Udacity, San Jose State University offer online classes for credit | Internet & Media So you've graduated from high school and been accepted at a four-year college. But when you arrive on campus you find out that you can't pass college entry-level courses, so it's back to remedial classes. That's the fate of half of all freshman at San Jose State University, according to Provost Ellen Junn. Add to those woes decreases in funding for higher education across California, higher tuition fees, and greater competition for college admission. Those are just some of the reasons the university has partnered with Silicon Valley startup Udacity to offer San Jose State Plus, online courses for academic credit. Udacity began offering MOOCs in early 2012. When students sign up for an Udacity MOOC, they watch short interactive videos online and take quizzes to make sure they've grasped the material before the next concept is introduced. To start, San Jose State Plus is offering three classes: entry-level math, college algebra, and elementary statistics. Thrun isn't done yet, though.
FutureSchool: A Teen Perspective #edcmooc « Amy's MOOCs: Professional Digi-velopment Since we’ve been exploring the future of education / ed reform in #edcmooc, I thought I’d share something my IB Theory of Knowledge students participated in last semester, as we examined the Nature of Knowledge / Learning, and the History of “Schooling”. Throughout the semester we watched several TEd talks and other videos by great people like Sir Ken Robinson, Will Richardson, Michael Wesch, Clay Shirky, and Stephen Fry. One of the best was Seth Godin’s TEdxYouth@BFS talk based on his “Stop Stealing Dreams” book. We then read and collaboratively annotated the book in our Diigo group, focusing on the overarching question: What is School For? Some choice excerpts (though you can read them all in the link): “I still think kids are an investment in our economic future. “Our mind has been comprised. “I think that we should have courses that will help us prepare for the responsibilities of being an adult. “I feel like an inanimate product. “This guy really, really hates conventional schooling.
How the Student Voice Can Make Education Better How can school be better? Student answers: “More practical courses (like consumer math, finances, life skills)“, “Internships and real-world experiences“, “Students grouped not by age, but ability and interest“, “High expectations but more freedom” and “Meaningful work [with a] purpose; no more busy work; students need to be able to make connections (esp[ecially] to real-world)”. Student responses in class, IB Theory of Knowledge, as recorded in a teacher’s blog post, FutureSchool: A Teen’s Perspective. I wrote in my last post about a vision for the future of education—Sal Khan’s vision of a One World Schoolhouse. Value of the Student Voice The student voice as mentioned, is garbled at best, which is [unfortunately] a sign of an institution-focused education system. Stakeholders in Education Students have a significant stake in the education system, in terms of their time, energy, intellectual development and money. However, student contribution was minimal. Resources: Like this:
Can We Transform Education with Sal Khan’s ‘One World Schoolhouse’? “As our world grows smaller and the people in it more inextricably connected, the world itself comes to resemble one vast, inclusive schoolhouse” Sal Khan. I am a big fan of Khan Academy. I turned my youngest two teenagers onto Khan’s videos when they were struggling with their Calculus homework, which they shared with their friends, then their classmates and finally their teachers. That is when I knew Khan Academy was going to be big—when an online platform that I thought was useful and ‘cool’, was good enough to be endorsed by my kids. Which is why I read the book The One World School House: Education Reimagined written by the founder himself, Sal Khan. Khan shares how Khan Academy came to be by tutoring his niece, and how he eventually quit his job as hedge fund analyst to launch Khan Academy and filmed hundreds of videos in his closet. Snapshot of the One World Schoolhouse Before I analyze Khan’s vision of the one world schoolhouse, I’ll review Khan’s journey to the Academy.
Community colleges to release scorecard rivaling the president’s Students planning to attend one of the nation’s 4,500 colleges and universities have a new interactive College Scorecard touted by President Obama in his State of the Union address as a tool “to compare schools based on a simple criteria – where you can get the most bang for your educational buck.” Example of a California community college scorecard. The actual design has not been finalized. Source: California Community College Chancellor’s office. (Click to enlarge) Community college leaders say the focus on costs and graduation rates is a flawed lens for measuring their worth. The federal scorecard is “very four-year centric data,” explained Patrick Perry, Vice Chancellor for Technology, Research and Information Systems for California Community Colleges. The new scorecard will shine a light on key indicators of success and provide data on how well each of the 112 campuses is measuring up. pyramid. “I am telling you it’s really unbelievable,” said Fulks. The economic payoff
American Council on Education Recommends 5 MOOCs for Credit - Technology By Steve Kolowich In what could be a major step toward bridging the gap between massive open online courses and the credentialing system that they are supposed to "disrupt," the American Council on Education on Thursday endorsed five MOOCs for credit. Two of the approved courses, "Introduction to Genetics and Evolution" and "Bioelectricity: A Quantitative Approach," come from Duke University. The council, an association that advises college presidents, operates a credit-recommendation service that evaluates individual courses. Whether colleges take the council's advice, however, is an open question. In other words, the council's endorsement alone does not mean students can expect to save money by redeeming their Coursera certificates—evidence that they have passed its courses—for credit toward a traditional degree. What MOOCs Will Mean ACE has positioned itself to lead the inquiry into what MOOCs will mean to higher education. 'A More Rigorous Process' "Our reviewers," said ACE's Ms.
Taking the Plunge | Reading Week spent in the ‘real world’ Reading Week spent in the ‘real world’ Posted on February 5, 2013 by admin As Reading Week approaches, many universities are putting the final touches on their plans to send students into the “real world” to do Community Service Learning projects (sometimes called Alternative Spring Break projects). Knowing how powerful these hands-on, immersive experiences can be, I am excited for the students who will have the good fortune to take part in these projects. Social policies gone awry Several years ago, along with more than a thousand UBC students, I heard David Orr, a professor, environmental activist and author, give a speech about the failings of post-secondary education. Orr asserts that the remedy is not simply more education, but education of a certain kind. Thinking critically and creatively Reading Week Community Service Learning (CSL) projects are an example of an approach to education that rectifies some of the problems Orr identifies. Opportunities for reflection
About Us | Quad Learning Quad Learning, Inc. was founded in 2012 with the goal of creating more affordable pathways for students to earn their bachelor’s degree. Quad Learning is a venture-backed startup that collaborates with leading community colleges to jointly develop and deliver American Honors, a competitive 2-year honors program designed for high ability students who plan to complete the remainder of their bachelor’s degree at a top-tier college or university. Quad Learning provides several critical services for its network in the development of American Honors: Student Services Our personalized advising services provide students with a network of support throughout their time in the American Honors program. Advanced Learning Technology Courses and advising services are developed and delivered through Quad, our innovative learning platform. Faculty Support and Development Recruitment & Selective Admissions Marketing Strategy and Services National Transfer Network Current Community College Network
Education Innovation | Huron Consulting Group Huron assists institutions optimize opportunities when confronted by the challenges posed by disruptive innovation, including massive open online courses (MOOCs), learning analytics, new partnerships, and changing business models. We help clients make smart technology choices that extend brand, achieve higher mission impact, develop new revenue streams and operate more efficiently and effectively. Our approach is collaborative. Huron works with institutions to develop actionable strategies that leverage existing strengths and start with core values and principles. Case Study: Helping Create the Breakthrough Flexible Option Degree Program at the University of Wisconsin Huron Education helped carry out the behind-the-scenes strategy that helped the University of Wisconsin successfully launch its innovative competency-based degree program.» Interview: Education Innovation Podcast Series with Ed Byrne: Leading Change in a Globally Engaged University