Blogs

Recently there have been an awful lot of announcements about big name colleges and universities (and some not so big name ones that are still interesting) offering free online non-credit courses. These schools are being rightfully praised for devoting...

Congratulations are in order to many people finishing their degrees at this time of year, but a special tip of the hat goes out to Nick Sproull , who's completing a Master's degree with a concentration in Educational Leadership from Michigan State...

As covered in this space from time to time, there's an ever strengthening movement among educators to increase options available to schools, instructors, and students by developing open education resources — educational materials that are unencumbered...

When it comes to deciding to which schools to apply, it's clearly a big decision. You want as much information about your choices as you can possibly get. What's the student to faculty ratio? What's their accreditation situation? What are...

For those unfamiliar with the University of the People, it's an attempt from educational entrepreneur Shai Reshef to establish a university that uses eLearning to make degree programs available to students around the world without charging them tuition...

The National Parent Teacher Association has designated this week as Teacher Appreciation Week : Teachers — the people who educate us and give us the vital knowledge which we need to live our lives. They encourage, support, discipline and prepare...

Recently in this space was an explanation of the proposed Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012 and then some analysis of what the drawbacks of that approach might be . But with current and former students now owing a trillion dollars in student loan debt...

Winston Churchill famously remarked that the best argument against democracy was a five minute conversation with the average voter. And I once wrote that most callers to talk radio shows do their best to prove that Churchill was correct. But one might...

Dear Dr. Nash, I'm taking an online course that's requiring me to create a portfolio and I'm enjoying it. I think it will help me gain skills I can use in my studies, my life, and my career. What are your thoughts? I've been reading about...

The idea of earning college credit for what you already know has come a long way. Once an afterthought in higher education, it was long mostly (although never exclusively) touted by degree mills as a justification for paying them real money for a not...

Harvard and MIT are doing it. Anne Arundel Community College is doing it. Is anyone else jumping in to make sure that 2012 is remembered as the Year of Free eLearning? Why yes, Capella University is joining the fray as well, offering a staggering 25,000...

Recently this space noted a free eLearning initiative being promoted by Anne Arundel Community College, which shows that the free and open education movements aren't just being embraced by big well known universities, but also by schools from across...

Yesterday we had a description of the Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012 , which has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and sent to subcommittee. If enacted, this bill would do many things of keen interest to those with student loan...

As noted here a while back, this is the year that total student loan debt is reaching one trillion dollars. It's an amount so large that it not only affects borrowers' ability to make ends meet in the present, but threatens to put a damper on...

Think a prospective Fortune 500 employer is a tough nut about background and credit checks? Just try joining a convent. Nuns cannot marry, imbibe whiskey shots (before or after noon), let alone get divorced or wear designer jeans. Another kicker: They...

Open education resources are often featured in this space because of the tremendous value they represent both to institutions but to students as well. As an eLearner, you may have used material from MIT's OpenCourseWare project, or watched Khan Academy...

Here's one for all of you who celebrate Labour Day on 1 May (as opposed to the more American placing of Labor Day on the first Monday in September). Those academics sure know how to protest high tuition fees — they start their own free universities...

Dear Dr. Nash, I'm taking an online course in environmental science and one of my projects involves monitoring the surfing conditions off Kaneohe Bay, which includes the size of the waves, the water quality, and the number of sharks reported by the...

Recently this space had an announcement for a conference relevant to eLearning that will take place in Orlando, Florida. But not all of those with an ecademic interest in eLearning are American, and not all conferences worth considering happen in the...

Tip of the hat to Patrick Blessinger, an educational technologist who sends the following conference announcement. When you're an eLearning student at the undergraduate level, conferences may seem distant and not all that important. But if you're...

More than half of America’s young college graduates are jobless or underemployed, reports this article from The Washington Post . The story warns of a rude awakening for 2012’s college seniors, while profiling early twenty-somethings who can’t...

Dear Dr. Nash, I'm taking an online course, and I'm doing a lot of digital flash cards and crossword puzzles. I enjoy the activities, but I often wonder what the point is. Are flash cards just busy work? Or, am I learning something? If so, what...

I know what you're thinking. You think I'm so upset that I missed posting something crazy on April Fools Day this year that I'm trying to make up for it a few weeks late. Or maybe you think that the answer to the question posed in the title...

Once an ad catchphrase, "in other news, I just saved money on my car insurance" has become the punchline du jour for dour news. While we all thought, logically, that we could do away with high carbon footprints and insurance premiums simply...

Recently in this space was commentary on what universities really sell, and with the conclusion that it's not so much education (although there is that) as it is the credential that comes at the end of that educational process. The piece was a response...