Irresistible prime-time television and quick snacks that turn into 20-minute breaks are the ever-tempting enemies of online learning, according to Maryland’s distance educator of the year, who says proactive and dedicated students get the most out of web-based classes and the freedom they provide.
Community college decision makers were encouraged by the Federal Communication Commission’s inclusion in its National Broadband Plan of robust high-speed internet networks on two-year campuses, which soon could be a central location for locals who don’t have broadband internet at home.
The National Labor College will make about 20 online courses available for the AFL-CIO’s 11.5 million members next fall in an effort to help workers adapt to a job market that increasingly requires higher education.
Combining text, audio, and video chat with features like drag-and-drop documents and interactive polls, Google Wave is a free web program that could add unprecedented depth to student interaction, many educators say.
Technological innovations might be categorized along a continuum from sustaining to disruptive. In education, a sustaining technology might be a SMART Board, which in most applications is a way to present information dynamically and efficiently–a sustaining upgrade to the chalkboard and overhead projector–while a disruptive technology would be a virtual school.
University of the People, one of the newest members of the free online education arena, is adding academic heft with credentialed faculty and advisors, and nine out of 10 students who took classes in its first term said they would recommend the university to family and friends. Key words: distance learning, online courses, University of the People, Columbia University, New York University, education technology
Financial, family, and scheduling pressures make it hard for many to set work aside to attend face-to-face classes every week. Increasingly, students want to squeeze their pursuit of degrees into rare patches of downtime — and for these students, the explosion of online class offerings is a godsend, reports the Baltimore Sun.
Founded in 2007 by entrepreneur Jon Bischke, San Francisco-based startup eduFire offers low-cost live lessons via video conferences and text chats — at $29 a month for unlimited access, reports CNNMoney.com.
Excelsior College, a New York-based online institution, and educational content and assessment company Pearson launched a program this week aimed at increasing the number of students who have access to this more affordable “credit-by-examination” model. Key words: Excelsior College, education technology, school technology, online courses, Pearson Education, college credits, college tuition
The online education sector grew 13 percent last year, but it had been growing at about 20 percent in previous years, Reuters reports — leading some to suggest that online learning is starting to plateau until further innovations are introduced.
