Study Reveals that Adding Frequent Tests to Online Learning Improves Retention - Karl M. Kapp, ASTD/ATD

Ever wonder how to improve attention within an online lecture and how to improve an online learner’s ability to learn? One method might be to quiz them frequently. Researchers have found that by interspersing online lectures with short tests, student mind-wandering decreased by half, note-taking tripled, and overall retention of the material improved. As the researchers pointed out, without the quizzing conditions, student’s minds wandered while participating in an online course. "In our experiments, when we asked students if they were mind-wandering, they said yes roughly 40 percent of the time. It's a significant problem." https://www.td.org/Publications/Blogs/Science-of-Learning-Blog/2015/01/Study-Reveals-That-Adding-Frequent-Tests-to-Online-Learning-Improves-Retention

Meet Pecha Kucha, the Japanese presentations changing everything about PowerPoint - Ivy Nelson, eSchool News

As I prepare for my presentation this week at the Florida Educational Technology Conference (FETC) on “Presenting with Pecha Kucha,” my colleagues have repeatedly asked me, “What is Pecha Kucha?” The short answer is it’s a great presentation style that gets students thinking and learning, not reading slides. A longer one might be to explain that the term comes from the Japanese words for “chit chat,” so as you might guess this unique presentational style embraces a more conversational tone. But more importantly, it is transforming presentations as we know them. http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/01/22/pechakucha-powerpoint-359/

edX: Programming language Scratch isn’t just for kids anymore - Barb Darrow, GigaOm

Scratch is a programming language built to help children learn basic programming skills. But now edX, the MOOC (for Massive Open Online Course) backed by top colleges including MIT, Harvard and Caltech, will offer a free Scratch course for anyone “regardless of age or digital skill.” Registration is open now for Programming in Scratch” which kicks off February 2. The course will be taught by Colleen Lewis, professor of computer science at Harvey Mudd College, a tech powerhouse and another edX partner school. https://gigaom.com/2015/01/23/edx-says-scratch-isnt-just-for-kids-anymore/

Open Learning Initiative Reaches Penn Alumni Online and Around the Globe - Jill DiSanto, UPenn

For the first time last fall, the University of Pennsylvania invited Quakers from around the globe to participate in an alumni-exclusive version of a massive open online course. From Oct. 6 to Nov. 2, Penn offered a modified, four-week, intensive version of “History of the Slave South” taught by Stephanie McCurry of the history department in Penn Arts & Sciences. McCurry’s course is a popular choice among Penn undergraduates, and the 10-week course offered online through Penn’s Open Learning Initiative has attracted thousands of people of varied backgrounds worldwide. So it was a natural choice for an exclusive version for alumni. Almost 700 alumni ranging from the Class of 1940 to the Class of 2014 and from 15 countries signed up. http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/news/open-learning-initiative-reaches-penn-alumni-online-and-around-globe

Higher ed jobs changing with technology, students - Joan Axelrod-Contrada, Boston Globe

Over the next 10 years, jobs for college and university administrators are expected to grow 15 percent nationally compared with 11 percent for all jobs, according to the US Labor Department. The median pay is about $86,000 a year. The growth in higher education employment. A 2013 survey found that 7.1 million students — about one-third of all students — took at least one online course, up from 6.7 million in 2012. College and university officials say many skills from other industries are transferable to higher education, although they might have to be bolstered with a degree or certificate. http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/01/23/higher-jobs-changing-with-technology-students/PO956UVR6xI3dKwjMZyMLJ/story.html

EdX CEO Lays Out Disruptive Vision For Higher Ed - WBUR Here and Now

Anant Agarwal, CEO of edX, says “I talk about unbundling in time, function and content. Let’s take unbundling in content. Why should it be the case that a professor who teaches a course writes a textbook, teaches a course, writes the exams, the whole thing. Instead, a blended course is an unbundled course, where you might use a MOOC from a professor from another university as a new age textbook. That would be unbundling of content. So we do some of that. Why can’t we increase that? Today, why is it that every student has to learn in college when they are 18? Why four years? How about unbundling time? .... So a continuous education system like this could solve many problems. It will allow people to get just-in-time education on topics that are on the cutting edge of technology and learn as they need to learn; they may be better able to pay later.” http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2015/01/22/edx-moocs-anant-agarwal

Carnegie Foundation Study Recommends Sticking With Credit Hour - Paul Fain, Inside Higher Ed

The credit hour is an inadequate unit for measuring student learning. Yet no better replacement for higher education’s gold standard has emerged, and getting rid of it right now would be risky. That’s the central theme of a high-profile report from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Amy Laitinen, the deputy director for higher education at New America, a liberal thinktank, wrote an influential 2012 report that said the credit hour is to blame for several of higher education’s root problems. She wrote that it contributes to colleges rejecting transfer credits, for example, which wastes students’ time and money. Laitinen, who was on the study’s advisory committee, said the report does a good job of describing challenges around reliance on the credit hour. But she would have liked to see Carnegie use its clout to call for different learning standards. “It’s an excellent diagnosis of the problem without any prescription for change,” she said. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/01/29/carnegie-foundation-says-credit-hour-although-flawed-too-important-discard

UW System predicts layoffs, no campus closings under budget cuts - Patrick Marley and Karen Herzog, the Journal Sentine.

Gov. Scott Walker's plan to cut the University of Wisconsin System by $300 million over two years would likely lead to layoffs, but closing campuses is not on the table at this time, top school officials said Tuesday. Declaring the university system needs to get out from "under the thumb" of state government, Walker said he wants to give the Board of Regents more authority to contract for services and construct buildings without following state rules and processes that other state agencies must. His plan, if approved by the Legislature, would be coupled with a reduction in state aid of nearly 13%. He likened the proposal to the budget cuts that were paired with Act 10, the 2011 law that all but eliminated collective bargaining for most public workers. http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/walker-proposes-300-million-cut-more-autonomy-for-uw-b99433799z1-289929831.html

MOOCs and meetups together make for better learning - Michael E. Goldberg, the Conversation

More than 60 groups in 52 cities have formed to take MOOCs on Meetup, the world’s largest network of local groups. Coursera, the largest provider of MOOCs, has a Learning Hubs Initiative, which establishes physical spaces for students to access their classes. Coursera reports that their Learning Hubs participants show higher completion rates ranging from 30 - 100% vs. the 6.8% Coursera-wide average. Researchers at the Computer-Human Interaction in Learning and Instruction Lab (CHILI), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland reported in a June 2014 study that “watching MOOCs in groups provides (a) highly satisfying learning experience as learners feel connected and interactions among them are enabled.” As the BBC’s Sean Coughlin wrote in his April 2014 article about the expansion of MOOC meet-ups around the world, “even virtual students want to have a cup of coffee and a conversation after a lecture.” http://theconversation.com/moocs-and-meetups-together-make-for-better-learning-35891

Cybrary’s Free Online Training Reshaping Cybersecurity Education - Amanda Vicinanzo, Homeland Security Today

A shortage of cybersecurity professionals in the public and private sectors has left the US vulnerable to major cyberattacks. In response, Cybrary, the world’s first and only free massive open online course for IT and cybersecurity professionals, announced the availability of free classes to the general public. “We have the firm belief that IT and cybersecurity training should be free,” Ryan Corey, co-founder of Cybrary, told Homeland Security Today. Th Cybrary is designed to provide comprehensive IT and cybersecurity training options for a range of users. With classes ranging from entry level to very advanced, Cybrary has attracted interest from people just breaking into the field as well as seasoned cyber professionals. http://www.hstoday.us/briefings/industry-news/single-article/cybrarys-free-online-training-reshaping-cybersecurity-education/60d771bafa7b18158b7f059e6ebf0480.html

Online Learning Revolution Brings Business To Emerging Markets - Seb Murray, Business Because

“One of the biggest transformations in education came about as a result of the ubiquity of [the] internet in our lives,” says Sanjay Sarma, director of online learning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Business schools have adopted the online delivery method, with a host of their programs being flipped online and Moocs being launched. Many of these courses are populated in part by educated and employed users seeking part-time study, but providers have sought to expand learning and bring educational to all. The web has enabled underrepresented groups around the world such as women, youth, the disabled and citizens in rural communities to gain quality education. http://www.businessbecause.com/news/mba-distance-learning/3044/online-learning-revolution-brings-business-to-emerging-economies

Internet college: Some students never set foot on campus - SCOTT WUERZ, Belleville News Democrat

Local universities and colleges are increasingly embracing the trend of schools offering more Internet-based courses. Students, in many cases, can now go to school from start to finish and never set foot on campus – unless they choose to walk in graduation ceremonies. McKendree University senior Kyle Green, 30, lives in Joliet. He’s never laid eyes upon McKendree’s campus in Lebanon. But he expects to graduate from the school at the end of the spring semester. “It doubled my speed in finishing school,” Green said. “I’m planning to make my first trip to McKendree in May when I graduate.” http://www.bnd.com/2015/01/17/3614503/it-doubled-my-speed-in-finishing.html

Why online learning needs to get serious about apps - Ryan Craig, Venture Beat

Smartphone users’ sessions are currently 3x longer when they’re using apps vs. browsing websites. Apps are also visited much more frequently than websites. Total time spent on apps is currently growing at an annual rate of over 20 percent, and according to comScore, for smartphone users, apps now account for over 50 percent of total time spent with digital media. 18-24-year-olds are the heaviest app users. Apps are purpose-built. So it’s not a stretch to imagine one app for Economics 101 and another for Psychology 110. Apps are ideal for simulations and gamified learning experiences. They’re also perfect for incorporating real-world inputs (such as location of the student) into learning. http://venturebeat.com/2015/01/17/why-online-learning-needs-to-get-serious-about-apps/

Badges: A New Measure of Professional Development - Michael Hart, Campus Technology

Some higher ed institutions are experimenting with digital badges as a way to encourage and document learning among faculty and staff. Badges are quickly becoming acceptable currency in the world of higher education. Purdue University, for example, known for developing and commercializing innovative applications such as Course Signals, has embraced badges with another Purdue Studio project: Passport, a system for creating, issuing and sharing digital badges for learning and assessment. Badges have also found a home with massive open online courses, enabling students to earn credentials for specific work even when they do not complete the entire course. http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/01/14/badges-a-new-measure-of-professional-development.aspx

21st-Century Libraries: The Learning Commons - Beth Holland, Edutopia

Printed books still play a critical role in supporting learners, but digital technologies offer additional pathways to learning and content acquisition. Students and teachers no longer need a library simply for access. Instead, they require a place that encourages participatory learning and allows for co-construction of understanding from a variety of sources. In other words, instead of being an archive, libraries are becoming a learning commons. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/21st-century-libraries-learning-commons-beth-holland

Video Boot Camp - Bill Selak, Edutopia

The rapid adoption of devices in the classroom has fundamentally changed the way we can create video. Every part of the creation process -- writing, recording, editing, and distributing -- is possible on the devices that can fit in our pocket. Vision is the most dominant of the five senses. Research shows that concepts are better remembered if they are taught visually. This is called the pictorial superiority effect, and it’s why video is such a powerful learning tool. Curating content is another significant way to incorporate video into your classroom. If you don’t have the time or software to make a fancy video, odds are someone has already made it and shared it on YouTube. This Film Festival is equal parts curation and creation. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/five-minute-film-festival-video-boot-camp

Inside Higher Ed founder regrets lack of transparency in sale - Roger Riddell, Education Dive

A top editor of Inside Higher Ed said Friday that, in hindsight, he wished there had been more transparency about the sale of the publication's controlling interest to a private equity firm that has invested heavily in for-profit education. “We were founded without any support, then we had one set of investors and we had never said anything about them," Scott Jaschik, an Inside Higher Ed founder and editor, told Education Dive. "In hindsight, I wish we had, because clearly this is of interest to people." A controlling interest of the trade publication was acquired in November by Quad Partners, a New York private equity firm with investments in a number of for-profit higher education enterprises. However, the sale wasn't publicly disclosed until the Huffington Post reported on it earlier this month. http://www.educationdive.com/news/inside-higher-ed-founder-regrets-lack-of-transparency-in-sale/353574/

5 ed-tech highlights from CES 2015 - Phillip Britt, eCampus News

From extremes like robot teachers to soon-to-be ubiquitous technologies like wearable devices, CES 2015 did not disappoint. The annual International Consumer Electronics Show is the showcase for newer technologies already in the marketplace and those soon to debut. “What is popular in the consumer market is becoming more of the backbone of education, because that’d what students bring in,” said Kerry Goldstein, producer of TransformingEDU, the show’s education track. “There’s no place better than CES to look at what is going on with technology.” http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/ces-highlights-education-377/

MinecraftEDU and SimCityEDU: Blazing Trails for Interdisciplinary Learning - Ann Elliott, Edudemic

School-specific versions of two popular video games recently debuted: MinecraftEDU and SimCityEDU. These games require students to apply knowledge in the context of a virtual world, fostering an interdisciplinary learning experience that integrates siloed concepts. MinecraftEDU and SimCityEDU call for skills that transcend curricular boundaries and thus better replicate the real-world intellectual challenges that students will face. Read on to learn how other educators are currently using these games in their classrooms and how you can, too. http://www.edudemic.com/minecraftedu-and-simcityedu-blazing-trails-for-interdisciplinary-learning/

University’s digital badges to certify “discrete” skills - eCampus News

Students in Brandman University’s CBE program will earn badges to certify competencies required for workforce success. Brandman University, a private nonprofit institution, has teamed up with Credly, provider of platforms for managing lifelong credentials, in an effort to enable learners to attain, manage, and share portable digital badges and credentials earned through Brandman’s online competency-based degree programs. Brandman, which uses direct assessment as part of the university’s new competency-based education programs, will issue official digital badges to certify discrete skills as students advance through degree-based programs. http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/students-digital-badges-632/

New report evaluates digital courseware’s impact on student learning - eCampus News

A new report from SRI Education assesses five years of technology investments in digital courseware. At the request of the Gates Foundation, SRI Education reviewed 137 postsecondary online and hybrid courses and provided a synthesis of the findings, along with implications and recommendations for future investments in learning software for colleges and universities. “Digital courseware has the potential to improve student learning outcomes and catalyze changes in education practice. These two affordances align well with the Gates Foundation’s emphasis on improving college success for underrepresented minorities, low-income students, and first-generation college attendees,” said Barbara Means, Ph.D., director, Center for Technology in Learning, SRI Education. See the link below for a summary of the findings. http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/report-digital-courseware-392/

Chief digital officer title gaining steam on campuses - Keith Button, Digital Dive

More universities and colleges are creating chief digital officer positions to help manage online learning and other digital initiatives. Part of the reason for the movement may be that higher education institutions believe that they need more structure and accountability for online and digital learning beyond what the chief information officer provides, Campus Technology reported. Splitting information technology duties between the CIO, CDO, and potentially other IT silos could dilute campus IT leadership. http://www.educationdive.com/news/chief-digital-officer-title-gaining-steam-on-campuses/351268/

Louisiana higher education officials say campus closures are a possibility - Julia O'Donoghue, The Times-Picayune

Public college and university campuses in Louisiana could close if the state ends up cutting $300 million or more out of its higher education budget during the next fiscal cycle. Legislators and higher education officials said Louisiana college systems would have to shut the doors of multiple institutions and campuses if the schools have to absorb a funding reduction of that size. Around 15 locations -- including three in the University of Louisiana system and six in the community and technical college cohort -- could be directly affected. http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/01/college_university_closures_mi.html

Shorter. Faster. Fitter? - Chris Havergal, Times Higher Education

For Scotland’s universities, the four-year undergraduate degree is the “gold standard” intended to offer a broader and more flexible education compared with three-year courses on offer elsewhere in the UK. This may be so, but there has of late been something of a rush to launch three-year programs north of the border, joined most recently by the University of the Highlands and Islands. Clive Mulholland, the university's principal, said last month that the “accelerated” B.Sc. in geography, which will start in September, will allow students to “embark on their chosen career more quickly and save money in the process.” Is this rise in shorter courses recognition that a four-year degree is simply too time-consuming and too expensive for some students, and does it mean that the gold standard is losing its shine? https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/01/15/scottish-universities-start-embrace-three-year-undergraduate-degrees

Short courses offer hope to U.S. education for-profit companies - ABINAYA VIJAYARAGHAVAN, Reuters

Short-term courses could well be the way forward for traditional for-profit education providers in the United States as they struggle to arrest the slide in enrollments. Larger for-profit education companies, including Apollo Education Group Inc and ITT Educational Services Inc, have seen their enrollments dwindle in the face of increased regulatory scrutiny for issues including student loans, poor placements and low graduation rates. For-profit education providers should increase focus on shorter online courses to attract students, said Kevin Kinser, associate professor at the University of Albany, State University of New York. "It would help the for-profit education providers to diversify the way they are gaining revenue from educational products," he said. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/13/us-education-competition-idUSKBN0KM23I20150113

'Inflection Point' in IT - Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed

The pace of change in technology is widening the gap between early adopter institutions and those struggling to keep up, Educause's report on the top IT issues and strategies for 2015 shows. Some IT leaders say it's time for colleges and universities to accept that they won't be able to do everything on their own. Educause’s researchers said higher education is approaching an “inflection point for change,” and that the development fueled by a combination of technological advances and outside scrutiny. At the same time as students, parents, politicians and donors are growing concerned with the cost and quality of a college education, the researchers said, colleges and universities are using technology in classrooms and administrative offices to try to address those issues. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/01/14/hiring-training-staffers-new-normal-tops-list-it-priorities-2015

15 E-Learning statistics you need to know for 2015 - Training Zone

It’s the beginning of a new year and 2015 looks set to be an exciting one for E-Learning! Just before Christmas, we brought you 10 Key E-Learning Trends for 2015 and today we’ve compiled for you a handy infographic with the fifteen E-Learning statistics you need to know for 2015. The digital learning scene changes and expands so fast, it can hard to keep up sometimes. We hope our statistics will help give you an idea of the power of E-Learning and the traits of leading learning organisations! http://www.trainingzone.co.uk/blogs-post/15-e-learning-statistics-you-need-know-2015/188198

Report: Kick back online learning profits to faculty - Ron Bethke, eCampus News

“What is clear is that relying on the volunteer efforts of a few faculty with entrepreneurial spirits will not bring the widespread change that is going to be effective in the long run.” Want faculty to adopt the latest in tech-enhanced learning? Kick back some of the profits (e.g. revenue from online learning programs), says a new report. According to this new report published by Ithaka S+R with support from the Lumina Foundation, public research universities are cutting costs and increasing access effectively thanks not only to a host of new technologies, but sound implementation and a focus on faculty motivation. Initiated by public research universities, the report, Technology-Enhanced Education at Public Flagship Universities: Opportunities and Challenges, gathered the findings of 214 administrators, online learning directors, chief financial officers, career services staff, and department chairs at 10 major universities. http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/technology-faculty-motivation-606/

Microsoft Built A Holographic Headset Called HoloLens - Alex Wilhelm, TechCrunch Imagine the education possibilities!

Yesterday at its Windows 10 event, Microsoft riffed about holograms for a lengthy period. It then announced that it had build a holographic headset that appears to fuse the real world with the digital realm. Windows 10 will contain holographic capabilities in its every permutation, according to the firm. The headset is called the HoloLens. Microsoft promised that it would be released inside of the Windows 10 “timeframe.” The headset is wireless, and does not need to pair with either a computer or a phone. It has its own CPU, and GPU, plus a new ‘Holographic Processing Unit’ designed specifically for this new kind of computing. Check out the video in the article! http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/21/microsoft-hololens/

One Reason to Offer Free Online Courses: Alumni Engagement - Casey Fabris, Chronicle of Higher Ed

Conversations about the atomic bomb can go only so far among a classroom of 20-somethings. It’s hard for today’s students to imagine living in 1945, experiencing a world war, or, for most, serving in the military. But bring alumni—with many more years of experience to share—into the equation, and class discussions can get a lot more interesting. That’s what Karen Harpp is doing in her Colgate University course "The Advent of the Atomic Bomb." http://chronicle.com/article/One-Reason-to-Offer-Free/151163/

William Mitchell welcomes its first hybrid 'online' law school class - MAURA LERNER , Star Tribune

Vershawn Young, a college professor from Canada, started his first day of law school on Monday. So did Dr. Brooke Baker, an anesthesiologist from New Mexico. But they won’t have much time to learn their way around their St. Paul campus. By this weekend, they’ll be heading home. They’re part of the first “hybrid” class at the William Mitchell College of Law — which means they’ll be doing most of their coursework online. Until now, no accredited law school in the country has offered such an option. But on Monday, William Mitchell became the first one. It welcomed an eclectic group of 85 students, ranging in age from their 20s to their 60s, who jumped at the chance to pioneer a version of law school that, some say, could be the wave of the future. http://www.startribune.com/local/stpaul/288350831.html

Coursera Expands Presence in China - Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

Coursera's massive open online courses will now reach millions more learners in China, thanks to a new partnership with the country's Hujiang online education platform. Curriculum from Coursera will be accessible from within the Hujiang platform, giving Chinese users access to course materials, class activities and discussions in a familiar learning environment. Services will be available to help users' pronunciation, grammar and translation. According to a company statement, the platform "will also enhance the online social community, making it easier for users to effectively complete all MOOC courses and improve the overall content and resources of MOOC courses provided in China." http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/01/12/coursera-expands-presence-in-china.aspx

President Obama Announces Community College Plan: Middle-Class Economics for Tuition - Michael Stratford, Inside Higher Ed

Addressing the nation on Tuesday evening, President Obama highlighted what he called his “bold” plan to make community college free for some students. He also called for an overhaul of the tax code that redirects benefits away from wealthy Americans in order to extend tax credits for college. As has been the case with other key speeches throughout his presidency, Obama’s latest State of the Union address framed higher education in economic terms, casting it as vital to national competitiveness. The president wove college affordability into a speech that focused, in broad strokes, on combating inequality and pitching a domestic agenda that he dubbed “middle-class economics.” https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/01/21/obama-pitches-free-community-college-higher-education-tax-credits-state-union

Experimenting with Competency - Paul Fain, Inside Higher Ed

The U.S. Department of Education will allow at least 40 colleges to experiment with competency-based education and prior learning assessment, granting them a waiver from certain rules that govern federal financial aid. The department last week notified colleges that had successfully applied to participate in the latest round of “experimental sites,” which observers said is more expansive than previous ones. “This is much more complicated than any experiment they have done,” said Amy Laitinen, deputy director of the New America Foundation's higher education program and a former official at the department and White House. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/01/13/feds-move-ahead-experimental-sites-competency-based-education

INFOGRAPHIC: 5 ways to strengthen higher ed-tech security in 2015 - eCampus News

What can higher ed institutions do to protect their data and their students’ data? Learn 5 ways to protect data and meet compliance. 35 percent of all security breaches take place in higher education. 500+ security breaches have occurred at 320+ higher ed institutions since 2005–a rate of just over 1 security breach per week. These are just some of the sobering findings from recent research, with sources that include EDUCAUSE and the SANS Institute, and compiled into an infographic by SysCloud–a company that helps enterprises and educational institutions more easily transition to Google Apps and ensure continued safeguarding of their users’ data. http://www.ecampusnews.com/safety-and-security/infographic-stregthen-security-738/

How to Use Social Media as a Learning Tool in the Classroom - Edudemic

Social media is an ingrained part of today’s society. Our students are constantly on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and likely many sites we’re not hip enough to know about, and by reading this blog, you’re interacting with social media at this very moment. If you want to bring the “real world” into the classroom, consider integrating social media into your lessons. When used carefully, social media can be a useful tool rather than a distraction. A recent Edutopia blog post argues that using social media not only brings current technology to the classroom, but it also helps bridge the digital divide among lower-income students. These students may not have the constant access to social media that their counterparts do. Why should they be left behind as technology continues to march forward? http://www.edudemic.com/how-to-use-social-media-as-a-learning-tool-in-the-classroom/

Is Online Learning an Institutional Fit? - Vickie Cook, Evolllution

Many institutions and their leaders make assumptions about online learning that are often false or simply incomplete as they plan to enter this marketplace. These assumptions include how an online program initiative should be approached, who the stakeholders are, institutional infrastructure support required for online learning, governance and organizational structure for online learning and the sustainability of the online learning courses and program offered. While not comprehensive or customized to a specific organization, the following list may be helpful to the institution considering adding or energizing an online learning program. http://www.evolllution.com/featured/online-learning-institutional-fit/

Simon & Schuster to Sell Online Courses Taught by Popular Authors - ALEXANDRA ALTERJAN, NY Times

Simon & Schuster is making a push into paid online video, with a new website offering online courses from popular health, finance and self-help authors. The cost of the first batch of online courses ranges from $25 to $85, and includes workbooks and access to live question-and-answer sessions with three authors: Dr. David B. Agus, the best-selling author of “The End of Illness”; Zhena Muzyka, who wrote the self-help book “Life by the Cup”; and Tosha Silver, the author of the spiritual advice book “Outrageous Openness.” The courses will be available on the authors’ individual websites and on the company’s new site, SimonSays. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/12/business/media/simon-schuster-to-sell-online-courses-taught-by-popular-authors.html?_r=0

WHO commissioned study finds eLearning as good as traditional training for health professionals - Imperial College London

Electronic learning could enable millions more students to train as doctors and nurses worldwide, according to research. A review commissioned by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and carried out by Imperial College London researchers concludes that eLearning is likely to be as effective as traditional methods for training health professionals. eLearning, the use of electronic media and devices in education, is already used by some universities to support traditional campus-based teaching or enable distance learning. Wider use of eLearning might help to address the need to train more health workers across the globe. According to a recent WHO report, the world is short of 7.2 million healthcare professionals, and the figure is growing. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-01/icl-eag010815.php

EdX Offers Amazon Web Services Credit for Course Completion - HANNAH SMATI, Harvard Crimson

When edX courses Entrepreneurship 101 and 102 opened Friday, enrollees had an extra incentive to complete the courses: Users who pass either class will receive $1,000 in credit to spend on Amazon Web Services. “[The Amazon offer] is to provide a valuable incentive for people to take and finish the course,” edX spokesperson Nancy Moss said. According to the edX blog post announcing the offer, students who pass either course can participate in web training, attend virtual office hours with experts, and receive assistance from companies that help start-ups. http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2015/1/11/edx-amazon-credit-offer/

Extension offers online course for board members of nonprofits - University of Missouri Extension

University of Missouri Extension is offering online training for board members of nonprofit organizations. While board members can bring valuable skills and knowledge, they might not be ready to deal with issues such as conflicts of interest, maintaining minutes and other required documents, compensation of paid employees, and proper handling of grants, donations and other income, Mefford said. Bringing new board members up to speed can be difficult and expensive for small nonprofits, especially in rural communities. http://www.lakenewsonline.com/article/20150110/NEWS/150109168/-1/sports

Rancher takes advantage of online school - Nelson Garcia, KUSA

One of the people at the 109th annual National Western Stock Show is a Denver student who does not always spend a lot of time in Denver. "I was working on a ranch at the time that school started and I didn't want to go back to public school," Jacob Leyba, 16 years old, said. Leyba did enroll in public school. He signed up for Denver Online High School to take classes on his own schedule and location. He was working on a ranch near Steamboat Springs. "The flexibility is what makes ranchers successful," Leyba said. http://www.9news.com/story/news/education/2015/01/10/rancher-takes-advantage-online-school/21582635/

Decide Between Live, Self-Paced Online Classes - Devon Haynie, US News

Asynchronous learning, or self-paced learning, can also be great for students who may feel more comfortable using the written word than speaking in class, says Vickie S. Cook, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois—Springfield. "It gives you a more level playing field – even the thoughtful, introverted student can really take time to think about a response," she says. In addition, she says, asynchronous learning gives struggling students the chance to review information or move at a slower pace, while also allowing advanced students to zip through the material. While asynchronous learning has its benefits, some believe live, online sessions provide the best education. http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2015/01/09/decide-between-live-self-paced-online-classes

Curious much? This e-learning site may have the answer - Dara Kerr, CNet

The Menlo Park, Calif.-based e-learning site offers more than 10,000 curated short-form, interactive videos taught by 1,000 teachers on a variety of esoteric topics, ranging from macrame to triathlon training to calculus to the martial arts. That approach puts Curious.com in the middle of the online-learning spectrum: between YouTube -- with its ocean of video tutorials that may (or may not) teach something useful -- and more formal, classroomlike sites such as Lynda.com and Coursera that focus on academic or professional topics. The so-called e-learning market is experiencing a boom as people find new ways to cram learning into their already full days. Worldwide revenues in the field are forecast to hit $51.5 billion by 2016, according to a March 2014 study by Docebo (PDF), which builds e-learning management systems for businesses. http://www.cnet.com/news/curious-much-this-e-learning-site-may-have-the-answer/

2015: The Year of On Demand - Shelly Palmer

Technological advancements always empower people to behave differently – what makes today different is that the rate of technological advancement is accelerating beyond our capacity, perhaps even our ability, to react – and this... is new. On demand is not new... ask anyone who has ever cared for an infant. What is new is the speed with which the technological infrastructure to deliver almost everything you could ask for on demand is evolving – albeit heterogeneously. The white space is obvious and the trend is clear: What's next?..... (ed note: "on demand learning!) http://www.shellypalmer.com/spb/2015/1/1/2015-the-year-of-on-demand

More than 30 states received an F for higher education spending per student - Allie Bidwell, US News

As states slowly recover from the Great Recession, many are still struggling to replenish funds for higher education. In fact, nearly every state still spends less on higher education now than in 2007. The Student Impact Project, an initiative of the youth advocacy group Young Invincibles, tracked trends in higher education finance in states across the country, and graded each state based on tuition levels, state funding per student, state aid to students, the financial burden to families and higher education spending as a portion of the total state budget. It did not grade states based on outcome or academic quality measures. http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2015/01/06/grade-f-many-states-trail-in-college-funding-and-tuition

Lack of technical education produces a 'lost generation,' Oregon business leaders warn - Benjamin Brink, the Oregonian

Oregon government officials, business leaders and legislators are trying to address the disconnect between education and the working world. In the annual conference on business issues, it was striking Tuesday how much discussion concerned education reforms. Gov. John Kitzhaber led with education in his opening remarks. He described his proposed 2015-2017 state budget, which would increase funding to boost literacy in elementary schools and more directly connect high schools, colleges and universities to employers. In panel discussions, education officials outlined progress toward the state's so-called 40-40-20 goal. It states that by 2025, all Oregonians will hold a high school diploma or equivalent, 40 percent will have an associate's degree or post-secondary certificate and 40 percent will hold a higher-education degree. http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2015/01/lack_of_technical_education_pr.html

A breadth of learning: Online gateway offers Harvard teaching on the Web - Harvard Gazette

If your New Year’s resolution involves learning more about Einstein or the history of the blues, you’re in luck! Harvard’s Online Learning gateway houses all of the University’s open online learning opportunities under one roof for the first time, and anyone can access the breadth and depth of Harvard’s learning content. Featuring both free courses and courses for credit, the platform also offers museum collections, lectures, podcasts, and popular programs such as “CopyrightX” and Michael Sandel’s “Justice.” “With the site, we have created a path for Harvard faculty to showcase their incredible teaching, for schools to highlight a single course or a full degree program, and for learners, in particular alumni, to dive deep into any subject imaginable,” said Peter Bol, vice provost for advances in learning and Charles H. Carswell Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations. http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/01/a-breadth-of-learning/

What you need to know about Educause's latest research - Susan Grajek, EDUCAUSE Review

EDUCAUSE presents the top 10 IT issues facing higher education institutions this year. What is new about 2015? Nothing has changed. And everything has changed. Information technology has reached an inflection point. See the URL below for a detailed report. http://educause.edu/ero/article/top-10-it-issues-2015-inflection-point

Stanford Launches Literature and Social Online Learning Class - Leila Meyer, Campus Technology

Stanford University has wrapped its inaugural session of Literature and Social Online Learning, a new, interdisciplinary class that brings together students from computer science and the humanities to collaborate on literature technology projects. Students in the course work individually and in interdisciplinary teams to "study, develop and test new digital methods, games, apps, interactive social media uses to innovate how the humanities can engage and educate students and the public today," according to the course description on Stanford's site. The course introduces project-based learning — where students work to solve a problem or build a product — to the humanities. While project-based learning is common in computer science classes, it's unusual in the humanities, but "students found the model motivating and exciting," according to a news release from Stanford. http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/01/07/stanford-launches-literature-and-social-online-learning-class.aspx

Higher Education Issues: 15 for '15 - John Ebersole, Forbes

The arrival of a new year brings with it the opportunity to reflect on that which occurred over the past twelve months and to look ahead at what awaits. For us in higher education, here is a list of issues that will be with us in 2015. Some are new. Others carryover from 2014. Each will likely require our time and attention. http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnebersole/2015/01/06/higher-education-issues-15-for-15/

New Stanford course brings Silicon Valley to the humanities classroom - IAN P. BEACOCK, Stanford

Students from computer science and the humanities join forces to create literary websites and mobile apps, combining their strengths to launch literature into the 21st century. Although inspired by Stanford's new CS+X initiative – which allows students to study computer science in parallel with the humanities for a joint major degree – this course goes one step further, asking students from the two disciplines to collaborate on projects that unite technology and literature. The class looks and feels a lot like a start-up incubator in overdrive. In the space of only 10 weeks, students have gone from brainstorming to beta testing and publicly releasing their creations. http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/january/humanities-cs-class-010515.html

Growth in Flipped Learning - eLearning Marketplace

In last couple of years we have seen significant growth in the number of teachers who are using the flipped model of blended learning. This shouldn’t really be a surprise as the majority of teachers using this model give very positive feedback about the impact on learners and results. What is interesting though is the fact that the flipped learning model is not generally driven by leaders of schools, colleges or businesses, but initiated by the teachers themselves. In the infographic below 93% of the 2,358 teachers surveyed said they started the flipped model using their own initiative. This contradicts what we would always advise that learning and development strategy driven by leaders is the most effective way of achieving change within an organisation. In the case of the flipped model it appears that teachers themselves are driving the change. http://www.elearningmarketplace.co.uk/growth-in-flipped-blended-learning/

Outsourced Online Learning Trial Period - Paul Fain, Inside Higher Ed

Like most colleges, online institutions are under pressure to improve their graduation rates. Some are getting more selective about which students they admit, turning away those who appear less likely to complete. But rather than just shutting its virtual doors to applicants, Western Governors University has begun referring underprepared students to StraighterLine, an unaccredited online course provider that does not offer degrees. “We can hand those students off,” said Daren Upham, vice president for enrollment at Western Governors, “to help them gain those skills at a much lower cost than we can provide.” https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/01/06/western-governors-deepening-partnership-straighterline-creates-new-path-completion

The Hype is Dead, but MOOCs Are Marching On - Knowledge@Wharton

Just two years ago, massive open online courses (MOOCs) were all the rage. They were garnering lots of media attention and The New York Times called 2012 “the year of the MOOC.” Today, though the hype has died down, the world’s largest provider of MOOCs – Coursera – keeps on innovating and developing its online platform to serve millions of learners. Coursera co-founder Daphne Koller, whom Knowledge@Wharton interviewed in November 2012, returned to campus recently to speak about her progress since launching her company 2.5 years ago, and she gives her predictions for what the MOOC landscape will look like in the future. In her interview, Koller also provides an update on how Coursera is staying afloat even though the vast majority of students don’t pay a penny for their education. http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/moocs-making-progress-hype-died/

What do higher ed CIOs predict for campus tech in 2015? - Roger Riddell, Education Dive

Those working in higher ed are familiar with the impact new tech developments have on an institution. For those who have attended multiple Educause conferences, the way tech can shape the space at large is even more evident. So what will 2015 hold for higher ed when it comes to tech? With 2015 now a week under way and higher ed set to begin its winter/spring semesters, we reached out to four CIOs to get their opinions on data security and the cloud, new classroom tech, and the trends and promising tech that could shake up campuses this year. http://www.educationdive.com/news/what-do-higher-ed-cios-predict-for-campus-tech-in-2015/348364/

For the first time, public colleges get more money from students than states - Ellen Wexler, USA Today

Back in 2003, public colleges were funded primarily by state governments. Since then, state funding dropped while tuition rose. And for the first time, according to a new study, students are putting more money into public colleges than the states. The study, which was conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, traced public college revenue between 2003 and 2012. In 2003, state funding accounted for 32% of public college’s revenue — more than any other source — while tuition made up 17%. But almost every year since then, money from students (and their parents and grandparents) went up, while state funding dropped. By 2012, tuition made up 25% of revenue, while money from state governments made up 23%. http://college.usatoday.com/2015/01/02/for-the-first-time-public-colleges-get-more-money-from-students-than-states

Lawrence Public Library offers first-ever online college course - Conrad Swanson, Lawrence Journal World

Recent KU graduate Michael Hilleary is always on the lookout for new opportunities to find himself back in a classroom. And he's found that opportunity in Health and Wellness 101, the first-ever online class facilitated through the Lawrence Public Library. The massive open online course (MOOC) is offered free of charge through Kansas State University, but the library is volunteering its facilities and additional information to help increase the class completion rate, said Ransom Jabara, the library's information services coordinator. http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2015/jan/04/lawrence-public-library-offers-first-ever-online-c/

Code And College Readiness Are Reinventing Education On 30 Under 30 - Caroline Howard, Forbes

How we learn and teach is markedly changing. Some of the credit for this great transformation is due to the 30 young people on this list (not to mention our past 30 Under 30 honorees in education). These change-makers are ripe to ripple and quake the educational system as we know it, from grade school up through higher ed. This revolution is largely made possible by three factors: digital disruption, a storming of the gated communities of quality education and a belief in DIY and life-long learning — not to mention all those dollars from venture capitalists and state and federal governments. T Michael Moe, cofounder of edtech investor GSV Capital GSVC -1.57%, calls this shift the “Second American Revolution,” and asks the rest of us: We can choose to accept the status quo of a failing education system or we can opt to embrace the transformative potential of technology, re-conceptualize traditional models and invest in building our nation’s education and knowledge capital. This is our call to arms. Which side of history will we be on? http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2015/01/05/code-and-college-readiness-are-reinventing-education-on-30-under-30/

Higher Education: The Problem with Priorities - Brian C. Mitchell, Huffington Post

It's been interesting to watch over the years how priorities emerge on college and university campuses. Some develop organically, whether in service of an academic program, to meet a perceived need, or at their best, to fulfill an institution's strategic plan. They are part of the business of evolution, matching and balancing people, programs and facilities to available resources and aspirations. In these cases, colleges and universities differ little from other growing enterprises offering a quality product in a competitive marketplace. For others, the game is all about process. It may be that the best outcome emerges, but the complaint can be that the perpetrators of change violated "standards," "process," and "protocol," especially if the inherited guidelines and the roles assigned are unclear. In this respect, some college and university staff behave more like bureaucrats, and sadly, discussions with them focus more on motivation than aspiration. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-brian-c-mitchell/higher-education-the-prob_b_6416078.html

Higher ed thought leaders forecast 2015 trends - University Business

Presidents and other thought leaders look ahead on cost, technology and learning in this compilation at University Business. The short paragraphs from dozens of leaders are filled with thought-filled concepts and predictions. http://www.universitybusiness.com/article/higher-ed-thought-leaders-forecast-2015-trends

15 higher-ed technology predictions for 2015 - Meris Stansbury, eCampus News

Education and technology analysts say these tech-enabled trends will take off this year. Think it’s just about online learning? Think again; more like wearable tech and spending on campus IT security. These are just two major trends technology analysts from IEEE Computer Society, and education analysts from Eduventures, say will shape higher education in 2015. Looking at technology from a general consumer angle, IEEE’s Computer Society developed specific predictions on the underlying technology issues all IT professionals will need to tackle as a direct result of those consumer-driven trends. http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/tech-trends-2015/

College Presidents Get Their Own Guide to Social Media - Lee Gardner, Chronicle of Higher Ed

As social media redefine how we communicate, both new and experienced users in colleges' top jobs have to ponder some questions. How should I be representing and promoting my college personally on social media? What do I gain if I do it well? What do I lose if I don’t? And what are the risks of engaging in a forum where a misstep can go viral and embarrass me and my institution? http://chronicle.com/article/College-Presidents-Get-Their/151049/

The Disappearing Male on College Campuses - Forbes

In 1950, there were 2.16 male students in all of American higher education for every female. Today, however, the tables are turned. Nearly two-thirds of college students are women. Females passed males in enrollment in 1979. Indeed, the drift towards the greater feminization of the campus continues, although at a very slow pace these days. To be sure, the extent of the feminization varies some with various levels of education and ethnicities of students. Women outnumber men by over 50 percent in master’s programs, but only very slightly in doctorate and advanced professional degree programs. http://www.forbes.com/sites/ccap/2014/12/29/the-disappearing-male-on-college-campuses/

'Locus of Authority' - Colleen Flaherty, Inside Higher Ed

The idea of shared governance probably conjures different notions for trustees, administrators and faculty members. But let’s say it’s a spectrum, with faculty advocates who want a say in major (or minor) institutional decisions while hoping trustees and administrators will stay out of the curriculum on one side. On the other side, think of administrators and governing boards who desire more involvement in curricular and other decisions long considered to be primary faculty domains, who are happy to be left alone on finance and management. Now imagine somewhere right in the middle: that’s where Locus of Authority: The Evolution of Faculty Roles in the Governance of Higher Education, a new book by William G. Bowen and Eugene M. Tobin from Princeton University Press, aims to land. From neither a wholly faculty- nor administration-driven perspective, it seeks to deliver a friendly but urgent message about the importance of shared decision-making to higher education’s future. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/01/05/new-book-argues-more-effective-collaborative-methods-shared-governance

‘The greatest challenge for online education in India is poor internet connectivity in rural areas’ - Vikram Chaudhary, Financial Express

The greatest challenge for online education in India is internet connectivity in rural areas. As infrastructure increases, so will the popularity of online education as a means of gaining new skills. Payment is another issue. While most Indian learners come to our site to take courses for free, many who would like to pay to earn a verified certificate are unable to do so. To alleviate that problem, we have started to introduce more accessible prices for our learners in India. http://www.financialexpress.com/article/industry/jobs/the-greatest-challenge-for-online-education-in-india-is-poor-internet-connectivity-in-rural-areas/26035/

Herzing University becomes a nonprofit organization - Rick Romell, Journal Sentinel

Herzing University, one of Wisconsin's oldest and largest for-profit career colleges, has converted to nonprofit status. The transition makes the Milwaukee-based institution, which has some 6,000 students, and campuses in eight states, a tax-exempt educational institution under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. The move comes in the wake of new federal regulations on for-profit schools that drew widespread opposition from the industry. It also means Herzing will no longer be subject to the oversight of Wisconsin's Educational Approval Board, which two years ago broached a short-lived regulatory proposal that Herzing said was "grossly unfair and would be catastrophic" to for-profit schools. http://www.jsonline.com/business/herzing-university-becomes-a-nonprofit-organization-b99419151z1-287365131.html

As showdown over university's budget looms, Brown names top legislative deputy to UC board - THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Gov. Jerry Brown has filled the last opening on the University of California's governing board with a member of his staff. The governor on Friday named his legislative affairs secretary, Gareth Elliott, to a 12-year term on the UC Board of Regents. The 44-year-old Elliott is a Humboldt State University graduate who has been Brown's top legislative liaison for five years. The appointment comes amid a looming budget showdown over funding for the 10-campus university system. Over Brown's objections, a majority of the regents in November approved a series of provisional tuition increases UC President Janet Napolitano said would be implemented unless the system received more money from Sacramento. http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/96c819caaaa540d583ee6ea02aa492de/CA--University-of-California-New-Regent

7 Places to Learn to Code – for Free! - Larry Kim, Wordstream Blog

Over my 10-year internet marketing career, my biggest personal competitive advantage was having an electrical engineering degree and being comfortable doing coding. Nowadays, you don't have to go back to college (and take on the huge loan or remortgage your house) to get up to speed. The ability to code (and to participate in conversations around programming) is indispensable; it's not a skill reserved for the uber-geeky. It allows business professionals to identify and quickly resolve issues like a string of wonky HTML in a content management system, to more effectively optimize landing pages, or leverage powerful new AdWords Scripts. It also gives you a unique new perspective in content development, when you understand the inner workings of your systems and can play around in it and get creative. http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2015/01/02/learn-to-code-free

Six Transformational Ideas for the New Year - Steven Mintz, Higher Ed Beta

Academic innovation is in the air. But many of the proposed innovations are fairly tame. Placing lectures online; breaking large classes into small groups; incorporating more in-class activities into instruction are all signs of progress – and yet, these incremental innovations do not fundamentally transform the learning experience. In celebration of the New Year, let’s look at six slightly more radical ideas designed to transform the student experience. https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-beta/six-transformational-ideas-new-year

How Asia is Emerging as the World's Edtech Laboratory - Todd Maurer, EdSurge

If the US is the world’s education technology leader, Asia is fast becoming its most critical testing ground. The reasons are unambiguous: Asia has the world’s largest pool of K-12 and college enrollments with acute needs for further educational access; deep internet and social media penetration; hypercompetitive examination systems and a wide dispersion of household affordability. Yet the most profound impact from Asia’s education breakout is going to be felt on many US-based education companies, universities, investors and entrepreneurs who are operating today in what is arguably a mature but relatively low-growth American market. https://www.edsurge.com/n/2015-01-02-how-asia-is-emerging-as-the-world-s-edtech-laboratory

Let YouTube be your teaching guide, says expert - Richard Vaughan, TES

Teachers should stop relying on traditional teaching methods and opt for 10-minute video lessons to capture the “wandering minds” of their students, according to Sanjay Sarma, director of digital learning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Professor Sarma believes that schools and universities have been slow to come to terms with the reality that most of today’s young people are doing their learning online, particularly through websites such as YouTube. “The way we teach today is based on lectures, which is still a factory-style system,” he said. “But cognitive science and cognitive psychology tell us that students learn in a way that, frankly, isn’t compatible with lectures.” Students learned “in a more organic way”, he said. In order to absorb knowledge they had to be given it when they needed it. https://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storyCode=6455175

The 3 Best New Breaks for College Students in 2014 - Kim Clark, Time

If you know the material in, say, Econ 101, should it matter whether you learned it sitting in a lecture, by taking a free online course, or by reading the books? More well-regarded schools are saying it shouldn’t—and that could help bring down the cost of getting a degree. The University of Wisconsin system now makes it possible to earn a bachelor’s by taking tests or submitting portfolios of your work. The University of Michigan, the University of Texas system, and Purdue are also launching “competency-based” degrees. In the first year of UW’s program, one ambitious student aced enough tests to earn 33 credits in three months, at a cost of only $2,250. http://time.com/money/3603798/best-new-college-ideas-2014/

Universities offering MOOCs doubled in 2014 - Keith Button, Education Dive

In 2014, the number of massive open online courses offered rose to 2,400 and universities offering MOOCs rose to more than 400, or double that of 2013, EdSurge reported. Coursera offers the most MOOCs, twice as many as the No. 2 provider, edX, which has nearly 400 courses. But Coursera’s market share shrunk to one-third in 2014 from nearly half in 2013. The top three MOOC subjects were the same in 2014 as in 2013: humanities, computer science and programming, and business and management. http://www.educationdive.com/news/universities-offering-moocs-doubled-in-2014/347803/

How online technology is changing the way the world learns - C.P. Gopinathan and K. Ramachandran, Firstpost

Indian higher education is at an inflexion point. Several forces from within and outside are hitting the entire sector. These forces including cost, technology and new sets of demanding learners, are forcing education providers to re-look at existing models of education delivery. The questions is will the existing brick and mortar, infrastructure-led higher education system be able to meet the rising new demands or cope with the large scale changes. With each passing moment, it is clear they cannot. More than any other force, technology today is a large force multiplier, that possesses the ability to answer the most critical questions around the same issues of access, equity, excellence and affordability today, unlike, even the recent past. http://www.firstpost.com/living/online-technology-changing-way-world-learns-2027677.html

2014 Recap: U.S. Universities Continue Their March Toward Irrelevance - Tom Lindsay, Forbes

The year 2014 was a discouraging one for American higher education. Over the last twelve months, too many universities have been squandering what has been up until now their greatest source of support—the public’s respect and loyalty. A 2012 national Pew survey finds that 57 percent of prospective college students no longer believe a college degree is worth the cost. As traditional higher education recedes into irrelevance—financially, academically, and morally—alternative methods of higher education are beginning to rise. Some community colleges are beginning to offer four-year degrees, and at a much lower price than traditional four-year schools charge. Also, according to the Babson Survey Research Group, which has tracked online learning over the past decade, “the rate of growth in online enrollments is ten times that of the rate in all higher education.” http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomlindsay/2014/12/31/2014-recap-u-s-universities-continue-their-march-toward-irrelevance/

Technology moves faster than ethics - Frank Kaufmann, Washington Times

Tech changes out-pace spiritual foundations for their ethical use. Tech changes affect three areas. Individuals acquire greater independence and reach. The locus of power shifts accordingly. And traditional buffers between discordant groups dissolve. These developments call for new structures for moral development, and the radical reassessment of human organization. Science fiction writers are doing far better reflecting on change and what is needed than those presumably responsible to govern or lead for the sake of positive human welfare. Virtually all current systems have been rendered obsolete by tech developments of the last 15 years. We race with these obsolete systems down the path toward a truly broken world with each passing day; politics, media and entertainment, education, security, and economics and finance, and more. All of these in their current form arose in the past era marking the rise of the nation state, and of “modern” industrial technology. They simply no longer correspond to the world in which we now live. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/31/technology-moves-faster-ethics/

Where your tech focus should be in 2015 - Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, ZD New

Here are the 10 areas that the IEEE Computer Society believe are going to be big in 2015. Some will bring profits through savings and opening up new markets, while others will bring challenges that need to be faced. All of them should be on the radar of the Online Learning Tech Team at all universities. http://www.zdnet.com/article/where-your-tech-focus-should-be-in-2015/?tag=nl.e539&s_cid=e539&ttag=e539&ftag=TRE17cfd61

US News Releases the 2015 Best Online College Rankings - US News

Altogether, more than 1,200 distance education degree programs are cataloged in the usnews.com searchable directory, up from 996 the previous year. All programs more than a year old with at least 10 students enrolled are ranked. The primary audience for these online program rankings and the detailed program profiles is working adults – often in their 30s or 40s – who may not have the flexibility to leave the workforce to take classes during the day but still wish to obtain commensurate education, skills and credentials to boost their careers. Prospective students can use the rankings to gauge program quality, and use the searchable directory to explore additional information on such factors as tuition, program offerings and online services offered to enrolled students. Follow the link below to the newly-released online rankings! http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education

Colleges Need a Business Productivity Audit - FRANK MUSSANO And ROBERT V. IOSUE, Wall Street Journal

In short, colleges and universities engaged in a spending spree because they can. But there’s one simple idea that might start to reverse the spending spree: audits of higher education. In the business world, officials keep an eye on the bottom line. If profits are down, there’s a performance audit to identify unprofitable practices. Similar audits are conducted on defense plants, hospitals, social agencies and other businesses that benefit from tax dollars. Why not audit higher education? A required review could focus on basic teaching workloads, space utilization and personnel costs as they relate to program revenues. Since the federal government already collects data annually on higher education, it could start asking for more information related to productivity. Colleges would be forced to reconcile sloppy and obscure bookkeeping methodologies to report statistics in a format consistent with government-defined metrics. Eventually, benchmark comparison data could be established for various categories of institutions. http://www.wsj.com/articles/frank-mussano-and-robert-v-iosue-colleges-need-a-business-productivity-audit-1419810853

State of Delaware offering AP computer science online - Matthew Albright, The News Journal

There are plenty of companies in Delaware who are keenly interested in students seeking computer science degrees. Whether it’s J.P. Morgan Chase seeking cybersecurity experts and technicians to run their massive data operations or PSEG Nuclear that needs experts to maintain its important computer infrastructure, many companies say they are having a hard time finding employess with specialized computer skills they need. AP Computer Science could be a huge boost for students seeking those skills. The class teaches students some of the fundamentals of programming and coding, and could give them a head start into a computer science major in college. The problem, though, is that most schools don’t have enough students who are interested in taking the class to justify the cost of administering it or pulling a teacher aside for it. That’s why the state has started offering the course online. http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/education/2014/12/29/state-offering-ap-computer-science-online/21011295/

In education-crazy South Korea, top online teachers become multimillionaires - Anna Fifield, Washington Post

In this education-obsessed country, Cha is a top-ranked math teacher. But he doesn’t teach in a school. He runs an online “hagwon” — or cram school — called SevenEdu that focuses entirely on preparing students to take the college entrance exam in mathematics. Here, teaching pays: Cha said he earned a cool $8 million last year. “I’m madly in love with math,” said Cha, looking the height of trendiness in his crimson shirt and pants and tweed jacket, in his office in Gangnam — a wealthy part of Seoul famous for its conspicuous consumption and featured in the song “Gangnam Style.” It’s hard to exaggerate the premium South Korea places on education. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/in-education-crazy-south-korea-top-teachers-become-multimillionaires/2014/12/29/1bf7e7ae-849b-11e4-abcf-5a3d7b3b20b8_story.html

California colleges see surge in efforts to unionize adjunct faculty - Larry Gordon, LA Times

A wave of union organizing at college campuses across California and the nation in recent months is being fueled by part-time faculty who are increasingly discontented over working conditions and a lack of job security. At nearly a dozen private colleges in California, adjunct professors are holding first-time contract negotiations or are campaigning to win the right to do so. Those instructors complain of working semester to semester without knowing whether they will be kept on, lacking health benefits and in some cases having to commute among several campuses to make a living. While union activists say they look forward to better working terms and a greater voice in how campuses are governed, many college administrators say they are worried that such union contracts could mean less flexibility in academic hiring and higher tuition costs. http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-unions-colleges-20150104-story.html
Just announced... adjunct faculty at Washington University have voted for SEIU representation:
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/01/06/adjuncts-washington-u-vote-form-seiu-union

Nearly half of workers say Internet improves productivity - Dan Kedmey, TIME

Nearly half of workers say that the Internet, distractions and all, has improved their productivity at the office, according to a report released last Tuesday. Pew Research Center asked 1,066 Internet users how web access has changed the way they work. Only 7% of respondents blamed the Internet for a decline in productivity, while 46% credited it as an improvement, opening up new paths of communication and extending their workday over longer and more flexible hours. More than one-third of respondents said that round-the-clock Internet access means they now work longer days than they used to. http://fortune.com/2014/12/30/workers-internet-productivity/

Google Tracker 2015: Everything we know Google is working on for the new year - Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica

The new year is almost here, and that means it's time for the bi-annual Google Tracker, our roundup of all of Google's news, rumors, and acquisitions. Hopefully it paints a clearer picture of what will happen with the company in the future. We're not really predicting launch dates or guaranteeing that everything in this article will launch in 2015; we're outlining a list of projects and initiatives currently underway at Google HQ. Think of it as a big "to-do" list for Google—things can be delayed, moved around, or canceled, but to the best of our knowledge, this is a good synopsis of the company's current goals. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/12/google-tracker-2015-everything-google-is-working-on-for-the-new-year/

‘More turning’ to online learning in UK - Yorkshire Post

Almost a million people have signed up to take free online courses offered by leading UK universities, figures show. Business, health and language are among the most popular subject areas for “massive open online courses” - known as MOOCs - offered through a UK-based “hub” and women are more likely to join than men. The statistics come from FutureLearn, the first UK-based site to offer free classes provided by top universities across the country including Warwick, King’s College London, Sheffield and the Open University as well as Trinity College Dublin and Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. In total, there are almost 800,000 learners on the site, the data shows. Around 58% are women, and over 70% of students signing up already have a degree or higher. http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/main-topics/education/education-more-turning-to-online-learning-1-7024581

Obama Will Make Proposal on Higher Ed Friday - Inside Higher Ed

President Obama will be in Tennessee Friday and is expected to make a proposal involving access to college, The Tennessean reported. Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Biden and a community college professor, is also expected, suggesting a possible focus on community college. Tennessee recently started a program -- proposed by its Republican governor, Bill Haslam -- to make two years of community college free to high school graduates. Press reports have indicated that President Obama is making a series of trips this week to unveil ideas that will be in his State of the Union address. https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/01/05/obama-will-make-proposal-higher-ed-friday

MOOCs in 2014: Breaking Down the Numbers - Dhawal Shah, EdSurge

At TechCrunch Disrupt this year, Coursera Co-Founder Daphne Koller claimed that 2014 is the year MOOCs will come of age. An ecosystem has now developed around MOOCs: hundreds of people employed full-time (the big three--Coursera, Udacity and edX--employ more than a hundred people each), thousands of people involved in the creation of MOOCs, many millions in funding, and, importantly, millions in revenue. 400+ UNIVERSITIES. 2400+ COURSES. 16-18 MILLION STUDENTS. This year, the number of universities offering MOOCs has doubled to cross 400 universities, with a doubling of the number of cumulative courses offered, to 2400. 22 of the top 25 US universities in US News World Report rankings are now offering courses online for free. https://www.edsurge.com/n/2014-12-26-moocs-in-2014-breaking-down-the-numbers

Male Professors Automatically Get Better Reviews - Gina Belli, PayScale

In any profession, performance evaluations matter. Just as a year-end review might be utilized by management to make decisions about salary, assigned duties, and general competency, professor's assessments (including the course evaluations filled out by students) are used to make hiring, promotion, and even tenure decisions. Now, new research suggests what many have long suspected: male professors automatically receive better reviews than female professors. http://www.payscale.com/career-news/2014/12/male-professors-automatically-get-better-reviews

Learning by design: Business Training Online - Lindsay Kelly, Northern Ontario Business

An emerging area generating interest amongst employers is the transition to online content. Rocca-Cirelli said it’s surprising that more businesses and organizations haven’t already made that change. “I find there’s still a culture shift that has to exist for both the post-secondary system and industry to adopt online training 100 per cent in Ontario — more, I find, than in other provinces,” she said. “We’re getting there, but when you look at provinces such as Alberta, they’re way ahead of the curve when it comes to online training and education.” Online education and training are particularly beneficial in Northern Ontario where distance can prevent people from attending training sessions in person, she added. Online content has a greater reach, while people can remain in their home location. http://www.northernlife.ca/news/localNews/2014/12/27-creative-learning-sudbury.aspx

With virtual seminars and lower tuition, Minerva Schools offers online alternative to college - PBS NewsHour

Minerva is a highly competitive liberal arts college without a single classroom, much less an ivy-trimmed campus. The dormitory is on one floor of this old apartment building Nob Hill. Students will spend the first year here, and then the subsequent six semesters living and studying in six different cities around the world. Next year, they head to Buenos Aires and Berlin. But the professors don’t go with them. In fact, they can be anywhere, including home, because they see their students exclusively online, via a proprietary software platform called the Active Learning Forum. It fosters a face-paced, engaging, seminar-style class. No lectures allowed. Studies show students only retain about 10 percent of what they learn this way two years later. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/virtual-seminars-lower-tuition-minerva-schools-offers-online-alternative-college/

Are MOOCs the great equalizer? Raechelle Clemmons, Green Bay Press Gazette

Is it really necessary to have each and every university in the country teach a version of American History 101, for example, or could some of that content be delivered via an “approved” MOOC? Under this model, students could potentially spend classroom time focused on deeper discussion and inquiry about the subject rather than spending it learning the basic content. Alternately, this model may be used to reduce the amount of time it takes to earn a college education, with students taking some courses in-person and some through self-paced MOOCs. Consider places that do not have good education systems, or individuals who may not be entitled to an education where they live because of their class, race, gender or other attribute. MOOCs have the potential to be the great equalizer — providing access to a quality education to anyone who can access the Internet from their home, a coffee shop, or elsewhere. In a world that increasingly needs an educated populace, this may be the greatest value of all. http://www.correctionsone.com/2014-in-review/articles/8032950-The-rise-of-the-online-training-instructor/

Amazon Web Services Will Give You $1,000 In Credit For Completing These edX Courses - Kyle Russell, TechCrunch

If you’ve got more time than money and have a startup idea that you think you have the skills to build, a new partnership between Amazon Web Services and online education portal edX will hook you up with $1,000 in credit for completing one of two courses on entrepreneurship. Unless you’ve already taken some classes on building a startup, you’re not going to be able to completely BS your way through MITx’s Entrepreneurship 101 or 102 on edX. You actually have to pass the course, so expect to put at least tens of hours into the class. But once you make your way through the coursework, you automatically receive $1,000 in credit to spend on processor time and/or storage in Amazon’s cloud. http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/23/amazon-web-services-will-give-you-1000-in-credit-for-completing-these-edx-courses/

Online Learning Holds Promise, Challenges for Low-Income Students - Jordan Friedman, US News

For low-income students, formal online learning holds promise. They can work around their own schedule, even if they have a full-time job. Distance from a reasonably priced school isn’t an issue either, and students can save money on transportation and living expenses. "You can find affordable programs at different universities in different disciplines," says Javier Reyes, vice provost for distance education at the University of Arkansas. Some financially disadvantaged learners have lesser access to certain technologies that online courses require. This can "limit their interacting with the instructor and the materials, which could be a substantial obstacle," Xu says. Xu says the self-directed nature of online courses could also make distance learning a bit more challenging for lower income students. In her research, she found that "online learning, although associated with more flexibility, also asks students to assume a higher degree of responsibility," she says. Students from disadvantaged groups usually have a "lower level of self-directed learning skills" than other students, she adds. http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2014/12/24/online-learning-holds-promise-challenges-for-low-income-students

Anthropomorphic Technology: Making Online Education Social - Edudemic

The advent of online education has been a wonderful gift for both educators and students. It has allowed teachers to reach out to students in other parts of the globe and has allowed students to form a study group without actually being together physically. Online education is permitting students who live in a rural or isolated area to attend classes from the comfort of their own home and it has added to home school curriculums across America. However, there is one drawback to all of this innovative technology: The lack of socialization. Most problems have a solution if the creative thinkers of the world spend time to search for it. What is the solution to this particular drawback. There are several ways that online education can become more social and more closely mimic the benefits of an in-person education. http://www.edudemic.com/making-online-education-social/

Online Education: A Potential Solution For Students In Nigeria’s Troubled Northeast - Sahara Reporters

An independent evaluation and assessment conducted by the Coalition of Civil Society Groups (CCSG) has determined that over 194,664 students have been forced to stay out of school due to insecurity. According to CCSG President Etuk Bassey Williams the school closings will cause Nigeria to fail in meeting its 2015 benchmarks for primary school enrollment with less than 80 percent enrollment of school-aged children. http://saharareporters.com/2014/12/22/online-education-potential-solution-students-nigeria%E2%80%99s-troubled-northeast

Internet of things: Impact on learning and knowledge management - Uma Ganesh, Financial Expres

Internet of Things (IoT) is being viewed as the next big disruptor that would change the way businesses are transacted, customer needs are identified and serviced. The IoT refers to communication between ‘things’ containing embedded technology connected via wireless networks without the need for human interfaces. It is important to note that the number of objects connected to the Internet—including smartphones has already exceeded the number of people on earth. According to Gartner, there will be nearly 26 billion wireless devices connected to the Internet by 2020. http://www.financialexpress.com/article/industry/tech/internet-of-things-impact-on-learning-and-knowledge-management/21816/

The Changing Framework of Online Learning - Janet Burns, PSFK

Regardless, perhaps, of which platform an educator chooses, the question of how effective online learning strategies are remains pivotal to both educators and platform suppliers. Addressing the online learning industry as a whole, recent studies do indicate growing student success rates with online platforms, whether used as supplementary tools or self-contained courses. Earlier this year, MIT physicist David Pritchard and a team of researchers released their findings from a study of Pritchard’s online Mechanics ReView course, which he taught parallel to a traditional, in-person version. As Pope noted, the study concluded that the MOOC version was effective at communicating such difficult material as Newtonian mechanics, “even to students who weren’t MIT caliber,” and that progress from online students mirrored the curve of in-person learners. http://www.psfk.com/2014/12/changing-framework-online-learning.html

Mike King of Berklee Online Looks Back On 2014 - Hyperbot

Mike King, course author, instructor and Assistant VP of Marketing for Berklee Online is up next on Hypebot.com's Year End Virtual Panel. Discussing what 2014 meant for Berklee Online, King says "Massive Open Online Courses have made a significant, positive, impact on our business over the past year. We have seven free online courses available on Coursera right now, and two with EdX, covering music business, music production, songwriting, guitar, vocal production, and even a Gary Burton improvisation course." Continue reading on the full panel post linked below. http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2014/12/mike-king-course-author-instructor-cmo-instructor-berklee-online-looks-back-on-2014.html

Eduventures Reveals Top Predictions for Higher Education

Eduventure analysts have highlighted six predictions that will most impact the higher education landscape in 2015. 1. Competency-based direct assessment will pick up steam 2. Higher ed spending on information technology will exceed $45 billion. 3. Online learning will grow modestly. 4. Debt will bubble over. See the URL for more: http://www.virtual-strategy.com/2014/12/23/eduventures-reveals-top-predictions-higher-education

Coding educator boasts 80% employment for grads - Keith Button, Education Dive

Code Fellows, a trade school offering an eight-week program for students to build their coding and development skills to a professional level, reports that 80% of its graduates received a job offer within three months. The average starting salary for those graduates: $75,600, according to U.S. News & World Report. The Seattle company also says that 18% of its graduates have created their own companies. http://www.educationdive.com/news/coding-educator-boasts-80-employment-for-grads/346813/

Virtually the Same?: Student Perceptions of the Equivalence of Online Classes to Face-to-Face Classes - Carrie Anne Platt, et al; JOLT

Given the increasing number of online courses and the established association between student perceptions of learning environments and academic outcomes, this study investigated student perceptions of the equivalence of online classes and face-to-face classes. In contrast to previous studies on student perceptions of equivalence, which primarily used specific online classes as points of reference, this study focused on students’ perceptions of online courses in general. Overall, students did not perceive online and face-to-face classes to be equivalent, but previous exposure to online classes was positively associated with perceptions of general equivalence, comparative flexibility, comparative knowledge gained, and comparative level of interaction in online versus face-to-face classes. The final part of the paper applies these findings to the educational setting by discussing their implications for programs seeking to expand online course offerings. http://jolt.merlot.org/vol10no3/Platt_0914.pdf