more dollars.”

http://kykernel.com/2012/10/13/trustees-talk-student-housing-online-learning-at-annual-retreat/

By: TED STRONG, Daily Progress

Tens of thousands of students have registered for new free online courses offered by the University of Virginia, though the figures could fall quickly when the teaching starts. The university is offering six classes, with enrollments that as of last week ranged from less than 10,000 to more than 35,000. The classes, which aren’t for university credit, are called MOOCs — massive open online courses. UVa is offering them by working with a company called Coursera, recently launched by Stanford University professors. The California company lists more than 1.6 million students on its website, coursera.org. James L. Hiton, UVa’s vice president and chief information officer, said MOOCs could redefine “normal” for college courses. He compared giving a lecture to many students to being a fast telegraph operator. In his analogy, online education is a telephone ringing in the corner of the telegraph office.

http://www2.dailyprogress.com/news/2012/oct/13/uvas-massive-open-online-courses-sees-high-enrollm-ar-2281176/

By Denise Dick, Vindy.com

Youngstown State University plans to increase the number of distance learning opportunities for students. “That’s the whole reason why I’m here,” said Millie Rodriguez, who was hired this year as director of the university’s Office of Distance Education. She previously was executive director of the Office of Web-based Programs at California University of Pennsylvania. Expanding online options for students has been a priority for YSU in recent months. It’s mentioned in the university’s 2020 Strategic Plan as a way to improve student satisfaction with academic and non- academic experiences.

http://www.vindy.com/news/2012/oct/14/ysu-to-increase-distance-learning-option/

by Sarah Cargill, Getting Smart

Erin Bali says “we believe that now, more than ever, learning isn’t just something that happens from birth to college graduation. Learning is something that happens throughout your entire life (whether it’s associated with a traditional education institution or not). In today’s hyper competitive environment, employers are eager to find workers that are hungry to advance and have the ability to learn new skills. We’re also busier than ever though and need to find ways to learn on our own, when and where it’s convenient for us. Udemy provides the destination and marketplace for all types of learning content for any student. We don’t limit our content sources to traditional higher ed and we believe strongly in a DIY approach where students can grab the content or courses or certifications they need to learn and keep moving.”

http://gettingsmart.com/blog/2012/10/udemy-co-founder-eren-bali-discusses-moocs/

by Mark Edmundson, Inside Higher Ed

This is the first time in my memory when our leaders — presidents and deans and boards of trustees — have so energetically opened the doors of the house of learning to commerce. It is the first time that they’ve shown willingness to insert the entrepreneurs directly into our day-to-day teaching lives. In the past they have stood between us and the market. Though the members of American boards of trustees often come from business, they have understood that the hunger for wealth is not compatible with genuine intellectual life.

http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2012/10/12/will-moocs-open-elite-universities-excessive-corporate-influence-essay

by Michael Kirst, Stanford University

In spite of this richness of opportunities, students find it difficult to aggregate or “stack up” their personal array of courses from various providers so as to obtain a degree/certificate in recognition of their overall attainment. An array of perfectly solid courses taken online may have less labor market value than courses offered by a recognized traditional college. It is difficult for students to transfer online courses taken at one institution to another one. Articulation agreements for course transfer between postsecondary institutions are haphazard and incoherent. Governments should therefore create and enable systems to help students aggregate online courses and programs obtained from different providers. At the same time, nations need to collaborate in establishing quality assurance for combinations of online and traditional courses from multiple suppliers as well as appropriate metrics for the mutual recognition and transfer of credit (as in the case of the European Credit Transfer System [ECTS]). One alternative would be for governments to establish criteria and standards for exams that students must take after the completion of online courses and programs of study, and to make those criteria nationally and internationally known. Two examples are the Collegiate Learning Assessment in the USA and the UK Open University.

http://collegepuzzle.stanford.edu/?p=2662