Past, Present and Future of Online Education Infographic The evolution of technology and of new learning experiences have always been closely related. As distance learning specialists affirm, the field of distance-learning had three main generations: Correspondence study Multimedia Computer-mediated The Past, Present and Future of Online Education Infographic provides a brief presentation of the history of online education. A brief timeline of online education On March 20, 1728, the Boston Gazette ran an advertisement offering long distance instruction. And so teaching outside the classroom had its beginning. 1728: Boston teacher offers instruction through weekly letters to anyone in the country. 1892: U. of Chicago is first educational institution to offer correspondence courses. 1922: Penn State broadcasts courses over the radio. 1953: U. of Houston offers course work on TV. 1968: Stanford University creates the Stanford Instructional Television Network. 1959: Plato is born, the first internet community. Hatched by two U. of Illinois profs. 1968: U. of Alberta (Canada) Dept. of Medicine offers online courses. 1984: The Electronic University Network, offers online courses using proprietary software for DOS and Commodore 64 computers. 1989: Phoenix rising. The University of Phoenix starts its online program. 1996: Duke University begins its Global Executive M.B.A. program which combines online technology and sessions on-campus and at various locations throughout Europe, Asia, and Latin America. 1999: Jones University becomes first accredited fully web based university; Learning portals, including HungryMinds, Click2Learn, Learn2, eCollege, Blackboard, and others emerge on the landscape. 2000: CourseNotes.com launches with dozens of classes at the University of Texas. The service provides professor web sites, including online course documents, calendars, grades, quizzes and surveys. Jan. 1, 2008: The term MOOC is coined by Dave Cormier of the University of Prince Edward Island. 2012: The rise of MOOCs, Coursera, Udacity, edX launch. 2013: The Open University builds its own MOOC platform, Futurelearn, with universities from the UK. More MOOCs: Open2Study in Australia and Iversity in Germany. 3 Types of Online Education 80-100% online courses have no face to face interaction with teacher 30-80% course delivered online: Traditional courses using web facilitated courses Blended or hybrid: Up to 20 percent of content delivered online: otherwise, traditional face to face classroom learning 10 Surprising Facts about Online Students 46% of students say their biggest motivation for enrolling in an online course was to advance their current career. 37% of online students were the first in their family to attend college. 33% of people taking some online course are studying business. University of Phoenix has the largest proportion of online students at 15%. 39% of online students fall between the ages of 18 to 29. 21% of online students pay for their education using personal funds only. 70% of virtual learners are female. 29% of online graduates earn $85-150k annual income. 60% of students taking an online course are employed full-time. 37% of online students indicate that they enrolled because of the accelerated courses, which fast-tracks students to a degree. Top 10 most popular online degrees Business Administration/management Accounting IT (Information Technology) Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Finance Psychology Graphic Design Health Care Administration Nursing Computer Science K-12 Online 25 states have state virtual schools operating in 2013-2014. 29 states and Washington, DC have statewide full-time online schools operating in 2013-14. There were an estimated 1,816,400 enrollments in distance-education courses in K-12 school districts in 2009-2010, almost all of which were online courses. 74% of these enrollments were in high schools. Online courses with the highest level of enrollment fall under the categories of credit recovery (62%), dual enrollment (47%), and advanced placement (29%). Via: www.affordable-online-colleges.netThe post Past, Present and Future of Online Education Infographic appeared first on e-Learning Infographics.

Using e-Learning To Improve Employee Engagement Filtered.com cannot stress the importance of using e-learning enough as a way to increase employee engagement in the work place. With a fast changing market, the key to staying in the game is to strategize in a way that maximizes both lifelong learning and business productivity. Train your staff to keep their knowledge up to date, become engaged through learning and more productive in the work that they do. What’s better way to do this than E-Learning? It’s cost effective, has fantastic results in a short amount of time, and training programs are tailored to each member of staff depending on their role and abilities. Via: learn.filtered.comThe post How To Use e-Learning To Improve Employee Engagement Infographic appeared first on e-Learning Infographics.

3 Levels of Instructional Design Prototypes Infographic Storyboarding and prototyping are key parts of the instructional design process that should not be skipped. Starting the overall design process with a storyboard provides a high-level outline of the intended outcomes of the module, and is an effective way to gather ideas in a graphical format before moving on the physical prototype. Interface prototyping then allows instructional designers to map out the navigation of a training module and garner feedback from stakeholders and users early in the design process. Gathering this information helps designers make decisions about the layout and placement of elements, such as buttons, images, and clickable interactions within the overall arrangement of an interface. The 3 Levels of Instructional Design Prototypes Infographic presents the different levels of prototypes—physical, wireframe digital, and refined digital— that offer varying degrees of fidelity during the prototyping process.   3 Levels of Instructional Design Prototypes   1. The physical prototype The physical prototype can be built using common office supplies, making it quick and easy to get feedback from your key stakeholders and even some end users. The physical prototype offers a way to try different designs without spending too much time building them. The elements can simply be removed and placed in a new location as necessary. It is a good idea during this phase to have several different iterations for review. 2. The wireframe digital prototype The wireframe digital prototype has been used in the application design and web design industries for many years to gain early design feedback. The wireframe prototype uses libraries of commonly used items, such as drop down menus, text buttons, and many others, to quickly build the prototype design. Each element can be built to have interactions that show how the functionality would work to move between screens and open elements on a page. The elements can be manipulated quickly and easily to change the design as feedback is gathered from testing the design with users. 3. The refined prototype The refined prototype. Once the designs have been refined to a single option, the refined digital prototype comes into play. The refined prototype is a polished version of the wireframe prototype. Design elements such as color schemes, button design, and placement are used to make final design decisions. Pieces of the finalized content can be used as available for better feedback on the final product. The production functionality will also be built into the prototype so the stakeholders and users who do this final testing can give feedback as if they are using the released design. View also: Using Prototyping in Instructional Design Via: www.td.orgThe post 3 Levels of Instructional Design Prototypes Infographic appeared first on e-Learning Infographics.

The eLearning Principles For Teaching Millennials According to some predictions, by 2020 half of all classes will be taken online. When compared to today’s statistics that say that at least one class is taken virtually, these predictions are astonishing. Obviously, we are rapidly turning to virtual classrooms. With the rapid advent of communication technology, time, space, and money, no longer pose obstacles for improvement. This is why electronic forms of learning provide just about the perfect framework for lifelong learning. Firstly, eLearning engages students into personally relevant experiences. Moreover, it encourages development of essential skills for the 21st century: creativity, critical thinking, meaningful collaboration. Finally, it enables simulation. In other words, eLearning creates authentic atmosphere and deepens the understanding of real-world issues by fully engaging students. The ultimate goal of eLearning is to instill a high value of learning and foster lifelong learning. In other words, there is something far beyond academic achievement, that is, the learners’ ability of active contribution to the learning process. Let us now observe the founding principles of eLearning that enable us to become lifelong learners. Via: saundz.comThe post The eLearning Principles for Teaching Millennials Infographic appeared first on e-Learning Infographics.

Designing eLearning for Readability Infographic As an eLearning professional, your responsibility is not just to deliver eLearning content to learners - it’s to make sure that it’s engaging and readable. The Designing eLearning for Readability Infographic presents 5 strategies you can employ in order to deliver content that learners are actually going to read. 5 Strategies for Delivering Readable eLearning Content 1. Use Contrast The most readable text is simple - it’s black text on a white background. Don’t try to re-invent the wheel. Black on white has worked for centuries as body text, and with good reason. 2. Break It Up Any huge block of text is difficult to read. Simply stated, text is easiest to read when you deliver it in short paragraphs - ideally, no more than four sentences each. You can also toss in a graphic or two to add visual interest, but make sure that it relates to the content. 3. Use White Space If your eLearning design consists of wall-to-wall text, no one is going to want to read. Use margins around your text blocks, and additional spacing between lines so that people know where one paragraph ends and the next begins. 4. Alignment Type that is left-aligned is easier to read than type that is right-aligned. You can use right alignment occasionally, like when you’re wrapping text around photos, but in general, lean to the left. Justified type doesn’t work well on web pages, because the text blocks are usually narrow and justification results in huge gutters of white space. 5. Use Font Sizes Judiciously Your body text should always be in one size, and one size only. Go larger on subheads, and larger still in headers. This alerts the learner to when a new topic or subtopic is being developed. Ideal sizes for effective eLearning courses are 18 point for headers, 14 for subheads, and 11 or 12 for body text. Via: info.shiftelearning.comThe post Designing eLearning for Readability Infographic appeared first on e-Learning Infographics.

How Corporations Use MOOCs Infographic With rapid growth in the number of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and students, it was only a matter of time before corporate American sat up and took notice. The How Corporations Use MOOCs Infographic presents 7 ways corporations use MOOCs to meet some of the professional development and training needs of their work force, partners, and customers. 7 Ways Corporations Use MOOCs 1. Building Talent Pipelines. 350+ companies are paying Coursera and Udacity to identify the best and brightest students in relevant courses and refer them as possible job candidates. The webinar also cited AT&T as sponsoring the development of an MS in Computer Science at Georgia Tech in which the firm can then enroll employees. 2. Onboarding Employees. This point gave us a bit of pause. Cited during the webinar was McAfee’s wild success in adopting the "MOOC approach" of blending formal, informal and social learning to overhaul of its 80-hour employee orientation program. However, that approach to learning is not unique to MOOCs; in fact, it predates MOOCs and is SOP within many college distance learning environments. Then there’s the question of whether a course designed for a limited population (McAfee employees) can really be called a MOOC, which is by definition "Open" to a general population. Not all eLearning is a MOOC. As an aside, we’re wondering if we’re witnessing a real-time etymological case study. Will the term MOOC come to be applied to any online course in the same way that any tissue came to be called a Kleenex and any photocopy a Xerox? 3. Self-directed Career Development. Deloitte, Yahoo!, Jardine Lloyd Thompson and Datalogix are cited as some of the companies that encourage employees to enroll in MOOCs for career development purposes. Not all of these companies give credit for MOOC completion, but creating a means to do so was highly recommended in the webinar. 4. Workforce Training. Google has enrolled 80,000 employees in Udacity’s HTML5 course, a great example of using a MOOC for workforce training. Also cited was a "proprietary MOOC" developed by Aquent for its employees (if a MOOC can be proprietary and still be a MOOC). Finally, TELUS was named as an example of workforce training using "the MOOC approach," even though the course of interest was not online. 5. Channel/Customer Education. Some interesting developments have occurred here. SAP offers its own MOOCs to train customers and partners; because they are open to anyone who registers, these are legitimate MOOCs. The IMF has been working with edX to develop courses about debt and financial policy making for government officials. It’s not clear whether these courses are open to the public. 6. Brand Marketing. The University of California, Irvine offers the course Society, Science, Survival: Lessons from AMC’s The Walking Dead. While this is not a first in using pop culture as pedagogical material, what’s distinctive about this course is that it is funded by AMC in order to "drive a deep sustained connection with the show." 7. Collaboration and Innovation. The combination of formal, informal and social learning methodologies, dubbed "the MOOC approach" in the webinar, has served as an effective tool to find solutions to real-life business problems. Over 100 companies have used the University of Virginia/Coursera platform, Coursolve, to do just that. This may be one of the most promising business uses of a MOOC. Via: extensionengine.comThe post How Corporations Use MOOCs Infographic appeared first on e-Learning Infographics.

The Science of Attention in eLearning Infographic Attention refers to the capability of the brain to choose one aspect on which to concentrate while ignoring everything else in the environment. Helping students to pay attention is a primary concern of training. The Science of Attention in eLearning Infographic helps eLearning professionals understand how the attention system works. Attention and the Brain Attention lies in two areas of the brain: The prefrontal cortex, located behind the forehead and spanning to the left and right sides of the brain, handles willful concentration. Part of the motivational system, it helps a person focus attention on a goal. The parietal cortex, behind the ear, is for sudden events that require action. Attention is largely a function of the Reticular Activating System (RAS), which includes a number of nerve fibers such as the thalamus, hypothalamus, brain stem, and cerebral cortex. The RAS accounts for shifts in levels of involvement in surroundings. Watch out: The less engaging the course the more difficult is for students to hold their attention. Implications for eLearning Professionals It is important for eLearning developers to remember that they are competing for their learners’ attention and to bear the following in mind: People do not pay attention when information is boring or presented in an uninteresting way. Attention begins to wander after 10 minutes if the brain is not engaged. People are unable to multitask — it is only possible to focus on one thing at a time. The brain pays attention to people better than things. Most people have similar rhythmic patterns Via: info.shiftelearning.comThe post The Science of Attention in eLearning Infographic appeared first on e-Learning Infographics.

8 Merry Leadership Lessons Taught by Santa Infographic Employees are now more knowledgeable and educated than ever. People are not just looking to be taught, they want to be motivated to succeed. The 8 Merry Leadership Lessons Taught by Santa Infographic presents 8 leadership skills that characterize Santa and should be features of every good leader. 1. Preach Selflessness Good leaders will always put others ahead of themselves. They truly believe in the team concept and know that there’s strength in numbers. 2. Invoke Reciprocity It’s the Golden Rule! Treat others the way you would like to be treated. 3. Inspire Colleagues A good leader will find the time to inspire colleagues when they hit lows and push them to new heights when they are doing good. 4. Getting Everyone on the Same Page A smart leader will always remind people of the greater purpose of their work and why it’s important. 5. Lead with the Why Find the meaning and make the connection between the work you do and why it affects a lot of people. 6. Challenge Everyone A good leader will gain an understanding of their colleagues and be able to know what motivates them and what does not. 7. Focus on Outcomes Good leaders always focus on the bigger picture. They also manage to get this message out to colleagues in a transparent way. 8. Inform and Educate A good leader will always inform and educate the people around of them, allowing colleagues to ask more relevant questions that will benefit the organization. Having Good Leaders within Your Office Matters! Good leaders make workplaces better and cause more employee happiness, satisfaction, and engagement. Tools like Offlcevibe can help by promoting good leadership practices and helping companies find out where the real problems may stem between managers and employees in order to solve them. Via: www.officevibe.comThe post 8 Merry Leadership Lessons Taught by Santa Infographic appeared first on e-Learning Infographics.

Christmas Idioms and Phrases Infographic An idiom is a phrase in which the meaning has little or nothing to do with the literal wording. Examples of idioms in general speech are "raining cats and dogs" and "keep an eye out." The first indicates a heavy downpour of rain, while the second means to keep watch for something. The Christmas Idioms and Phrases Infographic presents 10 commonly used holiday idioms and phrases. 10 Holiday Idioms and Phrases 1. White Christmas The prettiest holiday, according to most, is one where it has snowed. This wish for white was celebrated many years ago in a popular song, and the title of this carol is now a traditional holiday phrase. 2. There’s no Place like Home for the Holidays Another favorite carol came out of the sentiment that the best place to celebrate the holidays is with the family. College students return to their parents’ home, and extended families descend on a pre-planned relative for festive celebration and gift-giving. 3. Xmas Comes but Once a Year Recently, this has become an excuse for gorging on holiday cookies or spending too much on presents, but this proverb quietly states that people need to be kind to each other year-round rather than just during the holidays. 4. ‘Tis the Season "‘Tis" is an old method of contracting "it" and "is." Today, it is rarely used in anything but traditional song or poetry, such as "My Country ‘Tis of Thee," or "‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all," by Alfred Lord Tennyson. This usage is abbreviated from a line in a holiday carol: "‘Tis the season to be jolly." The word "jolly" is also old and simply means "happy." 5. Deck the Halls "Decking" or decorating the halls with branches from a holly tree is an old tradition, and the popular carol began as a Welsh tune from the 1700s. These days, merry-makers deck their halls with blinking lights, pine branches, popcorn strung on strands of thread, and glittery garland. 6. Meet Me Under the Mistletoe European mistletoe is a shrub with yellow flowers and white, poisonous berries. The tradition of kissing under a hanging sprig of this plant began in 16th century England, but it was not connected to holiday tradition until the 18th century. In 1820, American author Washington Irving wrote, "-the young men have the privilege of kissing the girls under it, plucking each time a berry from the bush. When the berries are all plucked the privilege ceases." 7. The Stockings were Hung by the Chimney The actual origin is uncertain, but hundreds of years ago, children dried damp socks by hanging them overnight from the fireplace mantle. At some point, a benevolent stranger, saint, or parent slipped some gifts into these stockings, and it is now an inseparable tradition. Holiday stockings are filled with small presents and fruit, such as apples and oranges, though naughty children may receive only a chunk of coal. 8. Ho Ho Ho! The tradition involves a fat, bearded man in a red suit slipping through chimneys to leave presents for the children, and "ho ho ho" is an imitation of the old fellow’s laughter. One must hold his belly with both hands while imitating, and jolliness is mandatory. 9. Bah, Humbug! On the other hand, "Bah, humbug!" is the derisive, holiday-hating rant of Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella, "A Christmas Carol." Today, folks will often shout this at each other, jokingly (or bitterly), when confronted with holiday well-wishers. 10. Trim the Tree This is an old reference to decorating a pine tree with ornaments, lights, and whatever glittery bits strike a family’s fancy. Via: www.grammar.netThe post Christmas Idioms and Phrases Infographic appeared first on e-Learning Infographics.

Tips For Using Cutout People Images When using cutout people images there are five quick tips I think you’ll find handy in your eLearning projects. If you are new to using cutout people images, you will notice that having multiple images of the same eLearning character makes everything so much easier. Make sure to check out eLearning Brothers to learn more about their eLearning Templates and the eLearning Stock Library. Use a drop shadow on a cutout person or object to give it depth, so it stands out in your eLearning layouts. Use a drop shadow color to match the background. Use shadows below a standing cutout person, so they appear to be touching the ground. Use depth of field to isolate a subject from other elements in a photo by blurring the foreground or background. Use multiple cutout images to show different points in your eLearning presentation. Via: www.elearningbrothers.comThe post 5 Tips For Using Cutout People Images Infographic appeared first on e-Learning Infographics.