How to Create a Successful Educational Webinar

Have you ever enrolled in a webinar (a virtual seminar), only to find that you could have learned more from picking up a book? A new article from the e-Learning Queen discusses this common problem:

"All too often the assumption is made that if individuals can come together in a virtual space, they'll get as much from the experience as being in the same room together. However, just as meetings can be unproductive, and classrooms boring, a virtual meeting can fall flat. Weak webinars are doubly frustrating because they implicitly communicate a negative message about learning and information technologies. Such a message is doubly ironic in a time of iPhones and ubiquitous wifi, incessant video and text-messaging."

Unsuccessful webinars aren't the fault of technology – they're usually the result of poor planning. Check out the components of a successful webinar in this helpful article, Professional Development and Corporate Training: The Webinar Weakness.

Advanced Academic Writing Skills

Last Thursday, I offered a link to a writer's guidebook – a valuable resource for most undergraduate online learners. Today, I ran across an article that provides writing advice for more advanced students. Here's what the article from Academic Productivity has to say:

"Good writing is a skill…As a skill, it requires practice. And, as Graham says, 'Writing doesn't just communicate ideas; it generates them. If you're bad at writing and don't like to do it, you'll miss out on most of the ideas writing would have generated."

If you're enrolled in an online graduate program or are taking advanced undergraduate courses, you'll definitely want to check out these advanced writing tips: 8 Tips for Better Academic Writing.

Community Education Online

Did you know that you can enroll in a community education course without leaving your house? Foothill-De Anza Community College now offers non-credit, instructor-led classes online. Here's how their website describes it:

"We offer you hundreds of engaging online courses for adults and teens, covering every topic from Anatomy to Web Design. Each course comes with an instructor, lively discussions with your fellow students, and plenty of practical information that you can put to immediate use."

online community education courses won't earn you a degree. But, they can be an easy way to explore an interest or brush up on your skills. Plus, community education courses are significantly less expensive than university-level courses. A digital photography course, for example, is only $89. Check it out here: Impact Short Courses.

Step-by-Step Directions for Writing Research Papers

Most online programs require students to submit research papers. However, without the help of a university writing lab, complex research papers can be daunting. I recently ran across a simple site that can help – A Research Guide for Students. If you're in the midst of writing a paper, check out their chapters on Style Guides, Paper Format, and Avoiding Plagiarism. In addition to helpful research paper information, there are also links to other websites and printable writing guides.

University of North Carolina Online Offers Courses from 19 Accredited Colleges

According to an article from the Greensboro News-Record, the University of North Carolina is gearing up to become a major competitor in the world of online learning:

"The 16 UNC campuses will use the system's brand-name recognition to compete with the University of Phoenix, a for-profit online university that enrolls about 300,000 students…Prospective students, from high school students to working adults, can browse programs by subject or by university."

This online college is actually a collaboration between nineteen physical colleges in North Carolina, each bringing to the table some of their best online programs. For more information check out: UNC Online is Big Time. Or browse through the University of North Carolina Online website.

How do Distance Learners Experience Graduation?

Graduation can be an exciting an emotional time…but, how do the ceremonies work for online students and professors who have never even met each other before? An article from the New Britain Herald describes a recent graduation ceremony for students of Charter Oak State College:

"Being that Charter Oak is a distance-learning institution, 38 percent of the graduates live in Connecticut and the remaining 62 percent represent 45 states and Canada. Students from all over the country came to connect with fellow graduates as well as meet the professors who taught them throughout their studies."

To read more about how online students experience graduation check out the full article: Students Separated, Graduates Gathered. If you're a distance learning student looking forward to your own graduation, you may also be interested in: Unique Ways to Celebrate Online College Graduation.

Techniques for Educating Today’s Net-Savvy Students

There's been a lot of talk lately about creating courses that fit the needs of the "net generation," students who are comfortable with learning on their own and used to accessing instantly available information. A new Innovative article addresses techniques for teaching these incoming students. Here's their synopsis:

"Using examples drawn from an upper-level English course at the University of Auckland, Helen Sword and Michele Leggott outline seven key strategies for developing in today's students the skills, aptitudes, and abilities needed to meet the challenges of the future without losing sight of the past. By relinquishing intellectual authority, recasting students as active producers of knowledge, promoting collaborative relationships, cultivating multiple intelligences, fostering critical creativity, encouraging resilience, and constructing assignments that look both forward to the future and back to the past, teachers in higher education can help their students equip themselves to carry the past with them into a complex, constantly evolving future."

While the rigorousness of course content should never be compromised, finding new ways to present the material is definitely a step in the right direction. Check out the Innovative article here: Seven Principles for Educating the Ne(x)t Generation.

Better, Cheaper Course Management Systems

Tired of using antiquated content management systems for your online courses? A writer from ALA TechSource notes that many of the first systems used to manage online classes have become impractical to use:

"Most of the options for course management, like WebCT and Blackboard, are very expensive and clunky. Institutions and organizations could reasonably charge students large amounts of money for enrollment and participation in an online course if they were using one of these two tools. WebCT and Blackboard are archaic structures that resemble how students learn in face-to-face environments. Continuing to build online education in ways that resemble the face-to-face environment harms our students and reflects poorly on us as educators. We should know better than to create a hostile learning environment."

If you want a content management alternative, check out rising stars such as Moodle or Joomla. The ALA TechSource article offers a review of these new course management systems.

Second Life in Education

The Oakland University website shares some valuable information about creating learning communities in the virtual world second life. Here's a blurb:

"Second Life is a virtual three-dimensional world where people meet by means of an avatar. Educators and their students have an increasing presence in Second Life, holding virtual classes and participating in interactive events, such as simulations, role-playing, and 3-D webquests."

For videos and links to Second Life educational projects, and directions on how to use Second Life, check out: Introduction to Second Life.

Earning a Doctorate Degree Online

A growing number of professionals are choosing to earn online doctorate degrees from their homes, instead of attending classes at brick-and-mortar schools. Earning a doctorate degree online can mean more flexibility and more freedom. But, it also poses unique challenges. Online doctoral students must have certain qualities, as I explain in my most recent About.com article. Here's a blurb:

"Because most online doctorate degree programs are reading and writing focused, doctorate students should be highly literate. They should have advanced research skills, be articulate, and have the ability to comprehend complex texts. Additionally, students should be self-motivated and able to work independently."

For more about choosing an online doctorate degree program, doctorate program accreditation, and paying for doctorate degrees see: Earning a Doctorate Degree Online.