Snow days — those short, unexpected respites from school that students always hope for — could be shoveled away if Gov. Bruce Rauner signs a bill the Illinois legislature passed in the waning days of its spring session.
House Bill 2781 would create a three-year pilot program giving up to three school districts the option of eliminating snow days in favor of online learning.
"This is something that has been enacted in a number of states, mostly in the north, including Minnesota and Ohio," said Ray Schroeder, vice chancellor for online learning University of Illinois Springfield. "Many states looking at how they can avoid tacking on snow days at the end of the year."
Schroeder said teachers usually have concluded their planned curriculum by the end of the regular school year.
"When the students come back, some already have been through commencement," he said. "It's hard to get something done those last couple of days."
Schroeder was featured by The State Journal-Register on June 1, 2015.
Read the article online
Showing posts with label Schroeder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Schroeder. Show all posts
Monday, June 1, 2015
Friday, January 11, 2013
Want free college-level education?
More parents and high school graduates are now opting for local community college education topped off with online four-year college degrees.
For example, the University of Illinois now offers 100 different online degrees. University of Illinois at Springfield has been a leader in the game. Today, about one-third of its majors are online students and 38 percent of all credits at the campus were generated from online courses.
These online courses are offered to classes of no more than 25 students each. They are the same courses as offered on campus. Tuition is about the same as for on-campus instruction at the public institution, which can be close to $10,000 a year.
Massive open online courses are different. They are free and anyone can sign up, which means scores of thousands have done so, from around the world, for a single course offering.
Ray Schroeder is a professor of communications at U of I-Springfield and a nationally recognized expert on the topic of MOOCs. Indeed, he offered a MOOC recently on "online learning today and tomorrow." More than 2,700 students from 70 countries signed up.
If you want to try a U. of I. MOOC, you can go to uis.coursesites.com and sign up free for a course on the Emancipation Proclamation that begins January 28.
UIS online was featured by the Ottawa Times on January 10, 2013.
Read the article online
For example, the University of Illinois now offers 100 different online degrees. University of Illinois at Springfield has been a leader in the game. Today, about one-third of its majors are online students and 38 percent of all credits at the campus were generated from online courses.
These online courses are offered to classes of no more than 25 students each. They are the same courses as offered on campus. Tuition is about the same as for on-campus instruction at the public institution, which can be close to $10,000 a year.
Massive open online courses are different. They are free and anyone can sign up, which means scores of thousands have done so, from around the world, for a single course offering.
Ray Schroeder is a professor of communications at U of I-Springfield and a nationally recognized expert on the topic of MOOCs. Indeed, he offered a MOOC recently on "online learning today and tomorrow." More than 2,700 students from 70 countries signed up.
If you want to try a U. of I. MOOC, you can go to uis.coursesites.com and sign up free for a course on the Emancipation Proclamation that begins January 28.
UIS online was featured by the Ottawa Times on January 10, 2013.
Read the article online
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
UIS offers free online course on Emancipation Proclamation
Following on the success of its first “massive open online course” two summers ago, the University of Illinois Springfield is turning to Abraham Lincoln for its second such offering.
The spring semester MOOC, which begins Jan. 28, will explore the importance of the Emancipation Proclamation. The free, eight-week course is open to anyone worldwide who wants to join.
The course — titled “The Emancipation Proclamation: What Came Before, How It Worked, and What Followed” — takes advantage of this year’s sesquicentennial of President Lincoln’s issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.
“It will also serve as a forum for participants to discuss the concept of emancipation in states and systems earlier than that of the U.S.,” said Ray Schroeder, UIS associate vice chancellor for online learning.
Students may sign up for the course by visiting the UIS CourseSites website.
The course was featured by the State Journal-Register on January 8, 2013.
Read the article online
The spring semester MOOC, which begins Jan. 28, will explore the importance of the Emancipation Proclamation. The free, eight-week course is open to anyone worldwide who wants to join.
The course — titled “The Emancipation Proclamation: What Came Before, How It Worked, and What Followed” — takes advantage of this year’s sesquicentennial of President Lincoln’s issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.
“It will also serve as a forum for participants to discuss the concept of emancipation in states and systems earlier than that of the U.S.,” said Ray Schroeder, UIS associate vice chancellor for online learning.
Students may sign up for the course by visiting the UIS CourseSites website.
The course was featured by the State Journal-Register on January 8, 2013.
Read the article online
Monday, November 26, 2012
Online education trend expands
Another day, another development in the rapidly evolving world of massive open online courses, also known as MOOCs.
Over the past several months, dozens of universities have joined the bandwagon, working with MOOC providers to offer free online courses to anyone with an Internet connection.
Last week, the American Council on Education, an association for higher education presidents, raised the possibility that such courses could count toward a degree when it said it would review several to determine whether they ought to be eligible for transfer credit.
Colleges and universities have offered online courses for years, but the embrace by elite higher education was "really a game changer," says Ray Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois-Springfield. "Now we've really moved to disruption in higher education."
Schroeder was featured by Sci-Tech Today on November 26, 2012.
Read the article online
Over the past several months, dozens of universities have joined the bandwagon, working with MOOC providers to offer free online courses to anyone with an Internet connection.
Last week, the American Council on Education, an association for higher education presidents, raised the possibility that such courses could count toward a degree when it said it would review several to determine whether they ought to be eligible for transfer credit.
Colleges and universities have offered online courses for years, but the embrace by elite higher education was "really a game changer," says Ray Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois-Springfield. "Now we've really moved to disruption in higher education."
Schroeder was featured by Sci-Tech Today on November 26, 2012.
Read the article online
Monday, November 19, 2012
Online-education trend expands
Another day, another development in the rapidly evolving world of massive open online courses, otherwise known as MOOCs.
Over the past several months, dozens of universities, including the University of Texas System, Brown and Wesleyan, have joined the bandwagon, working with MOOC providers to offer free online courses to anyone with an Internet connection.
Last week, the American Council on Education, an association for higher education presidents, raised the possibility that such courses could count toward a degree when it said it would review several to determine whether they ought to be eligible for transfer credit.
Two days later, a consortium of 10 universities, including Northwestern, Wake Forest and Notre Dame, announced plans to develop an alternative approach — classes are still taught online, but with just 15 to 20 students. The courses, to be offered next fall through an initiative called Semester Online, wouldn't be free, like MOOCs are, but students who pass the course could earn credit.
On Monday, edX, a MOOC founded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, is expected to announce plans to bring a computer science course to two Massachusetts community colleges next spring.
Colleges and universities have offered online courses for years, but the embrace by elite higher education was "really a game-changer," says Ray Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois-Springfield. "Now we've really moved to disruption in higher education."
Schroeder was featured by USA Today on November 18, 2012.
Read the article online
Over the past several months, dozens of universities, including the University of Texas System, Brown and Wesleyan, have joined the bandwagon, working with MOOC providers to offer free online courses to anyone with an Internet connection.
Last week, the American Council on Education, an association for higher education presidents, raised the possibility that such courses could count toward a degree when it said it would review several to determine whether they ought to be eligible for transfer credit.
Two days later, a consortium of 10 universities, including Northwestern, Wake Forest and Notre Dame, announced plans to develop an alternative approach — classes are still taught online, but with just 15 to 20 students. The courses, to be offered next fall through an initiative called Semester Online, wouldn't be free, like MOOCs are, but students who pass the course could earn credit.
On Monday, edX, a MOOC founded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, is expected to announce plans to bring a computer science course to two Massachusetts community colleges next spring.
Colleges and universities have offered online courses for years, but the embrace by elite higher education was "really a game-changer," says Ray Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois-Springfield. "Now we've really moved to disruption in higher education."
Schroeder was featured by USA Today on November 18, 2012.
Read the article online
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Exploring credits for free online courses
Elite universities have learned this year that offering free online courses will draw a huge global audience.
Now educators want to know whether those courses are worthy of academic credit and how they might be used to help more people pursue college degrees.
The American Council on Education, which represents university presidents, said Tuesday it is teaming with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the free online education provider Coursera on an initiative to seek answers to those questions.
The announcement is the latest sign of the emerging influence of what are known as massive open online courses, or MOOCs. MOOCs have gained momentum, with universities drawn toward mass audiences and consumers lured by the prospect of sampling elite education for free.
“It’s growing and continues to grow rapidly,” said Ray Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois Springfield, a participant in the new research on MOOCs. “People are looking for affordable access to higher education.”
Schroeder was featured by the Washington Post on November 13, 2012.
Read the article online
Now educators want to know whether those courses are worthy of academic credit and how they might be used to help more people pursue college degrees.
The American Council on Education, which represents university presidents, said Tuesday it is teaming with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the free online education provider Coursera on an initiative to seek answers to those questions.
The announcement is the latest sign of the emerging influence of what are known as massive open online courses, or MOOCs. MOOCs have gained momentum, with universities drawn toward mass audiences and consumers lured by the prospect of sampling elite education for free.
“It’s growing and continues to grow rapidly,” said Ray Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois Springfield, a participant in the new research on MOOCs. “People are looking for affordable access to higher education.”
Schroeder was featured by the Washington Post on November 13, 2012.
Read the article online
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
The Year of the MOOC
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have been around for a few years as collaborative techie learning events, but this is the year everyone wants in. Elite universities are partnering with Coursera at a furious pace. It now offers courses from 33 of the biggest names in postsecondary education, including Princeton, Brown, Columbia and Duke. In September, Google unleashed a MOOC-building online tool, and Stanford unveiled Class2Go with two courses.
Ray Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois, Springfield, says three things matter most in online learning: quality of material covered, engagement of the teacher and interaction among students. The first doesn’t seem to be an issue — most professors come from elite campuses, and so far most MOOCs are in technical subjects like computer science and math, with straightforward content. But providing instructor connection and feedback, including student interactions, is trickier.
“What’s frustrating in a MOOC is the instructor is not as available because there are tens of thousands of others in the class,” Dr. Schroeder says. How do you make the massive feel intimate?
Schroeder was featured by the New York Times on November 4, 2012.
Read the article online
Ray Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois, Springfield, says three things matter most in online learning: quality of material covered, engagement of the teacher and interaction among students. The first doesn’t seem to be an issue — most professors come from elite campuses, and so far most MOOCs are in technical subjects like computer science and math, with straightforward content. But providing instructor connection and feedback, including student interactions, is trickier.
“What’s frustrating in a MOOC is the instructor is not as available because there are tens of thousands of others in the class,” Dr. Schroeder says. How do you make the massive feel intimate?
Schroeder was featured by the New York Times on November 4, 2012.
Read the article online
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Colleges create campus ties for online students
Most schools still do little more than invite their online students to graduation ceremonies. Some will even broadcast those sessions on websites, for those who can't attend.
But there are those that have taken some extra steps.
It's actually nothing new at the University of Illinois at Springfield, which has been offering an online graduate brunch for a decade. It brings in about 300 students and family members each year, with students coming from all over the country to take part, said Ray Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service.
"They crave the opportunity to meet their professors and shake hands with other students," Schroeder said.
Schroeder was featured in an May 13, 2012, article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Read the article online
But there are those that have taken some extra steps.
It's actually nothing new at the University of Illinois at Springfield, which has been offering an online graduate brunch for a decade. It brings in about 300 students and family members each year, with students coming from all over the country to take part, said Ray Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service.
"They crave the opportunity to meet their professors and shake hands with other students," Schroeder said.
Schroeder was featured in an May 13, 2012, article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Read the article online
Monday, April 23, 2012
After UI's short-lived experiment, Web courses, enrollment on rise
In recent years, online education has become "a whole new environment, fueled by a combination of things," said Ray Schroeder, associate vice chancellor for online learning at the UI Springfield.
Those include "the economy and the lingering effects of recession (it's difficult for students to come to campus or pursue their education without working if not full time at least half time) and the wide variety of technologies available" to teachers and students, he said. Because obtaining a college degree costs more compared with previous years, many students are interested in completing the degree requirements quickly or while working as much as possible.
At the same time, mobile technology, such as smart phones and tablets, helps students become more engaged, virtually that is, with their professors and with other students.
Schroeder was featured in an April 22, 2012, article in the Champaign News-Gazette.
Read the article online
Those include "the economy and the lingering effects of recession (it's difficult for students to come to campus or pursue their education without working if not full time at least half time) and the wide variety of technologies available" to teachers and students, he said. Because obtaining a college degree costs more compared with previous years, many students are interested in completing the degree requirements quickly or while working as much as possible.
At the same time, mobile technology, such as smart phones and tablets, helps students become more engaged, virtually that is, with their professors and with other students.
Schroeder was featured in an April 22, 2012, article in the Champaign News-Gazette.
Read the article online
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
UIS to help create online learning database
The University of Illinois Springfield is one of six schools sharing a $1 million grant to develop a database to help predict online learning success and provide help to students who may need it.
UIS will participate in the Predictive Analytics Reporting Framework project directed by the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies.
Data to be collected include such things as a student’s age, academic record, gender, where he or she may have transferred from and other information, he said.
“In looking at the data, we should be able to identify patterns of success or trouble in the past,” said Ray Schroeder, director of the UIS Center for Online Learning, Research and Service. “Then we can assign tutors or otherwise make sure the students have help available to them.”
The research was featured in an May 31, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.
Read the story online
UIS will participate in the Predictive Analytics Reporting Framework project directed by the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies.
Data to be collected include such things as a student’s age, academic record, gender, where he or she may have transferred from and other information, he said.
“In looking at the data, we should be able to identify patterns of success or trouble in the past,” said Ray Schroeder, director of the UIS Center for Online Learning, Research and Service. “Then we can assign tutors or otherwise make sure the students have help available to them.”
The research was featured in an May 31, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.
Read the story online
Friday, March 11, 2011
Fed rule could have 'major chilling effect' on online instruction
A proposed federal rule could cripple many online education programs.
Colleges that offer online instruction nationwide would have to get approval from every state in which they operate, or those online courses could be shut down, after the Education Department (ED) proposed a controversial rule that has drawn the ire of educators and distance-education organizations.
The regulation, known as the state-authorization rule, is scheduled to take effect July 1.
It would force colleges and universities that receive federal aid to prove they are certified to operate in every state in which they have online students—a mandate, educators said, that comes at a high cost and could cripple many burgeoning online education programs.
The rule was first proposed in October, leaving schools about nine months to comply with the federal regulation.
“It will be impossible for most colleges and universities to comply by the deadline,” said Raymond Schroeder, director of the University of Illinois at Springfield’s Center for Online Learning, Research, and Services. “As a result, students will be hurt. One has to wonder what will happen to those students who are halfway through a program, or in their last summer term when their university is forced to pull out in July.”
Schroeder added that state governments could see schools’ efforts to comply with the new rule as a potential “revenue source” and “charge fees beyond what universities can possibly afford.”
Schroeder's comments were featured in a March 10, 2011, eCampus News article.
Download a PDF of the full article
Colleges that offer online instruction nationwide would have to get approval from every state in which they operate, or those online courses could be shut down, after the Education Department (ED) proposed a controversial rule that has drawn the ire of educators and distance-education organizations.
The regulation, known as the state-authorization rule, is scheduled to take effect July 1.
It would force colleges and universities that receive federal aid to prove they are certified to operate in every state in which they have online students—a mandate, educators said, that comes at a high cost and could cripple many burgeoning online education programs.
The rule was first proposed in October, leaving schools about nine months to comply with the federal regulation.
“It will be impossible for most colleges and universities to comply by the deadline,” said Raymond Schroeder, director of the University of Illinois at Springfield’s Center for Online Learning, Research, and Services. “As a result, students will be hurt. One has to wonder what will happen to those students who are halfway through a program, or in their last summer term when their university is forced to pull out in July.”
Schroeder added that state governments could see schools’ efforts to comply with the new rule as a potential “revenue source” and “charge fees beyond what universities can possibly afford.”
Schroeder's comments were featured in a March 10, 2011, eCampus News article.
Download a PDF of the full article
Monday, February 28, 2011
University joins online education consortium
In an effort to meet the growing demand for online programs and courses, many universities are collaborating to create a network of web-based resources. For example, the New Century Learning Consortium (NCLC), which was founded at the University of Illinois Springfield, consists of 10 postsecondary schools.
Sam Houston State University (SHSU) recently announced in a press release that it is the latest member of the consortium. Partners in the NCLC develop online classes as well as share research projects, IT and peer support at the upper administration level.
"The university recognizes the need for inter-institutional cooperation," said Bill Angrove, associate vice president for SHSU Online. "We are very interested in efforts to promote degree completion and faculty exchange."
SHSU currently offers more than a dozen complete graduate programs online, such as an MBA program, executive MBA and master's degree in criminal justice leadership.
"Sam Houston State University has an outstanding online learning program," said Ray Schroeder, founder of NCLC.
According to U.S. News and World Report, enrollment in online programs has increased by 832% - to more than 2 million students - in the past nine years.
NCLC was featured in a February 25, 2011, article in U.S. News and World Report's University Directory.
Download a PDF of the article
Sam Houston State University (SHSU) recently announced in a press release that it is the latest member of the consortium. Partners in the NCLC develop online classes as well as share research projects, IT and peer support at the upper administration level.
"The university recognizes the need for inter-institutional cooperation," said Bill Angrove, associate vice president for SHSU Online. "We are very interested in efforts to promote degree completion and faculty exchange."
SHSU currently offers more than a dozen complete graduate programs online, such as an MBA program, executive MBA and master's degree in criminal justice leadership.
"Sam Houston State University has an outstanding online learning program," said Ray Schroeder, founder of NCLC.
According to U.S. News and World Report, enrollment in online programs has increased by 832% - to more than 2 million students - in the past nine years.
NCLC was featured in a February 25, 2011, article in U.S. News and World Report's University Directory.
Download a PDF of the article
Monday, February 7, 2011
Colleges could profit as internet runs out of addresses
The internet is running out of numerical addresses – known as IP addresses – and that might not be so bad for colleges and universities prepared for the transition to the next web protocol, as campuses could sell their current IP addresses and help fill budget shortfalls prevalent in higher education.
Campus technologists and internet policy experts said the switch from the current IPv4 to the next generation of IP addresses – IPv6 – has been closely tracked since the mid-1990s.
Universities might be able to “avoid major growing pains” if companies, organizations, and institutions that hold the rights to hundreds of millions of unused IPv4 addresses reallocated those addresses and built “their systems with IPv6 standards,” said Raymond Schroeder, director of the University of Illinois at Springfield’s Center for Online Learning, Research, and Services.
“This certainly is a point of transition. … The success of the internet has far outstripped our visions of decades ago,” he said. “But it doesn’t have to be a point of disaster or scarcity of addresses.”
The current internet address system, IPv4, has been in place since the 1980s.
Schroeder's comments were featured in a February 2, 2011, edition of eCampus News.
Download a PDF of the article
Campus technologists and internet policy experts said the switch from the current IPv4 to the next generation of IP addresses – IPv6 – has been closely tracked since the mid-1990s.
Universities might be able to “avoid major growing pains” if companies, organizations, and institutions that hold the rights to hundreds of millions of unused IPv4 addresses reallocated those addresses and built “their systems with IPv6 standards,” said Raymond Schroeder, director of the University of Illinois at Springfield’s Center for Online Learning, Research, and Services.
“This certainly is a point of transition. … The success of the internet has far outstripped our visions of decades ago,” he said. “But it doesn’t have to be a point of disaster or scarcity of addresses.”
The current internet address system, IPv4, has been in place since the 1980s.
Schroeder's comments were featured in a February 2, 2011, edition of eCampus News.
Download a PDF of the article
Monday, December 6, 2010
More college students taking degree programs online
Danny Ashcom reports for class in the living room of his Uptown one-bedroom apartment.
The 32-year-old counselor is earning an online master's degree in computer science through the University of Illinois at Springfield. He started the program in August, the same month he graduated with a traditional bricks-and-mortar master's degree in psychology from a different school.
"Doing psychology I wouldn't have thought about an online degree because you need to be face-to-face with people," he said. "In computer science, there is no real price to pay for doing it on your own. You can do it quickly and efficiently."
Ray Schroeder has taught at the U. of I.'s Urbana-Champaign campus and then its Springfield campus every semester since 1971. He now leads online programs at the Springfield campus, which offer more online courses than the other two U. of I. campuses combined.
"What drives many of us in this field is serving the student who cannot come to campus," he said.
Students include those with disabilities, military students or others working full time and parents who can't make it to class at a specific time and place. Almost all of them are paying for their own education.
Schroeder said more than half of the school's students are enrolled in at least one online class during the fall semester. For students seeking degrees totally online, the average age of an undergraduate is 34, the average master's is 35, he said.
Online programs at UIS were featured in a December 6, 2010, article in the Chicago Sun-Times.
Download a PDF of the article
The 32-year-old counselor is earning an online master's degree in computer science through the University of Illinois at Springfield. He started the program in August, the same month he graduated with a traditional bricks-and-mortar master's degree in psychology from a different school.
"Doing psychology I wouldn't have thought about an online degree because you need to be face-to-face with people," he said. "In computer science, there is no real price to pay for doing it on your own. You can do it quickly and efficiently."
Ray Schroeder has taught at the U. of I.'s Urbana-Champaign campus and then its Springfield campus every semester since 1971. He now leads online programs at the Springfield campus, which offer more online courses than the other two U. of I. campuses combined.
"What drives many of us in this field is serving the student who cannot come to campus," he said.
Students include those with disabilities, military students or others working full time and parents who can't make it to class at a specific time and place. Almost all of them are paying for their own education.
Schroeder said more than half of the school's students are enrolled in at least one online class during the fall semester. For students seeking degrees totally online, the average age of an undergraduate is 34, the average master's is 35, he said.
Online programs at UIS were featured in a December 6, 2010, article in the Chicago Sun-Times.
Download a PDF of the article
Monday, November 29, 2010
Multitasking, wireless printing come to iPad
Apple Inc. released new software on Nov. 22 that lets users of its iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad devices print wirelessly over Wi-Fi networks. The software addresses what has been a key complaint about the iPad to date—that users can’t print their documents from the tablet—and ed-tech observers say it could help spur more widespread use of the device in schools.
Ed-tech observers said the new software is a significant upgrade that could help further position the iPhone and iPad as instructional tools.
“This update is most welcome for those who have iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads,” said Ray Schroeder, professor emeritus and director of the University of Illinois at Springfield’s Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service. “It will make a huge difference to those of us who teach with these tools. We had been using workarounds such as dropbox.com to shift documents to other devices for printing. With so many schools and colleges providing iPads to students, these upgrades will have an immediate impact on teaching and learning.”
Schroeder said the top complaints he had heard before Apple’s announcement were the iPad’s lack of multitasking, lack of organizing folders, and inability to print documents.
Schroeder's comments were featured in a November 23, 2010, article by eSchool News.
Download a PDF of the article
Ed-tech observers said the new software is a significant upgrade that could help further position the iPhone and iPad as instructional tools.
“This update is most welcome for those who have iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads,” said Ray Schroeder, professor emeritus and director of the University of Illinois at Springfield’s Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service. “It will make a huge difference to those of us who teach with these tools. We had been using workarounds such as dropbox.com to shift documents to other devices for printing. With so many schools and colleges providing iPads to students, these upgrades will have an immediate impact on teaching and learning.”
Schroeder said the top complaints he had heard before Apple’s announcement were the iPad’s lack of multitasking, lack of organizing folders, and inability to print documents.
Schroeder's comments were featured in a November 23, 2010, article by eSchool News.
Download a PDF of the article
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Preventing online dropouts: Does anything work?
You can improve retention, and the University of Illinois at Springfield has done so by assigning staff members to serve as informal advisers and advocates for online students, says Ray Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service.
Called program coordinators—different colleges have varying names for the position—these advisers basically become the on-campus "best friend" of online students. They help them navigate the university bureaucracy and facilitate communication with professors. They might work with the financial aid office to find a program that can help, for example, or negotiate an "incomplete," an extension to finish the class.
"In many cases, just having a sympathetic 'sounding board' for a student who feels isolated at a distance can help the student to know that they are not alone," Mr. Schroeder says in an e-mail to Wired Campus. "Without that connection, an isolated, distant student may simply drop out."
Online student peer mentors are effective, too, Mr. Schroeder says.
UIS online learning was featured in a September 22, 2010, article in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Download a PDF of the article
Called program coordinators—different colleges have varying names for the position—these advisers basically become the on-campus "best friend" of online students. They help them navigate the university bureaucracy and facilitate communication with professors. They might work with the financial aid office to find a program that can help, for example, or negotiate an "incomplete," an extension to finish the class.
"In many cases, just having a sympathetic 'sounding board' for a student who feels isolated at a distance can help the student to know that they are not alone," Mr. Schroeder says in an e-mail to Wired Campus. "Without that connection, an isolated, distant student may simply drop out."
Online student peer mentors are effective, too, Mr. Schroeder says.
UIS online learning was featured in a September 22, 2010, article in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Download a PDF of the article
Friday, August 6, 2010
Google Wave washed up
Google Wave was supposed to make class discussions richer and more coherent. It was supposed to make research collaborations easier. It was supposed to break down walls between offices, disciplines, countries. It was even supposed to give learning-management systems such as Blackboard a run for their money.
Instead, it is kaput. Just over a year after being rolled out, the much-hyped Wave has crashed on the shores of indifference and is now set to recede into obscurity. Google said Thursday that it will stop selling Wave as a product and close the host website by the end of the year, citing a dearth of users.
A number of professors experimented with Wave. Raymond Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service at the University of Illinois at Springfield, used Wave to bring together students from two of his classes — one on the cultural impact of the Internet and another on energy studies — to discuss how the prevalence of the Internet ties into perceptions of energy sustainability.
Schroeder was featured in a August 5, 2010, article by Inside Higher Ed.
Download a PDF of the article
Instead, it is kaput. Just over a year after being rolled out, the much-hyped Wave has crashed on the shores of indifference and is now set to recede into obscurity. Google said Thursday that it will stop selling Wave as a product and close the host website by the end of the year, citing a dearth of users.
A number of professors experimented with Wave. Raymond Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service at the University of Illinois at Springfield, used Wave to bring together students from two of his classes — one on the cultural impact of the Internet and another on energy studies — to discuss how the prevalence of the Internet ties into perceptions of energy sustainability.
Schroeder was featured in a August 5, 2010, article by Inside Higher Ed.
Download a PDF of the article
Google Wave, embraced by many on campuses, to get wiped out
Google Wave may have had more fans on campuses than it did anywhere else, but those academic enthusiasts weren't enough to keep the free service afloat. Google announced yesterday that it will stop development of Wave, its experimental next-generation e-mail system that blended instant messaging, video chat, document sharing, and other tools in one platform.
Several college professors had been trying out Google Wave with their courses, and some saw it as a possible replacement for learning-management systems like Blackboard. At first the service was only open to those who snagged an invitation from an existing user, and last year at the annual conference of Educause, professors stood in line at a packed Google presentation to get their free invites. Google only officially opened the service to all comers in May.
"The Wave announcement is disappointing to those of us who use it daily in our classes and other collaborations," said Raymond Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service at the University of Illinois at Springfield, in an e-mail interview today. "It crossed institutional boundaries unlike the LMS," he said, referring to learning-management systems. Mr. Schroeder had used Wave in a course, and he has presented it on its use at several conferences.
"The potential uses in higher education were many," he added. "The potential uses in commerce and marketing were not clear. So, the business case was never effectively made."
Schroeder's comments were featured in a August 5, 2010, blog by The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Download a PDF of the article
Several college professors had been trying out Google Wave with their courses, and some saw it as a possible replacement for learning-management systems like Blackboard. At first the service was only open to those who snagged an invitation from an existing user, and last year at the annual conference of Educause, professors stood in line at a packed Google presentation to get their free invites. Google only officially opened the service to all comers in May.
"The Wave announcement is disappointing to those of us who use it daily in our classes and other collaborations," said Raymond Schroeder, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service at the University of Illinois at Springfield, in an e-mail interview today. "It crossed institutional boundaries unlike the LMS," he said, referring to learning-management systems. Mr. Schroeder had used Wave in a course, and he has presented it on its use at several conferences.
"The potential uses in higher education were many," he added. "The potential uses in commerce and marketing were not clear. So, the business case was never effectively made."
Schroeder's comments were featured in a August 5, 2010, blog by The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Download a PDF of the article
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Ed-tech officials: Video will make schools more 'efficient'
More than half of education technology officials in K-12 schools and higher-education institutions said they would buy video technology in the next year to make their schools “more effective and efficient” and better prepare students for the workforce, according to a new survey from technology giant Cisco Systems.
Ray Schroeder, director of the University of Illinois Springfield’s Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service, said the video conferencing service at his university costs about half of what it did five years ago, thanks to the expansion of the online video conferencing market.
“You have a lot of competition out there, which has driven the cost down,” he said. “Now, when you take Cisco and Tandberg … they almost have to be more expensive, because of the quality they bring to the marketplace.”
Schroeder's comments were featured by the website eSchool News in a May 5, 2010, article.
Download a PDF of the article
Ray Schroeder, director of the University of Illinois Springfield’s Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service, said the video conferencing service at his university costs about half of what it did five years ago, thanks to the expansion of the online video conferencing market.
“You have a lot of competition out there, which has driven the cost down,” he said. “Now, when you take Cisco and Tandberg … they almost have to be more expensive, because of the quality they bring to the marketplace.”
Schroeder's comments were featured by the website eSchool News in a May 5, 2010, article.
Download a PDF of the article
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Schroeder works to expand access through online learning
Ray Schroeder, director of UIS' Office of Technology-Enhanced Learning, believes that e-learning is key to expanding future access to higher education. Therefore, he is playing an integral part in the effort to establish a national online learning consortium to serve small and mid-size colleges and universities.
In February, Schroeder was in Washington to speak with administrators and staff of that state's Higher Education Coordinating Board and to share UIS' experiences with developing online initiatives.
The February 2008 edition of the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board Update profiles Schroeder's visit.
Download a pdf file of the article:
200800229-WHECB-OnlineKey.pdf
In February, Schroeder was in Washington to speak with administrators and staff of that state's Higher Education Coordinating Board and to share UIS' experiences with developing online initiatives.
The February 2008 edition of the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board Update profiles Schroeder's visit.
Download a pdf file of the article:
200800229-WHECB-OnlineKey.pdf
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