Online Learning
Written by Susan Smith Nash on September 30, 2007
Minimizing" is in, and "supersizing" is out, according to a new report from the Hartmann Group called "Portion Control from a Consumer Perspective." One can't help but wonder if this is viral, which is to say that a meme is...
Written by Susan Smith Nash on September 22, 2007
Louisiana will provide teachers with online (or face-to-face) training to prepare them to meet No Child Left Behind requirements and other standards-based education and assessment. The program has been developed by the Louisiana Department of Education and consists of five...
Written by Susan Smith Nash on September 19, 2007
An effective online learning utilizes both behavioral and cognitive psychology in order to create a learning environment that results in the mastery of basic concepts and facts, an ability to synthesize information, integrate and relate it to life and personal...
Written by Erica Nielsen on September 10, 2007
Architecture student Kim was a senior who needed to take three upper-level courses in her major and one elective to complete her degree. She consulted with some of her friends to find out what they thought was the least challenging...
Written by Susan Smith Nash on July 21, 2007
Educational podcasts have arrived. Downloadable, automatically updated audio content fits the lifestyle of learners who are taking courses in traditional face-to-face settings as well as via the Internet or mobile devices. With iTunesU and the debut of the iPhone, the...
Written by Susan Smith Nash on June 18, 2007
The 2007 Informing Science and Information Technology Conference (InSITE 2007) features a full suite of papers that provide an international perspective on all informing sciences, which include issues of e-learning and education, as well as educational technology, instructional technology, and...
Written by Susan Smith Nash on June 13, 2007
Podcast - downloadable mp3 file. Anyone who has taken online courses through a college or university is likely to be very disappointed by the webinars commonly offered in corporate and professional development training. Even though new versions of webinars use...
Written by Susan Smith Nash on May 28, 2007
For the first time ever, users can take the complete Myers-Briggs personality type assessment, verify their types, and receive a high-quality interpretation at one place, completely online through CPP, Inc, at http://www.mbticomplete.com. While personality tests have been widely available on...
Written by Susan Smith Nash on April 15, 2007
The following approach represents a way to fast-track the development of online courses by using an integrative approach to develop unique, high-quality courses that reflect the core values and vision of the institution while bringing together media assets, supplemental subject...
Written by Susan Smith Nash on March 28, 2007
Using social networking to develop, deploy, and share online quizzes could be a powerful way to build a knowledge community of students and educators, and to overcome the content limitations and passive learning problems often associated with quizzes. According to...
Written by Susan Smith Nash on March 19, 2007
We are ignoring and/or imposing ineffective distance education strategies for our bilingual and non-English speaking populations. Right now, we have an urgent need to provide the kind of education and training that will benefit bilingual and non-English speaking populations in...
Written by Susan Smith Nash on March 8, 2007
What happens when you couple a YouTube sensation with actual scientific information that helps us better understand the physical world around us? What you have is a fantastic learning opportunity, and a chance to change people's lives as they...
Written by Susan Smith Nash on January 30, 2007
Podcast / downloadable mp3 file Borrowing the "in media res" techniques of popular programs, Monk, House, and NCIS, among others, can help make online and untethered mobile learning more effective. In the early days of e-learning, it was common to...
Written by Susan Smith Nash on November 18, 2006
Podcast / mp3 file The military has teamed with video game designers such as Zombie to develop dynamic, interactive games that are used to train, instruct, and even recruit. What is often overlooked is that they are extremely powerful tools...
Written by Susan Smith Nash on October 30, 2006
"How do I know that the person taking the course is the one who is doing the work and taking the tests?" That's the first question people have when they think about e-learning. A possible solution comes from an unexpected...
Written by Susan Smith Nash on October 16, 2006
Podcast Here's one way that one can use video clips in conjunction with creative investigation of the author's life and life work. It is a good way to engage the students, and to provide creative opportunities for the instructor. This...
Written by Susan Smith Nash on September 25, 2006
How does one determine quality in e-learning and mobile learning courses? It is important to look at the content, learning goals, user needs and equipment, learning conditions, and faculty capabilities. The following is a checklist of points to keep in mind when evaluating a course or an elearning or m-learning program. The points do not appear in order of priority or importance -- they are a starting point.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on July 17, 2006
Senior citizens in their 80s in assisted living are sitting together in a computer lab. Some are downloading photos from their digital cameras and uploading to MySpace, while others have on headphones and are listening to podcasts made by their relatives, who are sending audio-email via http://www.odeo.com and http://www.audioblogger.com. Others are putting the finishing touches on their memoirs and historical novels for a capstone course in a certificate program in expository and life writing.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on June 2, 2006
It occurs to me that Boomer and Gen-X parents do not quite realize that the Internet, watching media (including films and television), and playing video games are not the same passive activities that they were during Leave It to Beaver, Pong or Colecovision days. Video games can be massively multi-player, so playing them requires a great deal of skill, and communication ability. When they download and edit movies and music, play games, and communicate with friends, tech-savvy kids are problem-solving, recognizing patterns, increasing hand-eye coordination, cataloguing events, determining cause-effect relationships, predicting sequences, and more.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on May 22, 2006
Imagine being in the middle of your junior year and your college suddenly announces it's going belly-up. This is a scenario that is increasingly likely to happen as nimble private colleges and aggressive for-profits pull enrollments away from traditional brick-and-mortar campuses into their online programs that are convenient, timely, relevant, and often presented in an accelerated format which allows students to obtain their degrees quickly.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on May 13, 2006
Obviously, this is going to be a rather controversial topic. Some would argue that no single ordinary mortal is really equipped to guide a student from kindergarten to 12th grade. Others would say that what matters is the parent's ability to motivate the child, and to structure his or her environment. After all, the education comes prepackaged - either in books, CDs, or over the internet in carefully prepared courses and curriculum.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on March 9, 2006
What are some of the cognitive processes involved in retaining course material? In the case of e-learning, retention is often associated with higher-level reasoning, problem-solving, and synthesis, as well as basic multiple choice and interactive drills. It is useful to look at the processes, as well as effective instructional practices.
Written by Rob Reynolds on February 28, 2006
If I were to reduce all of the excitement about new Web tools for education to a single benefit it would be this -- connecting information, experience, and memory. As all of the blogevangelists have pointed out, the tools for connectivity are already here. Between blogs, podcasting, wikis, flickr, and tagging, we lack nothing really when it comes to physically connecting the dots.
But there is a challenge and it is significant. What stands in our way, what prevents us from stoking the flames of learning with these obvious tools, is the same thing that has always stood in our way -- separation. Whether it is in the classroom of my youth or via online classes in the present, there remains a persistent process in traditional education that tends to separate one discipline from another, separate one student from another, and separate one fact from another. By focusing on the importance of isolated and packaged information we have lost much of our awareness that the real process of learning is through connection. We have thwarted the natural process of learning and replaced it with an awkward and ineffective substitute.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on February 10, 2006
(This article accompanies our most recent He Said She Said podcast on monetizing the Web.)
Becoming a member of affiliate programs can lead to new revenue for e-learning programs, and getting started can be as simple or as complex as you choose. A well-planned approach will succeed, whether complicated or delightfully simple. New revenue occurs via increased traffic to your web site, deeper understanding of your programs, more effective student behaviors, enhanced student loyalty, better student performance, and the opportunity to establish productive alliances with currently enrolled students and alumni.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on January 31, 2006
Despite the fervor about "monetized" domain names that consist of little else but links to ads, don't be deceived. That's not the best way to make money with your affiliate programs. The best way, at least at this point, still involves traffic -- traffic you've generated from the quality and intrinsic value of your site. Don't alienate your hard-earned traffic by surrounding them with distracting, chaotic banners, chicklets, and text links. Instead, use the tips below to carefully craft a plan that will optimize click-throughs and conversions to commission-bearing sales.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on January 23, 2006
What does it take to achieve solid, fast-paced growth in an e-learning organization? It's not just about building courses, recruiting students, or containing costs. It's also about generating new revenue streams, which may include establishing affiliate relationships, monetizing websites through advertising and reciprocal relationships, and acquiring "valuable real estate" (domains) in order to monetize them, then sell as "type-in" direct navigation domains. Needless to say, it's important to be perceived as maintaining academic excellence as you build student and revenue bases. Nevertheless, there are exciting new ways that have been newly legitimized by investment banking firms for organizations (including e-learning organizations) to establish relationships and to market and promote products, services, and approaches.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on January 19, 2006
The college degree earned either partially or fully online has ascended in stature to solid respectability, as college administrators have come to believe that online courses can be more rigorous than face-to-face. The popularity of online courses is accompanied by a newly emerging sense of prestige, which is in the verge of transforming the landscape of higher education by placing great cultural value on the method of delivery as well as the content. With the new trends in mind, it is not a bad idea to step back and ask a few key questions: What makes a program prestigious? Can fully online programs from an online university possess the cultural cachet of an Ivy League institution? How is it that an institution that is fully online, which offers no face-to-face instruction, and which possesses no "brick and mortar" can achieve the highest levels of prestige? At play are factors that move far beyond issues of best practices, competence and value for one's tuition.
Written by Rob Reynolds on January 12, 2006
This article describes a processfor helping you design simple, stand-alone, interactive game concepts. This is the same process I use when working with the team at my company or when consulting with schools or other companies to design games. This exercise is best completed with a small group of creative people.
Written by Rob Reynolds on January 3, 2006
One of my commitments this year is to be more focused. Like most bloggers I know, this isn't as easy as it may sound. I'm a husband, a parent, a teacher, a writer, and an executive for a growing company. Like many of the edubloggers out there, I wear lots of hats. But "writer" is only one of those hats so, at least in that realm of my life, I plan to make this year a bit more directed. In terms of XplanaZine, that means picking a few pertinent themes and exploring those on a regular basis. My hope is that this extended focus will help me unravel some of the complexities related to larger issues as well as address unfolding developments as they occur. One of the "big" topics for this year is Online Games in Education and today I would like to share a few opening thoughts about the scope of this theme and some of the pertinent areas I intend to address this year.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on November 14, 2005
I recently rediscovered an article published more than ten years ago by a team of researchers investigating the impact of diversity on team performance. It fascinated me because the implications for online collaborations is profound. Comparing task performance of homogeneous groups against the performance of diverse groups revealed a number of rather surprising things about how diverse groups interact with each other and achieve defined outcomes.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on October 14, 2005
If you want to get something done in an organization, get a charismatic leader. Although distributed, situational, transformational, and many other leadership models abound, it is amazing how often the focus reverts to the classic model of a charismatic larger-than-life individual leading a Pickett’s Charge unto the breach. Granted, one hopes for slightly better outcomes, but, the model is worth examining, particularly in the e-learning organization.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on August 8, 2005
What do current ideas about working memory and cognitive processing imply for developers of online courses, knowing that learners may not be using the media in the environment it was intended? Further, learners seem to prefer using audio and web-based information in ways that counter what researchers recommend.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on July 28, 2005
Can the "lessons learned" from face-to-face academic turnarounds be applied to online programs as well? A classic case of a school district "turnaround" is the Union City Public School in New Jersey , where school district leaders decided to take control of the once-centralized system in order to make the changes needed to attain student achievement levels needed to keep the district from being taken over.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on July 14, 2005
Learning objects, when incorporated into an online course in an outcome-focused and learner-centered manner, can enhance learner motivation. This article contains a review of motivation theories that are especially pertinent to online course development, design, and instruction and it provides examples of how to implement learning objects in accordance with the theory.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on July 4, 2005
The Sloan-C's recent report, "Entering the Mainstream" (2005) supports the notion that online instruction has gone totally mainstream. What are some of the ideas about online instruction and support that are now a part of the mainstream belief system (within education providers)? What does an analysis reveal?
After the publication of best practices for online and hybrid programs based on benchmarks derived from extensive longitudinal studies, online programs almost universally adopted them, modifying them to fit their individual needs.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on June 27, 2005
You can't be everything to everyone, claim the critics, and yet instructional designers are forced to be just that. Instructional design, as an interdisciplinary offshoot of instructional psychology, has undergone major "sea changes" in the last few years, as technology, neuroscience, learning environment variations, and the need for access and inclusiveness, have broadened the field to the point that some have claimed that it is too broad. As a result, there has been an emphasis on returning back to basic precepts. . . .
Written by Susan Smith Nash on June 23, 2005
Video game-based simulation can be extremely effective in courses that involve "social impact" types of courses, particularly when learning objectives involve equipping the students to be able to practice decision-making skills, problem analysis, and cause-and-effect relationships. For example, courses in economic development, globalization and its local impacts, or community development could incorporate the following "serious games." They could be implemented as individual player games, or as multiplayer games -- even massively multiplayer games (MMORGs).
Written by Susan Smith Nash on June 21, 2005
Trying to retrieve your e-mail from your instructor on your PDA, but you've lost the signal? Can't log into your course because the computer you're using won't allow cookies, or java? In the eagerness to adopt the most complex course management software, or incorporate all the latest features of mobile computing, it is easy to forget that many students will be taking courses while deployed or traveling, where they have reduced access and functionality.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on June 13, 2005
Why is morale so bad when business is so good? Many institutions experiencing a boom in their online course enrollments are confronting this issue. Because of the rapid growth and rate of change that characterize most online learning programs, morale within the support staff, faculty, and administrative personnel tasked with developing, delivering, and maintaining the courses and the infrastructure may be very low. Vroom's expectancy theory helps explain it, as does the concept of "psychological climate." This article explores the theory and applies it to the online learning program.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on June 2, 2005
In their zeal to eradicate plagiarism, academic departments often overlook many of the legal ramifications of academic dishonesty charges. Failure to be consistent in enforcing policies against plagiarism, and/or provide solid evidentiary support can lead to expensive lawsuits and negative publicity, which can ultimately impugn the credibility of the entire institution.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on May 11, 2005
As learning organizations seek to expand their distance programs (online and mobile technologies), and to find the best and most appropriate use of technology, there is an increasing awareness that the strategic planning methods of the past are often inadequate. Leadership theories that focus on managing change do not address the issues of long-term constituencies who have unchanging long-term goals, although the methods of achieving the goals are constantly problematized by situational, financial and technological barriers and change. Scores of new books have claimed to offer the one sure remedy, the latest and greatest leadership book.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on May 4, 2005
At least once a year, it is important for a learning organization to evaluate itself by means of well-designed surveys. If you can develop diagnostic instruments that tie not only to best practices in one area, but incorporate vision, values, and project management philosophy with tactics and strategy, you will have a better idea of whether or not your organization is accomplishing its goals and heading in the right direction.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on April 26, 2005
Here's the title of the ad or the subject line in the spam e-mail that clutters your mailbox: Get a degree from an American university online, and in your own language! This time, however, instead of automatically deleting the e-mail, you open it and think about it. Is such a plan feasible now that online programs are well-established and online access is more universal? But, is such a program even advisable? Obviously, there are many, many legitimate university partnership and affiliations that offer wonderful experiences and high-quality education to students and faculty members. However, as in all aspects of higher education, caution is warranted.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on April 13, 2005
By the time an education provider realizes that it has lost focus on learning, they may have already suffered severe, possibly irreparable damage. This a danger faced by almost every education institution, as it strives to accommodate new demands for flexible delivery technologies, trendy curriculum and course content, and student-friendly financing options. Consequences can range mild chaos and lack of direction to total collapse. Damage can result from faculty and staff disenchantment and low morale, a massive out-migration of students as the institution fails to live up to the promised educational vision, and financial pressure as tuition revenues fail to flow in, and donors refuse to continue to contribute to the organization.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on April 6, 2005
When one enters the relatively bland learning space of an online or hybrid distance course, it is very tempting to think that the learners will be as uniform and predictable as the interface itself. If each course has the "same look and feel," does the blandness precondition the learner to think that all the other learners will similarly possess the "same look and feel" as all the other e-learners? How will the e-learner consider other learners in the course with him or her? Will they be assumed to be all the same, too? Will the learner be unconsciously conditioned to assume that all the learners are mere echoes (or mirror images) of himself or herself?
Written by Rob Reynolds on April 6, 2005
Anything we add to the physical classroom, beyond teachers and students, can only serve a supportive role of the already-defined purpose of the space and the roles of the primary players in it. That's why broad initiatives to put technology inside of physical school buildings always have mixed results and some parents and educators end up with plenty of ammunition to oppose such initiatives. It's the reality that drove the results of
Larry Cuban's seminal book and it's a reality that is insurmountable as long as we're talking about the physical classroom.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on April 1, 2005
Rehearsal and repetition may be bad for learning. They are even worse for learners at a distance for whom external influences such as work stress, frequent travel, deployment to war zones, and personal or family issues are creating learning anxiety. This is the conclusion reached by several learning specialists and educational psychologists who studied why students perform poorly even after adhering closely to the "practice makes perfect" traditional cognitive learning strategies of rehearsal, organization, and elaboration.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on March 16, 2005
Effective design and instruction of distance courses can provide additional support for students who are at risk of failure due to the fact that they never developed effective learning strategies in traditional face-to-face environments.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on March 9, 2005
Although it might be efficient to set up a fully automated, fully functioning learning space, minded by HAL from 2001, A Space Odyssey, very few students will actually finish their courses in that charming, fully sanitized and free from human frailty utopia. Why is that? That's a good question.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on March 2, 2005
Can your iPod be a part of your hybrid course? Will you do your course activities through your cell phone? It's coming, if it's not here already.
Written by on February 25, 2005
Science teachers have a reason to pout. In 2004, Popular Science ranked teaching public school science as the 13th worst science job. The culprit generally cited for this dubious distinction is the No Child Left Behind Act.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on February 23, 2005
Students in online courses are often offended by comments in a discussion forum or by blog postings. Evolution, Disney characters, fascist propaganda techniques, advertising's depictions of ideal beauty, "pop" sensationalists and taboos (Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Madonna), modernist art installations (even Christo's Gates) arouse flaming instead of open-mindedness. Often accused of excessive "political correctness," instructors find themselves powerless to stop the knee-jerk reactions.
Written by Rob Reynolds on February 17, 2005
One of the more important aspects of teaching is communicating regularly and effectively with students. Unfortunately, this is not as straightforward as it may seem. Teaching online has forced me to see students as individuals and to communicate with them without the aid of traditional classroom filters.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on February 16, 2005
When it comes to learning theories and epistemologies, I think I'm a constructivist. Yes, that’s what I am -- and about 99.9 % of all other people involved in online education. But what does being a constructivist actually mean?
Written by Susan Smith Nash on February 14, 2005
Developing a hybrid course involves more than simply uploading online articles into Blackboard or WebCT and slapping together a discussion board. To be effective, hybrid models must be carefully planned and structured. Here’s what instructors must keep in mind, and how they can either have a tremendously successful learning event or end up with disgruntled, confused students.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on February 12, 2005
This article explores the applicability of using artificial neural networks to help students in an online course as they situate their conceptual knowledge in the real world. Leadership and expository writing courses are ideal starting points because both involve processing a wide array of information, and the need to employ powerful analytical tools in diverse environments and with multiple delivery methods.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on January 26, 2005
Three "pivotal conditions" are examined, with the goal of determining how and why learning environments (face-to-face, online, blended, and "pod-blended) require them for effective teaching and learning.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on January 21, 2005
Writing for college may seem a bit daunting at first, but ultimately it is one of the most satisfying experiences one can have. Not only is it a self-esteem builder to be able to structure an argument, it is deeply affirming to be able to communicate with others who have similar goals and interests, that is to say an affinity group.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on January 19, 2005
This article discusses how to incorporate free or commercially available serious games and sims in one's online courses and programs, and the kinds of instructional strategies that are most effective.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on January 5, 2005
Major process and production reviews are key to eliminating the bottlenecks, burnout, errors, gaps in service, non-scalability, poor quality control, unresponsiveness to needs of users that typify the "cottage industry problem" in e-learning programs.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on December 29, 2004
The friendly LMS rep promised a scalable enterprise solution that, together with an Oracle database, would result in a virtual campus that would run itself. It was a scene right out of R.U.R.: Rossum's Universal Robots. The only worry was that the computer would come alive a la Terminator and try to take over. Ah, if only that were true!
Written by Susan Smith Nash on December 22, 2004
"Situating" the learning in an online course can mean the difference between success and failure and can be the key to enthusiasm, high rates of participation and completion, substantive comments in the interactive elements of the course, and engaged interaction. Situated learning is also critical for deep learning and transformative thinking.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on December 14, 2004
E-learners with low vision often find that online programs do not accommodate their needs. Departments often have an incomplete understanding of disability rights legislation. Hardware and software solutions exist, as well as web design that can assure compliance.
Written by Susan Smith Nash on December 8, 2004
Students are finding new ways to invent and reinvent themselves in virtual spaces, and instructors must find new ways to constructively deal with it.
Written by Rob Reynolds on November 18, 2004
Education today will benefit when traditional, passive classrooms are redesigned as online, active learning environments.
Written by on November 15, 2004
A recent middle school teacher of the year discusses the slow but sure infiltration of technology into the public school classroom.
Written by on November 10, 2004
Today Xplanazine welcomes a new regular contributor, Larry Jenkins, who will write a bi-monthly column unveiling the secrets of teaching storytelling.
