Online Learning

Online Learning is referred to by many names – E-Learning, Blended Learning, Mobile Learning, MOOC, Online Education or Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) - and can take on many forms and delivered through various platforms, but one thing remains the same, technology is a core component. The following resources provide a snapshot of the issues surrounding online learning.

• The Pedagogical Foundations of Massive Open Online Courses, First Monday, May 2013. The authors found that by studying the signature (MOOC) characteristics that include: lectures formatted as short videos combined with formative quizzes; automated assessment and/or peer and self–assessment and an online forum for peer support and discussion, evidence suggests that there is no reason to believe that MOOCs are any less effective a learning experience than their face–to–face counterparts. Indeed, in some aspects, they may actually improve learning outcomes.
• 8 Lessons Learned from Teaching Online, EDUCAUSE Review Online, May 6, 2013. This video list of insights comes from experts in the field of online teaching. Here is a collection of 8 lessons that might improve your online course.
• Top-Ten IT Issues, 2013: Welcome to the Connected Age, EDUCAUSE Review Online, June 3, 2013. EDUCAUSE presents the top-ten IT-related issues facing higher education institutions. In this article, members of the 2012-2013 EDUCAUSE IT Issues Panel ranked determining the role of online learning and developing a sustainable strategy for that role as issue number 7.
• State U Online, New America Foundation, April 23, 2013. Author Rachel Fishman, examines the most common challenges to implementing successful distance-education programs, including cost, quality, and faculty buy-in. Fishman describes 5 steps to successful online state higher education systems.
• Proceedings from the April 2013 EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) Spring Focus Session: Learning and the MOOC  
• The Postmodality Era: How "Online Learning" Is Becoming "Learning", ELI Annual Meeting, February 2013. Based on a chapter in Game Changers, an EDUCAUSE's e-book, this video recorded session examined an important transformational trend impacting all institutions involved in online learning.  
• Thinking about Accreditation in a Rapidly Changing World, EDUCAUSE Review Online, April 1, 2013. Online learning has provided a platform for rethinking delivery models, yet much of accreditation is not designed to account for these new approaches.
• Chapter 17: Going the Distance: Outsourcing Online Learning Game Changers, May 2, 2012. The authors discuss how USC decided that rather than build the capacity to offer and operate online-learning programs within the individual academic units or even coordinate full-service support centrally, the university chose to outsource the development and delivery of fully online, Internet-delivered degrees to for-profit vendor partners. USC also presented a session, The Ins and Outs of Online Learning, on this topic at the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference in November 2012.
• Online Learning with Students, Staff, and Faculty with Disabilities: Knowing the Legal Landscape of Web Accessibility , ELI Webinar, December 2012. Failing to create an architecture that can be accessed by those with disabilities can create a climate of discrimination. It is vital that those in higher education understand the legal landscape with respect to online accessibility. This session reviews current law and court cases and assist institutions that want to do the right thing and document it at the same time.
• Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies, Department of Education, 2009. This report analyzes ‘online Learning’ literature between 1996 and July 2008. The analysts who screened these studies to find those that (a) contrasted an online to a face-to-face condition, (b) measured student learning outcomes, (c) used a rigorous research design, and (d) provided adequate information to calculate an effect size. As a result of this screening, 51 independent effects were identified that could be subjected to meta-analysis. The meta-analysis found that, on average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction.