One doesn’t need to devour political or economic analysis, listen to experts or even chat with one’s friends to realize that the Internet has changed the way we produce and […]
Where is Higher Education’s Digital Divi
Does teaching presence matter in a MOOC?
A recent study of a Coursera MOOC is really interesting in that it implemented a random assignment of student to 2 conditions – one with no teacher interaction with the […]
Reflection on world's first Online 3 Min
Being a huge fan of succinct communications and plain language, I was drawn to the ideas behind the 3 Minute Thesis contests, developed originally (and trademarked??) at the University of […]
My Solstice Epistle – Personal
A break from tradition and sending this annual post publicly this year. Dec. 2013 Dear Friends, Colleagues and Family Fast away another year has passed and it is time to […]
The Man who Invented Distance Education
Although it is true that “success has many parents, while failure is an orphan”, I didn’t really think I would have a chance to meet the very person who first […]
All MOOCs don't work for all students. A
Both the commercial and the unpaid online blog pundits have been having an armchair quarterback’s field day over MOOC poster boy Sebastin Thrun’s confession that his Udacity MOOC platform doesn’t work. None […]
Accreditation – for Learning Accomplishm
Offering degrees and certificates is the currency of higher education. Degree and certificates are very highly valued by students, parents, employers and postsecondary institutions. Despite occasional challenges to the authenticity […]
My participation in Online Instruction f...
Jenni Hayman (a friend and grad student here at Athabasca University) called a few months ago to talk about setting up a Canadian MOOC provider/supplier Wide World Ed. She is […]
Online 3 Minute Thesis Contest at Athaba...
I’m intrigued by this “speed dating” approach for disseminating and promoting thesis research. A thesis is a LOT of work, and results are usually buried in 150+ page tomes – […]
Is Online Learning Cheaper?
My friend Tom Carey and David Trick have complied an excellent summary report on costs and benefits of online education, with context and recommendations for the Ontario public higher education […]