Inside Online Learning
A blog by Melissa A. Venable, PhD
An Education Writer for OnlineCollege.org, Melissa's background includes work in higher education – private, public, and for-profit – as an instructional designer and curriculum developer. Melissa is also an experienced instructor, academic advisor, and career counselor... more
A Twitter Guide for Online Educators
Have you experienced Twitter? Since its launch in 2006, Twitter has become one of the most widely used social media tools, with hundreds of millions of active accounts, including an untold number of educators, administrators, and students. It may not be right for everyone, but what will you say when asked to give an opinion [...]
#IOLchat Report: Making an Open Contribution
Each week we meet via Twitter for #IOLchat to discuss current issues related to online learning. Participants include students, instructors, advisors, counselors, eLearning companies, schools, publishers, and instructional designers. These days there’s no shortage of discussion about open resources for teaching and learning. From MOOCs to open education resource (OER) repositories and open academic journals, [...]
The Future of Online Learning: Student Needs and Expectations
Multiple reports out in the last few months assess the current demographics of students and their preferences for technology use. Others are also making an effort to predict the future of technology in traditional and virtual classrooms. The issues are dynamic, change quickly, and expand as enrollment increases and new tools emerge. What can all [...]
#IOLchat Report: Virtual Internships
Each week we meet via Twitter for #IOLchat to discuss current issues related to online learning. Participants include students, instructors, advisors, counselors, eLearning companies, schools, publishers, and instructional designers. What is a virtual internship and how can the experience benefit today’s online students? This week we focused on setting expectations to help students and employers [...]
Essential Recordkeeping for Job Seekers
The idea of recordkeeping may sound unnecessary, mundane, or just plain tedious, but it’s a helpful part of the job search process. It’s no secret that the current economy is tough and some job seekers find themselves sending out a large number of resumes before being invited to interview. How are you documenting your efforts? [...]
#IOLchat Report: End-of-Course Activities for Online Instructors
Each week we meet via Twitter for #IOLchat to discuss current issues related to online learning. Participants include students, instructors, advisors, counselors, eLearning companies, schools, publishers, and instructional designers. The last day of class doesn’t mean the last day of work for online instructors. From evaluating final projects to submitting students’ grades to the Registrar, [...]
Should You Get a Master’s Degree?
This question is a familiar one in online learning circles and recently caught my attention in a post by Marie-Pierre Renaud, (aka The Geek Anthropologist) in which she provides advice from a current student’s point of view. How do you decide if a graduate degree is right for you? How can you prepare yourself for [...]
#IOLchat Report: Online Instructors on the Front Lines of Tech Support
Each week we meet via Twitter for #IOLchat to discuss current issues related to online learning. Participants include students, instructors, advisors, counselors, eLearning companies, schools, publishers, and instructional designers. Online instructors are not strangers to technology support. Often working with multiple tools and platforms, including the learning management systems that deliver their courses, they rely [...]
5 Questions to Ask Before Starting a New Job
In a challenging job market, it may seem that any job offer is a good job offer. But one of my colleagues, in his first month of a new job that was the reward of an arduous and time consuming search, felt a little out of place. Setting issues related to compensation and benefits aside, [...]
#IOLchat Report: Peer Review in Online Courses
Each week we meet via Twitter for #IOLchat to discuss current issues related to online learning. Participants include students, instructors, advisors, counselors, eLearning companies, schools, publishers, and instructional designers. Asking students to grade each other’s work has become a popular assessment strategy in online courses, particularly those with high enrollments such as MOOCs. While classmates [...]
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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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A Twitter Guide for Online EducatorsHave you experienced Twitter? Since its launch in 2006, Twitter has become one of the most widely used social media tools, with hundreds of millions of active accounts, including an untold number of …