Projecto MEDEIA

by eCampus News

More than 100,000 students have been recruited to online classes in Texas since 2007. Several Texas public universities have turned to private companies to help enroll thousands more students — not for classes on campus, but online. Some state leaders want to explore expanding that model. They see potential to educate more Texans at lower cost.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/several-texas-colleges-are-using-private-recruiters-for-online-classes/

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By Holly Hacker, Dallas News

Today I wrote about state universities, including the University of Texas at Arlington, partnering with for-profit companies to deliver online classes. It’s an approach that’s gaining interest and traction in Texas, among people like Gov. Rick Perry and Jeff Sandefer, who has proposed some controversial “breakthrough solutions” in higher ed. There’s an interesting regulatory angle to this story, too. I spoke recently with Trace Urdan, a research analyst at Signal Hill investment bank in San Francisco. “More and more of these creative arrangements are being struck,” said Urdan, who studies the for-profit higher ed sector. One big reason, he said, is investors have shied away from for-profit universities as they’ve come under greater federal scrutiny and regulation.

http://educationfrontblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/06/online-learning-for-profits-an.html

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by Paul Signorelli and Lori Reed, American Libraries

When we library staff members are struggling to respond to incoming phone calls, email, text/instant messages, tweets, Facebook and LinkedIn updates, and people stopping us in hallways to ask for help, it’s easy to forget that we, too, need learning resources and communities of support. Many of us who are responsible for organizing and providing learning opportunities recognize that one of our greatest challenges is making the time to continue our own professional development so that we can better serve those who learn from what we provide. We tend to fall into the same trap that our learners encounter: As we keep up with our daily workload, we don’t seek the learning opportunities that are at the heart of our own continuing professional and personal development.

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/features/06062011/professional-growth-through-learning-communities

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by Nicole, Online Learning Tips

We write a lot on here about using Social Media (along with other online tools etc.) to help with your learning. But what about getting to that point? What if you’re not in school yet? Have no idea what to study? Or where? Or how? 99.9% of us would go straight to Google and start Googling up a storm… “online school,” “going to college,” “online classes,” “online degrees.” The list goes on and on and on. BUT… have you considered moving your search over to Social Media?

http://onlinelearningtips.com/2011/06/03/3-ways-to-use-social-media-to-pick-a-school/

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By Robyn Gee, Huffington Post

University of Southern California (USC) is set to become, “the country’s largest not-for-profit teacher prep program by 2013,” according to The Atlantic. All due to their online Masters of Arts in Teaching program – MAT@USC. USC now graduates 1500 teachers, many of whom attend classes via video chat. According to Margo Pensavalle, Professor of Clinical Education at the Rossier School of Education at USC, and a member of the faculty for the MAT@USC program, insists that the program is really top notch. “We didn’t want to be like DeVry – this is USC and we wanted to do a really good job… The syllabi for the courses are identical and the faculty are identical [to the on-campus courses],” she said.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/youth-radio-youth-media-international/training-teachers-online_b_871206.html

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by Emily Schettler, Press-Citizen

A new degree program offered by the University of Iowa this fall will encourage students who can’t come to campus to go online instead. The university is unveiling a business degree through the Henry B. Tippie College of Business that students can obtain entirely through online classes. The program is meant for those people already working but wanting to get their degree, many of whom may have families and are unable to move to Iowa City to take classes on campus, said David Hensley, executive director of UI John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Programs.

http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20110603/NEWS01/110603006/UI-offer-online-only-business-degree-

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By: Chie Saito – YNN Austin

Central Texas College has already started to get the ball rolling on complying with upcoming federal mandates that put tighter regulations on schools and universities with online classes. For CTC student Sharon Blakly, taking classes online is the best option for her busy schedule. “I work four days on, four days off, 12-hour shifts so it works better in my plan,” she said. “I don’t have to drive back and forth, saves gas. I can do it at home in my pajamas.” However, federal regulations may soon change the way Blakly, and even out of state students, take CTC courses online.

http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories/278779/federal-regulation-could-hinder-online-college-courses

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by Robin Green, Coggno

If you’re a teacher considering creating an e-learning course, put together a list of helpful resources and guidelines for creating an effective online learning experience. People choose e-learning courses for many reasons, including accessibility and flexibility. The cost effectiveness of online learning is another huge plus for many students. Learning can happen any time, anywhere, whether it’s squeezed in between work and dinner, or even on the treadmill at the gym. Creating quality online courses that motivates students and interacts with them is key to success.

http://coggno.com/learning-management-system/e-learning-course-checklist-for-teachers.html

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by Learning Online Info

Technology is changing the way we communicate, as well as the way we learn. The Internet has made online learning almost instant: students can interact with each other through e-mail, online chat, and other communication software. For both students and teachers, it is important to set rules for how classmates and instructors interact with each other online. The rules for online teaching and learning shouldn’t be all that different than those for a physical classroom. Courtesy and attention are essential, but online interaction requires a few specific rules to make the experience valuable—even fun—for everyone involved.

http://learningonlineinfo.org/2011/06/01/internet-etiquette-online-learning/

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by Anne Ryman, The Arizona Republic

In a push to attract more students and generate money, Arizona State University is plunging deeper into online education, hoping that more than a quarter of its students will be exclusively in virtual classes within a decade. ASU, one of the nation’s largest public universities, projects 30,000 students will attend fully online by 2020, a tenfold increase from today. Tens of thousands of additional, on-campus students would attend partly online. Most of the online-only students would be older and attend part time, but a significant share, including younger students, are expected to go entirely online.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/06/05/20110605arizona-state-online-classes.html

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by Kui Xie, Vance Durrington & Ling Ling Yen; JOLT

This study investigated the relationship between students’ motivation and their participation in asynchronous online discussions during a 16-week online course. Fifty-six students participated in online discussion activities as a normal part of their classes. Their motivation for participating in online discussions was self-reported three times throughout the semester. The findings continue to indicate that students’ motivation has a significant relationship with their participation in online discussion activities at time two and time three. Students’ perceived value, autonomy, competence, and relatedness have different levels of impact on their online discussion behavior. This study also found that students’ intrinsic motivation and their perceived value of online discussions remained at a moderate-high level over time, although the perceived value had a significant drop from the mid-point to the end of the semester.

http://jolt.merlot.org/vol7no1/xie_0311.htm

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by Larisa A. Olesova, et al; JOLT

This study explored how instructional audio feedback was perceived by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as Second Language (ESL) students who participated in a collaborative online project involving two classes, one in Russia and the other in the US. Specifically, it examined: 1) the possible differences between EFL and ESL students’ perceptions of audio and text feedback when receiving audio feedback from a non-native speaker (NNS) and 2) the possible differences in their perceptions of the sense of presence (teaching, social, and cognitive) as determined by the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework when receiving audio feedback from the NNS instructor. A mixed methods research design was utilized. The two groups preferred receiving both written and audio feedback, but their perceptions of teaching presence differed. This study has broad implications not only for online learning environments but any learning environment that includes EFL/ESL students.

http://jolt.merlot.org/vol7no1/olesova_0311.htm

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by Congresswoman Virginia Foxx

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (NC-05), Chair of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, today introduced legislation (H.R. 2117) to repeal two Department of Education regulations that inject the federal government into issues that are traditionally academic or state affairs. The bill repeals a new federal credit hour rule that sets a federal definition of a credit hour and it also repeals what are known as “state authorization” regulations. “These two regulations are a classic case of federal government overreach, which will unnecessarily restrict colleges and universities and will result in fewer choices for students,” Foxx said. “Plus, by curbing choice and making it difficult for institutions to expand their programs, these regulations will stifle job creation within the higher education sector at a time when we need new jobs more than ever.”

http://foxx.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=55&sectiontree=54,55&itemid=1639

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by Suzanne C. Wagner, et al; JOLT

This article presents a longitudinal comparison of online versus traditional instructional delivery methods. Significant research had been conducted comparing online and traditional courses. However, there is no consensus regarding student performance considering the two instructional methods. Additionally, previous studies have focused on a limited number of courses or a short time period. This research study involves a single introductory business application software course, delivered as a traditional course and as an online course, offered over a period of ten years. The course was taught by the same instructor using the same criteria and standards across all classes, however, new versions of the software were utilized. Student performance was analyzed across 30 sections of the course from the years 2001 to 2010. Results indicate that there was no significant difference in student performance between the two modes of course delivery.

http://jolt.merlot.org/vol7no1/wagner_0311.htm

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by Donna Gayle Anderson, JOLT

As online course formats become an accepted long-term strategy in education, instructors who personalize their courses with humor can positively contribute to the students’ learning experiences. The purpose of this paper was to determine student perceptions of humor added to an online undergraduate production operations management course and how that humor influenced student engagement through participation in online discussion forums. Results indicate a statistically significant difference (p = .000) between the two groups, where group 1 had little to no humor added to the course and group 2 had humor added. The addition of humor accounted for 33.76 percent of the effect. In addition, the results of student evaluations from the second group showed that humor positively enhanced the online learning environment. This study supports previous research findings and further advances limited studies on humor and learning online pedagogy. Conclusions are drawn that humor incorporated in online courses helps motivate students to participate more in discussion and contributes to a positive learning environment.

http://jolt.merlot.org/vol7no1/anderson_0311.htm

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by Jeffrey L. Bailie, JOLT

In this sequel investigation, the author utilized a modified Delphi technique to validate whether graduate level online faculty and learners could reach a consensus on the criticality of previously identified online faculty competencies. Comparisons of the leading competencies identified for online instruction and the differing modalities from previous investigations were examined in this study to determine whether they continue to be representative of those contained in the literature. This investigation confirmed that when a modified Delphi approach was instituted, competencies that were identified by similar research studies over the past decade continue to be regarded by vested constituents as important. Finally, it was shown that a consensus between what online faculty and online students perceived as important instructional competencies continues to be possible.

http://jolt.merlot.org/vol7no1/bailie_0311.htm

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by Joanne Badge, et al;  JOLT

The impact of social networks on lives of the majority of young adults has been enormous, although their impact on education is less well understood. Some consideration has been give to the role Facebook plays in higher education and in the transition from secondary to tertiary education, but little analysis has been conducted on the role of the microblogging social network Twitter. By examining the use made of this service by two cohorts of students, this study found that Twitter is easy for students to use and popular with the majority once they have experience with it. For this study different patterns of use between individuals in the study and between the two different student cohorts were observed, as was the emergence of informal online peer support networks. The results of this study suggest models for future use of microblogging services.

http://jolt.merlot.org/vol7no1/cann_0311.htm

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by Ji-Yong Park & Jeong-Bae Son, JOLT

A number of instructors have recently adopted social network sites (SNSs) for learning. However, the learning design of SNSs often remains at a preliminary level similar to a personal log book because it does not properly include reflective learning elements such as individual reflection and collaboration. This article looks at the reflective learning process and the public writing process as a way of improving the quality of reflective learning on SNSs. It proposes a reflective learning model on SNSs based on two key pedagogical concepts for social networking: individual expression and collaborative connection. It is expected that the model would be helpful for instructors in designing a reflective learning process on SNSs in an effective and flexible way.

http://jolt.merlot.org/vol7no1/park_0311.htm

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by David Starr-Glass, JOLT

Distant learning utilizing Web-based technologies has provided learners and educational providers with unprecedented opportunities. One sector rapidly adopting distant learning is the military learner, represented by active service persons and veterans. Military learners clearly exhibit the characteristics of adult learners; however, they may also represent a special class with unique strengths and weaknesses. The values and problems of classifying student populations are explored. Experience of dealing with military learners is analyzed in an attempt to highlight the opportunities and challenges that this group brings to online learning environments. While conclusions are drawn, it is emphasized that the military learners at the center of this study were re-enlisted and had long service records, making findings difficult to generalize to all military learners

http://jolt.merlot.org/vol7no1/starr-glass_0311.htm

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by the Next Web

Is English your mother tongue? If not, you know how difficult it can be to learn it. Or used to be, according to the company Open English, which is using the Internet to change the way Latin Americans study “the language of business”. Founded in 2006 and launched commercially in 2008 in Venezuela, its founders’ country of origin, Open English is an interesting example of a successful Latin American startup. Following its first expansion in 2010, it is now present in 15 Spanish-speaking countries, and plans to launch in Brazil in the second half of 2011 thanks to the new round of funding it closed earlier this month.

http://thenextweb.com/la/2011/05/29/a-latin-american-success-story-online-learning-startup-open-english/

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