Blog IT

2008 National Student Survey of Engagement Shows Engagement in Online Learning

Students taking most of their classes online report more deep approaches to learning in their classes, relative to classroom based learners. Furthermore, a larger share of online learners reported very often participating in intellectually challenging course activities.... When courses provided extensive, intellectually challenging writing activities, students engaged in more deep learning activities such as analysis, synthesis, and integration of ideas from various sources, and they grappled more with course ideas both in and out of the classroom. Download survey.

Education must include modern skills

In an increasingly complex and competitive world, teachers must understand technology and connect coursework to the global economy, curricula should eliminate less relevant material and incorporate modern skills such as global awareness, technology and media literacy, and standardized tests must include these new subjects. Read article.

Broadband Advocates Stress Value of High-Speed Internet

Some 55 percent of Americans have high-speed or broadband Internet service at home, according to a Pew study conducted earlier this year. There's been a steady increase in home broadband for several years, as prices have dropped and the amount of online video has increased. Read more.

WICHE & WCET Win Grant to Improve Transparency & Accountability in Adult Higher Education

The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) and its e-learning arm, WCET, have been awarded a $629,000 grant by Lumina Foundation for Education to promote an ambitious initiative that will provide adult learners with greatly enhanced access to information about how online colleges and universities succeed in helping students meet specific professional goals and prepare for their careers. The initiative, called Transparency By Design, consists of a consortium of 14 adult-serving higher education institutions involved in online learning. Read article.

U of M moves from distance learning to digital campus

"From offering correspondence courses by mail in 1909 to courses on the radio in the 1930's and television in the 1960's, to the digital campus of today, the University of Minnesota has been using technology to improve access and advance learning for generations," said university President Robert Bruininks. "Today, we offer more than 1,000 classes online or in a hybrid online form. Tens of thousands of our students use online tools and resources to support their learning and earn their degrees." Read more.