Online Learning News - March 10, 2021

Back by Popular Demand!

Contact North | Contact Nord’s
Top Attended Webinar!

How to Motivate and Retain Online Learners

Thursday, March 18, 2021
10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. (ET)

Register Now!

Join Dr. Curtis Bonk, Professor of Instructional Systems Technology, Indiana University, for a one-hour free webinar to learn:

• 10 fully documented and theoretically driven motivational principles that foster interactivity and engagement online.
• A realistic path toward meaningful and engaging online learning.
• Simple and flexible framework for motivating online learners that works.
• Research backed and proven interactive online ideas and activities.

Learn how to inspire your online learners with an assembly of meaningful and purposeful learning activities. Simply put, bored and unengaged online learners will be a thing of the past.

Physics Mastery Modules Support Student Learning

An Ontario Technical University Innovation

Disenchanted with a textbook publisher’s online homework modules for first-year physics students, Ontario Tech University professor Dr. Joseph MacMillan set out to create his own. Read how Dr. MacMillan designed and developed 12 interactive, multimedia modules covering all topics in his course PHY 1010 Physics I.

Spots Still Available!

Learn About Assessment On Demand
and Assessment-Only Credentials in Canada

Thursday, March 11, 2021
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (ET)

Register Now!

Join us for the third and final webinar in the series What’s New in Micro-Credentials: International Perspectives. This free one-hour webinar investigates the emerging technologies: AI, blockchain and immersive learning and the impact on skills-based learning and assessment.

Our hosts, Laura Jo Gunter, President and CEO, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), and Dr. Misheck Mwaba, Bow Valley College President and CEO, explore:

• Whether assessment on demand is possible.
• If new approaches to assessment make a difference to employer and learner confidence in the value of micro-credentials.
• If assessment through technology will lead to changes in how we look at the skills agenda.
• The challenges of introducing new ways of approaching assessment.
• When assessment-only credentials and assessment on demand will become part of the post-secondary landscape in Canada.
• The innovation process through a case example, Bow Valley College’s Pivot-Ed, what is it and what it took to launch.

Contact North | Contact Nord’s Directory
of 75+ Ontario EdTech Companies

Ontario is a major hub in the fast-growing EdTech market, with more than 75 established and recent start-ups in educational technology and corporate training.

With this searchable directory, Contact North | Contact Nord provides colleges, universities, training providers and investors from around the world with information on how to find the latest products and services from Ontario-based EdTech companies. Their products and services often lead to improved learning experiences.

Explore the Directory

Free Contact North | Contact Nord Webinar

How to Effectively Use Zoom to Provide an Interactive and Engaged Learning Experience to Students

Tuesday, March 16, 2021
2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (ET)

Register Now!

Join Contact North | Contact Nord Research Associate, Dr. Ron Owston for this interactive session focusing on topics such as:

• Engaging students through breakout rooms
• Promoting collaboration with whiteboards and document annotation
• Enhancing class presentations, including how to use free OBS Studio video software
• Obtaining feedback through polling and other tools
• Involving students through screen sharing
• Organizing large enrolment classes

Read Dr. Tony Bates’ Blog Post

In this blog post, Dr. Bates continues on his theme of inequity arising from the switch from in-person to emergency remote learning by focusing on children and students with special needs.

Read Contact North I Contact Nord Research Associate Dr. Tony Bates’ blog post: 

Resources to support special education students studying online 

Another Must-Read Book
on Online Learning

Digital Disruption in Teaching and Testing – Assessments, Big Data, and the Transformation of Schooling

By Claire Wyatt-Smith, Bob Lingard, Elizabeth Heck (2021)

Though focused on compulsory school systems, this book is highly relevant to all who work in schools, colleges and universities. It is a collection of papers from around the world offering a radical and critical analysis of current developments in both assessment (especially high-stakes testing, but also the use of testing for assessment generally), analytics and the deployment of technology-enabled learning. Great contributions by some leading scholars here – Sam Sellar, Ben Williamson, David Rutowski, Greg Thompson, Anna Hogan – it is strongly focused on the dynamics and tensions associated with digital transformation.

Browse all Must-Read Books

Most Popular Resources on teachonline.ca

1. A New Pedagogy Is Emerging... and Online Learning Is a Key Contributing Factor
2. Contact North | Contact Nord Webinars
3. Training and Resources
4. 2017 Top Ten Books on Online Learning 
5. Ten Facts You Need to Know About Micro-Credentials