Online Education Space

Posted March 18, 2013 at 5:02 PM by Press Release

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Bars, restaurants, retailers and beer distributors need beer-savvy staff to capitalize on consumer interest in craft beer. To date, more than 20,000 people have earned Cicerone Certified Beer Server status to help their companies excel at beer sales and service.

Live and on-site training works well with many organizations. But with servers, bartenders and sales people located in differen…………… continues on Brewbound.com

Schools in Edinburgh have been exploring the opportunities offered by online learning thanks to a project that has seen tablets rolled out to classrooms across the city.

Pupils studying at Broomhouse Primary, Sciennes Primary, Forrester High and Gracemount have been presented with their own netbooks or tablets as part of a programme introducing the benefits of digital education, which, if successful, could be launched elsewhere in Scotland, STV reports.

Young people are using the technology to solve algebraic solutions and read about ancient worlds, while the devices also allow them to share ideas and test their knowledge.

Maths teacher at Forrester High Barry Whelan told the news provider the school has been using a secure system that allows its employees to post homework online, so that students can access it on their tablets at home. He said it also means work can be submitted for marking quickly and easily.

Text alerts are also sent once an essay or piece of homework has been uploaded and Mr Whelan explained: “Most kids use it quite well and I can get back to them quickly and send them video links or extra resources to guide them.”

According to the teacher, having tablets in the classroom has helped him to build a supportive relationship with pupils and there…………… continues on Virtual College

As the University’s relationship with online education inches forward, three alumni are jumping on the movement to shift higher education from building bricks to online clicks.

Launched by two Stanford professors in April 2012, online education system Coursera’s self-described vision is of “a future where the top universities are educating not only thousands of students, but millions.” More than 30 universities around the world, including Brown, are now participating in the online education movement through Coursera.

Cruising to Coursera

Jerry Charumilind ’00, Anne Trumbore ’89 and Norian Caporale-Berkowitz ’12 didn’t know each other until Charumilind and Caporale-Berkowitz arrived last fall at Coursera, based in Mountain View, Calif.

Before being hired, Charumilind took two classes via Coursera, one of which was taught by company co-founder Andrew Ng.

“From his video lectures I had a very good sense of his character,” Charumilind said. Upon hearing about the company starting up, he applied for a position.

The opportunity to work at Coursera was “really exciting and motivating” compared to his previous job working for TiVo, he said.

Charumilind currently works as an engineer to make Coursera’s tools, such as video lectures, quizzes and computer assessments, more accessible to instructors.

When s…………… continues on The Brown Daily Herald

McKendree University is the only metro-east school listed on the U.S. News and World Report’s list of top 100 online schools for 2013.

The Lebanon university ranked 100th in the category of top graduate business programs.

“Developing the E-Learning MBA was a year-long project involving almost the entire faculty of the School of Business,” said Frank Spreng, director of the MBA program at McKendree University. “The benefits from those efforts a few years ago are considerable. We now have about 135 students enrolled in online MBA courses.”

While online courses are a relatively new concept, Spreng said schools are rapidly developing new programs to give students more opportunity to further their education.

“Many students could not be participating in graduate business education without the online option,” Spreng said. “The concept of online education gives options for many students and allows face-to-face students to mix and match courses, times and schedules.”

Schools in St. Louis to rank in the top 100 are:

* Webster University ranks 62nd in the online business category.

* In the category of online Best Online Bachelor’s Degree Program category, the University of Missouri-St. Louis ranked 43rd and St. Louis University ranked 95th.

* Webster University in St. Louis ranks 27th in the category of Best Online Graduate…………… continues on Belleville News Democrat

It’s easy to get lost in the Silicon Valley and Bay Area tech bubbles, where it seems that everyone carries five phones, owns three laptops and just had lunch with a sentient robot. But, the reality is outside of the bubble is a little different. Digital literacy is a privilege, and more the exception than the rule. Not everyone owns a computer or is employed at a startup that just raised $ 10 million. In fact, California’s unemployment rate for December 2012 was 9.8 percent, significantly higher than the U.S. average at 7.8 percent.

Christina Gagnier, Stephanie Margossian and Carter Fort co-founded JobScout last year to help address this problem — to help combat unemployment through digital literacy. With funding from the California State Library and the California Technology Agency, JobScout set out to create an online learning platform to help teach Californians (and everyone else for that matter) the basic skills required to help find a job in an increasingly digital world.

JobScout is part of the state’s larger digital literacy effort,

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(Image: Apple on computer via Shutterstock)Thomas Friedman’s latest column touting online education “is another exercise in (1) finding a potential positive dimension of capital’s latest profit-driven move, (2) hyping it and (3) ignoring its contradictions, especially those that are negative.”

Every technological change, from small to large, has had its hyper promoters. Those are the people who celebrate that technical change with wild exaggerations of its historic importance. Of course, part of their motivation is self-serving. How brilliant of them to have understood that particular technical change and its enormity. How generous, too, that their promotion overcomes our skepticism or ignorance.

A recent example…………… continues on Truth-Out

Creating a Sense of Presence in Online Teaching: How to “Be There” for Distance Learners (Jossey-Bass Guides to Online Teaching and Learning)
How can faculty create a strong e presence for their online classes? This volume highlights the need for creating a presence in th…

Assessing the Online Learner: Resources and Strategies for Faculty (Jossey-Bass Guides to Online Teaching and Learning)
Written by Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt, experts in the field of online teaching and learning, this hands-on resource helps hig…

WizIQ, an online education platform which provides virtual classroom software for teachers and trainers at school and university level has raised a $ 4 million Series B round. The funding was led by Kaizen, an Indian private equity fund focused on the education sector. German-based global media company, Bertelsmann, also participated.

WizIQ said it will use the funding to bolster its position in the online education platform space — noting that, as part of the investment, authorSTREAM, an online platform for PowerPoint users to share presentation-based content, will merge into WizIQ, giving it a chance to reach authorSTREAM’s four million users — “a lot” of whom are apparently teachers, trainers and students. The company added that it would use the funding to improve its technology infrastructure and hire staff in product development and senior management positions.

WizIQ’s software — which works on PCs, iPads and Android tablets — has been used by more than 2.5 million st…………… continues on TechCrunch

What’s This?

The burgeoning online education scene is a practical option to a traditional college education for a number of reasons — cost, convenience and efficiency. And for professors it offers a consistent classroom format.

A number of online education sites say the goal is not to be a substitute for the classroom experience, but to offer an even more collaborative learning environment, while also making education convenient and accessible for everyone — whether you’re taking a couple college courses or learning for the fun of it. In light of recent news about a partnership between a California state school and an online education site, it’s possible that because of the high cost of education, online learning could become the norm for college students.

But can an online classroom teach you the social and collaborative skills that real-life, in-class experiences impart? continues on Mashable

President Pranab Mukherjee Sunday dedicated to the nation an e-learning platform that would link thousands of teachers and students for virtual classroom lessons.

The latest version of Amrita University’s e-Learning platform A-VIEW 3.0 (Amrita Virtual Interactive E-Learning World) was launched by Mukherjee with a click on the Aakash 2 tablet in New Delhi and the A-VIEW Server with 1 Gbps link was unveiled.

A-VIEW 3.0 has been launched

 

Any institution of higher education can now use A-VIEW free of charge (www.aview.in). A-VIEW is a collaborative project under “Talk to a Teacher” by the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay and the Amrita University supported by the National Mission on Education through information and communication technology (ICT), human resource development ministry.

More than 14,000 teachers and students across 240 remote centres in the country witnessed the event live. They are currently attending a national workshop on Aakash 2 using the A-VIEW software platform. Live teaching was also demonstrated and the participants at a few remote centres showed their new Aakash tablets.

The images of the president and others appeared live on the Aakash 2 tablet which was held by participants at remote locations. Kamal Bijlani, director, Amrita…………… continues on Tech2

Published on Thursday, 18, October, 2012 at 17:02 in Malta News | No Comments

A Memorandum of Understanding between the Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education and the Directorate for Educational Services and the Malta Union of Teachers on the Implementation of the ELear…………… continues on Gozo News

An eLearning platform has been officially introduced in government primary schools by means of a memorandum of understanding between the Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education and the Directorate for Educational Services, and the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT). The MoU was signed yesterday following a news conference at the Education Information Centre in Floriana.

James Calleja, the permanent secretary at the Education and Employment Ministry, described the iLearn platform as a new pedagogic mechanism that will facilitate learning and will help children, teachers, and also parents. It opens a whole new world of opportunities and is aimed at making learning more attractive.

Grace Grima, the director general for quality and standards in education, explained that the iLearn platform is being introduced in stages; in fact, primary school teachers and students (and their parents) are the first to be using the tool. Meanwhile, secondary school teachers have just started receiving training on the platform and it will eventually also be introduced in government secondary schools.

MUT president Kevin Bonello expressed satisfaction at the fruitful discussions between the education directorates and the union, saying that the majority of teachers are enthusiastic about the iLearn platform. He said the MoU will be revised on a year…………… continues on Malta Independent Online

Crimestoppers has backed a new online learning scheme that seeks to educate both people in the workplace and the general public on the importance of recognising human trafficking.

As part of a collaboration with the Sheffield College and anti-trafficking specialist Nick Kinsella, an online course entitled Human Trafficking Uncovered (HTU) is due to roll out next year.

It will be launched in line with an EU project coming into effect in April alongside other organisations with the same goal of cutting crimes relating to human trafficking.

The directive requires that all professionals who are likely to come into contact with offenders or victims in sphere of human trafficking are fully trained to deal with the situation.

Rodger Holden, director of business development at Crimestoppers, commented that the online programme will go “a long way” in helping to improve awareness of how the public can challenge trafficking.

He said: “We will be launching a human trafficking campaign later this year so this online course offers a unique opportunity to help educate the UK public about this crime.”

The Sheffield College in South Yorkshire will be responsible for providing the course, building upon its award-winning reputation for offering students virtual…………… continues on Virtual College

Alex Rodal Cubillas, Staff Writer
October 7, 2012
Filed under News

New eLearning programs have been made available to NIC students and faculty as part of the transition to Blackboard.

The move to Blackboard that took place this semester comes with products and systems that students were asking for, such as Blackboard Instant Messenger (BBIM), Blackboard Connect, voice based tools and Blackboard mobile.

BBIM allows students to communicate with classmates and instructors in any class that students are in as well as numerous departments on campus.

Blackboard Connect, which is an emergency notification system that sends text messages, alerts to NIC students and faculty when emergencies arise on the NIC campus.

Through Professor Notification on Blackboard Connect…………… continues on North Idaho College Sentinel

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Last week, classes began at  MRUniversity, an online education platform for economics that is completely free and open to students. The platform was created by Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok, George Mason University econ professors who named the site after their blog, MarginalRevolution (or, according to their blog, “Mister University, to some”). Check out Cowen and Tarrabok’s video describing the platform:

This platform joins the ranks of other online learning platforms that offer free and open courses to the masses, including Coursera,

Kochi??™s Startup Village-based Verbicio Tech LLP has launched an online tutorial platform that enables students to access and upload educational materials free of cost.

The educational platform, Exam Voice, also enables users having a Facebook account to upload content in slides, PPT or PDF formats along with image and voice to make learning process easier.

???This is basically a platform for students by students,??? Verbicio co-founder Midhun Sankar told Techcircle.in. ???Here, the user can upload content in his own voice and interpretation and share it with friends who can access it for free,??? he added.

Using this platform, a student can access content related to specific exams, such as CAT, GRE, GATE on topics related to science, engineering and aptitude. The platform also enables students to access solved papers of previous years, topic-wise questions and vocabulary building. Exam Voice can be accessed on smartphones or PCs connected to the internet.

According to Sankar, who founded Verbicio with his friends Bibin George Varghese, Joel Varghese, Nakul E Sibiraj and Midhun KS ??“ all below the age of 25 and of different colleges in Kerala ??“ last October, this platform also provides students with a…………… continues on VC Circle

Creating a Sense of Presence in Online Teaching: How to “Be There” for Distance Learners (Jossey-Bass Guides to Online Teaching and Learning)
How can faculty create a strong e presence for their online classes? This volume highlights the need for creating a presence in th…

Assessing the Online Learner: Resources and Strategies for Faculty (Jossey-Bass Guides to Online Teaching and Learning)
Written by Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt, experts in the field of online teaching and learning, this hands-on resource helps hig…

The cost of higher education in the U.S. today is ridiculous. Student debt shot north of $ 1 trillion earlier this year, for example. So it’s not surprising, then, that we’re seeing growing adoption of online learning platforms and tools. MOOCs, or massive online open courses, have been the stars of a new educational model, thanks to their potential to offer quality, affordable education at a scale that just wasn’t possible five years ago.

While some say that MOOCs will fundamentally change higher education and distance learning, others have see these platforms as having more of a supporting role, offering certificates or flair rather than diplomas. And that doesn’t really matter right now. The experimentation at this early stage is what’s important. To their credit, many universities have begun to support and/or develop MOOC platforms (like EdX), but probably not have taken such an active role in developing these new models as Stanford.

Again, while Stanford is one of many, the university has long offered courses and lectures online, more recently through iTunes U, and at the end of August, went so far as to create a

I was disturbed but not surprised to read that central to retiring California State University Chancellor Charles B. Reed’s “new Master Plan,” as he wrote in his Times Op-Ed article last Tuesday, is a push for “year-round, online” education. As a full-time professor at Cal State Northridge, I am getting a bit worn out by this push (or should I say “shove”). What bothers me most about Reed’s promotion of online education as part of the state’s Master Plan for Higher Education is his absolute lack of candor.

Oddly, the administrative push toward online education reminds me of the 1950s infatuation with infant formula. In both cases, there is a legitimate advantage in the new systems’ technology, convenience and innovation. Infant formula was and is a wonderful invention for women who cannot or choose not to breastfeed, enabling fathers and other caretakers to be more involved. Likewise, online instruction is a wonderful option for self-disciplined and self…………… continues on Los Angeles Times

The Online Learning Idea Book, Volume 1: 95 Proven Ways to Enhance Technology-Based and Blended Learning
“For those who think online learning can’t be truly interactive, Patti Shank and her colleagues clearly demonstrate–in hundreds o…

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Infographic by Kath Xu and connor kirschbaum—The Tech

Major players in online education market

Comparing Khan Academy, Coursera, Udacity, & edX missions, offerings

STAFF REPORTER

September 4, 2012

Distance Education: A Systems View of Online Learning
The most comprehensive and authoritative book on the subject, DISTANCE EDUCATION, Third Edition, emphasizes a systems approach to …

Building Online Learning Communities: Effective Strategies for the Virtual Classroom (Jossey Bass Higher and Adult Education)
Building Online Learning Communities further explores the development of virtual classroom environments that foster a sense of com…