August 31, 2009

Good Morning Developers!

Can you believe that it is September tomorrow - wow, did the summer fly by fast! Your 25% completion deadline is approaching fast - next Monday I will be going into your courses to check for 25% completion. Please let me know if you have any concerns about meeting this deadline.

This week I came across a video titled Social Media Revolution – This 4 minute video does a fantastic job of telling the story that social media isn’t a fad, it’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate. It is well worth the watch! Here is the website where this video came from.



After watching this video I couldn’t help but feel proud of the work that we are doing in our online division at GU/MSB.

One of the statistics in the video stated that a 2009 US Department of Education study revealed that on average, online students out performed those receiving face-to-face instruction. This statement impacted me greatly. For many years those who work in online education as a whole have been striving to overcome the stigma that it cannot rival face to face instruction. Although I still believe that there are certain topics that are best learned through a residential environment, this study shows all of us that online education can in fact be just as good as face to face instruction for many topics.

As online developers we are directly impacting the 1 in 6 higher education students who are enrolled in online education and are responsible for them performing just as well as those students who learn in a traditional brick and mortar classroom. This is an awesome responsibility and I believe that thus far we have lived up to the challenge!

The work that we are doing is cutting edge, impactful, and highly motivated by the changing face of communication and education. Congratulations for being so closely involved in a changing world! Don’t be afraid to work these social media avenues into your developments – your students will love being able to use them in a classroom environment!

December 22, 2008

Good Morning!

I hope everyone is staying warm - the temp in Minnesota hit -12 this morning, yikes! Today and tomorrow I will be going into your courses to check for 50% completion, if you have any questions or concerns please let me know. Last week I mentioned that I would be gone on the 24th and 25th but back on the 26th. Turns out the offices are also closed on the 26th, so I will be back in the office on Monday, December 29th and will be sure to answer any questions at that time.

I hope you all enjoy your holidays!

Here are a few links to some articles regarding the Web and online education in the news. It is important for us to stay up to date about what is happening in these areas - enjoy!

Here is an article about using YouTube videos in the classroom and as a virtual tutor: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-12-11-youtube-tutoring_N.htm

Here is an article about how students use iPods for a med school study: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=56389

Here is an article about the new web accessibility Guidelines: http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/3512/consortium-releases-new-guidelines-for-web-accessibility-for-disabled

Here is a link to a Visual Dictionary - check it out!: http://visual.merriam-webster.com/index.php