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Inside Online Learning
An Education Writer for OC.org, Melissa's background includes work in higher education...
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The Latest
#IOLchat Report: Finding Professional Development OpportunitiesEach week we meet via Twitter for #IOLchat to discuss current issues related to online learning. Participants include students, instructors, eLearning companies, schools, publishers, and instructional designers. As we approach the summer months, …
Monthly Archives: June 2011
Open Software Solutions for Online Students
By Melissa Venable One way to cut down on school expenses is to shop around for software purchases. In an online course you submit your assignments electronically, so finding software that works for you is essential. First, a couple of basic definitions: Open: is often used to indicate "free" or available for use without a [...]
40 Best Blogs for the College Vegetarian
For many college students, college chow consists of choices mainly from the fats, oils, and sweets section of the food pyramid, and not much thought beyond whether or not something tastes good goes into meal choices.
Avoid These 10 Common Mistakes in Online Learning
By Melissa Venable The experience of learning online is not without its challenges. Learners who are new to the online environment or to a new online program usually face a learning curve with the content, the technology, and the culture. An adjustment period is typical, but you can do a lot to prepare – know [...]
The Learning Styles Debate
By Melissa Venable How do you learn? Learning styles are a popular way to describe how you learn – three of the most common are: visual (learning by seeing and looking), auditory (learning by hearing or listening), and kinesthetic (learning by touching and doing). Learning styles have been defined as "the concept that individuals differ [...]
10 Important Court Cases in College History
From affirmative action to the Fourteenth Amendment, colleges have had their part in major court case decisions in history.
Navigating the Transfer Credit and Prior Learning Assessment Process
By Melissa Venable As you prepare to enter an online degree program you may be interested in applying for transfer credit. Have you completed previous academic courses? Do you have extensive experience or knowledge about specific topics? If so, you may be able to earn and apply transfer credit toward a new program. Online schools, [...]
30 Best Blogs for College Backpackers
There are dozens of blogs out there written by experienced backpackers that can help even the most novice traveler learn the ropes and know what to expect.
Power Up Your Online Presentations
By Melissa Venable We've all experienced long presentations with too many slides and too many bullet points. PowerPoint is ubiquitous (and one of my favorite tools) but there is no denying the challenges it presents. Doing it well takes skill and practice, and there are some really bad examples out there. Online delivery adds some [...]
Online Learning: Trends in K-12
By Melissa Venable High schools are embracing online education techniques, and elementary and middle schools are engaging in online delivery as well. In a recent post, Online Student of the Future, I introduced you to this group of online students. A range of activities exists, from state adoption of eBooks to fully online K-12 curricula. [...]
Considering Online Programs: Do You Know Quality When You See It?
By Melissa Venable Can academic quality be defined and measured? I've seen this question emerge recently in multiple venues ranging from community discussion boards to major news outlets. The quality of an online program is also being linked to its perceived value. Value is another word we're hearing a lot lately as the industry reacts [...]
