Group items tagged

This report is the product of the HECC OER steering committee. A consultant was hired to study the market of open ancillary materials platforms, with a goal of helping the committee possibly prepare to apply for a grant to create an open platform for ancillary materials.

Something to check in on later as they develop ... "The OSP's mission is to build a large-scale online collection of syllabi and to build foundational tools for analyzing it in order to advance scholarly inquiry, promote institutional cooperation, and foster pedagogical diversity. We believe that this critical mass of syllabi will stimulate new research tools, drive policy change, foster best practices, provide new metrics, and aid in the search, discovery, and the development of new course materials."

"Based on their research, Velegol, Mahoney, and Zappe have the following suggestions for faculty interested in flipping: (1) Keep the video segments less than 10 minutes, (2) review the material in class for less than 20 minutes, (3) give students time in class to work on real-life and relevant problems or projects that are traditionally done at home, and (4) provide at least weekly assessments to keep the students on track."

I thought this was a funny and insightful explanation into why smart academics find it impossible to write directly or clearly. It's kinda long (ironically?) but eventually starts listing a few good (specific) insights. Thought yall might enjoy from a "how can we improve communication and content" perspective.

Great article -- and a real issue in some online courses, where we often need more of a technical writing style, such as numbered lists for directions instead of super-long paragraphs. Thanks for sharing!

"Specifically, students who reported being highly engaged connected ideas from other courses, changed their understanding of a topic or concept, found connections between their learning and societal problems, and had fun. . . . "What students in online classes seek is connection--to oneself, to others, and/or to course material."

Research Digital technology in post-secondary learning is here to stay, according to a new report. Eight in 10 college students surveyed said that the use of tech improves their grades (81 percent), lets them spend more time studying by increasing the accessibility they have to their materials (82 percent) and improves their efficiency (81 percent).

Summarizes legal basis for accessible online educational materials and provides tips and key links to aid instructors in moving toward Universal Design for Learning.