Are all faculty are created equal for online learning

by Merris Stansbury, eCampus News

In the midst of low retention rates and lingering perceptions of faculty around the quality of online learning, it’s never been more important to identify what makes effective, and motivated, online faculty, says Dr. Lisa Marie Portugal, education professor at the University of Phoenix. Knowing what skills and motivations are needed by online faculty “may be useful to stakeholders such as administrators, faculty mentors, faculty trainers, and faculty interested in employment in the modality so that identifiable and realistic criteria may be available upon which to base future hiring standards, employment practices, training, and decisions about teaching online,” she explained. “Insights about procedures and practices have been identified that may be effective in helping to develop initial training programs, faculty mentor supports, administrative decisions, and on-going faculty training.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/uncategorized/popular-2015-skills-237/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14622

Is There a Fix-it for Rural America?

By Steven Johnson, ECT

Education is a key to fending off population loss and poverty in rural America, data from a USDA report show. That’s one assessment in a U.S. Department of Agriculture report that says that higher education represents a way to offset increasing poverty and population declines in rural America. “Among all rural residents, unemployment rates are much lower for those with more educational attainment, partly as a result of increasing demand for more highly skilled labor,” the department said Nov. 30 in Rural America at a Glance 2015. To be sure, the situation in rural America is anything but sunny, according to the annual study. “Rural areas continue to experience population loss, higher poverty rates, and lower educational attainment than urban areas,” it said. In fact, the rural count of 46 million Americans has fallen by 30,000 people in each of the last two years.

http://www.ect.coop/industry/trends-reports-analyses/education-for-rural-america-at-a-glance/87143

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14451

Udacity and Google team up for new Senior Web Developer Nanodegree program

by NATE SWANNER, The Next Web

Udacity has partnered with Google to bring another Nanodegree program to the fold: Senior Web Developer. The program builds on the Front End Web Developer Nanodegree curriculum, much like Udacity’s duo of iOS Developer degree programs do. Here’s how a Udacity spokesperson explained it to us: The Senior Web Developer Nanodegree program is a natural progression from the Front-End Web Developer Nanodegree program. Like all Nanodegree programs, The Senior Web Developer degree will cost $200 per month, which Udacity says can be achieved in 10-12 months’ time.

http://thenextweb.com/dd/2015/11/17/udacity-and-google-team-up-for-new-senior-web-developer-nanodegree-program/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14345

Parents fire back at report critical of online charter schools

By Moriah Costa, Education Watchdog

The scathing report from CREDO found that students in online charter schools learn less in their first year than students in a traditional public school. It also found students had less one-on-one time with teachers. Nina Rees, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, said she was “disheartened to learn of the large-scale underperformance of full-time virtual charter public schools.” While online charter schools “are meaningful and beneficial options for some students,” authorizers of these schools need to hold them accountable, she said. “While we know that this model works for some students, the CREDO report shows that too many students aren’t succeeding in a full-time online environment,” she said.

http://watchdog.org/247038/parents-fire-back-report-critical-online-charter-schools/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14337

Why and how communicators should create infographics

By Tess Pajaron, ragan.com

Visual storytelling captures attention and delivers messages that stick in viewers’ minds. Here are some fundamental approaches, along with tools to streamline the process. Together with the predicted rise of content marketing, it’s likely that during the next couple of years we’ll witness a growing interest in brand infographics. Infographics are a smart content feature. They provide lots of valuable information and tips in a visually inspiring form. How can you create great infographics that will captivate your audience and clearly communicate your message?

http://www.ragan.com/Main/Articles/49461.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/ANpC0q2rBjQ/

Instructional Designers by the Numbers

By Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed

CNN Money says that being an Instructional Designer is the 38th best job in America. According to CNN Money (2012) there are 217,700 Instructional Designers. Expected job growth over 10 years is 28.3 percent. Payscale.com says that Instructional Designers rate a 5 out of 5 in the “extremely satisfied” category. 70 percent of Instructional Designers have been on the job less than 10 years, 38% less than 4. Women outnumber men 61% to 39% The national average salary for an Instructional Designer is $61,000. The highest paid Instructional Designers are in San Francisco (a 23% wage premium), Washington (22%), Los Angeles (18%) and Seattle (16%). The most senior Instructional Designers, those with 10 to 20 years of experience, have average salaries between $70,000 and $80,000.

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/instructional-designers-numbers

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/rs28jdYnKUA/

Study: Tech access in, outside classroom boosts engagement

by eSchool News

Students are more engaged in their learning and tend to show more achievement in certain areas when they have access to technology during school and at home, according to a study from wireless service provider Kajeet and Project Tomorrow, a national education nonprofit. The two-year-long study focused on the impact of mobile devices on teaching and learning. The Making Learning Mobile 2.0 study continues taking an in-depth look at the impact of one-to-one tablet implementation, including internet access outside the classroom, with Chicago Public Schools students.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/02/02/tech-access-study-894/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/pDtu1BZATa0/

New classes starting with Literacy Lubbock

By Karen Michael, Lubbock Online

Literacy Lubbock is starting a new semester for adult education this month. The organization offers classes for people with dyslexia, for people who never learned to read and for people who speak another language and need help with their English skills, said Nyla Wesner, director of volunteer programs at Literacy Lubbock. An assessment test is given to each student so teachers will know where to start, and it costs $25. “But from that time on, all of our classes and materials are free of charge,” Wesner said.

http://lubbockonline.com/filed-online/2015-01-01/new-classes-starting-literacy-lubbock#.VKf41dLF-dc

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