Considering the Future, Now!

April 21, 2020.Reading time 33 minutes.

I don’t know about you, but the last few weeks (months?) have felt surreal. Not only on a professional level, but on a personal one as well. That uncanny feeling I have about ‘these times’ has continued as our local and state leaders and our federal governments are discussing what it will take to start […]

Evaluating Faculty Participation in Online Workshops

February 27, 2020.Reading time 9 minutes.

Example of a network analysis graph for the discussion-based workshop. Each circle represents a participant in the workshop, while the shaded groupings represent different sections of the workshop. Circles show how particpants are grouped in large circles. The lightly facilitated group is more dispersed and have lines drawn between participants showing how they interact. The Facilitated discussion forum is one tightly connected circle with more interaction.

Last week we welcomed Lynn Wahl, Instructional Designer for UNC Charlotte, to discuss how they used design thinking to create online faculty development workshops. In a continuation of the topic, Lynn joins us today to talk about how to assess a learning opportunity such as the online workshops to ensure they continue to engage attendees […]

Student Device Preferences for Online Course Access and Multimedia Learning

June 12, 2018.Reading time 12 minutes.

What technology devices do you have close to you right now? I have a desktop computer, two laptops, a Smartwatch, and a Smartphone. Students also have a numerous devices which they use for a variety of different purposes. But do you know what devices your students prefer? Do these preferences change depending on the reasons […]

A Look Back at 2017 for WCET Frontiers: It’s Been Weird

December 21, 2017.Reading time 11 minutes.

In orer: Interaction” Education Dept. Clarifies its Intent on State Auth Reciprocity Distance Ed Costs and Price: Not as Closely correlated as You’d Think The Federal State Auth for Distanced Ed Regulation Still Stands Is Your Distance Education Course Actually a Correspondence Course? On the OIG/WFU Finding: Part 1, When Interaction is Not Interaction House HEA Proposes Changes for Distance Ed, CBE, & State Auth Ed Dept. Confirms “Reciprocity” Definition Clarification The OIG Report on WGU: Part 2, React… but Don’t Overreact OIG Report on WGU: Part 3, A Brief History of “Regular & Substantive Interaction”

What a weird year for news. Comic actress Melissa McCarthy won an Emmy Award for her Saturday Night Live portrayal of White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. It is hard to say which was more surreal, her version of “Spicey” or the actual twisted logic used by Spicer himself. Here at WCET and the Frontiers […]

In Defense of the LMS

July 20, 2017.Reading time 18 minutes.

Many of us have worked with Learning Management System (LMS)s in one way or another, as administrators, instructors, support, assistants, or students. And, through working with these platforms, many of us end up strongly disliking them. This week we welcome Sasha Thackaberry from Southern New Hampshire University to discuss this love/hate relationship between higher education […]

The Great LMS Review Adventure

February 4, 2016.Reading time 20 minutes.

Who wants the best LMS? We all do! How do you pick the best LMS? *cricket chirp, cricket chirp* A choice of a Learning Management System (LMS) is a critical one for colleges and universities on so many levels – it is the most important academic technology system in the majority of higher education technical infrastructures […]

U-Pace: Building Student Success Through Content Mastery & Proactive Support

October 22, 2014.Reading time 10 minutes.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is a 2014 WCET Outstanding Work Award winner for their innovative online instructional approach, U-Pace. Today Diane Reddy and Ray Fleming, co-creators of U-Pace and Laura Pedrick, executive director of UWM Online, share with us a little about the program. Putting data into action. Valuable student data is now easily available […]

Keeping Institutional Decision-Making Up With New Learning Platforms

February 16, 2012.Reading time 10 minutes.

Today we welcome Phil Hill, executive vice president at Delta Initiative, as a guest blogger. Phil is a consultant and industry analyst covering the educational technology market primarily for higher education. We have seen a great deal of change in the higher education Learning Management System (LMS) market over the past year, as has been […]