Online Learning and Experimentation via Interactive Learning Resources

Recent trends in online learning like Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and Open Educational Resources (OERs) are changing the landscape in the education sector by allowing learners to self-regulate their learning and providing them with an abundant amount of free learning materials. This paper presents FORGE, a new European initiative for online learning and experimentation via interactive learning resources. FORGE provides learners and educators with access to world- class facilities and high quality learning materials, thus enabling them to carry out experiments on e.g. new Internet protocols. In turn, this supports constructivist and self-regulated learning approaches, through the use of interactive learning resources, such as eBooks

Deploying Learning Analytics for Awareness and Reflection in Online Scientific Experimentation

Recent trends in online learning, most notably Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and Learning Analytics, are changing the landscape in the education sector by offering learners with access to free learning materials of high quality, as well as with the means to monitor their progress and reflect on their learning experiences. This part presents FORGE, a European initiative for online learning and experimentation via interactive learning resources. FORGE provides learners and educators with access to world-class experimentation facilities and high quality learning materials. Additionally, the deployment of Learning Analytics in the FORGE learning resources aims at supporting awareness and reflection both for learners and educators

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Violence prevention is of the utmost concern in some schools. For various reasons, rural schools face a number of challenges that may prevent them from implementing strong, evidence-based violence prevention initiatives. Given that the Internet houses a plethora of cost-free resources on threat assessment and violence prevention in schools, rural educators may consult the internet for information. However, because little is known about the composition and quality of such resources, it is important that they are properly evaluated. As such, the purpose of the present study was to compare existing, free, online school-based threat assessment resources to an evidence-based threat assessment framework to determine how well online resources communicate evidence-based principles. Using component analysis, a total of 11 online resources were evaluated. Overall, the findings from this investigation revealed that the evaluated online threat assessment resources were not as comprehensive as evidence-based guidelines. Keywords: online, prevention, schools, threat assessment, violenc

The global hydrology education resource

This article is a selective overview of a range of contemporary teaching resources currently available globally for university hydrology educators, with an emphasis on web-based resources. Major governmental and scientific organizations relevant to the promotion of hydrology teaching are briefly introduced. Selected online teaching materials are then overviewed, i.e. PowerPoint presentations, course materials, and multimedia. A range of websites offering free basic hydrology modelling software are mentioned, together with some data file sources which could be used for teaching. Websites offering a considerable range of general hydrology links are also noted, as are websites providing international and national data sets which might be incorporated into teaching exercises. Finally, some discussion is given on reference material for different modes of hydrology teaching, including laboratory and field exercises

TOPkit: An Online Faculty Development Resource

Faculty preparation is a critical success factor for any program that involves online teaching and learning (Kane, Shaw, & Pang, 2016; Merillat & Scheibmeir, 2016; Parker, Maor, & Herrington, 2013). Although experts in their respective fields, faculty may not have studied online pedagogy or instructional design before stepping into the onsite or online classroom. While few educators would argue against offering faculty development, institutions grapple with limited funding and campus resources (e.g., limited space, scheduling constraints) for faculty training. To pool resources for this purpose, the State University System of Florida Board of Governors committed to sponsoring a program to develop an online toolkit and annual workshop to support faculty development efforts statewide. The result was The Teaching Online Preparation Toolkit (TOPkit), an open educational resource (website and two free, customizable online faculty development courses) that faculty developers anywhere can use. This article describes the online toolkit and specifically highlights the toolkit’s pair of sample courses that may be downloaded and customized

Making It Real for Students: How Social Studies Teachers Find and Use Video for Classroom Instruction

Technological developments facilitating the creation and dissemination of video information have resulted in an increase in free online material, with several sites directly targeting the needs of educators. Investments in the public school system's information technology resources have resulted in a gradual improvement in educators' ability to utilize online video for instruction. Testimonies from those in the education community as well as research from information scientists on educators' information use suggest the impact that these developments have had on educators' information seeking behavior. This study explores how 8th grade Social Studies teachers in Wake County are currently using online video resources, what search strategies they have developed to locate content appropriate for their instructional needs, and what the obstacles to their successful use of video are

Open education research: from the practical to the theoretical

Open Educational Resources (OER) remove restrictions for learners and educators by their nature. OER are free of direct cost to the end user and, in most cases, are openly accessible online. The recent growth in interest in OER has several drivers, ideological, political and economic, none of which in itself explains how learning will be supported or help us to develop effective models and learning design. Looking at existing approaches that are taking OER from resources into practice and at some of the theories for learning that have been proposed in recent times, we can see that OER offer attractive affordances for the expansion of formal education and for the support of informal learning

Sustainable Design Education through a Self-Directed Online System

Sustainable design and engineering is an important topic, yet it is under-represented in educational institutions; moreover, it must be taught to practicing professionals, not just students. A free online system has been created to address both problems at once, providing educational materials for educators and also providing a self-paced program for professionals or students to earn a certificate in sustainable design. Called the Autodesk Sustainability Workshop, it is a collection of video tutorials and supporting materials (PDF reference guides, slide decks, quizzes, and other resources) that can be used either by individuals themselves or by educators (either in schools or the workplace) to learn principles and practical skills related to green design, mechanical engineering, and building science. Its dozens of video tutorials span the range from introduction to fundamental principles in sustainability, to specific operation of analytical software tools such as FEA and energy modeling. All videos are on focused topics and of short duration (typically 3 - 6 minutes) so they can be inserted into curricula as educators see fit, not forcing a full curriculum structure. For self-guided learners, or educators who desire a full curriculum, an interactive structure provides quizzes along with the learning resources; upon successful completion, they lead up to a certificate in green design. Currently there is only one certificate, in basic building science; future releases will expand the certificate program to sustainable product design as well, since many of the learning resources are on these topics. For content not covered by the certificate program, the website\u27s information architecture suggests a multi-threaded approach to learning sustainable design. As three-quarters of a million people around the world have already viewed content from the site, this self-directed online learning system is proposed to be a highly scalable method of providing sustainable design and engineering education

Tiger Daily: July 9, 2020

ANNOUNCEMENTS NOTICE: Network Downtime in Picken Hall July 10-11 THANK YOU!! COVID-19 Updates TILT Tip: Streamline Multimedia Resources to Tidy Up Your Online Courses Calendar: Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities Bigcat.fhsu.edu Decommissioning in August! New Central Purchasing Warehouse Website Launching in July! Employment Opportunity – Senior Administrative Assistant for Financial Aid Science Café Presents: “A Summer Series on Astronomy” 2020-2021 Tuition and Fee Schedule MDC Online Workshop “Supervising Virtually” Still Being Offered On-Demand Fall 2020 TILT Course Resource Page and Workshops Forsyth Library Opens Lobby Tiger Food Exchange Location/Hours Change EVENTS THIS WEEK/WEEKEND Larks Baseball Educators’ Night 2020 – July 11; 7:00pm FUTURE EVENTS FREE High Plains Music Camp! – July 12 through July 17; ONLIN

Tiger Daily: July 10, 2020

ANNOUNCEMENTS NOTICE: Network Downtime in Picken Hall July 10-11 COVID-19 Updates TILT Tip: Streamline Multimedia Resources to Tidy Up Your Online Courses Calendar: Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities Bigcat.fhsu.edu Decommissioning in August! New Central Purchasing Warehouse Website Launching in July! Employment Opportunity – Senior Administrative Assistant for Financial Aid Science Café Presents: “A Summer Series on Astronomy” 2020-2021 Tuition and Fee Schedule MDC Online Workshop “Supervising Virtually” Still Being Offered On-Demand Fall 2020 TILT Course Resource Page and Workshops Forsyth Library Opens Lobby Tiger Food Exchange Location/Hours Change EVENTS THIS WEEK/WEEKEND Larks Baseball Educators’ Night 2020 – July 11; 7:00pm FUTURE EVENTS FREE High Plains Music Camp! – July 12 through July 17; ONLIN