A conference in Madison this week will explore the growth of distance learning. Sponsored by UW-Madison, more than 800 educators will converge on Monona Terrace between today and Friday to talk about online education for K-12, college, and industry courses.

Of course, parts of the conference will be offered online, too.

For the rest of the article, go to On Campus: Conference in Madison to explore growth of online learning

Phase two centered mostly around switching as much coursework as possible to online, and possibly using an online provider such as K-12 Inc. to integrate such a program.

Optional early graduation for students deemed qualified by parents and staff was another suggestion to trim costs.

Ann Oberding, a high school art teacher in Durand, said she understands the value of virtual learning – as her school does offer online classes – but maintained the citizens group proposal was just an attempt to cut teachers. “Everything comes down to finances, and that is the wrong approach.”

For the rest of the article, go to Group’s ideas for Durand schools opposed

Class bulletins from the area’s continuing education institutions reflect future and current concerns. Listed next to traditional business courses like project management and Six Sigma are classes in water technology or green building. Foreign languages, including Spanish for health care workers, are always popular, but more people are opting to learn international business protocols, including languages like Farsi, Chinese and Korean.

“The breadth of courses offered is a sign of the global world we live and work in,” said Dr. Patricia Arredondo, associate vice chancellor and interim dean at the UW-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education.

The way classes are taught to students has also evolved. Delivery methods include traditional classroom format to more online classes to courses delivered to a student’s doorstep.

Online delivery of courses reduces travel costs for employees and allows them to better manage their time, said Daniel Krause, training programs leader of GE Healthcare’s Installation Services. Krause worked with the UW-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education to develop a customized project management certificate program for GE employees.

For the rest of the article, go to Continuing education programs take on new role

Continued popularity of Wisconsin’s virtual schools are pushing them near capacity, which may force the Legislature to revisit an enrollment cap put in place two years ago, an audit released Tuesday shows.

The state’s 15 virtual schools offer classes from kindergarten through high school over the Internet, allowing students to attend from home. They have been growing in popularity in Wisconsin and nationwide as an alternative for students who may not otherwise perform as well in a traditional school.

But the future of Wisconsin’s virtual schools was put in jeopardy when a state appeals court ruled in 2007 that the largest one, Wisconsin Virtual School, was operating in violation of open enrollment, charter school and teacher licensing laws.

+++++

From EdWeek.org