SAN DIEGO, Feb. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Ashford University, a Bridgepoint Education
academic institution, has become a leading provider of online
education to college students around the world, but Ashford's most
recent initiative is helping to bring online education to students
at San Diego middle and high
schools. Ashford has partnered with the San Diego County Office of
Education to assist them with launching an online Algebra course
for San Diego students.
"This is really about transforming our classrooms and creating
21st century-skilled graduates," said San
Diego County superintendent of schools Dr. Randolph Ward. "It's also about providing more
options for our students in terms of their learning environment.
It's a hybrid option, because it's not totally online. It's
in-class and online. It's still connected to a teacher, but it uses
technology to help students learn more."
The idea to create a primary school course online sprang out of
a meeting between Dr. Ward and Bridgepoint Education executive vice
president/chief academic officer Dr. Jane
McAuliffe. At that meeting, Dr. Ward expressed an interest
in exploring online courses for San
Diego schools. Having launched numerous online courses,
Bridgepoint Education and Ashford
University were ideal partners for Dr. Ward's vision.
In September 2010, key
representatives from Ashford University
and the superintendents from several local school districts met at
one of Bridgepoint Education's San
Diego locations to begin working on the plan to make an
online course a reality. Ashford's Academics department was able to
provide leadership to the school district representatives who had
little experience with online education.
"Very few school districts have the expertise to create an
online course like this and many people are unsure about the whole
idea of online education," said Dr. Andrew
Shean, who is currently a member of Ashford University's full-time faculty but was
previously the technology integration specialist leading the Poway
Unified School District's Virtual School Initiative. "Ashford has
successfully gone down this road many times and we were able to
spearhead the team."
At the initial meetings, it was decided that the program to
introduce online education would focus on an Algebra course since
the subject is crucial for college-bound students.
"Algebra is the gatekeeper for college. It's one of the main
challenges for many of our students," said Dr. Ward. "It's one of
the biggest hurdles for many students in completing the A-G course
sequence required for entry into the UC and CSU systems."
The online Algebra course was assembled over the next few
months. The National Repository for Online Courses developed course
content with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and
an HP Technology for Teaching grant. The course is being delivered
by Moodle, a web application that manages courses for
educators.
With the technology in place and the course ready to be taught,
it was time for a rollout. On the evening of January 19, the online Algebra course was
launched at a training session for two dozen teachers from around
the county and San Diego County Office of Education staff. The
pilot program had officially begun.
"We now have 25 teachers who are piloting it in different school
districts around San Diego County
– including Santee, Poway, Julian
and others," said Ashford University
executive dean Rebecca Wardlow.
"They are using it in various ways. Some are using it within the
classroom through the one-to-one computing program in San Diego schools.
Others are using it as a presentation lesson for classes. It's
also being used as homework or for follow-up assignments, depending
on the teacher's need for the second semester."
"It extends the school day and the school week because students
can log on at home, on their own time," added Dr. Ward. "It
provides more resources for our students, in terms of both learning
materials and tutoring materials."
"What's nice about the online Algebra course is that it's being
built into the existing course so every student will get some
exposure to a form of online education without committing to an
entire year or semester," said Helen
Olmsted, a teacher at Oak Valley Middle School who is
participating in the pilot program. "Online education provides
another pathway for students to learn. By making the material
accessible from anywhere, anytime, students can access it when
they're ready for it – which may not be the hour they spend in the
classroom."
Thousands of students in San Diego
County have access to the online Algebra course via the
pilot program. But this is only the beginning for online education
in San Diego schools. In May, the
teachers who are currently participating in the pilot program will
meet with the team that created the online Algebra course to offer
feedback and plan how to move forward. One thing appears clear –
online education is here to stay.
"Research from Ambient Insight estimates that the majority of
college students will be taking some of their classes online by
2014," said Dr. Shean. "But school districts are not preparing
students for online learning. Students aren't learning how to be
responsible for their own time, how to collaborate online and other
skills that will be valuable for their college education. Online
courses like this will prepare today's students for their future
college experiences."
About Ashford University
Founded in 1918, Ashford University
is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North
Central Association of Colleges and Schools (www.ncahlc.org). The
University offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs online
and at its Clinton, Iowa, campus.
The University is known for its high quality yet highly affordable
online and on-campus programs. For more information, please visit
www.ashford.edu or call Shari
Rodriguez, associate vice president of Public Relations, at
858.513.9240 x2513.
About Bridgepoint Education
Bridgepoint Education's postsecondary education services focus
on offering associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs
in such disciplines as business, education, psychology, social
sciences and health sciences. Bridgepoint Education's regionally
accredited academic institutions – Ashford
University and University of the Rockies – deliver their
programs online as well as at traditional campuses located in
Clinton, Iowa, and Colorado Springs, Colorado. For more
information about Bridgepoint Education, visit
www.bridgepointeducation.com or call Shari
Rodriguez, associate vice president of Public Relations, at
858.668.2580.
Contact: Shari Rodriguez,
Associate Vice President of Public Relations
|
|
858.513.9240 x2513 *
shari.rodriguez@ashford.edu
|
|
|
SOURCE Ashford University