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Archive for the ‘Online Education’ Category

Coding bootcamps you can take online are an "oxymoron" no one … – Quartz

Posted: August 31, 2017 at 1:43 pm


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Silicon Valley will tell you that the future belongs to those who can code. Tales are always trickling in about some 20-year-old at a tech startup raking in six figures a year, about employers courting skilled programmers with all the voracity of sports recruiters hunting down the next Olympic athletes; in todays machine-driven world, programmers are easily one of the most desirable and high-salaried workers.

So the explosion of coding bootcampsvigorous, high-intensity curriculums that cram years worth of programming education into mere weeksmakes sense. What makes much less sense is this: To learn an entirely computer-based skill, why do you still have to attend a bootcamp in person?

A recent article in the New York Times (paywall) highlighted some coding schools that are currently testing blended models, combining in-person and online instruction in order to increase flexibility and accommodate more students. But by and large, most coding bootcampsan industry that in 2017 is graduating 10 times the number of students that it did in 2012, according to a study from Course Reportare bricks-and-mortar institutions. While the Flatiron School, a leading name in the space, debuted an online-only version of its signature program in late 2015, the advantages are questionable: Tuition is only a little cheaper ($12,000 for eight months compared to the $15,000 15-week in-person bootcamp) and its difficult to track students engagement.

Online boot camp is an oxymoron No one has figured out how to do it yet, Ryan Craig, a managing director at the startup investment group University Ventures, said to the Times.

In the end, online coding bootcampswhile a great idea in theorysuffer the same pitfalls of online education at large. They can be much less engaging than a real classroom.

They dont bring students any of the energy and interaction of sitting in a room with ardent, excitable peers, which is particularly important for the supposedly collaborative and forward-thinking field of programming. Some schools like 42, a coding school backed by a French billionaire that plunges students into a four-week pool of training, build their reputation off the interaction of talented and dedicated students. Existing coding schools dont want to risk diluting their brand by offering a subpar online product; new ones dont want to be online-only because they risk spending all their money on expensive technology only to see it fail.

The coding school industry is presently a $266 million market, with ample room still to grow. And unless some radically inventive new education software hits the streets to replicate all the heady spirit of an in-person bootcamp over the internet, it will continue to do so solidly offline.

Read this next: The complete guide to not going to college

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Coding bootcamps you can take online are an "oxymoron" no one ... - Quartz

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August 31st, 2017 at 1:43 pm

Posted in Online Education

In Time of Uncertainty for Undocumented Students, One Tuition-Free Online University Sees Surge – EdSurge

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A tuition-free online university called University of the People has long offered a haven for undocumented immigrants and refugees, and student interest is growing as the Trump Administration considers ending an Obama-era program called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which allows undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children to apply for work permits, social security numbers and protection from deportation.

We have definitely seen an influx of DACA and undocumented students in the U.S. enrolling at UoPeople lately, says the universitys president, Shai Reshef. University of the People is nonprofit andaccredited but tuition-free, with a mission of opening the door to higher education for those who cant get access through traditional channels. We stand with all students who find their futures threatened by this possible directive, regardless of their legal standing inside or outside the U.S.

Theres no federal law banning undocumented immigrants from entering postsecondary institutionsin fact, 20 states (including California, Florida, Texas and New York) offer in-state tuition to undocumented studentsbut most universities require applicants to submit a high school diploma, if not proof of U.S. citizenship. Young immigrants who fall under the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Acts requirements are now able to apply for documentation, thanks to DACA, which started in 2012.

DACA has more than 800,000 participants and continues to grow, according to University of Houston law professor Michael Olivas, who advocated for the legislation and has since studied its impact. Clearly, its met a substantial need.

Even though theyre legally allowed to work and live in the U.S., refugees also encounter obstacles if they decide to pursue higher education. Since refugees are fleeing from war or political oppression, they represent a relatively small number of college-eligible people because education is not their primary goal in relocating, says Olivas. Those who do want to pursue higher education face the same kinds of impediments undocumented immigrants doineligibility for federal funding and in some instances state funding, and often extreme political and economic hardships.

A refugee from Somalia, 33-year-old Ahmed Burale, says he heard about the online university while he was living in a refugee camp in Kenya. Id finished high school in the camp and wanted to go to college, Burale says. Expenses were a problem, so Burale started searching online for scholarship opportunities. I found that UoPeople provides free tuition and only charges for the exam fees. I applied, was accepted, and started my program in 2016.

Burale came to the U.S. in May 2016 and was able to continue his computer-science degree program at the university during and after the transition. The universitys online platform has provided the flexibility hes needed as during a cross-cultural move, adjusting to a new culture and needing to work full-time to provide for his family. Online education is the best thing for refugees, because we need to have some kind of income, Burale says. I can work during regular hours and do my studies anytime. I dont have to pay for textbooks or go somewhere to attend a class.

According to Reshef, the university exists to serve people like Burale. Were dedicated to providing higher education for those who dont have that opportunity elsewhere, he says. We have students coming to us because they cant afford universities or because they live in places where there arent any. For these people, weve opened the gates and created a university thats accessible and affordable.

While the University of the People is technically tuition-free, the institution does require students to pay a small fee$100for each final exam they take. There are a limited number of scholarships available to those who cannot afford the exam fees, Reshef says. To gain admittance, students must either submit a copy of their high school diploma or take an entrance exam. We basically open the gates to everyone, but screen them while theyre coming in, Reshef says. Study with us, and if you do well, we dont care about your high school diploma. The university doesnt require applicants to prove their legal status, either.

Courses are nine weeks long and include reading assignments, homework and online discussions. Because students live in many countries, theres not a specific time when the classes meet, although professors post new assignments every week. The instructor checks in with the class every day, reads everything and responds to posts in the discussion forum, says Reshef. But while their professor is there for them every day, the model is based on peer-to-peer learning. We want students to engage in discussions and learn from each other. By the end of the week, they take a quiz to ensure understanding, and peers anonymously assess all homework assignments. Instructors proctor final exams in real time.

Currently, the University of the Peoples 10,000 students hail from 194 countries, although half of them are in the U.S. Forty percent of our students inside the U.S. were not born heretheyre immigrants or refugees, Reshef says. More than 40 percent of them are first-generation college students, and 50 percent come to us with student debt. All the courses are in English, but the University of the People offers a course for English language learners.

Like Burale, many immigrants and refugees are attracted to online higher education because its portable. Were a university in a box, says Reshef. If you study at a local university, you cant move.

A number of the universitys refugee students are living in war-torn countries, like Syria, venturing to Internet cafs to check in with their classes and submit homework. Were a different kind of university, Reshef says. A lot of our students come to us because they dont have any other options.

For immigrants and refugees who come to the U.S., University of the People wants to act as a doorway for them to study at a brick-and-mortar university, if they choose. After two years with us, theyll have an accredited associates degree, says Reshef. They can then transfer to a traditional U.S. university, such as Berkeley.

While critics question the quality of online-only higher education, Reshef emphasizes the backgrounds of theUniversity of the People's leaders. Our deans are from New York University and Princeton, and administrators from Duke, Vassar, Berkeley, and Oxford set up the standards of the university, he says. Many of our students are coming from hardship, and we do our best to accommodate everything they needand well continue to provide them with accessible, affordable higher education and a chance for a better life, even if President Trump ends DACA.

Immigrants have always played a vital role in United States history, and despite recent political debates, foreign-born Americans continue to make their mark. Since 1980, the U.S. has resettled about 3 million refugees from other parts of the world. More than 1 million people immigrate legally to the U.S. every year, and about 11 million undocumented immigrants live here.

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In Time of Uncertainty for Undocumented Students, One Tuition-Free Online University Sees Surge - EdSurge

Written by simmons

August 31st, 2017 at 1:43 pm

Posted in Online Education

Continuing Education (CE) Online | FINRA.org

Posted: August 20, 2017 at 4:40 pm


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Web Delivery of the Continuing Education Regulatory Element Program

FINRA has transitioned the delivery of the Continuing Education (CE) Regulatory Element to an online format called the CE Online Program. The CE Online Program provides participants with the flexibility to satisfy their CE Regulatory Element requirement from a home or office computeranytime, anywhere.

Note: As of July 1, 2016, all Continuing Education (CE) Regulatory Element programs are no longer available at Pearson VUE or Prometric testing centers. For additional details, review Information Notice 5/16/16. Participants now need to satisfy their CE requirement exclusively via the CE Online Program, unless a disability that falls within the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prevents them from doing so (review FINRA's CE Online Delivery Accommodation page for more information).

Participants completea computer-based session consisting of four modules, and must demonstrate proficiency in order to satisfy the CE requirement.

The formats of the S106, S201 and S901 programsincluding rollovers and resourceshave not changed.

The S101 Program has been restructured to include a personalized module that allows the participant to select one of six different topics (Institutional Sales, Trading, Operations, Retail Sales, Investment Banking and Research) that most closely resembles their job function. AnInformation Notice has been published for the S101 Personalization Program along with a related content outline.

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Continuing Education (CE) Online | FINRA.org

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August 20th, 2017 at 4:40 pm

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International Summit Series: Transforming Online Education – Scientific Computing World

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International Summit Series: Transforming Online Education | Scientific Computing World

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EVENT

18 August 2017

07 September 2017 to 08 September 2017

Attendees will examine the present and future of online education, including some of the ways in which technology can be used to provide an effective and engaging online STEM learning experience that benefits both students and educators. Those in attendance will have the opportunity to network with educators from around the world, discover how online learning solutions are being implemented, and learn about new tools that are being developed to further enhance e-learning opportunities. The summits will feature up-to-date information on Maplesoft products, presentations from users and developers, and training sessions on how to most effectively utilise these online education solutions.

The summits will feature speakers from institutions throughout Europe, including the University of Birmingham, the University of Manchester, the University of Turin, Chalmers University and Gothenburg University in Sweden, the Vienna University of Technology and Delft University in the Netherlands. These institutions have used Maplesofts solutions to revamp the way teachers administer courses and materials and will share their experiences.

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International Summit Series: Transforming Online Education - Scientific Computing World

Written by simmons

August 20th, 2017 at 4:40 pm

Posted in Online Education

Online courses are lowering quality of higher education – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Online courses are lowering quality of higher education
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
With colleges and universities starting up at the end of August, perhaps one should pause to consider the quality of contemporary education. Where once halls were filled with academic banter, today they are often barren places. Studies reveal online ...

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Online courses are lowering quality of higher education - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Written by grays

August 20th, 2017 at 4:40 pm

Posted in Online Education

China Online Education Group (COE) & ITT Educational Services (ESI) Critical Survey – TrueBlueTribune

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China Online Education Group (NYSE: COE) and ITT Educational Services (NYSE:ESI) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and risk.

Risk and Volatility

China Online Education Group has a beta of -1.54, meaning that its share price is 254% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ITT Educational Services has a beta of 1.96, meaning that its share price is 96% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares China Online Education Group and ITT Educational Services gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

ITT Educational Services has higher revenue, but lower earnings than China Online Education Group. China Online Education Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than ITT Educational Services, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings for China Online Education Group and ITT Educational Services, as provided by MarketBeat.

Profitability

This table compares China Online Education Group and ITT Educational Services net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

24.1% of China Online Education Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 62.7% of ITT Educational Services shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.8% of ITT Educational Services shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

ITT Educational Services beats China Online Education Group on 7 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About China Online Education Group

China Online Education Group is engaged in providing online English language education services to students in the Peoples Republic of China (the PRC). The Company operates an online education platform that provides online tutoring programs to students through the Internet. Its platform analyzes teachers teaching aptitudes, feedback and rating from students, as well as background, and recommends suitable teachers to students according to their respective characteristics and learning objectives. The Company develops and tailors its curriculum to its interactive lesson format. The Company offers various courses, which include Classic English and Classic English Junior that are focused on the development of English communication skills. The Company also offers various specialty courses that are focused at situation-based English education and test preparation needs, such as Business English and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Speaking.

About ITT Educational Services

ITT Educational Services, Inc. is a provider of postsecondary degree programs in the United States. The Company offers master, bachelor and associate degree programs to over 45,000 students, and short-term information technology and business learning solutions for career advancers and other professionals. It has approximately 138 campus locations in over 40 states. It offers online programs to students in all over 50 states. It designs its education programs, after consultation with employers and other constituents, to allow graduates prepare for careers in different fields involving their areas of study. It provides career-oriented education programs under the ITT Technical Institute name and the Daniel Webster College (DWC) name. The ITT Technical Institutes offers over 50 education programs in various fields of study across business, drafting and design, electronics technology, criminal justice, information technology (IT), and Breckinridge School of nursing and health sciences.

Receive News & Ratings for China Online Education Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for China Online Education Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.

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China Online Education Group (COE) & ITT Educational Services (ESI) Critical Survey - TrueBlueTribune

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August 20th, 2017 at 4:40 pm

Posted in Online Education

How to Maximize Online Education for Business Success – TechDay News (blog)

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As a small-business owner, you should always be looking for an edge on your competition: the latest tech tools, the best talent, the most effective marketing strategies, etc. Yet, you might be overlooking one of the oldest and most profound methods of improving your business: Education.

Many leaders are returning to school to earn business degrees, which increase their knowledge and prepare them for more advanced challenges, like owning a business. However, because succeeding in business and attending full-time courses on a university campus often dont mix, most leaders have turned to the web for formal instruction. This is perhaps the best strategy for gaining education and experience at the same time - but unless you have a solid strategy, you might not be getting the most from your online program.

First, Research

For so long, online programs were mocked because they failed to provide adequate education. Rather, they were essentially degree mills where so-called students could just pay for the credentials they wanted. Today, thats no longer the case. Nearly all respectable universities offer online programs, and plenty of fully digital schools promise quality education. Still, a few education scams do exist, so it is vital that you only consider an online MBA accredited by established agencies. Accrediting agencies look for standards in educational programs to ensure students receive valuable information and skills. Most schools will list their accreditations clearly on their websites, but you can contact regional accreditation associations for more information.

Some online programs are hybrids, requiring some classroom time in addition to the online component. Further, while most courses are asynchronous, meaning you can listen to lectures and complete assignments around your schedule, some courses are synchronous, where students and instructors are online and available at set times, and lectures are broadcast live over the internet. So, determine the course format that best works around your work schedule and research programs that cater most to your requirements.

Another important consideration is how much different programs cost. Universities that offer both online and on-campus courses are likely to charge the same tuition to both online and traditional students, meaning costs might be high. Meanwhile, primarily online schools are likely to offer lower tuition and fees because their expenses, such as classroom and building upkeep, are dramatically less.

Finally, before you commit to one program, you should learn about available student resources. In business school, student services are nearly as impactful on your future as the courses you take and the information you gain. Vast and active alumni networks, capable and effectual career centers, and more will connect you with peers and professionals that can aid your business now and in the future. If a programs student affairs are not highly rated, you might be wise to consider a different program.

Second, Thrive

While researching and applying to online schools is an achievement, you cant relax just yet. Now its time to turn your focus toward studying. For many online students, the most difficult challenge is learning to self-motivate. On-campus courses are easier to remain focused on, since you must physically attend classes and meet your professors face-to-face. But online courses, especially asynchronous classes, require you to be more independent and stay on top of your workload with less outside management. You must regulate your own participation or else waste time and money while you fail to procure a business education.

The key to self-motivating for online education is to evaluate and set proper priorities. While your business might be most important, your education should be a close second. Your responsibilities to friends and family will need to take a temporary backseat. By setting your online program as a high priority, you will be more likely to complete education-related goals before less-important tasks, ensuring you put most of your energy toward business success.

Finally, to thrive in online education, you must have adequate technology. Before your program begins, you should have a relatively fast computer and uninterrupted access to the internet. Additionally, you should acquire any software required by specific courses, such as QuickBooks for accounting or Hootsuite for marketing. You might want to practice with such tech before courses begin so you will have some familiarity with necessary tech tools.

Third, Succeed

Once you complete your online program, your educational experience isnt over. From the time you start learning to the rest of your days as a business leader, you should apply the knowledge and skills you gain from business school to improve your business. This is the most important step in maximizing online education: Application. It may seem obvious, but this is the step most unsuccessful leaders neglect. Lessons learned are not necessarily lessons used; to maximize your online education, you must be careful not to jump to business decisions and instead review real-world situations as you did example cases in school. Initially, you will make many business mistakes - but you should be able to learn from those, too. If you apply what you learn, you will achieve success.

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How to Maximize Online Education for Business Success - TechDay News (blog)

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August 20th, 2017 at 4:40 pm

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Africa ‘must embrace online learning’ to meet demand for degrees – Times Higher Education (THE)

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After more than a decade of working in UK higher education and growing increasingly exasperated by its strained relationship with the Home Office over the importance of international students Kevin Andrews decided to leave.

I was completely disenchanted with UK higher education. I thought: Im going to go off and do something a bit more interesting, said Dr Andrews, who is now vice-chancellor of Unicaf University, an institution that is working to meet the demand for degrees on the African continent.

Unicaf delivers courses to students in Africa in two ways: by partnering with existing universities to deliver their courses online and, increasingly, in regional learning centres; and through Unicaf University, which is now an accredited degree provider with a campus in Malawi, and one opening soon in Zambia.

Through this combination of online and face-to-face teaching, Unicaf now has 11,000 students, a figure it hopes to increase to 60,000 by 2021.

There is a crisis of capacity on the African continent, Dr Andrews said, pointing out that half the population is under 19 just one of the factors contributing to the spiralling demand for higher education.

To meet that demand, he said, Africa would need to build 10 universities a week, [with] each [one enrolling] 10,000 students every week for the next 12 years. This simply isnt going to happen.

I am not saying that all bricks-and-mortar institutions need to be closed, but it is impossible for African governments to build enough to [educate the population] in the traditional way, said Dr Andrews, who was a lecturer at BournemouthUniversityfor 13 years, leaving in 2006. They have to think about innovations, to think about online as part of the solution.

Among Unicafs current university partners is the University of South Wales, which offers a range of degrees in business, education, psychology, public health, and law on the platform.

Helen Langton, deputy vice-chancellor at USW, said that the institution now has about 2,500 students registering through the partnership. All students are charged the same as on-campus international students, but in reality about 80 per cent of this is covered by scholarships from Unicaf.

One of the biggest challenges, Professor Langton said, is being accepted as real by prospective students.

I think that its an issue because the vast majority of our students are from Africa and they are used to scams Nigeria in particular, she said. It looks too good to be true.

Despite his own disillusionment with UK higher education, Dr Andrews is still looking for more partner institutions in the UK. The gold standard reputation of UK universities remains an attractive selling point.

However, as Unicaf University develops its own brand, he believes that there will be less need for these collaborations. His university is recruiting tutors from a variety of pools, including UK university staff recently made redundant, and a new kind of portfolio academic who undertakes some online teaching for a range of web-based learning platforms.

Our data show thatwhen students realise that Unicaf is real and that the vast majority of people who are running it are from the UK originally, they are quite happy to go with that brand, Dr Andrews said.

chris.parr@timeshighereducation.com

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Africa 'must embrace online learning' to meet demand for degrees - Times Higher Education (THE)

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August 20th, 2017 at 4:40 pm

Posted in Online Education

NBISD Education Expo set for Tuesday – Herald Zeitung

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New Braunfels Independent School Districts Education Expo, hosted by the districts Education Foundation, will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday at the New Braunfels Civic/Convention Center, 375 S. Castell Avenue.

The one-day event will connect district staffers with area businesses and organizations.

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NBISD Education Expo set for Tuesday - Herald Zeitung

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August 20th, 2017 at 4:40 pm

Posted in Online Education

More Students to Take SAT Online – Education Week (subscription)

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August 16, 2017 | Corrected: August 16, 2017

The College Board announced Wednesday that it will expand the availability of a digital version of the SAT this school year.

The company will give a practice version of the SAT online in some school districts in December, and then administer a fully operational, digital version of the SATand the PSAT 8/9to more students in the spring of 2018, said Cyndie Schmeiser, a special assistant to company CEO David Coleman.

College Board officials couldnt provide an estimate of the number of students who will have access to the online SAT this year, saying only that they anticipate a slight increase in participation in 2017-18, and additional increases in the next few years.

Last fall and spring, more than 5,000 students in 17 school districts took the SAT online, spokesman Zach Goldberg said. Another 5,000 students took the online version of the PSAT 8/9, he said.

Next springs digital tests will take place within the College Boards school day testing program, which serves the 10 states, and about 250 school districts, that give the SAT or PSAT to all of their students.

The 2017-18 expansion of digital SAT and PSAT testing will be conducted on a platform designed by the American Institutes for Research, which powers a number of state-mandated testing programs.

The College Boards announcement comes as assessments increasingly move onto computer screens from pencil and paper. The PARCC and Smarter Balanced exams are required in 20 states and the District of Columbia, and nearly all students take them online. The two national language-proficiency tests for English-learners, designed by the WIDA and ELPA21 consortia, are given online. And as of this year, all tests in the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, are now digital, said spokesman Stephaan Harris.

The College Boards main rival, ACT Inc., has been offering a digital version of its college-admissions test for three years in all 16 states and 1,100 districts that require students to take the ACT, said company spokesman Ed Colby. In 2016-17, 82,000 of the 1 million students who took the ACT through those programs took it online, he said.

Both the College Board and ACT said theyre not yet sure if they will offer a digital version of their college-admissions exams in their national programs. In those programs, students sign up for the test on their own, and typically take it on weekends. But Colby said that ACT testing abroad will be all-digital starting in the fall of 2018.

By making an online version of the SAT widely available, the College Board hopes to supply something that customers with state-, district- or schoolwide contracts have asked for, Schmeiser said. An online option can make it easier to provide accommodations for students with special needs, and might eventually shorten the turnaround time for getting scores back, she said.

Most online tests are still available in paper-and-pencil versions, for students who need that option, and districts or schools that lack the technological firepower for large-scale online testing. The digital SAT will be no different; Schmeiser said there are no plans to do away with the paper version.

Computer-based testing, however, has come with a unique set of problems.

Technology glitches have brought state testing to a halt in some places in recent years. And Education Week found a pattern of students performing better on the paper-and-pencil version of the PARCC test than on the computer version. Scores on some online tests can also be influenced by the type of device students take them on: tablets, desktops, or laptops.

Schmeiser said the College Board has been studying such mode effects as it developed the online SAT, and will continue to do so, but it doesnt see any signs of a problem.

When we offer the SATon paper or digitalstudent scores will be comparable irrespective of the mode or the way they took it, she said.

Years of developing digital versions of other College Board tests, such as Accuplacer, which colleges use to determine course placement, and CLEP, which is used to award college credit, have informed this latest round of work on the SAT and the PSAT, Schmeiser said.

Keith R. Krueger, the chief executive officer of CoSN, which represents chief technology officers in school districts, said most of his members will welcome the chance to have their students take a digital SAT.

Students would prefer to take tests online, he said. They live in a digital world.

But CoSN cautions districts to make sure they are fully prepared for online testing before they venture into it. The organization encourages them to use its suite of free online self-assessment tools to gauge their readiness for digital assessments.

Districts must have adequate security and technology systems to support the tests, must be able to provide good training for staff members, and must make surewell before testing daythat students are familiar with the devices theyre taking the tests on, Krueger said.

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More Students to Take SAT Online - Education Week (subscription)

Written by simmons

August 19th, 2017 at 8:41 am

Posted in Online Education


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