To be successful in the virtual classroom, we need to incorporate the 4 Cs of online education: communication, commitment, community, and collaboration. Pupils that include these virtues in their studies often find learning online much easier and more doable.

We will be discussing how you can address the 4 Cs of education in your online learning experience.

Communication

If you want to understand your work and what you have to do correctly, you need to read everything. This includes the course syllabus, lesson instructions, and announcements.

Communication between students, professors, and classmates is essential for successful online learning. If you dont understand specific instructions, you need to communicate your confusion with your peers or instructor. Many people believe that online courses require individual work, but this is simply not the case.

There are various tools that you can use to communicate with your classmates and professors. For example, Pedagogue can be used to form class discussions and hold video conference calls with students. It can also be used to talk to other educators about tools, advice, tips, and hacks they have.

Commitment

If you want to be successful at your online studying, you need to be committed and self-disciplined.

Unlike regular school, you will not have specific class times in which you study. This means that you will have to set aside time each day to get your work done, which many people are not disciplined enough to do.

More so, you will not have a teacher to monitor how far along you are with your work or to remind you of due dates. You will have to remember everything yourself. For this reason, it might be a good idea to use a calendar or a diary to keep track of all your deadlines.

Community

You will enjoy your studies much more if you feel a sense of community. This is why it is so important to get to know your classmates, even if you may never physically see them. You could also gain academic support and a sense of community from a tutor, sibling, or parent.

Your peers will be able to help you with your schoolwork if you ever get stuck. More so, since you are studying virtually, your classmates are likely to live worldwide. This means that you can also learn about various cultures and ways of life during your online learning experience.

Collaboration

You will sometimes need to work on group projects and assignments. Collaboration is an essential skill that everybody will have to use at least once in their lives. This is why communicating and working with your peers is so important, even for an online course.

As we have mentioned, there are various tools that you can use to help you collaborate with your classmates, such as Pedagogue.

Conclusion

The four Cs of online education are communication, commitment, community, and collaboration. You can use various tools, such as Pedagogue, to help you maintain these virtues while studying online.

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How Can We Address The 4 Cs Of Education Online? - The Tech Edvocate

Photo courtesy California Department of Education

Heather Calomese started in August as California's new director of special education.

Heather Calomese started in August as California's new director of special education.

Special education in California may face vast challenges funding shortfalls, teacher shortages and distance learning, to name a few but Heather Calomese is undeterred.

Calomese, the states newly appointed director of special education, has an ambitious vision to improve equity and outcomes for the states 800,000 students enrolled in special education.

Social justice, enhancing online education and improving conditions for teachers are among her top priorities.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond appointed Calomese on Aug. 14 to fill the position formerly held by Kristin Wright, who resigned in the spring. Calomese was formerly the executive director of special education for the Illinois State Board of Education and served for almost a decade as a special education teacher in Chicago and Iowa.

Thurmond called her a strong advocate and champion for all students who has extensive leadership experience and knowledge of special education policy.

Approximately 13% of Californias 6 million K-12 students are enrolled in special education in California, receiving services for conditions such as dyslexia, autism and Down syndrome. The Department of Educations special education division provides resources and guidance for the states 1,000 public school districts.

Calomese talked to EdSource last week about her goals and vision for special education in California. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

EdSource: Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you become a special educator?

Heather Calomese: I actually came to this field as a former journalist. I worked as a reporter and editor at a small weekly paper in New York. While I enjoy journalism, I just didnt see myself in the newsroom long term. Education had always interested me, and so I entered the special education field through a program at the University of Iowa.

Special education has allowed me to be part of the lives of so many students and families. I have grown so much as a person by being a part of this community. And to me, the students and families that I have served with over the years are always close to my heart and continue to drive my work. Supporting and being of service to others and really maximizing independence for students and families is what drives me in this role.

From your perspective, what are the biggest challenges right now in special education, not just here but across the country?

I think one of the main challenges is providing a free, appropriate public education while school campuses remain closed. As we know, distance learning can present a hurdle for students that receive support and services.

But I will say that in my brief time in this role, I have seen our talented community come together to collectively address these really deeply complex issues. As special educators, we are used to being flexible. Its who we are and what draws us to the work. And I have seen encouraging practices. Its an incredible challenge but I know that were here to solve the problem.

Some of these problems seem almost unsolvable. For example, how do you provide occupational therapy over Zoom?

Nothing is insurmountable. There is a lot of talent and expertise across our state. We can engage in partnerships and dialogues, and really try things out and learn from one another during this time. And when we find successful practices, can we elevate and amplify those practices so others can experience that success as well.

Districts, individual schools and even individual teachers have a lot of latitude as to how they want to proceed with distance learning. What do you see as the states role right now?

First and foremost, the states role is to provide relevant, timely guidance, thought partnerships, support and resources, technical assistance and general oversight. I really want to emphasize and underscore relevant and timely guidance. Thats what districts need, thats what they want. So its incumbent upon the special education division to really be nimble and flexible and responsive to the field during this time.

What can the state do to make sure students individualized education programs (IEPs) are followed during distance learning?

The federal guidance states that schools must meet students IEP requirements during distance learning. Parents and schools should collaborate on what those services look like, but its the states expectation that IEPs are followed.

I hate to ask this question because youve only been on the job since August, but what do you see as priorities in California, given the variety of needs?

A mentor once said to me that a flower doesnt always bloom on your watch. Ive really committed myself to creating the right conditions in California so flowers can blossom not just right now, but into the future. Its clear to me in just in my short time here that California is really committed to ensuring that the needs of students with disabilities are at the forefront, and we can come up with creative solutions to address the issues that have faced our community for decades. So thats very exciting for me.

An overarching goal is that we, as a state, improve outcomes and opportunities for students with disabilities. That, for me, is the ultimate North Star. There are opportunities in the system from pre-K to postsecondary to make progress, and I want to continue to refine those systems and collaborate with the many agencies that play a part in the lives of our students and families.

Another goal of mine is to bring conversations about race and equity to the table. We need to continually examine our system and address issues that oftentimes have an adverse impact on our students and families of color.

And finally, Im interested in elevating best practices for supporting English learners with disabilities. This is an area for growth that Im very interested in.

In California, there are many issues related to special education and race and inequity. For example, students of color are more likely to be improperly placed in special education, and also less likely to receive the services they need. Can you talk about what you see as the main challenges?

We see these issues play out very early on, oftentimes as early as pre-K, and can spiral from there. The issues bubble up in terms of identification, suspension, discipline, expulsion. But I also see it play out through implicit biases in school settings, and in philosophy and belief systems. And we see the disparities in graduation rates as well as college and career outcomes. Even beyond that, we can look at unemployment rates for adults with disabilities, limited career options or high rates of incarceration and substance abuse.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has launched initiatives looking at student discipline, school policing and a variety of race and equity issues. Do you see special education as being part of those conversations?

Absolutely. When we look at exclusionary practices suspension, expulsion, restraint I think special education is certainly an important part of that. We have the research, we have the data. Its really incumbent on us to take a hard look and engage in a broad conversation about how we can improve these systems. Its the right thing to do, and Im absolutely committed to doing it.

How important is inclusion, the idea that students with special needs spend as much time as possible in mainstream classrooms?

Students need to be with their peers, make those social connections, have access to that curriculum and learn in the least restrictive environment possible. There will always be a continuum, because we do have students that need intensive supports. However, we have to ensure that students are being educated with their non-disabled peers as much as possible. And sometimes that means taking risks, right? Obviously, we want our students to be supported, but its also important to push students out of their comfort zone (with supports) so that they can continue to learn and grow and develop.

What will you do to address the special education teacher shortage?

As you know, the shortage of special education teachers is a nationwide issue, and one thats very concerning for me. We need to attract people to the field, but we also need to look at the bigger picture. We need to look at ways we can support new teachers and provide opportunities for mentorship, and also support teachers who are well established. We also need to consider how we support our special education administrators. We need to look at ways to attract and retain our special education workforce at all levels, because we have teachers leaving the profession at concerning rates.

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For Californias new head of special education, nothing is insurmountable - EdSource

We knew in March that students wouldnt learn much during lockdown, and they seem to be in for more of the same this fall. The problem isnt just that teachers lack experience with remote instruction. For reasons scientists only partially understand, its demonstrably harder to learn via video than in person. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the rest of the Trump administration maintain that because online learning is hard, healthy kids should be in school. But research points to another solution to the video learning problem.

The problem is dramatic in children younger than 4. In a typical experiment, a researcher is filmed using a new word or describing the location of a hidden object. A child who sees the experimenter live is more likely to learn than one who watches the video. One explanation for this phenomenon is that videos lack the social cues face-to-face interactions provide.

Older children dont show a learning deficit, implying that theyre somehow compensating for what the video lacks. But they cant maintain the necessary attentional focus for an entire Zoom class, so learning suffers. That interpretation sits well with adults experience of Zoom fatigue: We get through our meetings, but making up for the absent social cues drains us. How might teachers help?

Different learning tasks capitalize on different social cues. We can make some reasonable guesses about when video makes learning difficult.

A class discussion requires conversational turn-taking, and eye movements play a central role. For example, if you are speaking and I break eye contact, that indicates I want a conversational turn. If Im speaking, a prolonged gaze signals an intention to yield the floor.

These signals are lost in videoconferencing, both because internet lag disrupts their timing and because computer equipment makes eye contact difficult. I see your eyes when I look at my screen, but you see my eyes when I look at my camera. The disconnect is part of why Zoom meetings brim with interruptions and awkward pauses.

During lectures, eye contact matters less than gesture. Instructors support explanations with their hands, as when a math teacher unconsciously mimes a pan balance scale to explain equivalence. Gestures aid student comprehension, but theyre usually absent from videoconferencing. Teachers sit near the computer to control their keyboard and mouse, which means students see only their faces.

Many lectures require demonstrations, with the instructor and student directing attention to a graph or an online laboratory simulation. During these tasks a teacher tends to use another type of gesture: Shell point, or as she gives the instruction turn it, shell gesture to show which way. Unlike the balance example, these gestures require having the other persons perspective on the object. Researchers have found it challenging to give users this sense of shared space during videoconferencing.

Overcoming these obstacles is usually possible. If I cant point with my finger, Ill point verbally: If I want students to look at a large, blue section of a graph, I can say, Look at the big blue section. Devising such workarounds is trivial in a two-minute Zoom call. But the costs accumulate over hours of video expounding difficult academic content.

Thats one reason 80% of adults who start non-credit online courses fail to complete them. And its a reason a lot of students simply didnt show up for remote lessons last spring.

So now what?

We can guess at some fixes. For example, instead of sitting at a desktop while lecturing, a teacher might stand and step back from the camera so that gestures are viewable. But researchers dont know enough to guarantee solid learning improvements. The summer, which the federal government might have used to organize a Warp Speed effort to find solutions, has instead passed in a narcotic dream that fall would bring students back to school the vision Secretary DeVos still hopes will triumph.

But theres another way. Research shows remote learning is more successful if a facilitator (usually a parent) is present. Companies that provide online education to home schoolers routinely stipulate that an adult supervise an elementary or middle school student.

Thats not a luxury. With our current technology and understanding, its a prerequisite to a successful remote learning program. And it shouldnt be available only to the learning-pod wealthy. The federal government could, through grants to states, provide funds to hire parents to serve as learning facilitators for small groups of children in grades K through 8. A similar emergency pandemic measure through Medicaid has allowed parents to be paid as caregivers for their disabled children.

The hallmark of an educated mind is learning from experience. Shame on us if we condemn our children to repeat last spring.

Daniel T. Willingham is a professor in the department of psychology at the University of Virginia.

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Op-Ed: Why remote learning is hard, and how to make it easier - Los Angeles Times

Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Bit by bit, billionaire Ronald O. Perelman is parting with his treasures.His Gulfstream 650 is on the market. So is his 257-foot yacht. Movers hauled crates of art from his Upper East Side townhouse after he struck a deal with Sothebys to sell hundreds of millions of dollars of works.Hes unloaded his stake in Humvee-maker AM General, sold a flavorings company that hed owned for decades and hired banks to find buyers for stock he holds in other companies.What in the world is going on with Ron Perelman? His exploits on and off Wall Street have been tabloid fare in New York since the go-go 1980s. But now, at an age when most fellow billionaires are kicking back, Perelman, 77, is facing a range of financial challenges, most of all at Revlon Inc., his cosmetics giant.Once touted as Americas richest man, his wealth has dropped from $19 billion to $4.2 billion in the past two years, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.Bankers, socialites and art collectors have been buzzing about Perelman since his investment company, MacAndrews & Forbes, said in July it would rework its holdings in response to the coronavirus pandemic and the ravages it caused to American businesses, including his own.We quickly took significant steps to react to the unprecedented economic environment that we were facing, Perelman said in a statement. I have been very public about my intention to reduce leverage, streamline operations, sell some assets and convert those assets to cash in order to seek new investment opportunities and that is exactly what we are doing.Read Ronald O. Perelman's full statement herePerelman also gave more prosaic reasons for the shift, including spending time with his family during lockdown and a desire for a simpler life.I realized that for far too long, I have been holding onto too many things that I dont use or even want, he said. I concluded that its time for me to clean house, simplify and give others the chance to enjoy some of the beautiful things that Ive acquired just as I have for decades.Graydon Carter, the former editor of Vanity Fair whos known Perelman for three decades, said the shift in Perelmans attitude is sincere.Often when people say this sort of thing, its masking something else. In Ronalds case, its true, said Carter, who partnered with Perelman to reopen the Monkey Bar in Midtown Manhattan. He has learned to love and appreciate the bourgeois comforts of family and home.Carter described Perelman as a charismatic swashbuckler who once enjoyed evenings on the New York social circle a little too much. But he said Perelman is now crazy about spending time at home with his fifth wife Anna, a psychiatrist, and their two young sons.Richard Hack, who wrote a 1996 unauthorized biography of Perelman, is skeptical.If you want a simpler life, you go buy a farm in Oklahoma, not sell a painting out of your townhouse in Manhattan, Hack said. If hes selling his art, its because he needs cash.The art includes Jasper Johnss 0 Through 9, priced in the $70 million-range, Gerhard Richters Zwei Kerzen (Two Candles),which went for more than $50 million and Cy Twomblys Leaving Paphos Ringed with Waves (I), which found a buyer for about $20 million, according to people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified as the sales were private.What hes selling is as blue chip as it gets, said Wendy Goldsmith, an art adviser in London.Some proceeds are slated to pay down loans from Citigroup Inc., according to people with knowledge of the arrangements. He also has loans fromJPMorgan Chase & Co., Bank of America Corp. and UBS Group AG related to his artwork, filings show.These are not forced sales, said a spokeswoman for Perelman. She also denied a New York Post story that The Creeks, his 57-acre East Hampton estate, is being discretely marketed and said that he remains committed to his considerable philanthropy. Perelman is building a performing arts center in the Financial District, is vice chairman of the Apollo Theater, and sits on the boards of Columbia Business School and New York-Presbyterian Hospital.Read More: Billionaire Perelman Seeks to Reset Empire to Face New WorldIts a striking turn for Perelman, long celebrated and feared for engineering some of the most ambitious deals of the 1980s and 1990s, and for the litigation, divorces and corporate brawls he left in his wake.He was imaginative, aggressive and innovative in ways that changed the financial landscape, said investment banker Ken Moelis, a long-time Perelman adviser.But now, one of the original pioneers of the Michael Milken-fueled junk-bond takeover era is realizing that theres such a thing as too much debt especially during a pandemic.Take Revlon, which sits at the center of his empire.Its $365 million market value is a whisper of the $1.74 billion he paid for the company in 1985. He owns about 87% of Revlon and has full control over the firm, run by his daughter, Debra Perelman.For decades, it strained under a heavy debt load, forcing Perelman to provide loans or inject funds as he switched executives to pursue various turnarounds. The billionaire made clear in a Wall Street Journal interview that he loved the business and, for better or worse, it most defined him.Revlon, which was slow to respond to shifting trends 20 years ago, has more recently lost sales to smaller beauty companies that lured customers with social media. Now revenue is plunging further because of store closures. The company has $3 billion of debt, some of its bonds trade at 14 cents on the dollar and the company faces a cash crunch in November.A Revlon spokesperson declined to comment.His problems arent confined to lipstick. Perelman used his Revlon shares as collateral for MacAndrews & Forbes debt, filings show. The shares have plunged 68% this year, a decline that would typically require lenders to seek additional collateral or repayment of the loans.Shares of other companies in his portfolio, including Scientific Games Corp. and Vericast Corp., were also pledged against MacAndrews & Forbes debt. At least nine banks have claims against Perelmans assets, including his art collection, house in the Hamptons and various aircraft. About $267 million in mortgages are linked to the firms Upper East Side headquarters in Manhattan and other buildings he owns.Perelman has made progress on plans to sell some of his holdings.MacAndrews & Forbes struck a deal this week to sell its 35% stake in Scientific Games to an Australian investment firm. KPS Capital Partners in July agreed to buy Perelmans stake in AM General, the Indiana-based maker of Humvees and other vehicles, for an undisclosed amount. A $439 million deal to sell Flavors Holdings, a maker of sweeteners and food products, to Whole Earth Brands Inc. was completed in June.Further simplifying Perelmans holdings, however, might be easier said than done.Revlons $3 billion of debt would be a concern for any potential buyer. And Vericast, a collection of marketing and payments businesses, has struggled to navigate industry changes while dealing with its own substantial debt burden. Two of its major revenue streams are check printing and print-based advertising, both in decline due to digital payments and online marketing. Its RXSaver and RetailMeNot units are being shopped, indicating it may be easier to sell the company in parts than as a whole.Read More: Perelmans Coupon Company RetailMeNot Said to Weigh Sale OptionsEven art sales can be troublesome. A Francis Bacon painting belonging to Perelman, valued at about $15 million to $23 million, was pulled from auction at the last minute due to a lack of interest. The art collection which contains some of the most valuable 20th century works, including sculptures by Alberto Giacometti and paintings by Mark Rothko and Ed Ruschais now responsible for more than a third of his fortune.There are signs that the turmoil is taking a toll within MacAndrews & Forbes, where several of Perelmans most senior staff have exited in quick succession.In July general counsel Steve Cohen departed, followed by spokesman Josh Vlasto and James Chin, who headed the capital markets group. Chief Financial Officer Paul Savas resigned in June over irregularities with $5 million in insurance payments between Revlon and MacAndrews & Forbes. He was replaced by Jeffrey Brodsky, who according to his LinkedIn profile, has an extensive background in crisis and turnaround management.Still, those who know him well say any recent stumbles wont define him.Ronald has been dealmaking at the highest level for forty years, Moelis said. Even Michael Jordan missed a shot.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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Online Education Market in India 2019-2024, 2020 Report on the $14.33 Billion Industry - ResearchAndMarkets.com - Yahoo Finance

Lauren Martinez, a fifth grade teacher at Northwood Hills Elementary, began the school year teaching virtually in Richardson ISD as schools navigate the lessons during the pandemic.

For the first few weeks of school at Northwood Hills Elementary, Lauren Martinezs fifth-grade classroom was largely defined by the people, and things, no longer present.

There were no students to hug when they entered the class. The voice stoplight on the whiteboard, which tracks the noise level in the room, was lifeless. The walls were bare. The Tuesday Folders in the back of the room still had the names of the students from the previous school year.

Only recently has she returned to campus along with some of her students. There are still no hugs. Theyve been replaced by the coronavirus version of greetings: friendly elbow bumps.

It is so fulfilling. I missed the interactions and conversations with students, Martinez said.

But at any moment, teachers like Martinez might have to pivot back to virtual learning should there be a spike in COVID-19 cases. And others continue teaching online as families opt for remote learning during the pandemic.

Navigating online education for teachers has meant converging specialties, moving parts and few firm solutions. Educators spend time finding the nexus between old teaching methods and new strategies as schools try to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.

Martinez, for example, tried to maintain normalcy in her sterile classroom when she could interact with students only through a tiny rectangular screen on Zoom.

During science classes, students would occasionally scream out the answers to a magnetism question. Those moments could almost make you forget there is anything unusual about this setup. Then there were times when the whole network was down. Martinez said it just wasnt the same.

When you grow up and go through your education as a teacher, you never think it would be like this, Martinez added. You become a teacher to connect with the kids.

For everything virtual learning appears to lack, the one thing it has in spades is technology. Projectors, monitors and screens dominate areas that once had easels and whiteboards.

Martinez spent the entire summer getting creative on how to use it all.

Back in March, most classes were taught asynchronously, which meant that students would spend only a short period of time with their teacher.

So, Martinez went to the drawing board. She found apps and interactive study guides to mix up the ways students could spend longer hours on a screen while still engaged.

Before returning to in-person lessons this month, Martinezs students played on a study review app that allowed students to race for the right answers in a video game setting.

Principal David Lewis said educators spent months figuring out how to visit with kids like on a regular school day through technology.

None of us have been trained for the kinds of things we are doing right now. All of us are working outside of our training zone, Lewis said. A lot of it is new, and a lot of it is very similar to what we would do in the classroom as far as engaging with kids and rewarding them for participation.

A fan favorite for modifying traditional teaching methods into a virtual setting are Zoom snack hours. Some teachers, as a reward for students, are offering those on Fridays.

Its just fun, Lewis joked on a recent school day when an excited yell carried down an empty hall as teachers laughed with students on Zoom.

Beyond teaching lessons, educators are figuring out how to check on how students are doing emotionally during distance learning.

Martinez would spend part of each morning on Zoom just chatting with the students, asking how they feel or what they want to be when they grow up.

The conversations start with students typing their individual responses into the Zoom chat. As the conversation materialized, Martinez unmuted students as they explained why they wanted to be a professional soccer player, a doctor or a police officer.

She wanted to build a supportive environment in which students feel comfortable to share.

In the Richardson school district, a guidance counselor often joins educators who are teaching remotely so they can check in on students as well.

The hope is that these exercises make students feel comfortable enough to reach out when larger issues arise, like food insecurity, home instability or illness.

Calls are made to parents once a week or more often to see if they have a stable source of food or access to the internet.

Not every student is required to turn on the camera on Zoom, making the job of identifying who needs help more difficult. Educators focus on spotting the little things when they can.

That can mean looking at the background of what a student puts up on Zoom to gauge how a person is feeling. One student recently had the hit show Avatar behind her as a background and another showed off the Texas Rangers' ballfield.

If such backgrounds suddenly change or disappear, its the virtual equivalent of a student not participating in class or participating in class as they would in person, which could mean something is wrong, said Summer Martin, the head guidance counselor for the district.

Everyone has experienced a type of trauma, and everyone handles it a little differently, Martin said. Little things like Zoom backgrounds "are a part of the process of visually seeing an interest or personality. It is a new way to connect and we are finding new ways to connect every day.

Martinezs class returned to campus just after Labor Day. A little more than half 53% of students at Northwood Hills elected to come back in-person.

Martinez acknowledges there is a learning curve as students come back. The feeling of having students in chairs again, though, is a welcome sight.

I cant wait for more students to come back to school in-person throughout the year, Martinez said.

Families who continued virtual learning for now will have the chance to go in person at the end of the first six weeks of school. Some may stay virtual the entire year.

That wont mean things will return to normal. Some hold on to reservations about moving too quickly toward normalcy. But many teachers are bracing for long-term changes.

Martinez knows better than anyone, too, that education itself will never be the same. Her class now has plastic dividers between students. But the technology that carries over will continue to help her students and be incorporated into new teaching methods that will be used moving forward.

If she has to go back to virtual teaching, Martinez thinks it will eventually get easier. She hasnt found the best way forward for her students yet. But that is always a work in progress, she says.

But if you arent getting better [as a teacher] from this, you arent doing it right, Martinez said.

Continued here:
How do teachers connect with students during changing classroom needs amid a pandemic? - The Dallas Morning News

Q: What are you studying, where and with whom?

Griffith: I am studying the educational development of students involved with First State Squash, a local nonprofit organization that provides academic, athletic, mentoring and community service opportunities for Wilmington youth. I work with First State Squash online through Zoom conferences throughout the week, working on lesson plans, vocabulary, reading comprehension and interactive online activities. My adviser is David Teague, a professor of literature at the University of Delaware Associate in Arts Program in Wilmington.

Q: What inspired this project?

Griffith: I hope to work with more students before finishing my associates degree in education and really develop my skills with different age groups. In my past experience, I have primarily worked with elementary students, while the students at First State Squash are in middle school.

Q: What is it about this topic that interests you?

Griffith: Working with students to elevate their experience in school is very important to me. I know that so many children do not enjoy going to school because they feel left out and neglected in lessons when they do not understand whats being taught or have fallen behind. It is hard to work with a student who has no motivation or drive for academics, I really want to show these students at First State Squash that it is okay to feel confused and unmotivated, and instill that many teachers will notice and are happy to take the extra time to help as long as you ask. That being said, it is important students know when to ask for help. With this difficult time crunch and online setting, I understand the reluctance students have when admitting their struggle over Zoom, due to the long hours on the computer and lack of interaction, which normally would allow others to see their confusion.

Q: How has COVID-19 shaped your plans for this project? Is flexibility something that comes easily for you?

Griffith: It is quite discouraging that I was unable to work with the students at First State Squash in person, but I am also very grateful for an online platform that allowed me to familiarize myself with different teaching situations. Many schools have taken the steps to administer computers or tablets to students for online submissions and ease of communication during these trying times. Since moving schools online due to COVID-19, I believe educators will need to develop both in-person and online lessons. Flexibility is something that comes easy to me, but it definitely has its trials and tribulations. In my experience, sometimes when you present yourself as a flexible or versatile employee you may be asked to do more than you feel capable of, and your enthusiasm for a project or lesson may be lost after so many changes have been made. I earnestly believe that a fresh start or severe changes can bring back a motivation that may have been lost and that flexibility can challenge and shape one into a sharp and well-rounded person.

Q: What are the possible real-world applications for your study?

Griffith: This study will help hone my teaching skills and help me find various ways to help students by noticing their different needs in educational and home life settings. Learning online can prove to be very distracting for K-12 students and even for me or my peers in a university setting. With the pandemic, online education is the safest option, but it seems this will have a longer lasting effect on students. Pupils today are experiencing a bizarre education, they are missing valuable social skills and developmental stages may be stunted without the experience of new faces, old friends, true time to relax at recess, and the opportunity to see what normal is supposed to look like with their age group and peers.

Q: How would you explain your work to a fifth grader or someones grandparent?

Griffith: When explaining my work to a fifth grader I would say that I want to become a better teacher, one that is aware of how students may struggle or excel. With my weeks at First State Squash, I have been assisting students with extra help on their school packets, for example, introducing new math concepts and providing tips, as well as sharing different examples and ways to approach a problem. I want to make sure each student knows I tried my best to help them, and I saw how they needed my help and time.

Q: What advice would you give younger kids (middle school or high school) with similar interests?

Griffith: Take this time while you are young to explore your career opportunities and see if you even enjoy working with children.

Q: Have the changes required by the pandemic changed your perspective on anything?

Griffith: My perspective through this difficult time has changed many times along with the challenges. I believe the many changes around us may have burnt some students out, maybe professors, too. It is difficult to sit on Zoom for hours of the day, email back and forth, and tackle academic assignments on top of the newly altered home life. I can understand that this change can leave people feeling unproductive, unmotivated and overwhelmed. The pandemic is draining on many sides of the spectrum. I am hoping that students, as well as teachers, both see one another's point of view of our unique situation. And while I wonder what the new semester will bring, I intend to make this semester an experience tolearn from and reflect on later on in my career as a teacher.

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Fresh perspective on learning | UDaily - UDaily

The theater programs page on St. Ambroses website still listed two majors theater, and secondary speech and theater teaching and a theater minor as of Tuesday. It also provides other details about the program.

The petition was started by Erika Seabloom, an SAU senior and a speech and theater teaching major.

She said she and other majors were notified of the possible change by the university when it asked for their input as part of its review.

Seabloom said she provided her own input, as well as a link to the petition and quotes from people who signed it.

The hope of the effort is to inform the university of a theater degrees impacts that may not be quantifiable by dollar amounts or figures.

Graduates from the program have a good reputation among employers, Seabloom said. Such a change would deny future and prospective students of a degree that produces respected and decorated alumni.

Seabloom also used herself as an example the theater program led her to choose St. Ambrose.

Theater is my passion, she said. It is my future career.

St. Ambrose University's Associate professor and Biology Chair Neil Aschliman teaches his morning class Human Anatomy and Physiology, in Davenport.

Students listen and take notes during A class at St. Ambrose University earlier this month. The university reports 11 students have tested positive for COVID-19.

St. Ambrose University Associate Professor and Biology Chair Neil Aschliman teaches his morning class Human Anatomy and Physiology on Monday.

St. Ambrose University's Associate professor and Biology Chair, Neil Aschliman teaches his morning class Human Anatomy and Physiology, in Davenport, August 31, 2020.

Students listen and take notes during St. Ambrose University's Associate professor Neil Aschliman class Human Anatomy and physiology, in Davenport, August 31, 2020.

St. Ambrose University's Associate professor and Biology Chair, Neil Aschliman teaches his morning class Human Anatomy and Physiology, in Davenport, August 31, 2020.

Students listen and take notes during St. Ambrose University's associate professor Neil Aschliman's class Human Anatomy and Physiology Monday.

St. Ambrose University's Associate professor and Biology Chair, Neil Aschliman teaches his morning class Human Anatomy and Physiology, in Davenport, August 31, 2020.

St. Ambrose University's Associate professor and Biology Chair, Neil Aschliman teaches his morning class Human Anatomy and Physiology, in Davenport, August 31, 2020.

St. Ambrose University's Associate professor and Biology Chair Neil Aschliman teaches his morning class Human Anatomy and Physiology, in Davenport.

Students listen and take notes during A class at St. Ambrose University earlier this month. The university reports 11 students have tested positive for COVID-19.

St. Ambrose University Associate Professor and Biology Chair Neil Aschliman teaches his morning class Human Anatomy and Physiology on Monday.

St. Ambrose University's Associate professor and Biology Chair, Neil Aschliman teaches his morning class Human Anatomy and Physiology, in Davenport, August 31, 2020.

Students listen and take notes during St. Ambrose University's Associate professor Neil Aschliman class Human Anatomy and physiology, in Davenport, August 31, 2020.

St. Ambrose University's Associate professor and Biology Chair, Neil Aschliman teaches his morning class Human Anatomy and Physiology, in Davenport, August 31, 2020.

Students listen and take notes during St. Ambrose University's associate professor Neil Aschliman's class Human Anatomy and Physiology Monday.

St. Ambrose University's Associate professor and Biology Chair, Neil Aschliman teaches his morning class Human Anatomy and Physiology, in Davenport, August 31, 2020.

St. Ambrose University's Associate professor and Biology Chair, Neil Aschliman teaches his morning class Human Anatomy and Physiology, in Davenport, August 31, 2020.

Standing next to the grotto outside from her office, Sister Joan Lescinski, President and Professor of English at St. Ambrose University is retiring.

Sister Joan Lescinski, President and Professor of English at St. Ambrose University is retiring.

Sister Joan Lescinski, President and Professor of English at St. Ambrose University is retiring.

Sister Joan Lescinski, President and Professor of English at St. Ambrose University is retiring.

Sister Joan Lescinski, President and Professor of English at St. Ambrose University is retiring.

Sister Joan Lescinski, President and Professor of English at St. Ambrose University is retiring.

Sister Joan Lescinski, President and Professor of English at St. Ambrose University with a wall of inspirations and memories in her office is retiring.

Standing next to the grotto outside from her office, Sister Joan Lescinski, President and Professor of English at St. Ambrose University is retiring.

Sister Joan Lescinski, President and Professor of English at St. Ambrose University is retiring.

Sister Joan Lescinski, President and Professor of English at St. Ambrose University is retiring.

Sister Joan Lescinski, President and Professor of English at St. Ambrose University is retiring.

Sister Joan Lescinski, President and Professor of English at St. Ambrose University is retiring.

Sister Joan Lescinski, President and Professor of English at St. Ambrose University is retiring.

Sister Joan Lescinski, President and Professor of English at St. Ambrose University with a wall of inspirations and memories in her office is retiring.

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Petition defending St. Ambrose theater circulating online | Local Education - Muscatine Journal

CLEVELAND, Ohio If the coronavirus has you staying at home to take classes online this fall instead of heading to a campus setting somewhere, heres a pennywise thing to consider explore enrolling at a lower-cost school and transferring those credits later to your regular college or university.

The difference could be thousands of dollars.

I first discovered the cost savings by accident long ago after taking a job in Cleveland with a few credits to go at Ohio State. I ended up paying Cuyahoga Community College $23.50 a credit hour on the old quarter system, about half the going rate at the time at Ohio State. But the courses counted the same, transferred just fine, and I graduated a short time later from OSU.

More has changed than the rising cost of education since the late 1980s. Its easier than ever to identify what classes will transfer and, with expanded online options, youre not even restricted to nearby schools.

This is something that could be the right fit for both existing college students, or recent high school graduates who may be altering what had been their plans to move away to school this fall.

At the very least, its worth considering.

A: Thousands of dollars for a full-time student, hundreds on an individual class.

A 2019 report from the Ohio Department of Higher Education found that for the previous year, 51,000 Ohio students saved $70.7 million by transferring work from lower-cost schools to more expensive institutions.

Scaling that down to an individual student, the price difference between Ohios public universities and its two-year colleges averages close to $2,600 a semester.

The average tuition and fees (not counting room and board) was $4,975 a semester at the main campuses for state universities this past school year, according to the Department of Higher Education. At Ohios two-year colleges, the average was less than half that - $2,369 a semester for a full-time student.

Two-year schools in the Greater Cleveland area are among the least expensive in the state, in part because of local property taxes that help pay the bill.

For example, taking 15 credit hours at Cuyahoga Community College would cost $1,788 this fall in tuition and base fees for county residents, unchanged from this past school year, or a little higher for those outside the county. A Kent State freshman on KSUs main campus would pay close to $5,800 for the same number of classes.

But its worth shopping around to see if there are any special incentives. For example, Cleveland State is offering incoming freshman a 2-for-1 deal: complete the fall semester with at least a 2.75 grade point average and attend spring semester tuition-free after other financial aid is applied.

Tuition and fees for full-time students at Ohios public two-year colleges average about $2,600 less than attending classes on the main campuses for the public universities, according to the Ohio Department of Higher Education.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

A: Yes. Its embedded in Ohios public education system, and a lot of private schools follow similar acceptance policies on transfer credits.

Sean Broghammer, associate vice president for enrollment management and admissions at Kent State, said he does believe there is a value in an on-campus experience, from developing lasting career-driven relationships with professors to learning from peers and experiencing campus life. But being on campus all the time is not for every student, and that could be more so the case this fall because of COVID-19.

Our biggest concern is that we want students to complete. We want students to make progress. If they want to take a semester off, we want to help them ensure the course they are going to complete will transfer back to Kent, Broghammer said. Were seeing a decline in the traditional student population. I think transfer is a way more students will complete their college degrees.

Back in 1989, Ohio started what is called a transfer module, so students would know exactly what credits will transfer between public schools in the state, including both two-year and four-year schools, explained Paula Compton, associate vice chancellor for articulation and transfer at the Department of Higher Education.

It was a combination of the state legislature passing some legislation for better cooperation. Then we had colleges and college presidents thinking this was important, Compton said.

Compton said more than 1,000 faculty currently work on the program to help certify that courses are equivalent from one school to the next.

In getting started, Compton suggested two websites that can help a student quickly determine what classes will qualify for transfer credit, the states own website at transfercredit.ohio.gov and transferology.com, which provides details for schools in many states.

On the Ohio system, if youre searching for what classes will transfer for what credit between institutions, navigate to the Transfer Guarantee Reporting System or the Transfer College Credit pages with this direct link. By choosing the course equivalency comparison option, you can see where the same courses are offered and what they are called from school to school.

For example, macroeconomics ENCM 151 at Lorain County Community College is equivalent to ECON2030 at Bowling Green State University.

The transferology site offers a nifty option to enter a class requirement from your regular school to see a list of other schools with matching classes eligible for transfer. For instance, if youre looking for a class that will count as Introduction to Economics at the University of Akron, the search returns 45 options just among Ohio schools. This site requires a free registration.

In both cases, however, its a good idea for current students to talk to their advisers. You dont want to take a class that doesnt end up counting fully. For instance, even if a class transfers as credit, there might be other limits, such as the number of classes taken elsewhere that can be counted toward a major or minor.

Most four-year universities are going to have transfer credit guides, Kent States Broghammer said.

A. No. My two sons each took some community college classes in the summers while they were completing their degrees at Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan universities.

For one, it worked to take online classes at Cuyahoga Community College. The price was right. The class options fit. And it was easy to stop by the school for enrollment questions or to pick up required materials at the bookstore. The credits transferred without a hitch.

For the other, the class he wanted wasnt offered in the area. But the online search tools identified Belmont College, a two-year state school near St. Clairsville, 135 miles away.

He double-checked with BG to make sure the course would fulfill his requirement, enrolled remotely and took the class online. Everything worked out smoothly, and he is yet to walk through the doors at Belmont College.

Its going to be easier to find general education requirements elsewhere, such as typical entry level courses. But it is possible to take care of some upper level requirements as well.

A: Yes it can. Some recent high school graduates may be thinking about putting off their college plans a year; call it a coronavirus-related gap year.

For those students, another idea to consider may be taking classes online at home through a community college and then going away to campus next year as an incoming sophomore, said Jack Hershey, president of the Ohio Association of Community Colleges.

An online plan this semester eliminates at least some uncertainty, Hershey said. Its the safest way to make sure you stay on track this fall. We cant predict what this virus is going to do this fall.

You do gain something from being in a physical environment while learning, especially if you live at a campus environment. But if you are not going to get there this fall, community college is an option.

The dollar savings can be as much as a typical student normally borrows for a year.

A: Sometime this summer.

We have an understanding that people are going to be making late decisions this year. I think you have plenty of time if youre thinking about this in the next month or so, Hershey said. Every community college is open enrollment. You dont have to go through SATs and things like that.

Angela Johnson, vice president of enrollment management at Cuyahoga Community College, said students can enroll right up to the start of classes on Aug. 24. But she said its a good idea not to wait to the last minute, adding that Tri-C does not charge an application fee.

If everyone waits until the last minute, it can be busy, Johnson said. We have quite a few students right now who are looking at this opportunity, pre-transfer conversations, the transient confirmations.

Transient is the college term for a student who is staying enrolled at another school say Ohio State but taking classes temporarily elsewhere, such as Tri-C. The procedures are a little different.

For example, Johnson said, financial aid such as student loans for transient students must be coordinated under agreements with the school of permanent enrollment.

A: There will be more options than before for online.

Traditional online education might not be for everyone. Typically, it has meant staying focused on assignments and checking in online for the next requirements.

But a lot has changed, and those changes are being accelerated this summer in preparation for the first fall semester of the COVID-19 era.

There will be more offerings at many schools for students to meet as a class online with the instructors, rather than working as much on their own or just watching recorded lectures.

Its a nod to the traditional learning environment. Kent States Broghammer said professors were consulted about what would work best for individual classes: in-person, remote or a hybrid of the two and for remote whether there would be live lectures.

At least 60% of our traditional in-person courses will be taught remotely, Broghammer said. Our classroom space creates a challenge for social distancing, adding that any course with at least 50 students will be taught remotely.

Hershey made the pitch that community colleges are especially experienced with online education: Weve been doing it for years. We had to do it for an adult population who may have had kids at home who could not come to campus three days a week.

A: Predictions are for higher community college enrollment statewide.

Typically during economic downturns, enrollments at community colleges go up. Reasons could involve people seeking new job skills, having more time to take classes, or searching out lower-cost alternatives to four-year schools.

As the country was coming out of the Great Recession, community college enrollment in Ohio in 2010 increased to an all-time high for full- or part-time students of 211,260.

Then, as the economy recovered, enrollment declined 19% to 170,945 by 2015 returning to about where it was at ahead of the recession in fall 2007. Four-year schools didnt see the same swings, with enrollment slipping off just 2% from 2010 to 2015, according to state data.

Tri-Cs Johnson said because of the late-enrolling nature of community college students, especially those looking for transfer credit, its very difficult to predict whether enrollment will spike this fall.

Statewide, however, Hershey, from the community college association, said evidence is developing that enrollment will be up at the two-year schools.

We have seen it in the summer already, Hershey said. We have also seen very late-breaking decisions by families and students.

Thats another reason it makes sense for students to begin exploring their options now, especially in confirming with colleges what classes will transfer and count toward degree requirements if they are already enrolled elsewhere, even if the ultimate decision will come later this summer.

Rich Exner, data analysis editor, writes cleveland.coms and The Plain Dealers personal finance column - Thats Rich! Follow on Twitter @RichExner. See other data-related stories at cleveland.com/datacentral.

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Taking college classes online this fall? Heres how students can save a lot of money Thats Rich! - cleveland.com

Structural biology education commonly employs molecular visualization software, such as PyMol, RasMol, and VMD, to allow students to appreciate structure-function relationships in biomolecules. In on-ground, classroom-based education, these programs are commonly used on University-owned devices with software preinstalled. Remote education typically involves the use of student-owned devices, which complicates the use of such software, owing to the fact that (a) student devices have differing configurations (e.g., Windows vs MacOS) and processing power, and (b) not all student devices are suitable for use with such software. Smartphones are near-ubiquitous devices, with smartphone ownership exceeding personal computer ownership, according to a recent survey. Here, we show the use of a smartphone-based augmented reality app, Augment, in a structural biology classroom exercise, which students installed independently without IT support. Post-lab attitudinal survey results indicate positive student experiences with this app. Based on our experiences, we suggest that smartphone-based molecular visualization software, such as that used in this exercise, is a powerful educational tool that is particularly well-suited for use in remote education. 2020 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

PubMed

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Rapid deployment of smartphone-based augmented reality tools for field and online education in structural biology. - Physician's Weekly

Student in class from home during lockdown

When the pandemic hit hard in March, virtually all U.S. universities switched to online education in a matter of weeks. With no time to prepare, instructors delivered lectures via videoconference, just as they would have face-to-face. Unsurprisingly, results were mixed, with many students and parents concluding that online courses arent worth the price of tuition. With the pandemic still raging, faculty are working hard to prepare for another semester of online education.

Were missing the forest for the trees. The real challenge is that the value propositions of most universities have been deteriorating for years. Universities have become too expensive leading to crushing debt burdens for many. Were not providing access to higher education at the necessary scale. The world has changed but universities havent adapted nearly enough.

Paving cowpaths

In 1990, Dr. Michael Hammer launched a management revolution with an article in Harvard Business Review, aptly titled Reengineering Work: Dont Automate, Obliterate.

Frustrated by the disappointing returns that companies were getting on large tech investments, Dr. Hammer wrote: It is time to stop paving the cow paths. Instead of embedding outdated processes in silicon and software, we should obliterate them and start over. We should reengineer our businesses: use the power of modern information technology to radically redesign our business processes in order to achieve dramatic improvements in their performance.

Universities have endured in the same form for centuries - professors lecturing from the front of a room to students sitting behind desks. Courses follow a standard, linear structure, meeting each week with assignments in between. While many students live in a digital world, not much has changed other than PowerPoint slides replacing blackboards and chalk.Sure, some universities have implemented learning management systems like Canvas, but these are used primarily to share syllabi and disseminate grades. The essential experience hasnt changed.

Software thinking

Think of a university like you would Netflix, offering a curated and personalized catalog of online (and offline) courses in a variety of fields. Online courses can be offered live or on-demand and can be designed to include varying degrees of interaction with the instructor. Recorded content can be released on a schedule or all at once. Consider the possibilities.

Many courseslike a class on Shakespeare or Introductory Accountingdont require new content for years on end. A class recorded once and offered multiple times reduces instructional costs while increasing convenience for students. Yet, we teach the same class anew every semester. We rarely offer entire courses on demand. In the software world, reuse is a virtue. In education, its an afterthought.

Software codifies and scales knowhow. At the 10-campus University of California, we do not leverage scale; instead each campus operates independently. Some introductory classes are taught dozens of times a year system-wide, and the university pays an instructor for each offering. In the physical world, this made sense. In software, where the biggest advantages include zero marginal cost and no capacity limits, this makes little sense.

Software companies adopt a modular and agile approach to product development. A look under the hood reveals that standard modules are sourced from vendors and accessed by APIs. Similarly, universities should build offerings from existing courseware when appropriate. In many foundational subjects, excellent online courses exist, but offering these to students disrupts a universitys business model. Just as streaming services offer on-demand experiences with world-class performers, a university could offer classes with the best professors. Furthermore, when new capabilities (like machine learning) are widely needed but the talent to teach them is scarce, this approach will facilitate widespread skills development.

Digital technologies have democratized content creation. Some of the most valuable software systems were built by open source communities. Individual creators have contributed to the store of knowledge through Wikipedia and platforms like YouTube in diverse domains. Yet, universities rely on proprietary lecture content developed by their own faculty.

Just like we view behind the scenes interviews with actors and directors during a Netflix show, online courses can include deeper discussions with experts, offer visualizations and simulations of scientific phenomena using virtual reality, and arrange augmented reality visits to faraway geographies. Wouldnt it be fun and engaging to chat with a tour guide in France as you visit the Louvre for a class in conversational French? Or videoconference with a Walmart executive for a class on logistics? Thinking like a software company encourages course content to be co-created by experts and non-experts.

Do online courses compare in quality?

Theres often an assumption that in-person teaching is better. Certainly, the best instructors, especially those who truly inspire their students, are very valuable but also rare. Like any other population, professor quality varies. Think back to your time at university.

Like programmers do while writing and reviewing code, professors can try multiple takes in recorded segments. In contrast, there are no do-overs in live classes. Theres a reason why studio recordings have higher fidelity than live performances.

Online classes allow for new course designs. Previously, a professor had no choice but to give the traditional lecture. As the success of Khan Academy has shown, it can be more effective to assign the lectures as homework and spend class time working on problem sets. Features like breakout rooms on videoconferencing services make it easy for professors to work collaboratively in these virtual workspaces with students.

In the consumer software world, user experience is critical. Student engagement has been a longstanding challenge, one that is exacerbated by online delivery. Among other things, instructional design practices require content to be offered in bite-sized segments with frequent assignments and quizzes and hooks into the next module. Theres a reason that TED talks are 18 minutes long and drama series have cliffhangers.

In some settings, in-person interactions with professors and fellow students can be better online. In practice, classroom discussions are dominated by the outspoken few. Students who speak English as a second language tend to participate less. Videoconferencing software democratizes the classroom, presenting students equally on an instructors screen, making it easier to draw in students.

Reinventing higher education

It starts with how we see ourselves. Universities are platforms that bring together students and professors. Today, our platform is being digitized and creating new opportunities, but we fail to see ourselves as software platform enterprises.

Companies like Apple, Alphabet, and Netflix have built successful software businesses by operating platforms where they sell their products and services to customers, while also integrating external suppliers.

Universities are closed systems, operating like traditional vertical industry businesses, offering courses only by faculty in their employ. Their structure reflects the design of the product it once was rather than the software business it can be today.

While the economics of digital production and delivery are compelling, I am not making a unilateral argument for online education. Courses in different disciplines have different teaching requirements. Universities serve different student segments with varying preferences and needs. Still, a strong case can be made that universities should more fully integrate this new modality.

We must reinvent education as a software enterprise, employing platform strategies and harnessing software industry practices like open source, modular, and agile development. Doing so will unleash rapid innovation allowing universities to deliver on the promise of higher education.

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Will COVID-19 Save Higher Education? - Forbes