Group items tagged

"Mobile device use has been soaring in recent years in all user groups. Mobile learning is no longer an optional activity for academic institutions, but a necessary endeavor. Developing a curriculum around mobile learning is essential, particularly for distance-based, non-traditional students. Understanding how students use their mobile devices is important to supporting mobile learning initiatives. Student survey responses were examined to determine how students use mobile devices in education. Librarians must stay on the forefront of mobile technology by using their skills in curating and teaching to support this important educational initiative and to become leaders in this area." [Abstract from ERIC Database.] Gebb, B.A., & Young, Z. (2014). Mobile Resource Use in a Distance Learning Population: What Are They Really Doing on Those Devices? Journal of Library & Information Services In Distance Learning, 8(3-4), 288-300.

I wasn't able to read the article - even through the ESC library connection. However, I am curious about the use of mobile devices in distance education and why there is not a higher level of support for some of the apps that are available. For example, my employer fully supports the Blackboard app on iPhone and Android platforms. Whereas at ESC, the Moodle mobile app is still not functional. Many times I have been out without my laptop and would like to get some work done on the phone, but looking at the Moodle website is horrid - even with its responsive theme. It seems the more we expect students to be mobile, the more we should embrace and support its many facets.

You could usually put in an Inter-library loan request (ILL) to get the full-text of articles that only appear in abstract form or do not appear in the ESC database. I just went to chat with a library as ESC and they gave me this web site adress: http://www.esc.edu/library/interlibrary-loan/

This journal focuses on digital Immigrants in distance education and understands teachers as leaders capable of communicating in virtual environments and students as participants facing unfavorable technological factors.

Ho, A. D., Reich, J., Nesterko, S., Seaton, D. T., Mullaney, T., Waldo, J., & Chuang, I. (2014). HarvardX and MITx: The first year of open online courses (HarvardX and MITx Working Paper No. 1). Retrieved from http://ssrn.com/abstract=2381263 The report analyzes in detail the interaction between the students and courses and draws conclusions based on the findings and suggests further research. One of the insights that makes MOOCs quite different than traditional classroom courses is the usage patterns. The authors pointed out that "[n]ew metrics, far beyond grades and course certification, are necessary to capture the diverse usage patterns in the data. A simple comparison of grades and viewed content shows thousands of users who fit a range of profiles. Of particular interest may be those students who accessed substantial course content but did not participate in assessments." (Ho, et al., 2014, p. 3.)

To Marian: I never really paid that much attention to MOOCs until you presented all this information on them. I suppose distance learning and MOOCs are the wave of the future. I am going to have to learn a lot more about MOOCs to understand where higher education may well be going -- at least at the undergraduate level.

Marian: We have an unusual culture where I work. If there is work, it comes with a price. We have many faculty who feel that they need to be paid a lot more to develop in this platform model. 100 students in a course is hard for them to imagine, but much of the grading can be automated. I would like to encourage the use of MOOCs for a few reasons, but I have two that are of value to the education industry. The first is students who are unsure of their educational goals can take advantage of the free or very low cost access to content to see if the path is for them. Second, there seems to be an opportunity for increased enrollment. This is an area that many institutions across the nation are struggling with. Having so much more online availability and larger classes could be part of the solution.

This paper discusses ethics and student assessment, as applicable to the growing field of distance education. Since we are all taking online courses I thought this would be a good share.

Great points made in this article about how difficult it is to know who is really completing the work in an online course or exam. So much to consider when the exams really matter in terms of professional advancement. I think of all the exams I had to sit for in Albany for New York State teacher licensing five years ago and there they fingerprint you when you take the exam to ensure that someone else is not taking it for you.

This is a great practical guide. I'm teaching my first online high school course this semester -- it's an experiment my superintendent is indulging -- and it's the kind of useful info I can use.

"The advantages of mobile technologies have not been lost on higher education institutions, and they have tried to provide educational services through the use of mobile learning management system (LMS). However, offering such services does not necessarily mean that the students will adopt the new technology. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine what factors facilitate and hinder the students' adoption of the mobile campus. The study was based on the diffusion of innovation model and compared the perceptions of mobile LMS users and nonusers. Eighty-five students in a cyber university responded to the survey, and the results revealed that even though nonusers perceived the advantages of using mobile LMS, they did not adopt the system because of its complexity and resistance. A discussion and the implications for further development of mobile LMS followed." [Abstract from ERIC database.] Han, I., & Han, S. (2014). Adoption of the Mobile Campus in a Cyber University. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. 15(6), 237-256.

"Mobile cloud learning, a combination of mobile learning and cloud computing, is a relatively new concept that holds considerable promise for future development and delivery in the education sectors. Cloud computing helps mobile learning overcome obstacles related to mobile computing. The main focus of this paper is to explore how cloud computing changes traditional mobile learning. A case study of the usage of Moodle in the cloud via mobile learning in Khalifa University was conducted." [Abstract from ERIC database.] Wang, M., Chen, Y., & Khan, M. J. (2014). Mobile Cloud Learning for Higher Education: A Case Study of Moodle in the Cloud. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. 15(2), 254-267.

The integration of technology in classrooms is rapidly emerging as a way to provide more educational opportunities for students. As virtual learning environments become more popular, evaluating the impact of this technology on student success is vital. "Exploring the Effectiveness of Online Education in K-12 Environments" combines empirical evidence and best practices in current K-12 distance learning and virtual schools.

A look at making resources available at no cost or affordable cost so that there will be equity in access.

Book with essential explanations to understand the concept of Scaffolding. Also the paper refers to the information processing (IP) the way in which we register sensorial and the way we keep it in our memory until it becomes knowledge.

This resource explores critical issues such as copyright, technology tools, and accessibility and includes examples from top Blackboard practitioners which are applicable to any LMS.

Reference Gasevic, D., Kovanovic, V. Joksimovic, S., Siemens, G. (2014). Where is Research on Massive Open Online Courses Headed ? A Data Analysis of the MOOC Research Initiative. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 15(5), 135 -176. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1954/3111

Marian, this is an involved research report on MOOC research initiative! Specifically, the issue of low course completion and high degree of student attrition was often pronounced as the key challenge of MOOCs & that understanding factors that affect student engagement, completion and success in MOOCs is a complicated psychological process. Theory of planned behavior (TPB) - used to study behavioral change - in the study's case, changing students intention to complete a MOOC and thus, increase their likelihood of course completion - it remains to be seen to what extent a student's intention can be changed if the student did not have an intention to complete a MOOC in the first place. What would be a reason that could motivate a student to change their intention in cases when she/he only enrolled in a MOOC to access information provided without intentions to take any formal assessments? Side note - are you aware of (or have you already taken) ESC's EDU-681111 Metacognitive Analysis: U Albany & Empire State College MOOC? Also, you may be interested in reading this article - Beyond MOOCs: Is IT Creating a New, Connected Age? EDUCAUSE Sprint 2013.