Digital Learning - beyond eLearning and Blended Learning

With so many technologies available to enhance online learning, it’s important to choose wisely.

What are some common mistakes instructors make when selecting learning technologies?

With so many technologies available to enhance online learning, it’s important to choose wisely. In an interview with Online Classroom, Tony Bates, an e-learning and distance education planning and management consultant, offered some insights on what to consider when making technology choices. We offer an excerpt of that interview here.

nside Higher Ed’s survey about faculty views of online educationis on point. Since I had participated by filling out the survey, 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 fit the profile of Academic Everyman. So, to flesh out the statistical bones, here are some observations by an archetypal Old Prof who wonders as he wanders through the new terrain of distance learning.

Professors can choose from a growing palette of Web-based tools to make their online courses more interactive. But a new study suggests that many community-college instructors aren’t taking advantage of those options. Instead, the professors are relying on static course materials that aren’t likely to motivate students or encourage them to interact with each other.

The study, presented here at the annual technology conference of the League for Innovation in the Community College, observed 26 high-enrollment online courses at two community colleges in Virginia last spring. It found that most professors relied on text-based assignments and materials. In the instances when professors did decide to use interactive tools like online video, many of those technologies were not connected to learning objectives, the study found. The findings could help explain how community colleges can structure the selection of technology to improve student-retention rates.

Are you an online student and want to learn ways to stay top of your online classes. Online degree programs give students the flexibility to take their classes anytime, anywhere. In order to staying on top of your online education, discipline, commitment, and organization are required. These are the basic traits that any online student must possess in order to get succeed. Online learning involves a dedicated time of independent study and in order to stand out in an online learning course it is very important to incorporate various time management practices into the day. Below are mentioned some of the best time management tips that can help you stay competitive in the online learning.

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Online learning may solve problems of tuition and the state budget, but it is not a solution to the major problem facing America today: teaching people how to think for themselves...

Liberty University's net assets have sustained a fivefold increase -- from $150 million to $860 million -- over the past six years, driven by the rapid expansion of its online programs.

Because Liberty is a nonprofit institution, any surplus it generates must be invested back into the school. However, Falwell said there is no strict timeline about when Liberty must use the money; part of Liberty’s strategy is to build an endowment that will secure the long-term stability of the school.

Online learning saves time for students. Students in online courses have 24/7 access to their course materials, other students, and their instructor. For working students, this is an incredible benefit. But we often hear that online learning takes a lot of an instructor’s time.