Popularity of Online Education Growing in Cornwall

 

By Bob Peters, Choose Cornwall
The number of first-time students using the services at Contact North, also known as Ontario’s Distance Education and Training Network, rose to 335 students from 230 students in the previous year. This represents an increase of 45%. “Online courses are a great way to work towards a college diploma or a university degree,” says Emily Lavigne, Online Learning Recruitment Officer for Cornwall. “It is an excellent way for people to upgrade their education, even while maintaining a full-time job. The course load is completely flexible and up to the individual.” More students also mean more courses being studied.

http://www.choosecornwall.ca/eng/news/1502/57/Popularity-of-Online-Education-Growing-in-Cornwall/

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Will liberal arts institutions survive amid growing conservative skepticism of higher education?

by Autumn A. Arnett and Shalina Chatlani, Education Dive

Conservative skepticism around funding for liberal arts education is on the rise, as critics of higher education point out institutions for being “elitist” and “politically correct” centers of student protests that fail to provide skills actually needed for the job market, reports The Washington Post.  With studies showing a majority of Republicans and right-leaning citizens believe colleges and universities have a negative impact on the nation and lawmakers having already cut spending for higher education by 54% since 2008, stakeholders in the industry are now concerned the current congress could lead to further tightening of public funding.  Growing conservative skepticism on whether institutions are sufficiently addressing student ROI comes at the same times congress is considering potential reauthorization of Higher Education Act, which Republicans have already said ought to put the onus of responsibility on institutions to prove they are making college more affordable and worthwhile.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/will-liberal-arts-institutions-survive-amid-growing-conservative-skepticism/511716/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=34255

Immersive Education: AR Comes of Age

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

Despite all the headlines and conference coverage of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) for education over the last year, the technology is still gaining speed — residing at that sweet spot in the hype cycle where, when you place headsets on people and gently guide them to turn around to gain a full view, they tend to gasp and say, “Oh, wow.” So imagine how your students would respond if, in that next geography lesson, instead of handing them a flat map of Peru, you pass out pre-loaded smartphones to each table along with a $15 Google Cardboard and ask them to pull up a walking tour that places them in Machu Picchu. “Seeing is believing,” said Colin Messenger, a senior market analyst with a focus on education at FutureSource Consulting.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/03/06/immersive-education-ar-comes-of-age.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=24734

Free computer class for people with developmental disabilities

by KVAL

A new computer class in Lane County is bridging the digital divide for people with developmental disabilities. Less than half of people with disabilities have access to the Internet, according to the Arc of Lane County, an organization that offers services for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Angela Phinney, Director of Employment Services, says that is a big barrier to finding work. “Most of the jobs you have to apply for online, you have to create a resume, fill out applications, all those types of things,” Phinney says. The Arc’s new computer learning lab is aimed at fixing that. The learning lab was made possible by a $15,000 grant from Comcast.

http://kval.com/news/local/free-computer-class-for-people-with-developmental-disabilities

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=24024

ePortfolios that Make Learning Visible: Education Values in Product Design: A Q&A with Jeffrey Yan

By Mary Grush, Campus Technology

Over the course of the whole semester, students work on projects of their own design and proposal. The art of asking questions is just as important as the act of answering them. Ongoing critiques throughout the semester support this aspect of the pedagogy. In a sense, the critiques serve as guided, reflective compositions that are very rigorous. The students, their teachers, and their peers all try to contribute through respectful and rigorous discourse, and document progress. This becomes highly personalized learning for each student, and it’s done in a supportive, social environment. They wanted to look at authentic student work, have real evidence of learning, and be able to do this comprehensively. As a result, many institutions focused their ePortfolio efforts on institutional applications.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/01/23/education-values-in-product-design.aspx

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Survey: Demand for digital course materials reaches record high

by Jarrett Carter, Education Dive

A new survey from Pearson Education reveals that 80% of a surveyed group of students and faculty say that digital learning materials are part of the future of higher education, and would help with challenges in learning and affordability. Only 56% of survey respondents say their schools have at least half of the course materials available in digital format, despite the costs of traditional textbooks having risen more than 1,000% in the last 40 years. Some vendors say digital materials are helpful not only in increasing affordability for students, but also in collecting student data on learning styles and trends.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/survey-demand-for-digital-course-materials-reaches-record-high/434314/

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High school students embrace politics with help of virtual classes

by Elisse Ramey, WJRT

Some Mid-Michigan high school students are embracing the opportunity to learn more about government on the eve of the inauguration. A new partnership with Bentley Community Schools and Michigan Virtual School is helping to shape the students’ perspectives on politics. So far, students are responding well to the new AP Government and Politics class online, and it has a lot to do with this election. It’s been a hot topic in class, and the inauguration is providing yet another opportunity for them to debate and learn. “It’s just so different than anything we’ve ever had,” explained Bentley sophomore, Sam Barnett. “Just the candidates are more vocal. It’s just different than anything we’ve seen.”

http://www.abc12.com/content/news/High-school-students-embrace-politics-with-help-of-virtual-classes-411266595.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=23222

Phishing Attacks Down 10 Percent in 2016

By Joshua Bolkan, THE Journal

Information security professionals are 10 percent less likely to report that their organization was the victim of a phishing attack in 2016 than in 2015, though that still means three-quarters of organizations were targeted and half of that same group said phishing attacks are on the rise, according to the latest State of the Phish report from Wombat Security Technologies. The report found a 64 percent increase in the number of organizations measuring the risk posed by end users. The company also reported that it had examined more simulated phishing e-mails than in the previous year and found that click rates are improving for many industries and for organizations with mature programs.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/01/19/report-phishing-attacks-down-10-percent-in-2016.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=23197

Using gamification in teacher professional development

BY MATTHEW LYNCH, Tech Edvocate

If you asked a room of teacher if they would rather work, play, or participate in professional development, professional development would likely come in last. And while these tried-and-true methods for professional development aren’t going anywhere, there are methods for increasing engagement amongst the teachers in attendance. Gamification involves bringing elements traditionally associated with video games into the learning environment. Often, this involves concepts like points accrual, leveling, competition, and rewards being integrated into lessons that previously used another format. Additionally, most video games provide a safe space for failure, as players can respawn or open a previous save and try again. The purpose of gamification is to increase engagement by making the tasks both challenging and entertaining, but also giving participants a chance to try again if they don’t immediately succeed.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/using-gamification-in-teacher-professional-development/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=23137

Online Master of Science in Analytics Degree to be Offered for Less Than $10,000

by Georgia Tech

The Georgia Institute of Technology has announced a new online master of science degree that will be offered at a quarter of the cost of its on-campus program. The Institute’s top 10-ranked program in analytics will be delivered in collaboration with edX, the leading nonprofit MOOC provider. Tuition for Georgia Tech’s Online Master of Science in Analytics (OMS Analytics) degree will be available for less than $10,000 beginning in August. The residential program ranges from $36,000 for in-state students to $49,000 for out of state. OMS Analytics will accept 250 students for the first semester and will grow over time as the program scales to meet demand and student needs.

http://www.news.gatech.edu/2017/01/11/online-master-science-analytics-degree-be-offered-less-10000

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The M.B.A. Classroom That Knows When You’re Bored

by PARMINDER BAHRA, Wall Street Journal

In a business school classroom in Spain, a computer alerts the professor that one of her students is losing interest. This is no ordinary lecture hall. It’s the Instituto de Empresa’s “WOW” room, or the “Window on the World,” a place the Spanish business school believes is the future of the master’s in business administration. The room is a physical space where faculty members deliver course modules to an audiovisual mosaic wall of students watching via video camera. A software application scans the video streams and runs a sentiment analysis to gauge students’ reactions. It can, for example, alert a lecturer if someone is losing interest, or is angry.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/disrupting-business-school-m-b-a-classrooms-get-a-digital-upgrade-1483542001

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=22388

How does your district’s broadband stack up?

BY LAURA DEVANEY, eSchool News

A free tool from nonprofit EducationSuperHighway is intended to help district technology leaders compare broadband and connectivity information with other districts nearby and across the nation. Compare & Connect K-12, which launched in beta in early 2016 and is now fully launched and available, displays public E-rate application data and lets users explore bandwidth speeds and compare broadband prices with school districts in a specific region or in any state across the country. The goal is simple: transparency regarding school district broadband and bandwidth pricing data in an effort to help school districts get more bandwidth for their broadband budgets.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/01/04/district-broadband-tool/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=22328

How Online Education Can Fix Its Student Retention Problem

by SATESH BIDAISEE, Gilmore Mirror

The recent growth of online education has been astounding. Last year, 35 million people signed up for at least one online class. That’s more than double the previous year’s enrollment. The popularity of online learning is easy to understand. Today, students have access to well over 4,000 courses in a wide array of subjects, from chemistry to philosophy to graphic design. They participate at a time and place that suits their schedule. Many courses are free.

http://www.gilmermirror.com/view/full_story/27340507/article-How-Online-Education-Can-Fix-Its-Student-Retention-Problem?instance=lead_story_left_column

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=22284

Survey: Student success tops institutional priorities for 2017

by Jarrett Carter, Education Dive

A new survey from University Business shows that an overwhelming number of college leaders have worked to strengthen student success capacity in the last year, and that it will remain among their top institutional priorities in 2017. The survey reveals student success among participants’ top four priorities for the upcoming year, with specific emphasis on recruiting and retaining low-income students, boosting graduation rates, increasing financial literacy and providing career development services for graduates. These areas outpaced controlling institutional costs and philanthropic development among more than 60 presidents and provosts from colleges around the country.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/survey-student-success-tops-institutional-priorities-for-2017/433035/

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