UI makes winter-session classes permanent

by Julie Wurth, News-Gazette

A pilot program that allowed students to take courses during winter break for the past three years will now be part of the permanent schedule at the University of Illinois. A winter class session will be added to the academic calendar starting in 2017-18, following the campus Academic Senate’s approval of the change Monday. The UI has had summer-session and “intersession” classes — between summer classes and the spring or fall semesters — for many years. In 2014-15, the UI experimented with a new winter session: online courses offered by UI faculty during the four-week break between the fall and spring semesters, from Dec. 22, 2014, through Jan. 16, 2015.

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2017-04-04/ui-makes-winter-session-classes-permanent.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=25962

WV House Ed passes bill to expand online classes, allow online diplomas

by Ryan Quinn, Gazette-Mail

The House Education Committee on Tuesday passed a bill that would allow West Virginia county school systems to offer full-time K-12 virtual education and “an online pathway for earning a high school diploma,” while also receiving the full per-pupil state school aid formula funding for each student who participates. Kanawha County Schools Superintendent Ron Duerring spoke to delegates Tuesday in favor of the bill (SB 630). He said the bill also would allow participating students, including home-schoolers, to participate in sports and other public school-related activities.

http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-education/20170404/wv-house-ed-passes-bill-to-expand-online-classes-allow-online-diplomas

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=25947

Six reasons you may not graduate on time

by MEREDITH KOLODNER, Hechinger Report

There’s at least one issue that Americans aren’t divided on – going to college has become both more necessary and less affordable for most students over the last several years. And cost is one of the major reasons that only 41 percent of students actually earn a four-year degree within four years. But finishing in four years matters, because research shows that the longer it takes, the less likely a student is to make it to graduation. A quarter of students drop out after four years, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Here are the six roadblocks most cited, and ways to tackle the problems.

http://hechingerreport.org/six-reasons-may-not-graduate-time/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=25927

Take Note: How to Curate Learning Digitally

by Beth Holland, Edutopia

Curation implies more than just collecting resources into a folder or notebook. It assumes a level of thoughtfulness as the curator considers the value that each artifact possesses within the context of the overall experience. Last year, Sabba Quidwai, Director of Innovative Learning at Keck USC Medical, tackled the issue of curation with her physician assistant students. She worked with them to develop a system using Evernote. Whether her students annotated presentation slides in Notability, wrote in a paper journal, or posted to an online discussion, they ultimately curated all of their content into Evernote notebooks as links, PDFs, photos, or text so that every artifact had a home.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/take-note-curate-learning-digitally-beth-holland

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15532

7 Steps for Turning Around Under-Resourced Schools

by Maurice Elias, Edutopia

Under-resourced schools face many challenges that are difficult. However, I believe that they can be conquered with sufficient time, dedication, and resources. Above all, success with these challenges stems from a belief in the potential of students and staff to achieve victory despite the odds. The barriers that have to be overcome are deeply unfair, and political efforts must be made to reduce educational and socioeconomic inequities. But our students cannot wait for that to occur. They need help now, and schools need to embark on the path to turnaround sooner rather than later. However, there are no shortcuts, and efforts to rush the process can lead to disappointment.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/7-steps-turning-around-under-resourced-schools-maurice-elias

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15529

Data Privacy Legislation Scrutinized in NASBE Report

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

The tangle of data privacy regulation for education is heating up as state and federal lawmakers increasingly consider laws intended to protect students. Last year 187 bills in 48 states were introduced that touch on some aspect of student data privacy, up from 110 in the previous year; 34 states have passed new laws on student data privacy; and the United States Congress has seven bills under consideration related to the topic. Simultaneously, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) calls for states to use “evidence-based interventions” in order to improve school performance. That evidence is generated through education research, which in turn requires access to student data. What’s a state to do? A new example-rich report from the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) offers guidance to state policymakers worth considering before they take action.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/04/04/data-privacy-legislation-scrutinized-in-nasbe-report.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15526

At this high school, the schedule is flexible

By Nick Valencia, CNN

Most days, 16-year-old Jason Zobott walks into Huntley High School in suburban Chicago around 7:30 a.m. like any high schooler might. It’s what he does the rest of the day that’s not so typical. Zobott is enrolled in Huntley High’s blended learning program, which merges Internet-based instruction with a more traditional classroom setting. One-third of the school’s 2,700 students are enrolled. In 2015, the school is working toward enrolling the majority of its students. “Having to work online makes it really accessible to do the work that I have to get done,” said Zobott, a top-ranked junior who balances a heavy load of extracurricular activities with schoolwork. “I can learn on my own. I can work at the pace I want to work. And I learn the way I want to learn.”

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/07/living/blended-learning-education/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/v0IinsRXvO8/

3,118 applicants accepted as freshmen by University of Florida, Gainesville required to take first year online

By SOPHIE JANE EVANS, Daily Mail

More than 3,000 students are facing an unexpected decision after they received acceptance notices from the University of Florida – only to find they would have to spend a year taking online classes. The 3,118 unidentified applicants were presumably delighted when they were accepted as freshmen by the university in Gainesville for the fall after sending in applications for traditional first-year slots. But after reading their congratulations notices, they apparently realized they would need to agree to spend their entire first year taking classes on the Internet in order to attend the public college. The classes are part of a new program – the Pathway to Campus Enrollment (PaCE) – which started in 2015 and aims to accommodate a higher number of students, The Washington Post reported.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3028025/Thousands-student-receive-acceptance-notices-University-Florida-spend-entire-year-taking-ONLINE-classes.html

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Whoa. Education Is A 7 Trillion Dollar Industry

By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

Education is a huge industry. It touches nearly everyone out there, so it should be. But often times when we think of ‘big industries’ we think of things like banking, cars, or consumer electronics. Well did you know exactly how big of an industry education is? And just how rapidly and how much the industry is changing because of new technologies? The handy infographic linked below, from Knewton and Column Five Media takes a look at some of these questions and more. Learn how digital education is poised to transform the way teachers teach and how students learn.

http://www.edudemic.com/whoa-education-is-a-7-trillion-dollar-industry/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/V0CfX_X1MsM/

Why Feedback Needs To Be Integrated Into Flipped Classrooms

By David Matheson, Edudemic

The need for teachers to develop quality material outside class time is a genuine drain on their limited time and becomes a significant obstacle to the uptake of flipping. In a seemingly unrelated topic research is making an ever stronger case that effective feedback in a clear and timely manner has a significant influence of the achievement of student outcomes. This is especially the case for students facing high stakes examinations toward the end of their school experience. Summative evaluation through examinations is far from a new idea nor is returning papers and suggested answers. However, the merging of flipped classrooms and examination feedback may shed new insights and opportunities.

http://www.edudemic.com/flipped-feedback/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/Wt3slO4lsNQ/

Five Biometric Alternatives To The Password

by CNN Wire

There are many things that make you special: Your sense of humor, your dance moves, your personal style, the shape of your ear. That’s right, your ear. The password has had its moment, but those hard-to-remember strings of number and letters are increasingly insecure and clumsy to manage. The next wave in computer security will be biometric authentication, the futuristic practice of using unique behavioral and biological traits such as fingerprints, gait and yes, even ear shape to confirm your identity. You might already have the necessary equipment to detect some of these your pocket.

http://wreg.com/2014/04/05/five-biometric-alternatives-to-the-password/

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