In late 2009, Dr. Martha A. Smith, president of Anne Arundel Community College, announced plans to help its students be more successful in reaching their educational goals. Part of that plan consisted of implementing a first-semester experience that included SmarterMeasure Learning Readiness Indicator. The Virtual Campus at Anne Arundel uses SmarterMeasure to help their students make an informed decision if online education is right for them. In addition, the learning style results are used to help students understand how they can learn best using their preferred learning style. To read the complete case study click here.

Case Study with Anne Arundel Community College

Did the lines get crossed somewhere?  What do television shows, movies, and college courses have in common?  According to a recent blog post I stumbled upon, there is a connection.  Check out the list below from OnlineClasses.org.  Do you have others that could be added to the list?

"The Wire": HBO’s five-season drama about crime, politics, and the economy of Baltimore has been hailed by many critics as the best show ever made, so it was only a matter of time before it made its way into the classroom. Harvard University announced plans last fall to use the show in fall 2010 in a course examining poverty in America.

Star Wars, The Matrix, and The Lord of the Rings: The "Myth and Science Fiction" course at Centre College used these three popular films series to deconstruct narrative patterns and talk about what makes stories work.

"Judge Judy": Students at UC Berkeley were able to take a course that used "Judge Judy" to examine logical fallacies in arguments witnessed on television court series. A great way to get to the heart of rhetoric.

"The Muppet Show": Jim Henson’s Muppets are iconic characters, and this UC Santa Cruz course examines the series’ impact on puppetry and effects, children’s entertainment, and the popular media.

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer": The cult hit TV show has spawned legions of passionate fans and high-level studies, including this UC San Diego course that uses the series to explore feminist writing, religion, and more.

"The Simpsons": This is just the place to argue about whether the show’s still any good: Rochester Institute of Technology’s introduction to cultural studies uses the animated modern classic to demonstrate changes in political and social climate.

"Star Trek": There have been numerous series and films set in the world of "Star Trek," but it’s the original 1960s series that Georgetown students used to learn about philosophy.

"The Apprentice"The show that brought Donald Trump even more prominence has inspired courses on business ethics and personal relationships in the workplace.

"South Park": CUNY’s Brooklyn College used Comedy Central’s irreverent animated series to talk about the show’s very real messages on everything from war to political correctness.

Soap operas.: Yes, soap operas. This University of Wisconsin course used them to show how the roles of women on the shows had an impact on real-world families and workplaces. Who knew?

Screens and College Courses

SmarterServices presents "Tools for Scaling your Distance Learning Program". Are you facing challenges in your distance learning program?  Are you interested in learning more about measuring student readiness?  Do you struggle with finding qualified online faculty?  Would you like to know more about how to automate your end of course data?  Is testing integrity an issue at your school or organization?  Join us for the SmarterServices webinar and learn more about solutions to your challenges. If time allows we will also be asking for input about ways your school has overcome these challenges.

Thursday, June 24, 2010, 2:30-3:30 PM

To register click here.  After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Webinar on Distance Learning

Thinking Smarter (formerly eToolsAlert) June 2010

Do you want to THINK SMARTER?  Do you want to work SMARTER, NOT HARDER?  Our new monthly newsletter is designed to help you make minutes count. It is our new commitment to you.  Organizing your data and giving it back to you in a format that empowers you to make an informed decision.  Let's start THINKING SMARTER together! Case Study Spotlight: Anne Arundel Community College and SmarterMeasure In late 2009, Dr. Martha A. Smith, president of Anne Arundel Community College, announced plans to help its students be more successful in reaching their educational goals.  Part of that plan consisted of implementing a first-semester experience that included SmarterMeasure Learning Readiness Indicator.  The Virtual Campus at Anne Arundel uses SmarterMeasure to help their students make an informed decision if online education is right for them.  In addition, the learning style results are used to help students understand how they can learn best using their preferred learning style.  To read the complete case study click here.  SmarterProctors Wants You! The month of June marked the beginning of our SmarterProctors campaign.  SmarterProctors (formerly known as TestProctors.com) is a database of individuals who are available to proctor high stakes exams (currently in beta version).  With all 50 states represented, our database is growing daily.  This Fall we hope to open it up for students and schools to search from and find neutral, local proctors to administer exams.  The site will provide a secure payment process so no money changes hands at the time of the test.  If you would like to create a FREE profile click here.  If you are interested in learning more about SmarterProctors contact our sales team at sales@SmarterServices.com. FREE Webinar-Tools for Scaling your Distance Learning Program Thursday, June 24th, 2:30-3:30 pm CST Are you facing challenges in your distance learning program?  Are you interested in learning more about measuring student readiness?  Do you struggle with finding qualified online faculty?  Would you like to know more about how to automate your end of course data?  Is testing integrity an issue at your school or organization?  Join us on Thursday, June 24th, 2:30-3:30 pm central for the SmarterServices webinar and learn more about solutions to your challenges. If time allows we will also be asking for input about ways your school has overcome these challenges.  Register today for this FREE summer webinar!    Case Studies Are you currently using one or more of our products?  Would you like your school to be in the "spotlight"?  Beginning next month in our quarterly newsletter "SmarterServices", we will be highlighting a school that has agreed to participate in a case study.  We have selected a few schools thus far but are still looking for additional schools to spotlight.  Case studies are important because they give the school free advertising and also provide ideas to other users about how they can improve implementation of our services.  If you are interested, please contact our VP of Marketing & Operations, Julie Owen, at julie@SmarterServices.com.  Some schools may be concerned about " unauthorized endorsements".  However, our case studies are written to report the factual account of your school using our product and are not solely meant to advertise a school's endorsement of the product.  The process is easy and begins with a basic questionnaire.  The final case study is approved by all parties and will be published in various locations including web, print, and collateral.

New Features in July Do you read our quarterly newsletter?  It will be going out next month and we have several product enhancements to announce so be sure and watch for it mid July.  You'll be pleased as we continue to increase our speed, efficiency, and commit to the evolution of our services.  Become our fan on Facebook If you want to get updates on all the exciting things that are happening at SmarterServices, click here to become our fan! Do you Tweet? If you want to learn about what's going on with SmarterServices first, follow us on Twitter. SmarterMeasure Training Series Do you need some training on the administrative features of SmarterMeasure?  We provide bi-monthly 30 minute - FREE training sessions to all current clients.  To view a calendar of opportunities and register, click here.

Thinking Smarter eNews

Instructional Technology Council released the annual Distance Education Survey in March of this year.  According to the results, "most programs struggle to recruit faculty and offer additional sections to meet the ever-increasing student demand. Older, non-traditional students are attracted to online classes and degree programs since they fit into their busy schedules to offer a solution for career advancement and/or change".  This trend seems to support the concept of SmarterFaculty. 

SmarterFaculty (formerly FacultyFinder) is a searchable database where institutions can find qualified, online faculty from a pool of over 11,000 profiles!  Searches are FREE and those looking to fill job openings can browse the profiles to find the right candidates. After narrowing down the results, profile unlocks may be purchased.  For pricing click here. 

Avoiding a massive paper trail or sorting through unwanted emailed resumes, SmarterFaculty saves the administrator valuable time.  In addition, SmarterFaculty is convenient allowing unlimited searches anywhere internet access is available.  With a unique login, schools can save searches, contact candidates, and share findings with a select group of peers. 

Trends Support SmarterFaculty