Noel Gallagher’s April 7 Maine Sunday Telegram story about online education covers, well, many facets of that technology used to extend and enhance higher education. I do have some issues with material in the article. One relates to the stories about completing bachelor’s degrees in two years. Especially for adults, “accelerated learning” is much desired, but we need to be careful about its effectiveness. Today's Letters Letter to the editor: Maine should ban use of devices by motoristsLetter to the editor: Op-ed helps raise awareness of student food insecurityLetter to the editor: Maine voters should throw off yoke of party domination Look at the numbers. A bachelor’s degree generally requires 120 credit hours to complete, mostly in the form of a set of 40 three-credit-hour courses. Each course generally requires 45 “contact hours” of classroom time, plus another 90 hours of work outside of class, or 135 hours of work per course per … [Read more...] about Letter to the editor: Online learning can’t raze all barriers to two-year bachelor’s degree
Accelerated online learning
Districts partner with Springfield Public Schools for online courses
Claudette Riley Springfield News-Leader Published 11:00 PM EDT Apr 9, 2019 Two years ago, Springfield Public Schools offered to allow other districts to enroll in its online courses. A total of 24 districts, largely in southwest Missouri, signed up in the first few semesters. Springfield now partners with 166 districts — one out of every four — in Missouri. "I'm proud of being a leader in this and I'm proud of the fact that we are helping kids all over this state be able to take Japanese or German," said Jill Patterson, who oversaw the expansion during her term as board president. "...It brings me a lot of pride that we had that vision." Springfield, which has offered online courses since 2012, accelerated its expansion to meet demand, improve access and beat for-profit out-of-state virtual schools — which were being discussed by Missouri lawmakers — to the punch. The state's largest district announced its home-grown solution, called … [Read more...] about Districts partner with Springfield Public Schools for online courses
STCC, Elms College partner to offer affordable online computer science degree
SPRINGFIELD – A new partnership between the College of Our Lady of the Elms and Springfield Technical Community College will offer several computer-related bachelor’s degrees for students interested in computer science, information technology and security and more.“Ensuring high quality, flexible, affordable undergraduate options remains as important as ever especially in key areas of demand,” said STCC President John Cook. “No longer is there a singular tech sector, every sector of our economy is truly known as a tech sector which highlights the need for well prepared skilled individuals.” Cook and Elms College President Harry Dumay signed an agreement on Thursday at STCC which will allow students to transfer from the community college into the Elms College accelerated online bachelor’s degree programs in computer science and computer information technology and security.Dumay said the mission of Elms College when it was founded 90 years was to … [Read more...] about STCC, Elms College partner to offer affordable online computer science degree
Bill to regulate Colorado’s online schools would stop “whack-a-mole” of poor performers, backer says
Colorado’s online schools will have to track their students and will face limits in how they rebrand themselves if Gov. Jared Polis signs a bill that’s on the way to his desk. Senate Bill 129, approved by both houses of the General Assembly, would require the state’s online schools to track and report to the Colorado Department of Education if students drop out or leave for other schools between the annual enrollment count day and the end of the school year, as well as the grade level of students who leave. It also would force low-performing online schools to seek approval from the state education department before reopening under another name, and would keep them on performance watch even if the organization authorizing them changed. Rep. Meg Froelich, a Democrat representing Arapahoe County, said she agreed to cosponsor the bill with Sen. Tammy Story because of a lack of information about how well schools are serving students. She said online schools are a good … [Read more...] about Bill to regulate Colorado’s online schools would stop “whack-a-mole” of poor performers, backer says
WCSD to spend $1.6 million for accelerated online learning courses
Siobhan McAndrew Reno Gazette Journal Published 8:10 AM EST Feb 13, 2019 The Washoe County School Board approved spending $1.6 million for online courses used to make up for missing or failed credits for middle and high school students. “Credit recovery systems do offer additional resources to students who might not otherwise graduate. This is one of several options that provide extra support for students who need it to earn their diploma and move on to higher education, the military or a vocation," said Victoria Campbell, district spokesperson. The new vendor hired after a bidding process is Edgenuity Inc., a Scottsdale, Arizona-based company. The new contract will continue to allow students to make up failed credits or missed courses at an often accelerated rate. Read more: WCSD says it is working on a proposal to continue a pilot program for digital days During the summer, fall and spring of the … [Read more...] about WCSD to spend $1.6 million for accelerated online learning courses