"One line in the presidential candidate’s ambitious plan draws criticism from online educator." according to Kevin Walker, U.S. News University Directory Managing Editor.Photo: U.S. News UniversityDemocratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s $350 billion plan to make higher education more affordable has drawn fire from some critics, particularly the plan’s comment on online education."We must bring integrity to online learning and will not tolerate programs that fall short," the plan, published on the Clinton campaign website and distributed to media, said. Clinton's plan aims to lessen the debt burden of a college education. While it may be no more than a tempest in the campaign teapot, the comment irked those in the distance education field. The line made it seem not just that online education had lost its way, but that it "never had" any integrity, according to Inside Higher Education. Experts pointed out that many "traditional" universities now offer degree programs online."I did not realize I worked in a field devoid of integrity," Russell Poulin, director of policy and analysis for WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET), told Inside Higher Education.  "If they are not equating online learning with for-profit colleges, then I'm at a loss as to why they would want to throw a whole industry under the bus."The line was picked up on by other media outlets, including a commentary in Forbes by Excelsior College president John Ebersole. He wrote that " online learning is embedded into the American higher education experience because it works."Read more...Source: U.S. News University

"A Metro Vancouver university has announced it’s offering a course on growing medical marijuana this fall." continues CTV Vancouver News.CTV Vancouver: University offers pot classesKwantlen Polytechnic University said it will have two new online courses this September focused on the ins and outs of the budding pot industry.Kwantlen Polytechnic University is offering two classes focused on the budding medical marijuana industry this fall. Aug. 17, 2015. (CTV)One course will cover plant production and facility management, while the other will deal with marketing, sales and drug development.Instructor Tegan Adams said she’s spent years doing consulting for eight different medical marijuana companies in B.C., and there’s a clear need for formal training."There was a pretty big gap in knowledge between the people who were growing marijuana and the people who were investing in it," Adams said."There’s a need for middle management."But some are already giving the plan a failing grade. Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis said he worries a course like Adams’s could have unintended consequences."My concern would be that the information and what they learn there is going to be diverted to an illicit market," Garis said."They could grow marijuana whether it’s medical or not."Adams said her course will cover Canada’s Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations, and is intended for students who want to grow pot legally.If people want to learn how to grow pot illegally, they have plenty of options, she added."They can learn a lot of different other places [without] paying a bunch of money to go to university," Adams said."This course in particular though is for people who actually want to work through the MMPR and do it legally and be part of the evolving pharmaceutical and medical world that marijuana’s going to be entering."Universities aren’t responsible for what their students do with their education, Adams added, and even accountants can use their skill set to commit crimes.The online courses are seven weeks long and are open to people across the world.Source: CTV News

Liz Sheffield is a freelance writer with a background i […]The post Social Media for eLearning Professional Development (Part 1) appeared first on eLearning Brothers.

By Queenie Wong, Mercury News In a move aimed at narrowing a skills gap faced by many workers, the business-oriented social network LinkedIn purchased Lynda for $1.5 billion earlier this year. By using LinkedIn’s information about working professionals and businesses to link employees to the right online courses, the companies are bidding to help solve problems [...]

by Tim Dodd, AFR The University of Tasmania’s very popular massive open online course (MOOC) explaining dementia this week begins its run for the fourth time. So far the course, Understanding Dementia, has enrolled 50,000 students and has an extraordinarily high completion rate of 36 per cent since it was first offered in 2013. A 10 [...]

By Paul Fain, Inside Higher Ed Traditional colleges have been mostly on the sidelines for the early development of online microcredentials or badges — the kind that aren’t linked to conventional courses and the credit hour. Educational technology companies and other alternative providers have taken the lead in working with employers on these skills-based credentials. A [...]

Ah, time. If there's one thing we're good at, it's listing all the reasons we don't have the time to do the things we say we want to do. So many people I know have a great idea for a...

When I started working with Inmarsat back in 2011, they didn't have any elearning. With a team of trainers travelling all corners of the globe, there was an understandable push to reduce travel costs. My remit was to introduce an elearning strategy that would not only provide a cost-saving against classroom training, but that would allow […] The post How I Saved $50,000 Moving from Classroom Training to eLearning appeared first on Litmos.

Living off the grid can be defined as living in a way that is self-sufficient they are not based on public services. It means living without depending on municipal water supply, natural gas, electricity and even sewer. You live largely without the basic elements of modern elements that make life more comfortable and convenient. A ...

eLearning is a fast-growing industry that influences all markets all over the world. However, it also greatly impacts people's way of living. The right body posture for eLearning is a very important matter for learning success and it must be taken into account while engaging in online education. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.