DC DISPATCH-It was only a few weeks ago -- although it now seems like a different age -- that I began preparing my return to graduate school using an online distance learning platform rather than an in-person classroom.

At the time, I detected bias against Internet classes as being somehow lesser than in-person sessions, and even found myself explaining that there were also on-campus requirements and the entire educational world was headed toward a hybrid, campus-and-online future.

What a difference a few weeks has made, in so many ways. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the paradigm of how we think about online education, as millions of students from elementary school to graduate school have experimented and realized this is a viable alternative to crowded in-person classrooms. The pandemic threat has compelled hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide from USC to MIT to close their classroom doors and shift instead to online education.

The question is, when the age of COVID-19 passes, how many of these schools will shift back to in-person education after millions of students have seen firsthand the potential benefits of the online education alternative. Any lingering confusion or stigma about online classes is quickly being erased, as students from elementary school to medical school are now getting their education over the internet instead of in person.

Make no mistake, the virus has changed American education forever and the biggest misconception is that we are quickly transitioning into a temporary fix. College campuses will eventually re-open and students will return to mostly in-person instruction, but their distance learning experience willleave lasting impressions -- either good or bad, depending on how well they and their educational institutions adapted to the new model.

A recent story in The Washington Post, It Shouldnt Take a Pandemic: Coronavirus exposes Internet inequality among U.S. students as schools close their doors, illustrates the chaos. The Post reported on a teacher at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., who asked her liberal arts students, how they would feel if instruction next term shifted online. The Post reported that in response, she heard a wave of concerns from her class students didnt like message boards, they werent sure where they would live, they werent clear what they would eat, and they were concerned about issues of technology. She also noted also noted that some of the students use smartphones, not desktop computers, to access online assignments.

Yet, the use of smartphones is another reason the advances in distance learning will stick. It shows that, really, this future was already well on the way.

Even K-12 students were typically accessing some aspects of education online, albeit homework and school communications. Those systems were ill suited to adding classes, but they are being pressed into service. Indeed, even commercial workplace services like Zoom are being applied to education.

So now, millions of students and their families who would have given little thought to distance learning are arranging at-home desks and logging on. Even this most basic acceleration comes with a full measure of chaos, especially in K-12 where economic disparity and the digital divide more often collide, but this is a shared national experience like few others. Only weeks ago, distance learning was being marketed in terms of cost savings for prospective students, realistic mid-career alternatives for at-home parents who need to care for children, continuing careers while earning degrees online, and expanded access in under-served communities that lack on-campus educational opportunities at all.

Now in this time of pandemic, by giving millions of students a way to continue their education without classroom learning alongside dozens or hundreds of strangers, distance learning is saving lives.

The long-term distance learning future is easy to see, even if the timetable remains unclear. Just this month, the U.S. Department of Education announced it would allow schools to use online learning techniques without having to go through the usual approval process.

The next phase of the distance learning acceleration will be the migration away from the stop-gap chaotic systems adopted in haste and by necessity by educational institutions nationwide into organized, structured platforms designed to take advantage of online learnings upsides while minimizing the downsides.

In this respect, the colleges, universities, and programs that already have established online programs will have a clear head start and be best positioned to benefit from the heightened awareness of online educations potential advantages.

The program Ive applied for, the Masters of Science in Integrated Design, Business and Technology, already illustrated the hybrid dynamic, promising that students work closely with peers, professors and industry and field experts to apply the skills and knowledge they gain in real-world scenarios the online learning environment, as well as in-person residency experiences, allow us to facilitate this dynamic and engaging experience. I received my formal acceptance letter last week and am thrilled at the prospect of returning to my Alma Mater.

The USC online management partner for years has been 2U, a Maryland based company that has been partnering with colleges for more than a decade and counts more than 70 universities in its portfolio not the stuff of chaos hodgepodge and an example that the future was already here for some of us.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced all of us to adapt in all kinds of ways but in rare instances, to learn and grow as well. Millions of students of all ages have had the enforced opportunity to discover the possibilities and alternatives that distance learning can present.

Its hard to see any silver linings when youre social distancing in your basement, but at least this is one.

(SaraCorcoran is publisher of the National Courts Monitor and writes for CityWatch, Daily Koz, and other news outlets.) Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.

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Of Pandemics and Paradigms: How COVID-19 has Transformed Perspectives on Distance Learning - City Watch

GODFREY - Lewis and Clark Community College has been honored to serve and be a part of the communities that make up District 536 for the past 50 years. The college district was given the opportunity to purchase the historically significant Monticello College campus in 1970. The all-female college was established in 1838 and saw its last graduating class in 1971. The Monticello College Foundation continues to support Lewis and Clark today through financial contributions and scholarship support.

Although 2020 hasnt shaped up to be the 50th anniversary celebration we envisioned, were here to weather the storm alongside our communities, and were reinventing ourselves to serve our students and others in a time of great need.

The college is currently conducting instruction online, in lieu of face-to-face meetings, and preparing for online instruction through the summer. Weve added extra supports to help transition academic and student services to a virtual environment to keep our constituents safe and at the same time, empower students to overcome obstacles and achieve academic success.

Current students will soon be able to access more than $1 million in emergency federal aid to help with education and training at Lewis and Clark through the CARES Act. The Lewis and Clark Community College Foundation is also raising money to create a Student Emergency Relief Fund for additional support.

The college strives to be a good neighbor and community partner as well. We are working with our area healthcare providers to understand their needs at this time and to develop ways we can be a support for those on the front lines of COVID-19.

We are proud that many of those on the front lines are Lewis and Clark alumni nurses, EMTs, paramedics, law enforcement, firefighters and more all working harder than ever to keep our communities safe. Were beyond proud of their contributions and honored to call them fellow Trailblazers.

We know that many in our communities are struggling and perhaps rethinking their future in the wake of this pandemic. Lewis and Clark is here to help.

Students eager to retrain quickly or join the workforce sooner can earn a certificate or a degree and get started in a new career in just two years or less. Transfer students can save an average of $18,396 on their bachelors degree if they come to Lewis and Clark for two years before moving to a four-year institution.

In addition to numerous two-year transfer degree options, Lewis and Clark also offers more than 40 career and technical education programs from Dental Hygiene to Truck Driver Training. Many of our career programs offer students the opportunity to earn competitive salaries upon completion of their certificate or degree. Starting salaries for some programs can be as high as $50,000-100,000 annually. We also offer adult education programs and other non-credit continuing education offerings for everyone from infants to senior citizens.

April is Community College Month. Now more than ever, Lewis and Clark remains committed to making high quality education and career training opportunities not only affordable, but also accessible, to any and all students who wish to pursue their dreams or change their course in life.

Although our campuses remain physically closed, Lewis and Clark remains focused on providing our district residents with these valuable academic and training opportunities. We are here for you during these very challenging times, and reaffirm our commitment to helping our community heal during and beyond this pandemic.

We look forward to the day we can reopen our campuses and welcome everyone back. Until then, we encourage everyone to continue to stay home and stay well during this time.

On behalf of the entire Lewis and Clark Team, we thank the community for its continued support of Lewis and Clark. We look forward to serving you now and in the future.

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April is Community College Month and Lewis and Clark is Reinventing Itself in its 50th Year to Reach Students Through Online Education in the Face of...

Every student can excel in a distance education course, especially at a university with established infrastructure and experience. Source: Bay Ismoyo/AFP

Students pursuing distance education are turning to digital platforms more than ever before, surpassing its traditional correspondence methods.

Research has assessed the capability of online, or e-learning, against more traditional teaching mediums. The benefits of online education stretch far beyond student experience alone, producing graduates who are not only literate but fluent in the most cutting-edge technologies.

One of the most influential studies derives from the US Department of Education. In its report, the Department notes that students who took all or part of their courses online performed better than those who took the same course solely in a traditional face-to-face environment.

On top of this, distance education gives students the chance to sculpt their degree around existing work commitments and future aspirations for a much more affordable price.

Thats why, in the words of educational technology expert Elliot Masie, We need to bring learning to people instead of people to learning.

Here are three leading US providers of online and distance education for your consideration.

UNM online programmes promise flexibility without compromising quality, empowering students with the same graduate outcomes found on more traditional degrees. Courses are offered in a flexible eight-week format, five times per year. Attending UNM online means you have the freedom to earn your degree while you continue to manage the demands of work and family obligations.

At UNM Online you will access course content and interact with peers through a range of multimedia technologies. Every module is delivered in its own unique style, blending to create a study experience free from global boundaries and borders.

UOs Distance Education is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Online courses are offered for a wide range of disciplines, giving students the chance to earn a degree from anywhere with an Internet connection.

The university employs powerful web-based tools to elevate the learning experience. Courses are presented via the Canvas course management system, while some require students to take in-person, proctored exams.

UOs Distance Education programmes stick to the same term schedule as on-campus courses, and credits are awarded in the very same way. One thing that sets UO apart from both regional and global competition is that there is truly no difference between the online curriculum when compared to a classroom-based course.

OSU Online, ranked as the top Online Undergraduate Programme by US News and World Report, prepares all student participants for lasting career success. Here, exceptional members of faculty prepare you to tackle some of the worlds most pressing issues, placing you among like-minded individuals whose potential knows no bounds.

5 major benefits of online learning

A day in the life of an online student

Originally posted here:
3 leading online and distance education providers in the US - Study International News

Universities should charge less for online education and weave collaborative learning into their virtual courses or risk dismal completion rates, according to the founder of a low-cost, online university.

Shai Reshef, president of the California-headquartered University of the People (UoPeople), said he feared that moving [education] online without the right systems and expertise may result in a similar outcome as massive open online courses (Moocs). A2013 studyfound that the average completion rate for Moocs was 6.8 per cent.

All universities are now moving online. But they dont really know what theyre doing, Mr Reshef said in an interview withTimes Higher Education. It reminds me of the Moocs era, where they videoed the professor and believed that was the answerI certainly hope that the experience the universities offer their students right now will not ruin it for them.

Mr Reshef added that some universities are already talking aboutpotentially not opening [their campuses]next year and UoPeople was the natural answer for any displaced students or any institutions that wished to enhance their online offering.

UoPeople, which launched in 2009 and relies on volunteer instructors, is a non-profit online university aimed at disadvantaged students from around the world. Tuition is free but students pay $100 (81) for each exam they sit, taking the total cost of an undergraduate degree to $4,000.

The institution has 31,000 students, 7,000 of whom started this month, and is recruiting 1,000 volunteer instructors. Mr Reshef said that it had seen unprecedented growth from students in China, Japan, South Korea and Italy, many of whom have been laid off and are pursuing degrees to aid future job searches. He expected enrolment to grow to 40,000 by September and 80,000 a year later.

Mr Reshef said that the success of his institution was partly down to pedagogy centred on peer-to-peer, interactive learning. He also recommended that traditional universities charge less for their online courses because the cost of online is a fraction of the cost of traditional face-to-face teaching and were going to have an economic crisis following coronavirus.

Almost every university in the Western world has some courses online, if not full degrees. The challenge, though, is that many of them charge the same amount if you go online or if you do it face to face, he said.

It may be that some universities will say: every year you take x courses, 30 per cent of them will be online, and well reduce tuition by 25 per cent. I think some will go even further and say: study the first two years online and then come to campus for the final two years. Others will just do what we do and go all the way online.

Mr Reshef added that UoPeople had opened up its courses to students at other institutions and offered to train academics on how to deliver their courses online.

Im somewhat worried about the future of online, because if [universities] do it wrong the students will suffer, they will all hate it and then they will decide online doesnt work. My interest is to show them that online is great, but do it right, he said.

Is Mr Reshef concerned that the rapid shift to online education will threaten the USP of his own institution?

If one day I wake up and see that our model worked and all the universities of the world opened their gates to everyone and all the students in the world are being served, I will wake up that morning with a big smile, go back to sleep and probably wake up with another dream, he said.

ellie.bothwell@timeshighereducation.com

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Online university head fears students will 'suffer' from shift online - Times Higher Education (THE)

Dont tell my 11-year-old son Im holed up in my room, pondering whether people are hoarding Ding-Dongs and reclaiming my laptop from his desk. Its a common theme during this COVID-19 pandemic: adults told to work from home are losing their minds as they fight for devices and bandwidth while helping their children learn remotely. At last count, at least 124,000 K-12 public and private schools in the U.S. were closed for in-person schooling, affecting more than 55 million students.

As many have said, this isnt home schooling, where parents prepare ahead of time to teach their children. We talk about virtual learning, said Celeste M. Malone, coordinator of the school psychology program at the Howard University School of Education in Washington D.C., but this is emergency distance education.

How families feel about this upending of school rhythms depends on many things their job situation; the impact of the virus on their circle of loved ones; the content their school is providing; the time and tools they have for online learning; and even how many kids they have and their ages and learning needs. Its one thing to comfort a 16-year-old who is self-directed. Its quite another to help multiple children under 10. Then there are people whose children have special learning needs and often need more intensive support, like my son, who has Down syndrome.

This has prompted the expected outpouring of internet memes and horror stories about stepping out of the shower just as your child comes running with the iPad featuring his entire class on Zoom.

There is another line of thinking, though, that Ive seen circulating on social media or blogs that doesnt sit right with me. It goes something like: This is too much, for families and for schools, and Im not participating in online learning. People will emphasize how much learning and wonder can take place simply by cooking together or doing crafts and art. This is true, as long as parents have time for that. And no one can argue with a familys decision to put less emphasis on academics to focus on survival, especially in the midst of job losses or health concerns.

But underneath some of these arguments is the implication that public schooling is like a sour-tasting medicine being thrust upon us by overzealous educators, when in fact it is one of our most precious civil rights. We owe it to all children, but especially to students of color, those living in poverty or students with disabilities, to hold schools to high standards and look at how educators are making remote learning work.

No one knows yet what distance learning approaches might lead to the best student outcomes, but the research arm of the Department of Education is synthesizing data from families, educators and researchers. In the meantime, schools need to address equity of access first. A Pew Research study from 2018 found that about 15% of U.S. households lacked high-speed internet access, with disparities more pronounced for those with low incomes or who are black or Hispanic. Schools have made major efforts to get students connected, but heartbreaking stories still abound: eager students who have devices but no internet, or others who painstakingly type out assignments on smartphones because thats all they have.

Everything were saying is an issue has always been an issue, said Malone. Ive had longstanding issues with schools doing heavily online communication or using the web to submit work just because this is the wave of the future and people need to keep up. Now were seeing there are real issues and parents arent just being oppositional.

Some districts took weeks to implement formal distance learning, providing printed review packets until they were able to figure out how to supply food to families who qualify, and then how to distribute tens of thousands of loaner devices or get children connected to Wi-Fi.

Offers of free Internet service from local providers dont work for families whose living situation is fluid or who live in rural areas, so many districts are focusing on mobile hot spots, setting up Wi-Fi inside school buses or encouraging people to use school parking lots. In addition, districts including Los Angeles Unified, the countrys second largest, and Dallas ISD have partnerships with PBS stations to livestream programming and communication.

At Baltimore County Public Schools, where almost half the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, Ryan Imbriale is the executive director for learning technology. He said his district was able to hit the ground running because theyve had a learning management system in place for seven years, along with continual professional development. The district is also mailing out paper packets to those who need them. When we come out on the other side, he said, we want to know that all of our kids are engaged.

In the meantime, he said, the focus on technology is paying off. (Students in grades 6 to 12 already had school-issued laptops.) When you get all of these middle school kids in a virtual room together, Imbriale said, its really powerful to see the connection they have with each other and their teacher."

An emphasis on professional development is key, said Joseph South, the chief learning officer for the International Society for Technology in Education, or ISTE. One of my big concerns, he said, is that were going to establish a baseline of what remote learning looks like that reflects essentially one or two days of educator learning.

Thats not what it could or should be, he said. The educators I know are trying to come up to speed, learning three or four systems, translating face-to-face teaching to online, learning how to communicate and then send assignments its a crushing workload, he said.

Teachers are also spending more time communicating with students. A recent survey from EdWeek Research Center found that 74% of all teachers communicated with most of their students either weekly or daily as of April 8, compared with 52% in late March.

Though this is a lot for teachers, its good news for those concerned about students basic needs. A crucial element of feeling emotionally safe is feeling connected with your school community, said John B. King Jr., a former education secretary who now leads The Education Trust, a nonprofit focused on educational equity. He said schools in the Phoenix Union District in Arizona started an effort called Every Student, Every Day, where staff connect with every student to identify challenges and offer support.

The relationship between teachers and students is the true core of education, King said, and efforts like holding virtual educator office hours, is another way to get it right. Great teachers and great schools can make all the difference for kids, King said. By the time I was 12 years old, I lost both my parents to illness. And I can unequivocally say that my teachers saved my life.

Sergio Garcia, the principal of Artesia High School in Los Angeles County, is also prioritizing outreach. I reached him through Karin Chenoweth, writer-in-residence at The Education Trust, who is producing a series of podcasts on extraordinary educators during the pandemic. Garcia said every student and parent at the school, which is 80% Latino and had a graduation rate above 98% last year, has his cellphone number, and theyve been checking in often. A lot of districts are doing enrichment activities only, Garcia said last week. We are continuing to educate. Last year, every senior applied to college.

Staff and counselors checking on students have discovered a trick to reaching those who dont respond: Text them after 9 p.m. If you send them a text at that hour, he said, a 30-second response is a long time. During the day, he said, a large majority are caring for siblings or have other responsibilities.

A willingness to meet families where they are is appreciated by parents, especially those lifting mountains to help their kids. Ay-Shia Baldwin-Jacobs works full time as a manager for Chick-fil-A in the Charlotte, N.C., area. Drive-through and delivery business is booming, so shes an essential worker. Shes been taking her 8-year-old daughter, Malene, with her to work, where her shifts sometimes start at 7:45 a.m. and end at 6 p.m. Malene works on a laptop and her mom sets alarms so she can run over to assist her for a few minutes at key times.

Baldwin-Jacobs is happy with how accommodating her daughters second-grade teacher has been. She brought my daughters work to my job one time because I dont have a car, Baldwin-Jacobs said. At first, she was worried her daughter would lose ground but said teachers at the school, part of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg system, are very proactive and very involved with all of their students. If Malene cant make it to the classroom Zoom session, the teacher will meet with her another time.

Delivering instruction remotely to very young children presents a unique challenge. They are sometimes pre-literate and it requires a much greater amount of parental involvement, said South of ISTE, which is another equity issue not often discussed. More affluent parents are in a better position to assist their children than lower-income families.

Schools seem to recognize that, and many are either not grading or are using a modified grading or credit system. Malone agrees with that approach, because were not grading based on learning, were grading based on other factors like access and space to work. But teachers should still be giving feedback so children can learn, she said.

The experts I spoke with were also very concerned about students with disabilities falling through the cracks. It isnt easy to deliver certain therapeutic supports online or to connect with students who have language impairments. Im pleased with what our public charter school is doing for my son; he loves being on Zoom with his general education classmates or special education teachers.

But some schools and parents are feeling at a loss. Educating All Learners, a new online resource from a consortium of technology innovators and disability groups, is hoping to be part of the solution. The site curates resources, hosts forums and has practical case studies. Saying, We dont know how, or We cant do this is not an acceptable response to the education of complex learners, said Erin Mote, executive director of InnovateEDU, a founding partner.

As with most things in education, it ultimately falls on individual teachers to save the day. Larry Ferlazzo, a teacher, author and blogger for Ed Week, hosts a series of podcasts about teaching during the pandemic. One of the first episodes featured four teachers from around the country.

They said their students uniformly craved connection and told them they wanted to get back to school. David Sherrin, a social studies teacher at Scarsdale High School in Westchester County, N.Y., found a silver lining: We now know for sure, he said, that the way we were doing school was the best way it could be done. Face-to-face learning, that is where education really happens.

He advised other teachers to focus on bringing joy. The more we can make the work joyful and creative, said Sherrin, who wrote a book about authentic assessments, that will be one of the most meaningful things we can do for them.

Vicki Vila is a freelance editor and writer in Charlotte, N.C. She wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News.

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The burden of switching to online education falls mostly on teachers - The Dallas Morning News

People often go back to school during a recession. But what about when schools are closed? Many of those who have lost their jobs or are sheltering at home due to the global coronavirus pandemic are seeking out education online, and Sebastian Thrun expects this trend to continue long after the worst of Covid-19 has subsided. Known as the optimistic engineer who created Googles self-driving car project, in recent years Thrun has become an advocate for online learning as cofounder and executive chairman of education platform Udacity. At a time when many industries are struggling to cope with lost business, Udacity and its peers are doing well. In just one week in March, Thruns company, which offers courses for adults in AI, data science, and business, signed up more students than it had in the second half of 2019.

On Monday, WIREDs editor in chief, Nicholas Thompson, sat down for a chat with Thrun over Facebook Live. They spoke about why it can be difficult to innovate in schools and how online learning is capable of filling many of the voids created by this pandemic. In the past, Thrun says, school districts and university professors alike had been risk-averse. But hes convinced that the move to online learning forced by coronavirus will help naysayers realize that going digital could make it easier for some to learn. Adult education, Udacitys focus, seems like a good place to start: What companies are beginning to realize in this digital revolution is that their own people are an amazing resource. The coronavirus situation, as sad as it is, has really helped that understanding because now lots of employees are sitting at home."

Still, Thrun freely admits that online education wontand shouldntrender in-person learning obsolete. While programs like Udacity excel at teaching hard skills, social skills like empathy are harder to learn through a screen. Computers can help, he says, but having people on your side will always be an advantage.

Hundreds of readers watched and submitted questions for Thompson and Thrun to answer live, and this was the second in a series of four conversations presented by Salesforce in which WIRED will explore what the coronavirus pandemic means for the future of business, education, technology, and health.

More From WIRED on Covid-19

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'Education Is a Human Thing'but Covid-19 Will Push It Online - WIRED

Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), the massive not-for-profit online innovator, is taking the moment of thecoronavirus pandemicto permanently trim its in-person operations to a remotely delivered minimum.

Regardless of when its physical campus in Manchester is safe to reoccupy, SNHU said it plans to cut its base annual tuition charge there from $3,100 (2,500) to $1,000 and to find all available methods of teaching at that price.

SNHU had already been planning to move in that direction over time, its president, Paul LeBlanc, said in an interview. But the virus-driven economic downturn with US unemployment already triple the 8million of the 2009 recession demands that it happen right now, even if all details are not yet finalised, Dr LeBlanc said.

Our families are going to be reeling, he said, and weve got to be prepared with a better answer.

SNHU, with 3,000 on-campus students and more than 135,000 online, has long beencarving outa unique space in post-secondary education that competitors seem unsure whether toenvy or dismisspending moreperformance data.

While for-profit operators have given online teaching a reputation for short-changing students, Dr LeBlanc has emphasised the approachs potential to lower costs and deliver personalised instruction that credits skills gained outside formal class settings.

SNHUs future will retain that approach for its online population while waging an all-out assault on expenditures that are not absolutely necessary on the physical campus.

Easier examples, he said, could include using staff from the online operation, known as College for America, to provide non-academic services such as financial counselling; converting its campus health services to tele-medicine formats; and renting out sports facilities when not used by students.

More fundamentally, Dr LeBlanc envisages more on-campus students taking courses online, plus a rapid expansion of SNHUs Project Atlas, which moves faculty from traditional classrooms to mentor-facilitator roles in which they guide students who learn largely through individual projects or off-campus employment.

Faculty may even be relieved of grading, as SNHU is working with UK-based Pearson to implement assessment systemsdriven by artificial intelligence. Everything is up for debate and discussion, Dr LeBlanc said.

Yet all the computerisation will not mean campusesdevoid of the hum of traditional student activity, Dr LeBlanc said. There is a coming-of-age experience that a campus community offers, he said. You cant do it without the robust presence and interaction of humans.

Although a four-year institution, SNHUs academic programmes have skewed towards offerings regarded as vocational. Dr LeBlanc, however, has long seen demand rising for highly efficient, job-focused instruction.

The 2009 recession sparked a great migration from four-year to two-year schools, he said. That was a dress rehearsal, as bad as it was, for what were about toface.

If SNHUs Manchester campus can open this autumn, its admitted freshmen will have the option of taking their first-year courses there online,with no tuition charge, or getting their deposits refunded, Dr LeBlanc said. Existing students will get their promised traditional classes through graduation.

As SNHU outlined its plans, another leading non-profit provider of online education, Purdue University, alsoreiterated its commitmentto resuming and strengthening its physical campus presence once it can safely do so.

All the evidence reveals, Purdues president, Mitchell Daniels, wrote to the campus community, that students who live and spend more of their time on campus succeed academically at higher rates.

paul.basken@timeshighereducation.com

Read more:
US online pioneer vows greater push to slash post-pandemic tuition - Times Higher Education (THE)

As the COVID-19 pandemic forces universities across the nation to quickly transition from in-person to online instruction, faculty members are focusing on how to make this change while continuing to maintain quality academic experiences and assess learning outcomes.

Sharing insights on creating well-developed online learning experiences that are meaningfully different from mirroring face-to-face instruction in a virtual classroom was the goal of two Virginia Tech faculty members in an article published recently by EDUCAUSE a nonprofit association that helps higher education elevate the impact of IT.

Barbara Lockee, professor ofinstructional design and technologyand Provost Faculty Fellow, and Aaron Bond, senior director for Professional Development Network and interim senior director for instructional design, innovation, and outreach, co-authoredThe Difference Between Emergency Remote Teaching and Online Learningwith lead author Charles B. Hodges, professor of instructional technology at Georgia Southern University; Stephanie Moore, assistant professor of instructional design and technology at the University of Virginia; and Torrey Trust, associate professor of learning technology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The article seeks to help faculty who have been thrust into the online instruction arena better understand the concepts, similarities, and differences in the design of effective online learning and emergency remote teaching.

Each member of the team involved in developing this article has worked in the area of distance and online education at our own universities for many years, said Lockee. We felt that it was important to convey some key points related to the typical design and development of online learning experiences and how these systematic processes differ from crisis response.

According to the article, effective online education requires an investment in an ecosystem of learner supports, which take time to identify and build. It will be impossible for every faculty member to suddenly become an expert in online teaching and learning in this current situation, in which lead times range from a single day to a few weeks. In contrast to online experiences that are planned and designed from the beginning to be online, the COVID-19 pandemic forced institutions into what is known as emergency remote teaching (ERT), which is a temporary shift of instructional delivery to an alternate delivery mode due to crisis circumstances. It involves the use of fully remote teaching solutions that would otherwise be delivered face-to-face or as blended or hybrid courses.

Lockee, Bond, and their colleagues share the concern that challenges related to ERT could create a false impression of the effectiveness, academic strengths, and engagement opportunities of systematically developed online teaching and learning.

Unfortunately, our current quick shift to immediate online delivery didnt come with the luxury of time to engage in the kind of informed decision-making afforded by standard instructional design processes, as we are trying to address an immediate, pressing need, Lockee said. As online learning is commonly perceived to be second best or of lesser quality, we fear that challenges incurred in such a quick transition to an unfamiliar platform and instructional approaches may intensify that perception among some faculty and administrators.

Bond said the quick transition to virtual instruction is a significant challenge in that a full online course development project can take months when done properly. The need to just get courses online is in direct contradiction to the time and effort normally dedicated to developing a quality course, Bond said. Online courses created in this way should not be mistaken for long-term solutions, but accepted as a temporary solution to an immediate problem. Its important to recognize that online courses that incorporate comprehensive course design processes also typically have more time to evaluate tools and pedagogical strategies.

Advancing Virginia Techs commitment to creating experiential learning opportunities for students is another area that has required creative solutions during the online transition. Lockee said that in some cases such a transition is not possible if the experiences require specialized resources, equipment, or access to specific locations. However, in many cases, transition is possible through innovative application of technology and communication strategies.

Alicia Johnson, a visiting assistant professor in Virginia Techs instructional design and technology program, is using creative experiential learning strategies to involve her graduate students in new ways to communicate, manage projects, and create in a fully digitally mediated environment. In one class, students are creating open educational resources specifically for online instructors. In another class, she is helping students work with a client referred to her by the Apex Center for Entrepreneurs at Virginia Tech. Students in her class are creating digital instruction for the clients virtual reality learning product for World Language classrooms.

Johnsons students are using multiple online platforms to solve instructional and training problems for others, as well as gaining experience in the instructional design process and remote project management. They are creating digital design documents, process books, scripts, storyboards, and prototypes using a variety of digital content creation tools that help them design instructional products to share with their stakeholders. They will be showcasing their experiences soon at Virginia Techs Virtual ICAT Day.

As universities continue to use online platforms to teach, Lockee and Bond say that flexibility and familiarity will be key in how effective faculty are in actually educating and engaging students in a virtual environment. I would encourage faculty to stick with technology and tools that they are familiar with and to consider the same for students, said Bond. They should consider the most important components of course content remaining and teach those components. Trying to get everything in with the time remaining will cause stress for students and faculty alike.

Lockee adds that flexibility will be equally important in terms of how faculty create effective online educational experiences for students and also in strategizing how to wrap up the remainder of the semester.

Its a good time to reconsider our original plans and decide which activities and assessments are essential and which may possibly be adapted or eliminated due to time limitations. In some sense, this quick transition to online teaching also requires flexibility in our own expectations of ourselves and our students as well, said Lockee.

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Helping peers across the nation create tools for effective online learning | - University Business

So, what have you been doing lately? All that time youve been saving by not going to the beach or dining in restaurants has been put to good use, right? You perfected your cast weeks ago, learned how to tie flies (you always said you were going to, as soon as you had the time), and your reading list is all caught up.

Now, before you resort to something drastic, like binge-watching The Sopranos or taking a look at the honey-do list, how about doing something to improve your boating skills? After being out there on the water with a lot of yall, I think this might be just the ticket. Im getting tired of having to send up prayers to St. Brendan (patron saint of boatmen, divers, mariners and sailors) and the Flying Spaghetti Monster every time I see another vessel that might cross my path.

To help you out with that, Americas Boating Club, part of the United States Power Squadrons, has some online offerings. Start with their free how-to videos on YouTube. Americas Boating Channel has a bunch of stuff. A lot of it covers the basics (a great refresher; just sayin), and there are also videos that deal with more complex issues almost 100 of them altogether. Start looking through them at https://bit.ly/2RUlkZt.

If you need more in-depth information, there are 10 interactive online seminars that will provide exactly that. Now, these arent free, but theyre not real spendy either at 30 bucks a pop. Choose from courses dealing with weather, using GPS, marine radio, hurricane preparation, AIS electronics, propane systems, cruise planning and more.

Each of the seminars is about two hours long and provides a huge amount of useful information that youll reference time and again. Go to https://bit.ly/ 3522lSp to see for yourself. If youre not sure whether a seminar is right for you, you can preview them for free.

If youre new to boating, you should get started with a basic boating safety course before you do anything else, including take the helm. You can do that online as well (for $35) at AmericasBoatingCourse.com.

Actually, I recommend this course to boaters of any experience level. Ive had people tell me theyve been boating their whole lives but learned something new when accompanying a new boater to one of these courses in person. Ill bet the same is true online.

While these boating courses will be offered again in person, it might not be for a while. Classes always slow down over the summer when our snowbirds are up north, so you might have to wait until fall. Or, you could take them online now in a safe and socially distant way and start becoming a better boater right now, today. It just kinda makes sense to me. And, bonus, its a great excuse to avoid reorganizing the garage.

Contact Capt. Josh Olive at 941-276-9657 or Publisher@WaterLineWeekly.com.

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Be a better boater: Online education will improve your skills - yoursun.com

The Dean of Faculty of Technology at Delhi University (DU) on Wednesday wrote to the Vice-Chancellor highlighting issues with online modes of education and recommended alternative routes.

With regard to efforts taken by teachers to extend educational resources through digital platforms, the Dean, Sachin Maheshwari, asserted that they could only supplement classroom teaching and had to be made available to all students. However, he argued that many students of the university would not be able to access computers, smartphones or high speed Internet, thus, being deprived. Besides this, he highlighted that effective teaching and conducting of experiments could not take place through such modes.

Mr. Maheshwari also raised concerns of a possible rat race wherein restoration of teaching-learning and online evaluation may be proclaimed for nefarious reasons involving financial, political interests.. This could, thus, prove detrimental to academics, he argued.

Mr. Maheshwari said that the need of the hour was to successfully weather the pandemic and consequently cover lost ground with holistic team efforts. He also pointed to other institutions such as IITs which had advanced their summer vacations instead of going through online evaluations.

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