Archive for the ‘Online Education’ Category
Daphne Koller What We Are Learning From Online Eduction – Video
Posted: August 5, 2012 at 1:11 pm
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Daphne Koller What We Are Learning From Online Eduction - Video
Study: Business Most Popular Field of Study Among Online Students
Posted: August 2, 2012 at 4:13 pm
A recent study reveals that business is the most popular field of study for undergraduate and graduate online students.
One out of every three students who enroll in an online education program study business, according to a recent report about online students in 2012 by The Learning House, Inc. and Aslanian Market Research, which included survey responses from 1,500 current and prospective online students nationwide.
Thirty-four percent of survey respondents reported that they're studying or plan to study in the field of business; and fields of study in health professions and social sciences rounded out the top three most popular areas with 16 percent of online students currently studying or planning to study in each discipline.
[See why top MBA programs are embracing online education.]
This trend is consistent in traditional U.S. higher education as well, with subjects in the business field accounting for roughly 20 percent of all bachelor's degrees awarded annuallymaking it the nation's most popular field of study.
More than 90 percent of online students noted that their primary motivation for joining an online program involved their careers: 46 percent reported that their motivation was to advance in their current career, while 29 percent hoped to change careers.
"Changes in people's careers most often directed them to further education," the study's authors write. "Failing to rise to the next level or increase income drives many people back to school to gain the credentials they need to succeed."
[Explore free options for an online education.]
Online students are also motivated to consider online programs or institutions that have a nearby campus or service center, according to the report. In fact, about 80 percent of online students reside within 100 miles of a campus or service center of the program they attend.
"Online students seriously consider physical location when selecting an institution," the report's authors write. "Institutions that offer online programs should promote their programs to local residents within 100 miles of campus."
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Study: Business Most Popular Field of Study Among Online Students
Daphne Koller: What we’re learning from online education – Video
Posted: August 1, 2012 at 9:16 pm
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Daphne Koller: What we're learning from online education - Video
If You Build It, They Will Dot Com
Posted: at 9:16 pm
This week the New York City Council approved a massive construction project for New York University, designed to add hundreds of thousands of square feet in classrooms, office space, and dormitories. Opponents of the expansion plan, many of them residents of NYU's Greenwich Village neighborhood, gathered to protest, holding signs that read, "Wrong for the Village. Wrong for NYU." On the latter point, at least, they were almost certainly right.
Over the last decade, a population boom hit universities and their enrollments swelled. Many universities responded with ambitious and costly expansion plans, buying up land and building massive new buildings. In New York City, for instance, Columbia and NYU -- the city's two flagship universities -- have each made plans for multi-billion dollar expansions. But if these universities were wise, they would be selling off real estate, not buying it.
The hot topic among educators today is the potential for online education to transform higher education as we know it. The general sense is that technology has reached a tipping point -- advancements in interactive web technology now make instruction over the Internet increasingly feasible and effective. Leading universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford have channeled this technology into new massive online courses, which they are making available free-of-charge to hundreds of thousands of students around the world.
These new interactive online platforms have made it possible for a single professor at a leading university to reach, in some cases, tens of thousands of students at once. Lectures are accompanied by computer-graded quizzes designed to monitor student learning. Students can post questions and create discussion groups and interact with other enrolled students from around the world.
This new way of distributing knowledge has tremendous economic advantages. Lectures are limitlessly scalable and it costs virtually nothing to stream course materials over the web. This method of education is still in its infancy, and has not yet advanced to the point that they pose a threat to the traditional residential college model. But that time may soon be coming.
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The current model, centered on the residential college experience, has remained largely unchanged for a thousand years. For all its merits, however, traditional college education is increasingly unaffordable. Tuition costs have risen at a rate above inflation for decades. For many students, this spells hard times, high levels of debt, and uncertain financial futures.
All that remains is for more elite universities to begin to offer meaningful credentials through their online platforms -- something MIT has already begun to do. A world of learners, eager for affordable access to high-quality education, awaits these changes.
Other industries that rely on the sale of information -- such as the book publishing industry, which has been transformed by e-books, or the music industry, which has been transformed by the iPod -- have been utterly transformed by technology. It is not hard to see that the education industry is poised to undergo changes every bit as dramatic.
Online education may not be able to duplicate the in-classroom experience in every way. But studies have shown that it can effective. For most mainstream universities, online education remains a mere sideshow. But the potential for online instruction to make high quality education accessible to the masses at very low cost, means that online education is poised to become the main event.
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If You Build It, They Will Dot Com
World Education University: Disruptive New Player in Free Online Higher Ed Movement
Posted: at 9:16 pm
PALM SPRINGS, Calif., Aug.1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- World Education University today announced itself as the newest player in the free online, global higher education movement. Unique to the space, WEU (pronounced "We You") aims to become acomprehensive, degree-granting institution designed to offer unprecedented access to college diplomas and a better life for the growing millions of underserved, both nationally and around the globe.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120801/CG50189LOGO)
New Hope for the Disenfranchised Founded by seasoned entrepreneurs WEU Chairman and CEO, Curtis Pickering and President and COO, Scott Hines, WEU is committed to a vision of free, global, high-quality education for all, with the core belief that education is a human right and an educated world is a safer, wiser, and more peaceful world. WEU offers a second chance for those to whom a higher education has been economically out of reach. It not only provides new access to historically underserved populations in high-poverty communities and developing nations, but also to the newly disenfranchised middle class who cannot afford the burden of debt associated with a university education.
"Scott and I are both from economically-disadvantaged backgrounds and products of free college education," says Pickering. "It was only because of an athletic scholarship in my case and the Air Force Academy in Scott's that we were both fortunate enough to have access to higher education. We profoundly believe that everyone should have this same opportunity."
Adaptive Learning Model Personalizes Instruction WEU upends the traditional one-size-fits-all instructional model with its proprietary Pinpoint Adaptive Learning System (PALS), designed to meet each student where they are in terms of learning strengths and interests. PALS guides individual student learning paths by continually shifting content in response to ongoing feedback on real time learner data. Self-paced and accessible 24/7, course material and assessments are individualized and the platform is also designed to facilitate online collaboration that promotes communities of learners where students communicate, teach and assist each other. Students begin their individual learning journeys by taking a proprietary Cognitive Learning Assessment, which determines one of sixteen learning styles based on cutting-edge neuroscience. PALS then adapts learning content and modalities based on how each WEU student's brain best processes, stores and recalls information.
It's Not About Paying, But Paying it Forward WEU wants to inspire an entire movement of socially conscious global citizens who will take the gift of a free WEU education and find ways to give back to their communities on both local and global levels. With a "Pay it Forward" button, WEU asks that all students agree to use their education to assist others in improving their life situations and to generally help shape a better, healthier, more just world. This honor system encapsulates the WEU vision and dedication to social entrepreneurship and social equity in today's world of "haves" and "have nots."
WEU plans to launch in Fall 2012 with a range of 21st century course options, including programs and degrees in Business Administration, Computer Science, Chemistry, Fine Arts, Paralegal Studies, Mathematics, and much more.
About WEUWorld Education University represents a game-changing paradigm shift in the American and global education model by providing free education to all. Aiming to be a comprehensive education ecosystem with programs from "Pre-K to Gray," WEU first seeks to be an accredited provider of high-quality university degrees and credentials that are offered to anyone, anytime, anywhere . . . free of charge.
With the education system as we know it broken, high schools failing students in masses and post-secondary programs offering varying levels of instructional quality at extraordinarily high cost, the time is ripe for WEU. WEUbrings a completely fresh perspective to the education model from the outside looking in, building content and programs around the needs of learners and the industries that will eventually offer them jobs.
WEU reflects a disruptive and transformative business model that will forever alter the landscape of post-secondary education to embody the next "big idea" that will change the world. We believe that free university programs and degrees will have massive worldwide appeal, breaking down traditional economic, geographic and cultural barriers for students domestically and internationally. WEU aims to meet the growing demand of the current market, and projects millions of consumers clambering to sign up, login and learn.
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World Education University: Disruptive New Player in Free Online Higher Ed Movement
Online Sage 300 ERP Education Series Offered by HBM Integrated Technology
Posted: at 11:12 am
HALIFAX , Nova Scotia, Aug. 1, 2012 /CNW/ - HBM Integrated Technology Inc. (http://www.hbmintegrated.com/) announced today its " Summer School at HBM," a webinar series featuring five educational presentations for accounting, human resources and sales and marketing professionals who use Sage 300 ERP (formerly Sage ERP Accpac).
The series kicks off with the first program "Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Accpac General Ledger" on Thursday, August 9 at 1 p.m. ADT . Information and registration can be found at: http://www.hbmintegrated.com/accpac_webinars.html#summerschool.
"The series was designed to address the most frequent questions solution end users have about the software," said Garry Beattie , CMA, president of HBM Integrated Technology. "The presentations will help Sage 300 ERP users to get the most out of the aspects of the software they are currently using as well as learn where they might further the benefits of automation and reporting. All of which contributes to a greater return on investment. But more important, it allows them to offload tasks that can be automated and gain more time for more strategic business activities."
Other online presentations in the series include: * August 13 - Using Sage Intelligence to Eliminate Manual Transfer of Data from Accpac to Excel and Improve Reporting. * August 27 - Sage Summit Update. * September 6 - Using CRM in Finance to Improve Cash Flow and Customer Service. * September 20 - Using Printboss to Save Money and Improve Customer Service through Forms Management.
The events take place online, Thursdays at 1 p.m. ADT . There is no cost, but registration is required and can be completed at http://www.hbmintegrated.com/accpac_webinars.html#summerschool or by calling 902-442-3892.
About Sage 300 ERP (formerly Sage ERP Accpac):
The Sage 300 ERP system is, at core, a sophisticated accounting and operations system for small and midsized businesses. Sage 300 ERP also offers HRMS and CRM applications.
About HBM:
HBM Integrated Technology Inc. is a solution provider dedicated to improving the functional strategy of your organization. Representing clients from every facet of industry, government and academia, our consultants provide knowledge-based services and software applications, which will enable organizations to adopt new ways of doing business, and capitalize on core competencies. HBM Integrated Technology Inc. works with organizations to find the right solution to address today's challenges and maximize future potential.
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Online Sage 300 ERP Education Series Offered by HBM Integrated Technology
Online Education Will Leave Many Students Behind
Posted: July 31, 2012 at 7:10 am
Free classes from elite colleges like Princeton and Harvard have generated excitement, but they could actually widen the learning gap
Rooks' book is White Money Black Power: African American Studies and the Crisis of Race in Higher Education
You have probably heard some of the hoopla about elite universities offering free online courses through Coursera, a new Silicon Valley start-up founded by Stanford University computer-science professors Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng. In just the past few weeks, Coursera has added has added 12 universitiesto its lineup, bringing its total to 16, including Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, Duke and Johns Hopkins.
The companys website says its goal is to give everyone access to the world-class education that has so far been available only to a select few, and, accordingly, much of the news coverage has focused on how this will democratize learning.Two weeks after Coursera announced its initial round of partnerships, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced a plan to invest $60 million in a similar course platform callededX, and then a third company,Udacity, announced that it too would join the fray.
Despite near universal enthusiasm for such projects, its important to take a few steps back. First, although the content is free now, its unlikely that it will remain that way for long. According to an analysis of one of Courseras contracts, both the company and the schools plan to make a profit they just havent figured out the best way to do that yet. But more important, I am concerned that computer-aided instruction will actually widen the gap between the financially and educationally privileged and everyone else, instead of close it.
(MORE: Can Computers Replace Teachers?)
This is what has been happening in K-12 public schools. Over the past 10 years, public school districts have invested millions of dollars in various types of online and computer-aided learning and instruction programs, yet few are able to show the educational benefit of their expenditures for a majority of students. Those who benefit most are already well organized and highly motivated. Other students struggle, and may even lose ground.
In terms of learning on the college level, the Department of Education looked at thousands of research studies from 1996 to 2008 and found that in higher education, students rarely learned as much from online courses as they did in traditional classes. In fact, the report found that the biggest benefit of online instruction came from a blended learning environment that combined technology with traditional methods, but warned that the uptick had more to do with the increased amount of individualized instruction students got in that environment, not the presence of technology. For all but the brightest, the more time students spend with traditional instruction, the better they seem to do.
(MORE: Born to Be Bright: Is There a Gene for Learning?)
Supporters of online learning say that all anyone needs to access a great education is a stable Internet connection. Butonly 35% of households earning less than $25,000 have broadband access to the Internet, compared with 94% of households with income in excess of $100,000.In addition, according to the 2010 Pew Report on Mobile Access, only half of black and Latino homes have Internet connections at all, compared with almost 65% of white households. Perhaps most significant, many blacks and Latinos primarily use their cell phones to access the Internet, a much more expensive and less-than-ideal method for taking part in online education. In short, the explosion of this type of educational instruction, though free now, may leave behind the students who need education the most.
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Online Education Will Leave Many Students Behind
Wake Forest University not ready to offer free online courses
Posted: July 30, 2012 at 7:16 am
Wake Forest University is continuing to explore the rapidly changing world of online higher education, but it's not yet ready to join other prestigious universities in offering free online classes.
Known as massive open online courses, or MOOCs, these free classes are the latest trend in higher education, with seven of the top universities in U.S. News and World Report's annual compilation agreeing to put a host of classes online for anyone to take.
Duke University is the latest to join the MOOC movement, announcing last week that it has joined Coursera, a startup company that has teamed with 17 universities to offer free online classes, ranging in everything from astrobiology to world music.
Other Coursera partners include Stanford, Princeton, Johns Hopkins and the University of Pennsylvania. Another company, edX, features courses from Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Most universities do not offer college credit for the classes. However, the University of Washington, one of the new Coursera members, said it will offer college credit to be used toward a degree, for a fee.
More than 650,000 people from 190 countries have taken classes through Coursera since it debuted last fall.
The staff and faculty at Wake Forest have debated the merits of free online classes for several months, with no decisive stand coming from those talks, said Rogan Kersh, the university's new provost.
"To rush headlong into a new, exciting mode of delivery because it's new and exciting is a mistake," Kersh said. "There's a whole set of providers and ventures and combinations and coalitions of schools, and Wake is in that conversation on a bunch of fronts."
The debate often centers around two opposing viewpoints, Kersh said.
"You could view it as an end of itself, that this is how higher education should be and will be delivered," he said of MOOCs. "On the other hand, there's a perspective that this is a wonderful set of tools that can enhance the pedagogical experience, but it's not an end of itself, that you're not providing the full education experience when you're putting it online."
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Wake Forest University not ready to offer free online courses
Online courses open another window to education
Posted: July 29, 2012 at 8:11 pm
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Annette Totten, Oregon Health & Science University assistant research professor, is taking an eight-week Health Policy course from the bioethicist Ezekiel Emanuel online. Mail Tribune / Jamie LuschJamie Lusch
July 29, 2012
Without leaving Ashland and her post as an assistant research professor at Oregon Health & Science University, Annette Totten is taking an eight-week Health Policy course from prestigious bioethicist Ezekiel Emanuel and it's free.
She's doing it by "sitting" in a class of 40,000 students and streaming the course online via Coursera, a new animal on the stage of higher learning that offers 111 courses, most taught by authors and professors from tier-one research universities.
Every Monday, the new lecture for the week is posted, along with homework and test questions, which pop up onscreen and pause the lecture, forcing students to research and write their answers before proceeding, says Totten.
Drawbacks of the system are the lack of college credit though credit is starting to be offered at the University of Washington and huge class size, which forms an obstacle to authenticating who is doing the coursework and also makes it hard to grade individual students, says Hart Wilson, distance education support specialist for Southern Oregon University.
"The difference between MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) and the online courses offered here is the question of scale," says Wilson. "MOOC sounds like most of the interaction is between students, not with the professor. Our online courses have 20 to 30 students and a great deal more quality interaction."
While MOOC classes are scattered across the whole country, interaction does happen, says Totten, with five fellow students evaluating short essay responses, 200 to 300 words each, of any one student, checking off main points that should be there.
MOOC, sometimes called "Mob Open Online Courses," welcomes anyone of any age, student or not, with or without credentials, and has the advantage of connecting students with the most accomplished, creative and credible figures in their field.
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Online courses open another window to education
Amazon’s New Worker Education Program: Good Business or PR Stunt?
Posted: July 27, 2012 at 9:14 pm
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Amazon (AMZN), which has come under intense scrutiny for unfavorable labor conditions at its fulfillment centers, announced a new worker-education program this week to help improve the careers of some of the company's most dedicated employees.
The largest U.S. online retailer plans to reimburse its full-time hourly workers for vocational training at an accredited school. Selected employees would be given $2,000 a year for four years.
The caveat lies in the program requirements. In order to apply and participate, workers must have been with the company for at least three consecutive years.
Amazon posted details about its program on its retail site Monday:
"At Amazon, we like to pioneer, we like to invent, and we're not willing to do things the normal way if we can figure out a better way. It can be difficult in this economy to have the flexibility and financial resources to teach yourself new skills. So, for people who've been with us as little as three years, we're offering to pre-pay 95% of the cost of courses such as aircraft mechanics, computer-aided design, machine tool technologies, medical lab technologies, nursing, and many other fields."
Amazon's Career Choice Program: Good for Workers or P.R. Stunt?
Showcasing the company's new education program on the Amazon homepage has some critics wondering whether this program is nothing more than an attempt to improve the company's image.
Will Oremus of Slate is skeptical and wrote this week:
"There's something puzzling about the company's use of its massively trafficked front page to broadcast this program. In an economy full of unemployed people desperate for work, does Amazon really have to blast all of its millions of customers to find a few hundred new applicants?"
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Amazon’s New Worker Education Program: Good Business or PR Stunt?