The Professors Behind the MOOC Hype - Technology Dave Chidley for The Chronicle Paul Gries, of the U. of Toronto, has taught MOOCs on computer science. By Steve Kolowich What is it like to teach 10,000 or more students at once, and does it really work? The largest-ever survey of professors who have taught MOOCs, or massive open online courses, shows that the process is time-consuming, but, according to the instructors, often successful. The survey, conducted by The Chronicle, attempted to reach every professor who has taught a MOOC. Hype around these new free online courses has grown louder and louder since a few professors at Stanford University drew hundreds of thousands of students to online computer-science courses in 2011. Princeton University's Robert Sedgewick is one of them. Like many professors at top-ranked institutions, Mr. His online course drew 80,000 students when it opened last summer, but Sedgewick was not daunted. It paid off. Therefore the positive response may come as a surprise to some observers. Why They MOOC Mr.
Is Online Education More Effective Than Traditional Learning? One of the fastest growing uses of technology is for online education. Student enrollment in online university degree programs has increased in recent years, but more interesting is the increase in kindergarten to grade 12 (K-12) students who are foregoing recess and pep rallies to study in virtual classrooms. K12 is the largest provider of accredited online learning for grades K-12. It offers tuition-free and private supplemental learning, blended online/offline programs, and full-time online programs in the United States and internationally. K12 allows students to learn at their own level and has a strong social community with regularly sponsored events. Great as all this sounds, the trend towards online learning raises the question of just how effective online education is compared to traditional education. Already a giant in online university degrees, Kaplan has begun offering programs for students in grades 6 to 12, tailored to each learner.
Stephen Downes: The Role of the Educator How often do we read about the importance of teachers in education? It must be every day, it seems. We are told about "strong empirical evidence that teachers are the most important school-based determinant of student achievement" again and again. The problem with the educational system, it is argued, is that teachers need to be held accountable. The problem with focusing on the role of the teacher, from my perspective, is that it misses the point. Let me tell you how I know this. Each of these has contributed in one way or another to an overall approach not only to learning online but to learning generally. It's an approach that emphasizes open learning and learner autonomy. It's an approach that emphasizes exercises involving those competencies rather than deliberate acts of memorization or rote, an approach that seeks to grow knowledge in a manner analogous to building muscles, rather than to transfer or construct knowledge through some sort of cognitive process.
Study: Online learning less effective for some Report contradicts federal study claiming web-based learning is equivalent to or better than face-to-face schooling By Dennis Carter, Assistant Editor Read more by Denny Carter Classroom students scored 84.5 percent on the first exam in the economics course, and online students scored 83.3 percent. Higher education’s embrace of online courses could hurt the performance of some groups of students, according to a study that contradicts the findings of a 2009 report from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) showing that online students perform as well, or better, than their peers in face-to-face settings on average. Research published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) suggests that males, Hispanics, and low-performing students might fare worse in web-based classes than they do in the traditional classroom—a problem exacerbated by the high rate of online course adoption at community colleges and “less selective institutions,” where these three groups are most likely to attend.
Why School? TED ebook author rethinks education when information is everywhere. The Internet has delivered an explosion of learning opportunities for today’s students, creating an abundance of information, knowledge, and teachers as well as a starkly different landscape from the one in which our ideas about school were born. Traditional educators, classrooms, and brick-and-mortar schools are no longer necessary to access information. Instead, things like blogs and wikis, as well as remote collaborations and an emphasis on critical thinking skills are the coins of the realm in this new kingdom. Yet the national dialogue on education reform focuses on using technology to update the traditional education model, failing to reassess the fundamental model on which it is built. In Why School? Why must schools change how they teach? Every generation seems to think its students are different. Students in the K-12 system have never known a world without the Internet. With so much information out there, it seems that finding information is easy but assessing it is tricky.
Professors Regard Online Instruction as Less Effective Than Classroom Learning - Distance Education By David Shieh Washington Online courses may be gaining a foothold in higher education, but substantial skepticism over their effectiveness remains, according to results of two recent surveys. The surveys, conducted by the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, also found "widespread concern" that budget cuts would hamper distance-learning programs. The preliminary results of the surveys, which polled faculty members and administrators separately about their opinions of distance-learning programs, were unveiled here Monday at the American Council on Education's conference. The survey of faculty members found that while a majority of faculty members acknowledge that distance instruction offers students increased accessibility and flexibility, developing and teaching online courses can be burdensome. Full survey results are scheduled for release in April.
That's Great!: Why Not MOOseums? I have been interested in museums for a long time, with a special concern for museum effectiveness in offering open, informal or free-choice learning for the visitor. I've recently written about this (Barr 2013: online at "There are plenty of fascinating things about museums. And one of the most intriguing is that during the 20th century anyway, museums have been one of the few places where adults (and children) could experience informal or free-choice learning. During that century, the educational mandate rose to become one of the primary goals of most museums." But that museum focus has been almost entirely onsite. "In spite of the speed with which museums embraced the world wide web, few of them seem to have become equally enthusiastic about the prospect of expanding their on-site educational activities into the online environment. The new MOOC experience should function as an "extension of the visitor experience for museums.
Benefits of Online Learning | Education Guidance | WorldWideLearn.com Online learning is on the rise. According to a 2013 report by the Babson Survey Research Group, over 6.7 million postsecondary students were enrolled in at least one online class in 2011, compared to only 1.6 million in 2002, and higher-education institutions continue to refine and enhance their online curriculum. In 2002, about 72 percent of these schools offered some form of online learning, and that number has steadily increased to nearly 87 percent in 2012. Colleges also have emphasized the creation of fully online degree programs, and 62 percent of the schools surveyed now award degrees entirely through distance education. Student demand is among the many factors contributing to the growth of online learning. Possible Advantages of Online Learning Convenience and flexibility: Schedule Flexibility: Students can access their course at any time, from anywhere they can log on, in most cases. Student enrichment: Cost-effective choices: Sources: Apple's New Math.
LabSpace - The Open University Is Online Learning Right for Me? How could there possibly be any disadvantages of online courses? Read on. 1. Online courses require more time than on-campus classes. Believe it or not, you will spend more time studying and completing assignments in the online environment than you will in an on-campus course. 2. Just as there is a dark side to that controversial property known as the Force, there is a dark side to Internet-based courses. 3. An Internet-based course demands that you develop personal time-management skills. 4. In an online course, no one can hear you scream. 5. In my opinion, it's a much better situation for the student. 6. It's a sink or swim proposition and you can't have it both ways. 7. I also think it's an advantage for the instructor. 8. This freedom can be dangerous if you don't learn how to handle it. 9. Personally, I think it is far better to let students find their own way. 10. Only you are responsible for your learning. Copied with permission from Sean Chamberlin, Fullerton College