Group items tagged

"Almost 25 years have passed since Chickering and Gamson offered seven principles for good instructional practices in undergraduate education. While the state of undergraduate education has evolved to some degree over that time, I think the seven principles still have a place in today's collegiate classroom. Originally written to communicate best practices for face-to-face instruction, the principles translate well to the online classroom and can help to provide guidance for those of us designing courses to be taught online."

The Guardian HE paper in the UK recently published an article highlighting 12 UK blogs on higher education worth following (on things from HE planning, pedagogy, online learning, research, etc.)

"I wanted to share some additional thoughts on Cliff Atkinson's new book, The Backchannel, and its implications for higher education.  As I mentioned in my earlier post, the first chapter of the book is available online and provides a very clear introduction to the logistics and possibilities of the backchannel.  What might the backchannel look like in educational settings?  Here are a couple of examples."

"This page includes a list of links that we believe are helpful to those involved in open education. As you will see, these resources cover a variety of topics and include everything from printable documents that make handy reference materials to keep around the office to extensive online walkthroughs. Whether you are new to the concept of open education or you are an experienced open education practitioner, we believe you will find these materials useful."

"The buzz surrounding massive open online courses, or MOOCs, has grown nearly as massive as the courses themselves. MOOCs are the new "thneeds," the oddly-shaped items peddled by the Once-ler in The Lorax: Everybody seems to want one, even if nobody yet knows exactly what they are or what they mean. But amid all this MOOC mania, the University of Maine at Presque Isle is attempting a different kind of free online offering - one that would swap the scale of a MOOC for the high-touch experience of a conventional online course. Michael Sonntag, the provost, calls it a "LOOC": a little open online course."

Interesting blog post by Tony Bates on the changing face of higher education, the role of distance education and educational technology. Worth a read.

"Social media may have started out as a fun way to connect with friends, but it has evolved to become a powerful tool for education and business. Sites such as Facebook and Twitter and tools such as Skype are connecting students to learning opportunities in new and exciting ways. Whether you teach an elementary class, a traditional college class, or at an online university, you will find inspirational ways to incorporate social media in your classroom with this list."

"Whether you're new to technology, just getting started with a social network, or looking for some useful tips then these courses are for you. They're part of a new idea that I've been working on with a few friends. We're calling it Modern Lessons and it's essentially a 'Khan Academy for real-world skills' where a small handful of people build free online courses designed to help you learn some important things. But it's more than just a few useful videos about Twitter. There are customized certificates, quizzes, prerequisites, and more. But that's not important. The important part is what YOU can expect to learn. Since many Edudemic readers are teachers, there's a whole area devoted to teachers, don't worry. Adam Webster, an Oxford-educated teacher just outside London, has lovingly crafted a series of useful (and free!) courses designed to help you integrate technology into your classroom. More on that later. "

"The benefits to a Wikipedia assignment are extensive. Asking students to interact with the largest reference work in the world creates a unique educational experience: namely, a Wikipedia assignment provides a real-life application of the skills and knowledge students develop in the classroom. Asking students to participate in a Wikipedia project challenges them to examine and refine the ways in which they interact with digital resources. Students must develop their media literacy as they assess the reliability of online sources, their online etiquette as they interact with editors around the globe, and their critical thinking skills as they identify articles that need improvement. When students edit articles, they must produce material that is relavant to Wikipedia and consumed by actual readers beyond their classroom. They are confronted with immediate feedback to their work and must learn how to collaborate with writers around the globe. "

This article takes Chickering & Gamson's "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education" (1987) and applies it to online courses.

Brand new article that just came out in the Higher Education Research and Development journal. It features researchers from La Trobe University in Australia, but may be of interest to people at the U of S.

All of the videos from the Introduction to Teaching Online course through the GMCTE.

"In this course, we will examine the tools and practices associated with networked, open, and digital scholarship. In particular we will investigate the emergent practice of scholars' use of social media and online social networks for sharing, critiquing, improving, furthering, and reflecting upon their scholarship. Recent reports indicate that social media are at an early stage of adoption in academia, even though mindful participation in digital spaces is a significant skill for today's academic and knowledge worker. Participants will study scholarly presence online. They will examine how particular tools and practices may enhance the impact and reach of scholarship, and will explore the challenges and tensions associated with emerging forms of scholarship. By gaining an understanding of modern forms of scholarship, participants will be better equipped to use digital technologies and networked practices in their own work. This course will be of immediate relevance to doctoral students, academics, and knowledge workers. Faculty members who teach research methods courses and faculty development professionals may also find this course valuable."

"Think Twitter is just a waste of time? Think again. Its organizational structure makes it an effective tool for connecting with students and others online" While this article is aimed at K-12, it also applies to higher ed.

This is one of the main reasons that I have a blog, which includes my reflections, information about what I've been working on, my CV, etc.

The is a quick online tool to determine the "readability" of your written content. You simply paste in some text and it gives you an indication of how many years of formal education would be needed to be able to understand the reading. This tool is helpful when designing your course content. For example, if you paste in text for a first year course and get a reading level of 16 years of education on the Gunning Fog index; then you should try to state your content more simply. You don't need to "dumb down" the content, but rather re-state it.

Open online course from the GMCTE aimed at novices interested in learning technologies.

Series of videos on clickers, managing TAs, managing teaching along with responsibilities, Q&As including about online courses, diverse students, and feedback (discontent vs. systemic).

From the American Psychological Association, this online resource and guide covers how to assess student learning outcomes for program review based on stated learning goals. "We have organized this Cyberguide into four parts that will assist departments in developing assessment plans: A. Understanding Assessment: Departmental, Institutional, Educational, and Societal Perspectives B. Designing Viable Assessment Plans C. Sustaining an Assessment Culture D. Applying Assessment Strategies in Psychology"