Online Learning Update

by Joe Chapman, US News

Online coaches and mentors are becoming increasingly common in online programs. At ASU Online, for example, coaches are full-time professionals who help online undergrad and grad students thrive inside and outside of the classroom and provide customization based on individual needs, interests and strengths. Online coaches are offered for everything from transition (adjusting to college life) to transformation (realizing potential and dreams). Having this resource available is one thing, but it’s also important to understand how to fully take advantage of an online degree coach to ensure you’re receiving personalized assistance from enrollment to graduation. Here are three ways to do so.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-learning-lessons/articles/2016-08-24/3-ways-a-coach-can-benefit-online-students

By Liam Tung, ZD Net

Researchers at MIT claim to have created a network-boosting technology that could triple the speed of Wi-Fi and double its range. The MIT team has devised a system that can overcome Wi-Fi bandwidth constraints that stem from the limited spectrum available for carrying data to and from devices wirelessly. The researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) developed a new set of signal-processing algorithms which allow multiple routers, and other wireless access points, to concurrently transmit data to multiple receivers, using the same frequency and without interference.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/wi-fi-speeds-could-triple-and-range-double-thanks-to-mit-breakthrough/

by Hui-Yin Hsu, Forbes

As classes start, public school systems across the country are staring down crisis-level teacher shortages. Rapid City, South Dakota schools have 50 unfilled teaching positions. Georgia’s Houston County has 90. San Francisco has more than a 100. Florida’s Orange County: a whopping 300. There is a silver-bullet solution to all these challenges: online teacher certification. E-learning portals empower people from less traditional career tracks to join the teaching profession, bringing their unique perspective, skills and backgrounds into the classroom. More universities should offer online teacher training. And public school systems should value these degrees and recruit heavily from these new pools.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2016/08/22/e-learning-an-essential-tool-for-improving-the-public-teacher-core/#5e3fff6f537e

by Matt Zalaznick, University Business

Stony Brook University on Long Island in New York has awarded 130 badges in its school of professional development since launching them just over a year ago. Stony Brook University on Long Island in New York has awarded 130 badges in its school of professional development since launching them just over a year ago. Almost all U.S. colleges and universities now award certificates, digital badges and other forms of microcredentials so students can quickly show an employer specialized skills they’ve acquired. Driving this fast-growing trend are workforce millennials who want to learn, for instance, how to operate an Amazon delivery drone or repair a self-driving car without having to earn another degree, says James Fong, director of the Center for Research and Marketing Strategy at the University Professional and Continuing Education Association. A generation immersed in social media, millennials are also drawn to the gamified aspect of collecting and displaying digital badges, says Fong, who recently completed a study on the growing influence of microcredentials in higher ed.

https://www.universitybusiness.com/article/millennial-demand-drives-higher-ed-badging-expansion

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

Schools across the country have moved to the next level of blended learning, turning to student-directed personalized work that matches pupils’ needs and abilities, rather than simply combining online elements with face-to-face instruction. District Administration reports there are four learning models embedded in “blended 2.0” nationwide: rotation, where students move through classroom stations based on data-driven teacher insights; flex, which combines in-school and homework activities; a la carte online modules that add to classroom instruction; and an enriched virtual model that gives students face-time in class and requires online work at home. Districts are focusing on professional development to help teachers make the switch to such personalized learning, which schools have found decreases behavior problems and improves attendance among students.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/blended-learnings-evolution-brings-classrooms-closer-to-school-20/424963/

By Tanya Roscorla, Center for Digital Education

Until recently, the expensive price tag for virtual reality technology has limited its use in education. Full immersion into an alternate reality has been expensive for schools and universities to dive into — that is, until the last 12 months: Virtual reality is attracting educators who want to give students hands-on experiences with a lot of different tools. This type of technology immerses students into a different world full of sites and sounds, whether it’s a simulation of the cockpit of an airplane, a human body or Paris. More expensive immersion setups turn an entire room into a world with 360-degree interactive displays, while others use headsets or insert phones into a viewer that covers the users’ eyes. About nine major companies are vying for control of this space, said Brad Waid, an education futurist.

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/higher-ed/The-State-of-Virtual-Reality-in-Education.html

By Jarrett Carter, Education Dive

A new study from Indeed.com lists computer and information sciences, engineering, architecture, management, health professions and finance as the top areas which have high needs in hiring, and low areas where technology can replace human capital in the workforce. Each of these fields were among the most popular academic programs of 2014, according to data on degrees awarded published by the U.S. Department of Education. According to Indeed, the programs comprise 92% of jobs showing trending upward in earning potential and offering an average salary of over $57,700.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/how-to-align-academic-offerings-to-meet-workforce-development-needs/424934/

by Byju Raveendran, Business World

Seventy per cent of the India K-12 segment has access to a smartphone, and this percentage is fast increasing. This gives an opportunity to use smartphone as a learning device and app as a medium to reach millions of students. This can solve the problem of access. There is also a lot of scope for improvement in the way students learn. Today, learning is still driven by the fear of exams, and not the love for learning. There is so much focus on the end result of marks and grades that students miss out on the fun of real learning. If students learn in the right way, and if they like learning, they will secure good marks anyway. We are all getting trained to solve questions, but not to find problems. If we can have a system which encourages students to take the initiative to learn on their own, with parents and teachers playing supporting roles, it will help them reach their true potential.

http://businessworld.in/article/-Smartphone-As-Learning-Tool-Can-Reach-Millions-/23-08-2016-104697/

By: Barbi Honeycutt, Faculty Focus

“How can I flip a large class?” I like this question because it’s not asking whether you can flip a large class, but rather what’s the best way to do it. Faculty who teach large classes are challenged not only by the sheer number of students but also by the physical space in the classroom. Having 100, 200, or 400+ students in class means teaching in large lecture halls with stadium seating and seats that are bolted to the floor. It’s not exactly the ideal space for collaboration and group discussions, so the types of flipped and active learning strategies you can use are more limited. Often, faculty fall back on the “think, pair, share” format or use clicker questions to encourage student engagement. But there are other techniques we can deploy in these large classrooms to engage students and involve them in higher levels of critical thinking and analysis.

http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/blended-flipped-learning/flipping-large-classes-three-strategies-engage-students/

By Jarrett Carter, Education Dive

Technology is reshaping the way industries and corporations are training employees to increase productivity, according to EdSurge, and that new focus, designed to engage younger employees, could have impact on higher education academic delivery models. Organizations are substituting theory-based models in exchange for scenario-based, practical instruction to help learners be more attuned to instruction. Lessons are delivered through simulations that are light on lectures and heavy on opportunities for learners to engage with online content and cohort members to learn information. Adapting teaching modules presents the biggest challenge in workforce development; about 61% of corporate executives say moving employees towards self-directed education is a difficulty in developing an environment of continuous learning.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/how-workforce-learning-trends-may-shape-higher-ed/424868/

by Helena Pike, Business of Fashion

Over the last decade, online learning has reshaped the global education sector by improving access to knowledge and institutions, and enabling students to overcome geographical or financial limitations to access the best lecturers, curricula and institutions in the world. Initially, online learning was held back by concerns over quality and legitimacy, but as use of technology and access to the Internet has improved, and awareness of the convenience and standard of courses has grown — spurred on by the entrance of prestigious institutions like Harvard, MIT, Yale, Berkeley, Oxford and Cambridge University — the market has evolved rapidly. Online education has the potential to be equally game-changing for the fashion education sector. Previously, to get a good education, students had to be free to attend classes on a physical campus — meaning they had to live nearby and be able to afford not only institutions’ fees, but also not working a paid job for the duration of their studies.

https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/education/online-learning-fashion-educations-next-frontier-business-of-fashion-courses-2

3 Ways Virtual Reality Can Enhance Learning

by Emory Craig, Maya Georgieva, EDUCAUSE Review