Friday, February 20, 2015
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Credit For Actually Learning—Not Time In Class—Is Shaking Up Higher Education
By Ben Schiller
The credit hour is the standard way of measuring achievement in U.S. higher education. It's the unit students have to accumulate before they can graduate. It's used in assessments of how much to pay faculty. It's an organizing force on campus and in relations between institutions. It's a currency that everyone understands—but also something that an increasing number of people criticize. Are students really learning or time-serving? Does making everyone learn at the same pace hold back students who could learn more quickly, and does the credit hour-system raise costs unnecessarily?
In its place, a growing number of institutions are developing courses based on "competency"—or what students actually learn—rather than the number of hours they put in. Competency-based education (CBE) is a hot topic among policy-makers, foundations, and colleges because it has the potential to lower costs, broaden access to education, and perhaps raise standards. But, as two new reports point out, CBE isn't a perfect solution. In some cases, it may be more expensive than the traditional model, and, importantly, it's still unclear what could replace the credit hour as a universal unit.
The first report comes from the American Enterprise Institute and looks at the current "landscape" of CBE. Author Robert Kelchen identifies 34 colleges offering some form of CBE. Not all of those publish enrollment data, but, of the nine that do, he counts a total of 140,000 undergraduates and 57,000 graduate students on CBE programs currently.
CBE seems to open up colleges to older people. 9 out of 10 of the students Kelchen found are over 25 years old. About half are studying part-time, presumably because they also have to work and/or look after families. The programs themselves take different forms. Some grant credit based on backwards-looking assessments of learning ("prior learning assessments"), some just on the assessments of whether students have mastered new material.
The institutions include Alverno College, in Milwaukee, George Mason University, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, and the University of Wisconsin, which offers "Flex Option" degrees (we wrote an in-depth post about that program here). It gives three months of "all you can eat" access, allowing students to complete as many competency tests as they like. The flat-rate cost is $2,250. Other programs charge for packages of credits, plus fees for exams and assessments.
Kelchen argues that CBE is not necessarily cheaper than traditional degrees, partly because many programs don't offer federal aid. Some students could get Pell grants for standard degrees, for example. So, it would be a disadvantage taking CBE courses. Or, depending on their level of preparation, motivation and the amount of time they have, students may not be able to complete "all-you-can-eat" courses quickly enough to make the cost worthwhile. It's like a gym membership: how expensive it is depends on how often you go?
The more fundamental question is how to assess the quality of CBE teaching and how to replace the credit hour. That's the subject of another report from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (CFAT). It concedes that the credit hour is problematic because it "discourages educators from examining more closely students’ strengths and weaknesses" and "masks the quality of student learning." But it also notes that the credit hour ensures students receive consistent amounts of teaching time, plays a vital role in the administrative functioning of higher education, and "makes possible innumerable exchanges and interconnections among institutions."
The credit hour, in fact, was never designed for its current role. It was invented by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie a century ago—and named the Carnegie Unit—as a way to pay faculty pensions. It wasn't meant as a proxy for what students learned; that's what tests and exams are for. The report says throwing out credit hours isn't a panacea, and it's surely right. After all, there are lots of reasons why colleges fail to teach students properly, why students don't bother learning, and why employers say graduates are unprepared. It isn't all linked to the credit-hour, despite what some suggest (this is a good example of the credit hour critique).
CFAT says we should move slowly, in case we throw out the good with the bad. "American education has a long history of promising reform ideas that have failed to achieve their intended outcomes," it says. "It is one thing to have good ideas for change; it is another to execute effectively and efficiently in our large, complex educational systems."
The credit hour is the standard way of measuring achievement in U.S. higher education. It's the unit students have to accumulate before they can graduate. It's used in assessments of how much to pay faculty. It's an organizing force on campus and in relations between institutions. It's a currency that everyone understands—but also something that an increasing number of people criticize. Are students really learning or time-serving? Does making everyone learn at the same pace hold back students who could learn more quickly, and does the credit hour-system raise costs unnecessarily?
In its place, a growing number of institutions are developing courses based on "competency"—or what students actually learn—rather than the number of hours they put in. Competency-based education (CBE) is a hot topic among policy-makers, foundations, and colleges because it has the potential to lower costs, broaden access to education, and perhaps raise standards. But, as two new reports point out, CBE isn't a perfect solution. In some cases, it may be more expensive than the traditional model, and, importantly, it's still unclear what could replace the credit hour as a universal unit.
The first report comes from the American Enterprise Institute and looks at the current "landscape" of CBE. Author Robert Kelchen identifies 34 colleges offering some form of CBE. Not all of those publish enrollment data, but, of the nine that do, he counts a total of 140,000 undergraduates and 57,000 graduate students on CBE programs currently.
CBE seems to open up colleges to older people. 9 out of 10 of the students Kelchen found are over 25 years old. About half are studying part-time, presumably because they also have to work and/or look after families. The programs themselves take different forms. Some grant credit based on backwards-looking assessments of learning ("prior learning assessments"), some just on the assessments of whether students have mastered new material.
The institutions include Alverno College, in Milwaukee, George Mason University, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, and the University of Wisconsin, which offers "Flex Option" degrees (we wrote an in-depth post about that program here). It gives three months of "all you can eat" access, allowing students to complete as many competency tests as they like. The flat-rate cost is $2,250. Other programs charge for packages of credits, plus fees for exams and assessments.
Kelchen argues that CBE is not necessarily cheaper than traditional degrees, partly because many programs don't offer federal aid. Some students could get Pell grants for standard degrees, for example. So, it would be a disadvantage taking CBE courses. Or, depending on their level of preparation, motivation and the amount of time they have, students may not be able to complete "all-you-can-eat" courses quickly enough to make the cost worthwhile. It's like a gym membership: how expensive it is depends on how often you go?
The more fundamental question is how to assess the quality of CBE teaching and how to replace the credit hour. That's the subject of another report from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (CFAT). It concedes that the credit hour is problematic because it "discourages educators from examining more closely students’ strengths and weaknesses" and "masks the quality of student learning." But it also notes that the credit hour ensures students receive consistent amounts of teaching time, plays a vital role in the administrative functioning of higher education, and "makes possible innumerable exchanges and interconnections among institutions."
The credit hour, in fact, was never designed for its current role. It was invented by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie a century ago—and named the Carnegie Unit—as a way to pay faculty pensions. It wasn't meant as a proxy for what students learned; that's what tests and exams are for. The report says throwing out credit hours isn't a panacea, and it's surely right. After all, there are lots of reasons why colleges fail to teach students properly, why students don't bother learning, and why employers say graduates are unprepared. It isn't all linked to the credit-hour, despite what some suggest (this is a good example of the credit hour critique).
CFAT says we should move slowly, in case we throw out the good with the bad. "American education has a long history of promising reform ideas that have failed to achieve their intended outcomes," it says. "It is one thing to have good ideas for change; it is another to execute effectively and efficiently in our large, complex educational systems."
Friday, January 30, 2015
How to Effectively Test Teachers with Technology
By Sean Scarpiello
This may come as a surprise but, Finland has one of the most successful education systems. This has been proven by international standardized tests and graduate success. When comparing Finland’s education system with that of the United States, there are a few large differences, one of which is how teachers in Finland are treated. All Finlandian teachers must meet a range of difficult requirements and pass challenging tests to become educators. In fact, all educators in Finland must have a Master’s degree in order to teach. While it would be extremely difficult to overhaul the setup of the educational system of the United States to model that of Finland in the near future, there are still some routes that the United States schools can take to mimic the archetype of Finland’s educators system.
Teachers in Finland are held in higher regard, much like doctors and college professors are held in the United States. This is due to Finnish teachers continuing their education through further education, much like doctors and professor in the United States. In the United States, the idea of grading a teacher becomes a concern because people fear that grading teachers on their students’ performances (on standardized tests) will cause teachers to simply “teach the test” to students. However, a new company called Panorama Education is looking to change all of this by grading teachers in such a way that stimulates improvement and better outcomes for students.
Panorama Education tests teachers through the use of surveys given to students in order to assess how well teachers are doing. Teachers will not receive an actual grade on their performance, but these surveys will collect data on what students are thinking about the teachers performance. In fact, some schools surveyed have shown that some teachers subconsciously spend more time helping male students in the classroom while other surveys revealed that some departments in school are focusing less on special needs students. While these surveys are not intended to be used to get rid of teachers, they can help shed light on some problem areas that need to be improved. Panorama Education actually works through a technology based system that collects the paper and pencil based surveys completed by students and analyzes the results.
Currently, many schools look to make improvements in their system by hiring outside contractors to come in and examine teachers and students in classrooms. These firms are expensive and must take place over the course of many months. Panorama Education on the other hand is much less expensive and schools can expect data back almost instantly. Panorama education can be even more effective than outside education consultants as schools hear exactly what their students are thinking about regarding their teachers and classes. Overall, Panorama Education can be a huge success as it fosters an improved education for a greater number of students through the advent of new technology.
Source: https://www.panoramaed.com/
This may come as a surprise but, Finland has one of the most successful education systems. This has been proven by international standardized tests and graduate success. When comparing Finland’s education system with that of the United States, there are a few large differences, one of which is how teachers in Finland are treated. All Finlandian teachers must meet a range of difficult requirements and pass challenging tests to become educators. In fact, all educators in Finland must have a Master’s degree in order to teach. While it would be extremely difficult to overhaul the setup of the educational system of the United States to model that of Finland in the near future, there are still some routes that the United States schools can take to mimic the archetype of Finland’s educators system.
Teachers in Finland are held in higher regard, much like doctors and college professors are held in the United States. This is due to Finnish teachers continuing their education through further education, much like doctors and professor in the United States. In the United States, the idea of grading a teacher becomes a concern because people fear that grading teachers on their students’ performances (on standardized tests) will cause teachers to simply “teach the test” to students. However, a new company called Panorama Education is looking to change all of this by grading teachers in such a way that stimulates improvement and better outcomes for students.
Panorama Education tests teachers through the use of surveys given to students in order to assess how well teachers are doing. Teachers will not receive an actual grade on their performance, but these surveys will collect data on what students are thinking about the teachers performance. In fact, some schools surveyed have shown that some teachers subconsciously spend more time helping male students in the classroom while other surveys revealed that some departments in school are focusing less on special needs students. While these surveys are not intended to be used to get rid of teachers, they can help shed light on some problem areas that need to be improved. Panorama Education actually works through a technology based system that collects the paper and pencil based surveys completed by students and analyzes the results.
Currently, many schools look to make improvements in their system by hiring outside contractors to come in and examine teachers and students in classrooms. These firms are expensive and must take place over the course of many months. Panorama Education on the other hand is much less expensive and schools can expect data back almost instantly. Panorama education can be even more effective than outside education consultants as schools hear exactly what their students are thinking about regarding their teachers and classes. Overall, Panorama Education can be a huge success as it fosters an improved education for a greater number of students through the advent of new technology.
Source: https://www.panoramaed.com/
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Technology in the Classroom: Helpful or Harmful?
By Samantha Cleaver
Kids gravitate towards technology—if your child heads straight for the video games or Facebook after school, you know what we’re talking about. With a world of information at their fingertips nowadays, it seems like kids should be finding it easier than ever to succeed in school. However, as more classrooms invest in the latest technology, test scores remain the same, bringing its effectiveness into question.
“Incorporating technology into the classroom requires a double innovation,” says Shelley Pasnik, director of the Center for Education and Technology, Educators who receive new technology must first learn how to use the equipment and then decide whether or not it supports the class objectives and curriculum.
For example, an instructor may restructure a lecture into a group activity, having students conduct online research to boost their understanding. With such a vast reference tool, the students might pose questions that no one in the class, not even the teacher himself, can answer. Many teachers and schools choose to avoid this situation by discouraging the use of computers in a well-organized lesson. Their latest shipment of Smartboards, ELMOs, or iPads stays locked in a closet as they struggle to find the time to effectively incorporate them into the curriculum plan.
Despite the challenges, incorporating technology into education still has proven benefits, especially when it comes to personalized learning. From math games that adjust the level of difficulty as players progress to electronic books that talk and respond to the tap of a finger, products that personalize the learning experience for students often benefit their understanding. An interactive game is more engaging than a book, so technology often promotes more practice and review in areas requiring memorization, such as spelling, math and geography. This frees up time in the classroom so educators can focus on skills like problem solving, character development and critical thinking.
Technology also makes it easier to spend more overall time on learning. “After school and weekend time can become effective learning time with the right technology,” says David Vinca, founder and executive director of eSpark Learning, an education company that focuses on bringing iPads and iPods into the classroom. Much like how smart phones extend the workday by allowing professionals to send emails anytime, educational technology extends the school day for kids who will happily play multiplication games or review grammar on computer programs.
Educators also find it easier to track and assess student progress with the help of technology. At the end of each lesson cycle in eSpark’s app, students record a video summarizing what they’ve learned, and email it to their teacher. If a student consistently misspells words of a certain pattern, the teacher will know immediately and reintroduce that specific skill. This kind of data-driven information is invaluable for teachers who want to revise and review.
Consider these three tips when you consider your child’s daily interaction with technology:
Look for Connections. When students use technology, it should be within the context of larger learning goals rather than in isolation. “Technology used in isolation is less effective than when it’s integrated into a curricular set of activities,” says Pasnik.
Don’t Assume. There are a lot of facts floating out there, and everyone has an opinion. Base your understanding of education technology on reliable sources. Pasnik suggests asking your child’s teacher about how technology is incorporated into the curriculum.
It’s all in the Application. The success of any tool depends on how it’s used. Ask how a gadget or program furthers higher thinking, basic skills, or the child’s ability to evaluate, analyze, and synthesize ideas. This way, you’ll ensure that it’s being used for more than its novelty.
Technology may be changing the experience of education, but the role of teachers and parents grow increasingly important as they become the experts and guides for new learning resources. Teachers remain the constant in an ever-changing classroom environment, which will continue to shift with the technological tides. Vinca agrees. “However technology is used in class, it has the opportunity to be a game changer.”
Kids gravitate towards technology—if your child heads straight for the video games or Facebook after school, you know what we’re talking about. With a world of information at their fingertips nowadays, it seems like kids should be finding it easier than ever to succeed in school. However, as more classrooms invest in the latest technology, test scores remain the same, bringing its effectiveness into question.
“Incorporating technology into the classroom requires a double innovation,” says Shelley Pasnik, director of the Center for Education and Technology, Educators who receive new technology must first learn how to use the equipment and then decide whether or not it supports the class objectives and curriculum.
For example, an instructor may restructure a lecture into a group activity, having students conduct online research to boost their understanding. With such a vast reference tool, the students might pose questions that no one in the class, not even the teacher himself, can answer. Many teachers and schools choose to avoid this situation by discouraging the use of computers in a well-organized lesson. Their latest shipment of Smartboards, ELMOs, or iPads stays locked in a closet as they struggle to find the time to effectively incorporate them into the curriculum plan.
Despite the challenges, incorporating technology into education still has proven benefits, especially when it comes to personalized learning. From math games that adjust the level of difficulty as players progress to electronic books that talk and respond to the tap of a finger, products that personalize the learning experience for students often benefit their understanding. An interactive game is more engaging than a book, so technology often promotes more practice and review in areas requiring memorization, such as spelling, math and geography. This frees up time in the classroom so educators can focus on skills like problem solving, character development and critical thinking.
Technology also makes it easier to spend more overall time on learning. “After school and weekend time can become effective learning time with the right technology,” says David Vinca, founder and executive director of eSpark Learning, an education company that focuses on bringing iPads and iPods into the classroom. Much like how smart phones extend the workday by allowing professionals to send emails anytime, educational technology extends the school day for kids who will happily play multiplication games or review grammar on computer programs.
Educators also find it easier to track and assess student progress with the help of technology. At the end of each lesson cycle in eSpark’s app, students record a video summarizing what they’ve learned, and email it to their teacher. If a student consistently misspells words of a certain pattern, the teacher will know immediately and reintroduce that specific skill. This kind of data-driven information is invaluable for teachers who want to revise and review.
Consider these three tips when you consider your child’s daily interaction with technology:
Look for Connections. When students use technology, it should be within the context of larger learning goals rather than in isolation. “Technology used in isolation is less effective than when it’s integrated into a curricular set of activities,” says Pasnik.
Don’t Assume. There are a lot of facts floating out there, and everyone has an opinion. Base your understanding of education technology on reliable sources. Pasnik suggests asking your child’s teacher about how technology is incorporated into the curriculum.
It’s all in the Application. The success of any tool depends on how it’s used. Ask how a gadget or program furthers higher thinking, basic skills, or the child’s ability to evaluate, analyze, and synthesize ideas. This way, you’ll ensure that it’s being used for more than its novelty.
Technology may be changing the experience of education, but the role of teachers and parents grow increasingly important as they become the experts and guides for new learning resources. Teachers remain the constant in an ever-changing classroom environment, which will continue to shift with the technological tides. Vinca agrees. “However technology is used in class, it has the opportunity to be a game changer.”
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Quizlet Continues to be an Innovator in No Cost Education Technology
By Sean Scarpiello
Quizlet, an online-based education application, has been around for years as a beneficial education tool. Essentially, Quizlet acts as a digital flash card builder which allows users to test themselves on their course material. While this concept seems simple enough, Quizlet has grown over the years to include even more features, that I recently discovered after using this application.
Users can begin by simply signing up and once completed they have access to unlimited space for an infinite amount of flashcard. Further, students or teachers can share their accounts with each other, thus granting them access to many sets of flash cards to use as a study resource. To use Quizlet, users simply type in the word or question they would like to remember on one side of the card and then enter the definition on the other side of their digital flashcard. One feature that Quizlet has recently added to aid users is an automatic defining function. For instance, if a student is trying to learn new vocabulary words, they can simply type in the vocabulary words and click define. Quizlet then pulls up a list of common definitions for this vocabulary word from which the student can pick the meaning they are looking for, thereby eliminating the tedious and time consuming process of typing out long definitions. In addition to this, Quizlet also now offers a language translation tool. In this section of the application, students can type in their list of English words (or any other language) and then click on the language they would like their word list to be translated to. This function is extremely useful for students in a language class, as they can increase the number of flashcards in a matter of minutes. Then, since self-testing is an active form of learning where students are deeply engaged in material content, Quizlet enables students to quickly memorize long lists of words which need to be integrated into their knowledge.
Beyond these new functions, Quizlet now offers more than a simple flashcard to read and flip on a digital platform. Now, Quizlet has testing and game functions where students can convert their flashcards into a multiple choice, true/false, or matching quiz. Students are able to design their own quizzes as well, the number of questions they would like in each quiz. Quizlet then tracks students’ progress and helps highlight which cards the students needs to improve upon. The game function offers two games: a speed matching game and a space race game. Here, students can time themselves on how quickly they can recall their flashcard data in a competitive and fun way. While these functions are best used on a laptop or other computer device, Quizlet also has an app available for all devices. Which enables Students to log into their account from anywhere and test themselves on the same sets of flashcards from their computer. Overall, this really makes integrating vast amounts of knowledge easy as students have access to thousands of flashcards in seconds.
During the past few years, it is fantastic that Quizlet has continued to grow and improve on its already brilliant idea. Furthermore, Quizlet offers all of its contents and ease of learning to students at no cost. Plus, it enables students to collaborate with each other through account sharing functions. Therefore, Quizlet has continued to be an innovator in the education field by bringing improved education technology to students at no cost.
Source: http://quizlet.com/
Quizlet, an online-based education application, has been around for years as a beneficial education tool. Essentially, Quizlet acts as a digital flash card builder which allows users to test themselves on their course material. While this concept seems simple enough, Quizlet has grown over the years to include even more features, that I recently discovered after using this application.
Users can begin by simply signing up and once completed they have access to unlimited space for an infinite amount of flashcard. Further, students or teachers can share their accounts with each other, thus granting them access to many sets of flash cards to use as a study resource. To use Quizlet, users simply type in the word or question they would like to remember on one side of the card and then enter the definition on the other side of their digital flashcard. One feature that Quizlet has recently added to aid users is an automatic defining function. For instance, if a student is trying to learn new vocabulary words, they can simply type in the vocabulary words and click define. Quizlet then pulls up a list of common definitions for this vocabulary word from which the student can pick the meaning they are looking for, thereby eliminating the tedious and time consuming process of typing out long definitions. In addition to this, Quizlet also now offers a language translation tool. In this section of the application, students can type in their list of English words (or any other language) and then click on the language they would like their word list to be translated to. This function is extremely useful for students in a language class, as they can increase the number of flashcards in a matter of minutes. Then, since self-testing is an active form of learning where students are deeply engaged in material content, Quizlet enables students to quickly memorize long lists of words which need to be integrated into their knowledge.
Beyond these new functions, Quizlet now offers more than a simple flashcard to read and flip on a digital platform. Now, Quizlet has testing and game functions where students can convert their flashcards into a multiple choice, true/false, or matching quiz. Students are able to design their own quizzes as well, the number of questions they would like in each quiz. Quizlet then tracks students’ progress and helps highlight which cards the students needs to improve upon. The game function offers two games: a speed matching game and a space race game. Here, students can time themselves on how quickly they can recall their flashcard data in a competitive and fun way. While these functions are best used on a laptop or other computer device, Quizlet also has an app available for all devices. Which enables Students to log into their account from anywhere and test themselves on the same sets of flashcards from their computer. Overall, this really makes integrating vast amounts of knowledge easy as students have access to thousands of flashcards in seconds.
During the past few years, it is fantastic that Quizlet has continued to grow and improve on its already brilliant idea. Furthermore, Quizlet offers all of its contents and ease of learning to students at no cost. Plus, it enables students to collaborate with each other through account sharing functions. Therefore, Quizlet has continued to be an innovator in the education field by bringing improved education technology to students at no cost.
Source: http://quizlet.com/
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
ForClass: A New and Innovative Education Platform
By Sean Scarpiello
One of the newest technologies to keep an eye on in 2015 is a creative education platform called ForClass. Teachers and professors are already extremely busy and find it increasingly difficult to prepare for class. ForClass is a platform geared towards easing the difficulties in preparing for classes while engaging students.
ForClass enables teachers to assign questions to students for homework. These questions may be a guided reading, pop quiz, or a list of key concepts. As students answer these questions, teachers get an understanding of how each question is answered. This enables teachers to structure their lecture on the areas were students struggled. Further, ForClass gives teachers the statistical breakdown of how each student did on the assignment. Therefore, teachers can see where individual students are having difficulties and offer them help. This provides an easier education for each student individually. Over the course of a semester, ForClass can track a student’s progress, thereby enabling teachers to determine each student’s reasoning in answering questions.
One of the most important benefits of ForClass is how simple it is for the user. Teachers are able to quickly and effortlessly post questions and assignments for students to complete. The class results of each question for each individual student show up in real time for the teacher, in a simple format. Plus, teachers have an archive of all of their students’ responses at their fingertips. Students have also described ForClass as a straightforward platform that encourages them to become more engaged in class. Students can log on and view each assignment for each class and answer each question at their own pace. As ForClass is web-based, any student with a laptop, tablet, or even a smart phone with a wireless connection can complete their assignments from almost anywhere.
ForClass also affords the opportunity for teachers to use this innovative platform in a creative manner. Teachers can use ForClass to assign take home quizzes or post lecture questions to see which topics confuse students. Plus, teachers can come up with their own creative ways to implement the software in their classrooms that fit their students needs best.
Overall, ForClass has additional benefits by being a low cost or in some cases a free program for teachers and students. Plus, it is easy to use for both teachers and students.In addition, its ability to enable students to critically think and have fun with class instruction is a great benefit. Most of all, ForClass keeps students actively engaged in class material and also benefits teachers by having a clear understanding of their student’s grasp of the material. It is clear that ForClass is an excellent addition to any classroom as it is easy to implement into classrooms where students can utilize technology to improve the quality of their education.
Source: http://www.forclass.com/
One of the newest technologies to keep an eye on in 2015 is a creative education platform called ForClass. Teachers and professors are already extremely busy and find it increasingly difficult to prepare for class. ForClass is a platform geared towards easing the difficulties in preparing for classes while engaging students.
ForClass enables teachers to assign questions to students for homework. These questions may be a guided reading, pop quiz, or a list of key concepts. As students answer these questions, teachers get an understanding of how each question is answered. This enables teachers to structure their lecture on the areas were students struggled. Further, ForClass gives teachers the statistical breakdown of how each student did on the assignment. Therefore, teachers can see where individual students are having difficulties and offer them help. This provides an easier education for each student individually. Over the course of a semester, ForClass can track a student’s progress, thereby enabling teachers to determine each student’s reasoning in answering questions.
One of the most important benefits of ForClass is how simple it is for the user. Teachers are able to quickly and effortlessly post questions and assignments for students to complete. The class results of each question for each individual student show up in real time for the teacher, in a simple format. Plus, teachers have an archive of all of their students’ responses at their fingertips. Students have also described ForClass as a straightforward platform that encourages them to become more engaged in class. Students can log on and view each assignment for each class and answer each question at their own pace. As ForClass is web-based, any student with a laptop, tablet, or even a smart phone with a wireless connection can complete their assignments from almost anywhere.
ForClass also affords the opportunity for teachers to use this innovative platform in a creative manner. Teachers can use ForClass to assign take home quizzes or post lecture questions to see which topics confuse students. Plus, teachers can come up with their own creative ways to implement the software in their classrooms that fit their students needs best.
Overall, ForClass has additional benefits by being a low cost or in some cases a free program for teachers and students. Plus, it is easy to use for both teachers and students.In addition, its ability to enable students to critically think and have fun with class instruction is a great benefit. Most of all, ForClass keeps students actively engaged in class material and also benefits teachers by having a clear understanding of their student’s grasp of the material. It is clear that ForClass is an excellent addition to any classroom as it is easy to implement into classrooms where students can utilize technology to improve the quality of their education.
Source: http://www.forclass.com/
Saturday, December 20, 2014
The Effectiveness of Online Writing Labs (OWLs)
By Sean Scarpiello
As the year 2015 quickly approaches, one interesting educational technology tool to keep an eye is Online Writing Labs or OWLs. These writing tools are designed to engage high school and college students in improving their writing skills to fit what college professors are looking for in essays and reports. More importantly, OWLs focus on improving writing in general, an important skill to have in all careers, regardless of the exact field of study in college. Different colleges such as Purdue University and Excelsior College offer their versions of OWLs online at no cost to users.
As OWLs are an online based technology, they can be accessed 24/7 from any laptop, tablet, or other device from any place with an internet connection.
Within the OWLs offered by Excelsior College, there are 8 different modules for improving college level writing. There are modules that focus on the actual process of writing. These processes help students think about how they should go about brainstorming, developing arguments, looking at opposing viewpoints, and more. From there, students can find modules that help lay the foundations of what to include in their introductions and main content. In a series of fun to read and interactive instructional pages, students can also learn how to write without plagiarizing, control their voice, develop concise yet effective thesis statements and more. Plus, these pages include tips on how to revise and edit their papers so students can easily understand what areas their professors are focusing on during the grading process. One study showed that, on average, students using OWLs raised their final grade in a course by 6.6 points. While this is great for students’ transcripts in the short term, the long term benefit is improved writing styles which they will inevitably take with them beyond their educational career.
In addition to OWLs pages of content for improving writing, Excelsior College’s OWL includes modules on how to craft writing for different audiences. There is an essay module and a grammar module which guides students on how to write in the type of rhetoric that professors look for while retaining the proper grammar and format in their college essays. Another module that is especially useful is the digital writing module which instructs students on how to write for readers in the 21st Century. This includes information on writing blogs, discussion boards, online journals, social media, and more. To help pull all of these skills together, there is an interactive game called Paper Capers, which helps students apply what they have learned in the OWL. The game is designed to teach students how to understand the writing process and apply their knowledge by answering questions and judging if aspects of writing, such as different thesis statements and research methods, are effective.
Overall, regardless of the field of study in college, writing is an important skill which will follow students for the rest of their lives. Therefore, OWLs are a great resource for students as they contain a wealth of knowledge and interactive media for improving writing skills and style at no cost. Plus, the programs online format enables them to be accessible from anywhere with any device at anytime. OWLs will no doubt go on to improve the quality of education as more students can utilize technology towards improving their education.
Excelsior College's OWL: http://owl.excelsior.edu/
As the year 2015 quickly approaches, one interesting educational technology tool to keep an eye is Online Writing Labs or OWLs. These writing tools are designed to engage high school and college students in improving their writing skills to fit what college professors are looking for in essays and reports. More importantly, OWLs focus on improving writing in general, an important skill to have in all careers, regardless of the exact field of study in college. Different colleges such as Purdue University and Excelsior College offer their versions of OWLs online at no cost to users.
As OWLs are an online based technology, they can be accessed 24/7 from any laptop, tablet, or other device from any place with an internet connection.
Within the OWLs offered by Excelsior College, there are 8 different modules for improving college level writing. There are modules that focus on the actual process of writing. These processes help students think about how they should go about brainstorming, developing arguments, looking at opposing viewpoints, and more. From there, students can find modules that help lay the foundations of what to include in their introductions and main content. In a series of fun to read and interactive instructional pages, students can also learn how to write without plagiarizing, control their voice, develop concise yet effective thesis statements and more. Plus, these pages include tips on how to revise and edit their papers so students can easily understand what areas their professors are focusing on during the grading process. One study showed that, on average, students using OWLs raised their final grade in a course by 6.6 points. While this is great for students’ transcripts in the short term, the long term benefit is improved writing styles which they will inevitably take with them beyond their educational career.
In addition to OWLs pages of content for improving writing, Excelsior College’s OWL includes modules on how to craft writing for different audiences. There is an essay module and a grammar module which guides students on how to write in the type of rhetoric that professors look for while retaining the proper grammar and format in their college essays. Another module that is especially useful is the digital writing module which instructs students on how to write for readers in the 21st Century. This includes information on writing blogs, discussion boards, online journals, social media, and more. To help pull all of these skills together, there is an interactive game called Paper Capers, which helps students apply what they have learned in the OWL. The game is designed to teach students how to understand the writing process and apply their knowledge by answering questions and judging if aspects of writing, such as different thesis statements and research methods, are effective.
Overall, regardless of the field of study in college, writing is an important skill which will follow students for the rest of their lives. Therefore, OWLs are a great resource for students as they contain a wealth of knowledge and interactive media for improving writing skills and style at no cost. Plus, the programs online format enables them to be accessible from anywhere with any device at anytime. OWLs will no doubt go on to improve the quality of education as more students can utilize technology towards improving their education.
Excelsior College's OWL: http://owl.excelsior.edu/
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