Monthly Archive for November, 2011

Coding – The New Latin

Published on November 29, 2011 in News and Newsletter. 0 Comments

Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC

Today the likes of Google, Microsoft and other leading technology names will lend their support to the case made to the government earlier this year in a report called Next Gen. It argued that the UK could be a global hub for the video games and special effects industries – but only if its education system got its act together.

The statistics on the numbers going to university to study computing make sobering reading. In 2003 around 16,500 students applied to UCAS for places on computer science courses.

By 2007 that had fallen to just 10,600, and although it’s recovered a little to 13,600 last year, that’s at a time in major growth in overall applications, so the percentage of students looking to study the subject has fallen from 5% to 3%. What’s more, computing science’s reputation as a geeky male subject has been reinforced, with the percentage of male applicants rising over the period from 84% to 87%.

But the problem, according to those campaigning for change, begins at school with ICT – a subject seen by its detractors as teaching clerical skills rather than any real understanding of computing.

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Online-Course Enrollments Grow, but at a Slower Pace. Is a Plateau Approaching?

Published on November 17, 2011 in News and Newsletter. 0 Comments

By Marc Parry, Chronicle of Higher Education

Enrollment in online courses grew by more than 10 percent between fall 2009 and fall 2010, continuing a steady climb that dates back years, according to the Babson Survey Research Group’s annual survey of more than 2,500 higher-education institutions.

More than 6.1 million students took at least one online class during the fall 2010 semester, says the report, “Going the Distance: Online Education in the United States 2011,” formerly called the Sloan Survey of Online Learning. That’s an increase of 560,000 students over the previous year. An online course is now part of the college experience for 31 percent of all students.

Substantial as the recent growth has been—it far outpaced the 2-percent growth rate in higher education over all—this year’s enrollment rise paled beside the 21-percent surge reported in last year’s Sloan report.

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Ubiquitous Learning Journal, Volume 3, Issue 4 now available

Published on November 14, 2011 in Journal and Newsletter. 0 Comments

ubiquitous_frontThe fourth issue of Volume 3 of Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal has now been published.

Volume 3, Number 4 contains:

Continue reading ‘Ubiquitous Learning Journal, Volume 3, Issue 4 now available’

2012 Ubiquitous Learning Conference

Published on November 13, 2011 in Conference and Newsletter. 0 Comments Tags: .

Location and Date:

The 2012 Ubiquitous Learning Conference will take place at the iHotel and Conference Center, Urbana-Champaign from 12-13 October.  For more information, please visit www.ULConference.com

Call for Papers

If you intend to present a paper at the conference, your participation begins with submission of a paper proposal. For information on proposals, presentation types, and other options please see click here.   To submit a proposal, please see this page.  If your proposal is accepted, you will then need to register for the conference.

Registration

Those who submit paper proposals should register following the acceptance of the proposal.  Conference delegates who do not intend to present may register at any time. For registration options, or to register for the 2012 Ubiquitous Learning Conference, see our registration page.

Themes

For more about these themes, please click here.

Scope and Concerns

Information about the Ubiquitous Learning community scope and concerns can be seen here.

 

Please feel free to contact us at any time with questions or concerns at support@ubi-learn.com

Students Push Their Facebook Use Further Into Course Work

Published on November 8, 2011 in News and Newsletter. 0 Comments

By Alexandra Rice, Chronicle of Higher Education

College students are taking social media to a new level, using Web sites like Facebook to communicate with other students about their coursework, according to results of a new survey on student technology use.

Nine out of 10 college students say they use Facebook for social purposes, like writing status updates and posting pictures. And the majority, 58 percent, say they feel comfortable using it to connect with other students to discuss homework assignments and exams. One out of four students even went so far as to say they think Facebook is “valuable” or “extremely valuable” to their academic success.

The survey was conducted in June by the Educause Center for Applied Research, and was taken by 3,000 students from more than 1,000 colleges. The results show how technology is shaping students’ lives both inside and outside the classroom.

To Read More…