Library Intelligencer » online teaching and learning

ALA, ARL Release Guidance on Digital Delivery of Content to Classrooms

shirley — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:29:03 +0000

nbsp;http://www.arl.org/news/pr/webdigitalpsa…

WASHINGTON, DC—The American Library Association (ALA) and the Association of Research Libraries have released a document titled “Performance of or Showing Films in the Classroom” to provide guidance on digital delivery of content to the “physical” classroom.

According to the associations, the Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization (TEACH) Act enacted in 2002 does not provide librarians clarity on copyright exceptions for the digital delivery of content for distance education. Thus, understanding what is permitted under the TEACH Act in combination with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and existing exceptions, such as fair use, is becoming increasingly confusing to many practitioners.

The statement was written by Jonathan Band, legal counsel to ALA and ARL; Peter Jaszi, Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Glushko-Samuelson Intellectual Property Clinic at American University Washington College of Law; and Kenneth D. Crews, Director of the Copyright Advisory Office at Columbia University.

Understanding global activity in higher education and research

shirley — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:27:17 +0000

nbsp;http://www.jisc.ac.uk/Home/publications/…

This study, prepared by Mindset Research, has looked at activities and developments in the fields of e-Learning and e-Infrastructure supporting the higher education and research sectors in ten countries across the world: Australia; Canada; Denmark; Germany; Korea; Japan; the Netherlands; New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

e-Learning publications put learner at the heart of curriculum development

shirley — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 03:55:55 +0000

Three new publications showcasing recent JISC research into curriculum design and the needs and aspirations of digital learners are being launched today at the Association for Learning Technology conference in Manchester.

The reports aim to inform curriculum development and disseminate good practice for universities and colleges looking to respond to students’ views on e-learning and prepare them for study in a digital age.

JISC programme manager Sarah Knight said: “Two of these publications draw together the latest findings from JISC’s £11.36 million e-learning programme which ended in March 2009, and show the central role technology is playing in enhancing the curriculum design processes and practices in UK colleges and universities.”

The first publication, ‘Responding to Learners’, is a resource pack which offers recommendations on how institutions can better respond to learners’
expectations and uses of technology, as well as practical guidance on how to embed learners’ voices more effectively into institutional processes and practice.

The pack brings together the research findings from the ‘learners’
experiences of e-learning’ theme of JISC’s e-learning programme, which funded a total of ten projects from 2005 to 2009, and involved over 200 learners in qualitative research with more than 3000 survey respondents.

Download the pack at:

e-Learning is explored from a strategic viewpoint in a second publication, ‘Managing Curriculum Change’, which investigates how technology can help make curriculum design processes more responsive and the experience of learning more engaging, inclusive and rewarding. The publication visualises a curriculum lifecycle, with a focus on who needs to be involved to help theory become reality.

The written report is supported by the web based Design Studio , is a dynamic online toolkit hosted by JISC InfoNet, which draws together a range of JISC resources around technology-enhanced curriculum design and delivery.

Download the resources at:

The third publication, a briefing paper on learning literacies for a digital age, summarises findings from a recent JISC-funded report of the same name.

Sarah explained: “For those in education who want to design more engaging learning experiences, having a greater understanding of students’
expectations with respect to technology is really key, especially as these are constantly changing. The case studies in JISC’s publication allow us to take a real cross-section of the student population’s needs and share that knowledge across universities and colleges nationally.”

‘Learning Literacies in a Digital Age’ explores examples of technology skills provision in UK further and higher education and offers a series of recommendations for institutions which want to evaluate their own provision in this area, based on original data including 15 institutional audits and over 40 examples of innovative practice from across the UK.

Download the briefing paper at:

Find out more about JISC’s e-learning programme at

Explore what’s happening at the Association for Learning Technology conference at

Online Learning as a Strategic Asset

shirley — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:50:03 +0000

nbsp;http://www.aplu.org/NetCommunity/Documen…

Recognizing that faculty represent a critical constituency in building quality online learning
programs, the A♦P♦L♦U-Sloan National Commission included a comprehensive survey of faculty
experiences, attitudes, and beliefs toward online learning as a component of its Online Learning
Benchmarking Study. This survey was conducted in fall 2008 and winter 2009. The findings contained
in this volume are based on responses from more than 10,700 faculty from 69 colleges and
universities across the country. Participation varied somewhat for a few institutions, but in most
cases the survey was targeted to all faculty members—full-time and part time, irrespective of
their level of knowledge and/or experience with online learning

Online education.net

shirley — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 04:13:10 +0000

nbsp;http://www.onlineeducation.net/

Getting a degree from an online education provider can be a tough decision. With the best resources and tips, we are here to make that decision a little easier.

Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning

shirley — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:27:50 +0000

nbsp;http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evi…

A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies by US Dept of Education

Getting started with Second Life

shirley — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 05:07:21 +0000

nbsp;http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/docum…

Second Life is a free 3D multi-user virtual world developed by Linden Labs in 2003, and is inhabited by millions of residents across the world. It is used as a platform for education by many institutions, such as colleges, universities, libraries and government entities, with over one hundred regions used for educational purposes. This guide is aimed at those who are wanting to use Second Life for teaching in further and higher education. It provides in-depth descriptions of all aspects of the immersive world for both direct useand facilitating others’ use.

Effective Practice in a Digital Age

shirley — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:42:07 +0000

nbsp;http://www.jisc.ac.uk/Home/publications/…

Effective Practice in a Digital Age is designed for those in further and higher education whose focus is on designing and supporting learning: academic staff, lecturers, tutors and learning support staff, facilitators, learning technologists and staff developers. What unites this diverse group is their interest in enhancing the quality of learning and teaching, and a curiosity about how technology can assist them.

Mobile Learning: Transforming the Delivery of Education and Training

shirley — Wed, 20 May 2009 03:06:25 +0000

nbsp;http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/12…

This collection is for anyone interested in the use of mobile technology for various distance learning applications. Readers will discover how to design learning materials for delivery on mobile technology and become familiar with the best practices of other educators, trainers, and researchers in the field, as well as the most recent initiatives in mobile learning research. Businesses and governments can learn how to deliver timely information to staff using mobile devices. Professors can use this book as a textbook for courses on distance education, mobile learning, and educational technology.

freely available on the website

Curricular Uses of Visual Materials: A Mixed-Method Institutional Study

shirley — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:22:48 +0000

nbsp;http://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/supp…

Carleton College is at an exciting point in its history as members of the faculty consider the growing curricular role of visual modes of expression. Given the resource-intensive nature of the visual, discussions of curricular growth must be paired with careful considerations of the kinds of support and resources available on campus. In this context, the present study addressed the central question: Are the sources of support that the College provides well suited to the work demanded of students and faculty as they make curricular use of visual materials?

This study was funded by a generous grant from The Andrew R. Mellon Foundation and the results of which will serve as the basis for institutional planning for curricular support at the College. For the purposes of this study, visual materials is broadly defined and includes maps, images, films, video, and spacial data. Given the ascendant curricular uses of visual materials, the recommendations and data in this report are intended to provide the means to ensure that curricular support at Carleton is suited to the work demanded of Carleton students and faculty members. The survey instruments developed for the second half of this study, were specifically designed to lend themselves for use at other institutions. The student and staff surveys in particular are also designed to examine curricular support broadly defined.

The following sections identify findings that may be of particular interest, highlight relevant portions of the study, and in most cases include selected quotes. A full version of the report is freely available through the link to the right of this text.

For further information please contact the authors at anixon at carleton dot edu.