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Feb 28th, 2006
Britain hasn't has the best of luck with online universities and degrees, sustaining losses in the hundreds of millions. But still, the nation's higher education advocates persevere.
Open University and Manchester–two of Britain's largest universities–have joined forces to make the first truly successful strides in the industry. They want to make online degrees available for students all over the world, and if their lofty goals are any indication ("We want to change the world") this may be exactly the shock of ambition the online higher education industry needs.
Together they believe they will be well placed to cater for the exploding demand for higher education across the world with joint degrees that will carry an international cachet. They reckon Manchester has the wide curriculum and research strengths, and the OU knows how to reach students other universities don't and, crucially, to support them through a degree.The best of luck to Manchester, Open University, and all other people and institutions who work to make education widely accessible.
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Feb 27th, 2006
ipods have taken over classrooms all over the world. Now a new development is available: testing center extraordinaire Kaplan is making all sorts of test preparation available through iPods.
From PR Newswire:College- and grad school-bound students can now use their iPods for more than music and movies — with the launch of a new podcast series from Kaplan, they will be able to get expert insight on high-stakes entrance exams, financial aid, the shifting admissions landscape, workplace recruiting, and more. The series of downloadable audio clips, which will be accessible via Kaplan's site http://www.kaptest.com and iTunes and free to all, will include perspectives and timely advice from testing specialists,experts at top-tier universities, leading corporations and high-achieving peers.
The Kaplan series has kicked off with podcasts for LSAT takers which provide instant post-test exam analysis, including inside information on the test's ambiguities (such as which segment was the "experimental" section),insight into pacing and test tactics that proved effective, advice on what to do in a variety of scenarios, as well as feedback to students from peers on test anxiety and test rituals. The post-test podcasts available at: http://surveys.kaptest.com/instantanalysis/lsat have already been downloaded nearly 15,000 times and are the most downloaded items on the Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions site.This sure would have been a nice feature when I was applying to graduate school! Isn't it amazing what opportunities are available to students these days?
(Photo Source: Kaplan)
Posted by
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Feb 22nd, 2006
With traditional textbooks, classrooms, and professor lectures giving way to DVDs, websites, and iPods so quickly in America, it's no surprise that the trend is quickly spreading to neighboring countries.
The National Post reports:
Canadian universities will soon be enrolling with Apple Computer's latest venture, iTunes U, so students will be able to download class lectures and listen to them on their iPods.
The project was launched a year ago with seven American universities, including Stanford, which also made its material accessible to people outside of the school community. The program was so successful, Apple decided to open the service to other institutions three weeks ago. Carleton University in Ottawa was one of the first to fill out the online application.
"The issue with iTunes U is corporate sponsorship," said Mark Federman, a media and internet specialist at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.
But while Mr. Federman has some reservations, "it's absolutely worth it," considering knowledge is being spread so widely across the globe.What do you think: will online higher education soon expand to world domination? And would that be a good thing?
Posted by
in
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Feb 21st, 2006
As with all online innovations amid the dazzling array of technology so readily available today, e-mail offers a double-edged sword in education.
It's crucial for quick communication, professor updates, and 'emergency' messages. Without it, online courses could not function. But what happens when students take this convenience too far?
This is the question many professors are asking as they deal with a barrage of student e-mails that prove to be overwhelming, overly familiar, and sometimes, shockingly inappropriate.
From the International Herald Tribune:One student skipped class and then sent the professor an e-mail message asking for copies of her teaching notes. Another did not like her grade, and wrote a petulant message to the professor. Another explained that she was late for a Monday class because she was recovering from drinking too much at a wild weekend party.
Jennifer Schultens, an associate professor of mathematics at the University of California-Davis, received this e-mail message last September from a student in her calculus course: "Should I buy a binder or a subject notebook? Since I'm a freshman, I'm not sure how to shop for school supplies. Would you let me know your recommendations? Thank you!"
At universities and other schools nationwide, e-mail has made professors much more approachable. But many say it has made them too accessible, erasing boundaries that traditionally kept students at a healthy distance.
These days, they say, students seem to view them as available around the clock, sending a steady stream of e-mail messages – from 10 a week to 10 after every class – that are too informal or downright inappropriate.
As a professor, I can attest that students often use e-mail to escape responsibility or ask questions that could be answered far better in class. Of course, e-mailing with my students has also proved to be a crucial, and usually enjoyable, experience. (And I'll admit that as a student, I utilized e-mail for both good and evil.)
What do you think? Do students abuse the convenience of e-mail, or are the inconveniences professors face worth it, in able to enjoy the benefits of this technology?
Posted by
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Feb 20th, 2006
By the time a student reaches college, s/he is often capable of whizzing through technological requirements and devices. And we can't deny that today's society is of the 'hurry up, I want it now' variety.
With a generation of students accustomed to limitless information only a Google away, is traditional education moving too slowly to engage their attention?
Many professors and teachers fear this may be true, and as one teacher points out, changes must be made in the classroom well before the college level.
The South Bend Tribune reports:Our kids, for the very first time, are not at all like their parents, or their teachers, in how they learn. The difference is technology, how it is used, thought about and how skills are acquired.
What does this have to do with school? Everything.
Now comes the dark side. This dual existence is rapidly rendering education as we know it to be ineffective, or worse.
All of us can remember falling asleep during a history lecture, doodling during algebra or hiding in French class to avoid being called on. School was, at times, boring.
Today, multiply this experience by a thousand. The fact is, more and more bright, otherwise motivated, talented kids are becoming disengaged by the old-fashioned school process. Their digital-native minds don't work the old way.
They are bored out of their minds.Is it up to teachers as early as elementary school to prepare a technology-rich curriculum that will allow students to develop into the most successful 'modern' college student (and employable adult) possible?
(Photo Source: Veer Free Images)
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Feb 16th, 2006
Online degrees have long been considered inferior to the 'real' thing. Part of the reason is the subterfuge and dishonesty associated with degree mills and online 'colleges' without accreditation.
But as we've read in this blog, over time, online educations are finally getting the respect they deserve.
The Jackson Channel provides an
encouraging article:In a time not so long ago, online degrees were questionable, frowned upon, even considered worthless. Could someone really sit at home, stare at a screen, and learn as much as someone sitting in a classroom?
Many educators doubted it. It seemed the lazy man's way of learning. But new research suggests that stigma is not only fading, but transforming into learning accolades.
Recently, an in-depth study from Sloan Consortium, a group supporting online education, confirmed what advocates of cyber-academics had been saying for years: Online learning can be just as good as — if not better than — a classroom degree.
As online learning continues to evolve into a well-respected educational option, perhaps the Sloan Consortium was on to something when it stated that almost one-third of academic leaders "expect that learning outcomes for online education will be superior to face-to-face instruction in three years." Perhaps your online degree will be worth even more than you think!
Just think: you're part of a revolution that continues to grow and improve. Congratulations!
Posted by
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Feb 15th, 2006
The glory of online opportunities: everything from the best in college courses to the best in entertainment. College students have a rich and varied 'virtual' life these days.
But, as superheroes know, with great power comes great responsibility. And sometimes, that's hard to remember.
Case in point: online gambling. The franchise, especially its poker element, has become enormously popular in the last few years, especially among college students. With students always looking for extra cash, why not have fun at the same time you're earning the big bucks?
Of course, what happens when you lose big bucks instead? That's a dilemma more and more college students are encountering.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports:Twenty-six percent of college men gamble in online card games at least once a month and 4 percent once a week or more, up from 1 percent a year earlier, according to a 2005 survey by Penn's Annenberg Public Policy Center. The vast majority are betting on poker.
At any given moment, the rooms are filled with thousands of players seated up to 10 per table and known to one another only by handles such as ElDonkerino and Chiptaker32.
All it takes to get in the game is a computer and a credit card. And what college student doesn't have those?
Meanwhile, the poker sites market themselves relentlessly to the college demographic, hiring "student representatives" to promote the game and sponsoring "Win Your Tuition" tournaments.
Kent, a third-year Drexel student, has played 17,190 hands of online poker in the last three months. The count would have been higher a year ago, he said, but his GPA was taking a battering from the 13- to 15-hour daily sessions.
"I didn't go to any classes," he said.
His old [roommate], Kent said, let an online gambling addiction spin out of control. He lost his Drexel scholarship, dropped out, and moved out.Obviously, online poker companies are targeting college students. What do you think is the best way to avoid falling into a gambling addiction and squandered funds? Have you or a friend experienced the lure of online gambling?
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Feb 14th, 2006
This delightful title introduces even more delightful news: the participation of university libraries across the nation in scanning in their contents, expanding the quality of information available to both online students and the general public.
University officials and librarians believe that Jefferson would have, indeed, used Google.
From CNET News:"Thomas Jefferson would have loved Google Book Search. He believed in contemplating every possible idea. He advocated the diffusion of knowledge and the power of universities to make that happen," Mary Sue Coleman told attendees of the annual conference of the Professional/Scholarly Publishing division of the Association of American Publishers. The conference takes place this week in Washington, D.C.
Jefferson, the third president of the United States, resurrected the Library of Congress after British troops destroyed it in the War of 1812 and sold his own personal library to the government at bargain prices, she said.
"As a country, we are at risk of losing millions and millions of items that constitute our heritage and our culture, because of a lack of Conservation and planning. And libraries fare the worst when it comes to dedicating resources to preservation work. So conservation efforts are paramount," she said.
The University of Michigan is one of five institutions, besides Oxford, Harvard, Stanford and the New York Public Library, that are offering up their collection to be scanned, digitized and made searchable by Google.
"This project is about the social good of promoting and sharing knowledge. As a university, we have no other choice but to do this project," Coleman said.
How wonderful. Again, we must appreciate the opportunities online technology allows us.
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Feb 14th, 2006
As soon as you hear a negative story about online education, such as the proliferation of degree mills or the absence of professor involvement, a positive story comes along to balance it out.
It's important to remember the true goal and benefit of studying college courses online: to provide a chance for people to learn and accomplish goals that they may have not been able to achieve any other way.
Bryant Mills in one of those people. With every story like this one, the quality of online education shines bright.
The Deseret News reports: Bryant Mills thought his dream of finishing a college degree was long past. He even kept it a secret that he had dropped out of college, worried the men working beneath him would realize they were more educated than their boss.
But now a business degree hangs in the office of the 54-year-old North Salt Lake resident, who finished an online degree from Western Governor's University last month.
"I just needed something that could work around my schedule because I work full time," said Mills, an account manager for a technology distribution firm.
Pat Partridge, vice president of marketing for WGU, [explains the] spread of online learning throughout the nation. Online classes are common now at traditional universities, he said, and acquiring full degrees through online schools like WGU is quickly moving into the mainstream of education.
Add to that the growing number of adults going back to school for degrees and online universities are set to continue expanding, he said.
"While we tend to think of college as being the 18-22 year olds, the adult education market has been growing at a much faster clip," Partridge said. "Online education is flexible, it fits into carrying a regular job and possibly a family."
Posted by
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Feb 10th, 2006
Online education provides needed opportunities for thousands of students who may not be able to get an education otherwise, students who appreciate the opportunity and work hard to prove it.
But not all online opportunities are just or well-intentioned, as is the case with diploma mills.
Rampant in America and Europe, online companies will offer college 'degrees' for the right price. With online education so popular, it's often hard to track these fakes.
But when somebody strikes back, the world of education can rejoice.
Hooray for everyone who works hard to uphold the integrity of higher education.
From Inside Higher Ed:
Diploma mill operators often manage to stay one step ahead of the law, changing their location or how they operate whenever state or other authorities zero in for a crackdown. And the laws and other tools available to regulators, higher education officials, students and others to stop degree mill operators are few and flimsy. So occasionally they turn to alternative tactics to fight the degree mills and other companies that help them do business.
Last month, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers filed a federal trademark infringement lawsuit against the American Universities Admission Program. The program, which says it is based in Sarasota, Fla., operates among other things a service in which it evaluates the academic credentials of foreign students to help them gain admission to American universities. ("AUAP guarantees your admission into the best American universities possible with the best available conditions!" it boasts on its Web site).
