Online colleges to form coalition to post effectiveness of programs

This just in from Wired Campus:

January 23, 2008
Online Colleges to Post Effectiveness of Programs


A coalition of colleges that operate online and serve mostly adult students announced today that it will team up with the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications, or WCET, to disseminate data about the effectiveness of its members’ academic programs. The cooperative promotes the use of technology in higher education.


It is expected to develop a Web site, which will open next year, to publish data from the coalition—-called the Presidents’ Forum—-that show students’ graduation rates, what training the institutions provide, and how successful graduates are in their careers, among other things. Michael Offerman, vice chairman of Capella University, said the cooperative will act as an independent examiner of the data, which he said are primarily meant to help prospective students pick the right institutions and programs for their needs. “We’ve got data and we’re going to share it,” said Mr. Offerman. Capella is part of the Presidents’ Forum.


Other institutions in the forum are: American Public University System, Charter Oak State College, Excelsior College, Fielding Graduate University, Franklin University, Kaplan University, Regis University, Rio Salado College, Southwestern College, Western Governors University, and Union Institute & University. The University of Phoenix is considering joining the group.


The partnership between the cooperative and the online colleges is meant to help carry out a program that the colleges announced in October called Transparency By Design.—-Andrea L. Foster

Another tool for e-learning: YouTube lectures?

Check out this latest post from Wired Campus:

Will Lecture Videos on YouTube Appeal to a Popular Audience?

Professors are becoming stars on YouTube, thanks to partnerships between the video-sharing site and colleges (see today’s free article in The Chronicle). So far only a few colleges have joined, but more apparently are looking into it. And new commercial sites, including Big Think, are banking that videos of professors sharing big ideas will appeal to mainstream audiences.

Full post here:
http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/2649/will-lecture-videos-on-youtube-appeal-to-a-popular-audience?at

American Red Cross - another great source for community-based emergency preparedness training

In my continued struggles to collect great online training, don't forget what is available at the Red Cross website:

http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/courses/community.html

Not necessarily ALL online, but includes many easily forgotten but very useful things like
"babysitter training" and CPR/First Aid, etc. Contact your local chapter for more info!

Capella University offers online degrees in emergency mgmt

Always on the hunt or online education resources, I was alerted to Capella via this blogger's post:

Capella, the online university where some working adults choose to pursue an online phd , has been chosen as a finalist for a Minnesota Tekne Award in the "Technology User" category, which honors the "innovative application of products or services resulting in dramatic business improvement or market advantage." The school was also recently designated as a Center for Academic Excellence in information assurance education by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security
http://cherrylfloyd-miller.blogspot.com/2007/12/capella-online-university-where-some.html

Evidently they offer a several online degree programs in Emergency Management, including a doctorate:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Public Safety, School of Human Services
Emergency Management Specialization

With natural and man-made disasters stretching the capacity of responding agencies throughout the nation and around the world, the need for leaders in the field of emergency management has never been greater. This emergency management PhD is designed to create scholar-practitioners with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills to oversee emergency organizations, teach tomorrow's leaders, and consult on the effective management of complex emergency situations, including proactively eliminating or mitigating crises before they happen. Courses include case studies from Chemical, Biological, Radiological/Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) incidents and the National Incident Management System (NIMS), and opportunities for your own doctoral research to advance the field of emergency management.

More info at:
http://www.capella.edu/schools_programs/human_services/phd/emergency_management.aspx

Go Capella!

emsacademy.com now available to train and track credits online

Here's another great online training resource for emergency preparedness ... this time, for the pre-hospital health care community as well as other first responders.

"MC Strategies, a leading provider of electronic education products and services to healthcare, announced today that USA Prepare, its emergency preparedness unit, will provide its technology and experience to emsacademy.com, a website dedicated to training EMTs, first responders and pre-hospital workers."

Full news release here:
http://www.mcstrategies.com/?a=press&c=2007_12_10

Wiley and Gatlin to expand Emergency Mgmt e-learning options

WILEY: Wiley and Gatlin Educational Services Announce Online Emergency Management Program Hoboken
Wednesday, November 28, 2007; Posted: 06:03 AM

NJ, Nov 28, 2007 (M2 PRESSWIRE via COMTEX) -- Global publisher John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE: JWa) (NYSE: JWb), and Gatlin Educational Services, Inc. (GES), the worlds largest provider of online workforce development programs to colleges and universities, announced GES will exclusively deliver a comprehensive Emergency Management Training program from the Wiley Pathways imprint beginning Spring 2008. The program will be offered in an interactive online format to the public through GESs partner colleges and universities.

The Emergency Management Training program will include content from five Wiley Pathways titles, Introduction to Emergency Management, Emergency Planning, Disaster Response and Recovery, Technology in Emergency Management, and Hazard Mitigation and Preparedness. The five titles form a comprehensive program, emphasizing the core information essential for an understanding of the field.

To learn more about the Emergency Management Training program, please visit http://www.gatlineducation.com/emergency_management_training.html