Craft Category: Artifacts

The purpose of this report is to support administrators and policymakers in becoming informed consumers of information about online learning and its potential impact on productivity. It provides foundational knowledge and a conceptual framework, drawing specifically on cost-effective analyses. Literature suggests 9 ways in which online learning can improve productivity:

• Broadening access
• Engaging students in active learning
• Individualizing and differentiating instruction
• Making better use of teacher and student time
• Increasing the rate of student learning
• Reducing school-based facilities costs
• Reducing salary costs
• Realizing opportunities for economies of scale

Read more to discover how technologies can transform traditional education processes, leading to productivity improvements.

Four themes that Keeping Pace 2011 introduced largely hold true a year later, with some updates for 2012:

Many states have created or allowed some online and blended learning opportunities, but no state has yet created or allowed a full range of online learning options for students—with one exception. Florida in 2012 has passed laws that, in theory at least, make a full range of supplemental and full-time online options available to all K-12 students. At the other end of the spectrum, in many states at least some students still have few or no online options; their educational opportunities continue to be determined by their zip code.

Innovators sometimes overlook the benefits, and challenges, of “traditional” online learning such as single online courses that are made available to students in physical schools. These courses and programs continue to deliver new opportunities to hundreds of thousands of students across the country. They are increasingly being offered by individual districts, often working in conjunction with private providers and/or public agencies such as state virtual schools.

Developing an online or blended program requires a high level of investment to be successful, or a willingness to work with an experienced partner. Expecting positive student results without the necessary investment is unrealistic. In the “Planning for quality” section we highlight key issues and suggest timelines for implementation under different program development scenarios.

States must invest in data systems, student tracking, and new accountability measures to ensure that online and blended learning provide both opportunities and positive outcomes, and that all stakeholders can accurately assess student and school performance. As of 2012, robust measures of student achievement do not exist in most states.

Beyond these themes, discussion of the landscape in late 2012 can be divided into categories of growth, important developments, and trends to watch for in 2012-13.

Online and blended learning are educational innovations that provide courses, teachers, and opportunities for students who may not otherwise have access due to geographic isolation. Canada was one of the first countries to embrace technology and the Internet in order to deliver distance learning courses to students in remote locations. Now, countries around the world are providing these opportunities for all students for a variety of reasons, including the following:

• To avoid scheduling conflicts.
• To provide access for hard-to-staff courses.
• To allow credit recovery.
• To offer dual enrollment with local colleges and universities.
• To supplement the face-to-face classroom.

In 2006, iNACOL conducted its first international survey, titled An International Perspective of K-12 Online Learning: A Summary of the 2006 NACOL International E-Learning Survey. Since the growth of online and blended learning has grown at an annual rate of over 30% for the past 10 years across the United States, iNACOL responded to requests to update the first survey. By replicating the 2006 International Survey, with the help of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, education researchers in over 60 countries answered questions regarding online learning policy and practice for K-12 students in each country.

The survey included 23 questions thematically arranged on the following areas:

• Government involvement in online learning areas such as planning, finance, and leadership
• Number of students taking courses online and the geographic areas served
• Instructor professional development
• Quality standards for courses and supportive services
• Challenges for online learning
• Technology used by students

We invite you to take a “trip around the world” to gain a better understanding of the complex nature of online and blended learning around the globe.

This report provides national estimates about student enrollment in distance education courses in public school districts. Estimates are based on district surveys during the 12-month 2009-10 school year. Specifically, the survey covered the following topics:

• Extent of enrollment
• Monitoring and accountability
• Deliverers and developers
• Courses
• Technologies

Download this report to browse survey responses and selected national findings regarding distance education.

K-12 education is in the throes of a worldwide revolution. The goal is to better prepare students for the challenges of a world that is rapidly changing – economically, demographically and technologically. These changes have already forced widespread rethinking of traditional modes of education, which fall short in providing students with the quality and breadth of knowledge and competencies they need to function effectively in a global environment.

The heart of this revolution is online learning, described by the World Future Society as one of the top 10 breakthroughs that will transform life globally over the next 20 to 30 years. Online learning offers students endless opportunities to access world-class teachers – regardless of neighborhood or geography or family resources – and the education they will need to achieve success in an increasingly networked and knowledge-based society.

The Online Learning Definitions Project is designed to provide states, districts, online programs, and other organizations with a set of definitions related to online and blended learning in order to develop policy, practice, and an understanding of and within the field. The initiative began with a thorough literature review of existing definitions, followed by a research survey to iNACOL members and experts to ensure the efficacy of the definitions adopted.

These definitions should be implemented and monitored by each state, district, or organization, as they reserve the right to apply the definitions according to the best interest of the population for which they serve.

This report provides states, districts, online programs, and other organizations with a set of quality guidelines for:

• Online course content
• Instructional design
• Technology
• Student assessment
• Course management.

These standards are guidelines for districts and organizations implementing blended or online learning, to ensure a high-quality education for all students. The standards should be modified to meet local needs, and used as a tool to understand and make informed decisions about blended and online learning programs.

This report provides states, districts, online programs, and other organizations with a set of quality guidelines for online teaching. Districts and organizations can use these standards, adapted for local needs, to design professional development and for the evaluation of online teachers. These standards indicate what online teachers should know and be able to do, and what online teachers should be able to demonstrate for evaluation purposes.

Online learning is growing by 40% annually and creating new full- and part-time options for students and families. However, most charter school legislation, drafted in the early 1990s, is not inclusive to online learning opportunities. This paper addresses 3 key questions that state policymakers and authorizers need to answer:

• Who will operate and authorize online schools?
• How will students be enrolled?
• How will online schools be funded?

After framing these questions, authors Susan Patrick and Tom Vander Ark provide advice on innovation and the provision of high-quality online learning programs.