Transcript Online Learning

Susan D. Patrick
President and CEO
North American Council for
Online Learning
North American Council for Online
Learning
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NACOL is the premier K-12 nonprofit organization
in the field of online learning.
Provides leadership, advocacy, research, training
and networking with experts in K-12 online
learning.
“Ensure every student has access to the best
education available regardless of geography,
income or background.”
Virtual School Symposium (VSS) “Redesign
Powered by Online Learning”
 Dallas,
Texas - November 5-7, 2006
Global Workforce
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Competitiveness: Science, Technology, Engineering, Math
Innovation, Risk-taking, Creativity
China, India and Russia: 3 billion
Intel Science Competition 2004
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65,000 Americans entered
 6 million Chinese students
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Mexico Digital Curriculum and Instruction
International E-Learning
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China, India, Japan, Korea, European Union, Singapore, Australia, UK,
Ghana, etc.
 Developing a new education strategy centered, powered by online
learning
What Students Need to Know:
21st Century Skills and ICT
literacy
The future will demand people who can express
themselves effectively with images, animation,
sound, and video, solve real world problems that
require processing and analysis of thousands of
numbers, evaluate information for accuracy,
reliability, and validity; and organize information
into valuable knowledge, yet students are not
learning these skills in school.
Defining 21st Century ICT Literacy
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The Partnership for 21st Century Skills defined
6 key elements of 21st Century Learning
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Emphasize core subjects.
Emphasize learning skills.
Use 21st Century tools to develop learning skills.
Teach and learn in 21st century context.
Teach and learn 21st century content.
Use 21st century assessments that measure 21st
century skills.
Explosion in E-Learning and
Virtual Schools
Distance Education in K-12 Public
Schools 2002-2003 (NCES 2005)
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328,000 enrollments in 2002-2003
36% of public school districts have students enrolled in
distance education courses
Of these districts, 72% plan to expand their distance
education courses
Distance education provides more course options to
public school students
50% of districts offered Advanced Placement or collegelevel courses
80% cited the most important reason as offering courses
not otherwise available at the school
Percentage Distribution of Enrollments in Distance Education
Courses: 2002-03
Elementary
Schools (1%)
29%
1%
2%
Middle or Junior
High Schools
(2%)
68%
High Schools
(68%)
Combined or
Ungraded
Schools (29%)
Reasons for Offering Distance Education Courses
80%
Offering Courses Not Otherwise Available
59%
Meeting Needs of Specific Student Groups
50%
Offering AP Courses
Reducing Scheduling Conflict
Permitting Students Who've Failed to Take
Again
Growing Populations and Limited Space
23%
17%
8%
22%
19%
33%
15%
17%
Generating More District revenue 4%12%
Very Important
11% 9%
15%
26%
41%
64%
72%
77%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100
%
Somewhat Important Not Important
Distance Education at Degree-Granting
Postsecondary Institutions: 2000-2001
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56% of all 2-year and 4-year institutions offer
e-learning courses
127,000 online courses offered
3,077,000 enrollments in distance education
courses
90% use asynchronous Internet based
courses
51% use two-way interactive
videoconferencing
Sharing Research to Inform Policy
What Leaders Need to Know:
Four Key Ideas
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#1 Online Learning Expands Options
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“The first impetus to the growth of K-12 distance education was an
interest in expanding educational options and providing equal
opportunities for all learners.” (p.7)
#2 Online Learning Is Rapidly Growing
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“Recent Surveys show that K-12 online learning is a rapidly growing
phenomenon.” (p.4)
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Clark: 40,000-50,000 enrollments in 2000-2001
Eduventures: 300,000 K-12 enrollments online 2002-3
USED/NCES: 328,000 enrollments in distance ed 2002-3
Peak Group: 500,000 enrollments in 2005
Growing 30% annually
Online Learning Works
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#3 Is Effective: “Equal or Better”
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“One conclusion seems clear: On average, students
seem to perform equally well or better academically in
online learning.” (p. 17)
#4 Improves Teaching
Teachers who teach online reported positive
improvements in face-to-face, too.
 “Of those who reported teaching face-to-face while
teaching online or subsequently, three in four reported
a positive impact on their face-to-face teaching.”
(p. 25)
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Are Online Students Engaged?
Online Course Completion Rates
100%
95%
84%
90%
80%
60%
Percentage of students
completing online
courses
40%
20%
0%
Apex
Apex= Apex Learning, Inc
FLVS
VHS
FLVS= Florida Virtual School
VHS=Virtual High School
Are Online Students Learning?
AP Pass Rates
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
60%
National
66%
Apex
70%
FLVS
70%
VHS
Percentage of Students with 3 or Higher
Apex= Apex Learning, Inc
FLVS= Florida Virtual School
VHS=Virtual High School
Online Learning – National
Education Technology Plan
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Goals related to E-Learning (pages 8-9)
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Provide every student access to e-learning
Enable every teacher to participate in e-learning training
Encourage the use of e-learning options to meet NCLB
requirements (HQT, SES, choice)
Explore creative ways to fund e-learning
Develop quality measures and accreditation standards for elearning that require those required for course credit
www.NationalEdTechPlan.org
Gallup Poll October 2005
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40% of adults want students to take an
online class for graduation from high
school
Michigan April 2006
First state to require “online learning”
 In new high school graduation
requirements: “every student must have
an online learning experience or course”
 Need for online learning is greatest with
students to access skills they will need to
get ahead and compete in an increasingly
technological workplace
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1952
68% H.S. Graduation Rate
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Prepare them for the world they are
entering
 68%
graduate high school
 26% make it to sophomore year
 80% of jobs require postsecondary education
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U.S.
 31%
proficiency in reading at the 3rd grade
System Design
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System is doing exactly what it was designed to
do
Bela Banathy writes on transformation and
systems design in education
Industrial goal for education: 25% of students to
college
Time and motion studies in the factory age
Prisoners of Time (national report)
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“Silent Epidemic”
 Gates
Foundation commissioned first study of
high school drop outs
88% had passing grades
 69% were not motivated to work hard
 66% would have worked harder if more had been
demanded of them
 81% called for more real world learning
opportunities
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Transformation vs.
Integration
Leadership = TIP
Trust
 Integrity
 Passion
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Today’s Students
Who Are Our Students?
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Largest generation (36% of total population).
31% are minorities; more diverse than the adult
population.
Have come of age along with the Internet.
Information has been universally available and
free to them; community is a digital place of
common interest, not just a shared physical
space.
Rise of the Millennials
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Studies show that they are a capable, conscientious,
concerned and optimistic generation, determined to
succeed:
 96 percent say that doing well in school is important to
their lives.
 94 percent say they plan to continue their education
after high school.
 90 percent of children between 5-17 use computers.
 94 percent of teens use the Internet for school-related
research.
 Teens spend more time online using the Internet than
watching television.
 High school and college students spend nearly $400
billion a year.
 And they increasingly are involved in making spending
decisions for their parents.
Internet Use by Age
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
2-5
2000
6-8
2002
9-12
12-15 16-18 19-24 25-35 36-45 46-55 56-65
Age
65+
12th Graders
Perceptions About School
60%
50%
39%
40%
28%
30%
21%
20%
10%
0%
School work is often or always
meaningful
1983
Courses are quite or very interesting
1990
1995
School learning will be quite or very
important in later life
2000
What Are They Telling Us?
“We have technology in our
blood.”
-- High School Student
Creativity and Risk-taking
Your creativity is highest at 6
 Lowest point: terminal seriousness at 44
 Bounce at retirement
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"Changes in our lives may not come as abruptly as for the young; yet we grow and
change, and enter upon new journeys or new seasons, and are withal as much at sea (at
least, much of the time) as any novice facing the world."
Risk-taking "...is an old-fashioned theme, for nowadays we go to great lengths to avoid
risks.
....Yet something of an older bias lingers, and we are reminded now and then of times ...
when it seemed better to put all save honor in jeopardy than to look too long before taking
a leap. Somehow these seem to have been the best of times, and we would fain recapture
their zest and assurance."
People may "plod along without vision, being naively surprised when things turn out well,
and disillusioned or cynical if they go ill. They might be standing on the edge of a cliff
while remarking on how solid the road is; or they arrive at a little Eden and assume it is
only one more motel along the highway of life.“
August Heckschel, "The Risk-takers," C. S. Monitor, 6-19-81, p. 20.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
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“The mind stretched to a new idea never
returns to its original dimension.”
Thank you!
Toward a New Golden Age in
American Education:
How the Internet, the Law and Today’s Students
are Revolutionizing Expectations
1. STRENGTHEN LEADERSHIP
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Invest in leadership development programs to ensure a
new generation of tech-savvy leaders.
Retool administrator education programs to provide
training in data-driven decision making and
organizational change.
Develop partnerships between schools, higher education
and the community.
Encourage creative technology partnerships with the
business community.
Empower students’ participation in the planning process.
2. CONSIDER INNOVATIVE
BUDGETING
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Consider a systemic restructuring of budgets to realize
efficiencies, cost savings and reallocations. This can include
reallocations in expenditures on textbooks, instructional supplies,
space and computer labs.
Consider leasing with 3-5 year refresh cycles.
Create a technology innovation fund to carry funds over yearly
budget cycles.
Aligning Every Dollar
21st Century Skills
 Every dollar spent on 21st century tools?
 Cost per student per day: 1:1 and digital
content
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 Cost
of textbooks vs. cost of laptop
3. IMPROVE TEACHER TRAINING
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Teachers have more resources available through
technology than ever before, but have not received
sufficient training in the effective use of technology to
enhance learning.
Teachers need access to research, examples and
innovations as well as staff development to learn best
practices.
Every teacher has online training
4. SUPPORT E-LEARNING AND
VIRTUAL SCHOOLS
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Provide every student access to e-learning.
Enable every teacher to participate in e-learning
training.
Develop quality measures and accreditation
standards for e-learning that mirror those traditionally
required for course credit.
5. ENCOURAGE BROADBAND
ACCESS
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Evaluate existing technology infrastructure and
access to broadband to determine its current
capacities and explore ways to ensure its reliability.
Ensure that broadband is available all the way to the
end-user for data management, online and
technology-based assessments, e-learning, and
accessing high-quality digital content.
Ensure adequate technical support to manage and
maintain computer networks, maximize educational
uptime and plan for future needs.
6. MOVE TOWARD DIGITAL
CONTENT
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Ensure that teachers and students are adequately
trained in the use of online content.
Encourage that each student has ubiquitous access
to computers and connectivity.
Consider costs and benefits of online content, aligned
with rigorous state academic standards, as part of a
systemic approach to creating resources for students
to customize learning to their individual needs.
7. INTEGRATE DATA SYSTEMS
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Establish a plan to integrate data systems so that
administrators and educators have the information they
need to increase efficiency and improve student
learning.
Use assessment results to inform and differentiate
instruction for every child.
Implement School Interoperability Framework (SIF)
Compliance Certification as a requirement in all RFPs
and purchasing decisions.
Questions
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Thank you!
For more information, visit our website
North American Council for Online Learning,
www.NACOL.org
 Email: [email protected]
 Join us!
 “Next Generation Education: Redesign Powered by
Online Learning” for the 2006 Virtual School Symposium,
November 4-7, 2006 in Dallas, Texas
Thank you!