French university École 42 torches the instruction manual on how to educate software engineers. It eliminates teachers. It doesn't make students memorize facts, or even buy books. There's no syllabus or curriculum to be found anywhere in the school's Paris headquarters. And to top it off, it doesn't charge students any tuition or fees.
A checklist for making distance learning programs welcoming and accessible to all students Represented by students in distance learning courses are a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds, ages, native languages, and learning styles. In addition, increasing numbers of students with disabilities participate in regular precollege and postsecondary courses.
Through its Extended Campus, Oregon State University offers accredited online degrees undergraduate and graduate, including Natural Resources, Environmental Sciences, Nuclear Engineering, as well as a K-12 online program.
"The History and Future of (Mostly Higher) Education:
How We Can Unlearn Our Old Patterns to Relearn for a Happier, More Productive, Ethical, and Socially Engaged Future*
COURSERA/Duke University: JANUARY 27, 2014-MARCH 8 2014
DRAFT SYLLABUS (Posted October 6, 2013)"
Excerpt: "Effective online STEM courses integrated active learning activities, interactive engagement strategies, and robust assessments. In particular, assessment design significantly impacted students' self-perceived learning and learning satisfaction for students of all populations. . . . Online STEM instructors are strongly encouraged to utilize the Universal Design for Learning principles."
Summarizes legal basis for accessible online educational materials and provides tips and key links to aid instructors in moving toward Universal Design for Learning.
Florida International University "compared 29 online course sections that had been redesigned according to best practices to 664 online sections that hadn't. Across all the metrics the university's researchers looked at--from the time students spent in the online course to how they evaluated the course and the grades they earned--the redesigned courses posted better results."
"Leaders from the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network in Higher Education - a national organization of professionals involved in faculty, graduate student, and organizational development - have developed eight principles to guide colleges and universities in adopting, implementing, and purchasing online faculty development programming."
As online courses continue to gain in popularity at colleges and universities throughout the country, knowledge about the effectiveness of this mode of instruction, relative to that of traditional, face-to-face courses, becomes increasingly important. (An update to the 2010 DOE report showing no significant difference).