susan d. patrick president and ceo north american council for online learning
TRANSCRIPT
Susan D. Patrick
President and CEO
North American Council for Online Learning
North American Council for Online Learning NACOL is the premier K-12 nonprofit organization
in the field of online learning. Provides leadership, advocacy, research, training
and networking with experts in K-12 online learning.
“Ensure every student has access to the best education available regardless of geography, income or background.”
Virtual School Symposium (VSS) “Redesign Powered by Online Learning” Dallas, Texas - November 5-7, 2006
Global Workforce
Competitiveness: Science, Technology, Engineering, Math Innovation, Risk-taking, Creativity China, India and Russia: 3 billion Intel Science Competition 2004
65,000 Americans entered 6 million Chinese students
Mexico Digital Curriculum and Instruction International E-Learning
China, India, Japan, Korea, European Union, Singapore, Australia, UK, Ghana, etc.
Developing a new education strategy centered, powered by online learning
What Students Need to Know: 21st Century Skills and ICT literacy
The future will demand people who can express themselves effectively with images, animation, sound, and video, solve real world problems that require processing and analysis of thousands of numbers, evaluate information for accuracy, reliability, and validity; and organize information into valuable knowledge, yet students are not learning these skills in school.
Defining 21st Century ICT Literacy
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills defined 6 key elements of 21st Century Learning
1. Emphasize core subjects.2. Emphasize learning skills.3. Use 21st Century tools to develop learning skills.4. Teach and learn in 21st century context.5. Teach and learn 21st century content.6. Use 21st century assessments that measure 21st
century skills.
Explosion in E-Learning and Virtual Schools
Distance Education in K-12 Public Schools 2002-2003 (NCES 2005)
328,000 enrollments in 2002-2003 36% of public school districts have students enrolled in distance
education courses Of these districts, 72% plan to expand their distance education
courses Distance education provides more course options to public
school students 50% of districts offered Advanced Placement or college-level
courses 80% cited the most important reason as offering courses not
otherwise available at the school
Percentage Distribution of Enrollments in Distance Education Courses: 2002-03Percentage Distribution of Enrollments in Distance Education Courses: 2002-03
2%1%
68%
29%
ElementarySchools (1%)
Middle or JuniorHigh Schools(2%)
High Schools(68%)
Combined orUngradedSchools (29%)
Reasons for Offering Distance Education CoursesReasons for Offering Distance Education Courses
4%
8%
17%
23%
50%
59%
80%
12%
17%
15%
33%
19%
22%
11%
77%
72%
64%
41%
26%
15%
9%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Generating More District revenue
Growing Populations and Limited Space
Permitting Students Who've Failed to TakeAgain
Reducing Scheduling Conflict
Offering AP Courses
Meeting Needs of Specific Student Groups
Offering Courses Not Otherwise Available
Very Important Somewhat Important Not Important
Distance Education at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions: 2000-2001
56% of all 2-year and 4-year institutions offer e-learning courses
127,000 online courses offered 3,077,000 enrollments in distance education
courses 90% use asynchronous Internet based courses 51% use two-way interactive videoconferencing
Sharing Research to Inform PolicySharing Research to Inform Policy
#1 Online Learning Expands Options “The first impetus to the growth of K-12 distance education was an
interest in expanding educational options and providing equal opportunities for all learners.” (p.7)
#2 Online Learning Is Rapidly Growing “Recent Surveys show that K-12 online learning is a rapidly growing
phenomenon.” (p.4) Clark: 40,000-50,000 enrollments in 2000-2001 Eduventures: 300,000 K-12 enrollments online 2002-3 USED/NCES: 328,000 enrollments in distance ed 2002-3 Peak Group: 500,000 enrollments in 2005 Growing 30% annually
What Leaders Need to Know: What Leaders Need to Know: Four Key IdeasFour Key Ideas
Online Learning Works
#3 Is Effective: “Equal or Better” “One conclusion seems clear: On average, students
seem to perform equally well or better academically in online learning.” (p. 17)
#4 Improves Teaching Teachers who teach online reported positive
improvements in face-to-face, too. “Of those who reported teaching face-to-face while
teaching online or subsequently, three in four reported a positive impact on their face-to-face teaching.”
(p. 25)
Are Online Students Engaged?
84%95%
90%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Apex FLVS VHS
Online Course Completion Rates
Percentage of studentscompleting onlinecourses
Apex= Apex Learning, Inc FLVS= Florida Virtual School VHS=Virtual High School
Are Online Students Learning?
Apex= Apex Learning, Inc FLVS= Florida Virtual School VHS=Virtual High School
60% 66% 70% 70%
0%20%40%60%80%
100%
National Apex FLVS VHS
AP Pass Rates
Percentage of Students with 3 or Higher
Online Learning – National Education Technology Plan Goals related to E-Learning (pages 8-9)
Provide every student access to e-learning Enable every teacher to participate in e-learning training Encourage the use of e-learning options to meet NCLB
requirements (HQT, SES, choice) Explore creative ways to fund e-learning Develop quality measures and accreditation standards for e-
learning that require those required for course credit
www.NationalEdTechPlan.org
Gallup Poll October 2005
40% of adults want students to take an online class for graduation from high school
Michigan April 2006
First state to require “online learning” In new high school graduation
requirements: “every student must have an online learning experience or course”
Need for online learning is greatest with students to access skills they will need to get ahead and compete in an increasingly technological workplace
1952
68% H.S. Graduation Rate
Prepare them for the world they are entering68% graduate high school26% make it to sophomore year80% of jobs require postsecondary education
U.S.31% proficiency in reading at the 3rd grade
System Design
System is doing exactly what it was designed to do
Bela Banathy writes on transformation and systems design in education
Industrial goal for education: 25% of students to college
Time and motion studies in the factory age Prisoners of Time (national report)
“Silent Epidemic” Gates Foundation commissioned first study of
high school drop outs 88% had passing grades 69% were not motivated to work hard 66% would have worked harder if more had been
demanded of them 81% called for more real world learning
opportunities
Transformation vs. Integration
Leadership = TIP
Trust Integrity Passion
Today’s Students
Who Are Our Students?
Largest generation (36% of total population). 31% are minorities; more diverse than the adult
population. Have come of age along with the Internet. Information has been universally available and
free to them; community is a digital place of common interest, not just a shared physical space.
Rise of the Millennials Studies show that they are a capable, conscientious,
concerned and optimistic generation, determined to succeed: 96 percent say that doing well in school is important to their
lives. 94 percent say they plan to continue their education after
high school. 90 percent of children between 5-17 use computers. 94 percent of teens use the Internet for school-related
research. Teens spend more time online using the Internet than
watching television. High school and college students spend nearly $400 billion a
year. And they increasingly are involved in making spending
decisions for their parents.
Internet Use by Age
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2-5 6-8 9-12 12-15 16-18 19-24 25-35 36-45 46-55 56-65 65+
Age2000 2002
12th Graders Perceptions About School
39%
21%28%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
School work is often or alwaysmeaningful
Courses are quite or very interesting School learning will be quite or veryimportant in later life
1983 1990 1995 2000
What Are They Telling Us?
“We have technology in our blood.”
-- High School Student
Creativity and Risk-taking
Your creativity is highest at 6 Lowest point: terminal seriousness at 44 Bounce at retirement
"Changes in our lives may not come as abruptly as for the young; yet we grow and change, and enter upon new journeys or new seasons, and are withal as much at sea (at least, much of the time) as any novice facing the world."
Risk-taking "...is an old-fashioned theme, for nowadays we go to great lengths to avoid risks.
....Yet something of an older bias lingers, and we are reminded now and then of times ... when it seemed better to put all save honor in jeopardy than to look too long before taking a leap. Somehow these seem to have been the best of times, and we would fain recapture their zest and assurance."
People may "plod along without vision, being naively surprised when things turn out well, and disillusioned or cynical if they go ill. They might be standing on the edge of a cliff while remarking on how solid the road is; or they arrive at a little Eden and assume it is only one more motel along the highway of life.“
August Heckschel, "The Risk-takers," C. S. Monitor, 6-19-81, p. 20.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
“The mind stretched to a new idea never returns to its original dimension.”
Thank you!
Toward a New Golden Age in American Education:
How the Internet, the Law and Today’s Students are Revolutionizing Expectations
1. STRENGTHEN LEADERSHIP
Invest in leadership development programs to ensure a new generation of tech-savvy leaders.
Retool administrator education programs to provide training in data-driven decision making and organizational change.
Develop partnerships between schools, higher education and the community.
Encourage creative technology partnerships with the business community.
Empower students’ participation in the planning process.
2. CONSIDER INNOVATIVE BUDGETING
Consider a systemic restructuring of budgets to realize efficiencies, cost savings and reallocations. This can include reallocations in expenditures on textbooks, instructional supplies, space and computer labs.
Consider leasing with 3-5 year refresh cycles. Create a technology innovation fund to carry funds over yearly
budget cycles.
Aligning Every Dollar
21st Century Skills Every dollar spent on 21st century tools? Cost per student per day: 1:1 and digital
contentCost of textbooks vs. cost of laptop
3. IMPROVE TEACHER TRAINING
Teachers have more resources available through technology than ever before, but have not received sufficient training in the effective use of technology to enhance learning.
Teachers need access to research, examples and innovations as well as staff development to learn best practices.
Every teacher has online training
4. SUPPORT E-LEARNING AND VIRTUAL SCHOOLS
Provide every student access to e-learning. Enable every teacher to participate in e-learning
training. Develop quality measures and accreditation
standards for e-learning that mirror those traditionally required for course credit.
5. ENCOURAGE BROADBAND ACCESS
Evaluate existing technology infrastructure and access to broadband to determine its current capacities and explore ways to ensure its reliability.
Ensure that broadband is available all the way to the end-user for data management, online and technology-based assessments, e-learning, and accessing high-quality digital content.
Ensure adequate technical support to manage and maintain computer networks, maximize educational uptime and plan for future needs.
6. MOVE TOWARD DIGITAL CONTENT
Ensure that teachers and students are adequately trained in the use of online content.
Encourage that each student has ubiquitous access to computers and connectivity.
Consider costs and benefits of online content, aligned with rigorous state academic standards, as part of a systemic approach to creating resources for students to customize learning to their individual needs.
7. INTEGRATE DATA SYSTEMS
Establish a plan to integrate data systems so that administrators and educators have the information they need to increase efficiency and improve student learning.
Use assessment results to inform and differentiate instruction for every child.
Implement School Interoperability Framework (SIF) Compliance Certification as a requirement in all RFPs and purchasing decisions.
Questions
Thank you!
For more information, visit our website North American Council for Online Learning,
www.NACOL.org Email: [email protected] Join us! “Next Generation Education: Redesign Powered by
Online Learning” for the 2006 Virtual School Symposium, November 4-7, 2006 in Dallas, Texas
Thank you!