A recent Edudemic article stated that “The most popular complaints about online learning are lack of engagement, slow response time from the instructor, and a loss of the sense of community.”
Jennifer Campbell, the author, is correct—it is time to revolutionize online education. The current model at many colleges and universities mimics traditional on-campus education, where students pay tuition to study in professor-led classes that meet at specific times and last from eight to 11 weeks. This model has not translated well for online students. Text-driven websites that provide little or no graphics and limited interaction with faculty and fellow students are not the answer.
The technology and the tools exist for higher education to build innovative online environments that will revolutionize online education and training efforts. Now is the time for online education to make use of this technology and come into its own.
KnowU: A Place For Online Students To Connect
We are leading the way at Harrison College with a new academic venture called “KnowU,” where online students learn in an interactive, graphic-rich environment that allows them to connect with one another in a social network setting. Our students enjoy the ability to import their personal Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts.
KnowU (@KnowU_) uses sophisticated analytical engines to suggest resources based on the students’ academic, personal and career needs, such as locating internships or alerting an advisor. It connects students to full 24/7 support as well, based on their preferences and situations. Online students at Harrison College’s KnowU benefit from a stronger sense of belonging to a community.
Experts in e-learning worldwide are taking notice. For example, Alastair Creelman, who works with e-learning and distance learning at Linnaeus University in Kalmar, Sweden, and who is interested in open educational resources and the use of social media, has tweeted positively about KnowU. And a recent shout out for KnowU came from Jane Hart, founder of the Centre for Learning and Performance Technologies in the United Kingdom. In her blog, “Learning in the Social Workplace,” Hart says she expects we will be seeing quite a few more examples of learning in education that look like KnowU crop up in 2012.
One-third of the students who started at Harrison College this fall took all of their classes online, and two-thirds of our current students are taking at least one class online. These figures reflect what is happening nationally, with online academic programs surging everywhere.
Higher education today is a dynamic competitive environment, and many students will be drawn to the promise and rich reward of virtual educational experiences such as KnowU. I invite you to take a look at the future of education at knowu.harrison.edu.
Screenshot of a KnowU Account
Study Hall app on facebook offers the same, as a private overlay on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=34372520392
Pingback: Today’s Note: KnowU is an Educational Social Learning Network « todaysnote
“Know U allows students to connect with each other in a social media setting” That line alone shows how far removed this company or the marketers they paid are from understanding students or social networks. The ridiculous flash website also shows how little they understand about usability or current web standards. Best of luck to you all. By the way living online in social networks is not community. It’s isolation, and if the future of the world consists of everyone stuck in front of screens all day to maximize the profits of the multi-billion dollar education industry, well. God have mercy on your soul.