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Brad Jennings, a Louisburg College employee, and education technology enthusiast, created a video on how to use the Open Learning Initiative. The video is targeted towards higher education instructors and educating faculty members in incorporating the Open Learning Initiative in their courses. The Open Learning Initiative assists students in learning course material through an online site, collecting data on student learning styles, and adapting how information is presented for each student. The courses are self-paced and allow students to master material at their own speed. Jennings navigates the Open Learning Initiative website, explaining the three log-in options: instructors, independent learners, and academic students. An instructor can create an account, and then log-in to create online courses for free. There may be small maintenance fees associated with a few select classes, but the Open Learning Initiative team offers to waive the cost if it prevents a student from enrolling. The additional costs are typically $10 to $15. The instructor would download the Course Builder application, build their course, and house it on the Open Learning Initiative cloud for free. Once the course has been created, students can log on to the Open Learning Initiative site and enter the course key to view the material. 

Julie Phillips, an online instructor for Globe Education Network, shares an extensive list of suggestions for faculty members hoping to incorporate service-learning into an online course. On-ground courses have long included service-learning components at colleges and universities across the country. Over the past decade online programs have grown drastically, but have left the challenge of offering service-learning courses to online learners. Phillips offers a variety of suggestions to assist a faculty member or administrator develop an online course including a service-learning assignment. Below is a list of Phillips' recommendations: - Select an appropriate course - Establish clear expectations - Respond to email/outreach from students and community partners within 24-48 hours - Volunteering should align with course objectives - Identify challenges upfront - Communicate, communicate, communicate - Encourage reflection throughout the course - Listen to student concerns and work through them - Enlist feedback from students and community partners - Allow students to share their experiences - Requirements should be realistic - Never underestimate the power that hands-on experience has on student learning - Incorporate various resources into class to help guide students - Not all community partners are created the same - Get excited!

The author is Associate Provost and Executive Director of the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship at Georgetown University. The author refers to Clayton Christensen's "disruptive innovation" term to refer to the recent changes in higher education. The author argues that a key source of disruption in higher education is coming not from the outside, but from internal practices. This administrator points to the increase in experiential modes of learning, how education is moving from "margin to center", which proves to be powerful in the quality and meaning of the undergraduate experience as well as the way business is conducted. The author refers to the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and its publishing of a "high impact practice" list, strategies which are connected with high retention and persistence rates, such as undergraduate research, service/community-based learning, and global learning. These practices also have a significant influence because they increase (according to George Kuh) student behaviors that lead to meaningful learning outcomes. The author summarizes how technologies can play a key role as new digital, learning, and analytics tools make it possible to mimic some features of high impact activity inside classrooms, changing when and how students can engage in course content. Since the greatest impact on learning is in the innovative, integrative, and socially networked experiences, then the author argues that faculty and staff need to re-create dimensions of these experiences by bridging the classroom with life outside of it. He concludes that connections between integrative thinking, or experiential learning, and the social network should no longer be an afterthought, but the connection that should guide and reshape learning in higher education. This article would be most useful for administrators and faculty who inform decisions related to technology infrastructure and tools for teaching and learning.

PRWeb assists companies and organizations release news on their products and services, with extended reach through online searches. LoudCloud Systems, the creator of LoudCloud Learning Ecosystem, for Higher Education, promoted an enhanced version of their current product through PRWeb in July of 2012. The new LoudCloud Learning Ecosystem, for higher education, includes greater flexibility for teachers and administrators; a task centered design, a redesigned behavioral reader, and enhanced analytics on students, administration, and teachers. LoudCloud Systems establish themselves as an emerging leader in learning management systems in 2010, and has continued to impress the education industry with new products and upgrades. The learning solutions offered by LoudCloud are intuitive, collaborative, adaptive and intelligent. The system collects data on users and personalizes their learning experience based on each individual's learning styles. LoudCloud Learning Ecosystems, for Higher Education now offers more than 100 discreet rights, but also allows for segmented branding within one system for larger institutions.  LoudCloud Systems offers services for higher education and K-12 institutions. Administrators and information technology personnel are the intended audience for this article. The reader should remember LoudCloud wrote the article, with supervision by PRWeb. 

The author focuses on the use of blended education at two institutions: Wesleyan University and Bryn Mawr College. Both institutions are Carnegie Mellon University's Open Learning Initiative (OLI) to enhance courses previously taught solely face-to-face. Wesleyan University is using the OLI modules to tutor less-prepared students in introductory courses. The OLI course modules allow students to gain material at a faster pace than in a traditional classroom alone. Administrators at Wesleyan believe the blended model will reinforce the hands-on teaching practices their liberal arts program promotes.  Bryn Mawr as allowed faculty members to adopt OLI modules at their own initiative. Not only to the OLI modules assist the students in learning material faster, but the program also collects data on the student's learning patterns, personalizing the program through each use. Using personalized learning assistance will allow an elite institution, such as Bryn Mawr, to admit a wide range of students, with confidence less academically prepared students can be successful.  In initial research, students enrolled in blended courses using the OLI module learn as much, if not more, as students in courses only meeting face-to-face. The persistence rates of lower-income students using the OLI module were close to 100 percent in Bryn Mawr's preliminary study. While liberal arts colleges may continue to build their reputations on small classes and personalized attention from faculty members, blended courses are able to enhance the traditional instruction model. Perhaps in the future, more liberal arts colleges will be using their blende technologies as a selling point to prospective students as Wesleyan and Bryn Mawr currently are.

This is a list of the top five learning management systems as compiled by Gilford Education Group. The group provides assistance to many e-learning and online learning institutions on selection and evaluation of their learning management systems. The five learning management systems are Adrenna Work Force 7 and Adrenna Academic, Blackboard, Desire2Learn Learning Suite, Moodle, and Sakai OAE. Adrenna has two platforms, the Adrenna Work Force 7 and the Adrenna Academic. The former is designed for professional education workforce with a focus on online training and development. It has facilities social learning, collaboration and authoring. The latter Adrenna Academic is designed for the academic environment with many features including mobile learning. Blackboard is said to build technology that provides a variety of learning pathways including collaboration. Desire2Learn fosters collaboration and supports different learning environments. Moodle is used in a lot of institutions, is free and valuable for designing online courses. Lastly the Sakai OAE fosters collaboration and user sharing based on the needs of students, educators and researchers. This article is a useful resource for anyone who wants a brief overview of learning management systems.

Mobile learning (referred to as "m-learning" in the article) is considered as the next generation of e-learning using mobile technologies. Students' awareness of such technology is one of the key areas for it to be successful. This study aimed to investigate students' awareness and requirements of mobile learning services among Malaysian students in the higher education environment. The authors reviewed mobile learning services as a new vital platform for the higher education environment and the requirements for utilizing it. It provides information about the current state of students' awareness about mobile learning services. The article also covers possible mobile device limitations to consider, including: memory size, battery life, high line cost and small screen. These limitations can hinder using mobile technology widely in learning, but the authors point to Corlett et al. (2005) directions to extend the wireless network across the campus and to redesign software as well as hardware for mobile learning purposes. According to the authors, both the environment and the infrastructure in higher education is appropriate to incorporate mobile learning, as long as necessary adaptations are made. The results also demonstrate that students have adequate knowledge and awareness to use such technology in their education environment. The authors caution that the barriers and obstacles that could be faced during the actual use of mobile learning should be considered. This article would be most helpful for information technology professionals who are making decisions regarding mobile learning and technology implementation.

The authors feel textbooks are outdated by the time of print, offer a limited perspective, force the reader to take on a passive role while learning, and are limited to their physical form. The four limitations of textbooks are adding to higher education's lack of active learning. Students today expect to be engaged while they learn, not to read from an outdated textbook or listen to static lectures. There is a potential for change, however, believed by the authors. An example is given from Old Dominion University. A team of faculty all assigned to teach the course Social and Cultural Foundations of Education to potential education students, created an assignment where the students would write their own textbook. The final result  (called a wikibook) was determined by the students and faculty using a grading rubric for each student submission. The best-written and supported sections were submitted to the final wikibook. The assignment was a huge success. A few years later when educational laws changed in Virginia, the wikibook was quite to adapt. The authors argue wikibooks may not be factually perfect, but there are quite a few benefits: a student-centered learning experience, skills are developed in researching primary sources, and the instructional design is extremely adaptive and flexible. In order for a wikibook assignment to be successful, the faculty member(s) must take a guiding approach to student learning, instead of lecturing. The conclusion argues for a pedagogical shift, not necessarily involving wikibooks, but a more general transition to faculty to encourage creativity and joy in teaching and learning. 

This video was posted by Illinois worknet to acquaint education stakeholders with some of the technological advances being developed to address the challenges currently facing higher education. The short comings of what is available today include inability to support personalized learning; lack of educators skilled in the application of technological tools; constantly changing products; adaptability, appropriateness and validity issues; cost; and meeting sate standards. Technologies are now being designed and produced, to address those shortcomings by providing opportunities for personalized and student-centered learning experiences that are engaging, meet individual student needs, convenience, learning pace, and combine both online learning and face-to-face interaction. These hybrid models are being created in the short, mid and long-term horizon. Right now students have access to countless free applications. In two to three years, the article predicts that there will be an increase of learning analytics that collect and translate large amounts of data, as well as personalize the learning environment. In four to five years, it is expected that there will be gesture based computing and the Internet of things. The Learning Registry (LR) and the Shared Learning Collaborative (SLC) are technologies being developed to provide effective learning tools that provide filters for finding, interpreting, organizing and retrieving data. While the LR is currently in use, the SLR is in its pilot phase, and was introduced to five schools in the United States. The ultimate goal of these technologies is to use learning analytics that use rich data streams to inform and create personalized learning experiences and pathways.

The authors of this article work for the Center for Teaching, Learning, & Technology at Washington State University. They looked at learning management systems and how currently they do not accurately capture what students have learned. Both authors discovered that the majority of assignments that make up students' experience with the higher education curriculum do not ask them to think, but to recall lectures, text, or both, which may be why LMS are designed to reflect this idea. They examine the concept and perception of a learning environment from the classroom to the internet and their relationship to views of teaching and learning. Examples and research, including an example of a Web 2.0 pro-social effort, are used to demonstrate the difference between the current state of teaching and learning, and an emerging vision. The authors refer to Educause Center for Applied Research, Morgan's (2003) study. Morgan reports, faculty were gaining, at least one key principle of good practice from LMS, increased feedback to students (Chickering & Gamson, 1987) through the use of the online gradebook. According to Morgan (as cited by Brown and Peterson, 2008) this was an outcome that "alters" faculty relationships with students and students with their own work. The authors predict that the successful LMS application of the future will be a gradebook that accommodates shifting ways of receiving feedback. The authors believe that a successful gradebook will be recognized as a communication tool that allows faculty and students to have a variety of communication options (faculty to student, faculty to groups of students, etc.). They point to the instructional challenge of guiding the tool discussion toward issues related to outcomes and what quality performance looks like. The authors refer to the LMS of the future capturing not in our learning about, but in learning "to be". Faculty are seeking a place for students to learn and operate which complements student im

This focus paper describes in detail the Personal Learning Environment (PLE) that was launched at Graz University of Technology in 2010. The context of Web 2.0 and how current learners are using technology is explained. The author demonstrates how browser-based widgets were used to change the appearance of multiple personal desktops, creating a "ubiquitous" personal learning environment (UPLE) that can be used in the future, similar to the appearance of apps on a smartphone device. This article describes how spaces help learners to organize their learning resources via widgets, making connections to how they operate in their natural learning environments outside of the academic realm. Based on the article, using technologies which mimic those that students already use seems important for faculty and administrators to consider when deciding how to best approach implementing personal learning environments. The author is a Doctoral student in the Social Learning, Information Technology Services at Graz University of Technology in Austria.

Four faculty members from Ferris State University share their experiences integrating technology into their classrooms, usingto the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning. The Center assists faculty members in learning technologies to enhance their lesson plans. All four faculty members insist the technology is easy to learn and use as enrichment to coursework. The technology allows the faculty members to establish a presence, both online and on-ground, all while using technology their students are already familiar with. Faculty members, as well as information technology employees, at higher education institutions are the intended audience for this video. Each faculty member described a different technology he or she uses within the classroom (both online and on-ground). The four technologies described include Adobe Connect, iTunes U, CPS pulse clickers, and Poll Everywhere. Adobe Connect is a way for students and faculty members to engage online, including back and forth real-time discussion. iTunes U allows faculty members to share podcasts of lectures and lessons for students to listen or watch at their leisure. CPS pulse clickers enable students to take tests and quizzes during class and receive immediate feedback and grades. The CPS pulse clickers also let the professor know what material students have or have not mastered, dictating the rest of the lecture. Finally, Poll Everywhere allows faculty to poll students before, during, or after class, increasing student engagement, as cell phones are typically used to poll.

This is a global quantitative research study conducted by SMART technologies on the outcomes of investing in collaboration technologies. There were 319 participants, selected from the United States, Europe, United Kingdom, and Asia. 100 of the participants were administrators, 158 in teaching and instruction and 58 were IT or media specialists. The participants all worked in higher education, k-12 establishments and other institutions such as ministries. A few were education administrators not affiliated with any school in particular. The study measured participants' performance levels on thirty-two best practices/ elements grouped into six dimensions namely: student collaboration, engagement and learning outcomes; teacher efficiency and retention; assessment for and of learning; flexible/blended learning; holistic system-wide practices; successful implementation. The highest scoring elements were learning through collaboration, learning culture, positive impact through sense of achievement or creativity, problem solving, online information sharing, digital content implementation and knowledge sharing. The lowest recorded scores were for advanced learning modes, remote learners and social development. The study concluded that while technology enables student improvement and better learning outcomes, a strong support system should also be in place to provide training, high quality content, and best practices. This study is valuable to educators who are interested in locating research on the effect of collaborative technology on student learning outcomes.

This is a research project undertaken by Crispin Dale and John Pymm from the University of Wolvehampton in the United Kingdom, to explore the use of the iPod as a technological learning tool. The iPod is defined as a portable media player designed by Apple Company originally as an audio player, but subsequently updated to include video, social media, games and many other applications. The authors mention that the iPod was categorized by Berry (2006 cited in Dale & Pymm, 2009) as disruptive technology that challenged conventional education practices. The podagogy project was conducted in the University of Wolvehampton performing arts courses. The term 'podagogy' is defined as a portmanteau term used to define the iPod's dual usefulness as a podcast and technological tool. Using three different projects requiring students' use of the iPod to retrieve information and create knowledge, students were expected to deliver outcomes showing a range of skills that included creative and performance skills, interpretive skills, research and assimilation skills and synthesis of complex theories and information. Five themes that emerged from the project were * Flexible learning. Students had the freedom of time and space to reflect on their own work away from the classroom and the teacher. * Creative learning. Students were empowered to think more creatively about their work. * Sensory learning. Students learned through sound and kinesthetically. * Personalized learning. Students felt a sense of satisfaction at being able to upload their own personal works. * Collaborative learning. Students worked with others on dance, drama and podcasts for the iPod. The aim of this article is to demonstrate to educators, the use of the iPod as an effective technological tool that can enhance student learning and participation because the students of the present era are greatly influenced by technological shifts and trends.

This article reviews current research to explore how pedagogy has or has not changed. The author points out that most studies fail to contribute to knowledge about learning or teaching through technology specifically. This researcher believes that if professional development for faculty includes technological, pedagogical and content knowledge, (referred to as TPACK) grounded in a constructivist paradigm, it will lead to academic growth in those areas. The author argues that educators need to be mindful of various student learning needs and offer a range of learning opportunities to allow them to succeed. The author is a faculty member at Swinburne University of Australia, and states that academic lecturers who themselves were not students in a technologically rich learning environment, or who did not learn online, will continue to struggle in the 21st century where mobile learning, blended learning and online learning will become more prevalent. This article would be helpful for faculty development administrators who are looking for effective ways to incorporate technology conversation into topics related to effective pedagogy.

Edutopia, an organization dedicated to innovating and reforming education, created a video on the integration of technology in education. While the video is geared towards a K-12 audience, the main concepts are relevant to higher education. Resources available through technology should be used to the best of an instructor's ability. Technology should enhance the classroom and lessons. Students take an active role in their learning process while creating projects such as movies and podcasts.  Utilizing technology within education allows students to share their work with the rest of the world. The students are also able to learn at their own pace, master concepts, and move on when all the necessary skills and knowledge have been learned. This is a significant transition from the previous way of learning. Within the video, Edutopia explains "integrating technology with face-to-face teacher time generally produces better academic outcomes than employing either technique alone." The role of the teacher has shifted to a facilitator. Now it is up to colleges, universities, and K-12 schools across the country to integrate technology into the classroom.

Lohr provides details of an initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in partnership with four other nonprofit education foundations to speed up the development and use of online learning tools. The initiative arose out of concern that many Americans do not possess post-secondary degrees. Even though the question of how technology can improve learning is still being debated, the article states that technology can personalize learning, and has potential benefits. The project was given an initial $20 million for the development of online courses, tools and software. Bill Gates believes that innovation is the only hope, and an expert from Hewlett foundation, a partner in the venture, believes that online tools will provide young people with access to jobs. The article furnishes examples of similar projects that have recorded success, one of which is the Carnegie Mellon University. The University employed a blended learning or hybrid method that combined both online and classroom models. The students' test scores were just as high as those of students who learned in traditional classrooms. Online learning solves the problem of access to higher education, an obstacle that hinders many young people from attending colleges and universities. This is a news piece on the potential of online learning to provide access to higher education programs.