International Pockets of Innovation

Ground-Breaking Practices in Online Learning From Educators

The International Pockets of Innovation series showcases a broad range of examples of best practices in online learning from faculty and instructors in higher education around the world, including Ireland, Norway, France, Iceland, Spain, Italy, US, Israel, Costa Rica, Scotland, England, Sweden and Germany, with more added each month. These descriptions highlight models and resources that can be adapted in many educational settings to improve student success in online, blended, and technology-enhanced learning.

In this growing series, Contact North | Contact Nord features projects with three specific characteristics:

They represent a new approach.
They support students.
The developers are prepared to share their innovations, the challenges they encountered and what they learned with public colleges and universities in Ontario, as well as colleagues around the world.

This international series complements Contact North | Contact Nord’s Pockets of Innovation Series with 135 examples of how innovative educators in Ontario’s public colleges and public universities are using online learning to provide engaging learning experiences for students as well as the Cross Canada series with examples from Canada, outside of Ontario.

Delivering Learning to Students around the World through the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO in Italy

The Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO (International Telematic University UNINETTUNO) in Italy evolved from a consortium of 43 Italian public universities, the Italian Telephone Company, and RAI, the national public broadcaster set up in 1992. Called CONSORZIO NETTUNO, its goal was to... Learn more about Delivering Learning to Students around the World through the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO in Italy
A Nation-Wide Teaching Training Initiative Focused on Enhanced Student Learning Led by the Fundación Omar Dengo in Costa Rica

Thirty years ago, the non-profit Fundación Omar Dengo in Costa Rica took the lead in the creation of the National Program of Educational Informatics (PRONIE) in partnership with the Ministry of Public Education. This program introduced computers in schools as tools, not only for... Learn more about A Nation-Wide Teaching Training Initiative Focused on Enhanced Student Learning Led by the Fundación Omar Dengo in Costa Rica
Supporting Success for Students with Disabilities at the National Distance Education University (UNED) in Spain

At the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (National Distance Education University), best known as UNED, in Spain, a service to support students with disabilities started in response to growing numbers of students with special needs. In Spain, people with disabilities have higher rates of... Learn more about Supporting Success for Students with Disabilities at the National Distance Education University (UNED) in Spain
Blending Ancient and Modern: Using MOOCs and Blended Learning to Teach Babylonian Cuneiform Writing at the Università Ca’ Foscari in Italy

Public universities in Italy recently received funding from the government to encourage innovation, particularly in the use of technologies and e-learning. At Università Ca’ Foscari in Venice, Professor Paola Corò successfully applied for funding to convert her face-to-face course in Babylonian... Learn more about Blending Ancient and Modern: Using MOOCs and Blended Learning to Teach Babylonian Cuneiform Writing at the Università Ca’ Foscari in Italy
Multicultural Collaborative Online Learning and Teaching Designed and Implemented by the Centre for Technology, Education and Cultural Diversity in Israel

The national Israeli educational system is divided into two subgroups: Jewish and Arab, and the Jewish system is further subdivided into secular and religious (Orthodox). Teacher education colleges are also divided into these three groups. To bring these three distinct cultural groups together, a... Learn more about Multicultural Collaborative Online Learning and Teaching Designed and Implemented by the Centre for Technology, Education and Cultural Diversity in Israel
Providing and Supporting Self-Access Language Learning at the University of Barcelona, Spain

The University of Barcelona in Spain has over 65,500 students, 5,300 faculty members and researchers, and almost 2,300 other staff, spread over 6 campuses. To prepare its graduates for international careers, the University wanted to offer opportunities for language learning beyond those... Learn more about Providing and Supporting Self-Access Language Learning at the University of Barcelona, Spain
Creating Presence in an Online Doctoral Program at the University of Florida

Faculty members in the College of Education at the University of Florida in Gainesville, which offers an online Masters program and an on-campus PhD in Curriculum and Instruction, developed an online Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on Educational Technology to serve... Learn more about Creating Presence in an Online Doctoral Program at the University of Florida
Integrating MOOCs into Credit Courses at the University of Iceland

Distance learning programs have long been offered through the School of Education at the University of Iceland; however, very few distance education courses were available to students in other programs at the university. One exception is Icelandic Online courses, seven language courses offered... Learn more about Integrating MOOCs into Credit Courses at the University of Iceland
Using Open Badges to Visualize Learning at the Beuth University of Applied Sciences, Germany and the Open Badge Network

Dr. Ilona Buchem, Professor for Communication and Media Sciences at the Beuth University of Applied Sciences in Berlin, Germany recognized the potential of badges to offer additional recognition not part of formal summative evaluations of universities.
Designing, Implementing and Evaluating Contemporary Models of Teaching and Learning at the National Institute for Digital Learning at Dublin City University, Ireland

The National Institute for Digital Learning (NIDL) is focused on becoming a world leader in the design, implementation, and evaluation of contemporary models of teaching and learning, with numerous institutional and collaborative initiatives underway to reach this goal. Mark Brown points... Learn more about Designing, Implementing and Evaluating Contemporary Models of Teaching and Learning at the National Institute for Digital Learning at Dublin City University, Ireland

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International Pockets of Innovation

Ground-Breaking Practices in Online Learning From Educators

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