Have you jumped on the Twitter bandwagon yet?  Known as the expert of micro-blogging, Twitter lets you fill in the blank. According to a new report from Faculty Focus the "King of what are you doing" has mixed reviews in the world of higher education.  What is the most effective use of the tool?  Does it provide valuable information in an efficient manner or is it just another techno annoyance?  To download a free copy of the report to see what the trends and usage habits are of today's college faculty, click here. 

Do you Twitter?

It is no secret that in order to be successful, companies must watch for market trends, legislation, and world events to guide their product and service development.  eLearningToolBox is no different.  From the beginning we have researched trends in distance learning and technology initiatives.  Paying close attention to mandates from accrediting bodies and new legislation that governs what schools have to incorporate in their curricula and processes. 

ACCSCT Standards of Accreditation Substantive Standards states that, “The institution must have clear, consistent policies, measures, and procedures to evaluate the performance and needs of faculty members, and to assess faculty effectiveness in distance education programs or courses of study.”  Recently we have launched PostCourse 2.0 which is a tool for efficiently designing, deploying and disseminating the results of faculty and course evaluations.  Through a tiered, role-based process faculty and administrators can immediately see the input from their students.

In addition to accrediting bodies, many states pass legislation that dictates what direction a school must go in planning their future course offerings, technologies, and practices.  Recently in Texas, a new law has been passed that expands on the requirement from ACCSCT in regards to having a documented process of how to collect and evaluate data in regards to elearning.  The law states "Relating to requiring a public institution of higher education to establish uniform standards for publishing cost of attendance information, to conduct student course evaluations of faculty, and to make certain information available on the Internet".  The last part "make certain information is available on the Internet" adds a new layer to the process for Texans.

As PostCourse continues to evolve to meet our clients' needs, we will be considering how we can assist Texans with meeting the demands of the recently passed law that will be effective next Fall.  In the meantime, be aware of your local law makers as they make decisions that will affect the way your school does distance education.

New Laws Drive Product Development