Posted by
in
Uncategorized
Jun 16th, 2004
This via RISMedia from another great weblog covering online education, The Online Learning Update …
There is growing controversy in the real estate industry regarding the regulations and costs to create distance learning, according to RealtyU. During the last couple of years the frustration has been escalating and it appears to have reached a boiling point whereby private enterprise has decided to fight back and challenge the rules, regulations and fees. According to RealtyU CEO and co-author of a new white paper on the topic, Stefan Swanepoel, the advancement of distance learning within the real estate industry is being severely hindered by the current regulations. " The time has come for real estate industry to regain control over the future education of its participants,&lrquo; he said. According to Swanepoel, courses should be presented in a manner that will stimulate learning, meet key objectives and focus on the user and his or her needs at any level. RealtyU says that distance learning, as regulated in the current climate, is focused not on the end user but instead on the mechanics of delivery and the needs of individual real estate regulators.
Posted by
in
Uncategorized
Jun 16th, 2004
From the Annenberg/CPB Project …
The goal of the Annenberg/CPB Project is to make a quality higher education accessible to more people. Distance education or distance learning is a concept that has grown in popularity because of advancements in technology, demographic shifts, and the development of high-quality programs. Some distance education institutions, often called "open universities" outside the United States, deliver entire degree programs at a distance.
For a long time, distance education meant sitting in front of a television, listening to a lecture, and corresponding with the instructor or institution via letters. New technologies, not the least of which is the Internet, allow a greater level of interactivity in courses and wider access to more students.
In addition, the increasing demand for post-secondary education by nontraditional students who have personal or professional obligations that keep them from campus has driven the increase in courses offered at a distance.Go here for the full listing.
Posted by
in
Uncategorized
Jun 15th, 2004
About.com has a nice collection of links to free online courses.
Check it out here.
They also rank the ten best inexpensive e-degrees, if you're willing to fork out the money for courses. Most of these are through traditional universities.
You can also find a large number of online universities listed here in the columns. If you click the links they will take you to the university sites where you'll be able to order a prospectus package for free.
Here's an About.com article on if you should even take what most ranking surveys say seriously or not. It mainly depends on what you're looking for, and if you can cut through some of the unscientific nature of these rankings you'll be better off.
It all started in 1990 with U.S. News & World Report's first ranking of U.S. colleges and universities. The issue generated huge sales. U.S. News had created its own "swimsuit edition." Soon a whole new industry was spawned. Money Magazine, Time, Newsweek, World Report, and Mother Joneshave now published rankings.
As the number of college and university rankings increase, so does the debate about their importance and validity. Many academics feel that the rankings are "misleading and dangerous," and that they do not mean much. Here are some of their concerns:
Following on that, Forbes Magazine ranks the top 20 cyberschools here. What you can do is take some of these ranking lists and compare them to others, especially of those you're narrowing down as your choice of school. Once again, most of these are traditional accredited universities with online programs. Here are ten more online universities 'to watch'.
Posted by
in
Uncategorized
Jun 15th, 2004
Gregory Fusco, Vice President for Government and Public Affairs, council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) speaks with Higher Education Digest. Here's a little bit about distance education …
Measuring distance education: The new bill proposes new federal methods to evaluate distance learning.
Accreditors and institutions have developed new ways to measure distance learning. We do not want a new federal rulebook on how to do this. Congress is discussing reviews of distance learning because it plans to expand federal grants and loans to new students and institutions using distance education.Go here for the full interview.
Posted by
in
Uncategorized
Jun 14th, 2004
From The Australian …
With millions of dollars at stake every night, the operation needs its staff to be on top of all procedures.
The casino turned to e-learning as a flexible means of shoe-horning training into staff work schedules. Last year, it piloted custom-built e-learning courses in occupational health and safety, responsible gaming, harassment and fire and emergency evacuation.
Such was the success of the operation, the programs, from TheCyberInstitute, are being made available to all staff this year, Conrad workplace development manager Vicki Barlow says.
"People are very happy with it and like the flexibility. If they can find half an hour of downtime on the floor, they can just whip away to a computer at the back and do some training and, if needed, go back to the floor," she says.
Posted by
in
Uncategorized
Jun 14th, 2004
I'll try to collect these weblog links as I come across them. Here are a few more I've found. Some are more e-learning oriented than others, but you'll just have to look around.
Educational WeblogA weblog following the use of blogs in Education.
The DumpIssues in rhetoric, comp lit, and other English language programs.
Toucan House Knowledge ExchangeNice weblog that has a repository of articles, documents and links that reflect our intellectual and philosophical journey through the world of blended and eLearning.
BBC Blog by CarolMusings on learning, particularly e-learning.
The Digital SocietyIssues surrounding society in the digital age.
E-Learning Eclectic
News from the e-learning field.
Weblog EdAbout weblogs in education.
Posted by
in
Uncategorized
Jun 11th, 2004
Hey, I want to try something new here. If you're attending or have gone to an online university, I'd like to hear how satisfied or not you were with your programs. What I'd do is interview you and write up a little 500 word story to put up on the site here.
If you're interested, please contact me at michael@creative-weblogging.com with Online University Testimonials in the subject line. Otherwise you can also post here in the comments and I'll get back to you.
Thanks.
Posted by
in
Uncategorized
Jun 9th, 2004
I've found some very good notes and a story link at On Education: Schools for a Civil Society blogged by a teacher in British Columbia that some of you may find interesting. Specifically this link goes to his notes on a presentation about boys and education, as well as an older story 'Are Boys Getting Dumber?' Here's a less confusing link.
And an excerpt …
As if educators didn't have enough to worry about, they're now growing concerned about how badly boys are doing in high school. Then again, maybe they're not concerned enough.
Pat Clarke, a former president of the BC Teachers' Federation, raised the alarm locally a year ago. After a dozen years in administrative posts, Clarke returned to the classroom in 1995 and was startled at the changes he found. Not only were boys doing worse academically, but girls were now dominating the whole school culture: running the clubs, the student council, everything.
"The boys who were good were very good," Clarke says, but 80 per cent of the students on his school's honour roll were girls. And boys were five or six times as likely to be discipline problems. The more teachers he talked with, the more Clarke realized his school wasn't just a local exception. And when he published an article in the BCTF magazine Teacher, in January 1997, colleagues all over the province wrote and phoned to confirm his impression.
Posted by
in
Uncategorized
Jun 8th, 2004
From the Motley Fool … perhaps some of the business students out there would be interested in this for papers, or perhaps even starting their own.
Have you ever considered forming or joining an investment club? You should. Whether you're a novice or seasoned investor, a club can be a very effective investment tool. In investment clubs, members pool their money, their know-how, and their time to make investment decisions together.
There are many such clubs nationwide — more than 25,000 alone are registered with the National Association of Investors Corp. (NAIC). Clubs typically have 10 to 20 members and meet once a month. Each member contributes small sums monthly to a pooled account, researches stocks individually or in groups, presents findings to the club, and votes on investment strategies.
