"I was surprised to find while doing some research for a client that there is no single source where one can go to compare different quality standards for e-learning. So I'm starting a list here..."
Grainne Conole proposes 12 dimesions for better classification of MOOCs. the degree of openness, the scale of participation (massification), the amount of use of multimedia, the amount of communication, the extent to which collaboration is included, the type of learner pathway (from learner centred to teacher-centred and highly structured), the level of quality assurance, the extent to which reflection is encouraged, the level of assessment, how informal or formal it is, autonomy, and diversity. She then evaluates five example MOOCs against these dimensions.
"For as long as eLearning has been around, it has been haunted by the voices of those who aim to criticize its authenticity, viability, and quality. But is it true? Do students of traditional institutions boast more success than those who've chosen distance learning?
It's time for some of these myths to die."
The Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) is designed to encourage a more sophisticated approach to recording student achievement, which acknowledges fully the range of opportunities that higher education institutions in the UK offer to their students.
The HEAR has the potential to bring a wide range of benefits to students, employers and higher education institutions. The HEAR can also been seen as a symbolic and practical expression of the UK's student-centred and quality-focussed higher education culture. It is anticipated that the HEAR will become a key feature in differentiating and distinguishing the UK higher education system.
This website is an information and resources portal for those involved in:
* implementing and managing the HEAR at an institutional level;
* creating and making the most of the HEAR at a personal level for students; or
* understanding and utilising the HEAR at a recruitment level for employers.
"Here on the Guardian's data team, we've wanted to help you visualise our data and create new viz styles for a long time. And now, thanks to some great work by the Guardian's Interactive team, that dream has moved one step closer.
This week, developers Alastair Dant and Alex Graul launched the first part of the Miso project. In this piece, Alex explains it is a
"Set of Open Source tools designed to make it faster and easier to create high quality interactive and data visualization content""
A few months ago, I discovered MentorMob (MM), which allows any user to create "learning playlists" to share or open up to other fellow learners who might want to add or edit the content in the playlist. The end product is the ultimate learning tool for students, especially when the playlist is populated with high-quality content, including visual, audio and interactive elements. MM playlists make sense because they "scaffold" learning in a very visual and intuitive way. The lists are simple to make, follow, edit, co-author and collaborate. "
"ClearBits provides hosting and distribution for open licensed media.
We distribute high quality, open-licensed (Creative Commons) digital media, datasets, and artwork for Content Creators. We host creative content in its entirety, ensure fast, reliable downloads, and enable users to directly sponsor Content Creators and their work."
real-time audio and video with a shared desktop - not a fully-featured virtual classroom but good quality audio and video, can have multiple video participants
Hypothesis: Students judge quality of information based on position in Google search results. Intervention: Switch the order. Result: Students "used the (falsely) top-ranked pages".