Entries Tagged as 'Newsletters'

Jul 28

eLearningToolBox Newsletter Summer 2009

Promotions , Product Tips , Newsletters , Company , READI , FacultyFinder , PostCourse , ELTB 101 , Webinars
eLearningToolBox Newsletter Summer 2009

The Latest in Distance Learning

READI Announces Integration with the eCollege Learning Management System

eLearningToolBox.com, the provider of READI, is pleased to announce that it has completed a project through which READI can be integrated into the eCollege learning management system.  Students of schools which are using eCollege can now access READI from within their eCollege course without having to re-authenticate into the READI system.  This single sign on capability reduces the number of user names and passwords that schools and students have to keep track of.  A student can also submit their READI report internally through the communication features of eCollege to their instructor for review.  If students and/or their instructors need to access the student’s report at a later date, they may do so through eCollege.

eLearningToolBox.com has several client schools which use eCollege and requested this integration.  The next learning management system which is slated for integration with READI is Blackboard.  If your school is interested in learning more about the integration of READI into your learning management system please contact your Account Manager or support@readi.info. 

What's New in the ToolBox?

Personalized Online Student Readiness Report

Are you interested in knowing how your students compare to the national averages of online student readiness? Recently we launched the 2009 Online Student Readiness Report. It included data collected from over 150,000 students at 272 institutions. We are now offering a personalized report that contains data from your students. For a small fee, you can have access to statistical information to help you understand your students' strengths and weaknesses. This data can provide guidance for future course design and insight about remedial tools that you may want to consider in your planning of the online program. To view a sample of this school specific report or for a price quote, contact your Account Manager.

The Most Efficient Way to Find Out What Students Really Think

It is coming! PostCourse 2.0 will be available next month! It will feature easy data upload with an integrated wizard, intuitive real-time reporting, tiered role-based administrative access, unlimited surveys and much more! Account Managers are setting up demos in August and Setptember to highlight the new features. Postcourse is a web-based tool that will allow administrators to totally manage all data through an administrative control panel. If you would like to find out about how much you save over your current process, contact an Account Manager today at sales@eLearningToolBox.com.

Change is Good

New Feature Added to READI

READI Administrator, do you have a student test taker login group that needs to be inactivated but not deleted? Often times, schools create new login groups and although they want to keep the data in the old group, they do not want students to accidentally login using the old information. We've added a new feature to READI that allows administrators to choose "inactive" for login groups. This allows administrators to continue to view the data in the group but prevents a student from using the old user/pass combo. To access this feature follow the instructions below.

1. Login to http://admin.readi.info
2. Click on "Manage Account"
3. Click on "Admin & Test Taker Groups"
4. Click on specific test taker group
5. Use drop down box to select "active or inactive"
6. Save and close (Notice the login group is now designated with a red button instead of green)

Neat to Know

How to export READI data

  1. Go to admin.readi.info and login to your account
  2. Click on "Test Search and Export"
  3. Designate preferred filters
  4. Once you reach "Data At a Glance" click "Export Data"

For more READI tips, visit our tutorials link at readi.info/tutorials

Water Cooler

Tips to Increase Website Participation for Students
1. Require it; Making assignments optional will generally result in little if any participation. Even those who are motivated to succeed will generally use extra time on tasks they see as most important which are generally "required activities". Requiring participation, helps motivated students to prioritize and unmotivated students to keep up.
2. Play hide and seek. Hide extra credit activites, special notes for the test, create scavenger hunt clues, make it fun, and reward those who follow through.
3. Make it fun by adding new content weekly like a personal top 10 list, music, or a funny slideshow.

Do you Tweet?
If you want to learn about what's going on with eLearningToolBox first, follow us on twitter.

Blog
What do we have to say about things? Check out our blog at eLearningToolBox.com/Blog for weekly updates of our two cents.

 
 
In this edition:
  • The Latest in Distance Learning
  • What's New in the ToolBox?
  • Change is Good
  • Neat to Know
  • WaterCooler
  • Free Stuff
  • Coming Soon

There is Still Time to Cash in on Our FREE Summer Webinar Series!

Are you looking for a way to squeeze in some training this summer before school gets started? You've come to the right place! There is still time to take advantage of our FREE Summer Webinar Series.

Don't have time or money to travel to a classroom session? No worries, you are invited to our virtual classroom.

To register, just click on the session below. All attendees will be entered into a drawing for $50 cash!

Thursday, July 30th, 2:00 pm central

Academic Integrity in Online Education

Featuring - Lori McNabb, University of Texas System TeleCampus

Thursday, August 6th 2:00 pm central

Tools for Enhancing eLearning

Featuring - Dr. Mac Adkins, CEO eLearningToolBox.com

Coming Soon!

Fall Webinar Planned in late September forREADI Administrators

We have READI data but...
"What Do We Do With It Now?"

This webinar is designed to help you understand the READI data and how to use it. We will also explore ways to use READI data to assist you in your planning process. Key points of discussion will be:

  1. What can I learn about my students from the READI data?
  2. How can I use it in developing courses for the future?
  3. What resources should we be providing based on our READI scores?
  4. Who should be looking at the data?
  5. How do my students compare to those at other colleges and universities?

FREE READI Training Webinars

Do you need some additional training on the administrative features READI has to offer? Check out readi.info/webinars to find the complete schedule and register for the sessions that fit your schedule.

Looking for someone to teach your online classes? Are you tired of sorting through the stack of paper resumes? Facultyfinder.com can help. Go to www.FacultyFinder.com for unlimited free searches! Search our database of over 10,000 profiles to find the right person for the job.

EXTENDED OFFER!

PLACE A JOB AD ON FACULTYFINDER.COM FOR JUST $50! NO DISCOUNT CODE NEEDED

 
 
del.icio.us Digg StumbleUpon Facebook

eLearningToolBox Newsletter Summer 2009

Dec 12

December 2008 Newsletter - FacultyFinder

Newsletters , FacultyFinder
FacultyFinder.com Newsletter December 2008
In today’s economy it is important to have additional ways to supplement your teaching income. This newsletter contains information about the following two ways:
  1. Serve as a test proctor through TestProctors.com.
  2. Design and teach an online course through CourseCity.com.
Make additional money and serve students by being a test proctor

You are invited to participate in a beta test of TestProctors.com. This beta test is now under way and upon completion we will announce the full launch of TestProctors.com in early 2009. TestProctors.com will be a searchable database of neutral testing proctors. Many schools have criteria which their proctors must meet, but they assign the student to find the proctor. This process could compromise the objectivity of the proctoring process. Using TestProctors.com schools will be able to identify neutral test proctors within a specified range of the student’s address.

Just as is the case with FacultyFinder.com, there is no cost for you to create a profile in TestProctors.com. As schools and their students are needing a proctor in your area, if you meet their criteria they may contact you to proctor an exam for a student of another school.

You may choose to provide proctoring services free as a service to the greater good or you may choose to charge a fee for the proctoring service. Standard fees are typically about $25 but can range from $10 to $100 per hour.

Are your students ready for distance learning?

As you are teaching online courses have you noticed that some students just seem to be more ready for distance learning than others? Those students who are not ready are often at risk of dropping out of the course. When this happens it is not good for the student, the faculty or the school.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could identify who these students are for whom distance education may be a challenge?

The same company which provides FacultyFinder.com also provides a tool called READI – Readiness for Education At a Distance Indicator. (www.READI.info). READI is used by over 330 colleges and universities and has been taken by over a quarter of a million students.

To find out how your school can pilot READI for one academic term with no cost or obligation email sales@readi.info or call toll free 1-866-411-3582.

10,000th faculty member creates profile on FacultyFinder.com

The recent spike in fuel prices and the slowing economy have signaled an increase in distance education at many institutions. Interest in distance education is also evidenced by the fact that recently the 10,000th faculty member created a profile on FacultyFinder.com. FacultyFinder.com is a searchable database of persons who are available to teach online courses. As the distance learning programs of colleges and schools continue to grow they need academically qualified, experienced online faculty. Using FacultyFinder.com schools can efficiently find online faculty who meet their criteria.

Initial usage of PostCourse.com is very positive

In 2008 eLearningToolBox.com, the company which provides FacultyFinder.com, launched a new service called PostCourse.com. Many of our client institutions were so pleased with the way that we managed their student readiness data and their online faculty data through READI and FacultyFinder.com that they asked us to manage their end-of-course perception data as well. Out of this need grew PostCourse.com. Because the response to this tool has been so strong we have currently suspended accepting any new clients until additional functionality can be developed to make the process totally manageable through a web-based administrative control panel. If you would like for your school to be on the waiting list of client schools for PostCourse.com, please send an email to sales@eLearningToolBox.com.

New branding scheme for eLearningToolBox.com

We are not your father's tool box any more. Early in 2009 we will release a new branding scheme for eLearningToolBox.com, the parent company of FacultyFinder.com. You will see the new scheme on the website, in our conference display booth and on all printed and electronic communications. Here is a sneak peak at the new logo:



Corporate offices moving December 15, 2008

In an effort to be a more "green" company the corporate offices of eLearningToolBox.com will be moving out of the urban, downtown offices in Montgomery, AL to a bedroom community where several of our employees live – Prattville, AL. This move will allow for a shorter commute plus this office suite has more windows. This move will be transparent to most of you. All phone numbers and email addresses will remain the same. The new mailing addresses will be PO Box 681025, Prattville, AL 36068 or 696 N. Silver Hills Drive, Suite 110, Prattville, AL 36066.


Here is an interesting idea for those of you looking for new resources to help with blended or online courses. AliveTek's release of their CourseCity website on December 1, 2008 marks the beginning of a new concept in the e-Learning market. CourseCity bridges the gap between full-service course developers (like AliveTek) and self-service sites that lack quality standards, subject matter experts, or controls.

The CourseCity model bridges the price gap between these, as well – with a nominal course commitment fee. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) with an existing course, or an idea for a course, work with Course City designers to create a curriculum. CourseCity course designers handle the aesthetics and flow of the course, using the SMEs content, quiz questions, etc. and apply best practices in pedagogical design to complete the highest quality online courses available. CourseCity hosts the course online, provides a secure e-commerce function for customers to buy, and provides all the facilities for learners to communicate & collaborate from anywhere in the world. The SME is asked to have an existing market, and to facilitate the course, which simply means answering any student questions through e-mail or discussion boards online.

Perhaps best of all, it provides a significant revenue stream to the SME. CourseCity splits sales revenue for each course – as much as 50% - with the SME. Compared to book royalties, that’s a huge difference, and with online course fees ranging from $30 to over $1000, online courses can be very lucrative.

Current courses include topics such as:
  1. Avoiding plagiarism and cheating in online courses (“How to Cheat Online” – by John Krutsch)
  2. Grammar rules for high-school seniors to college sophomores (“Grammar Grand Prix”)
  3. Regulatory mandates for pharmaceutical manufacturers (“Intro to Laboratory CGMPs: A Quality Systems Based Approach”)
  4. Becoming a certified Grant-Writer for a non-profit organization (“Writing Winning Grant Proposals”)
As their library of courses builds, CourseCity plans to target non-credit workforce training in several areas, potentially granting CEUs as appropriate.

If you are interested in submitting a proposal for your course at CourseCity, please visit www.coursecity.com or email to help@coursecity.com.

For those of you involved in blended or online courses, you can sign up for John Krutsch’s entertaining and informative course on avoiding academic dishonesty online by clicking here.
 
As a valued client, we want to hear from you! Part of our commitment to you is continued improvement of our services and products. We depend on you to help us make positive enhancements that will benefit you and your students. Please email your suggestions or comments on how we can serve you better!
del.icio.us Digg StumbleUpon Facebook

December 2008 Newsletter - FacultyFinder

Dec 12

December 2008 Newsletter - ELTB

Newsletters , Company
eLearningToolBox.com Newsletter December 2008
Version 6.0 of READI soon to be released

eLearningToolBox.com is pleased to announce that version 6.0 of READI is targeted for release in early January, 2009. Jason Fill, Lead Developer for READI, stated that Version 6.0 will be one of the most beneficial new releases ever. Expanded functionality of READI in Version 6.0 will include:
  • Update on the images and wording in the Technical Competency section.
  • The ability for schools to add their own readiness items in addition to the current ability to add demographic items.
  • Addition of the school specific variables to the score report.
  • Automated monthly reporting by email of READI usage to the school READI administrators.
  • Expanded ADA compliance.
  • Expansion of READI into the secondary school and corporate environments.
    •
A more complete listing of enhancements with explanations is provided at the bottom of this newsletter. All of these enhancements were suggested by schools which are using READI and are being provided to all users at no additional cost. You will receive another email from us with complete information about all upgrades before Version 6.0 is released. If your institution has an idea for the improvement of READI please let us know by emailing support@readi.info.

Beta testing of TestProctors.com is underway

One hundred persons have been invited to participate in a beta test of TestProctors.com. This beta test is now under way and upon completion we will announce the full launch of TestProctors.com in early 2009. TestProctors.com will be a searchable database of neutral testing proctors. Many schools have criteria which their proctors must meet, but they assign the student to find the proctor. This process could compromise the objectivity of the proctoring process. Using TestProctors.com schools will be able to identify neutral test proctors within a specified range of the student’s address.

10,000th faculty member creates profile on FacultyFinder.com

The recent spike in fuel prices and the slowing economy have signaled an increase in distance education at many institutions. Interest in distance education is also evidenced by the fact that recently the 10,000th faculty member created a profile on FacultyFinder.com. FacultyFinder.com is a searchable database of persons who are available to teach online courses. As the distance learning programs of colleges and schools continue to grow they need academically qualified, experienced online faculty. Using FacultyFinder.com schools can efficiently find online faculty who meet their criteria.

Receive a stipend for being a co-presenter at a conference in 2009

In 2009 eLearningToolBox.com will be exhibiting at about 20 educational conferences. Often at these conferences we also make a presentation about the tools which we provide. These presentations are enriched when we can include someone from one or more of our client schools to share how that they are integrating our tools at their school. In exchange for your participation, we are offering a $400 travel stipend/honorarium. In today’s economic climate travel budgets are being restricted and this stipend could prove useful.

Please take a look at our 2009 conference schedule at http://www.decadeconsulting.com/dc/conferences.htm. If you plan on attending one of these conferences and would like to join us as a co-presenter, please send an email to mac@eLearningToolBox.com letting us know which conference(s). We will then be back in touch with you as the conference approaches. Even if you can’t be a co-presenter, stop by out booth and say “hello.”

Initial usage of PostCourse.com is very positive

In 2008 eLearningToolBox.com launched a new service called PostCourse.com. Many of our client institutions were so pleased with the way that we managed their student readiness data and their online faculty data through READI and FacultyFinder.com that they asked us to manage their end-of-course perception data as well. Out of this need grew PostCourse.com. Because the response to this tool has been so strong we have currently suspended accepting any new clients until additional functionality can be developed to make the process totally manageable through a web-based administrative control panel. If you would like for your school to be on the waiting list of client schools for PostCourse.com, please send an email to sales@eLearningToolBox.com.

New branding scheme for eLearningToolBox.com

We are not your father's tool box any more. Early in 2009 we will release a new branding scheme for eLearningToolBox.com. You will see the new scheme on the website, in our conference display booth and on all printed and electronic communications. Here is a sneak peak at the new logo:



Corporate offices moving December 15, 2008

In an effort to be a more "green" company the corporate offices of eLearningToolBox.com will be moving out of the urban, downtown offices in Montgomery, AL to a bedroom community where several of our employees live – Prattville, AL. This move will allow for a shorter commute plus this office suite has more windows. This move will be transparent to most of you. All phone numbers and email addresses will remain the same. The new mailing addresses will be PO Box 681025, Prattville, AL 36068 or 696 N. Silver Hills Drive, Suite 110, Prattville, AL 36066.

READI Version 6.0 Enhancements

Item Name Explanation
Section Re-set There will be the ability for the instructor/ school READI administrator to be able to clear and reset a section for a student so that they can re-take it.
School specific variable management There will be the ability for school-specific variables to the integrated into the student’s score report and guide to interpretation.
Enhanced Login Procedure There will be clarification of login procedure for new and returning users.
New Administrative Interface An updated administrative interface that is easier to use and manage will be provided.
National Averages Option Schools will have the ability to turn on/off the national averages component of the student report. The national averages will only apply to their organization category, not all users as a whole so it is more of an “apples to apples” comparison.
Flag Bad Emails When a student uses a bad email address it will be checked while they are taking the exam and then they are notified of this and asked to use another address.
Enhanced ADA Compliance We are working with a third party to review READI and implement their recommendations for ADA compliance.
Categories of Organizations Currently almost all organizations using READI are colleges and universities. One of the major parts of Version 6 is that categories of organizations will be created. The assessment itself will be modified to fit the needs of the category. Categories include Secondary Schools grades 8 – 12, Career Colleges, Corporations, Faculty members (readiness for teaching online, Real Estate Schools), Employees (readiness for working from home).
Redesign of Technical section The technical component of READI will be revised including new screen captures based on the platform of the user, alt text behind all screen captures, and the addition of social networking to the technology in your life section.
Problematic Email Warning Text will be inserted at an appropriate place so that persons using MindSpring, EarthLink or PeoplePC email addresses will not receive emails from us because of spam blockers. In that statement we will say that if any user does not receive our emails to check their spam blocker or junk file.
Support Portal Integration of the new Support Portal including statistics on the usage of the knowledge base, etc.
Grading Thresholds We will use the recent grading threshold analysis and set the grading thresholds for new higher education clients to mirror those findings.
Login Group Maintenance We will create the ability to make login groups inactive so that they do not appear on the drop down list of possible user names yet the data remains in the database.
I don’t know answer choice On the Technical Vocabulary section we will add a choice of “I don’t know” to cut down on guessing.
Country Variable There will be the addition of Canada on the countries list allowing for integration of Canadian addresses.
Drop Down Menu Schools will be given the ability to choose whether or not the user names for the groups are displayed in the drop down box at the login screen.
Report Formatting We will provide better summary results at the top of the score report and collapse some of the comments on the full report.
Customizable Text Text in key areas of the assessment can be customized for each school. Example: text on the login page.
Codebase Upgrades Application codebase will be optimized to improve overall performance.
Product Blog We will integrate a blog so that the company and users can collaborate to enhance the product.
Usage Statistics On the public website of READI we will provide statistics which show how many READI assessments have been taken Today / This month / This year / Last year. Also show, as is currently reported on the client’s page, the number of schools using/piloting READI. This will be prominently displayed on the home page of the READI general web site.


Here is an interesting idea for those of you looking for new resources to help with blended or online courses. AliveTek's release of their CourseCity website on December 1, 2008 marks the beginning of a new concept in the e-Learning market. CourseCity bridges the gap between full-service course developers (like AliveTek) and self-service sites that lack quality standards, subject matter experts, or controls.

The CourseCity model bridges the price gap between these, as well – with a nominal course commitment fee. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) with an existing course, or an idea for a course, work with Course City designers to create a curriculum. CourseCity course designers handle the aesthetics and flow of the course, using the SMEs content, quiz questions, etc. and apply best practices in pedagogical design to complete the highest quality online courses available. CourseCity hosts the course online, provides a secure e-commerce function for customers to buy, and provides all the facilities for learners to communicate & collaborate from anywhere in the world. The SME is asked to have an existing market, and to facilitate the course, which simply means answering any student questions through e-mail or discussion boards online.

Perhaps best of all, it provides a significant revenue stream to the SME. CourseCity splits sales revenue for each course – as much as 50% - with the SME. Compared to book royalties, that’s a huge difference, and with online course fees ranging from $30 to over $1000, online courses can be very lucrative.

Current courses include topics such as:
  1. Avoiding plagiarism and cheating in online courses (“How to Cheat Online” – by John Krutsch)
  2. Grammar rules for high-school seniors to college sophomores (“Grammar Grand Prix”)
  3. Regulatory mandates for pharmaceutical manufacturers (“Intro to Laboratory CGMPs: A Quality Systems Based Approach”)
  4. Becoming a certified Grant-Writer for a non-profit organization (“Writing Winning Grant Proposals”)
As their library of courses builds, CourseCity plans to target non-credit workforce training in several areas, potentially granting CEUs as appropriate.

If you are interested in submitting a proposal for your course at CourseCity, please visit www.coursecity.com or email to help@coursecity.com.

For those of you involved in blended or online courses, you can sign up for John Krutsch’s entertaining and informative course on avoiding academic dishonesty online by clicking here.
 
As a valued client, we want to hear from you! Part of our commitment to you is continued improvement of our services and products. We depend on you to help us make positive enhancements that will benefit you and your students. Please email your suggestions or comments on how we can serve you better!
del.icio.us Digg StumbleUpon Facebook

December 2008 Newsletter - ELTB

Oct 1

Fall 2008 Newsletter

Newsletters , Company , FacultyFinder
 

FACULTYFINDER.COM ON THE TODAY SHOW

For the second time this year FacultyFinder.com will be mentioned on The Today Show. Dr. Dani Babb was invited to share information on the Today Show about jobs in which women could work from home. One of those jobs is teaching online. Dr. Babb was able to describe FacultyFinder.com as a great way for prospective online faculty members to let schools know about their education and background. The next episode of the Today Show on which FacultyFinder.com is scheduled to be promoted is Monday, October 6th.

OVER 10,000 FACULTY USE FACULTYFINDER.COM

Recently the 10,000th faculty member created a profile on FacultyFinder.com. At the time of this writing there were 10,170 faculty with profiles in FacultyFinder.com with growth of almost a dozen new faculty members per day. This increase attests to the growth and acceptance of distance education as a delivery system. Be sure to take advantage of the fact there are more people out there now competing for online faculty positions, and be sure that your profile in FacultyFinder is as complete and up to date. The more information that is in your profile the greater the chance that your profile will be identified by a school which is searching the system. Log in today to update your profile.

TESTPROCTORS.COM IS COMING SOON

DECADE Consulting, LLC, the parent company of FacultyFinder.com, is pleased to announce the release of TestProctors.com. Just as FacultyFinder.com is an efficient way for schools to identify experienced, qualified online faculty members, TestProctors.com will be an efficient way for schools and/or students to identify neutral testing proctors. The first group which will be invited to create a Proctor Profile will be you as a member of FacultyFinder.com. More information will be emailed to you soon.

WHAT DOES THE HIGHER EDUCATION REAUTHORIZATION ACT MEAN TO YOU AS AN ONLINE FACULTY MEMBER?

As you may have heard, there are changes emerging as a result of the recent adoption of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008. These changes are in regard to student authentication. Schools will be required to ensure that the student registered for an online course is actually the student taking the course. This may involve you as the faculty member and the student using some sort of electronic device or it could involve the use of human proctors for high-stakes exams. Read more about this in this article from the eSchool News.

MEET US AT AN UPCOMING CONFERENCE

We enjoy meeting faculty who have FacultyFinder profiles and love hearing your success stories of how FacutlyFinder.com played a role in you acquiring that new job. Be sure to stop by the eLearningToolBox.com booth and visit with us at one of our upcoming conferences.

October 19-22
Conference on Information Technology
League of Innovation
Salt Lake City, UT

October 22-23
GA Annual Computing Conference
University System of Georgia
Rock Eagle, GA

October 26-28
Virtual School Symposium
North American Council for Online Learning
Phoenix, AZ

November 5-7
Sloan-C Annual Conference
Sloan-C
Orlando, FL

November 5-8
WCET Annual Conference
Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications
Phoenix, AZ

November 23-25
ACA Annual Conference
Alabama College Association
Mobile, AL

December 6-9
SACS Annual Conference
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
San Antonio, TX

As always, thanks for your time and if you know of any current trends or news that may benefit others at FacultyFinder.com please email us at sales@facultyfinder.com, we welcome your comments.

FacultyFinder.com


  
del.icio.us Digg StumbleUpon Facebook

Fall 2008 Newsletter


Copyright © 2002 - 2010 eLearningToolBox.com is owned and operated by DECADE Consulting, LLC