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

By Andrew Barbour, eCampus News "We’re starting to hear a real desire for online learning to turn the corner and be focused on a mode of instruction that is inherently better than what we have today in traditional education," said Chris Walsh, CEO of Zaption, a video learning company based in San Francisco. "People are starting to look at new tools and new opportunities to create an instructional experience that is different but hopefully better as well." The idea that online learning could actually be better than face-to-face instruction has gained credence in recent years as new technology solutions promise to make the educational experience more personalized and engaging. Has that time finally arrived? Here, eCampus News looks at seven trends that have the potential to remake the world of online learning. http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/trends-online-learning-453/ Share on Facebook

By Amar Toor, the Verge Udemy, an online learning service, has come under criticism for selling pirated courses. The controversy began this week, when security specialist Troy Hunt discovered that one of his courses on ethical hacking was available on Udemy under another author’s name. As The Next Web reports, the video had been edited to remove Hunt’s introduction at the beginning, but was otherwise unchanged from the version available on Pluralsight, the video’s copyright holder. On Udemy, the pirated course was available for £37 ($56). Udemy removed the video after Hunt flagged it on Twitter, though it remained available for at least 12 hours after the company replied to him.  Critics say online learning service doesn’t do enough to police copyright violations http://www.theverge.com/2015/11/29/9813780/udemy-pirated-course-copyright-troy-hunt Share on Facebook

by Hana Muslic, Daily Nebraskan How much would you pay to get a ‘B’ in a course if you knew you didn’t have to do any of the work? Students at universities across the nation have been emptying their pockets to see these results in their online classes. According to The Atlantic, college students are willing to lay down more than $1,000 for services like No Need To Pay — a company where "digital cheaters" are available for hire and sometimes even assume the identity of the student to help them pass the class. The students are guaranteed at least a ‘B’. At University of Nebraska-Lincoln, however, cheating in online classes seems to be minimal at best. "It’s actually fairly rare," said Matthew Douglass, a professor at UNL who has taught online courses for six years. "I’ve never caught a student cheating in an online course." http://www.dailynebraskan.com/news/academic-sites-make-it-easy-to-cheat-pass-online-courses/article_2afff83a-9706-11e5-825c-5f3349435d9e.html Share on Facebook

by GeekTime Here are five online classes that every startup professional should take to make sure their business is going to be successful. How does the effectiveness of online learning compare with that of face-to-face instruction? A recent report by the U.S. Department of Education found that "classes with online learning on average produce stronger student learning outcomes than do classes with solely face-to-face instruction." With this spirit in mind, particularly for folks who just have time for continuing education on their commute or at home, here are five online classes that every startup professional should take to make sure their business is going to be successful. http://www.geektime.com/2015/12/01/the-top-5-online-courses-for-startup-professionals/ Share on Facebook

BY NOEL K. GALLAGHER, Press Herald John Broida, a longtime University of Southern Maine psychology professor, died of pancreatic cancer last year. After the startling diagnosis last summer, Broida rushed to complete an online Psych 101 course he was developing. Two months later - just days after the course began - he died. Broida was a farsighted adopter of online teaching, broadcasting his lectures live to remote locations as early as 1988. "It was really important to him. He loved teaching," said his widow, AnneMarie Catanzano. The students never expected to meet Broida in person. The three-unit course is completely "asynchronous," meaning there are no "live" sessions where a professor meets online with students through Skype or chat rooms. With his pending death, Broida knew he needed someone to curate "a course in a box," someone to send email reminders, check in on students, answer questions and keep track of how students were doing. For that, he turned to friend and fellow USM psychology professor Michael Stevenson. http://www.pressherald.com/2015/11/30/maine-professor-ensures-course-is-taught-even-after-he-dies/ Share on Facebook

by Richenda Gould, Rutgers Now in its seventh year, RUOnlineCon has expanded from a statewide event to include attendees throughout the mid-Atlantic region, from New York to West Virginia. It is meant for faculty and others from higher education institutions who are active in online and hybrid learning environments, including instructional designers, educational technology specialists, department and program chairs, curriculum managers and online program administrators. Early registration is available at http://ruonlinecon.rutgers.edu. "Higher education is now interwoven with education technology tools and instructional design approaches," explained Richard J. Novak, vice president of continuing studies and distance learning at Rutgers. Speakers include Jeff Selingo (College unBound); Deb Adair, Quality Matters; Ray Schroeder, UPCEA and UIS ; Joan Bouillon, Pearson; and Kenneth Ronkowitz, New Jersey Institute of Technology. Rutgers’ co-presenters of the conference are the Mid-Atlantic chapter of UPCEA and the New Jersey Research and Education Network, a nonprofit technology consortium of academic and research institutions. http://cenewscenter.rutgers.edu/articles/2015/11/online-education-hybrid-learning-focus-rutgers-conference-educators Share on Facebook

by Richenda Gould, Rutgers Now in its seventh year, RUOnlineCon has expanded from a statewide event to include attendees throughout the mid-Atlantic region, from New York to West Virginia. It is meant for faculty and others from higher education institutions who are active in online and hybrid learning environments, including instructional designers, educational technology specialists, department and program chairs, curriculum managers and online program administrators. Early registration is available at http://ruonlinecon.rutgers.edu. "Higher education is now interwoven with education technology tools and instructional design approaches," explained Richard J. Novak, vice president of continuing studies and distance learning at Rutgers. Speakers include Jeff Selingo (College unBound); Deb Adair, Quality Matters; Ray Schroeder, UPCEA and UIS ; Joan Bouillon, Pearson; and Kenneth Ronkowitz, New Jersey Institute of Technology http://cenewscenter.rutgers.edu/articles/2015/11/online-education-hybrid-learning-focus-rutgers-conference-educators Share on Facebook

by Jane LeClair and Robin Berenson, Evolllution Competency based education (CBE) is, in many ways, an outgrowth of the earlier concept of outcomes based education (OBE) but they vary in that OBE has an initial goal or stated outcome that is sought by the education, whereas CBE is concerned with a narrow skill set that must be demonstrated to have been mastered by the learner. CBE is not a new concept in higher education, but change is being driven based on the quality of the education as well as access and cost. The challenge to learning institutions is to innovate with a purpose rather than with an eye to being the "next big thing." http://evolllution.com/revenue-streams/market_opportunities/designing-a-competency-based-education-cbe-program-context-challenges-and-pivots/ Share on Facebook

by Karli Grant, eCampus News Institutions with a focus on mentoring, apprentice-based and vocational learning have embraced the CBE model since its inception, but many schools with a variety of academic programs are now exploring the possibility of offering competency-based courses. For the many colleges and universities currently testing the waters, the question is "where do we start?" Early-adopters like Rasmussen College are partnering with regional accreditors and the U.S. Department of Education as best practices begin to emerge, but in the meantime there are steps every institution can take to create a basic framework for CBE. http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/competency-based-education-728/ Share on Facebook

By C. RAMSEY FAHS, Harvard Crimson The Harvard Extension School will offer a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree program next year, a first for the school. The program’s inaugural cohort of students will begin online coursework in June and earn a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree in global studies and a Master of Liberal Arts in management. The entire program, according to the Extension School’s website, will cost roughly $45,000, a price point that Ray Schroeder, the associate vice chancellor for online learning at the University of Illinois Springfield, called "tremendous." The program asks that applicants have at least two years of undergraduate coursework and roughly seven to 10 years of "professional experience" under their belts. Applicants should not, however, have taken any previous courses at the Extension School or Harvard Summer School. http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2015/12/2/extension-school-accelerated-degree/ Share on Facebook

by Mike Krings, University of Kansas Researchers at the Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities have issued "Equity Matters: Digital and Online Learning for Students with Disabilities." The expansive report analyzes the online education policies of all 50 states and five U.S. territories and combines those findings with other research projects in the center to support recommendations for how to improve online and blended learning for all students. The report takes a wide view at online and blended learning for students with disabilities. In its five chapters it explains transformative change, provides a scan of policy for all 50 states and five territories regarding online learning for students with disabilities, details special education in online environments, explores the changing structure and roles within education and finally, examines access to online education, issues of data and privacy and graduation. It is available online. http://news.ku.edu/2015/11/17/ku-researchers-co-author-extensive-examination-online-learning-students-disabilities Share on Facebook

by Gabrielle Russon, Orlando Sentinal UCF is considering waiving some student fees for online-only programs. UCF is considering lowering some fees for future students who enroll in online-only courses. During a Wednesday meeting, University of Central Florida officials said it makes sense to eliminate several student fees for people who never come to campus or use the school’s resources. Eliminating the fees - including the $14.32 charge per credit hour for athletics - would save about $33 per credit hour for undergraduate students who enroll in online-only programs starting in the summer 2016. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/school-zone/os-ucf-online-classes-1202-post.html Share on Facebook

by Zach Oldham, Campus Chronicle One could equate speeding to cheating on several levels: It is clearly something that you are not supposed to do, yet some still will do it. Those who do try to avoid any and all enforcement. There are regulations in place to prevent us from doing so, and yet, everyone was 16 once. So what happens when the enforcement, or perception of enforcement, is removed? http://www.campuschroniclenews.com/?p=1747 Share on Facebook

by Ryan Lasker, GW Hatchet The Milken Institute School of Public Health will allow all of its graduate students to take part of their course loads online or on-campus starting next semester. The flexible program option will give students the opportunity to customize their class schedules to include a mix of online and on-campus courses for the first time. Julie DeLoia, the associate dean of academic affairs at the school, said in an email that the program will offer more flexible options to graduate students who are juggling responsibilities outside school. It can attract more non-traditional students who might have outside obligations like a family or a job to balance with their course loads, she said. http://www.gwhatchet.com/2015/12/02/public-health-school-combines-online-and-on-campus-graduate-programs/ Share on Facebook

by Julie Wurth, News-Gazette The "stackable" online degree offered by the new University of Illinois "iMBA" is a harbinger of big changes in graduate education, says the president of the groundbreaking Silicon Valley company partnering with the UI on the effort. "I think graduate education is about to undergo a massive disruption," possibly within the next four years, said Daphne Koller, the Stanford University professor who co-founded Coursera in 2011. http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2015-12-03/coursera-chief-imba-glimpse-future.html Share on Facebook

By SINDYA N. BHANOO, NY Times Free online educational courses may not be democratizing education as much as proponents believe, a new study reports. John D. Hansen, a doctoral student at Harvard University’s School of Education, and his colleagues looked at registration and completion patterns in 68 massive open online courses, or MOOCs, offered by Harvard and M.I.T. The data covered 164,198 participants aged 13 to 69. In a study published in the journal Science, Mr. Hansen and his colleagues reported that people living in more affluent neighborhoods were more likely to register and complete MOOCs. Each increase of $20,000 in neighborhood median income raised the odds of participation in a MOOC by 27 percent, the researchers found. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/08/science/online-classes-appeal-more-to-the-affluent.html Share on Facebook

by Melanie Pinola, LifeHacker CourseBuffet not only highlights free courses from top universities, it groups some of them into degree paths, so you can get a college BA-equivalent education from these free online courses. Currently two degree paths are available: Computer science and management, with finance coming soon. When you choose one of these paths, you’ll be presented with groups of courses organized similarly to traditional degrees, with core, advanced, and elective courses. And, just like a traditional degree, to complete the "program" you’re expected to achieve all the credits. The Core Computer Science courses include everything from intro to computer science to computer architecture, algorithms, programming languages, and databases. Within each topic, you can select from a variety of online courses to add to your path. http://lifehacker.com/coursebuffet-organizes-online-courses-into-a-diy-degree-1745973758 Share on Facebook

by Anya Kamenetz, NPR What’s not clear is exactly how these innovations are expected to spread or influence practices in public schools that don’t have dedicated resources for that purpose. "The technology is important, but it’s not really the hard or expensive part," Feldstein says. "These challenges are particularly hard for poorer schools, where there is less money and less support for teachers." In other words, scaling the benefits of personalized learning requires more than just software. Because of their resources and very public platform, any education idea supported by billionaire philanthropists is likely to receive more than its share of attention. Zuckerberg has been criticized for his previous foray into educational philanthropy in Newark, and he seems to be advocating a different approach here that partners more closely with educators and communities. http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/12/05/437536957/mark-zuckerberg-is-betting-tech-can-address-educational-equity-is-it-that-simple Share on Facebook

by Robert Talbert, Chronicle of Higher Ed Making a portfolio for tenure and promotion is a long-term, high-stakes project that requires care and attention. A judicious use of helpful technologies, with the right mind-set, can help us place attention on it productively so we can focus our main efforts on the jobs we were hired to do. http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/how-tech-tools-can-help-professors-prepare-their-tenure-portfolios/57644 Share on Facebook

by Tim Dodd, Financial Review Learn how to reduce your stress and enjoy life by learning "mindfulness" in a new free online course being offered by Monash University. "Mindfulness is … about intentionally paying attention to each moment, being fully engaged in whatever is happening around and within you, with an attitude of friendliness and compassion," the university says on the course website. Course presenters Craig Hassed (who is a senior lecturer and mindfulness co-ordinator at Monash University) and Richard Chambers (a clinical psychologist and mindfulness consultant at the university) say on their blog that mindfulness is an important life skill that can be learnt. http://www.afr.com/leadership/management/productivity/mooc-watch-monash-university-teaches-mindfulness-in-free-online-course-20151203-gle7z4 Share on Facebook