Capella U Lawsuit Dismissed

According to Wired Campus, a lawsuit against Capella U was recently dismissed in court:

"The plaintiff, Jeffrey La Marca, argued that the online university violated the americans with disabilities Act by using technology that does not accommodate his learning disabilities, which he said included short-term memory loss."

This was certainly an interesting, albeit unusual case. Online universities must provide adaptations for disabilities. But, can they always be expected to accommodate individual circumstances? What is their obligation to single students at to the student body as a whole? The judge is expected to explain his rationale for dismissing the case at a later date.

Organize Your Online Classes

Keeping track of assignments and due dates can be a chore. That's why I'm always on the look out for new ways to get organized. If you're struggling with staying up-to-date on your online coursework, you may want to check out the new website CollegeRuled. Here's how they explain what they offer:

"CollegeRuled.com is a resource for university students. We are making tools, pages and features to help college students stay organized and connect with classmates."

Take a look for free scheduling and organizational college tools.

Online Community and Economic Development Masters

Penn State is now taking applications for their new Community and Economic Development master's degree. Accepted students will take their courses 100% via the internet. Here's how the school describes the online degree:

"If you are seeking a totally online professional master's degree in Community and Economic Development our new program may be right for you!

The master of professional studies in community and economic development is a 30-credit online master's degree offered by Penn State's Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural sociology through Penn State's World Campus."

Community and Economic Development students will work with a student cohort and take classes on a part-time basis. Check out the program website for more information.

Top 4 eLearning Gadgets

Susan, the e-Learning Queen, recently posted an interesting article about the top four elearning gadgets (based off of PopSci.com's "The Best of What's New" list.) Here's a blurb from the article:

"PopSci.com has released its annual "The Best of What's New" list and, not surprisingly, many of the gadgets have the capacity to change how we approach e-learning, especially mobile learning. [Here] are a three of the top choices, with applications to e-learning."

Among Susan's top three are: the Apple iPhone 2.0, Carry-On Satellite TV, Verizon Wireless V-Cast Mobile TV, and the No-Hard Drive Laptop: Dell Latitute ATG D630. Check out the article to see how these new technologies have helped online learners.

Online Language Learning

Some subjects, such as foreign languages, are particularly suited for online learning. When it comes to beginning speakers, virtual multimedia classrooms can often accomplish more than limited class time. Traditional classroom teachers at Michigan State University have discovered that online learning is so powerful that they are incorporating it in their brick-and-mortar language courses. Here's a blurb from a recent Michigan State press release:

"Say the word "hybrid" and what may come to mind first is an environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient car.

But for students at Michigan State University, it means an innovative blend of traditional classroom instruction and online learning that is changing the way they acquire proficiency in reading, writing and speaking a foreign language.

Students in an upper-level German course co-taught by doctoral student Angelika Kraemer, for example, are using blogs, wikis, podcasts, chats and interactive comprehension activities to improve their understanding of the language."

Even the military uses software programs to help officials become fluent in foreign languages. Just about any online or traditional language course could be improved by incorporating some of these proven virtual learning techniques.

Old Fashioned Distance Learning

Online learning may be a relatively new concept. But, distance learning in the form of correspondence courses has been around for over 100 years. In fact, portable projectors were used for visual distance learning 95 years ago. A new article from the Imperial Valley News discusses the progress of distance learning technology and formats. Here's a blurb:

"Ninety-five years ago, Dr. DeVry, a budding motion picture technology engineer in Chicago, unveiled the prototype of his soon-to-be-famous Model E 35mm portable movie projector, or as Dr. DeVry liked to call it, his "Theater in a Suitcase." For the first time, moving images, whether of foreign societies in motion or step-by-step instructions for complex tasks, could be distributed to student audiences regardless of their location. The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, where the projector is part of its Photographic History Collection, called DeVry's 1912 silent movie projector the most advanced educational-enabling technology of its time."

We sure have come a long way.

MIT Makes Video Lectures Searchable

One of the best parts of video lectures is their flexibility. Online students can easily watch the parts they need and skip over the information they already know. According to a recent Wired Campus post, MIT has taken this technology one step further. They've created a search engine that brings users to the exact part in the video they are looking for. A user types in keyword and the search engine knows how far into the film that word is discussed. Wired Campus explains how the program was developed:

"The search engine, a prototype, was developed at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. The system can now search 200 recorded MIT lectures, in video and audio, and the technology could be adopted at other universities."

This technology has a ton of potential, particularly for those of us who rely primarily on virtual lectures.

Yale Classes Now Available to Students Worldwide…For Free

Yale University is joining the ranks of colleges such as MIT by making some courses freely available. According to Yale Daily News, the Opencourseware content will soon be available online:

"Members of the public no longer need a winning admissions essay to watch Harold Bloom's Shakespeare lectures, which are now available online as streaming video. And soon, anyone with access to the Internet will be able to listen to "Game Theory" lectures on Apple Computer's iTunes or use Microsoft's Live Search interface to virtually leaf through out-of-print books housed in the Beinecke Rare Book and manuscript Library.

The Open Educational Resources Video Lecture Project, developed last year and launched this fall, provides online access to popular talks and lectures through iTunes, and the Microsoft-Yale Project, which was announced in September, will digitalize 100,000 rare English-language books by the spring. The initiatives are designed to facilitate students' research efforts and provide those outside academia a glimpse into the richness of Yale's scholarly offerings, administrators said."

I've always believed that Opencourseware is a great way to give online learning a try without the pressure. As big colleges like Yale and MIT offer more free courses, hopefully others will follow suit.

Cell Phone Education?

Many online students use their mp3 players and laptops to study…but what about cell phones? A new Wired Campus post explains that some teachers are using mobile phones as classroom tools. Here's a blurb:

"Instead of using flashcards, students can use their cellphones to access computer programs that quiz them on various subjects. The wireless programs can even adjust to how well a student is doing by asking fewer questions on what he or she seems to have down cold and more on topics that aren't going so well.

Other options include providing images with audio commentary, or even video snippets covering different subjects."

I'm a fan of mixing technology with learning techniques. But, I'm decidedly not a fan of people glued to their cell phones in social settings. An online quiz done on a student's home computer is appropriate. Holding up a grocery store line when trying to decide between "B" and "C" isn't.

This Week is National Distance Learning Week

November 12th-16th is National Distance Learning Week. Sponsored by the United States Distance Learning Association, National Distance Learning Week aims to "…promote and celebrate the tremendous growth and accomplishments occurring today in distance learning programs offered by schools, businesses, and governmental departments." Check out the Distance Learning Week website for student webinars, online learning facts, and more. On Friday there will be a presentation called "Is Online Learning Right for You?" Check it out for tips on succeeding in virtual courses.