BY MOHAMMAD SYEDA, Daily Texan 2013 RAND Corporation study shows that for every $1 invested in prison education, we actually save $4 to $5 in the long run, purely due to recidivism decreasing. In the recent past, such a reform happened: Specter grants. These grants allowed prisoners to enroll in GED-level courses. However, Congress failed to renew federal funding in 2011 — the short-term cost of developing such a program proved to be problematic. With a society predicated on these ideas of opportunity and freedom, it’s important that we reform the current prison system. Through online education, we can turn individuals rejected by society into productive citizens. All the pieces of the puzzle are right in front of us. We just need to put them together. https://www.dailytexanonline.com/2015/11/23/online-prison-education-is-the-route-to-reducing-recidivism Share on Facebook

by the Conversation Research has shown that students who have access to better designed, and more personalised, courses tend to have higher engagement and better outcomes. A study of more than 1,000 engineering students taught with online lessons that adapt to suit individual needs cut the percentage of students who failed the course from 31% to 7% between 2007 and 2011. In Florida, a comparison trial delivery of a traditional online marketing course and one enhanced with adaptive lessons resulted in 16% of students increasing their marks from a C to a B. Lower-performing students quickly remediated to a competent level. These results point to the growing importance of new technologies and approaches to improve both the delivery and quality of online courses to cater for a diverse range of students. http://theconversation.com/online-learning-can-work-if-universities-just-rethink-the-design-of-their-courses-50848 Share on Facebook

by Allison Dulin Salisbury, EdSurge The next wave of experimentation for edX involves creating those for-credit pathway programs. EdX announced three in the last six months, including two just in the last four weeks: Global Freshman Academy: A complete freshman year offered on edX by Arizona State University which had a soft launch this year. The program is available worldwide to anyone, has no admissions requirements and will award full university credit when students pass courses. ACE Alternative Credit Project: An initiative to help millions of nontraditional learners gain a college degree launched by edX in October. By taking select online courses with edX, adult learners can aggregate credits for general education courses that will transfer directly into participating colleges. Supply Chain Management (SCM) master’s program that launches online in February. Students can complete an MIT master’s degree, if they choose, by then spending a single semester on campus. https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-11-23-edx-buckles-down-to-offer-credit-for-moocs Share on Facebook

By Meris Stansbury, eCampus News If you still think MOOC is a buzzword, you couldn’t be more wrong. Here are the higher education buzzwords and phrases that some like to call "edubabble." higher-education-buzzwordsFor those critics who say education moves at a snail’s pace, they’re wrong…at least when it comes to terminology—and technology-based terminology, especially. From buzzwords to phrases higher-ed speakers and leaders love to use, it seems there’s a whole new vocabulary—that some call "edubabble"—developed every couple of years. http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/higher-education-buzzwords-844/ Share on Facebook

by eCampus News Students can access two complete degree programs at zero cost using OER. For colleges everywhere, offering a zero textbook cost degree program became easier as Northern Virginia Community College’s Extended Learning Institute (ELI) and open courseware provider Lumen Learning announced a collaboration to publish 24 online college courses for two complete degree programs. All courses were developed for zero student cost using open educational resources (OER) (i.e., no textbooks, just public access internet). http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/community-college-oer-764/ Share on Facebook

By Bridget McCrea, eCampus News For the most part, ePortfolios are seen as online, digital repositories where college students can house their work for sharing with potential employers and other interested parties. Projects, resumes, artwork and designs, work samples, video clips, awards, honors, and myriad other materials can be neatly organized and presented in a digital fashion, making it easy for employers to access and review the work at their fingertips. But what happens when you take the original ePortfolio concept and expand its horizons to include other purposes? In "The Changing Landscape of ePortfolios," The Australasian Journal of Educational Technology examined one Australian university’s integration of ePortfolio tools with learning and teaching outcomes across numerous disciplines and learning contexts http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/eportfolios-college-classroom-077/ Share on Facebook

by Mark Brown, Helen Hughes, Mike Keppell, Natasha Hard & Liz Smith, IRRODL Online and distance learning is becoming increasingly common. Some would say it has quickly become the preferred or ‘new normal’ mode of study throughout the world. However, surprisingly little is known about what actually happens to first year distance students once they have enrolled in tertiary institutions; what motivates them and how they actually experience the transition to formal study by distance. This gap in the literature presents a challenge for distance education providers who, worldwide, are coming under increasing scrutiny in light of poor retention, progression, and completion rates. Against this backdrop, the purpose of the current study was to gather insights and seek a deeper understanding from first-time distance learners about the nature of their experiences. http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1647/3448 Share on Facebook

by Linda E. Rohr, Jane Costello, and Thomas Hawkins, IRRODL While the use of Twitter for communication and assessment activities in online courses is not new, it has not been without its challenges. This is increasingly true of high enrolment courses. The use of a Twitter Evaluation application which leverages a Learning Management System’s (LMS’s) application programming interface (API) provides a solution which reduces the administrative overhead associated with tracking students’ Tweets and allows the grader to focus on the assessment of the Tweets’ quality. Such an application and how it improved the assessment process of grading Tweet events is described. In addition to the technological considerations, the soundness of the Twitter learning design in the course also impacts the effectiveness of the Tweet events for learning and enhancing the much-needed online social presence. Learning design considerations are also discussed. http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/2376/3459 Share on Facebook

By Lila Romero, US News ​Group collaboration is increasingly important in online learning. Professors commonly assign group projects that require intense collaboration with classmates scattered throughout the nation or world, depending upon your major. Those that have never experienced online group work before, may be wondering how it all works. If you’ve already had the pleasure of participating in an online group project, you may have run into some pretty common challenges and frustrations. Though every group and assignment is different, there are some best practices that have been proven to aid in the effectiveness of any online collaboration. Make sure you and your group are clear on the do’s and don’ts of online group work to ensure your next project is a success. http://www.usnews.com/education/online-learning-lessons/2015/11/27/learn-the-dos-donts-of-online-group-work Share on Facebook

by Philadelphia Sun Students don’t need to take a break from earning credits over winter break. Community College of Philadelphia will offer affordable online courses during the 2015 winter break to help students and guest students from other colleges and universities accelerate degree completion. "These three-credit courses will require 6-8 hours of work daily, so students must be committed to dedicating their time to the coursework and be prepared for a fast pace over the course of the four-week term," said Dr. Samuel Hirsch, vice president for Student Affairs. http://www.philasun.com/color-of-money/community-college-of-philadelphia-turn-winter-break-into-a-path-to-completion/ Share on Facebook