Lack of faculty time and training limits digital learning more than resistance does, study finds | Inside Higher Ed

A new survey of faculty members and administrators by Tyton Partners asserts that the use of digital instructional technologies, which it endorses, is facing “headwinds” in adoption by colleges and universities. The study identifies faculty take-up of digital courseware and other tools as among the leading impediments to their spread — but cites faculty members’ lack of time and the training they receive from their institutions as far bigger cause than their outright opposition.

Source: www.insidehighered.com

UW-Stout Online Professional Development offers a highly effective and affordable resource for directly addressing the issues raised in this article. 

First-Year Teachers More Confident in Tech but Use It Less Than Experienced Teachers — THE Journal

New data from a survey of more than 37,000 educators revealed that first-year teachers aren’t using tech in the classroom as much as their more experienced colleagues even though they have a higher opinion of their own technological abilities.

Source: thejournal.com

New teachers need technology integration training (even if they don’t know it). 

UCI Launches Connected Learning Lab

The Connected Learning Lab (CLL) is dedicated to studying and mobilizing learning  technologies in equitable,  innovative, and learner-centered ways. Located at the University of California, Irvine, the CLL supports interdisciplinary research and design, and partnerships with a broad network of educational practitioners and technologists. The CLL’s focus is defined by the “connected” in connected learning, which refers to both social relationships and emerging digital and networked technologies.

Source: connectedlearning.uci.edu

UC Irvine is a respected and credible source of information. This new resource demands attention.

Report: Millions of students reveal surprising online learning trends – eCampus News

New study reveals that collaboration is still not a prevalent online learning habit; mobile phones have yet to be used for serious learning.

Source: www.ecampusnews.com

It’s important to know your audience.  Do your classes have interactive resources like mind mapping, flashcards, image rich quizzes?

Essay: Faculty members are right to be dubious of online education, and that’s why they need to teach online | Inside Higher Ed

In Learning Online: What Research Tells Us About Whether, When and How, Barbara Means, et al, looked at 45 studies comparing college learners in online and face-to-face conditions and found that “In most meta-analyses of controlled studies comparing learning outcomes for online and face-to-face instruction, those who learn online fare as well as, and sometimes even better than, those experiencing the instruction in face-to-face format.”

Source: www.insidehighered.com

It’s not surprising that those who know the least about teaching online fear it the most.  Excellent article filled with obvious truths!

Interactive Map: Understanding Teacher Shortages

This map highlights a number of key factors that reflect and influence teacher supply and attrition and signal whether states are likely to have an adequate supply of qualified teachers to fill their classrooms. Based on these data—which treat compensation, teacher turnover, working conditions, and qualifications—each state is assigned a “teaching attractiveness rating,” indicating how supportive it appears to be of teacher recruitment and retention and a “teacher equity rating,” indicating the extent to which students, in particular students of color, are assigned uncertified or inexperienced teachers. Ratings are on a 1-5 scale, with 1 (the lightest color) being the least desirable and 5 (the darkest color) being the most desirable.

Source: learningpolicyinstitute.org

Interesting way to look at complex data.  How does your state rate?

Do Quizzes Improve Student Learning? A Look at the Evidence

Recently I’ve been trying to locate the evidence that supports quizzing, wondering if it merits the evidence-based label. Tracking down this evidence in our discipline-based research is challenging because although quizzing has been studied across our disciplines, it’s not easily searchable. My collection of studies is good, but I know it’s not complete. As you might suspect, the results are mixed; they are more positive than negative, but still, a significant number of researchers don’t find that quizzes affect learning outcomes.

Source: www.facultyfocus.com

It’s easy to create time saving quizzes in the online teaching environment.  Quizzes may help you check for understanding.  Quizzes may provide a ‘guide’ to the reading that keeps students accountable.

 

However,  do quizzes really improve student learning?

 

This article from Maryellen Weimer, PhD will help you understand the question.