A recent article by the PRNewswire reviewed the online and mobile video presentation initiatives currently in place at Babson College. Using the Brainshark, Inc platform, students and faculty create and exchange virtual multimedia presentations that augment the face to face and online teaching environments. The cloud-based system is delivered on a variety of mobile devices,…
This time of year, grading tasks loom over our physical and virtual desks. Large piles of student papers, tests and presentations represent assignments we expect will reveal the relative learning, if only we can spend the time to look at each piece of evidence critically. Sometimes Teaching Assistants take on these grading functions, guided by…
This past fall, I audited Chuck Eesley’s Stanford Venture Lab MOOC course, “Technology Entrepreneurship.” With more than 34,500 students listed in the system, the experience provided an interesting view of what works in this MOOC environment. In the LinkedIn dedicated group, one of the students asked about the kind of competitive relationship that exists among…
This year we have seen some improvement in our national economy. In our educational institutions, we struggle continuously with relevancy and sustainability. In a recent Bloomberg Businessweek article, staff writer Alison Damast discusses the changes in business school masters programs toward specialized MS degrees in business competencies that are closely tied to job market expectations. …
No matter for how many years we have been designing and teaching courses, there always is something new to learn. With the advent of the MOOC (massively open online course), a multitude of interesting free learning opportunities are available. Blackboard’s Coursesites is sponsoring another program this month called “Designing an exemplary course.” Take a look…
In running today’s courses, assessment rubrics are important teaching tools. They provide guidance to the student learner on expectations and progress. They provide guidance to the instructor on course learning and individual performance. Designed correctly, the rubric tool can make grading easier and less time-consuming for giving individual feedback. Many competing offers exist for online…
Teaching across the boundaries with images
On a recent trip to an organic farm in the Southern California highlands, I came across these two women talking under an 1100 year old live oak tree. Though thirty years separated them and their life histories had little in common, the image captured shows them at ease in their conversation. The shared moment juxtaposed…
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