Posted by: Sarah
on Aug 23, 2011
Over the summer, many families in Tennessee eagerly applied their children for enrollment in Tennessee's Virtual Academy. Online education courses are provided through K 12 Inc., and both the Virtual Academy and education officials are pleased with the response to the virtual academy. While many students have enrolled successfully, some are finding the application process challenging. According to an article in Education Week, parents who have applied for Tennessee's Virtual Academy worry that their students will not be able to enroll in the online program.
Posted by: Sarah
on Aug 22, 2011
As the school year begins for many students across the country, the state of Florida has mandated that every high school graduate will be required to take an online course prior to graduation. Since the beginning of Florida's Virtual School in 1997, most of the students who enrolled in these online courses were the highly motivated. This is changing. According to an article in The Miami Herald, all high school students must take an online course to graduate from high school. These courses include the standard English, Math,and Science but also foreign languages and even Physical Education.
Posted by: Sarah
on Aug 18, 2011
Across the nation, state university systems are making necessary budget cuts which means many students may not have access to certain courses. The University of California system officials reached an agreement that online education would help reduce spending and open up space for students in the most popular courses. According to an article in The San Jose Mercury News, the UC system will offer students online courses developed by the faculty in the freshmen and sophomore level courses. While the undergraduate students are interested in this possibility, the faculty and some graduate students are not.
Posted by: Sarah
on Aug 17, 2011
As many colleges and universities open their doors to a new semester, many potential students may not be attending this year. Tuition rates for many state universities have increased dramatically this past year due to budget cuts, and many students cannot afford the tuition. With these challenges, higher education officials in the state of Washington and other Western states do have an affordable alternative. According to an article in The Columbian, the Western Governors University Washington offers students an affordable online alternative to the traditional state university and other for profit universities.
Posted by: Sarah
on Aug 15, 2011
Online education continues to be popular option in the state of Michigan; however, some educators and legislators believe the current education laws hinder the growth of online education programs. Currently, a middle or high school student in Michigan can enroll in two online courses per semester , and the school district must apply to waive this limit. Theses waivers are limited to a small percentage of the state's school districts. According to an article in The Detroit Free Press, Michigan's Department of Education is looking to override the current limits placed upon online education courses and make online education more accessible to its students.
Posted by: Sarah
on Aug 9, 2011
With the increasing popularity of online education, several states have or will soon require all high school graduates to take an online course. This innovative pedagogical tool can accommodate various learning styles, incorporate new technology media in the virtual classroom, and allow students to work at their own pace. The question remains: can online education really change the educational system if it operates under the same course and pedagogical objectives? According to an article in the Huffington Post, Andrew K. Miller voices this concern that online education may simply repeat the mistakes of the current education system.
Posted by: Sarah
on Aug 8, 2011
For many high school students, school is a series of lectures taking place in various classrooms on campus. After school, students muddle through homework and the cycle repeats. Salman Khan, founder of Khan Academy, saw the need to question the fundamental practices of the education system. Why are students being lectured in the classroom and doing the real work of learning in their homework? According to an article in The Bangor Daily News, Khan Academy offers teachers a series of videos and lectures for the students to watch as homework assignments which allows class time to be used for questions, problem solving, and unique projects.
Posted by: Sarah
on Jul 20, 2011
With the popularity of for profit online universities, many human resource staffers have viewed this online degree as a liability for the potential job candidate. Online education, particularly in the post-secondary arena, offers access to the for profit schools as well as the established traditional universities. This has caused human resource staff and other employers to rethink how they view the online degree. According to an article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, employers see the expanding world of online education as beneficial for their companies and employees.
Posted by: Sarah
on Jul 19, 2011
In a recent study conducted in the state of Washington, researchers evaluated the online education courses and the completion rates for Washington's community colleges. The push for community colleges to offer some form of online degree programs and courses has improved enrollment rates; however, researchers also noticed a more alarming trend among those taking online courses. According to an article in Inside Higher Ed, community college students enrolled in online courses had a significantly higher rate of failing courses, leaving the degree program, or not returning the next semester.
Posted by: Sarah
on Jul 18, 2011
In the past six months, several states from California to Utah have debated and passed legislation concerning the future of online education. In May 2011, Tennessee joined the ranks of states who have implemented a new online school system that would allow students from any school district in the state to attend this virtual school. According to an article in The Knoxville News Sentinel, Tennessee has contracted the for profit company K12 to set up and run the new online school.
