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

Facebook

LinkedIn

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