Group items tagged

"". .. from your perspective what are the institutional enablers and blockers when it comes to growing the digital capability of an organisation?" asked James Clay in a recent post on this blog. I rather flippantly posted a comment to James's post saying "Culture is a big issue, but I think over reliance (or expectations) that technology alone will somehow wave some magical digital fairy dust and everyone and ergo the institution will be "digital" and digitally literate." This post is my attempt to elaborate that comment."

"MOOCs, or Massive Open Online Courses, have become all the rage, with numerous institutions joining forces with Coursera, edX, FutureLearn, and other providers. The Babson Survey Research Group recently found that although 55 percent of institutions said they were undecided about their plans for offering MOOCs, 9.4 percent said they were in the planning stages of offering one, and 2.6 percent have already taken the plunge;  the same survey showed the number of students taking at least one course online has reached an all-time high of 32 percent."

"The key opportunity for institutions is to take the concepts developed by the MOOC experiment to date and use them to improve the quality of their face-to-face and online provision, and to open up access to higher education. Most importantly, the understanding gained should be used to inform diversification strategies including the development of new business models and pedagogic approaches that take full advantage of digital technologies."

This guidance examines the legal implications of recording lectures at UK FE and HE institutions, focusing mainly on the issues of copyright and consent. It includes a flow chart of the legal issues and model consent form for institutions to use. It can

"This document summarises the key findings of a review of the National Student Survey (NSS). The NSS, first launched in 2005 , collects feedback from undergraduate students in the UK, via a survey, on their experiences of various aspects of their courses. The review was commissioned by the UK Higher Education funding bodies, and undertaken by NatCen Social Research in partnership with the Institute of Education and the Institute for Employment Studies."

"Oxford Brookes is once again offering this popular fully online course from 6 Oct to 7 Nov this year. You will have the opportunity to work with colleagues from tertiary institutions, in different countries, to explore the concept of internationalising your curriculum for all students. The course moves from the theory to the practice and invites you to become familiar with resources in the area and to develop curricula ideas that could be applicable in your institution and in your discipline. Details and booking here."

This report summarises the findings from 74 UK institutions who ran the tracker survey with their students collecting 22, 593 student responses on their expectations and experiences of technology. Institutions had the options of running surveys designed specifically for their learner types, HE, FE, adult and community learners, skills learners and those learners studying remotely online.

It can seem expensive, but even simple innovations can have a big impact on your institution, students and working life, argues JISC's Professor David Baker

The importance of social media is rising up the strategic agenda for management and users at UK Universities. Social Media is growing in its adoption across all areas of society, including Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). To gain a current picture o

This is the project blog for a JISC funded project - Evaluating assessment diaries and GradeMark at the University of Glamorgan. This project is part of the JISC Assessment and Feedback Programme. The programme has three strands. Our project is in Strand B where we will evaluate assessment and feedback related innovations which are already underway in a faculty or institution, and report on lessons for the sector.

Over the past several months, the proliferation of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) has been hailed as a potent defense against the rising cost and insular culture of attending a traditional college. The courses, which are generally taught by experts with affiliations to elite universities, are characterized by their unique pedagogy and unlimited enrollment. To date, no course has been accepted for transfer credit at a major on-campus institution; however some administrators and higher-education experts predict their gradual integration into university curriculum. This article examines the MOOC phenomenon, identifying aspects that academic librarians should consider in the coming years, including how these courses interact with scholarly resources and library services. Methods for integrating library services in these courses are evaluated, with recommendations for the best course of action.

""It's Mooc or die", a university vice-chancellor has said, claiming that institutions must embrace the massive open online course movement and adapt their teaching methods or face a tough future."

"The Georgia Institute of Technology plans to offer a $7,000 online master's degree to 10,000 new students over the next three years without hiring much more than a handful of new instructors."

"Issue number 33 of eLearning Papers focuses on the challenges and future of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), a trend in education that has skyrocketed since 2008. Guest edited by Dr Yishay Mor, Senior Lecturer at the Open University's Institute of Educational Technology (UK), and Tapio Koskinen, Director of the eLearning Papers Editorial Board, MOOCs and Beyond seeks to both generate debate and present a variety of perspectives about this new popular learning model. "

"This issue aims to shed light on the way MOOCs affect education institutions and learners. Which teaching and learning strategies can be used to improve the MOOC learning experience? How do MOOCs fit into today's pedagogical landscape; and could they provide a viable model for developing countries?"

"Over the past year, MOOCs have opened the doors of access to quality education, and have captured the attention of educational leaders and students worldwide. Today, we're excited to announce the next step in our mission to foster student learning without limits and expand the possibilities that MOOCs and online education can enable."

"The Georgia Institute of Technology's plan to offer a low-cost online master's degree to 10,000 students at once creates what may be a first-of-its-kind template for the evolving role of public universities and corporations"

"Remember when Coursera - the world's largest purveyor of Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs) - was going to disrupt higher education, and put hundreds if not thousands of public institutions out of business? I know it's hard to cast your mind back all of eighteen months, but try. Actually don't.  Because it's all over. Yesterday, Coursera did a weird strategy about-face by announcing that, rather than competing with public colleges, it's going to start competing with Blackboard instead"

"The Institute for Global Health's Dr Jolene Skordis-Worrall and Dr Hassan Haghparast-Bidgoli explain the challenges and triumphs they encountered when turning one of their existing modules into an online-only, Moodle-based course."

"EdX, a nonprofit enterprise founded by Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will release automated software that uses artificial intelligence to grade student essays and short written answers."