Archive for the ‘Higher Education’ Category

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United States High Schools Including Online Coursework as Graduation Requirement

Thursday, September 22nd, 2011

The Indiana State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Bennett, is making news this week with his announcement that every high school student in the state of Indiana should be required to take at least one online course before being granted a high school diploma.  Mr. Bennett explained his rationale for an online course requirement by stating that he felt like experiencing an online course would help to prepare Indiana students for the technology they will be using at colleges and universities, as well as in the workforce.

Several school districts within the state of Indiana are already incorporating technology into the curriculum, thus showing their belief that having technical skills is important for the students they serve. The Evansville Vanderburgh school district provides take-home netbooks to all middle and high school students. This Indiana district also has a teacher placed in the role of “eLearning coach”, responsible for working with other teachers to integrate technology into their classrooms. Other technology heavy programs within this district are its Virtual Academy and New Tech Institute.

Indiana is not alone in its belief that technological experience is important to high school students.  The state of Michigan began requiring its students to take at least one eLearning course or have an online learning experience as part of their high school graduation requirements in the fall of 2006.  Michigan was the first state in the United States to have an online learning component as part of their high school diploma track.  The rationale for this decision was stated in the Michigan Merit Curriculum Guidelines.  According to this document, an online experience “will allow students to become familiar with a key means of increasing their own learning skills and knowledge. It will also prepare them for the demands that they will encounter in higher education, the workplace, and in personal life-long learning. While students informally develop technology skills and gain experience through their media-rich lives, an online learning experience will require them to complete assignments, meet deadlines, learn appropriate online behavior, and effectively collaborate with others in an instructional setting.”  This is quite a hearty endorsement for the importance of distance learning to say the least.

In 2009, the state of Alabama also added an online feature to its high school graduation requirements.  This change was adopted when policy makers realized Alabama students attending small schools were turning to online courses to access subjects that the schools they were attending did not offer.  Florida joined these ranks in 2010 when they decided that beginning with that year’s freshman class, all students would be required to take at least one course through the state’s virtual education program in order to receive a high school diploma.  Again, strengthening technical skills was the main reason sited for the change.  The Idaho state board of education is also considering adding an online course element to its high school graduation requirements.  Idaho voters will have a chance to approve this change in an election held in November of 2012.


eLearning Research: The Sloan Consortium Finds Growth in eLearning

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

On our blog, we write a lot about the benefits of eLearning.  We have talked about topics such as the many conveniences of distance learning, the return on investment students get with choosing online coursework, and reasons providing eLearning opportunities to employees is beneficial to businesses and organizations among other things.  But what does the research say about online learning?  Today we would like to share with you the results of one eLearning research study conducted just last year.

In a report titled, Class Differences: Online Education in the United States, 2010, the Sloan Consortium uncovered some fascinating data about eLearning trends in the United States. These trends could most likely be translated to distance learning habits in other countries as well.  The organization conducting this research, The Sloan Consortium, or Sloan-C, is self-described as “A consortium of individuals, institutions and organizations committed to quality online.”  A few interesting highlights of their 2010 report include:

•          Almost two-thirds of for-profit institutions now say that online learning is a critical part of their long term strategy.

•          The 21%growth rate for online enrollments far exceeds the 2% growth in the overall higher education student population.

•          Nearly one-half of institutions report that the economic downturn has increased demand for face-to-face courses and programs.

•          Three-quarters of institutions report that the economic downturn has increased demand for online courses and programs.

This report is the eighth in an annual study of online learning trends conducted by the Sloan Consortium.  The 2010 survey found that enrollment in distance learning courses rose by almost one million students from enrollment figures one year prior.  This report surveyed over 2,500 colleges and universities in the United States.  Of the colleges and universities participating in this study, about 5.6 million of their students were found to be enrolled in at least one distance learning course in the fall of 2009.  For the sake of comparison, a study conducted by the Sloan Consortium in 2008 found that enrollment in online courses rose just over twelve percent from the prior year and that about 3.94 million students were taking an eLearning course in the fall of 2007.

According to one of the study’s coauthors, Elaine Allen, this means that almost 30% of the surveyed college and university students are taking at least one eLearning course.  She also pointed out that “This represents the largest ever year-to-year increase in the number of students studying online.” If you would like to read the full report published by the Sloan Consortium, a link is provided here on their website.  Other fascinating reports on additional eLearning trends and topics are also available on the Sloan Consortium website.

If you find this research compelling and would like to pursue an online degree or distance learning coursework or training yourself, Gatlin International has a vast course catalogue of classes to choose from.  And remember, with Gatlin International you can enroll any time you like and study when you want.  Visit the Gatlin International course catalogue to look into some of the amazing courses we have to offer today.

Does you’re eLearning Stack Up?

Friday, July 16th, 2010

eLearning is fast becoming a popular classroom alternative for college students and for companies in need of flexible training options. To meet this growing demand for alternative learning options, colleges are finding that to satisfy this need in their markets, they need to be offering the in-demand courses these students need.

With more than 67% of the worlds colleges now offering distance learning, having a catalog of in-demand online offerings is essential to capturing these students. With online education partners, like Gatlin International, you can easily add all sorts of in-demand courses that fit nicely into your current distance learning programming. A partnership with Gatlin International means that you have access to Degree, Professional Certificate and Short Courses. At no cost to the partner, Gatlin International offers a turnkey solution so that you won’t have the burden of expensive development costs associated with creating and delivering online courses.

Today, companies are searching to provide their geographically distributed organization improved capabilities via training and education. As a result, companies are looking to their local colleges for flexible training options that will satisfy the training needs across their organization. Companies are looking to compete in this market and global economies are in need of fast, affordable and relevant training. On-line learning is increasingly perceived as a source of competitive advantage for these companies, especially for organizations that are in multiple companies and have multilingual staff. Employees cans access information as needed and the new skills they learn can be applied immediately, thus reducing delays and lost productivity. Gatlin International offers courses in multiple languages such as Spanish and French.

With an online education partner like Gatlin International, colleges can benefit from our catalog of over 300 courses that appeal not only your community of students but to the business you serve in your area.

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