Ithaka :: Taking Steps Toward "Interactive Learning Online" - 0 views
www.ithaka.org/...ystems-in-u-s-higher-education
teaching online-learning data assessment surveys research education LMS
shared by Sara Thompson on 01 May 12
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“Barriers to Adoption of Online Learning Systems in US Higher Education,” an Ithaka S+R report released today and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, highlights the challenges to be overcome by institutions so that they can take advantage of online learning technologies, and explores why highly interactive online systems have yet to take hold in any substantial way.
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“As online learning systems of this kind are developed, however, a critically important question will be who is going to control the student usage and performance data,” added Mr. Guthrie. “On the web, all actions and behaviors can be tracked and analyzed. These data are critical to refinement of these systems and to our overall understanding of how people learn. These data should not be privatized.”
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“Barriers to adoption of these systems vary greatly. Perhaps most importantly, most current systems that are highly interactive do not allow faculty to customize content to suit their specific needs. Faculty are also concerned that online education might distance them from their students. Finally, very little good data exist on the effectiveness of existing highly interactive online systems.”
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While this is a time of great experimentation in the use of educational technologies, with almost as many approaches as there are colleges and universities, the report highlights several challenges that are common across all sectors. First, faculty at every type of institution take great pride in their ability to select content and craft a learning process for their students; they want to have the ability to continue to customize that learning experience in an online environment. Second, while a number of institutions are capitalizing on online learning to generate net revenue by expanding their offerings to new and non-traditional students, colleges and universities generally find it very difficult to employ these technologies to reduce costs in their traditional residential curriculum.
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The report offers academic leaders strategies—rewarding early adopters, offering incentives, providing technical support, sharing incremental revenue, experimenting with new administrative structures—to facilitate the adoption of online learning,
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two system-wide issues emerge from the report that require careful consideration: the need for open, shared data on student learning and performance tracked through these new systems, and the need for sustainable and customizable platforms that can be used across higher education.”