Study Finds That Online Education Beats the Classroom

A recent report on online education, conducted by SRI International for the Department of Education, has arrived to the conclusion that: “On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction.” The report examined the comparative research on online versus traditional classroom teaching from 1996 to 2008 and most of the comparative studies were done in colleges and adult continuing-education programs of various kinds, from medical training to the military. Over the 12-year span, the report found 99 studies in which there were quantitative comparisons of online and classroom performance for the same courses. The analysis for the Department of Education found that, on average, students doing some or all of the course online would rank in the 59th percentile in tested performance, compared with the average classroom student scoring in the 50th percentile. That is a modest but statistically meaningful difference. The report continues by saying that this difference may be seen because online education is providing learning experiences that are more tailored to individual students than is possible in classrooms. That enables more “learning by doing,” which many students find more engaging and useful.The report also suggests that while classroom education will remain intact, online education could be set to expand sharply over the next few years, as evidence mounts of its value.

Although personally I still believe that it all is in the learner’s hands, I do especially agree with the point that online courses are “more tailored to individual students than is possible in classrooms”. The fact that learners enroll in courses that suit their tastes is definitely much more beneficial than traditional classroom education which suits the taste and needs of the general population. Specific online courses may even be more of a motivation to the learner than classroom education, resulting in the learner working harder and thus, he will achieve better results and grades.

The Digital Divide

I found an interesting video regarding the Digital Divide which I decided to post here. The video deals with certain ideas and misconceptions that we have about the Digital Divide, what can be done to narrow the Digital Divide, and also what is being done. It also explains how technology is implemented and used in under-developed countries to improve their lifestyle and help in the day-to-day needs. It is good to see that major companies and organizations are taking the initiative to actually do something to narrow down the Digital Divide between communities (sometimes even whole countries) around the world.

Ethics in eLearning (Ethical Issues for the eTeacher )

I found an interesting article regarding some ethical issues that arise with eLearning, specifically the teacher or the institution providing the eLearning. The first issue that the article discusses, referred to as the most important moral challenge for the eTeacher, is the issue to maintain the quality of the educational process. The article states that although there is nothing that legally prevents the offering of illegitimate degree programs that have no inherent educational value, in the end, this becomes a moral issue.

A related but distinct ethical issue for the eTeacher is full disclosure of academic regulations and standards for eLearners. With a completely different platform of interaction between eLearner and eTeacher, the provider must be attentive to new ways of transmitting information and assuring genuine communication. Simply publishing the academic catalogue on a website may not be enough. In the process of all communication, the eTeacher must assure that it is the actual eLearner who is in communication and that no academic fraud is being committed. This is no different from the traditional teacher-learner relationship; it is just much more complex when the relationship is at a distance.

The last idea mentioned is an issue that education providers have always faced, this is the challenge of providing appropriate learning resources. Not only are books and learning equipment important, but providing a reliable network infrastructure with effective learning software becomes absolutely critical. The article concludes by explaining that with the implementation of this network infrastructure, issues such as network security and safety arise, which have genuine ethical implications. Furthermore, it emphasizes the fact that a range of duplication and copyright policies must be in place to protect against “softlifting” and illegal use of electronic resources.

The use of Blackboard

Blackboard is a Web-based course-management system designed to allow students and faculty to participate in classes delivered online or use online materials and activities to complement face-to-face teaching. This allows students and faculty to participate in classes delivered online or use online materials and activities to complement face-to-face teaching.

The link below provides an idea how this particular teacher makes use of the Black board. As she stated she doesn’t imagine herself without such tool. This tool structures more her work by using: syllabus, activities, assignments, articles etc. This allows her students to interact and form part of a community where they can learn how to share their work. They can respond with written feedback and audio feedback.

Blackboard Great Ideas: Peer review and discussions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXG1tno_aTk

This system is also being made available on mobile as well. The website below shows that teaching can be interactive and mobile at the same time.

Achieve real change right now
http://www.blackboard.com/Mobile/Mobile-Learn/Getting-Started.aspx

This is a system which is more acceptable from my point of view because it is a mix of both face-to-face and online interaction.

Students Addicted To The Internet?

A recent study suggests that American college students are suffering from an Internet / technology addiction. Researchers at the University of Maryland conducted the study in which they asked 200 students to give up all media including Internet and cellphones for a day. The researchers found that after 24 hours, several students showed signs of withdrawal, craving and anxiety, and were unable to function well without their media. Many students confessed being addicted to the Internet and mostly missed using text and instant messaging, emailing and Facebook, without which they felt secluded.
The study also reported a few students watching TV news or reading a newspaper but with no loyalty towards a particular news personality, program or news outlet, maintaining a “casual” relationship with news brands.
The American Psychiatric Association does not recognize Internet addiction as a disorder yet; however, there are private centers such as “Restart” which runs Internet addiction recovery programs for treating those who are obsessed with Internet, gaming and texting.
This is a perfect example that can be seen not just in US students, but students all around the world.

What could a teacher's website include?

What could a teacher's website include?

- School information
- Syllabus
- Schedules/Calendars
- Expectations and/or Conduct code
- Assignments
- Grades
- Archive of documents, files, etc.
- News and events
- Upcoming events
- Newsletters
- Links
- Online resources for students
- Resources for parents
- Activities for students
- Lesson ideas for other teachers
- Contact information (email, phone number)
- Student work
- Actual projects such as PowerPoint presentations, webpages, etc.

Use of Google Books and Google Scholar

I frequently use Google Books and Google Scholar for my work and studies. I have found them to be a great resource, almost like having a library with you.
The books and articles you find vary in their viewing availability. For example, some offer a preview of certain chapters while others actually offer a full view of the book. There are loads of topics and you can even create your own 'library' to find the books you want quickly. You can save them under 'reviewed', 'favorites', 'reading now', 'to read' and 'read'.

I, who still beleive in the (so called) old-fashioned book as being essential, found this site to be the best of both worlds - where students can still be digital whilst at the same time reading a book as well.

I feel this is one of the best initiatives on the internet.

Cartoons

I am coming across more types of this cartoon type video clip which really does get it's message across. As I seriously lack artistic skills, I'm definitely not the one to create such material, but for the folks who can easily create cartoons, this is a very cool way of how to get your message through.

The first video is one I really recommend that everyone watches. It is about what really motivates us, and surprisingly it is not about about money as you shall see...

This second one is a very cool way to explain how a product works, in this case google chrome OS, without any technical jargon.

Are we 'Digital Immigrants'?

I came across an interesting article by Marc Prensky Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants (2001) which was discussing the fact if today’s teachers are what he defined as ‘Digital Immigrants’. He was referring to those of us who were not really born into the digital world but have, at some later point in their lives, become fascinated by and adopted many or most aspects of the new technology. These ‘Digital Immigrants’ always retain, to some degree, their ‘accent,’ that is, their foot in the past. The ‘digital immigrant accent’ can be seen in such things as turning to the internet for information second rather than first, or in reading the manual for a program rather than assuming that the program itself will teach you how to use it. Today’s older generations were ‘socialized’ differently from their kids, and are now in the process of learning a new language. But a problem that the educational system can face nowadays is that our ‘Digital Immigrant’ instructors, who speak an outdated language (that of the pre-digital age), are struggling to teach a population that speaks an entirely new language. ‘Digital Immigrant’ teachers assume that learners are the same as they have always been, and that the methods that worked for the teachers when they were students will work for their students now. But obviously that assumption is no longer valid; today’s learners are really different. What do you think?

E-learning can make lectures easier.

With all the visual aid we have today it will be possible to give the students all the material schedule, all the material uploaded such that they will be able to access it. Moreover convert the lessons into tutorials and set the dates for the assignments. In this way the students should be encouraged to work harder and achieve better results.

Second Life and E-Learning

Second Life is a virtual 3D community created in 2003. When the user becomes a member, he becomes a new resident and is given a new identity by using a name and a virtual avatar to represent himself in this virtual community. The user uses mouse and keyboard control to move the avatar around this virtual world.

Second Life’s virtual world also includes sound/visual environments such as wind and rain, audible conversations, built-in chats and instant messaging. Residents buy property, start businesses, game with other residents, create objects, join clubs, attend classes, or just hang out.

Second Life can also be used as a platform for an e-learning environment. The good thing about Second Life is that, unlike most of the other e-Learning environments, it brings the student into conditions which are very close to real-life situations. It is well suited for direct interaction and working in a specific virtual environment. All of this can be done by programming the avatar to act like a real person and interact with other avatars (other members).

This is a link showing some examples of how Second Life can be used to provide training simulations. You can find other useful links within the same page.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJTzNSV8pb0

EVITA

Several business in Malta are small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and they are often run by a sole owner or as small family businesses. Due to lack of knowledge amongst other reasons, entrepreneurs running these business do not make use of ICT to its full potential and consequently they are less competitive and productive than larger companies.

Di-ve yesterday reported on an EU funded project called EVITA that provides an e-Learning course on ICT aimed at SMEs. Malta is represented in this project through Fondazzjoni Sir Temi Zammit.

I think that is a very good e-Learning initiative. Such entrepreneurs have the motivation to learn and little time to spare in order to attend traditional lectures. Moreover, e-learning is an excellent platform for geographically dispersed companies to share best practice in the field.

Song Contests and the impact of internet

Even though the Eurovision Song Contest is now over, I thought of posting something on the impact YouTube has had over the past years in this field. We all remember the times when Malta used to invest in passionate videos for this so-loved contest, as a showcase of what our islands have to offer. I am hereby including some old songs for those who recall the old days.

Little Child (1992)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwijCMW0Srw

Keep Me in Mind (1995)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g_8QhRO8qw

Let Me Fly (1997)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53x6CRp9uxA&feature=related

Seventh Wonder (2002)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIYaBA2K9PU

My point is that today, where the budget seems to have been restricted in producing such music videos, we should manage in a more proper way the material which goes on YouTube, particularly when it comes to quality. It is a well known fact that most Eurovision fans are young generations who surely make use of such sites...and therefore what goes up there influences their televoting decisions too!!!

The same can be said for the comments posted on forums and even on YouTube itself. It doesn't make much sense to me to offend other countries (in any case) and always play the victim of neighbouring country voting, when knowing that such comments will be available year after year. Moreover it is not wise for Maltese users to negatively comment on the Maltese Entry in a foreign language. Criticism is OK, but one must pay attention how to use it. Even when Chiara represented Malta with 'Angel' and later on with 'What if We', the hard comments were not a very positive experience, especially for the singer.

This year, if one just browses through YouTube, many versions of Thea's 'My Dream' were available, in different quality and from different shows! One wonders which one would have been welcomed most... One of the official video links is available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OToHVvkBfY

Using this tool correctly can yield much greater achievements! Just recall Susan Boyle and her quick success! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY...Just look at the number of Views!!!

FIFA World Cup Fever sends Internet usage to record levels

Thanks for technology, thanks to e-learning, thanks for the internet. The World Cup and other sporting events can be enjoyed by millions of users from around the world, while keeping on their rhythm at work. In fact, as can be seen from the post below, during the World Cup opening ceremony and the first match between Mexico and South Africa, the internet reported a high surge of internet access, about 12 million per minute (around 200,000 requests per second).

Can such sporting events entice people to make more use of the internet? What do you think?

From:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/world-cup-fever-sends-internet-usage-to-record-levels/35753

There’s a fever running through the Internet today - World Cup Fever.

Today’s Web traffic has been classified as “Heavy” for the better part of the day, according to measurements by Akamai. At its peak, traffic for News sites globally started a steady climb about 6 am ET and peaked six hours later, at Noon ET, reaching nearly 12.1 million visitors per minute.

And even though the traffic dipped going into the afternoon, it stayed well above normal - registering some 6.5 million vpn, or 130 percent of normal - at 5 p.m. ET. The bulk of the demand in the last 24 hours has come from North America and Europe - but all regions are reporting “Heavy” usage.

The traffic suggests that the Internet was most active during the Mexico-South Africa game and stayed heavy through the France-Uruguay game. It’s also very likely that today being a workday had more people turning to their office computers to follow the action, instead of their TVs.

The day’s traffic far exceeded the previous record of 8.5 million vpm, which was set when Barack Obama won the U.S. presidential election.

WebQuests - Students as Investigators!

A WebQuest as the term implies is a web-based, inquiry-oriented activity with the aim to guide students in online learning. During the scholastic year most of us give students either projects or assignments to be worked in groups.

The use of WebQuests will help students to work in groups more effectively. The main objective of the activity is to promote critical thinking and ‘transformative’ learning outcomes, accomplished through the reading, analysis, and synthesis of web-based information. In fact a good advantage in using WebQuests is that students need to use more their thinking abilities and are required to compare, contrast, make decisions and recommendations accordingly. Therefore they cannot lean on a quick cut and paste for their answers.

Here are two WebQuest examples:
http://questgarden.com/104/96/8/100612112623/index.htm
http://questgarden.com/80/56/4/090414191926/index.htm

If WebQuest is structured properly then students will learn through discovery. This higher level of thinking is what we teachers are striving for all students to achieve. Therefore, when students participate in WebQuests they will learn to search effectively, evaluate what they find, and put it to use.

Through my experience and what my colleagues say it seems that most of our students do not actually know how to conduct a proper research. WebQuest provides a guided research. Therefore we teachers can help students to improve their research skills by the use of WebQuests.

Quiz Games in Lectures

In this post I would like to discuss the positive impact that, I believe, quiz-oriented games can have in our lectures. When I was younger what I liked to play the most were not the usual games that others used to play, such as the sims or black and white...

I really used to enjoy The Weakest Link for example (which is the PC game inspired by a show on BBC). http://www.gamespot.com/pc/puzzle/weakestlink/index.html

I also really liked Family Feud, which is also a quiz game:
http://www.gamefools.com/onlinegames/free/FamilyFeud2.html

I have been thinking that such games can be educational for our students and at the same time fun to play. It would be nice if there existed a quiz pack which schools could buy. Ideally this would consist of a set of buzzers (that would be fun..) and what's most important is that the software would allow the teacher to input his/her own questions, and possibly even shuffle them.

I know Moodle has a quiz feature but it is not so fun...

Different Models of E-learning

Four different models of e-learning were identified by Roberts and Jones (2000). These models are (i) the naïve model, (ii) the standard model, (iii) the evolutionary model and (iv) the radical model.

(i) The naïve model
This model is the most widely used. The characteristic of this type of model is that of putting the lecture notes on the web. It provides no opportunity for interaction or feedback. The two major advantages of this model are, that it is relatively cheap to implement, in that is does not need a lot of sophisticated hardware and software resources. Also the amount of tutor time required is minimal. The model is less threatening to students, as no or little advanced technology skills are required.

(ii) The standard model
The standard model attempts to make use of the advantages of the technology in order to allow a significant degree of communication and interaction between students and tutors. It incorporates a subject home page which includes subject material such as unit outlines and assessment guide and session materials such as lecture notes, tutorials and reading materials. It also provides the provision of email lists and newsgroups to enable communication between students and with students and the subject coordinator.

When making use of this model the students usually expect to have online information which is error free and which is at the same time always up to date. Another disadvantage of this model is the increased amount of time required to establish, maintain and keep current information throughout the semester.

(iii) The evolutionary model
The evolutionary model allows for feedback from students, which is received on a weekly and anonymous basis, to dictate how the course should change and evolve from one semester to another (Svensson et al, 1999). This feedback exposes the weaknesses and strengths that the course might have.

Differences that exist between the evolutionary model and the standard model are lectures that are pre-recorded and are available in more than one format, for example, both on CD and on the web; animations are used to explain many of the concepts and actual normal lectures are given only in response to students’ requests for further explanation of particular topics. All assignments are submitted, marked and returned electronically and a feedback mechanism is provided for students to give constructive comments on how the subject is progressing.

(iv) The radical model
The radical model makes no use of the traditional lecture format whatsoever (Romm and Taylor, 2000). Instead students are formed into groups in order to learn by interacting amongst themselves by making use of the vast amount of existing web-based resources. In this type of model the academic staff members will provide guidance as and when required.

Roberts, T. S. & Jones, D. T. (2000). Four models of on-line teaching. Proceedings of the Technological Education and National Development Conference. Crossroads of the New Millennium. April 8-10, 2000, Abu Dhabia. United Arab Erimates.

Romm, C. T. and Taylor, W. (2000). Thinking creatively about on-line education. In M. Khosrowpour (Ed), Challenges of Information Technology Management in the 21st Century, 1167-1169. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing, IRMA conference, Anchorage, USA.

Svensson, L., Andersson, R., Gadd, M. and Johnson, A. (1999). Course-Barometer: Compensating for the loss of informal feedback in distance education. In B. Collis & R. Oliver (Eds), Proceedings of EdMedia '99, 1612-1613, Seattle, Washington.

Information overload or filter failure?

Information overload is something that I frequently think about. We are surrounded by information and so are our students. However, are the student’s assignments any better than those submitted by students 50 years ago and are our lectures any better than those of lecturers who preceded us? While some people believe that more choice is always better, more choice leads to more confusion and it makes it more difficult for individuals to process all the information and make an informed decision.

But is it really a question of information overload or filter failure? In one of the first posts, Gilbert mentioned that today's youngsters have developed an adapted neurological structure to meet the advancements in technology. Could it be that contemporary man is still primitive in terms of filtering information and this is why we feel a sense of information overload? In the clip below the speaker Clay Shirky argues that human beings will require “re-programming” rather than “updating” and social norms will have to change to meet the new dimensions brought about by new technology.

NOTE: The clip below is only suitable for the courageous few as it is a 23 minute information overload in itself. The speaker at the Web 2.0 Expo provides several examples to distinguish between information overload and filter failure. Some interesting points including ethical/legal issues in e-learning, the use of Facebook amongst students, etc. are brought up in his speech (always given that you can tolerate his filler words right through the presentation).

E-learning generations - From e-learning 1.0 to 3.0

E-learning, is a emerging concept. E-learning generations (1.0 onwards) define new attitudes, tools and approaches from tutors and learners, as well as new technologies and new methodologies. If you bear through the initial (boring) part of the presentation and the unreadable slides (!), the speaker however moves on to give an explanation on the evolution of e-learning from version 1.0, on to 2.0 and further to 3.0.

Censorship

With all the talk on censorship I thought I would blog on the topic.

PC's are excellent tools for education, like most stuff that encourage experiments and interaction, abuse and misuse is commonplace. I have heard students asking how the firewalls at the Library IT systems can be bypassed and some boasting on how they managed to enter Facebook and play Farmville on MCAST's IT system! While this may be harmless I do wonder how vulnerable our IT systems may be. It is not just about accessing pornography, it's also about blocking games, music, images, video and peer-to-peer programs, the downloading of copyright and illegal material such as viruses or spyware.

The U.S. Supreme Court placed the onus on schools to shield students from online indecency. In the UK all schools have a responsibility to filter both access at school and any access pupils are given as part of home-school links. Where are we in all of this?

Assessing e-learning platforms

In this blog I'm sharing some points I gathered from a paper which debates whether e-learning is actually a value adding process that challenges the way of teaching. This paper is titled "e-learning waste of time" and describes why some e-learning courses are really a waste of time, but also provides an innovative method of assessing e-learning platforms as described later on when discussing the MDL cube.

At first glance e-learning lecture based courses often fail to promote this 'value creating process' for both students and teachers, and the realization of such course requires enormous efforts. Some people regard e-learning implementation as simple as publishing a presentation online, which others promote themselves as e-learning specialists without any scientific basis. High dropout rates from e-learning courses is often due to insufficient efforts in creating value in e-learning.

The authors argue that the vast majority of e-learning applications such as BlackBoard fail to establish a unique learning experience. Utilising such systems reveals the inflexible knowledge management processes since e-learning is mainly about management of knowledge. E-learning needs much more effort for equal or improved learning outcomes when compared to traditional learning. High acceptance of e-learning depends on joint efforts combining the teachers, students, technology and learning processes.

The majority of e-learning platforms base their characteristics on simulating the traditional way of teaching. A number of essential questions such as the following emerge:

1. How does e-learning differ from traditional learning?

2. Can we define concrete ways by which to enrich content in virtual environment?

The common practice is to buy an e-learning platform, adopt or buy content and deliver the material to learners. This is an easy way to claim presence on e-learning, regardless of the absence of ways by which value should be passed on the the learners.

The concept of Multidimensional Dynamic e-Learning (MDL) is introduced by the authors which is a research they are doing on expanding the traditional considerations for e-learning importance. This model is based on three dimensions:

1. The Knowledge Management dimension
2. The e-Learning dimension
3. The application integration dimension

1. Knowledge management sophistication is the ability of the e-learning platform to manage learning content in various formats, for instance managing to set content into a common cross-platform scheme such as by using XML.

2. The E-Learning dimension summarizes the ability of the e-learning system to construct effective learning mechanisms and learning processes supporting the achievement of different educational goals such as learning styles, learning needs and learning templates.

3. The application integration dimension refers to the ability to collaborate with other applications. For example this could relate to how the e-learning platform could connect to a school managment system such as e-sims.

With the use of this model, every e-learning platform can be positioned somewhere on the MDL cube shown above. This approach sets a method for evaluation of any e-learning platform. The development of a system that realizes the upper right layers of the cube would be ideal.

Find the full text of the paper by D. Lytras, Pouloudi, E-Learning: Just a waste of Time making it quite an interesting read especially for those looking into methods and criteria on which to assess e-learning systems.

E-learning Project Management

Internet solves practical problems

Without any doubt, one must say that eLearning can hardly be achieved without an internet connection. This worldwide network between computers has not just enabled an information era but also an era of practicality.

Initially the personal computers at home where independent and solitary, never socializing with any other computer around. So floppy drives were created so that files created on one PC can be carried onto another. Floppy drives eventually evolved into laptops so that it's not just the individual files that are carried around but the whole PC. Then networks, including large ones like the internet cropped in. But as time goes along, people request for information to be delivered as close to what they are naturally used to, to what their body permits. People want realtime videos through the eyes, dolby audio through the ears, touch with the fingers and balance with the body.

We are getting very close to our senses. Great scientists have managed to reproduce vision, hearing, touch, direction and balance but are still missing on Taste, Smell, Acceleration, Temperature, Kinesthetic sense, Pain and Other internal senses usually present in babies or sensitive individuals. For vision we get high quality videos, for audio we get surround systems; as far as touch, balance and direction are concerned, robotics are getting real close and our mobiles and digital cameras do know whether they're facing north or south and were the floor is.

But these digital files like video files (mov, divx, wmv, flv etc...) and audio files (wav, mp3, ogg etc...) are large in terms of bits and bytes. We are talking of hundreds of megabytes and to carry them around in USB drives, DVDs or external hard disks is becoming impractical. One can lose a pen drive, break it, infect it with a virus, forget it at work etc... Take my personal scenario:

I have a laptop and a home PC; I also have a PC at my mum's home being only recently married; I also have a computer at work and a smartphone. My files are scattered all over these computers. I have a full-time job at MCAST were I save lots of files and stuff about work and notes etc... I also study for a post-graduate certificate in VET and I keep a soft copy of all the notes I take in class and assignments etc... Further to that I am a software development freelancer obviously having lots of stuff to save and to showcase. Sometimes I work on MCAST stuff at home, I study for PGC both from home and work and if I'm waiting at the doctor I also review some stuff whilst waiting in queue with my smart phone. How do I manage never to lose my work? My solution is simple. It is called dropbox and if you watch this video you can understand better. After all keeping yourself organized is an important skill required for success in education.

e-learning 2.0

"e-learning 2.0 refers to a second phase of e-learning based on Web 2.0 and emerging trends in e-learning. ...The term suggests that the traditional model of e-learning as a type of content produced by publishers, organized and structured into courses, and consumed by students, is reveresed, so that the content is used rather than read and is more likely to be produced by students than courseware authors."
[Gonella, Li, & Panto, E. (2008). Didactic architectures and organization models. eLearning Papers.]

I tried to add a video to complement this quote about e-learning 2.0 but unfortunately i didn't manage to find one. e-learning 2.0 is the new e-learning method which we're currently experiencing. I would recommend this system only at certain levels of education - for example on BTEC Higher Nationals programmes and at Universities as such system would require alot of good contributional material from the learners.

MiRTLE: A Mixed Reality Teaching & Learning Environment

I came across this very interesting project which would make distance learning more feasible. In the context of MCAST, this could be applied to offer some courses currently available only in Malta, such as the HND courses at the ICT institute, to Gozitan students or even foreign students without the need for them to relocate to Malta. Mixed Reality Teaching & Learning Environment (MiRTLE), was a one-year collaborative research project undertaken by Sun Microsystems Laboratories and the University of Essex from October 2007. Virtual worlds have been used to address some issues such as giving users a greater sense of presence and engagement than other communication/collaboration technologies, such as instant messaging, chat, audio/video conferencing or application sharing. However, few of the virtual worlds enable a mixed reality of physically present and remote students. The vision for the project MiRTLE was for a combination of physically-present and remote students in a traditional instructive higher education setting. This solution should augment existing teaching practice with the ability to foster a sense of community amongst remote students, and between remote and physically-present students.

First iPad University Course

Rutgers University and Apple's higher education team are collaborating on a Mini-MBA in Digital Marketing that will fully integrate the iPad.

Rather than placing the entire course content online, the program will take place in the classroom, but will provide students with iPads loaded with all required reading material, videos and custom applications.

Eric Greenburg, who is the director of the program, is hoping to merge the benefits of the instructor-led learning as well as the power and flexibility of the iPad. In an interview for The eLearning Coach, Mr. Greenburg says that he believes that the iPad has the potential to create new markets, and new ways for people to create content and communicate with one another, giving the iPad the potential to transform the classroom experience. He also outlined a plan to set up social networks for students to communicate both during and after the course.

It is very interesting to see how certain organisations are taking the initiative to incorporate both traditional methods of education and e-learning methods, to come up with innovative methods of teaching which may be more appealing to the students, thus increasing their interest and commitment towards their course.