J O H N B O U R N E
K A T H L E E N I V E S
B E T H A N Y B O V A R D
T H E S L O A N C O N S O R T I U M , I N C . ( S L O A N - C )
W W W . S L O A N C O N S O R T I U M . O R G
Emerging Technologies in Online Education:
A Sloan-C Perspective
The Sloan Consortium, Inc.
Sloan-C is a professional not-for-profit membership organization for both institutions and individuals
Sloan-C provides professional development to higher education professionals, hosts conferences, publishes materials, conducts research and delivers online workshops.
We operate on membership fees, workshop and conference surpluses , research fees and publication income
Our objective is to improve quality in online education
Elements of Quality – The Sloan-C Pillars
Frank Mayadas of the Sloan Foundation first proposed using the pillars for measuring quality.
Over 8000 enrollments in
1345 courses offered
At 158 institutions
On-Ground Conferences, Workshops, Symposia
Annual Conference Orlando, Florida November, 2010 Online access available
Blended workshop Chicago, Ill April, 2010
Emerging Technology Applications for Online Learning San Jose, CA July, 2010 Online Symposium
Outline of Panel Presentations
Sloan-C
Emerging Technologies
Mobile e-learning
The social networking component of e-learning
Technologies for people with disabilities to learn online
Virtual Worlds
Learning more about “Emerging Technologies for Online Learning” at the Sloan-C Symposium in San Jose, July, 2010.
E X P L O R I N G T H E P O T E N T I A L O F M O B I L E L E A R N I N G
Mobile Learning
Mobile Learning Defined
Learning that happens when the learner is not at a fixed, predetermined location
AND/OR
Learning that happens when the learner takes advantage of the learning opportunities offered by mobile technologies.
Mobile Learning Facts
Over 50% of undergrads say they own an internet-capable handheld device
Email, student admin systems, and learning management systems are the most accessed
Almost half (45%) say they fully expect to be using mobile devices more for learning in the next 3 years
97 percent of U.S. college students own a cell phone, and 79 percent own a mobile computer.
Mobile Learning Technologies
Smart Phones - iPhone, Blackberry, Droid
Use anywhere there is phone access
Capable of accessing web sites, variety of content
Netbooks
Use anywhere phone or wireless access is available
Similar access to standard desktop computers
eBook Readers / eBooks
Mobile Learning Scenarios
Accessing Content Teacher creates podcasts of lecture materials that students access via
their smart phones or netbooks
Students attend live synchronous sessions via smart phones or netbooks
Interacting with Others Instant messaging with instructor to get assignment clarification
Voice messaging with learner team to collaborate on group projects
Social networking (e.g. Twitter) to connect, engage in personal learning, and locate relevant resources and support
Teaching / Learning Benefits
Anytime/anywhere access
Just-in-time learning and support
Increased opportunities for interaction/engagement
Reduced communication barriers
Increased support for diverse learning modalities
Increased focus on self-directed learning
Teaching & Learning Challenges
Creating and maintaining content in appropriate formats (due to rapidly changing technology)
Learning curve increases for faculty and students
Potential for inappropriate use (repackaging same old content in new ways)
Potential to bias learning opportunities in favor of the more tech-savvy students
Possibility of isolating non-tech-savvy students
Institutional and Teaching Challenges
Cost – infrastructure, training, support
Usability – content creators and users
Tech Choices – Smart Phones, Netbooks
Security/Privacy – complying with national requirements to protect student data and information
Overcoming Challenges
Cost, Usability, Privacy - use infrastructure already in place
Learning Management Systems
Blackboard Mobile - iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry; podcasting
Desire2Learn 2Go - Blackberry
Web Conferencing Systems
Elluminate –podcasting
Horizon-Wimba – podcasting
Lecture Capture Systems
Tegrity – iPhones, YouTube publishing
MediaSite – webcasting/podcasting
H E L P I N G S T U D E N T S C O N N E C T , L E A R N , A N D A C C E S S I N S T I T U T I O N A L R E S O U R C E S
Social Networking
Social Networking Defined
Connecting and communicating with others in a community using tools provided by the social networking service
A social network service essentially consists of a representation of each user (often a profile), his/her social links, and various additional services. Most social network services are web based and provide means for users to interact over the internet(wikipedia entry)
Social Networking Facts
85% of U.S. college students use Facebook
At least 136 universities have an education channel in YouTube
65% of handheld computing users cite accessing social networking sites as one of their primary activities
Social Networking Sites
There are hundreds of social networking sites. These are a few of the more popular in higher education.
Twitter / Yammer
YouTube
Ning
Delicious/Twine/
Scenarios
A professor sets up a twitter tag so all her students can share resources
A university librarian establishes a twitter account to support student access and use of library resources
A university creates a YouTube channel to publish student support, sports, news, and alumni videos
A professor creates a facebook group for his class for social and academic support
NMSU Twitter: Campus Info, Student Support & More
Berkeley YouTube: Lectures and More
Examples
Benefits
Supports self-directed learning
Can support important literacy (media, information technology, and critical thinking skills
Increases presence, interaction, engagement
Promotes and supports collaboration
Reduces communication barriers
Provides for 24/7 access
Challenges
Copyright/Intellectual Property – social networks make it very easy to copy/distribute materials. Students and faculty need to be aware of
Access & ADA – not all sites are ADA compliant
Privacy – social networking sites ask users to create profiles with email and personal information. Faculty and students need to understand issues of privacy, anonymity, etc.
Institutional networks require dedicated staff to establish policies, maintain networks, etc.
L E S S O N S F R O M T H E F I E L D A B O U T T H E U S E O F T E C H N O L O G Y I N O N L I N E E D U C A T I O N
Disabilities
Online Learning for Students with Disabilities
Making education accessible/providing digital opportunities to students high on White House agenda
Students with disabilities are make up close to 10% of the population of students currently enrolled in traditional institutions of higher education
Disabilities can range from visual impairment/hearing loss, to mobility restrictions such as paraplegia/muscular dystrophy to traumatic brain injuries/epilepsy
Sloan-C Workshops
Faculty-reported Challenges
Not tech savvy; do not know how to adapt curriculum to accommodate individuals with disabilities
Too tech savvy; creating content with bells and whistles without consideration of individuals with disabilities
„Not my problem‟
Do not know how to facilitate in a disability „diverse‟ classroom
Sloan-C Workshops
Observed Faculty Challenges
Online classroom limit‟s instructor‟s ability to watch student and ascertain what s/he is capable of doing
Students do not self-identify
Students perceive disability not to be a problem
Lack of understanding on the part of disability providers about the differences between onground and online students
Sloan-C Workshops
Common Faculty Questions
Are students with disabilities in my online classes supposed to identify themselves to me or to the administration?
If students are to identify to me, what am I supposed to do next? What is my responsibility in the accommodation process?
How will I be notified if there is a student with a disability enrolled in an online class?
Who should I contact if I have either questions or ideas about the accommodation process?
Sloan-C Survey (2008)
A survey of faculty who teach online indicated that:
50% of had never taken an online course
Majority were unsure of the process by which they would be notified if a student with a disability was taking their course
Majority reported having no idea IF a student with a disability was in their online course
Most had little or no knowledge of the technologies available to assist a student with a disability in their online course
Most had little or no knowledge what types of disabilities required special accommodations
Current Sloan Consortium Initiatives
Through a grant funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and in collaboration with CANnect:
How-To Guide for Creating Accessible Online Learning Content
Testing Moodle for Accessibility
Online Workshops: Accommodating Students with Disabilities (third year); Web Accessibility for Online Learning (new)
Basic Principles for Technology Usage
Making an adaptation to one‟s online course to accommodate a student with disability helps not only that students, but other students as well
By being „disability conscious‟, instructors pay more attention to course navigation, clarity, objects, and reason you are assigning certain activities and assessments
Social Model for Disability
Medical Model Social Model
Disability is a deficiency or abnormality
Disability is a difference
Being disabled is negative Being disabled, in itself, is neutral
Disability resides in theindividual
Disability derives between individual and society
The remedy for disability-related problems is cure or normalization of the individual
The remedy for disability-related problems is a change in the interaction between the individual and society
The agent of remedy is the professional who affects the arrangements between the individual and society
The agent of remedy can be the individual, an advocate, or anyone who affects the arrangements between the individual and society
Source: Gill, C. (1994) Two Models of Disability . Chicago Institute of Disability. University of Chicago.
The Good News About Technology
Access to these tools assists faculty in better meeting needs of students by tapping into learning styles and strengths Howard Gardner‟s multiple intelligences
David Kolb‟s four learning types
Innovations in technology tools allow faculty to modify the way they teach so all students have opportunity to succeed
Technology Access Is Not Enough
Blind students Access to an institution's website is controllable; but not to the
rest of the Internet
Issue of text book conversion
Deaf students Audio components to online presentations
Need for oral communication during some elements of coursework
Technology Access Is Not Enough
Mobility-Impaired Students
Architectural access may still be an issue
Physical limitations may prove difficult in accuracy/speed of online participation
Students with Non-Visible Disabilities
Asynchronous classes may have timed elements
Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners
Faculty should not assume they know what is needed to accommodate a learner with a particular disability
Ask!
The learner can provide the best information on what types of accommodations are needed
Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners
Some learners do not know what they do not know
May not be up-to-speed on recently developed and improved technologies that can aid/support learning (e.g. screen readers, voice recognition, other technologies)
Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners
Knowing key resources at one‟s institution who can help with issues listed on previous slide proves key for faculty
Faculty members do not have to be experts
However, in addition to access to the needed technology; a resource list is beneficial
Creative Thinking
Ideas learned from a learner with one type of disability can be useful to persons with different conditions
For example, a student with back pain from an accident who needs to lie down frequently may consider audio books or a computer screen reader
These are solutions typically employed by blind students
Summary
Technology does not remove all the access barriers in online education
Various strategies are needed to accommodate students with disabilities
The more faculty members, staff, and distance learning specialists know about technical problems facing students with disabilities, their legal obligation to remove barriers, and practical approaches to improving access, the more likely these barriers can be removed
V I R T U A L W O R L D S P R O V I D E A N I M M E R S I V E L E A R N I N G E X P E R I E N C E T H A T E N H A N C E S
S O C I A L C O N N E C T I V I T Y .
T H E E X E M P L A R V I R T U A L W O R L D W E U S E I S S E C O N D L I F E ( S L )
Virtual Worlds
Higher education and virtual worlds
Many, if not most, institutions of higher education have islands in Second Life
What are they doing in Second Life:
Holding class for online students that might be anywhere
Simulating venues that could not be simulated easily
E.g. replicating medieval times
Role playing in a simulated world
Doing research
E.g. testing marketing layouts for grocery stores, museums
Building prototypes of products and reviewing with customers
What do companies do with SL
Virtual Interviews
Meetings of non-collocated staffs
Testing consumer acceptance of products
Distributed design meetings
Organizing events, including conferences (cite IBM)
The appeal of virtual conferences
IBM‟s Experience:
1/5 the cost of an on ground meeting
For colleges with common interests and curriculum, excellent for faculty and student meetings
..and in the government and military
NASA
Examples of what NASA is doing, tours
NOAA
Examples of weather-related phenomena
NUWC
Examples of Navy activities and training venues
Landing point for NUWC
Teleport to educational areas in Naval venue
Immersive education
Tactical Training
Collaborative Exercises
Meeting Spaces (war room)
Rose Island Lighthouse – Newport, RI
Rose Island historical monument; used in both world wars by the navy as a Navy Torpedo Station
SL great for tour of national monuments, battlefield, etc.
Tomb of Unknown SoldierVietnam Veterans Memorial
Loyalist College massively improves test scores and training outcomes in border crossing simulation
“The amazing results of the training and simulation program have led tosignificantly improved grades on students‟ critical skills tests, taking scores from a56% success in 2007, to 95% at the end of 2008 after the simulation was instituted”….quoted from case study
Virtual Worlds initiative at Sloan-C
Realistic, student-centered combined asynchronous and synchronous learning experiences. Hypothesis –create high quality learning in a virtual world.
Opportunities using virtual worlds include:
Ways of reaching new populations with online education Blended opportunities, localness
Corporate, alumni, and others
Workforce
K-12
Improving retention, graduation rates
Increasing Learning effectiveness
Cost reductions, improving scale
International connectivity and liaisons
Creating “Do-learn” experiences that are risk-free
Military Educators could benefit from cross institutional collaboration of students in SL; better cross communication, joint small courses, social networking of both faculty and students
The Emerging Tech Conference
July 20-23, San Jose
Expect 1000 people or more; partnership with Merlot
The tracks are:
Pre-conference workshops
The cutting edge
Pedagogy
Faculty development
Inventive uses of media and tools
Immersive Learning and Virtual Environments
The new learning communities
Some Conclusions!
Disabilities emerging technologies empower us to solve problems for people with
disabilities that we couldn‟t do easily before
Social networking Increasing student input at your colleges. SN provides great way to
attract students. Do it now.
Mobile just the ticket for lectures and students on the go
VW – more immersive, interactive, engaging, social, observable that classroom. Cross institutional military education may work well in a virtual
environment
Come to San Jose for our conference! (July, 2010)
In conclusion, a beginning:
“The greatest real thrill that life offers is to create, to construct, to develop something useful. Too often we fail to recognize and pay tribute to the creative spirit. It is that spirit that creates our jobs. There has to be this pioneer, the individual who has the courage, the ambition to overcome the obstacles that always develop when one tries to do something worthwhile, especially when it is new and different.”
Alfred P. Sloan
Questions?
Visit:
http://www.sloanconsortium.org