Category — Distance Learning

One of the more important planks in the 2008 Democratic National Platform is a focus on improving higher education. That may come as a surprise to many. In fact, other than concerns about the cost, the overall consensus of the general public is that America’s colleges and universities remain among the best educational institutions in the world.

However, experts have begun noting that higher education is facing a critical time. Back in December, we acknowledged the work of Michael Wesch of Kansas State University. In our post, “If a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words,” we took an in-depth look at the growing digital divide plaguing college campuses.

But Wesch was not the first to document that today’s typical college classroom is completely out of step with the business world described in Thomas Friedman’s, “The World Is Flat.”

Higher Education – In Danger of Becoming Irrelevant
In his 2006 report to the Panel on Innovative Teaching and Learning Strategies for the Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education, David Wiley, Ph.D., offered a painful assessment of the current status of higher education in America. The former Director of the Center for Open and Sustainable Learning at Utah State was unequivocal in his criticisms, informing panel members that “higher education has adapted very little” to the changes described by Friedman in his bestselling book and is therefore “in very real danger of becoming irrelevant.”

Consider Wiley’s description of the typical college classroom experience.

“Students are inside a classroom (tethered to a place), using textbooks and handouts (printed materials), they must pay tuition and register to attend (the experience is closed), talking during class or working with others outside of class is generally discouraged (each student is isolated though surrounded by peers), each student receives exactly the same instruction as each of her classmates (the information presented is generic), and students are students and do not participate in the teaching process (they are consumers).”

In contrast, consider what the same person experiences when she is outside the classroom:

“From her dorm room / the student center / a coffee shop / the bus a student connects to the Internet using her laptop (she is mobile), uses Google to find a relevant web page (a digital resource which is open for her to access). While carrying out her search, she chats with one friend on the phone and another using instant messaging to see if they can assist in her search (she is connected to other people), she follows links from one website to another exploring related information (the content is connected to other content), she quickly finds exactly the information she needs, ignoring irrelevant material (she gets what is important to her personally), and she shares her find with her friends by phone and IM (she participates in the teaching process).”

Wiley’s critical point however does not merely concern the world of education as it relates to the student’s non-academic world. The huge discrepancy between the two experiences matches the current division between the classroom setting and that of the business world, the classroom and research in the fields of science and technology, etc.

Changes in Curriculum
In addition to the actual classroom experience, it is important to see the changes that are occurring based on curriculum content. Access to the latest research and the development of an accompanying skill base are no longer unique to the university environment. Wiley offered:

“Once upon a time, the university library was the primary repository of research like peer-reviewed journals and monographs. Today, initiatives like the Public Library of Science and pre-print services like Arxiv.org provide individuals from around the world with a legitimate alternative source of research findings.”

In addition:
“Once upon a time, a college or university’s faculty was the primary repository of technical and academic expertise in a community. Today, technologies like email and instant messaging put seekers of expertise in touch with faculty at many universities as well as professionals, ‘pro-am’ hobbyists, and others from around the world almost instantly.”

And last, but certainly not least:

“Once upon a time, the degree programs of our colleges and universities were the credentials most highly valued by employers. Today, certifications like the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert, and the Red Hat Certified Architect certificates are sometimes worth more to an employer than a four-year degree in computer science.”

The Positives
Given that real world experiences are so incongruous with the current academic setting, Wiley and others have begun to ask, “what is the real value of higher education?”

According to Wiley, in order for the college experience to remain relative, “the university experience must align more closely with its societal context and participant base. Higher education must continue its efforts to become digital and mobile, while working to become significantly more open, connected, personal, and participatory.”

Higher education has begun falling into step in at least one area. Wiley believes the current movement toward greater openness through the OpenCourseWare (OCW) initiative is at least one step in the right direction.

“I believe that openness is the gateway to connectedness, personalization, and participation. Openness is a catalyst for further innovation,” offers the Utah State faculty member.

“As a faculty member, if I want to connect my course materials to prerequisite materials from classes students have already taken in order to create review opportunities or provide remediation, this connectivity is possible only if both I and the students have access to these materials. Without this openness, there is nothing to connect to, and the level of connectivity my students expect is not attainable.

“As a faculty member, if I want to personalize the experience for my students – or more importantly, if I want to empower my students to meaningfully personalize the experience themselves – we have to be permitted to edit and customize the materials we will use. Without this openness, nothing can be changed or adapted, and the level of personalization my students expect is not attainable.

“As a faculty member, if I want to engage my students in creating and contributing resources, tutorials, and other study materials to a class, this is much more easily done when the course material repository is open. Without this openness, there is no space for the students to make contributions, and the degree of participation in the experience our students expect is not attainable.”

Survival of Higher Education
According to experts, the Internet and wealth of developing technology provide young people outside of education with a sense of “openness, connectedness, personalization, and participation” that is simply not found at the university level today. Those experts indicate that for America to move forward, higher education will need to better align itself with the rest of society.

It must be noted that in closing his presentation to the panel, Wiley referred to the words of W. Edwards Deming.

“It is not necessary to change,” stated Deming. “Survival is not mandatory.”

The idea that America’s colleges and universities are effectively educating the next generation has become suspect. And unless these institutions of higher learning overcome their prevalent inertia, irrelevance appears to be a certainty.

Flickr photos courtesy of Josie Fraser and Andrew/W.

As education expenses continue to grow, strapped taxpayers have begun pushing back on state and local governments. In the tiny State of Maine, many school districts are finding that passing a school budget for the upcoming school year a sincere challenge.

Even the tiny town of Monmouth, home to one of Maine’s finest public school systems, has seen such a rebellion, leaving school officials without a school budget for 2008-09. With another school year set to begin in less than a month’s time, Monmouth finds itself in an extremely challenging position.

Massachusetts Taking a Stance Regarding School Building Projects
One of the areas adding to the current budget issues for many school districts is the repayment of funds for recent building projects. As school buildings age and the respective operating systems become out-of-date, capital improvements have become a greater portion of local school budgets in recent times.

In many states, such projects also create great financial stress on state tax dollars. In Massachusetts, State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, is making a strong push towards ending what might be called an open-ended building environment.

Cahill specifically indicated he wanted to see an end to “Taj Mahal” high schools, a reference to local communities being unable to draw a line between what is truly necessary and what is a luxury or design for aesthetic purposes. As one method of limiting the state funding costs, Cahill wants to create a set of building designs that communities would have to select from. The treasurer asserts that such a step could help cut building projects by as much as 30 percent.

Given the recent stories of the new Newton North High School project, a $197.5 million building that easily created the aforementioned “Taj Mahal” image, it is easy to see why Cahill is taking such a stance. The Newton project clearly represents the fundamental debate point, a school community with a “wish list” of what parents and educators might want versus those items that are truly necessary or that a community can actually afford.

Such steps have already been put in place in the South (Florida, for example). The practice not only creates new school buildings in a cost effective manner, the result is a building that has been previously tested for functionality.

Consequences for Communities
One issue that will create a problem for Cahill is site choices. Whereas Florida offers a flat, ledge-free building environment, northern lands often represent unique challenges requiring buildings that must conform to site demands.

Still, Cahill believes a number of plans could be drawn up for suitable sites. Then, if communities were to apply for state funds, they would need to select one of the pre-approved designs to receive financial backing.

Towns refusing to select from one of the designs could face two distinct consequences. One might be simply a refusal from the state to help with funding the project. The second option for those communities refusing to select a pre-accepted plan could be the demand that schools renovate their existing facility rather than build new.

Not too surprisingly, Massachusetts’ architects have come out strongly against such a plan. Phrases such as cookie-cutter and one-size fits all have been thrown around liberally. Many have insisted that there is no such thing as a prototypical site and such a practice would eliminate the individual character that defines a community.

Those same opponents also question whether there would be any real savings.

Time Has Come
With architectural fees running around 10 percent for each project, it is easy to see that the school design business is a lucrative one for firms. And when a school district initially planning a $100 million project instead pushes the cost out to nearly $200 million as Newton did, the final building represents $15-$20 million in architectural fees alone.

Limiting the total structure to ensure that a project does not double in costs because of local desires is a must in today’s tax climate. A tremendous concern for taxpayers as well as for government officials is the fact that one is not looking at only repayment of the initial construction costs with such a project. These buildings must be heated, cooled, cleaned and maintained for many years to come, making the actual costs of such “Taj Mahal” designs a challenge for taxpayers for many years to come.

Providing sound designs that do not shortchange the educational environment for students isn’t just a prudent step for state officials, it is an essential one to ensure continued taxpayer support for education.

We have noted in several posts the role technology could have in enhancing education. Today we offer an interview with elementary teacher Tim Thompson, an educator who has indeed utilized technology to bring his second grade classroom to life.

Mr. Thompson recently received the Patience Norman Prize, an award presented annually to recognize an outstanding teacher within School Administrative District #52. Mr. Thompson’s principal, Thomas Martellone, notes in glowing terms this teacher’s innovative techniques. Notes Principal Martellone, “Tim has a thirst for using technology, both in and out of the classroom.”

A thirst indeed!!

In his classroom, Mr. Thompson has been using blogs to communicate class activities to parents and SMARTboard technology to have students create powerpoint presentations. In addition, Mr. Thompson utilizes movie technology for both classroom lessons and student products. This caring and dedicated teacher even provides “Podcasts” on his web page that give verbally recorded instructions for parents on how to help children with their math and reading instruction.

Below we present our interview Mr. Thompson in question and answer format. We have included numerous links to his classroom materials including “The Morning Work Show,” “The Literacy Fastbreak,” and his classroom web page.

We think teachers will find a wealth of classroom ideas as well as an inspirational dose of optimism.

Congratulations on winning the Patience Norman Prize for Teacher Excellence in your school district – my understanding is that you received a $5,000 cash prize in the process? That had to be pretty sweet?

Thanks. It’s certainly been a wild ride so far. When you’re a regular guy, who leaves a small island community to study elementary education, you’d never dream of winning an award for your everyday teaching efforts. I’m still awe struck, to tell the truth.

Can you give our readers a sense of what it felt like to be selected? Were you even aware that you had been nominated?

It has been an unparalleled honor and an extremely humbling experience to win an award like this. There are so many truly gifted educators, especially here in MSAD #52 and to be counted among some of them is unbelievable! When our Superintendent of schools announced my name as the winner, in front our entire student body it felt like I’d won an Oscar! I told my mother and father that this was the first standing ovation I had ever received. I honestly just stood and basked in the glow as long as I could. It took about a week to wipe the grin off my face. So many educators work so hard and to actually receive this kind affirmation for all the hours of preparation and planning is more than I could ever hope for.

What did your students have to say when they found out you had been selected? How about your colleagues?

My students were so proud! A young gentleman in classroom actually came up to me afterward and very formally offered me his hand and congratulated me. I also had one little girl who was so overwhelmed she burst out in tears saying, “I’m just so happy for you!” My favorite moment of celebration with my students came in the form of a phone message. After my wife and I arrived home, on the night of my award I had a message from a parent of one of my students. She related to me that her son had come home all excited telling her, “My teacher won five thousand dollars for being the best teacher in the world!” This parent, obviously very emotional, told me she was “So proud” to have me as her son’s teacher. Needless to say, that phone message has been saved!

According to Principal Martellone, you utilize a wealth of technology in your classroom – blogs, SMARTboards, and podcasts among other things. Could you give our readers some concrete examples of some of the technology you do use and how it relates to the second grade classroom curriculum? And are there some links our readers can check out to get some ideas of the products your students have produced?

It seems I’ve tried so many different possibilities in the realm of technology it’s so hard to know where to start. One of my most favorite is a new initiative into video production. I’ve found that my students respond so well to anything presented in a visual medium. Early on this year I created a daily show called “The Morning Work Show.” My students would come into the classroom first thing in the morning and gather at the white board with paper and pencil in hand. I would create a three to eight minute show that practiced skills previously taught in class. Students would watch the show and respond to written activities while it played.

The Morning Work Show has since evolved into “The Literacy Fast-Break.” Students work daily at our classroom computers with headphones to watch and practice literacy skills. These shows are also available for students to review online and often are sent home on video compilation discs I share with the parents.

My own passion for making movies has taken root in my students as well. The students love to create movies based on the content they are learning. We take small steps with these types of projects. But before long students are writing, creating slides, and voicing their own productions. Often these videos relate to a content area such as science or social studies. We began the year by studying the solar system in science. Students did basic research related to their space topic and made slides for a simple space movie. Students worked with me to create digital photo stories to exhibit their work. It is extremely gratifying to see enthusiasm spring up in students as they explore new frontiers and learn new skills.

Students are now working on cloud movies. We are using video clips from Discovery Education’s United Streaming web site. Many of these Discovery videos contain editable clips. Students are using these clips to write “voice-over” scripts that can be added to professionally produced videos. I have asked students to apply what they are learning in science class about weather and then produce a quality written script to show what they know. Their digital recordings will become mp3 files and we will work with the Windows Movie Maker program to produce student made movies. I’ve gone on and on about videos, but that’s my passion at this moment. I do still use blogs, wiki pages and other web 2.0 tools in the classroom. But the greatest spark lately has come in the form of multimedia education.

Engagement of students has been the driving force in this area for me. I desperately desire the percentages of actively engaged students to increase day-by-day… hour-by-hour… moment-by-moment… Once a former Superintendent of mine inspired us to reach not just student number one, two, and three on our class-lists… but all students… numbers seventeen… eighteen… right down to the bottom of the roster. This charge has stuck with me. Having all student’s senses fully engaged has begun to achieve this end.

When most people think of the second grade I am not sure they would immediately think of using technology to such an extent with students. Where did you come up with your ideas?

I’ve found that the most beneficial strategy in finding and choosing new classroom technological initiatives is to try them myself. Whenever the opportunity arises I sit in on our school district’s technology seminars and classes. Without fail I always hear of something new to try. After I first give it a try I am much more apt to give it a go with my own students. As educators, we ourselves never want to lose that sense of wonder. When we are open to new ideas and processes our students will be too. There’s nothing wrong with getting wrapped up in a new technique or web-tool and letting our imagination run with it.

When I start asking myself questions like, “How can I use this with my students?”… “What can my students do with this tool?”… “What are the possibilities?” Then and only then do we really get rolling.

I think a key issue at this age has to be how to assess the process of learning and manage to keep the final product from being the key focus of your assessment. How do you manage to do that?

These words constantly come to mind: explicitly model, guide, practice, support and modify. It is so true, the process is of vital importance with younger students. I have found that when students undertake a project like research and movie making. I save piles and piles on work from each student, this document, that document, all their work along the way. Students love to look back on notes, templates, organizers, and drafts they have done throughout the course of a project. These little pieces really exhibit to me just what students are able to do. The final product pales in comparison to the mountain of work the students did in preparation for that product. I do consider myself like an editor at a publishing house. And any polish or surface work students were not able to do on their own comes from work the student and I do together.

I remember some animal reports and movies my students made last year. At the end of the project I put together a manila envelope for each of my students. Their envelope contained every piece of work they completed as they made their final movie. My assessment of their work was a narrative letter with my observations of their strengths and needs. My hope is that students and parents will take the time to reflect on and celebrate all the effort their children put into their learning.

A topic that is being raised more and more in education is the teaching and fostering of creativity in the classroom. The idea is that there is no way for any of us to truly know what the world will be like for our children in the near future so creativity is now a critical component of the teaching process today. Do you agree with that notion and if so how do you go about fostering creativity in your students?

I agree whole-heartedly that creativity should be a major ingredient in any learning project we undertake. Creativity can take so many forms for so many different people. It can be flashy and glitzy. Or it can be quiet and consistent. As long as the product shows a little piece of who you are and what you care about I think creativity shines through. When students are invested in and excited about what they are learning they can’t help but be creative.

Two themes run constantly in my classroom: This activity matters and you can do anything you set your mind to. When we show students what we expect them to do, and then guide them in the steps of how to do it… They can do whatever we ask them to do. It doesn’t matter how young or disadvantaged they appear to be… all students can participate and achieve. I remember dreaming as kid of making a TV show or starring in a movie or a concert. My friends used to pretend to do this and have a great time doing it. The amazing thing is that today students have access to simple technology to actually put together a product on par with Hollywood. Instilling kids with a “Can-do” attitude goes a long way in today’s day and age. Because we all have access to the tools to help them do just that!

My sense is that your approach to teaching is enormously time consuming – how much time do you spend each week preparing instructional materials, teaching students, and assessing their progress?

Doing justice to the amount of time I put in is hard. The hours are many, let’s just say that. Teaching is not a nine to five job. Most of us know that. It is an all-consuming lifestyle. It’s all about commitment. How committed are you to providing your students with quality learning experiences? You can do that without technology, but using technology makes it a whole lot of fun. My wife is an educator as well, so we constantly talk-shop and bounce ideas off of one another. Our lives are wrapped up in our classrooms and for us that’s okay.

Being on the cutting edge obviously involves taking risks – was there ever a time when you tried to implement an idea that simply flopped? If so how did you handle that with the kids? From you experiences, is there some general advice you would give to other teachers about implementing technology in the classroom to protect them from possible failures?

Try to get over the fear of failing. I’ve learned that when you try something new in technology you more than likely will fail at one time or another. And that failing isn’t because of you necessarily, it is more than likely because of the quickly paced, very fluid, constantly evolving learning curve related to technology. I have a Garfield poster on the front of my desk at school. It says, “We must all learn to laugh at ourselves.” Letting students know that failure isn’t actually a bad thing but a great opportunity to learn is paramount. This is especially true when it comes to using technology. I’ve found that it’s great for myself and students to make a mistake, learn how to work our ways back from it and then discuss how it will help us in the future. My hope is that this approach and class attitude permeates all that we do as we set out to learn together.

For teachers interested in greater technology implementation in their classrooms yet not feeling fully confident of their own technology knowledge, what suggestions do you have for them?

Get out there and explore! Visit your building and school district technology leaders ask them what they are using. Find out what programs and web 2.0 tools your school is using. And give them all a try. I find that educational web sites like TeacherTube and EduHound are especially interesting. Seeing what others are doing can really peak your interest and inspire new ideas. I love the web 2.0 features that Google is implementing and have often used one of their tools to drive my own technology work. Google labs is a wonderful place to see what’s out on the cutting edge for web tools. Blogger has been another excellent tool for my classroom. The key is to stay aware of what’s going on online. If you hear a techie buzz word being used a lot or something new you’ve never heard of check it out. You never know exactly what might be of use to you down the road.

While traditional, campus-based colleges continue to see flat enrollments, online universities are seeing steady up-ticks in student numbers. The primary reason for that growth is due to the flexibility online programs offer. However, two recent innovations by two different national online schools also demonstrate why these institutions continue to be so popular; they are simply the trend setters for higher education.

Capella University Offers New Blog
The traditional image of a college student is that “of an 18- to 22-year-old who goes full time to college directly from high school and lives on an ivy-covered campus.” That image is fallacious in the extreme since only about 15% of college students fit that profile. The other 85% “are part-time students, or are over the age of 22, and increasingly participate in programs that don’t require being on a campus at all.”
That fact has lead to the creation of a blog devoted to improving education for the majority of college students, “The Other 85 Percent.” The blog’s editor is Michael J. Offerman, EdD, the former president of Capella University and now vice chairman of external university initiatives for the college. Offerman has an extensive background in both adult and distance learning, and he recently led the new Transparency by Design initiative.

According to Offerman, the intent of the blog is “to explore the current state of adult higher education delivered at a distance” with a focus on online schools. Offerman sees the adult focused, online option as a “tremendous opportunity for creativity and innovation.” In a nutshell, his interest is particular to learning outcomes or the specific knowledge that “a person will learn in college precisely what they need to know to succeed in their careers.”

In addition, Offerman seeks to provide a forum for discussion of the following critical questions:

Why do we need adult-serving colleges and universities?
Is online learning effective?
Is online education valued?
How can you convince people that it should be?
Why is it that colleges and universities serving adults
at a distance are leaders
in the reporting of real learning outcomes?

By being university-based, the blog has initial credibility. It also collects into one place the many key discussion points that must be addressed to further help the majority of college students continue their college education. Most importantly, it uses current technology yet does not rest on the fact that online education is the format already doing the moving and shaking.

A quick scan of page one reveals snippets and links to some of the very articles that should form the focus of the discussion. In particular, the site references the report on America’s falling degree attainment status that formed the basis of one our of recent posts, Real Economic Stimulus Needs a Long-Range, Educational Approach.

This blog concept is precisely why online colleges are currently setting the educational pace.

American InterContinental University Online (AIU Online) Launches AIU Mobile
Another online university taking critical steps towards innovations is the web-based campus of American InterContinental University. In recent days the school has announced the launch of an all new branch of the school, AIU Mobile.

The new concept is touted as “an easy-to-use mobile education delivery channel that truly defines the word ‘portability. While delivering many of the same elements that AIU online provides students, AIU Mobile takes the step of allowing students to access online educational programming as well as the necessary support systems in place for those program through web-enabled cell phones and other wireless devices.

We wrote about the difference between e-learning and mobile learning in our post Mobile Learning vs. E-Learning, Is There a Difference? AIU Mobile is precisely the mobile learning format that brings the classroom to a mobile phones or PDA. The result is to potentially tailor the educational opportunities to an even greater extent, introducing the two concepts of “just-in-time” and “just-for-me.”

AIU Mobile appears to meet the critical components of this next generation of learning. It provides live access technology with the ability to access all critical school (class assignments, instructor directories, campus email, grades, and video technology). Simply stated, a lack of a computer is simply not a problem anymore.

It is great to see this continued push to the edge of technology by AIU, a school that has regained its footing with the recent elimination of its prior accreditation issues.

Yesterday we took a look at the concept of mobile learning. We began by providing a brief definition from the website on the website irrodl.orgthen started to assess what such technology offers for learning.

Clearly, the very opportunities provided by mobile learning create complexities and additional challenges for educators who are used to the traditional notion of instructing students. First and foremost appears to be a transition from a reading and writing approach to learning to one that is almost entirely activity-based.

Mobile learning demands an ability to find information rather than either possessing or knowing it. And as technology further emerges, knowing where to find a specific piece of information is no longer as obvious as it once was.

In the fullest sense, we find that mobile devices create new forms of knowledge as well new ways of accessing that knowledge. Think of a song that is available for an iPod, then the quest for the user to acquire the song, download it onto their iPod, then retrieve it when the person has the desire to listen to it. Many adults would not be able to navigate their way through this process given their lack of knowledge regarding accessing music as well as how to operate the various controls of the iPod itself.

New phrases such as technology enhanced learning or technology supported learning are simply inaccurate here. Such phrases conjure up the idea that technology does something to learning. But it is learning itself that is truly being transformed.

With advanced technologies, one major shift will be to examine how knowledge is organized and interrelated. Do we continue to offer a traditional breakout that organizes learning by subjects like math, science and social studies? And does education continue to see reading and writing as the core that all other learning revolves around?

Or does mobile technology demand that technology be in that fundamental mix, a member of the core subjects? Could we even venture to say technology must be put above all other areas of learning as a new core for the future?

As the potential for technology to enhance learning grows, we often see the phrase mobile learning bandied about. Clearly, the term appears vague as the concept emerges, yet it does call to mind a simple question: How does mobile learning differ from online or distance learning options?

In order to understand the term let’s review the concept as it exists by using the definition supplied from a rather technical article, “Defining, Discussing, and Evaluating Mobile Learning” on the website irrodl.org.

Strictly from a technological standpoint, the term is used for learning that can be delivered and supported entirely by mobile technology. Therefore, among the most common options that could be used for mobile learning would be PDA’s, smartphones and of course, a wireless laptop.

But that begs the question, how does mobile learning differ from other forms of education? Is it really different than e-Learning?

To discuss those options we can immediately begin with the intent of the user. With e-learning, there is a specific intent to learn something – in fact the selection of e-learning is generally based on a desire to acquire a specific set of knowledge or skills. For e-learning we generally add some phrases like tethered (connected to something) as well as learning that is offered in a formal and structured manner.

For mobile learning, the first major difference is that it is un-tethered. It also is defined by learning that is more informal and opportunistic. We can run with that thought and add descriptors like private, situational, and unstructured.

With such thoughts one can clearly see an enormous distinction between e-learning and mobile learning. Most importantly, mobile learning has the potential for even greater impacts than e-learning.

For example, one major change in the idea of learning is that teachers used to deliver some material, or knowledge, with the idea that the student learns the concept “just-in-case.” In fact, most of education is traditionally offered in such a format.

The latest in technology means that a brand new focus is possible, that learning can be delivered “just-in-time.” With the concept of student ownership critical to learning processes, we can see that the latter option should be far superior when working with a classroom full of
students. Because not only can the learning be provided “just-in-time,” it can be provided “just-enough” or even “just-for me.”

As a former teacher, I can quickly discern one critical question emerging from the mobile learning format. In such a situation, how does a teacher ensure that the learner retains the knowledge just utilized?

For most educators, a failure to provide an answer to that question will deter them from ever utilizing the mobile learning format.

There is no doubt that online degrees have taken off nationally. In one of the more perceptive remarks about such programming, Dave Breitenstein while writing for newspress.com offers this astute assessment:

“Notebooks, chalkboards and even attendance aren’t vital in 21st century college classrooms.”

Incredible Growth
According to a 2007 Sloan Survey of Online Learning, 3.5 million college students were involved in at least one online course last fall. While the majority of college students still fall under the traditional umbrella, more and more students are at least opting to mix their schedules today, adding an online course or two to their traditional fare. Such a mixture has been given the term “hybrid schedule.”

Breitenstein notes the significant change in Southwest Florida. The relatively brand new Florida Gulf Coast University offered 30 virtual courses when it opened in 1997.This semester the school is offering 189 online courses. Over at Southwest Florida College data indicates that almost 29 percent of students at the school take at least one virtual course.

Yesterday’s Technology Obsolete
What is interesting to note is how much online learning has changed since FGCU opened in 1997. At the time courses often featured taped lectures to be viewed on VCR’s while others did involve the personal computer though most of the work likely came on a disk or CD to be uploaded.

Today VCR’s and CD-Roms are essentially a thing of the past. Videos are streamed directly to the student who downloads it onto his/her own computer. At most of the schools, professors still hold office hours for possible face-to-face contact but much of the communication today is now done through e-mail and chat rooms devoted to a particular course of study.

Still Too Expensive
One current drawback to the online movement is that such course work is still expensive. Though there is no need for a classroom, heat and lights, et al, most schools charge the same rate for an online course as for a regular offering. In addition, many of the private, for profit, online schools charge above average tuition fees.

By the same token more and more people are willing to pay the fee for the convenience of studying where they want, when they want, and for how long they want. The convenience of being able to work and raise a family while still pursuing coursework seems to make the price immaterial given the additional conveniences.

The flexibility that online educational programming offers has led to enormous growth at the post-secondary level. While college enrollment numbers continue to remain flat for traditional brick and mortar universities, virtual education had been growing with each passing year.

However, “Education Sector,” a nonprofit think tank based in Washington D.C., categorizes the change as “largely unnoticed” by those who lead traditional schools. The group’s report goes on to state that virtual schooling could be used to greater advantage, perhaps to ultimately serve as a crtical catalyst for improving public education in general.

In that regard, Kaplan Inc. has announced the launch of Kaplan University High School, a new national online high school option. Called Kaplan Virtual Education, the new online program will focus on providing high school students with high-quality, online programming.

The new school will offer the same innovative and flexible programming that has worked well for adult learners, but will offer the programming to both traditional and nontraditional-aged students. The result is that a student of any age could earn their high school diploma through Kaplan Virtual.

The new program features two basic options. Students can enroll in one single course for credit at any time, in essence making up credits that may have been missed while in traditional programs. In addition, students will also have the option of enrolling in a full 18-credit College Access Diploma program. To receive a Kaplan University diploma, students will have to earn at least five credits through KU.

The virtual high school curriculum will cover all of the essential aspects of a traditional high school program. Courses will be offered with instructors communicating with students via e-mail, instant messaging, and telephone.

A recent report by Diverse Issues in Higher Education gives American InterContinental University high marks for serving minority students so well. AIU online is ranked among the top ten institutions awarding associate, undergraduate and graduate degrees across all academic disciplines in the United States.

The report also revealed that more African-Americans graduated with bachelor’s degrees in business from the university’s online campus (AIU Online) than from any other university campus in the United States during the 2005-2006 school year. In addition, the school ranked first in master’s degrees in computer and information science awarded to Hispanic-Americans and third in both bachelor’s and master’s degrees awarded to African-American for that same field.

The report also indicates that AIU online was sixth in master’s degrees across all disciplines to all minorities and seventh in bachelor’s degrees across all disciplines to African-Americans. One other piece of data that was striking was the fact the school also ranked fifth overall in awarding master’s degrees in education to minority students.

I was struck by the data particularly after the recent report that in Massachusetts significant numbers of minority teacher candidates were not passing the certification exams. I have no data indicating any connection between the two issues but it does give one pause as Massachusetts begins to study the problem.

American InterContinental University Online is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. We hope that in awarding such accreditation the CCSACS has examined the type of data that the Massachusetts report will reveal prior to its awarding accreditation to online universities. The online education concept has come a long way in recent years. However, it is imperative that schools awarding online degrees have the rigor that traditional colleges offer.

We hope that is the case. And we will be watching the Massachusetts situation carefully to see what comes of the study.

PBS’s MediaShift recently published an article highlighting leading open education and distance learning programs including

• OpenLearn at the UK’s Open University
• MIT OpenCourseWare
• UC Berkeley on iTunes
• Wikiversity

Already hundreds of collections exist online. As more information becomes available, navigation it is going to become a big issue. Students not only have to worry about financial decisions of college, but the increasing number of formats adds another layer of complexity.

• Which courses should I take?
• What courses are up to date?
• Should I pay to take this course, or should I do this outside of school?
• What format (text, video, audio, etc.) is best for learning this subject?

The issue from the teaching standpoint is that schools and professors that give will realize this not only helps advance their field, but also is a cheap and effective way of maintaining their brand exposure and market position.