Take a moment to think back to the first classroom you ever entered, whether it was at school, or nursery, chances are there was a blackboard, with coloured chalk where you focused most of your attention. You were probably working from a booklet or on paper using pencil and crayons and drawing pictures by hand. […] … learn more→
Tag Archives: online learning

Online learning can prepare students for a fast-changing future – wherever they are

Online learning punishes minority students, but video chats can help
Online learning is expanding in Canada at a rate of about 8.75 per cent every year. This shift to online environments has redefined the format of education. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), for example, have become wildly popular, with more than 700 universities offering 6,850 courses to 58 million students in 2016. Universities promote online […] … learn more→

Three prejudices I had about distance learning before getting my MA online
Several years ago, like most of the BA graduates I’ve faced the problem of combining full-time work and studying. On the one hand, I wanted to continue my education further, on the other, I have a student loan to pay off and some other family responsibilities requiring me to work. So finally I’ve decided not […] … learn more→

Take your teaching online: the micro-lecture
Whether you want to supplement instruction for your in-person class or you teach a fully online course (like me), you’re probably looking for effective ways to deliver content and maintain student engagement. Online learning is a different landscape thanks to sites like Khan Academy, the rapid adoption of MOOCs, and digital pedagogies (including blended and […] … learn more→

Academic fears about online learning – and how to allay them
Technology has transformed the way we communicate and how we buy and sell just about everything. Entertainment, publishing and retail have evolved to give us greater efficiency, convenience and on-demand service. These sectors have arguably adapted more than higher education. However, over the coming months, the innovation in online higher education will be significant but […] … learn more→
Building community and creating relevance in the online classroom
Remember feeling nervous before starting your first day on the job? You may have experienced butterflies in your stomach, had questions about expectations, or concerns about learning the rules and finding information. Students feel the same way with a new professor, regardless if the class is face-to-face or online. With technology, you can reduce new-class […] … learn more→
Who Is driving the online locomotive?
Proponents of online learning often use train metaphors to describe its growing impact on the educational landscape. Those of us who teach at two-year colleges, especially, are constantly encouraged, prodded, hectored, cajoled—and sometimes even ordered—to get on board. Otherwise, we\’re told, we\’re likely to be run over. As one who is skeptical regarding the long-term […] … learn more→
Does online education actually work?
Conventional wisdom states that the future of higher education lies online. However, few studies tell us whether this is necessarily a good thing. Indeed, both the detractors and supporters of online education tend to rely on anecdotes rather than data. So a recent report by William Bowen, Matthew Chingos, Kelly Lack, and Thomas Nygren of […] … learn more→
Five benefits of online learning
Besides a brief window just after high school graduation, many adults never have the opportunity to pursue higher education. The responsibilities of life take over soon afterward, and bills, jobs and families leave little time for homework. The advent of online education, however, has provided willing students of all ages with another option. Armed with […] … learn more→
Professors and online learning
Inside Higher Education recently published a survey about faculty views on online education. I was curious about its findings. My interest surged after reading the related article by Steve Kolowich — who noted that for professors “the rise of online education excites them more than it frightens them.” According to the survey’s composite data, I […] … learn more→