Courtesy Huffington Post. Click here to view enlarged version

By Angie Norbeck, Business Management Program Chair Globe University-Minneapolis students in the Fraud Examination course got a glimpse into the world of retail fraud while visiting the downtown Minneapolis Target Store. Guided by the store’s asset protection team leader, Scott Harris, the students were taken behind the scenes of the inner city store to see how a retailer addresses fraud. Harris began the store tour by explaining the roles he and his team play when they receive a tip or are notified of potentially fraudulent behavior. From left to right:  Zach Hesemann, Ieshia Dabbs, Kendell Whisenton, Paul Ruscheinsky, Scott Harris (Target asset protection team leader) The students were taken through the multi-step process the Target’s asset protection team takes to investigate both internal and external subjects. Harris shared with the class that Target experiences millions of dollars in shortage each year due to a variety of reasons including cash skimming, improper cash register procedures, fraudulent voids, product theft and much more. Students were introduced to the extensive security camera system including over 200 cameras throughout the store, as well as other fraud prevention methods such as locking display cases, locking peg hooks, spider wrap and EAS tags. Harris shared with students what his team considers to be red flags including suspicious behaviors of the subject such as continuously looking around, pacing back and forth around an area where high theft merchandise is located, spending hours inside the store without making a purchase, approaching a register that is not staffed, and spending time in an area of the store that is consider to have low traffic. "I found it to be highly informational on how they use technology to catch and prove a subject’s theft," student Ieshia Dabbs said. Harris explained to the students that from the employee’s first day, they are communicated to about the asset protection team, how they can help deter theft through guest service, and ways they can report fraud tips. "This was a great example for the students to see how what they are learning in the classroom ties directly to career-minded practical applications," said Angie Norbeck, business management program chair. The post Globe Students Get Behind-the-Scenes Look at Target’s Asset Protection appeared first on Globe University Blog.

Female entrepreneurs are taking the leap and starting their own businesses at an unprecedented rate. Women are taking control of their own careers and futures. Starting and running your own business is a big undertaking and there is lots of help out there. If you are considering your own leap or have already started your own business, you may find these resources helpful. Small Business Administration The SBA offers great information and assistance for starting a new business. The major areas of assistance are: Help with financing Education, information and training (online and in person) Government contracting Advocacy These resources are available to any small business entrepreneur, but the Office of Women’s Business Ownership offers additional resources and support for women starting businesses. National Women’s Business Council The NWBC is a non-partisan federal advisory council that provides advice and counsel to the President, Congress and the SBA on women’s business issues. It has 15 members who are business owners or executives and representatives from six national women’s business organizations. The council Conducts research Distributes its findings Provides a platform for change The NWBC has started a project titled #HerOwnBoss which shares stories and advice from women in business. Concept Handwritten With Chalk - Color Image. ** Note: Soft Focus at 100%, best at smaller sizes Score Score connects entrepreneurs with mentors, workshops and educational resources to help start and build their businesses. A volunteer organization, Score has physical locations in many parts of the country. Ladies Who Launch Ladies Who Launch provides a networking community as well as educational resources and advice for women starting their own businesses. Ladies Who Launch also helps women promote themselves and their business through the organization. Women Entrepreneur Entrepreneur Magazine offers a women’s section. The targeted articles are great, but don’t overlook all the other advice the magazine offers. Mompreneurs Targeted toward moms starting businesses, Mompreneurs supports, provides educational resources as well as a networking platform for moms. They also host events where aspiring mompreneurs can share their business products or services. CreateWorth Part of DailyWorth, this offshoot has lots of advice on starting and growing your business, from finance to marketing. American Business Women’s Association Bringing together business women from a broad range of industries, this national organization offers networking opportunities, educational resources and recognition for women in business. National Association of Women Business Owners NAWBO is a global organization that includes all industries. This dues-based organization provides support for women seeking greater economic, social and political power globally. U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce The USWCC works to help women-owned businesses by trying to advance government policies that support the roles of women. Take advantage of the resources that are available and share your success stories with us.       The post Resources for Women in Business appeared first on Globe University Blog.

The Interactive Rubric tool in Blackboard makes it possible for rubrics with click-and-score simplicity to be built into the grading workflow, increasing efficiency while also supporting consistent and high quality feedback. During this online workshop offered 2/27/2014 we explored the Interactive Rubrics tool in Blackboard and sample interactive rubrics applied to various types of Blackboard assessments. We highlighted the steps for creating an Interactive Rubric and applying it to an assignment for grading. We also covered how to reuse a rubric within a Blackboard course or share with other faculty. For archives of other online workshops offered by NIU Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, visit our YouTube channel

There are no official statistics kept regarding how many pets die in house fires every year, but according to the Invisible Fence® Brand website, the estimated number is between 40,000 and 150,000. Globe University-Wausau Medical Professionals Club partnered with Invisible Fence to do something about that staggering estimate. Invisible Fence Brand started Project Breathe, a pet oxygen mask donation program, to provide animal oxygen mask kits to first responders because the company is "in the business of saving pets’ lives, and … programs that not only help keep pets happy and safe in their yards, but safe from other hazards like house fires" is part of that mission. Invisible Fence provides fire departments with animal oxygen masks kits, which contain masks in three sizes, and training on how to use them. Dr. Erica Esser talking with a local first responder at the Project Breathe/pet CPR workshop The Medical Professionals Club partnered with Invisible Fence to provide mask kits to seven local fire departments and helped to provide training on animal CPR to local first responders, students and interested community members. The training took place recently at the Globe University-Wausau campus. Taylor Lahr, Raisha Zimmerman, Jayne Bloomer and Amy Crane are veterinary technology students in Advanced Lab Skills, and all attended the Project Breathe workshop.  They said that Project Breathe was a good way to integrate the real world into their school world. It allowed students to get valuable experience, and having this information provided to them gives them the tools necessary in case they are the only people available in an emergency situation. They also discussed the benefits of providing this training to local emergency services. Since more and more people consider their pets to be family members, the loss of a pet in a fire is a devastating one. Opening this training opportunity to our local emergency services helps them to help our four-legged family members. This event was especially close to Jayne’s heart. Jayne is a volunteer EMT with the Mosinee Fire and Ambulance Service, and she was one of the Medical Professionals Club members to help organize the event. "I was excited about the Project Breathe workshop," Jayne said. "Overall, I think it was successful, especially considering it was the first time we offered this and that it was by invitation to local departments. I was very happy to see three local fire departments represented, and two local reporters, too!" Jayne felt that the EMTs that participated walked away with a new perspective on how to perform CPR on animals, and the students who attended felt that they gained some important information as well. "I look forward to offering this training again in the future," she said. Click here for the Wausau Daily Herald story. The post Globe University Offers Pet CPR Training and Partners with Project Breathe appeared first on Globe University Blog.

We had a very special guest drop by MEP for Episode 027…Tom Vander Ark!  Tom is a dynamo in the education industry, and provides a unique perspective as a former business executive, school superintendent, author, and current venture capitalist in education. Tom and I chat about "personalization vs. standardization" in public education, innovative school models, and trends for 2014.  You DO NOT want to miss this! Guest Bio: Tom Vander Ark is author of Getting Smart: How Digital Learning is Changing the World and CEO of Getting Smart, a education advocacy firm.  Tom advocates for innovations that customize and motivate learning and extend access. Tom is also a partner in Learn Capital, an education venture capital firm investing in EdTech startups.  Previously he served as President of the X PRIZE Foundation and was the first Executive Director of Education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Tom served as a public school superintendent in Washington State and has extensive private sector experience including serving as a senior executive for a national public retail chain. A prolific writer and speaker, Tom has published thousands of articles, has written and contributed to six published books and co-authored more than 12 white papers. He writes a daily Education Week blog, Vander Ark on Innovation, and makes regular contributions to GettingSmart.com. Tom is Treasurer for the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL), board chair of Charter Board Partners, and is a director of Bloomboard, Imagination Foundation, and Strive for College. Tom is a national advisory board member for Communities In Schools, National Association for Charter School Authorizers (NACSA), and New Classrooms. Tom received the Distinguished Achievement Medal and graduated from the Colorado School of Mines. He received his M.B.A. in finance from the University of Denver. He continues his education online. School Models that Tom Loves: Summit Public Schools - Charter network currently in CA & WA focused on innovative, student centered learning. Education Achievement Authority - A Michigan statewide school system for failing schools *Here is a great article talking about the EAA model Ed Tech/Book Shout Outs: Book - Geoffrey Moore Crossing the Chasm Knewton - Adaptive Learning Platform & Infrastructure ALEKS - Similar to Knewton, but calls itself a "web-based, artificially intelligent assessment and learning system" Shauntel Poulson - Former MEP guest and just got promoted to Principal at New Schools Venture Fund!  Gotta give a shout out How to Reach Tom: Website/Blog on innovation in education:  Gettingsmart.com Tom’s work on edweek.com @tvanderark For more episodes featuring thought leaders in education visit MeetEducationProject.com, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and follow Nick DiNardo on Twitter.

Why should educators spend their time recreating Education 1.0 using technology at the substitution and augmentation levels when there are tools, techniques, and opportunities to modify and redefine educational technology integration for a richer, more engaging Education 2.0 or 3.0? For more info I highly encourage you to read SAMR as a Framework for Moving Towards Education 3.0

For busy working people who are looking to break into the massage therapy industry, Globe University-Eau Claire has a new option. Starting with the summer quarter, students in the massage therapy diploma program will be able to take classes on Friday nights and Saturdays, freeing up typical work hours while they take steps toward a new career. Students will be able to maintain full-time status during the program, which kicks off July 13, 2015, at Globe’s Eau Claire campus, according to Joan Hamilton, executive program chair. The idea for the new schedule, already implemented at Globe University-La Crosse, came from students who wanted to enroll in a massage therapy program but still needed to continue working. "We wanted to give people more options—to work their job during the week and take weekend classes," Hamilton said. "They needed a bit more flexibility." The Friday night and Saturday classes are longer and feature the specific techniques of massage therapy, while online courses supplement the overall curriculum. It’s still a one-year program, and students will learn all they need to become certified in the state of Wisconsin. Students in Globe’s massage therapy diploma program take the state exam, which is paid for through student fees, while they’re still in school. "It’s a pretty sweet deal," Hamilton said. "You can get it done in a year and start practicing." So far, the response to the new schedule has been strong at the La Crosse campus, she said. Students who enroll will be able to learn in spa and therapeutic settings. On-campus courses include: Kinesiology Swedish Massage Pregnancy and Special Populations Deep Tissue and Sports Clinic Myofascial Release Thai/Energy Work Anatomy and Physiology for Massage Hot Stone and Spa Techniques Online coursework covers other general education requirements and further massage-related classes. Globe University also offers an associate degree in massage therapy; both programs provide students with hands-on learning opportunities and the chance to learn from instructors with experience in the industry. Massage therapy is a growing field, with a 23 percent increase in the number of jobs projected through 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. For more information about the massage therapy programs at Globe University, contact admissions or call 1-877-303-6060. The post Globe University-Eau Claire to Launch Night, Weekend Classes for Massage Therapy Diploma appeared first on Globe University Blog.

Interested in the current and future state of colleges and universities? What about online education, and its potential impact on learning? Well you’ll love this episode with Phil Hill!  Don’t miss his insights on these issues and much more.  Enjoy! Guest Bio: Phil Hill (@PhilOnEdTech) is an educational technology consultant and analyst who has spent the last 10 years advising in online education and educational technology markets. As an independent consultant and analyst, Phil helps higher education institutions develop effective strategies to understand and implement online education programs. Phil’s clients have included the University of Iowa, UCLA, California State University, DeVry University, Colorado Community College System,University of Maryland University College, among others. Phil is also an author, blogger at e-Literate, and speaker, and he has become recognized in the educational technology community for his insights into the broader education market trends and issues. In addition to e-Literate, Phil has also written for EDUCAUSE Review and been quoted at Inside Higher Ed and Washington Business Journal. Show Notes: (1:55)  Phil’s Journey (7:39)  What are the 3 big problems that online education is helping to solve for universities? (13:05)  Digging into IPEDS vs Babson Survey data to paint the landscape of online learning in higher education (18:21)  Where do you think online education will be in the next 5 years? (24:00)  City College of San Francisco accreditation case *Too big to fail? (36:00)  What gets you most excited about the future of education? (37:10)  What gets you most frustrated about the future of education? (38:52)  If you could have dinner with anyone you admire, past or present, who would it be and why? *Dinner date:  Ernest Hemingway, Winston Churchill Shout Outs: MindWires Consulting Audrey Watters & Hack Education Michael Feldstein & the e-Literate Blog Pearson Learning Solutions Liberty University Grand Canyon University StraighterLine Propero Clayton Christensen article on disruptive innovation in higher education In The Telling For more episodes featuring thought leaders in education visit MeetEducationProject.com, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and follow Nick DiNardo on Twitter.

As a college student, you’ve already made education a top priority in your life. You know the value of a college degree, and you’ve made sacrifices to attend school either on campus or online. But why stop there? Education should be a lifelong pursuit, not a means to an end. Knowledge is power, and these days, supplementing your college education with free online resources will put you ahead of the curve. You just have to know where to look. Here are nine free resources for college students. 1.  Coursera Partnering with 114 top universities from around the world, Coursera provides its 10 million users with a wide range of free online courses. You can watch video lectures, connect with other students or instructors, and complete peer-graded assessments to solidify what you have learned. Even if you already have a college degree, it’s never too late to expand your knowledge and upgrade your resume. 2.  OEDb OEDb, which stands for Open Education Database, offers a comprehensive collection of college rankings as well as a variety of free online courses. Browse its website to find thousands of free lectures and full courses across a range of subjects, including business, health, education, computer science and more. 3.  ALISON This global online learning community focuses on empowering users with the knowledge and skills needed to advance in their careers. With five million users, it offers categories in finance, business, health, languages, personal development and more. Graduates of ALISON’s courses have even stated that the website helped them get a college placement, a promotion or a new job. 4.  Khan Academy Khan Academy prides itself on being a "personalized learning resource for all ages." Chock-full of instructional videos and practice exercises (over 100,000 of them, to be exact), it lets users study a variety of topics at their own pace, including math, science, economics, finance, arts and humanities, and computing. Millions of students from around the world are learning for free with Khan Academy, since its learning materials are translated into nearly 40 different languages. 5.  edX EdX strives to provide the highest quality education to anyone who wants it. Its open source platform gives users access to over 300 free courses from top professors and universities, on topics such as biology, chemistry, electronics, engineering, nutrition, literature, philosophy and more. The website is also an interactive community, allowing users to meet fellow classmates who are also enrolled in the free online courses. 6.  Academic Earth Much like the websites discussed above, Academic Earth wants to bring the amazing world of academia to those who love learning. Its free courses cover a broad range of subjects, from accounting and management to physics and marketing. Whether you want to add more skills to your resume or you simply want to learn more about a certain topic, Academic Earth has got you covered. 7.  Open2Study Open2Study offers 49 free courses to choose from, each one lasting four weeks. Courses include videos, reading materials and assessments to help you measure your progress. You can even invite friends to take courses with you. The community team posts questions and discussion topics on the classroom forum that encourages engagement among fellow users. 8.  Open Culture Founded in 2006, Open Culture collects and shares free resources from all over the internet. Its mission is to "bring together high quality cultural and educational media for the worldwide lifelong learning community." Some of its major collections of education media include audiobooks, eBooks, movies and online courses. You can even take free language lessons. 9.  LearnVest Everyone needs to know how to handle money, and this site helps people do just that. Whether you want financial tips for your professional or personal life, this site offers free classes on topics such as budgeting, buying a home, insurance and investing. The video lectures also include accompanying worksheets that help you review what you’ve learned. The post 9 Free Resources for College Students appeared first on Globe University Blog.

The Internet opened up huge opportunities for tech savvy tutors not that long ago. If you had a basic understanding of how to set up a website, a bit of SEO and online marketing knowledge, chances were high to grow a tutoring business from a local customer base into an international operation. Skype, tutoring platforms and marketplaces, YouTube and social media represent only a handful of the new tools tutors had at their disposal. Glory days. Unfortunately, the Internet gives and the Internet takes away. This could be in the form of Google changing its algorithm, leading to the death of education marketplaces, like TeachStreet and countless other small businesses, because of a drop in organic traffic. But nowadays the biggest threat to human tutors are their technology driven counterparts and a growing crowd of interconnected learners. Rise of the Machines Any teacher that can be replaced by a machine should be! - Arthur C. Clarke, Electronic Tutors 1980 This quote by Arthur C. Clarke has been used heavily to underline the inevitable victory of machines over humans in our education system. While we can, and should, argue about this notion in public and higher education, I think it is a fair observation for the tutoring space. People who get paid by learners to teach have a tendency to retard the progress of their students (knowingly or subconsciously) for obvious reasons. Another problem with live tutoring is that tutor and student have to agree on a date and time, which adds inconveniences like cancellations and lateness to the mix. Last but not least the cost of live tutoring is not insignificant, either. Therefore, students who want to progress at a faster rate have to pay more as they need to book more individual lessons. Wisdom of the Crowd And just as the Internet provided tutors with new opportunities to grow their business, the Internet started to offer alternatives to live tutoring. One could argue that the beginning of the demise of live tutors lays in peer learning communities. In the education space language learning communities like Livemocha and busuu.com made the point early on. Compared to tutoring marketplaces like Myngle, italki or eduFire who had thousands of users, growth of learning communities was through the roof with users signing up in the millions. Besides, the connection between learners who could meet online for language exchange or correct each others exercises, communities also offered different self-paced courses, enabling language learners to study at their own pace, no time commitment to meet with a teacher, tutor necessary. And with the addition of mobile apps, the user base of busuu.com quickly grew in the tens of millions. I will further explore this trend of mobile language learning in another post, especially the rise of Duolingo, which just recently surpassed 70 million users (or better put, people who signed up to the service). Adapt or Die Back to tutors and live lessons on the Internet. Keeping all the issues above in mind, what is the future of live tutoring online? One thing that is certain, prices for live tutoring will continue to fall. The only exception to this are highly qualified tutors who offer niche training, especially in the corporate sector. The vast majority of online tutors, especially in the language learning space, will have to adapt to rates of $15 or even $10 per hour. I also think that the length of lessons will shorten as new services, like tutoring on-demand, will grow in their popularity. Instead of booking a 30 minute lesson in advance, learners will look for on-demand tutors who offer a quick 10 or 15 minute call and work on a specific problem. This should become especially interesting in the STEM tutoring space. On the other hand, we can also see new forms of live tutoring on the rise. Yoga lessons for example have been a growing vertical in the past three years. Instead of working out in the gym, people connect via VoIP and take the lessons in their living room. The same is true for crafting and other creative verticals. All of the above also implies that, just like universities that produce MOOCs, tutors have to invest into more and better technology. A 0.5 megapixel webcam won’t cut the mustard. Tutors will need a film-studio-like environment, good lighting, multiple cameras, probably a camera operator, very good audio quality, reliable broadband connection etc. The good news here is that prices for the equipment go down all the time, so it’s up to the tutor to invest in herself and learn the new tools of the trade - which might come in the form of taking a self-paced online course. Picture License  Some rights reserved by sarahgb(theoriginal)

Despite assumptions of a boundless national market, online learning is mainly a regional endeavor. This infographic by Eduventures highlights some key building blocks of a successful regional online strategy.

By Katie Heisler, business student and student ambassador Deciding which business college is the right fit is always hard to make, no matter the age of the person about to embark on this new adventure. It can be easy to become so focused on the classes and curriculum offered by these institutions that you forget to look at the other things, like the events, support and atmosphere, that make up the college experience. It is often difficult to even find out about these aspects in order to make an informed choice. Katie Heisler using the Globe University-Wausau campus library resources Globe University-Wausau offers great programs with solid curriculum and hands-on learning. I am having a wonderful experience with the business program myself. But this campus also offers amazing things beyond the curriculum. Support The best thing about Globe University is the fact the instructors and staff truly care about each student who attends their campuses. Globe University-Wausau’s faculty and staff understand that many of their students are nontraditional, which means that their students often have families, homes, job and other commitments outside of school, and juggling schoolwork, too, can be overwhelming. Students looking for a place to study with minimal noise head to the study center off of the commons. The comfortable setting in the study center include couches, computers and tables. The study center is staffed by instructors who are available if help is needed - just look for the schedule posted outside the study center door. Tutoring is provided at Globe University-Wausau as well. Any student who is struggling with a class needs only to make an appointment to see the dean of education to make arrangements for individual tutoring with an instructor. Connections Cody Tokarski and Maurice Steffens, massage therapy students, making use of the study center Globe University-Wausau strives for their students to be successful so they always find ways to appreciate and recognize the hardworking students that attend the campus. Globe University-Wausau hosts a student appreciation event about halfway through each quarter to give students a chance to breathe and relax. This gives students a chance to enjoy getting to know that staff that works behind the scenes. It’s a fun way to mingle, joke and enjoy some free food with the Globe family. The faculty and staff of Globe University-Wausau want all students to feel a sense of community on the campus and beyond. They encourage their students to be involved in the campus clubs and to participate in campus-wide events. Whenever Globe University-Wausau is involved in or aware of community events, students receive emails that encourage us to get involved in something that makes us part of a whole. Service learning and applied learning projects are regularly part of the curriculum at Globe University, and Community Service Day is an annual event. More When most students hear the word "library" they automatically assume it’s a place for studying and resources. That’s not all there is to the Wausau campus library - it also has a very resourceful and energetic librarian who is willing to help students whenever it’s needed. Nora Craven, the librarian, isn’t just the go-to person for resources, but she’s also the person to go to for some fun! Nora the librarian offers trivia every day, which can result in winning some prizes and candy. Don’t forget to read the blogs on our campus website — they just might be your ticket to win! Staff and faculty of Globe University -Wausau -photo by Donna Zerovec When students need a break from the hard work of classes and homework, the library is the place to be around the 15th of every month. All students, staff and faculty are invited to "bring their game" to the library for Game Day. This is a social time with food, beverages and as many games as you want to play! If you have a break during the day, you are welcome to stop in and enjoy some laughs. This is just a glimpse of what is available at Globe University-Wausau in addition to the classes and curriculum. Globe University has many other resources to offer, so don’t hesitate to ask! The post Globe University-Wausau: A Student’s Perspective appeared first on Globe University Blog.

Name: Openwords Website: www.openwords.com Headquarters: Bloomington, USA Vertical: Language Learning Tech: Web App, Mobile App Introduce your startup and give a short description of what you are doing. Openwords is building a foreign language learning app with open data. Openwords will be free and open source and we're committed to learner data privacy. Openwords has mined content for >1000 languages. 中文, to Abenaki, to English... Openwords has open data, so we can mine existing open databases (e.g. Wiktionary) and re-purpose that data for language learning. Openwords app: The Openwords app design has different learning modules. We have single word problems like hearing, review, self-evaluate recognition, type-evaluation. We have simple sentence translation problems in development, and a handwriting learning module for Chinese in development utilizing the Wikimedia Stroke Order project. As Openwords develops new learning modules or games, we can add them in. We will be open source, so others can build learning modules as well. Who are the founders, how did you meet, what are your different roles in the startup. The Founder & CEO (me, Mark Bogonovich) is a scientist and educator. I'm a biologist by training with ten years of teaching experience. Shenshen Han, the CTO of Openwords is a veteran in EdTech, working in the Creativity Labs at Indiana University, building software teaching children biology. Shenshen has two masters degrees in computer science and ten years experience managing large international teams. Our roles: I developed the concept for Openwords, and have been the person organizing and motivating our team in Bloomington, IN. Shenshen and I recognized we shared similar values and commitment to open education. Shenshen is responsible for most implementation & development. Openwords also has a strong group of UX masters students. How was the idea for your startup born? Here is how the idea for Openwords originated. I became interested in learning languages for personal reasons. My partner is a native speaker of Chinese. I realized that many languages get overlooked by mobile developers, and that in fact these languages add up to a lot of under-served people (Infographic #1). Openwords is an application of the data scraping methods I applied in biology in my doctoral research, but to the problem of providing free and open language learning educational content for all peoples. Here is the basic plan: Find free and open data used for purpose A (Dictionary purposes) Scrape that data, re-organize the data for purpose B (Mobile Language learning) Keep it free, improve the data if possible, and share it back. Enjoy. What is the main problem in education that you aim to solve. We aim to solve two problems. We want free & open source language learning educational material for all languages. There are few educational resources for many languages, corresponding to a large populations (Infographic #1). Open data is a strategy for scaling learning material to these languages rapidly, because much of the required data already exists. Openwords will also be available for the major languages too, of course. Who are your main competitors? What sets you apart from them? Duolingo is a major competitor. Flash card apps are also competitors, but Openwords is focused on language (like Duolingo). I recently summarized differences between Openwords and Duolingo. A) Openwords is open source and free, Duolingo is just free. Duolingo controls its language incubator program. Openwords is opening it up. We build and offer curricula, but you can build your own. You *own* Openwords content. This alone is sufficient differentiation. B) The design of Openwords promotes learning autonomy. What does this mean practically? Openwords will allow learners and teachers to choose what words they want to learn. Freedom is not a "trade-off" with guidance. We will have a default curricula, and if you really want, you can still *decide* to be told what to do. Teacher autonomy is pretty critical for use in classrooms. How could we tell someone with a masters degree in teaching Swahili what to teach? C) Duolingo uses crowdsourcing to build content. Openwords uses crowdsourced data that *already exists*. That is why we really have mined content for >1000 languages. In which markets / regions are you active. What markets / regions are next. Openwords has mined a lot of open data. We are finishing the design and development of the Openwords app that reads this data and presents problems to the learner. Our incubator program is attracting a lot of interest. If we organize this process well, we should be able to have apps in many languages. Who is your target audience. This has been a difficult question for Openwords to answer. In some sense Openwords has obviated the problem of specialization. However, we do recognize that we need to focus on certain regions. We believe we can focus on China, Hong Kong, Taiwan given Openwords' ethnic composition. Second, for many languages for which we now have content, there aren't any competitors. Our research has shown that these regions are rapidly adopting smartphones. We'd also like your thoughts. How do you engage with your target audience. How do you convert them into users of your product. Language learning is nearly a necessity for many people. People may be learning a language because their spouse is a native speaker of a language, or they may need to understand a language for work. For many languages, our goal is to simply extend and scale basic functionality to these people. Many people may want to learn English, (e.g. Lao->English) and the do not have mobile resources in their native language. For language combinations that are more competitive (e.g. English->French), we believe our social good and open data purpose will be persuasive to educators. Openwords' freedom orientation should lead to advantages. People can organize curricula as they wish, and edtech developers can develop new learning modules. What is your business model. How much does your product / service cost. The Openwords app is free & open source. Our goal is to attach revenue models to the Openwords app that support our open data and social good purpose. In this end, we are collaborating on a project initiated by Creative Commons called the Open Business Model Canvas (a derivative project of the Business Model Canvas). There is also an active Google group. Here are two concepts we will be exploring. Teacher Module. A website (outside of the Openwords application) where teachers can log in, and view the performance data of their students on the Openwords app. Teachers will be able to make sure their students are learning out of the classroom. Connect learners with job opportunities. We could connect learners to job opportunities, and do so consensually and while respecting learner privacy. We would effectively operate in the recruitment industry. This would also operate as a great motivator for people using the Openwords app. If you raised funding, how much did you raise. Who are your investors. If not, are you planning to raise funding. We are raising seed money via Kickstarter. We may raise more money via crowd-vesting. We will only bring in investors who will not interfere with our social mission. Are there milestones you are especially proud of and would like to share. Openwords' back-end is largely designed and implemented. We mined content for >1000 languages (largely from the Wiktionary). Our incubator program has reviewed the English-Farsi data, and flagged errors and other issues. We are now in the process of doing the same in several other languages. We hope to back-channel any improvements in the Openwords db back to the sources. We created a prototype app in 2014, ran user testing and decided on a redesign for 2015. We are also proud about opening up our design process. We have mockups available. What are the next steps in growing your startup. Kickstarter. Finish the Openwords app design and development. Incubator program & build community. Openwords has a lot of content, particular for word-word translations. We need to create or mine many simple sentence translation problems, and we need to organize our data into curricula. How can people get in touch with you. 413-884-4467 email: contact@openwords.com www.facebook.com/Openwords Ello.co handles: @openwords @marcbogonovich Twitter handles: @Openwords @MarcBogonovich

For the second year in a row, Globe University-Woodbury campus has committed to be the Title Sponsor of the Woodbury Area Chamber of Commerce 29th Annual High School Scholarship Tournament on June 8 at Prestwick Golf Club. The goal of this tournament is to help support higher education in the Woodbury community by awarding local high school students with $1,000 scholarships toward their future education. Globe University-Woodbury staff at the 27th Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament. "As the chair of the Woodbury Area Chamber of Commerce’s Business Education Partnership Committee, I’m honored to be the title sponsor for the 29th Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament," said Lisa Palermo, campus director of the Globe University-Woodbury campus. "It’s our goal to not only support our local community, but to encourage and support higher education to high school students." This will be Globe University-Woodbury campus’ fifth year sponsoring the tournament, and the second year as Title Sponsor. This well-attended golf tournament is to help support education in the local community by awarding six local students with scholarships toward their college education. With already more than 80 golfers committed to the tournament, President of the Woodbury Area Chamber of Commerce, Barbara Tuccitto Warren commented that this tournament is a great opportunity for businesses to receive recognition by our local community by sponsoring a hole and/or buying a round of golf at a spectacular 18-hole golf course with lunch and prizes while supporting our local high school students pursue their future education.   The post Globe Commits to Title Sponsorship of Chamber’s Scholarship Golf Tournament appeared first on Globe University Blog.

The online assessment tools of Blackboard can be utilized to facilitate meaningful and memorable learning activities for students. These online assessment tools include: surveys, test, quizzes, and electronic submission of assignments. What are the most efficient and effective uses of the Blackboard assessment tools? What recommendations exist for reinforcing academic integrity and providing meaningful feedback? During this online workshop offered 3/26/14 we sought to answer these questions and share tips and best practices for assessing student learning using Blackboard. The workshop archive may be viewed below. The following is list of tips and recommended best practices for assessing student learning using Blackboard discussed in greater depth during the workshop archive. Please feel free to leave a comment and add your tip(s) to the list! General Online Assessment Tips Avoid high-stakes objective assessments online When developing online assessments in Blackboard, it is important to consider the security of the exam and to make every effort to remove opportunities for students to cheat. Blackboard does not inherently prevent students from printing the questions of an exam or copying and pasting the questions to word processing application for printing. Have students complete a practice version of any required online assessment to become familiar with the technology Your students may or may not have ever completed an online assessment. Don’t assume that they are familiar with how to complete an online assessment. Offer a sample or practice version of the type of assessment you plan to require to allow students the opportunity to become familiar with the technology. Deploy assessment link(s) in the same folder as unit content For ease of access for students, consider keeping links to assessments with other instructional content for a given unit. Basically, create a folder for each unit and include in that folder all the information items, instructions, and links to the assessments so students easily find them. Reuse and re-purpose assessment types once configured in Blackboard While course content changes over time, you may be able to reuse some of the types of assessments you use among courses. For example, a pre-course survey might be able to be reused in multiple Blackboard courses. Whenever possible, look to reuse created assessments by either copying and exporting/importing from one Blackboard course to another. Provide meaningful feedback to students Studies have shown that among the most valued elements of any course are the interactions that students have with the faculty member. Providing meaningful feedback to online assessments is a great way to foster teaching presence in an online course. Remember there is no guaranteed approach to prevent cheating online When developing online assessments in Blackboard, it is important to consider the security of the exam and to make every effort to remove opportunities for students to cheat. While there are a few tips for making it more difficult to cheat, the current version of Blackboard does not inherently prevent students from printing the questions of an exam or copying and pasting the questions to word processing application for printing. Surveys A survey within Blackboard is a non-graded assessment tool that records answers anonymously. Blackboard will record when the survey is taken but will not associate answers with an individual user; no individual feedback can be provided for a survey. Use the Survey tool in Blackboard whenever you want to gather aggregate responses from students The survey tool is a simple way to gather feedback from students at the beginning, middle, or end of the course. Also, if introducing a new pedagogical approach or tool, consider conducting a survey of students to gain their perspective on overall effectiveness. Remind students that surveys are anonymous Surveys can be especially useful to gain authentic feedback from students, especially if they are reassured that their feedback is anonymous. Remind students that you can’t see their individual responses, just a confirmation of whether or not they completed the survey. If survey is more than 5 questions, consider displaying 1 question at a time For large surveys, they can be more manageable for students if displayed 1 question at a time rather than all at once. If desiring to share findings with students, copy/paste results into Word to post in Blackboard While there currently is no easy way to automatically display aggregate results from a survey to students, the results that you see as an instructor can be copied/pasted into a Word document and then posted in Blackboard for students to view if desired. Tests/Quizzes The Tests tool in Blackboard is the tool to use for automatically graded assessments. Scores are automatically added to the Blackboard Grade Center. Faculty have several options for creating tests, including typing into the question-by-question format provided by Blackboard, copying and pasting questions into the Blackboard format (which allows one to work offline and take advantage of the word processor’s spell check), and uploading questions in a pre-established format. The term "test" is used in Blackboard to refer to any graded assessment (formative or summative) consisting of more than one question. Format questions in MS Word and import using CSI’s Blackboard Quiz Generator When transferring existing assessment questions from Microsoft Word to Blackboard, consider using College of Southern Idaho’s Blackboard Quiz Generator. This tool was developed to help you create quizzes for Blackboard. It allows you to type up the quiz offline in a program like Word or Notepad and not have to go through the trouble of making long quizzes via the Blackboard web interface. Simply follow the documentation provided for formatting existing questions and then copy/paste into the generator’s text box. Simply type or paste your quiz in the text area and click the Create Quiz button. This will produce a zip file that you can import into the Pool Manager in Blackboard. Add test questions to pools for easy reuse and expansion Creating question pools in Blackboard of questions provides added options for question reuse as well as the ability to export questions for reuse or repurpose in other courses. Check with your textbook publisher to see if they offer question pools for your textbook Some publishers now offer electronic pools of questions organized by textbook chapter that are pre-formatted for Blackboard. Create tests from random blocks of question pools whenever possible To further deter cheating, create online tests that pull questions at random from question pools. This not only further individualizes each student’s assessment, but also makes it very easy to expand the possible questions included in future assessments. Faculty can simply add more questions to the question pools to in effect expand the possible questions to be included in the test(s) built from them. Pay attention to test options when deploying Creating a test in Blackboard is essentially a 2-step process: 1) Build the test; 2) Deploy the test. After deploying the test, be sure to modify the test options to match the desired assessment experience. (e.g. timed test; 1 attempt, customized feedback) Randomize questions Among the many test options, choosing to randomize the questions will ensure that each student will be presented with the quiz questions in a random order. Discussions Provide clear expectations for how discussions will be assessed Asynchronous discussion online via the Blackboard Discussion Board is a very well established approach to assessing student learning online. Be very clear to students at the beginning of the course what the expectations are for the online discussion and how their contributions will be assessed. Use Blackboard discussion grader; grade by forum, not thread Blackboard’s discussion grading capabilities allows for easy collection of student contributions to a forum and for assigning a score for student posts. When enabling discussion grading, select the option to grade by forum as Blackboard will then only add a single column to the grade center for the forum rather than columns for each thread. It is highly advised to avoid grading by thread unless for a very specific discussion where students can only reply to instructor-created threads. After entering scores for contributions, enter comments directly in the Grade Center The discussion grading in Blackboard 8 only allows for faculty to add grade with a score but not enter any comments. However, after entering the scores for contributions, comments can be added to the scores at the corresponding column in the Grade Center. Assignments Use the Assignment Manager in Blackboard for collecting student work electronically The Assignment Manager in Blackboard enables users with the role of Faculty or TA in Blackboard to create Assignments in any content areas and post them for Students to complete. Creating an assignment automatically creates an item in the Grade Center that holds all the submitted student assignments. If desiring specific formatting, provide template with assignment instructions When creating an assignment, attach to the assignment any instruction or template files students are to use in completing the assignment. Doing so, students won’t need to search other content areas within the course to find the needed files. Download submitted assignments for offline viewing/grading Details for viewing and downloading all submitted assignments are available here. Enter feedback electronically in submitted files & return to the students via the Blackboard Assignment There are two approaches to providing feedback to submitted assignments within Blackboard: 1) Enter feedback in the comments box back to the student for the given assignment; 2) Attach a revised version of the file submitted by the student that includes comments directly in the file. Consider what format of feedback would be most helpful to your students as well as be most efficient for you to provide. Many faculty find that entering feedback directly in submitted files, either using simply a different color of text or an advanced commenting feature such as the Track Changes option is MS Word is the most efficient approach to providing detailed feedback. If attaching feedback to assignment, remind students to view attached file(s) It may not be obvious to students that feedback is available in the attached file(s) that have been returned back to them. Simply enter in the comments box back to the student that the attached file contains feedback. SafeAssignments SafeAssign is a free plagiarism prevention tool that allows for you to protect the originality of work and ensure a fair playing ground for all your students. SafeAssign is integrated with Blackboard and prevents plagiarism by detecting unoriginal content in students papers within your existing teaching and learning environment. SafeAssign can also further deter plagiarism by creating opportunities to educate students on proper attribution and citations while properly leveraging the wealth of information at their disposal. Use SafeAssign for substantial written assignments For any original writing assignments, consider using SafeAssign instead of the Assignment tool. Complete details are available here. Inform students in the syllabus of the requirement to use SafeAssign As the faculty member, you can choose to require the use SafeAssign in your course. Consider including a statement in your syllabus in accordance with your institution’s academic integrity policy notifying students that their written work will be checked for plagiarism. Create draft version for students to submit to first to self-check their work Draft versions of SafeAssignments are created in nearly the exact same way as regular SafeAssignments are. Faculty can choose to set up SafeAssignments as drafts, allowing students to submit papers without storing them to the institutional document archive. Otherwise, if students were to submit the paper again, it would have a 100% match against itself. Make originality reports viewable by students It’s helpful to remind students of the benefits to using SafeAssign by ensuring that they are able to view a copy of the originality report that SafeAssign generates for their submitted assignment. They’ll be able to see the same originality report as the faculty member should there be any issue. What additional tips do you have to share about assessing student learning using Blackboard? Leave a comment and share your tips! For archives of other online workshops offered by NIU Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, visit our YouTube channel. Follow Jason Rhode on Twitter @jrhode

What if you could learn alongside a proven CEO and founder in an industry you were curious about?  Imagine learning about finance, sales & marketing, & product development through direct application on a daily basis.  Would you learn more than studying these disciplines in college? Could this be a viable solution for the much publicized skills gap that learners and employers are experiencing to power the 21st century economy? Well, I discuss the apprenticeship model with Shaila Ittycheria, co-founder of Enstitute.  Don’t miss it! Guest Bio: Shaila Ittycheria made a decision at 18 that changed her life. Frustrated with the lack of business focused opportunities, coupled with the exorbitant tuition costs, she dropped out of the elite Middlebury college and enrolled at Arizona State University. She pursued as many experiential learning opportunities she could get her hands on, including writing her thesis in collaboration with Intel. That experience landed her a job at Microsoft, first in a finance leadership development program to then running her own M&A deals. After receiving an MBA from Harvard Business School, Shaila worked to establish herself in the NYC startup scene. Interestingly, it wasn’t the degree that opened up doors, but rather her experience working at recently launched BirchBox, which led her to LocalResponse, where she ran the half of the company focused on small business solutions. For Shaila, Enstitute is a solution that provides opportunities she wished she had when she was younger, coupled with the problems that she witnessed first hand as a hiring manager: graduates lack the critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning skills they need to be successful in the workplace and they do not have any substantial experience that illustrates their potential. Rather than letting the name of an academic institution define someone’s worth, Shaila hopes to build a system that maximizes human capital potential by focusing on skill based knowledge, developed competencies, and proven work experience. Shaila has been named a 2013 Echoing Green Fellow and a 2012 Francis Hesselbein Institute NEXT Leader of the Future. She speaks often on education, learning by doing, and workforce development and has also been featured in The New York Times, PBS,Forbes Magazine, CNN, The Huffington Post, and Fast Company. Show Notes: (2:02)  Shaila’s story (16:15)  What is Enstitute? (19:52)  What is the commitment for an employer? (24:39)  What is your vision for the apprenticeship model from a scale perspective? (28:59)  What about the culture shift to acceptance of new models like this one? (35:04)  If you could have dinner with one person you admire, past or present, who would it be and why? *  Grandparents *  Sir Ken Robinson (37:14)  How to contact and support Enstitute *www.enstitute.org @enstitute @shaila & @kanes For more episodes featuring thought leaders in education visit MeetEducationProject.com, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and follow Nick DiNardo on Twitter.

Students at the Globe University-Appleton campus were treated to cupcakes and "bookworms" during National Library Week, which took place April 13-17. Many activities took place on campus that students and faculty could interactively participate in. Librarian Michelle Karbon wanted to make sure students were aware of the many advantages of a library, whether it be public or academic, by hosting activities and displaying faculty/staff book recommendations. She also held a donation drive for C.O.T.S. of Appleton, a local homeless shelter. One of the activities around campus was interactive poster boards with various literary questions. One question asked: "What do you think about when you hear the word library?" The answers were varied and included answers such as "an escape!", "a lot of knowledge", and "perfect place to study." Another activity held in the library was "bookish" magnet making, which students loved so much last year that it was requested again this year. "Magnets are an awesome arts & crafts project for any age and make great gifts!" says Karbon. Some of the magnets were even made with old recycled books! National Library Week also coincides with National Poetry Month, so a display of poetry books and a "Make Your Own Shakespearean Poetry" magnetic poetry board were also available in the library. About National Library Week First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries - school, public, academic and special - participate. Students working on magnet making during National Library Week The post Celebrating National Library Week at GU-Appleton appeared first on Globe University Blog.

When it comes to college students, technology is not only critical to learning, it’s an essential tool for communication and a means of engagement. This infographic presents which educational technology is most important to undergraduate students and how it helps their academic experience and achievement. Source: e-Learning Infographics

It’s an exciting time for startups and aspiring business founders. With investors pumping so much money into the industry it’s easy to see why. We’re hearing more and more about "unicorns" valued at over a billion dollars and companies spending enormous sums to acquire other businesses. The numbers look amazing. But not all funding rounds and acquisitions are cause for celebration. We saw that with what happened to Lane Becker. His company, Get Satisfaction, had raised over $20M in funding and was once valued at $50M. They were recently acquired, but he and his co-founders didn’t see a dime of it. I appreciate the sentiment, but don't congratulate me on the GS acquisition. The founders were washed out of the deal. We got nothing. — Lane Becker (@monstro) April 8, 2015 Although not every deal ends like this one, it should act as a cautionary tale for founders to remind them that raising lots of money doesn’t necessarily mean there will be a big payoff. There are many factors to consider before diving into a big VC investment. In this article I’ll explain how we think about funding at Magoosh and the risks that founders take when they go for big VC money. Fundraising at Magoosh At Magoosh, we raised a seed round of funding in 2011 (and some more in 2012), ~$750K total. We were cash flow positive by May 2012, broke $100K in monthly sales by September 2012, and have been growing off revenue ever since. We’ve had the opportunity to raise additional funding but thus far we’ve decided against it. Raising money, while alluring, signs us up for a very high-growth trajectory—that’s the promise we’d be making to the investors whose money we’d take. And right now, I believe our business, employees, and customers are best served if we continue with our current growth path. Some might call us a lifestyle business, though our early investors should hopefully see a >10x return on their investment. Maybe we’re an indie business. Regardless of what we’re called, we are choosing a more controlled growth path for now. A path that enables us to maintain our optionality and culture: the Happiest Company in Education with no employee having left voluntarily for another job. At some point, we may choose to raise a larger round of funding. If we do, we’ll do our best to ensure we have a clear path to a big return on the new investment at the new valuation. But right now it feels like too much of a gamble. I recognize that some companies don’t have the luxury of this choice. They may be pre-revenue and focusing on user growth—the only way to survive is to raise additional capital. Other founders might actually want to go BIG and be the next Facebook, Twitter or bust, and I respect that. That takes courage. But if you’re a founder, think before you leap. VC economics is a tricky field to master. Do your research and be intentional. Here’s a primer to help. VC Economics and Expectations When you take VC money, you should understand what potential outcomes might look like and what you’re signing up for. Don’t be surprised like founder Alex Blumberg was in this candid podcast conversation with his investor, Chris Sacca (starting at 11:12): Here are some factors to consider before you dive in. High Valuation and Growth Trajectory With a big round of funding at a high valuation, you are implicitly making a promise to your investors that you’re going to swing for the fences. In other words, you just signed up to be a big company. Get Satisfaction raised a $10M round at a $50M valuation, so they were promising to go huge (>$500M). As Lane told Business Insider: "We took a $10 million investment very prematurely […] At the time we were entertaining some acquisition offers. In hindsight, they would have been wise acquisition offers to take. The executive team got stars in their eyes about the money and took the investment. When you raise $10 million at a $50 million valuation, that is a serious promise you’re making with your business." Raising $10M is a serious promise. Your VCs are expecting a big outcome because they’ve made promises to their investors too. And swinging for the fences can actually be sound business strategy for a VC, but if you don’t hit a home run, you may get nothing. Let’s break it down to see why this is the case. VC Strategy A VC firm isn’t investing its own money. It’s investing the money of its investors, Limited Partners (LPs). The LPs would like a return of at least 20% per year. This means that over a 10-year period, the VC needs to generate a 6x return. Let’s say the VC invests in 10 companies per year, and each company needs 10 years to reach liquidity (some type of acquisition or IPO). One approach is to invest in 10 "modest" growth companies where each one grows in value by 6x over that 10-year period. That’s risky because if a few of them can’t hit the 6x mark in 10 years then the VC doesn’t get the return for the fund. Bad strategy. Instead, many VCs look for home runs, companies that might generate a 100x return (the next Uber or Slack). If VCs invest in these high-growth, high-risk startups, they don’t have to worry about the strikeouts (i.e., companies that give them no return) because the few remaining companies will still yield huge returns. You can see why it makes sense for VCs to encourage companies to spend on growth foregoing short-term profit or an early exit. Some companies might fail, some might have modest returns, and a few will be big. But those big ones, 60x or more, provide a return for the entire VC fund, and every other positive outcome is gravy. It’s a reasonable strategy for a VC, and if you raise big, you should be prepared to try to grow fast and not sell early. Now, this all is an overly simplistic view of VC economics, and there’s a lot more nuance to it. If you plan to raise money, you should read Brad Feld’sVenture Deals cover to cover. And know that sound strategy for a VC might not be the best strategy for you. They have more "at bats" with other companies while founders only get one (or one every 5 or so years). Moral of the Story If you’re a first-time founder, consider what raising big VC money means before you go down that path. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. At Magoosh, we are choosing to be very deliberate. But if you want to take a shot at hitting the next home run, by all means go for it—just know what you are getting into. Image created by Magoosh Graphic Designer Mark Thomas.

College is expensive. This is a fact of life.  The costs can be daunting, as is the prospect of large student loan payments. Rebecca Harrell, veterinary technology student and winner of $3000 in scholarships! Congratulations, Rebecca! Fortunately, there are ways to reduce this cost and the amount of loans to be repaid, as Rebecca Harrell, veterinary technology student at Globe University-Wausau, found when she investigated scholarship opportunities. "I was looking for scholarships to fill out," Rebecca said. "I found a news article that had a list of legitimate websites that had easy, no-essay applications. My favorite in this list was ScholarshipExperts.com." It was from this site that Rebecca won two scholarships, totaling about $3,000.00.  Rebecca said, "This site was user-friendly to navigate, and applying was easy. They said that they were looking for creative essays or essays that just made them laugh, and these essays had to be 250 words or less. There were a lot of different topics to write about, too, and the topics were fun to think about! One asked, ‘What three things would you bring to a zombie apocalypse and why?’ Another asked for a top 10 things about yourself list." Rebecca encourages everyone to check out this site. She said, "When you first go to ScholarshipExperts.com, click on the Our Scholarships link towards the top of the page, and that will get you to their full list. If you are in doubt, apply, because you never know."  She continued, "One thing I learned in this process is that when it comes to scholarships, a lot of them can be very easy to win simply because no one else applies for them. Thousands of dollars every year go to waste simply because no one applies for them." Chris Carlson, financial aid manager at Globe University-Wausau, agreed. He said, "More scholarship money goes unused every year than gets used in this country." He said that is particularly unfortunate at Globe University, because Globe will match up to $1000 per year in external scholarship funds for every Globe student who qualifies, every year that student attends Globe. Globe students can find scholarship opportunities through Globe. For example, every quarter the Globe University-Wausau campus offers two $2,000 community service scholarships to eligible students. These applications are due in week eight of each quarter, so students should apply now! There are many other scholarship opportunities with Globe University, and all students who are interested in reducing the cost of their education should take a look. Chris encourages students to not stop there.  They should look for scholarship opportunities in their community as well. He suggests first establishing a separate e-mail account for this purpose, and then looking to:   Employers of the student or their family   Local businesses   Fraternal organizations like the VFW or American Legion   The "animal clubs" like the Elks, Lions, Eagles, Moose, etc.   Local foundations or charitable organizations   Churches or other religious groups Chris and Rebecca both encourage all Globe University-Wausau students to see what opportunities are out there, and to take advantage of any and all they qualify for. The money is there, waiting to be awarded. If you apply, some of it could be yours… If you don’t, it is certain that none of it will be. So why not give yourself have a chance? The post Globe University - Wausau Student Finds Fun Way to Reduce the Cost of College appeared first on Globe University Blog.

I was recently invited to participate as a panelist in a Blackboard webinar discussing results of study of 200 senior education leaders from universities across the U.S. exploring trends in learning management systems and online learning and engagement strategies. The webinar archive is available here via Blackboard Collaborate as well as YouTube. In addition to commenting on the findings from the study, I was asked to try forecasting the future of online learning at my institution, in which I briefly touched on a few trends related to online teaching and learning at NIU (discussed below) that I see continuing. Growth in online learning plateau It’s unrealistic to expect the exponential growth that we’ve seen over the past decade nationally in students taking online courses to continue indefinitely. Rather, I believe we are going to begin seeing a plateau and stabilization in the growth of online learning in the coming years as online modes of learning become commonplace and are no longer perceived as "new" but are rather just part of the fabric of higher education. New niche programs to meet student demand, targeted at students in region I anticipate that we’ll see our institution develop new niche programs to meet student demand as well as market demand, targeted at students in our region. With the majority of our current online students currently within the Northern Illinois region and trends toward students preferring to enroll in online programs from institutions within a 100 radius, I envision that new programs that we develop will be tailored to students in our Midwest area. Online programs to attract new students, increase revenue, and improve retention Online programs will be one means for attracting new students, increasing revenue, and improving retention. Given the heavy competition in the online learning space, institutions will be well-served to identify their competitive advantages and clearly communicate these advantages to prospective and current students. I see some fantastic opportunities for institutions to leverage emerging learning analytics and outcomes data combined with new models of student support services online to see retention rates among online programs be equal to or even superior to traditional face-to-face retention rates. Coherent online strategy and financial model is critical for buy-in from institutional leaders In conversations that I’ve had with chief online learning officers and leaders at institutions that have vibrant online programs, it’s clear to me that a coherent institutional online strategy and financial model is critical for gaining buy-in from institutional leaders. Our institution is currently in the midst of a significant internal budgeting overhaul as we look to maximize our available resources to make academically responsive and fiscally responsible budgeting decisions. Investment in central support infrastructure needed to scale current offerings As we look to scale our current offerings, investment in centralized support infrastructure is needed. Our institution has taken a very decentralized approach to this point and left majority of development and support of online programs to individual colleges and departments. While this has provided a great deal of autonomy, duplication of efforts and inconsistency often results when each separate college or department tries to build their own infrastructure. For many aspects of online program development and support, we can be more efficient institutionally and offer a better online learning experience to our students by centralizing many aspects of the online program infrastructure to maximize expertise and resources. What specific support is centralized varies by institution. Focus on student career success With our current institutional keystone goal of student career success, we are aligning all our resources and efforts in focusing on this goal of ensuring that students leave NIU prepared to make and impact and be successful in their career. I forsee online learning as being one avenue by which we are able to make available to students high quality, engaging, and flexible learning opportunities that fit their busy lives. Especially for adult learners who have families, jobs, etc. and are seeking to improve their career or perhaps change careers, I see online programs as being a key component of our full complement of program offerings. Articulation agreements with other institutions We are continuing to focus on developing articulation agreements with other institutions that bring added value to the NIU education. An example of such an agreement is a recent reverse transfer pact that NIU signed with a local community college that was hailed by Illinois Lt. Governor Sheila Simon as, "a student-centered reform that should be implemented at campuses across the state." Basically, this agreement allows eligible NIU students who transferred from nearby Kishwaukee Community College without associate’s degrees to earn the two-year degree using credit from NIU courses. If for any reason a student then must stop-out for a period of time while finishing their undergraduate degree, they will have an associates degree credential. Students want a hassle-free transfer process and to receive credit for the work they do. Agreements like this and others will make it even easier for students to incorporate educational opportunities from multiple institutions. Mix of online and blended/hybrid programs I see a mix of fully-online as well as blended/hybrid programs to be offered in the future at NIU, where the benefits of a synchronous, face-to-face experience can be coupled with the flexibility of online delivery. An example is a new interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Health Sciences recently approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education that is scheduled to launch in 2015. This program will be a hybrid program, consisting of fully-online courses with several on-campus face-to-face intensives each year. This blended/hybrid approach provides many benefits for faculty as well as students. Accelerated courses (8-week terms) I also envision growth in the number of accelerated online courses (those of different lengths then the traditional 16-week semester). From market research that we’ve done, many fully-online programs geared toward adult learners have taken an accelerated course model with students taking fewer courses at a time of shorter duration. For example, instead of a part-time student of taking 2 courses each lasting 16 weeks, students take 2 8-week courses back-to-back, focusing solely one 1 course at a time. There are some obvious benefits as well as challenges when moving to an accelerated course model, but studies are beginning to be published reporting student learning outcomes in accelerated courses as comparable, and in some cases superior, to the semester-long course. Faculty continue to develop own content for individual courses, instructional designers to assist with online course development in programs We will continue to see the lines blurring between online courses and those web-enhanced and blended courses where faculty are utilizing online technologies in the delivery of their courses. In many cases faculty at NIU will continue to development their own content for individual online courses, but I see instructional designers skilled in advanced technical and development skills as assisting with online course development for online courses that are part of a cohesive online program. Ongoing faculty training and support is essential for success Finally, ongoing faculty training and support will continue to be essential for successful online program offerings. No matter whether faculty are developing the content and building courses themselves or if instructional designers are building courses, faculty still need to be trained not only on pedagogical best practices for teaching online, but also need to keep current in their technology skills. LMS features change rapidly as do the software and technical processes that institutions employ in their online offerings. We need to be equipping faculty for continued success. What trends do you see in online learning at your institution? Your comments are welcome!

Going to school online presents a unique challenge compared to attending a traditional classroom setting in that you may not make as many face-to-face connections with your fellow students. Globe University-Online wants to ensure you are making as many connections as possible. Student Ambassadors are here to help you with the challenges of college. Student Ambassadors are taking classes right along with you and are here to help support your academic career. A few of our Student Ambassadors have taken some time to share with you a little about themselves. Jessica Boggs: Student Ambassador Jessica Boggs My name is Jessica Boggs. I am a student in the healthcare management bachelor’s degree program. I also have my associate from Globe in medical assisting. I have taken classes both online and residentially in Eau Claire, WI for both programs since beginning my associate degree with Globe in 2009. I have recently moved to Huntsville, Alabama and although I miss the Midwest, I can’t imagine ever leaving the beautiful weather in the South. I have two toy poodles that would disown me if I brought them back to the sleet and snow. I decided to become a student ambassador because I wanted to give back to an institution that has helped me grow both personally and professionally. There are so many helpful and genuinely wonderful people at Globe from the faculty and staff to my fellow students that being a student ambassador allows me a chance to pass on that legacy to others. Throughout my education with Globe I have found that organization and patience are key to success. I have also learned to pace myself and take breaks when I need to. It’s impossible to do your absolute best when your overworked and stressed out. Taking breaks, having patience with myself, and being organized have helped keep me sane through both degrees. Cathe Saxon: Student Ambassador Cathe Saxon Hello! My name is Cathe Saxon and I am currently earning my bachelor’s degree in the exercise science program at Globe University. I became a student at Globe in 2012 and will be graduating this September. Originally, I am from Myrtle Beach, SC but my husband is active duty Air Force, so we are currently stationed on the central coast of California. I have been married for nine years and have two boys; a 5 year old and a 5 month old. ​I am a fitness fanatic. Currently, I work as a personal trainer and an aerobics instructor. I hold three personal training certifications, three specialty certifications, a group fitness certification, and safety certifications. I love to try new activities and I love to do outdoor activities with my family. Growing up, I wasn’t the best at studying but I have actually found that doing something I am passionate about really helps me study. There are, however, classes I have to take that are not completely fitness related. I have had to discipline myself to study for these types of classes. I always look ahead at projects and try to get my initial discussion posts done in the very beginning of the week. For me, balancing family, school, and work is quite complicated. I work at four different gyms and go to school full time while trying to also spend time with my family. It is not easy, but I find structure works best. There are certain times of the day on certain days that my family knows is school time for me. I decided to become a student ambassador because I truly enjoy people. It is kind of what helps me be good at what I do as a fitness professional. I love to help people and to offer guidance however I can. I like to think that I can make a positive difference in people’s lives. A fun fact about me: I had severe idiopathic scoliosis as a teenager and underwent life-changing scoliosis corrective surgery. I have a rod, hooks, wires, and screws in my spine and I have set off one metal detector at an airport. I have some physical limitations, but I have overcome a lot at a young age. I use my limitations as a means of inspiration to others. Erin Hein: This is my third quarter at Globe and I have been able to maintain a 4.0 thus far. I am scheduled to graduate at the end of Fall Quarter with my associates in mobile application development if all continues to go as planned. I have worked at Dairyland Laboratories, Inc. for the past eight years and truly love the company. I have held many roles and currently I am acting as the Web Administrator. I have two little boys, one is turning 4 in May and the youngest is a little over 1 1/2 years old. My husband also works full time so we have a very busy household. One of the most useful study habits that I have is printing off the course addendum and checking off all tasks for each course every week. The 11 weeks of class fly by so fast, don’t get behind because it will be incredibly hard to catch up. ​I decided to become a Student Ambassador so I can help other students that are new to online classes or new to Globe in general. I am very passionate about agriculture, technology and of course my family. If any students need someone to bounce ideas off of or just to chat about school please email me at Eri12076@students.globeuniversity.edu Briana Wudel: Student Ambassador Briana Wudel I have 2 boys ages 16 and 6 years old. My husband and I have been together for 10 years. The best way I study is by taking notes the old fashioned way. When I write information down I find I remember it better. I find balance between work and school by creating a school-work schedule for a certain number of hours a day and sticking to that schedule. This leaves time in my day for family time. I became a student ambassador because I wanted to help fellow students. Online learning has helped me return to school and if I can help other students become comfortable with this method of learning, all the better. The thing I enjoy most about being a student ambassador is being able to help my fellow students. A fun fact about myself is I have a degree in jewelry and gemology and have made and sold my jewelry online for many years. If you are interested in becoming a Student Ambassador please reach out to Becky Goodrood at rgoodroad@msbcollege.edu.   The post Student Ambassadors: Making Connections with Online Students appeared first on Globe University Blog.

WordPress, the content management software created by Matt Mullenweg, already powers over 23% of all websites on the Internet. With the acquisition of WooThemes the company has now the potential to become a major player in the online education market, both in terms of reach and revenue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJOfTB8-daA Automattic, the company that runs the commercial arm WordPress.com, announced the acquisition of WooThemes, which is one of the oldest commercial WordPress theme shops. Founded in 2008, the founders bootstrapped their startup to roughly $15 million in annual revenue. Though details of the acquisition have not been shared, Peter Kafka at re/code said that his sources estimate the deal at $30 million in cash and stock. The entire team will join Automattic. Like WordPress, WooThemes has a large footprint on the Internet. According to Post Status their e-commerce plugin WooCommerce has a 20% market-share among the top one million websites. I suggest you read Brian Krogsgard’s post for all the details, it’s a great analysis of the deal, and its potential in general. From Live to Self Paced Of course, we want to focus on the potential WooCommerce has in the online education space. In my last post I wrote about the decline of live tutoring on the Internet. One way tutors have coped with it is by creating self-paced learning content, either in the form of online courses or downloadable material like e-books or podcasts. Needless to say that e-commerce is a key factor in the equation. So far, most of WooThemes’ different plugins and themes have only been available for self-hosted WordPress installations. As online tutors tend to prefer hosted solutions that offer an additional layer of service and security, the addition of WooCommerce to Automattic’s WordPress.com has the potential to draw a sizeable crowd to the hosted WordPress platform. A MOOC for Everyone And there is more. WooThemes also created a plugin that turns a WordPress blog into a course platform, similar to a MOOC or online course provider like Udemy. Brian Krogsgard asked Matt Mullenweg about the future of Sensei. It seems likely that the plugin will become a free plugin (now $129) while being maintained and extended by the WordPress team. Also Read: Overview: LMS MOOC Solutions for Small Institutions and Individuals Sensei is a really powerful tool, enabling tutors to create state of the art online courses. With additional resources and likely becoming free of charge, Sensei could become a viable alternative to course marketplaces like Udemy or WizIQ. With the acquisition, WordPress users will have the option to go for a paid, hosted e-commerce or MOOC website on WordPress.com or run their own storefront or online course with the freely available software from WordPress.org. This unique combination could turn WordPress into a leading online education SaaS provider. Picture License  Some rights reserved by thisismyurl