In responding strategically to the need to increase online enrollments at a time when enrollments for traditional face-to-face delivered courses are declining annually, higher education institutions recognize not only that they urgently have to develop faculty capacity to teach online but also leverage the affordances of a now bewildering array of new technologies. This book constitutes a guide to the wide range of new and emerging transformative learning technologies, to give leaders the context they need to position their institutions in the changing online environment.
It is intended for campus leaders and administrators who work with campus teams charged with identifying learning technologies to meet an agreed upon program- or institution-level educational needs; for those coordinating across campus to build consensus on implementing online strategies; and for instructional designers, faculty developers and assessment directors who assist departments and faculty effectively integrate learning technologies into their courses and programs. It will appeal to faculty who take an active interest in improving online teaching.
The contributors to this volume describe the potential of artificial intelligence algorithms, such as those that fuel learning analytics software that mines LMS data to enable faculty to quickly and efficiently assess individual students’ progress in real time, prompting either individual attention or the need to more generally clarify concepts for the class as whole. They describe and provide access to a hybrid professional development MOOC and an associated WIKI that curate information about a wide range of learning software solutions currently available; and present case studies that offer guidance on building the buy-in and consensus needed to successfully integrate learning technologies into course, program- and institution-level contexts.
In sum, this book provides readers with a comprehensive understanding of the technological capabilities available to them and identifies collaborative processes related to engaging and building institutional support for the changes needed to provide the rapidly growing demand for effective and evidence-based online learning.
