Online Courses as Good as In-Person Classes

by Fred Lokken, Inside Higher Ed

Transitioning to the virtual learning environment has fostered improved faculty training, student preparation and student analytics. Community colleges have crafted a virtual learning environment that is structured, positive and successful. As someone who has taught online classes since 1999 and managed the online program administration at my campus for 16 years, I am personally aware of the progress we have made, the quality of instruction we do achieve, the access door we have opened wider and the difference we have made in the lives of our students. Traditional and nontraditional students alike have demonstrated a remarkable success in online degree programs. An employer can be confident that graduates of an online program have the same knowledge, skills and abilities as a student in a traditional residential program.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/views/2017/08/02/online-courses-good-person-classes

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=30342

Instructional Designers – what they do

By Sharon O’Malley, Inside Higher Ed

The practice of instructional design emerged during World War II, when the military assembled groups of psychologists and academics to create training and assessment materials for troops. In 1954, Harvard University psychology professor and author B. F. Skinner introduced the concept of programmed instructional materials through his article “The Science of Learning and the Art of Teaching.” Within a decade, noted academics — including Robert Gagne, widely considered the father of the field of instructional design — had embraced the importance of assessment and learning objectives in teaching and learning. Although higher education typically left course design up to the professors who would teach in traditional classrooms, the popularity of online courses created a need for input from professionals trained in the science of teaching, instructional methods and the technology that would make learning possible for remote students. And now, the field is growing. A 2016 report funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation estimated that a minimum of 13,000 instructional designers work on college campuses.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2017/08/02/what-do-instructional-designers-do

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=30320

The New Wave in Digital Humanities

By Will Fenton, Inside Higher Ed

The digital humanities have supported a remarkable diversity of teaching, scholarship and service pursued by a diverse group of leaders who are shaping the field’s values and priorities. Inside Digital Learning here showcases the contributions of five rising stars of the digital humanities: Alex Gil, Lauren Klein, Marisa Parham, Miriam Posner and Jacqueline Wernimont. While no selection can represent the full scope of a field, these scholars represent the emergent and promising work within digital humanities. “These scholars demonstrate again and again the promise of digital technologies for exploring the most crucial, critical questions in the humanities,” said Kathleen Fitzpatrick, who until recently was associate executive director and director of scholarly communication at the Modern Language Association. These five rising stars work in alternative-academic and traditional tenure-track positions at public research, liberal arts and Ivy League institutions.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2017/08/02/rising-stars-digital-humanities

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=30305

Online blended courses a big hit with postgraduate students

by Dentistry UK

The feedback from the residential courses as well as the online blended courses has been fantastic. The way we live our lives has been changing rapidly, and our learning habits have been changing too. The traditional classroom environment is still right for many of our postgraduate students, but a growing number prefer the flexibility and freedom that online learning can give them. An online postgraduate student: ‘This online course for me is extremely convenient, as I don’t have to take time-off from work to attend it, as for other courses. ‘I can watch the videos, read the material, whenever I have time. ‘I found the video presentations very well structured; reading material cover in more detail what is presented in videos.

http://www.dentistry.co.uk/2016/08/04/online-blended-courses-a-big-hit-with-postgraduate-students/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=16702

Piedmont school system expanding online courses

By Patrick McCreless, The Anniston Star

Piedmont High is set to expand its online classes this school year — enough to cover nearly every course offered, giving students more flexibility, choice and the opportunity to finish school faster. Piedmont’s expansion comes as a state law takes effect that requires all Alabama school systems establish policies to offer some level of virtual school by the start of this school year. Now in its third year, Piedmont’s online program offers high school students virtual courses that they can take at school or at home with laptops provided by the system. “This year we’ve expanded to some general core classes,” said Superintendent Matt Akin. Akin said that with the expansion, the high school will offer all of its classes online except for college-credit AP courses and extracurricular classes like band.

http://www.annistonstar.com/news/education/piedmont-school-system-expanding-online-courses/article_2d72e2fa-59c8-11e6-aa56-470ac6b42ea1.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=16694

8 Things You Should Know About Online Classes to Advance Your Career

BY ALYSE KALISH, Inc

It’s something you’ve probably heard a decent amount: “You should take an online class,” “That’s what online classes are for,” “Online courses are a great resource.” But what exactly are you getting yourself into by enrolling? Why exactly is it a useful tool? Is it even worth it? Trust me, you’re not the only one with these questions. That’s why I spoke to real, live people who’ve taken classes before to get the real scoop on what they entail. And what I learned is that they’re more than just worthwhile–they can be complete game changers.

http://www.inc.com/the-muse/10-things-you-should-know-about-online-classes-skills.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=16687

Moving Course Apps from Traditional to Media-Rich, Interactive Designs

By Mary Grush with Phil Ice and Melissa Layne, Campus Technology

At the American Public University System, the success of a project to update the Internet Learning Journal — a peer-reviewed scholarly journal focused on research and advancements in online learning — with rich media and interactive elements has inspired a new initiative: APUS is building out state-of-the-art course applications to accompany the traditional LMS-based courses that serve more than 100,000 APUS students. CT asked Phil Ice, VP of Research and Development and Melissa Layne, Director of Research Methodology and Executive Editor of ILJ about the initiative.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/07/28/moving-course-apps-from-traditional-to-media-rich-interactive-designs.aspx

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

Shifting the Professional Development Paradigm for K-12 Online Learning

by Barbara Kurshan, Forbes

Previously we discussed the landscape of online learning in higher education. The ground is shifting in K-12 education as well, and learning online is now not only an option for many students, but in some states a legislative mandate. In Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Virginia, and Idaho, students must take at least one class online in order to graduate from high school. How did we get here, and most importantly, how do we build a collaborative ecosystem for online learning experiences?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/barbarakurshan/2015/07/29/shifting-the-professional-development-paradigm-for-k-12-online-learning/

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McDonald’s employees learning “English Under the Arches”

BY DEREK FRANCIS, Fox 17

West Michigan McDonald’s franchise owners are helping some of their employees go back to school. The workers, who all have a native language other than English, are taking a 22 week “English under the Arches” class. Fox 17 caught up with the students in the formal classroom setting in the back of a restaurant on Monday. The class is taught partly by an English Second Language instructor in person, and partly online via webcast. McDonald’s Operations Consultant Lance Brewer told Fox 17 the class is about empowering the workers, while benefitting customers.

http://fox17online.com/2015/07/27/mcdonalds-employees-learning-english-under-the-arches/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/q8cRrZjkCDQ/

E-transcripts accelerate in higher ed

Nancy Mann Jackson, University Business

Some colleges and universities take offering to the next level by tapping data to improve business processes and better serve students. A transcript highlighting the full student experience at Elon University—including study abroad, research and service learning participation—is offered. When an e-transcript request is made, both the traditional one and the Elon Experiences Transcript can be combined into a single PDF file. The process allows administrators to capture lots of valuable electronic data, but the majority of schools are not utilizing that information beyond sending or receiving the transcripts.

http://www.universitybusiness.com/article/e-transcripts-accelerate-higher-ed

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/E6xYshDGqjI/

How To Use Social Media As A Learning Tool For Homeschoolers

By Sean Lords, Edudemic

Matching, out-of-date sweatsuits. The ability to recite lines from the Iliad in response to your peers’ discussion of a television show. Parroting your parents’ values. If you’ve paid attention to mainstream depictions of homeschooled children, these images are likely familiar. Homeschooled kids get a bad rap and are too frequently associated with social awkwardness due to a perceived lack of socialization with their peer group. However, with the dawn of social media, more homeschooled students—both those who are being schooled by more “traditional” methods and those who are students are virtual cyber charter schools—are able to better connect with their peers and other members of the homeschooling community.

http://www.edudemic.com/socially-awkward-social-media-educational-tool-homeschoolers/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/_6tmHCy4J58/

How Questions Promote Cognitive, Social, and Emotional Learning Across Subject Areas

by Maurice Elias, Edutopia

In the last blog, we took a look at the perspective of perspective of Irving Sigel on the importance of asking different kinds of questions as a way of deepening students’ social, emotional, and cognitive learning. Coming from a Piaget approach, Irv felt that students needed to go from understanding the material as presented to generating their own thoughts about it. He referred to this as “distancing” — not the clearest term, but a way of saying that questions could be sequenced toward leading to students’ higher order and constructivist thinking by having them take a range of perspectives about a given reading or topic.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-questions-promote-cognitive-social-and-emotional-learning-across-subject-areas-maurice-elias

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