White House Blog: Week-Long Focus on Education
Posted on March 18, 2010 by Jennifer Brady | Leave a Comment
[I am pleased to share another guest post from my colleague, Kate Harrington, Associate Vice President, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and International Relations, University of Massachusetts President’s Offfice.]
Recently the White House blog gave the U.S. Department of Education a week’s worth of time and space to blog about important issues and events. At the end of the week, Education Secretary Arne Duncan summarized the highlights and provided links making it easier to drill down on any topic. Much of what was covered and talked about has direct relevance to undergraduate and graduate students of all kinds. For example, here are just three of the many topics Secretary Duncan mentioned from the week’s events:
You joined Alma and Colin Powell, the President and myself in launching GradNation, an initiative to give more students the opportunity to go to college.
You engaged in a live web chat with Melody Barnes and me about how the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) can help students like you go to college.
You joined our web discussion around the question: What does a 21st century education mean to you?
To see the complete summary and to access the links go here.
Tags: Online Learning, UMassOnlinePermalink | Trackback |
Print This Post
Related Posts:
- National Distance Learning Week: Nov. 12-16, 2007
- Monday Musings
- Forbes’ Latest Report on Best-Paying Jobs Below C-Level Roles
- Do You Feel You Were Prepared for Proficiency in College?
- Should Online Learning be included this Decade’s ‘Top 10’ of Internet Developments?
Six Reports on ‘Promising Practices in Online Learning’ Available Online
Posted on March 18, 2010 by Som Seng | Leave a Comment
The International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) is a non-profit association with more than 3,400 members representing a diverse cross-section of school districts, charter schools, state education agencies, non-profit organizations, colleges, universities, research institutions, corporate entities and other content and technology providers.
On their site, they feature six reports on ‘Promising Practices in Online Learning.’ While some of these, especially the most recent one entitled ‘A Parents’ Guide to Choosing the Right Online Program’ have a K-12 focus, others seem appropriate to anyone in, or looking at, online education options and practices. The reports, which apparently have been in the making since 2008, include:
- Promising Practices in Online Learning
- Blended Learning: The Convergence of Online and Face-To-Face Education
- Using Online Learning for Credit Recovery and At-Risk Students
- Management and Operations of Online Programs: Ensure Quality and Accountability
- Socialization in Online Programs
- Funding and Policy Frameworks for Online Learning
- A Parents’ Guide to Choosing the Right Online Program
A news release about the sixth and most recent report is here. To access any one or all of these reports directly from iNACOL, visit this page of their website.
Tags: Online Learning, UMassOnlinePermalink | Trackback |
Print This Post
Related Posts:
- Study Launched to Benchmark Online Operations
- UMassOnline’s CAO Barbara Macaulay To Lead Workshop Dec. 6th in Miami
- USA TODAY Reports the New Science of Learning May Transform the Educational Experience
- UMassOnline’s Dr. Barbara Macaulay to be Featured Guest Speaker
- Sloan-C Survey Shows Online Enrollments Continue to Swell Nationally in 2008
A 100-Times Faster Internet?
Posted on March 18, 2010 by Som Seng | Leave a Comment
Did you happen to catch Google’s recent news about experimenting with higher speed broadband networks? Here, from a recent report, is what they are planning and just a few of the astonishing implications:
Google announced plans Wednesday to build experimental ultra high-speed broadband networks that would deliver Internet speeds 100 times faster than those of today to up to half a million Americans… The Web search and advertising giant said the envisioned one gigabit per second speeds would allow to stream [SIC] 3-D medical imaging over the Web or download a high-definition, full-length movie in less than five minutes.
The full report, which you can see here, does a good job of examining what this means and why faster speeds are urgent. For an added perspective that also examines online learning implications, check out this story at TechNewsWorld.
Tags: Now 'U' Know, UMassOnlinePermalink | Trackback |
Print This Post
Related Posts:
- Men and Women Go Online with Different Attitudes?
- Great Google Gadgets
- On Campus Students Swelling Online Enrollments
- Online Learning Knows No Age Limit
- The Cost of Ignoring the New Digital Distribution Systems
A Credit-based Educational System
Posted on March 9, 2010 by Li Feng | Leave a Comment
Whether you are taking an on-site or an online program at an American university, a fundamental concept that you will be dealing with is “credits.” Although Chinese universities have introduced the concept of credits into their grade reporting system, they have not used this concept as extensively as American universities do.
In Chinese universities, the number of credits for each course does not carry too much weight in a student’s plan of study. In comparison, however, credits play the role of building blocks for American college students in the process of degree completion. In the U.S. college education system, a credit, or a credit hour, refers to one hour of class time per week. In this vein, a 2-credit course requires two hours of class time per week for a semester and a 3-credit course requires three hours of class time for a semester. Students earn two credits after they finish a 2-credit course and three credits after they complete a 3-credit course. In this way, students build their credits each semester. A degree is granted after the required number of credits, along with other requirements, has been achieved. Associate degrees usually require 60-64 credits; bachelor’s degrees usually require 120-128 credits; and master’s degrees usually require around 30 to 37 credits.
Based upon this concept of credits, a common practice in American college education is credit transfer; this is a well-used mechanism by American students, who may start at one university and then move onto 1 or 2 others before completing the degree requirements. This is not unusual at all. American students may also stay at the same university at which they start but take courses from other universities during the summer, for instance. They then take advantage of being able to transfer in these credits from other universities to complete their degrees. During the process of transfer, credits that the student has earned previously can be transferred to the destination major, department, or university. For most Chinese college students, the opposite is true; the university and the major that they put down in their college applications are the same ones from which they will graduate 4 years later. The concept of using credits from another university is very nearly unheard of.
This major difference between practices in the United States and China was reinforced when we introduced UMassOnline programs to Chinese students. One of the things we had to review repeatedly was that American universities, in most cases, accept each other’s credits, especially within the first 90 credits. Consequently, a question that we were frequently asked was, “can you give me a list of universities that will accept the credits that I earn through UMassOnline courses?” Well, there is actually no such list, because most American universities accept UMassOnline credits as because our programs and courses are fully accredited through the UMass campuses.
Another frequently asked question we got was, “How is credit transfer done?” This really is a question for the target university that the student plans to attend or is already attending. The student needs to complete any necessary paperwork required and provide a transcript of the courses taken through UMassOnline. In addition, some universities provide online credit equivalency tools on their websites that students can use as a quick reference.
You may have other questions. We look forward to your thoughts or comments on the topic of credits and credit transfer! Please share with us here!
Tags: China Column, Online LearningPermalink | Trackback |
Print This Post
Related Posts:
- Online Education to Enhance International Educational Programs
- Clarifying How Accreditation Works for Programs Marketed by UMassOnline
- 10 Top Myths About Online/Distance Learning
- Perception Versus Reality for Online Students
- 6th Grader Wise Beyond Her Years
|
|
