USDLA Newsletter 2019 (07-15-2019)

A newsletter from earlier in the week.

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Dr. Farhad Saba Founder, Editor USDLA Hall of Fame Inductee Dr. Reggie Smith III CEO / Executive Director Associate Editor OFFICIAL USDLA SPECIAL EDITION FEATURED ARTICLE OF THE WEEK Download Report The Condition of Education 2018 The Condition of Education 2018, is a congressionally mandated annual report summarizing the latest data on education in the United States. This report is designed to help policymakers and the public monitor educational progress. This year’s report includes 47 indicators on topics ranging from prekindergarten through postsecondary education, as well as […] Keep Reading Share this article: RESEARCH-BASED ARTICLES OF THE WEEK Embedding and Sustaining Inclusive Practice to Support Disabled Students in Online and Blended Learning UK higher education data has shown persistent differences in degree outcomes for specific student groups. Consequently, the Office for Students (the UK government’s higher education regulator) are funding 17 projects to address these inequalities. Building on its expertise, our institution is leading the IncSTEM project alongside colleagues from two other universities, to evaluate, scale up […] Keep Reading Share this article: Embracing Dropouts in MOOCs: Exploring Potentials of Invisible Learners The objective of the paper is to examine how and what the non-completing participants of MOOCs learn. In this paper we term them invisible learners. The paper presents a qualitative study of learning activities and outcomes of invisible learners. The study consists of 11 interviews with MOOC participants and a survey answered by 51 participants. […] Keep Reading Share this article: Mobile Technology: A Tool to Increase Global Competency Among Higher Education Students The advancement of mobile communication technology has contributed to an increasingly interconnected world; however, these devices are not being used as effectively as they could be to improve global challenges. One challenging issue is the lack of preparation college graduates receive to positively contribute to the needs of an interdependent global society. Organizations such as […] Keep Reading Share this article: Distance Learners’ Use of Handheld Technologies This study investigates how and where distance learners use handheld devices and the impact this has on learning habits, access to learning content and quality of work. It analyses the spatial dimension of anytime-anywhere learning and, with a focus on anywhere learning, it explores students’ ongoing negotiation of the flow between and across study locations. […] Keep Reading Share this article: Using learning diaries to evaluate and improve online information literacy and academic skills provision The purpose of this paper is to describe a new method for the evaluation of online provision of information literacy and academic skills (ILAS), and advocate for its addition as a tool for the ILAS practitioner. The method is discussed in the context of evaluating its effectiveness for a project to investigate the value of […] Keep Reading Share this article: What academics really think about information literacy This research project arose from a need to ensure librarians and academics work together to support student information literacy (IL) development, aligned to the Anglia Ruskin University learning and teaching strategy, and specifically to improve librarians’ understanding of how academic staff view IL and consider their perceptions and expectations within different disciplines. A literature review […] Keep Reading Share this article: IN THE NEWS The status quo bias and the uptake of open access In this paper we argue that the framing of open access through language adopted by a variety of stakeholders serves to inhibit the uptake of open access publishing through the mechanisms of complexity and cognitive load. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, we analyze both the language and tiers of decisions that confront authors seeking […] Keep Reading Share this article: NSF Funds Bridges-2 Supercomputer at PSC A $10-million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) is funding a new supercomputer at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC), a joint research center of Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. In partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), PSC will deploy Bridges-2, a system designed to provide researchers in Pennsylvania and the nation […] Keep Reading Share this article: Video Use in Education Evolving Beyond the Classroom The application of video in education is evolving. Even as the practices of showing video in the classroom or making it available as supplementary course material have declined as use cases slightly from this year to last year (from 85 percent to 82 percent from 2019 to 2018 and 80 percent to 77 percent, respectively), […] Keep Reading Share this article: Blackboard Ally is Now Available for D2L’s Brightspace WASHINGTON, July 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Blackboard Inc. announced that its accessibility solution Blackboard Ally—a tool that helps institutions make digital course content more accessible and integrates seamlessly into Learning Management System (LMS) solutions—is now fully integrated with all leading LMSs, including D2L’s Brightspace. This most recent integration underscores Blackboard’s commitment to ensuring all learners […] Keep Reading Share this article: Bridging Old and New As plans for California’s new online community college progress, existing two-year colleges in the state get a one-time funding boost for online programs with a vocational focus. How will the two initiatives intersect? Inside Higher Ed Keep Reading Share this article: University of California defiant as Elsevier cuts journal access Academic publisher Elsevier has cut the University of California’s access to its library of 2,500 scientific journals, six months after the UC system refused to sign a renewal, in what many see as a key battle in the open-access movement. Times Higher Education Keep Reading Share this article: Benefits of a Pro Supporter 2x More Newsletters Monthly Abstracts Archived Content Support & Subscribe

United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), 840 First Street, NE,3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20002

USDLA Newsletter 2019 (078-01-2019)

A newsletter from earlier in the week.

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Dr. Farhad Saba Founder, Editor USDLA Hall of Fame Inductee Dr. Reggie Smith III CEO / Executive Director Associate Editor OFFICIAL USDLA SPECIAL EDITION FEATURED ARTICLE OF THE WEEK Download Article How research informs educational technology decision-making in higher education: the role of external research versus internal research Research use in educational decision-making has been encouraged and well documented at the K-12 education level in the United States but not in higher education, or more specifically for educational technology. We conducted a qualitative study to investigate […] Keep Reading Share this article: RESEARCH-BASED ARTICLES OF THE WEEK A Large Scale Project to Develop Personalized Learning Pathways at a University Traditionally, online learning has been limited to written lectures, readings, discussions, and assignments with an occasional video presentation or simulation included due to the limitations of technology (Kirkwood & Price, 2013). While this form of learning has served the online environment well, the process does not address individual student learning needs. Literature has long suggested […] Keep Reading Share this article: Obtaining an Exemplary Online Program Endorsement: A Case Study Because funding for many higher education institutions is based on student persistence and graduation rates, and because competition for online student enrollments is fierce among public and private institutions, quality and competitiveness in online course development, instruction, and administration is imperative. Additionally, because distance education processes and policies are reviewed by accrediting agencies, actions taken […] Keep Reading Share this article: Open Web annotation as collaborative learning This paper describes the use of open Web annotation (OWA) for collaborative learning among online communities. OWA is defined by the open standards, principles, and practices associated with the open Web. Specifically, this case study examines collaborative learning mediated by the OWA technology Hypothesis, a standards-compliant and open-source technology that situates collaboration in texts-as-contexts. Hypothesis […] Keep Reading Share this article: Learning management system acceptance scale (LMSAS): A validity and reliability study This study aims to develop a measurement tool that will allow a valid and reliable measurement of students’ acceptance levels within the framework of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model concerning LMS. The study was conducted in the 2016-2017 academic year with three groups of participants consisting of 515 medical […] Keep Reading Share this article: Investigating the implementation of accredited massive online open courses (MOOCs) in higher education: The boon and the bane This study investigated a 3-year implementation of accredited massive online open courses (MOOCs) in a conventional university in China. Fifteen students and two staff were interviewed, and relevant policy documents were examined. Thematic analysis was utilised to analyse the data. The study found that students mostly took a wary stance towards accredited MOOCs, while the […] Keep Reading Share this article: Structural changes in the landscape of Spanish distance universities The main national distance learning universities were launched before the emergence of the Internet. In order to adapt to digital connectivity, these universities had to modify their organizational and methodological procedures. But in recent years important changes have emerged in the field of educational technology, and this has significantly altered the higher education sector. This […] Keep Reading Share this article: IN THE NEWS Open Textbook Library: University of Minnesota Open textbooks are textbooks that have been funded, published, and licensed to be freely used, adapted, and distributed. These books have been reviewed by faculty from a variety of colleges and universities to assess their quality. These books can be downloaded for no cost, or printed at low cost. All textbooks are either used at […] Keep Reading Share this article: Augmented-Reality App Highlights Pittsburgh History at Carnegie Library The Carnegie Library’s newest tour guide fits into the palm of your hand. Carnegie’s Monocle, an app created by Carnegie Mellon University students, leads library visitors through an augmented reality-driven scavenger hunt that highlights sights and sounds from Pittsburgh’s history. It also helps guests explore less-traveled areas of the library and hear pieces from its […] Keep Reading Share this article: FTC’s ‘Safeguards Rule’ cybersecurity proposal may burden higher ed The Federal Trade Commission extended the deadline on comments for a notice of proposed rulemaking earlier this month that will leave higher education stakeholders until Aug. 2 to weigh in on new proposed cybersecurity requirements for their institutions. edscoop Keep Reading Share this article: 7 Lessons in Leading VR Research on Campus As immersive technologies come down in price and get easier to create content for, it may be time for your university or college to set up a program to help faculty experience virtual reality and augmented reality. A pro offers seven “VITaL” lessons. Campus Technology Keep Reading Share this article: The future of immersive learning Virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), multimedia and other technologies are transforming educational models, especially in engineering and creative disciplines such as architecture, visual effects and graphic design. This white paper highlights how university students, administrators, faculty and IT staff can use powerful workstation technologies to support progressive, deeper learning approaches that can facilitate greater […] Keep Reading Share this article: Online and Out of State Ohio’s Eastern Gateway Community College draws scrutiny from lawmakers for working with an OPM to rapidly grow online enrollment of out-of-state students. Inside Higher Ed Keep Reading Share this article: Benefits of a Pro Supporter 2x More Newsletters Monthly Abstracts Archived Content Support & Subscribe

United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), 840 First Street, NE,3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20002

USDLA Newsletter 2019 (06-25-2019)

A newsletter from earlier in the week.

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Dr. Farhad Saba Founder, Editor USDLA Hall of Fame Inductee Dr. Reggie Smith III CEO / Executive Director Associate Editor OFFICIAL USDLA SPECIAL EDITION FEATURED ARTICLE OF THE WEEK Download White Paper Exploring the Digital Landscape in Higher Education This white paper includes: In depth analysis and visualization of the responses received from higher education faculty relating to the use of technology in higher education. Anecdotal evidence and commentary provided by higher education professionals interviewed after taking the survey. Ideas for making the most of the technology […] Keep Reading Share this article: RESEARCH-BASED ARTICLES OF THE WEEK Utilizing the AECT Instructional Design Standards for Distance LearningAmid the continued growth of online learning—and concerns about its quality—a number of different groups have moved to establish tools, such as rubrics and standards for online course quality. This paper highlights the development of the Instructional Design Standards for Distance Learning by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. AECT is the leading international […] Keep Reading Share this article: Student Transformative Learning Record (STLR): Displaying Student Success and Work-ReadinessUniversity of Central Oklahoma’s Student Transformative Learning Record (STLR) leverages the LMS to assess coursework and co-curricular, informal learning experiences beyond an A-F grade. Students build their STLR Snapshot to show growth in five core employability soft-skill areas and display them in a streamlined way to back up their resume. Online Journal of Distance Learning […] Keep Reading Share this article: Exploring the relationship between college students’ writing anxiety and the pedagogical use of online resourcesThis study reports on how the use of online resources based on systemic functional linguistics (SFL) impacted college students’ emotional alignment with writing practices. Through qualitative analyses of in-class discussions, students’ interviews and reflections, as well as their written pieces gathered in a Chinese university, the case study shows that the students were able to […] Keep Reading Share this article: Case study of creativity in asynchronous online discussionsIt is vital for online educators to know whether the strategies they use help students gain twenty-first-century skills like creativity. Unfortunately, very little research exists on this topic. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine whether participation in online courses can help students develop creativity using asynchronous online discussions, textbooks, and teacher developed […] Keep Reading Share this article: Diversity of Online Behaviours Associated with Physical Attendance in LecturesA common use of technology in higher education is the provision of online course materials, invoking an investigation of the ways in which students engage with online course content, and how their participation changes over time. This is particularly necessary in the context of high absenteeism from lectures, where online access may be the only […] Keep Reading Share this article: Predictive Learning Analytics ‘At Scale’: Guidelines to Successful Implementation in Higher EducationPredictive Learning Analytics (PLA) aim to improve learning by identifying students at risk of failing their studies. Yet, little is known about how best to integrate and scaffold PLA initiatives into higher education institutions. Towards this end, it becomes essential to capture and analyze the perceptions of relevant educational stakeholders (i.e., managers, teachers, students) about […] Keep Reading Share this article: IN THE NEWS 21st-Century Analytics: New Technologies and New RulesToday’s designers of data analytics systems are using thirty-year-old mental models around scarcity of compute and are thus crippling their designs, not fully realizing how radically different 21st-century analytics has become. EDUCAUSE Review Keep Reading Share this article: Survey: Male Professors Lag Behind Women in Adopting Technology to Engage StudentsNew data shows that while male university professors believe they are ahead of the curve when it comes to technology adoption in the classroom, they actually lag behind their female counterparts. And less than one-third of all professors say they are prepared to equip Generation Z students for the modern-day workplace. A survey of 500 […] Keep Reading Share this article: Blackboard Expands SaaS Footprint Across North AmericaWASHINGTON, June 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Blackboard Inc. today announced that it is continuing to expand its Software as a Service (SaaS) deployment of Blackboard Learn—its flagship Learning Management System (LMS)—across the globe, with the solution now available in Canada. The deployment of SaaS in Canada follows closely on the heels of its deployment in China […] Keep Reading Share this article: Building Relationships with Students via BlockchainWhen Salesforce introduced its upcoming Blockchain platform, Arizona State University shared the stage too, as an early adopter and partner in an effort to apply blockchain technology to student academic records. ASU’s EdPlus CTO Donna Kidwell shares basics of the plan. Campus Technology Keep Reading Share this article: As email fades in popularity, Arizona State turns to its mobile appOSU officials say the data of 636 students, prospective students and family members was exposed to hackers engineering a phishing attack. edscoop Keep Reading Share this article: How the university library can help students save moneyThe university library is a central hub connecting nearly every facet of a campus, and it is supported by students’ tuition. In the library, we asked ourselves what we could do to defray costs for students while also removing financial barriers to reading and learning. The answer lay right at our fingertips, with the millions […] Keep Reading Share this article: Benefits of a Pro Supporter 2x More Newsletters Monthly Abstracts Archived Content Support & Subscribe

United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), 840 First Street, NE,3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20002

USDLA Newsletter 2019 (06-18-2019)

A newsletter from earlier in the week.

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Dr. Farhad Saba Founder, Editor USDLA Hall of Fame Inductee Dr. Reggie Smith III CEO / Executive Director Associate Editor OFFICIAL USDLA SPECIAL EDITION FEATURED ARTICLE OF THE WEEK Download Report Mobile Technology and Home Broadband 2019 37% of Americans now go online mostly using a smartphone, and these devices are increasingly cited as a reason for not having a high-speed internet connection at home Pew Research Center Keep Reading Share this article: RESEARCH-BASED ARTICLES OF THE WEEK Wide Open Voices: Experiences of OER Course DevelopersAs the affordability of higher education dominates the spotlight, open educational resources (OER), low cost, and free-to-student materials are widely offered as a solution. This paper outlines the experiences of course developers who contributed to a large-scale OER initiative, including training, knowledge, effort, and satisfaction of course development support services. Online Journal of Distance Learning […] Keep Reading Share this article: Full-Time from AfarWith the dramatic increase in the demand for distance learning opportunities in higher education, staffing demands have created a new opportunity for faculty members to teach full-time from remote locations. Previously, a significant portion of online instruction was taught by full-time faculty as part of their regular teaching load or as an economic opportunity for […] Keep Reading Share this article: Future Online Faculty Competencies: Student PerspectivesThe purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to acquire a better understanding of the dominant student perceptions of the competencies and abilities that online faculty might need ten years in the future. Ten years was an arbitrary time line and this study is a part of a series of studies focused on competencies for […] Keep Reading Share this article: Quality Frameworks and Learning Design for Open EducationThis article discusses the need to innovate education due to global changes to keep its status as a human right and public good and introduces Open Education as a theory to fulfil these requirements. A systematic literature review confirms the hypothesis that a holistic quality framework for Open Education does not exist. For its development, […] Keep Reading Share this article: Effectiveness of OER Use in First-Year Higher Education Students’ Mathematical Course PerformanceThis article examines the effect of two Open Educational Resources (OER) – Khan Academy Collection and a teacher-authored open textbook – on mathematical course performance and attendance amongst first-year higher education Chilean students. It also aims to find out about teachers’ and students’ views on the use of OER in order to understand how these […] Keep Reading Share this article: Open Video Repositories for College Instruction: A Guide to the Social SciencesKey features of open video repositories are outlined, followed by brief description of specific sites relevant to the social sciences. Although most were created by instructors over the past 10 years to facilitate teaching and learning, significant variations in kind, quality, and number per discipline were discovered. Economics and Psychology have the most extensive sets […] Keep Reading Share this article: IN THE NEWS Catholic Universities Collaborate on Online ProgramNotre Dame de Namur University has taken several stabs at expanding the reach of its online master’s program in public administration. It worked with Deltak (an online program management provider now part of Wiley Education Services) to create the online version of its in-person program in 2012, and then brought management of the program in-house […] Keep Reading Share this article: Developing Better Interventions for At-Risk StudentsIn 2015, the federal government awarded $60 million to 18 colleges and universities, chosen from a pool of hundreds, to develop innovative approaches for supporting at-risk students. John Carroll University, a four-year liberal arts institution in Ohio with around 3,000 students, was among those chosen, receiving a $1.3 million “First in the World” grant from […] Keep Reading Share this article: Meeting Faculty Where They AreFaculty won’t necessarily use multifactor authentication—or adopt any security practice—just because we, as information security practitioners, say so. Even as we “communicate, communicate, communicate,” our security message might be broadcasting on the wrong frequency. We need to meet faculty where they are. EDUCAUSE Review Keep Reading Share this article: The Top Five Competencies for Faculty Innovation, Plus Five MoreWhat are the core competencies that faculty innovators need in order to be successful in making sustained changes in and beyond their classrooms? While sitting under the starry Arizona desert sky near Bioshphere 2 during an NSF-sponsored workshop focused on the intersections of STEM education; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and innovations in learning, we decided […] Keep Reading Share this article: The End of the Line for iTunes U?Apple’s app for sharing university lectures was an important precursor to the MOOC movement, but the future of iTunes U doesn’t look bright. Inside Higher Ed Keep Reading Share this article: Cal Poly Launches Satellite Data InitiativeResearchers from the California Polyethnic State University are collaborating with Amazon Web Services for the Satellite Data Solutions (SDS) Initiative, a new effort that will harness data from Low Earth Orbit satellites through the use of AWS Ground Station to solve challenges. AWS Ground Station is a recently announced service that aims to make it […] Keep Reading Share this article: Benefits of a Pro Supporter 2x More Newsletters Monthly Abstracts Archived Content Support & Subscribe

United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), 840 First Street, NE,3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20002

Webinar: Grant Opportunities & Resources

Note this up-coming webinar that may be of interest to readers.

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Learn More Grant Opportunities & Resources Webinar: “Grant Opportunities & Resources” Friday June 28, 2019   12:00pm Eastern Time (9am PDT, 10am MDT, 11am CDT) Learning Objectives: 1. Identify grant sources for funding broadband, technology, literacy, telemedicine, professional development or program development. 2. Learn tips for preparing grant applications. 3.  Network with organizations who could be potential grant partners in the future. Attendees will leave with an understanding of funding agencies and organizations, a list of current funding sources, an understanding of the grant seeking process, information on grant writing best practices and tools to find expert grant writers, access to funding search engines, an understanding of projected funding sources for 2019 – 2020 and more! Presenting: Kirstin Deprospero, SOLUTIONZ, Inc. USDLA Board Member Grant Advocate, Telemedicine and Distance Learning Expert, Technology Nerd, Connector, Educator, A/V Expert and former President GDLA Georgia Distance Learning Association Moderator -Janet Major Assoc. Director for Education and Facilities ATP/SWTRC President United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) We will be sure to have something for everyone! Register now! About United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) The United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) is a non-profit association formed in 1987 and is located in Washington, DC. The association reaches 20,000 people globally with sponsors and members operating in and influencing 46% of the $913 billion dollar U.S. education and training market. USDLA promotes the development and application of distance learning for education and training and serves the needs of the distance learning community by providing advocacy, information, networking and opportunity. Distance learning and training constituencies served include pre-k-12 education, higher and continuing education, home schooling as well as business, corporate, military, government and telehealth markets. The USDLA trademarked logo is the recognized worldwide symbol of dedicated professionals committed to the distance learning industry. http://www.usdla.org

United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), 840 First Street, NE,3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20002