Online Learning News - August 19, 2020

Dr. David Chandross

David is currently a senior scholar at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University where he conducts design projects in serious games across the learning industry. He teaches in the masters of digital media program and supervises graduate students working in the field of serious game development.

Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd

With over thirty years’ experience in teaching online as well as developing online programs and courses. Dr. Murgatroyd designed, developed and implemented the world’s first online MBA as Executive Director, Centre for Innovative Management at Athabasca University.

Dr. Terry Anderson

Terry is a Professor Emeritus and former Canada Research Chair in the Centre for Distance Education and the Technology Enhanced Knowledge Research Centre at Athabasca University, Alberta, Canada. Terry was part of the research group that created the Community of Inquiry model, the most widely cited model for both course development and teaching research in online education.

3 Free Contact North I Contact Nord Webinars to Help Get You Ready for Back to College or University!

Join us for 3 FREE, practical and interactive webinars to assist faculty and instructors get ready for teaching in the fall. For more information and to register, click on the titles below.

How to Build Simulation Games Using Online Platforms Such as Zoom, an LMS or WordPress

Monday, August 24, 2020, from 11:00 a.m to 12:30 p.m. (ET)

Host: Dr. David Chandross, Serious Games Expert & Senior Scholar, Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University

How to Help Your Students Succeed in Their Online Courses

Wednesday, August 26, 2020, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. (ET)

Host: Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd, Chief Innovation Officer, Contact North | Contact Nord

Back to (online) School using the Community of Inquiry Model

Friday, August 28, 2020, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (ET)

Host: Dr. Terry Anderson, Research Associate, Contact North | Contact Nord

A Free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to Help Students Successfully Learn Online

Monday, August 10 to Sunday, September 13, 2020

Contact North | Contact Nord and Athabasca University are offering a massive open online course, Learning to Learn Online (LTLO), to introduce concepts and practices important to successfully learning online. Students can start the course anytime but must complete it no later than September 13, 2020.

LTLO is intended for students who are learning online for the first time or want to improve their approach to online learning, and is also open to teachers or educational professionals who want to support their students in learning online.

For more information and to register visit https://contactnorth.ltlo.ca/.

Register Now!

Using Zoom to Teach Online Training Sessions and Resources

College and university faculty and instructors, literacy and basic skills and training providers are increasingly using Zoom to teach and train. Zoom is fast becoming a learning platform of choice.

Contact North | Contact Nord is offering a series of free, 60-minute live demonstrations and practical webinars on how to teach online with Zoom for faculty and instructors, in addition to a variety of resources.

For more information on the sessions and the upcoming schedule, visit https://teachonline.ca/training-opportunities/using-zoom-to-teach-online-training-sessions-and-resources-for-faculty-and-instructors.

Discover the Innovative Learning Designs, Tools and Technologies being used at l’Université du Québec and Yorkville University

Explore how integrating agile design made it possible to ensure maximum flexibility and currency in the choice of tools and technologies, essential in a course on the integration of technology in teaching as part of the Master of Secondary Education at l’Université du Québec à Trois Rivières in Quebec, Canada. The tools and examples used each year reflect the latest in technologies and pedagogical thinking.

Learn how Yorkville University in New Brunswick, Canada designed a strategy to offer practicums in counselling at a distance to a quality standard acceptable to the professional regulatory bodies for counselling and psychotherapy. Interaction between students and clients are recorded and analyzed by the course instructor, site supervisors, and the student.

Explore the Largest Searchable Directory of Vendors of Online Learning Products and Services Worldwide!

With over 3,200 vendors of online learning products and services worldwide, this searchable directory provides colleges, universities, training providers, faculty and instructors with information on how to find the latest products and services to help improve the learning experience for their students.

These vendors offer products and services ranging from software to hosting and organizing learning content to adaptive learning systems that use intelligent algorithms to adjust learning to suit individual needs.

Explore Contact North I Contact Nord’s Searchable Directory

Read Dr. Tony Bates’ Blog Post

In this blog post, Dr. Bates shares his reflections about online learning during COVID-19.

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

Research reports on Covid-19 and emergency remote learning/online learning

Must-Read Books on Online Learning

Must-Read Books on Online Learning features books and articles of interest to those involved in the expansion and improvement of online learning.

Kurzman, P.A. and Littlefield, M.B. (Eds).(2020). Online and Distance Social Work Education – Current Practice and Future Trends. New York: Routledge.

Social work education is a mix of theory and hands-on practice under supervision with support. Covering a range of topics, contributors to this edited collection focus on innovative pedagogy, strengthening assessment of practice, simulation, remote supervision, ethics and diversity and a range of materials on quality assurance. Chapters include materials from the US, New Zealand, the UK and Canada. Full of ideas and insights of relevance not just to social work educators, but all who work in human services.

Browse all Must-Read Books