Bill Gates on Education & Technology

The information listed below is from the article posted on the Chronicle of Higher Education's Wired Campus:

"Bill Gates challenged college leaders to reinvent their institutions with technology in a speech today in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the law that created the nationwide system of land-grant colleges. At the event, sponsored by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, the Microsoft founder and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also urged college officials to focus on making their institutions accessible to a broad range of students, rather than just measuring themselves by how selective they are." (Young, Jeffrey R., June 26, 2012)  For more information, see Jeffrey R. Young's article covering Bill Gates' discussion on the role of higher education  in an article posted on Wired Campus on June 25, 2012.

Distance Learning and Accreditation | Myths & Mandates — What You Need to Know

Campus Technology is hosting a free webinar on Distance Learning and Accreditation | Myths & Mandates — What You Need to Know on June 21, 2012 at 1 pm CT/2 pm ET.

There are good reasons why online exam integrity has become a critical success factor for a number of accreditation and distance education expansion initiatives. Online test integrity and student authentication issues can halt the expansion of an institution’s online program and potentially threaten its reputation and accreditation status.

Discover how the University of West Alabama and the University of South Alabama implemented a secure testing environment across its online programs and how technology solutions are a key part of their re-accreditation strategy. These solutions added security measures such as biometric identity verification and remote proctoring technologies to online learning initiatives.

Key takeaways from this presentation:

• How amendments to the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) can affect your institution’s accreditation of its online learning program(s)
• Safely securing the online testing environment, protecting the integrity of distance learning
• Additional security measures to preemptively address the future revisions to HEOA policies

Reclaiming the American Dream - Free Report

The report by the American Association of Community Colleges, Reclaiming the American Dream: A report from the 21st-Century Commission on the Future of Community Colleges, is available for free PDF download online. Although the focus of the report is not on distance learning, it is about transformation and innovation at two-year institutions; topics certainly related to online learning. The report outlines the challenges facing our country and educational institutions, and the measures needed to reclaim the American dream.

From the report:

“The premise of this Commission can be summarized in three sentences: The American Dream is at risk. Because a highly educated population is fundamental to economic growth and a vibrant democracy, community colleges can help reclaim that dream. But stepping up to this challenge will require dramatic redesign of these institutions, their mission, and, most critically, their students’ educational experiences.” (AACC, 2012, p, vii)

Suggested citation:

American Association of Community Colleges. (2012, April). Reclaiming the American Dream: A report from the 21st-Century Commission on the Future of Community Colleges. Washington, DC: Author. Available from http://www.aacc.nche.edu/21stCenturyReport

Free Conference on Online Learning

There is a free conference in Louisville on online learning scheduled for July 10-11, 2012: http://www.learninghouse.com/connect2012/.

From the website: "Traditionally, the Connect conference has brought educators from Learning House partner institutions together to share their experiences in developing, managing and growing online education programs.

Together, our keynote speakers and dozens of others from Learning House and our partner institutions will present the latest information regarding:

• The future of online learning
• State authorization and joint ventures
• Starting an online program from the ground up
• Student recruitment and retention strategies
• Developing and improving online courses
• And much more!

Last year, more than 100 educators attended the Connect conference, and we expect the turnout to double this year. Don’t miss this opportunity to network with colleagues from across the country at Connect 2012!"

Get To Know Blackboard SP8-Virtual Sessions

Virtual Blackboard Service Pack 8 Sessions from KCTCS eLearning Support:

Tuesday, May 8 at 12:30 p.m. ET

Wednesday, May 9 at 1:00 p.m. ET

Friday, May 11 at 1:30 p.m. ET

These sessions will run approximately 30 minutes and will showcase new features in SP 8. You do not need to register for the virtual sessions. Simply click the link below to enter the session at the appropriate time. https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlpsid=2011608&password=M.37C0EE4D75E785DAC240217853BD9D

Get to Know Blackboard SP8-Sessions at BGTC!

You are going to love the new features and enhancements in Blackboard Service Pack 8. From cross course navigation to auto re-grading of tests, this is something to get excited about! Many of the items are "see what is new" or "see what it does now" types of changes so we are offering a show and tell session of what you are going to like and use. Please drop in at your convenience. 

The session will repeat approximately every 30 minutes on the following dates and times on Main Campus, Building H, Computer Lab, Room 131:

·        Tuesday, May 8                 9:30-11 am

·        Wednesday, May 9          9:30-11 am

·        Wednesday, May 9          2-3:30 pm

The repeat sessions will also be offered at the KATI Campus, Computer Lab, Room 134:

• Thursday, May 10        9:30-11 am

Reminder: eLearning Services will be installing Service Pack 8 the weekend of May 18, 2012.

Blackboard will be unavailable from Friday, May 18^th at 5 pm to Monday, May 21 at 9 am.

Free Course: Instructional Ideas and Technology Tools for Online Success

Announcing a Free, Open Course With Dr. Curtis Bonk:   

Instructional Ideas and Technology Tools for Online Success

Link to the landing page: http://events.blackboard.com/open (interest form)
Blog Announcement: http://www.coursesitesblog.com/2012/04/16/empowering-you-through-openness-and-choice/
CourseSites Blog: http://www.coursesitesblog.com/
Host: CourseSites (from Blackboard) announces a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)
Audience: Thousands of Blackboard, CourseSites, and other online and blended learning instructors around the world.
Description: Motivating students and creating community within blended and online learning environments is crucial to academic achievement and success. This open course will provide both theoretical concepts and practical tools for instructors to improve motivation, retention, and engagement within blended and online courses.
Enrollment: Open Enrollment begins Monday April 23, 2012. Please fill out the interest form to learn more.
Course Duration: April 30th- June 4th ( A total of 5 weeks)
Course Objectives:

Identify and apply relevant motivational strategies and instructional techniques

Construct thinking skill options for different types of learners and subjects

Design and share innovative thinking skill activities as well as unique cooperative learning

Map and apply instructional models and ideas to online learning tools

Scheduled Sessions:Wednesday May 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30 at 4 pm EST (3 pm CST)