“Alt Learn”: The Evolving Landscape of Digital Learning

Kelvin Bentley

eLearning Consultant

Unless otherwise notedthis presentation is licensed by CC BY 4.0

A Little About Me…

• Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan

• As a kid, I wanted to be a pediatrician

• Placed in regular math path in high school based upon standardized test score

• Starting in 10th grade, added to honors math pathway

• Earned a 3 on AP American History exam

• Inspired by a great high school teacher in Psychology

• Earned a 24 on the ACT

• Honors Psychology major at Wayne State University (only college I applied to)

• Accepted to Clinical Psychology program at University of Delaware

• After grad school, decided to be a professor

• In 2001, served as Coordinator of new online learning degree program in Psychology which led to a 16-year career focused on digital learning leadership and consulting

Factors Shaping Higher Ed Landscape

Workforce Development

Needs

277,700 Idahoans with some college

but do degreeUS Economy

Reduced state funding

Performance-based funding

Limited Footprints

Employer doubts about the efficacy

of credentials

Your Suggested Challenges to K-12 and Higher Ed

K-12 Higher Ed

Technology Landscape

SIS LMS Course EvalsAdaptive

Courseware

Innovative Labs

CRM Proctoring Tutoring

AnalyticsContent

RepositorieseTranscripts ePortofolios

Adaptive Courseware: Acrobatiq

SmartSparrow’s BioBeyond

• SRI International compared 1,8000 student course grades across 4 HE institutions:• Improvements in student success

in 3 of the 4 institutions including ASU and Miami Dade experiencing almost a half letter grade

Source: https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/10/02/adaptive-bio-course-for-non-majors-finds-success-with-simulation-virtual-field-trips.aspx

Remote Lab Example: NANSLO

Educause’s NGDLE

From John O’Brien, from Educause: www.tinyurl.com/y75hpuyq

Evolving LMS/LRM

Analytics Example:Civitas Learning

Learning Context Landscape

High School

• Idaho Digital Learning Academy

• Advanced Placement

• International Baccalaureate

Prior Learning

• Military

• Job-related

• Volunteer experience

DIY.edu

• Straighterline

• MOOC’s

• Coding Boot Camps

Traditional Programs

• F2F

• Online

• Credit vs. Non-credit

Evolving Degree Pathways

• OER Degrees

• “Mastery-Based Education“ (course-based and direct assessment)

Source: http://gph.is/1sFFV4Q

Prior Learning Assessment

American Council of Education’s Alternative Credit Project

Source: https://online.dcccd.edu/cd/special-programs/pages/alternative-credit.aspx#accept

Digital Badges: Credly Example

Mastery-Based Education

Redefining the High School Transcript

Source: http://skillslabel.com/

WGU’s Response to OIG Report

Source: https://www.wgu.edu/oig-audit-report

Use of OER

OER Courseware Examples

Open Learning Initiative (Carnegie Mellon, Stanford) OpenStax Tutor

Lumen Learning Waymaker

Cengage OpenNow

District-Wide OER Initiative

OER Degree Example: Tidewater CC

OER Degree Example: Northern VA CC

Scaling OER Degree Initiatives

Strategies to Support “Alt Learn”

Expand the Legitimization of Digital Learning

Track and Support Digital Learning

Journeys

Ensure Instructional Content Reflect Universal Design

Standards

Ensure the Identity of the Digital

Learner & Protect Academic Integrity

Revise “ALT Learn” Strategies through

Continual Improvement

Your Suggestions for Success in K-12 and Higher Ed

K-12 Higher Ed

Expand the Legitimization of Digital Learning

• Explore feasibility of adopting transcripts based upon mastery-based learning

• Expand prior learning efforts by increasing number of acceptable certifiers of skills and knowledge

• Curate and/or develop open competencies that can achieve inter-institutional acceptance.

• Collaborate with employers to define skills and knowledge needed; Identify opportunities for microcredentialing and badging

Transfer of Credits

Source: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/06/08/two-year-transfers-are-finding-not-all-their-credits-go-them

EQUIP, CHEA, and DCCCD

Source: https://youtu.be/r5F27FX5iog

Skill Certification: Degreed

Source: https://degreed.com/skill-certification

Source: http://www.masterlynetwork.org/

Source: https://www.knowledgetowork.com/home.php

Track and Support Digital Learning

• Offer Intrusive advising and nudging

• Develop and send Early Alerts• Courseware Example: Lumen Learning Waymaker

• Online Tutoring Example: Tutor.com

• Systems such as Hobsons Starfish

• Leverage the use of predictive analytics

• Offer Supplemental Instruction• Target poor student success courses such as Math

• What does this model look like when offered fully online?

Source: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10956-016-9655-z

Lumen Waymaker

Source: https://youtu.be/hKx3TjgLPIE

Align Instructional Content with UDL Standards

• Provide ongoing professional development for faculty• Include modules on ADA in initial online faculty certification course

• Invite ”kick-off semester” ADA guest speaker

• Investigate the feasibility of using an evolving accessibility checker like Blackboard’s Ally

• Create and share a rubric to help faculty assess their courses against UDL standards• Example: https://ctfd.sfsu.edu/sites/default/files/Preliminary-Assessment-of-

Faculty-Implementation-of-UDL.pdf

Blackboard Ally

Student Authentication and Academic Integrity

• How do you know the digital learner is who she says she is?

• How do you confirm a digital student’s identity?

• How do you safeguard against cheating? Plagiarism?

• How do you ensure that exam questions are not copied and/or posted on online study sites?

Source: http://www.chronicle.com/article/The-New-Cheating-Economy/237587#maincontent

Continual Improvement

Continual Improvement

• Review all applicable data (e.g., course grades, course evaluation data, LMS activity of students and faculty) to determine how best to improve digital learning

• Form yearly student and instructor focus groups and surveys to discuss and rate, respectively, the quality of overall digital learning efforts

• Collaborate with employers to assess their satisfaction with “ALT Learn” experiences alumni bring to the job

• Continue to expand a better understanding of the “ALT Learn” landscape and share how you will use findings to benefit stakeholders

Source: http://bit.ly/insidehigheredgwu

Source: http://bit.ly/insidehigheredscottsdale

An Important Reminder

Image Source: https://goo.gl/images/6tCM63

“Here’s the thing about the future. Every time you look at it, it changes—because you looked at it—

and that changes everything else.”

And…

Nicholas Cage’s character in the 2007 movie “Next” about his ability to see into his future by 2 minutes.

”What is it that I desire?”

Contact Information

• Cell: 810-513-6192

• Email: timelord33@gmail.com

• Twitter: blacktimelord

• Today’s Slides: Visit www.slideshare.net/timelord33

Questions?