Posts Tagged ‘online education’

university deans about future

College deans predict higher-ed is in for remarkable changes in 10 years

By Laura Ascione, Managing Editor, Content Services, @eSN_Laura
September 4th, 2017  New survey reveals more than two-thirds of college deans believe institutional change is on the horizon
The survey findings are from the responses of 109 deans of four-year colleges and universities in March and April 2017. Of the respondents, 61 percent were from public universities and 60 percent have been in their jobs at least five years.
Deans were divided on whether faculty members get enough support in teaching courses online–43 percent said faculty are getting shortchanged in how much help they get in rethinking their courses and teaching with technology, while 40 percent said they believe they are getting enough support and 14 percent are neutral.

One-third of deans agree online courses are comparable to face-to-face courses, and roughly the same proportion said they disagree.

Thirty-seven percent of college deans surveyed described the pace of change at their own institutions as “too slow.” Deans surveyed cite lack of money being the biggest hurdle to change, followed by resource constraints on faculty and staff and a resistance or aversion to change.

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university presidents about future in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=university+presidents

teaching naked

Teaching Naked: How Moving Technology out of Your College Classroom Will Improve Student Learning

José Antonio Bowen, president, Goucher College

https://www.magnapubs.com/2017-teaching-with-technology-conference/plenary-sessions.html

Technology is changing higher education, but the greatest value of a physical university will remain its face-to-face (naked) interaction between faculty and students. Technology has fundamentally changed our relationship to knowledge and this increases the value of critical thinking, but we need to redesign our courses to deliver this value. The most important benefits to using technology occur outside of the classroom. New technology can increase student preparation and engagement between classes and create more time for the in-class dialogue that makes the campus experience worth the extra money it will always cost to deliver. Students already use online content, but need better ways to interact with material before every class. By using online quizzes and games, rethinking our assignments and course design, we can create more class time for the activities and interactions that most spark the critical thinking and change of mental models we seek.

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more on online teaching in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=online+teaching

apps online learning

20 essential apps to include in online courses

By Meris Stansbury June 9th, 2017

Online learning apps are broken down into specific categories to maximize production and streamline online communication..

20 essential apps to include in online courses

From attending class to talking with peers and professors, and from going to the local bookstore to having everything on a laptop in a dorm room, students on campus typically have a more “organic” learning experience than an online student who may not know how to best access these features of a higher education in an entirely mobile setting.

The essentials for getting started

Computer terms (Android) (Apple): Online learning means you’ll need to know basic computer technology terms. Both apps are free and break down terms ranging from words like “cache” to “hex code,” all in layman’s language.

Mint (Android) (Apple): Online learning students are usually financially savvy, looking for less expensive alternatives to traditional four-year tuition. This app allows students to keep careful track of personal finances and spending.

Study Tracker (Android) (Apple): These paid apps help track the time spent on courses, tasks and projects to help online students better manage their time and be able to visualize unique study patterns with the aim of ultimately improving efficiency.

Wi-Fi Finder (Android) (Apple): It’s a no-brainer: If you’re learning online and on-the-go, you’ll probably need to find a connection!

To access actual courses (LMS)

Blackboard Mobile (Android) (Apple): Access all courses that are integrated with Blackboard’s LMS.

Canvas (Android) (Apple). Access all courses integrated with Canvas by Instructure.

Moodle (Android) (Apple): Access all courses integrated with this open-source learning platform.

My note: No D2L in this list, folks; choose carefully in 2018, when MnSCU renews its D2L license

For access to files and remote annotation

Documents to Go (Android) (Apple): Students can access the full Microsoft Office suite, as well as edit and create new files without requiring a cloud app for syncing.

Dropbox (Android) (Apple): This app allows students to access any-size files from their computer anytime, anywhere. My Note: Google Drive, SCSU File space as alternatives.

iAnnotate (Android) (Apple): Read, edit and share PDFs, DOCs, PPTs, and image files.

Instapaper (Android) (Apple): Recall websites for research purposes; strip away clutter for an optimized view of content; and read anywhere, since no internet connection is needed.

Marvin (Apple): A completely customizable eBook reader that includes DRM-free books, customizable formats, layouts, and reading gestures, as well as highlighting and annotations tools. Considered one of the best replacements for the Stanza app, which is now discontinued.

Pocket (Android): An app that allows students to save websites, blog posts, videos, and other online resources to access at a later time. It also saves the information to the device, meaning no internet connection is needed.

Wolfram Alpha (Android) (Apple): Considered the scholar’s version of Google, this app is a search engine that reveals precise information for natural-language searches. For example, if you ask “What is the graduation rate for Harvard?” the engine will bring up exact numbers with citations and suggestions for similar queries.

For online communication with peers and profs

Dragon Dictation (Android) (Apple): Create text messages, social media posts, blog posts and more by using your voice (speech-to-text). According to the company, Dragon Dictation is up to five times faster than typing on the keyboard.

Evernote (Android) (Apple): Whenever you look at a list of education apps, Evernote is usually listed. This app allows students to scribble notes, capture text, send notes to computers and other users, and much more for ultimate multi-media communication.

Hangouts (Android) (Apple): Google’s social network shines for its own online video chat solution, which lets teachers, students and third-party experts easily videoconference in groups—it’s even been used to broadcast presenters live to packed auditoriums. My note: desktopsharing is THE most important part. Alternatives: SCSU subscription for Adobe Connect. Skype also has desktopsharing capabilities

Quora (Android) (Apple): Ask questions to experts including astronauts, police officers, lawyers, and much more to receive industry-insider responses.

Smartsheet (Android) (Apple): An app that allows students to create task lists and assign deadlines to share with remote group/team members.

Tom’s planner (Web): A Gantt chart-based, online planning tool that uses color-coded charts to reveal work completed and many more features for project management.

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more on online learning in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=online+learning

online students expectations

Study: Online Students Want Interaction, Community

By Rhea Kelly  06/21/17

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/06/21/study-online-students-want-interaction-community.aspx

a new report from Learning House and Aslanian Market Research. For the sixth annual “Online College Students 2017: Comprehensive Data on Demands and Preferences” report, researchers polled 1,500 students who are “seriously considering, currently enrolled in or have recently graduated from a fully online program”

a number of recommendations for helping online programs attract students, including:

  • Cater to students’ career goals. “Since online students are so career focused, understanding which programs will best educate students for the job market is critical to online program success,” the researchers noted;
  • Make sure admissions offices provide fast responses to online students, as well as upfront figures on financial aid and transfer credits; and
  • Adapt online access to accommodate mobile technology.

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more on online students in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=online+students

Gref urged to radically change the Russian model of education

http://en.news-4-u.ru/gref-urged-to-radically-change-the-russian-model-of-education.html

He called to radically change the Russian model of education, beginning with kindergartens and ending with universities.

«We are trying to reproduce the old Soviet, absolutely worthless education system, we nephelem in children huge amount of knowledge», — said the head of Sberbank, adding that to change the model of education we had yesterday.

Herman Gref also stressed that he did not believe in the effectiveness of online education.

His statement also implies that in General, Russia has become a «non-downshifters»: was among the States that «lose», which did not have time to adapt our economy and entire social system to a new reality.

he got it totally right. It is pity that he talks only about Russian education. It will be even more sad, if the US education does not dig into his words

Gref has included Russia in the list of countries of downshifters

http://freenews.xyz/2016/01/15/gref-has-included-russia-in-the-list-of-countries-of-downshifters/

http://www.dnevnik.bg/sviat/2016/01/16/2687032_erata_na_petrola_prikljuchi_rusiia_e_sred/

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