online learning

Comparing online programs

On 03/24/2011, in online learning, quality, by Daniel Christian

Comparing online programs — from InsideHigherEd.com by Steve Kolowich

Much of the debate about online higher education turns on comparing online courses to face-to-face ones. But with colleges of every type increasingly venturing into the fray of online teaching regardless, some have turned toward the practical question of comparing online programs with other online programs.

This, too, has been tricky. Kaye Shelton found this out when she was researching her 2005 book, An Administrator’s Guide to Online Education, which she co-authored with George Saltsman, an educational technologist at Abilene Christian University.

“When I came to the chapter on quality, I just ended up chucking it,” says Shelton, now dean of online education at Dallas Baptist University. While attention to online programs as a recruitment battleground was growing, she says, the literature on how to compare quality was just too thin.

Now, with help from the nonprofit Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C) and dozens of veteran online education administrators, Shelton has developed a “quality scorecard” that she hopes will serve as a standardized measure for comparing any type of fully online college program, regardless of discipline. “I’m hoping that it will become an industry standard,” Shelton says.

The scorecard has 70 metrics, developed over six months by a panel of 43 long-serving online administrators representing colleges of various classifications, including several for-profit institutions. It builds on the Institute for Higher Education’s “Benchmarks for Success in Internet-Based Distance Education,” which was published in 2000 and outlines 24 metrics.

Tagged with: online learning • quality

Blockbuster’s largest shareholder calls Blockbuster worst investment ever made — from FastCompany.com by Austin Carr

After years as Blockbuster’s largest shareholder, Carl Icahn, who at one point amassed some 17 million shares of the now-bankrupt company, has called Blockbuster “the worst investment I ever made.”

In a candid piece written for the Harvard Business Review, Icahn opens up about the rental giant’s struggles and failures in an ever-changing industry.

“[Blockbuster] failed because of too much debt and changes in the industry. It had too many stores, Netflix created a better business model, and then Redbox kiosks and the whole digital phenomenon eliminated the need for consumers to go to a separate DVD store,” Icahn wrote. “Maybe the board did make a mistake in picking Jim Keyes as [John] Antioco’s successor—Keyes knows retailing and did an excellent job with the stores, but he isn’t a digital guy.”

From DSC:
I write about Blockbuster — and I emphasize the items above — because Blockbuster did not respond to the changes that were occurring around them.

What about those of us in higher education?
How’s our response(s) coming along?

The pace has changed -- don't come onto the track in a Model T

Staying Relevant

5/2/11 addendum:

Dish Network completes acquisition of Blockbuster — cnet

4/7/11 addendum:

Dish Network to buy Blockbuster for $228 million — cnet

Tagged with: 21st century • change • cost of getting an education • dangers of the status quo • Daniel S. Christian • digital learning • disruption • future of higher education • game-changing environment • leadership • new business models • online learning • pace of change • staying relevant • strategy • surviving • vision • Walmart of Education

Resources regarding teaching online — from COFA (Australia)

On 03/23/2011, in Australia, online learning, online media, teaching online, UK, by Daniel Christian

Why is online teaching important? — originally saw this at creativityineducation.co.uk

Also see COFA’s series of videos:

Tagged with: Australia • online learning • online media • teaching online • UK

Christensen on disruptive innovation in higher education [via Lloyd Armstrong]

On 03/23/2011, in business side of he, cost of getting a degree, disruption, future of higher education, game-changing environment, innovation, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, new business models, online learning, quality, strategy, United States, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

Christensen on disruptive innovation in higher education — from Lloyd Armstrong, University Professor and Provost Emeritus at the University of Southern California

Although the absence of an upwardly scalable technology driver has rendered higher education impossible to disrupt in its past, we believe that online learning constitutes such a technology driver and will indeed be capable of disruptively carrying the business model of low-cost universities up-market.

Tagged with: business side of he • cost of getting an education • disruption • future of higher education • game-changing environment • innovation • new business models in he • online learning • quality • strategy • United States • vision • Walmart of Education

What’s the best way for learners, employees, organizations, & publishers to deal with constantly-moving streams of content?

On 03/18/2011, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, active learning, adult learning, career development, change, collaboration, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, digital textbooks, distance education, informal learning, instructional design, learning ecosystem, learning theories, lifelong learning, microlearning, online learning, online media, pace of change, professional development, publishing, RSS, social learning / networks, social media, staying relevant, strategy, student-related, surviving, teaching & learning, textbooks, training / L&D, ubiquitous learning, workplace, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
After looking at some items concerning Connectivism*, I’ve been reflecting upon the following questions:

What’s the best way for us to dip our feet into the constantly moving streams of content?
(No matter the topic or discipline, the streams continue to flow.)
What’s the optimal setup for K-12 based “courses”?
What’s the optimal setup for “courses” within higher education?
How should L&D departments deal with this phenomenon?
How do publishers and textbook authors want to address this situation?

Thinking of Gonzalez (2004; as cited in Siemens (2005)) description of the challenges of rapidly diminishing knowledge life:

“One of the most persuasive factors is the shrinking half-life of knowledge. The “half-life of knowledge” is the time span from when knowledge is gained to when it becomes obsolete. Half of what is known today was not known 10 years ago. The amount of knowledge in the world has doubled in the past 10 years and is doubling every 18 months according to the American Society of Training and Documentation (ASTD). To combat the shrinking half-life of knowledge, organizations have been forced to develop new methods of deploying instruction.”

Stephen Downes addresses this and points to a possible solution to this phenomenon in his presentation from 3/15/11 entitled “Educational Projection: Supporting Distributed Learning Online.”

Excerpt/slides:

I need to put more thought into this, but wanted to throw this question out there…more later…

* From DSC: Some of the items I looked at regarding Connectivism — some directly related, others indirectly-related — were:

Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. Retrieved from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm.

Downes, S. (2005). An introduction to connective knowledge. Retrieved from http://www. downes. ca/post/33034. Downes noted that this was published in Hug, Theo (ed. ) (2007): Media, knowledge & education – exploring new spaces, relations and dynamics in digital media ecologies. Proceedings of the International Conference held on June 25-26, 2007. November 27, 2007.

Kop, R. & Hill, A. (2008). Connectivism: Learning theory of the future or vestige of the past? International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, v9 n3 p1-13 Oct 2008.

Tracey, R. (2009). Instructivism, constructivism or connectivism? Training & Development in Australia, December, 2009. p08-09, 2p. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. ISSN 0310-4664.

Kerr, B. (2007). A challenge to connectivism. Retrieved at http://learningevolves. wikispaces. com/kerr.

Sims, R. (2008). Rethinking (e)learning: A manifesto for connected generations. Distance Education Vol. 29, No. 2, August 2008, 153–164. ISSN 0158-7919 print/ISSN 1475-0198 online. DOI: 10. 1080/01587910802154954

Lisa Dawley. (2009). Social network knowledge construction: emerging virtual world pedagogy. On the Horizon, 17(2), 109-121. Retrieved from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1880656431).

Hargadon, S. (2011). Ugh. Classic politics now extends to social networking in education. Retrieved from http://www. stevehargadon. com/2011/03/ugh-classic-politics-now-extends-to. html.

Cross, J. (2001). Crowd-inspired innovation. Retrieved from http://www.internettime.com/2011/03/crowd-inspired-innovation.

Rogers-Estable, M.. (2009). Web 2.0 and distance education: Tools and techniques. Distance Learning, 6(4), 55-60. Retrieved from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 2017059921).

Marrotte-Newman, S.. (2009). Why virtual schools exist and understanding their culture. Distance Learning, 6(4), 31-35. Retrieved from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 2017059881).

Hilton, J., Graham, C., Rich, P., & Wiley, D. (2010). Using online technologies to extend a classroom to learners at a distance. Distance Education, 31(1), 77-92. Retrieved from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 2074810921).

Attwell, G. (2010). Personal learning environments and Vygotsky. Retrieved from http://www.pontydysgu.org/2010/04/personal-learning-environments-and-vygotsky.

Tagged with: 1:1 • 21st century • 24x7x365 • active learning • adult learners/learning • change • collaboration • Connectivism • content • Content aggregration • corporate training / universities • dangers of the status quo • Daniel S. Christian • digital textbooks • distance ed • informal learning • information overload • instructional design • learning and study strategies • learning ecosystem • learning theories • Lifelong learning • mash-ups • online learning • online media • pace of change • personal learning networks (PLNs) • professional development • RSS • social learning • social media • staying relevant • strategy • student-related • surviving • teaching & learning • textbooks • training • ubiquitous learning • web-based collaboration • workplace

Quote from “Rethinking (e)learning: A manifesto for connected generations” [Sims, 2008]

On 03/17/2011, in change, elearning, generational differences, learning theories, online learning, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

Quote/excerpt from Sims (2008) paper entitled, “Rethinking (e)learning: A manifesto for connected generations”:

Advances in theories of human memory parallel, and perhaps depend on, advances in technology… The information processing approach has been an important source of models and ideas, but the fate of its predecessors should serve to keep us humble concerning its eventual success… Unless today’s technology has somehow reached its ultimate development, and we can be certain it has not, then we have not reached the ultimate metaphor for the human mind either. (Roediger, 1980, p. 244 as cited in Sims, 2008)

Roediger’s remarks remind us that, not only are we in a constant state of change and development, but also that there are inherent risks in arguing that we know what there is to know about teaching, learning, and e-learning. Therefore, without undermining the importance of understanding the dynamics of human learning, this article adopts the position that it is untimely to let the e of e-learning disappear, because without that e we might lose sight of the value digital technology provides, especially through social networks, to emergent forms of learning and knowledge construction.

Emergent forms of learning cannot easily be addressed by current instructional design methodologies (Kays & Francis, 2004), which are often teacher-centered. New models and strategies embracing the roles and skills of the teacher, the learner, and the design team are required to address such developments (Sims & Koszalka, 2008). Recent reports by Oblinger (2004), Irlbeck, Kays, Jones, and Sims (2006), and Siemens (2007) posit that these emergent technologies and interactions have opened doorways to new ways of learning and that these deserve new models of thinking about the very essence of the teaching and learning dynamic. While this article accepts that e is becoming more mainstream and part of the infrastructure of developed nations, the real question is whether the models we use to create learning environments and measure outcomes retain their relevance in a generation in which technology is the medium of communication for many.

Sims, R. (2008). Rethinking (e)learning: a manifesto for connected generations. Distance Education (29) 2. August 2008, 153–164.

Tagged with: change • cognition • cognitive psychology / computing • Connectivism • e-learning • generational differences • learning theories • online learning • teaching & learning

Tagged with: K-12 • online learning • virtual schools

Learnable.com launches online learning [March 15, 2011]

On 03/15/2011, in cost of getting a degree, Daniel S. Christian, marketplaces, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, online learning, by Daniel Christian

Tagged with: cost of getting an education • Daniel S. Christian • marketplaces • online learning • Walmart of Education

For those who didn’t catch it — Sal Khan’s March 2011 talk at TED

On 03/11/2011, in analytics, collaboration, digital learning, elearning, emerging technologies, flipping -- inverted learning, motivation, online learning, online media, pedagogy, student-related, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

Salman Khan: Let’s use video to reinvent education — March 2011

Salman Khan talks about how and why he created the remarkable Khan Academy, a carefully structured series of educational videos offering complete curricula in math and, now, other subjects. He shows the power of interactive exercises, and calls for teachers to consider flipping the traditional classroom script — give students video lectures to watch at home, and do “homework” in the classroom with the teacher available to help.

From DSC:
Before rushing to a quick take/judgment on this, hear him out. Turning over more control to the students during the relaying of the information makes sense to me. They can pause, rewind, fast forward, etc. They can re-listen to the lecture again and again, without affecting the flow of a typical face-to-face classroom. Then they come into class and can get help on their homework, instantly and when they need the assistance.

Also see:

Flipped Model of Learning: A Podcast with Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams — from November Learning

Tagged with: analytics • collaboration • digital learning • e-learning • emerging technologies • failure / learning from failure • flipping -- inverted learning • learning and study strategies • motivation • online learning • online media • pedagogy • student-related • vision

When textbooks and social media collide

On 03/09/2011, in digital storytelling, education technology, educational games / serious games, history, online learning, online media, play, simulations, social media, textbooks, by Daniel Christian

When textbooks and social media collide — CampusTechnology.com by Bridget McCrea
A professor at a Christian liberal arts college in Michigan puts textbooks together with social networking to get students jazzed about historical events.

Right around the time that the term “social networking” was starting to roll off the tongues of school administrators and teachers, Christian Spielvogel was already deep in the throes of a project that would combine the next concept with traditional textbooks.

The year was 2007, and Spielvogel, now an associate professor of communication at Hope College in Holland, MI, was experimenting with the idea of implementing gaming and computer simulations while on sabbatical at the University of Virginia. Having conducted intensive research into the public memory of the Civil War period, Spielvogel wanted to “un-romanticize” public perception of the conflict and create a more realistic, engaging, and even risky learning experience for high school and college students.

Using the University of Virginia’s Valley of the Shadow digital archive as a guide–and funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Virginia Foundation for the Humanities for financial support–Spielvogel developed an online reenactment and multiplayer role-playing simulation that takes place during the American Civil War.

…

Little did Spielvogel know at the time, but his creation would become an early example of how computer gaming can be successfully combined with education. “At the time, there had already been some efforts made to develop games and simulations with most of them based on single-player models,” said Spielvogel, “but the whole idea of a multiplayer experience that allowed a group to become involved in the game and interact online was still pretty new.”

Tagged with: digital storytelling • educational gaming • games • history • online learning • online media • play • simulations • social media • textbooks

Tagged with: online learning • student-related

Podcast: The New York Times joins colleges to create online courses

On 03/03/2011, in change, changing business models, game-changing environment, new business models, online learning, online media, publishing, by Daniel Christian

Podcast: The New York Times joins colleges to create online courses — from The Chronicle by Josh Fischman

Tagged with: change • game-changing environment • media • new business models • new business models in he • online learning • publishing

Also see:

Tagged with: 21st century • 24x7x365 • accessibility • Apple • convergence • digital audio • digital learning • digital photography • digital storytelling • digital textbooks • digital video • disruption • e-books • e-learning • e-readers • educational technology • emerging technologies • engagement • iPad • iTunes U • Mobile learning • mobile technology • online learning • online media • publishing • tablets • transmedia • videoconferencing

Get connected to the online learning culture [Edutopia.org]

On 03/03/2011, in education technology, K-12 related, online learning, open courseware and systems, professional development, teachers, teaching online, textbooks, by Daniel Christian

Get connected to the online learning culture — from Edutopia.org

Professional Development: Starter Kit for Teaching Online
Get expert advice on how you can get started as an online educator.

Making the Case for Open-Source Textbooks
Futurist David Thornburg on why open-source textbooks have the advantage of being free of cost and provide greater value to the users.

Beyond Paper and Pencil
Technology expert Ben Johnson wonders how learning — and schools — would change if teachers stopped using paper.

Tagged with: educational technology • K-12 • online learning • open • professional development • teachers • teaching online • textbooks

SeniorNet — for lifelong learning

On 03/01/2011, in lifelong learning, online learning, by Daniel Christian

SeniorNet Launches Online Learning Center With 200 Courses — from ASTD.org by Ann Pace

“Our new SeniorNet Online Learning Center is now open,” announced Leslie M. Smith, SeniorNet Board Chairman and IBM Business Development Executive. “This new addition to our award winning website is a direct result of feedback from members and prospective members.” There is a large segment of the older adult population who for a variety of reasons – health issues, availability, cost, distance, convenience, intimidation – cannot or will not attend classes in a classroom.

Addendum (3/6/11):

Seniors surfing the web with wireless technology — from Middletown Journal
Web usage by senior citizens is booming, one study says.

Tagged with: Lifelong learning • online learning

Previous Entries Next Entries

Learning Ecosystems

Comparing online programs

Blockbuster’s largest shareholder calls Blockbuster worst investment ever made

Resources regarding teaching online — from COFA (Australia)

Christensen on disruptive innovation in higher education [via Lloyd Armstrong]

Quote from “Rethinking (e)learning: A manifesto for connected generations” [Sims, 2008]

Learnable.com launches online learning [March 15, 2011]

Podcast: The New York Times joins colleges to create online courses

iPad 2 announced

SeniorNet — for lifelong learning

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