A National Perspective of Online Learning: New Trends and Initiatives Susan Patrick President & CEO International Association for K-12 Online Learning.

A National Perspective of Online Learning: New Trends and Initiatives

Susan PatrickPresident & CEOInternational Association for K-12 Online Learning

International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL)

• iNACOL is the premier K-12 nonprofit in online learning• 3800+ members in K-12 virtual schools and online learning

representing over 50 countries• 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.” • Conference – Virtual School Symposium (VSS):

Indianapolis November 9-11,2011• Next Generation Learning Challenges – Gates Foundation

Global Trends in ICT and Education

1. Mobile learning

2. Cloud computing

3. One-to-one computing

4. Ubiquitous learning

5. Gaming for learning (progressions, leveling up)

6. Personalized learning

7. Redefinition of learning spaces

8. Open content

9. Smart portfolio assessment

10. Teacher managers and mentors

Open Content• Open educational resources (OER) are teaching,

learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use or repurposing by others.

• OER permit educators to share, access and collaborate so they can customize and personalize content and instruction.

• Department of Labor Grants $2B: open RFP for $500M open courses – Publicly funded development of educational materials should

be publicly accessible as Open Educational Resources.

• www.learningbeyondtextbooks.org

The Futurist: Education 2011

China may be the first country to succeed in educating most of its population through the Internet.

– From 2003-2007, China spent about $1 billion to implement online learning projects in the rural country-side.

U.S. Online Learning Facts

• 39 states have state virtual schools or state-led initiatives for online learning (KP 2010)

• 27 states have full-time virtual charter schools with over 225,000 students (CER)

• 2 states require an online course for high school graduation• 50% of employers use e-learning for training• 1 in 4 undergraduate and graduate student enrolls in an online course in

higher education• 82% of school districts had one or more students in a fully-online or blended

course• More universities are offering K-12 courses online

– MIT open courseware for K-12 students– Stanford, Northwestern programs for gifted

• K-12 Online Learning enrollments growing 30% annually nationwide with 50,000 in 2000 over 2 million enrollments in 2008-2009

Challenges in America’s K-12 Education System

Three Looming Crises:

1. Declining State Fiscal Revenues

2. Mounting Teacher Shortages

3. Increased Global Demands for Skilled Workers

…the Online Learning Imperative

10 Elements of High Quality Digital Learning

1. Student Eligibility

All students are digital learners.

2. Student Access

All students have access to high quality digital content and

online courses.

3.Personalized Learning

All students can customize their education using digital content through an approved provider.

4. Advancement

Students progress based on demonstrated competency.

5. Content

Digital content, instructional materials, and online and

blended learning courses are high quality.

6. Instruction

Digital instruction and online teachers are high quality.

7. Providers

All students have access to multiple high quality providers.

8. Assessment andAccountability

Student learning is the metric for evaluating the quality of

content and instruction.

9. Funding

Funding creates incentives for performance, options and

innovation.

10. Delivery

Infrastructure supports digital learning.

Students’ Perspective

Sophomores from Open High School of Utah cited ten benefits of online learning:1. I can work ahead if I am able 2. I get nearly instant responses from my teachers3. I get personalized support when I need it4. My teachers are just as excited about online learning as I am5. I can do all my math for the week on one day if I want to6. I know how I'm doing, my grades are right on the screen7. My parents can see my work and grades8. My courses are more challenging 9. I can keep up with my work when my family travels10. I can work around a busy schedule

Council of Chief State School Officers Committee on Next Generation Learners (March 2009)

Six Critical Attributes of Next Generation LearningPlanning for Personalized LearningComprehensive Systems of SupportsWorld-Class Knowledge and SkillsPerformance-based LearningAnytime, Everywhere OpportunitiesAuthentic Student Voice

of students do not finish high school30%

50%

42%

26%

of students who enroll complete a bachelor’s degree by age 26

of African Americans, Hispanics, and low-income students drop out

of low-income students who enroll complete a bachelor’s degree by age 26

. . . . But this opportunity is not full realized

Current conditions necessitate breakthrough change, and we are optimistic

about the role that technology can play.

NGLC seeks to dramatically improve college readiness and completion in the United Sates

through the applied use of technology.

Partners span the K-12 and higher education communities

• Be learning-centered, not technology-centered• Build on the existing work of others to refine and scale, not

invent• Connect supply side of innovators with demand side of

adopters• Lean towards “the edge,” but not blindly so• Provide market signals, community building, and evidence as

important as funding• Act with a sense of urgency

The approach

Provide Investment

Capital

Build an Evidence

Base

Foster a Collaborative Community

Program components

Building Blocks for College Completion• Open Core Courseware • Blended Learning• Deeper Learning and Engagement • Learner Analytics

(October 2010)

Building Blocks for College Completion• Open Core Courseware • Blended Learning• Deeper Learning and Engagement • Learner Analytics

(October 2010)

Wave IWave I

Building Blocks for College Readiness

(January 2011)

Building Blocks for College Readiness

(January 2011)

Wave IIWave II

To be determined

(Fall 2011)

To be determined

(Fall 2011)

Wave IIIWave III

NGLC Wave 2 seeks to stimulate a significant and bold move to next-generation approaches to mastering Common Core State Standards (

www.corestandards.org) with deeper learning competencies in order to improve college

readiness.

Wave 2 is focused on a single, integrated challenge comprised of two highly interdependent elements:

1) Next generation approaches to student learning of content and competencies

2) Next generation assessments

www.nextgenlearning.org

Applications and Tools within Learning Trajectories

Fundamentals of Learning

• Using platform of the common core:– Approaches should anticipate the future of

learning– Active, situated and experiential learning

improves engagement, problem solving and achievement

– Learning best measured by mastery rather than seat-time

Next Generation Learning Models• In this paradigm of “next generation learning models,”

students and teachers – from secondary to postsecondary – will access high-quality, relevant and engaging content in multiple modalities.

• Class time and structure will become more flexible, based on the learning needs of the students.

• Students will access multiple sources of instruction as needed and use assessments and diagnostics to gain more control over the pace and format of their own learning.

• And teachers will spend their time in different ways, tailoring their help to ensure acceleration and mastery for all students, with a focus on those who have historically been underserved.

In a proficiency system, failure or poor performance may be part of student’s learning curve, but it is not an outcome.

----- Proficiency Based Instruction and Assessment, Oregon Education Roundtable

March 3-4, 2011

Competency-based learning

Performance or competency based learning is fundamental to

personalizing learning at scaleand

It challenges almost all of our assumptions about the present

system

Susan Patrick, [email protected]

www.inacol.org