Les MOOC's, cours en ligne ouverts et gratuits
L’e-learning transforme le paysage de l’enseignement supérieur, en permettant à tous, partout dans le monde, d’accéder à des formations de grande qualité. L’École polytechnique contribue à cette évolution pédagogique majeure en ouvrant une première sélection de MOOC, des « Massive open online courses », sur la plateforme Coursera.
Le projet de l'Ecole Pytechnique
Le public qui le souhaite va ainsi pouvoir suivre librement plusieurs cours de l’École dès la rentrée 2013: un cours de mathématiques appliquées proposé par Sylvie Méléard et Jean-René Chazottes (Introduction à la théorie et au calcul des probabilités), un cours de mathématiques offert par François Golse et Yvan Martel (Initiation à la théorie des distributions) et un cours d’informatique proposé par Dominique Rossin et Benjamin Werner (Conception et mise en oeuvre d'algorithmes).
Les cours seront accessibles en ligne à l’adresse suivante: https://www.coursera.org/#ep.
L'École Polytechnique est un établissement d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche de niveau mondial, vecteur d'une culture d'excellence à forte dominante scientifique dans une grande tradition humaniste.

By Sean Coughlan. UK universities should invest in online courses if they are to take advantage of an "historic opportunity", said Universities Minister David Willetts.
Countries such as India and Indonesia have a soaring demand for university courses - creating a market for the UK's universities, says Mr Willetts.
But he argued that the scale of demand would need to be met by online courses as well as campus universities.
Online universities were going to be "very significant," he said.
Mr Willetts, speaking at the Guardian Higher Education Summit, told university leaders that online universities were going to be an important part of the global expansion in student numbers. Read more...

In a world of Open and Distance Learning, how exactly do we discover open resources? How can we connect resources located in different repositories? Furthermore, how can we  relate these resources to the context, interest, cultural and technical environment of the learner? This study broaches these and more topics relevant to Open and Distance Learning (ODL).
The Semantic Web has the potential to dramatically change Open and Distance Learning through the use of Linked Data. This report analyses Linked Data, making the case for sharing and interlinking mechanisms to be used in relation to Open and Distance Learning documents and entities.
This study examines how Linked Data is currently being used and ow organizations can adopt it in their quest of using the Web of Linked Data for ODL. It includes how technology can be applied to solve problems and considers a number of case studies that are specific examples of the benefits of using Linked Data in this context.
URL http://www.col.org/resources/publications/Pages/detail.aspx?PID=420.

An und für sich. I should be clear: I believe that online education has only a very narrow ideal application (i.e., for literal shut-ins or for people stuck in Antarctica). There are more than enough classrooms and instructors to go around nearly everywhere in the US — indeed, colleges are constantly building new satellite campuses to compete with each other. The only benefit is an economic one, namely to create economies of scale. Yet every single credible piece of evidence in higher education research strongly supports the (completely intuitive) idea that high-quality education simply cannot be “scaled up.” Education is something that’s best carried out with some balance between small groups and one-on-one contact with an instructor.
Now it’s not as though most universities are following the ideal practice in any case. Large lecture classes are already essentially “distance learning.” So just from a totally cynical standpoint, one could begin to discuss whether the economic gains are likely to be enough to make up for the loss in quality of an already low-quality model (i.e., the large lecture class that remains a staple of mainstream higher ed despite the overwhelming evidence against its efficacy). Read more...

By Jake New. Low-cost online courses could allow a more-diverse group of students to try college, but a new study suggests that such courses could also widen achievement gaps among students in different demographic groups.
The study, which is described in a working paper titled “Adaptability to Online Learning: Differences Across Types of Students and Academic Subject Areas,” was conducted by Columbia University’s Community College Research Center. The researchers examined 500,000 courses taken by more than 40,000 community- and technical-college students in Washington State. They found that students in demographic groups whose members typically struggle in traditional classrooms are finding their troubles exacerbated in online courses. Read more...

Elearning Salon (Salon distance learning and online). 26, 27 & 28 March 2013 - Paris Porte de Versailles - Hall 5.
A word that often decide the aisles of eLearning Expo 2013...
A word that evokes the approximation of what was hitherto separate ... A powerful word, therefore, up to the new possibilities of e-learning. convergence of supply and demand, obvious to most experts committed to field. These two agree better and better. The offer continues to innovate, it helps to draw the contours of future landscapes training professional. Above all, it endorses the requirements very current demand: training schemes versatile, simple to build and deploy, meeting the needs of operational staff and managers. demand precisely: we appreciate the daily progress that companies have made ​​in the management of their e-learning projects and the implementation of a strategy. convergence of content and distribution channels, yet. There was a time, not so long ago, when studios or publishers of e-content learning on the one hand and shelf technology providers on the other hand is merely a kind of community property ... Compliance with standards AICC, SCORM and others enough for their happiness. That time is over: the content creators are always determined to make usability and efficiency of assembly technologies and disseminating existing and technology providers (LMS, eg, authoring tools) to make them more closely constraints attached to content. Convergence which users are the primary beneficiaries, as seen in projects combining harmoniously blended learning content, technologies and services. Another convergence, noisier, is underway that training and talent management in new platforms called unified. Can only be welcomed, even if the application is still far from him all the space it deserves. Training feeding all major HR processes, there is no reason to separate the two. One example among others: a training is often necessary where we measure a negative performance between desired and actually obtained. We enter the era of management platforms integrated learning and talent ... no doubt that e-learning Expo 2013 will welcome visitors and Programming Performance & Talent, a new exhibition which will be held on the same dates the same enclosure ... These convergences underway: an inspiration to businesses, which we want to carry out their initiatives decompartmentalization. Training and HR functions have everything to gain by reducing the borders of another time ... Michel Diaz Fēfaur Associate Director, Editorial Board of e-learning Expo & Sylvain Arquié, CEO Infopromotions.

EXPOELEARNING es un Congreso y Exposición que permite estar al día sobre la planificación, diseño, dirección y la implementación del e-learning y RRHH.
EXPOELEARNING tendrá su Congreso central, con dos días de conferencias en los que intervendrán expertos en e-learning, representantes de la Aministración Pública y empreas, que presentarán iniciativas en e-learning con gran proyección internacional.
El XII Congreso Internacional de EXPOELEARNING contará este año con un programa de actividades renovado, con mesas de debate de alto nivel didáctico en el que se debatirá sobre diferentes implantaciones y visiones de e-learning y RRHH 2.0.
Bajo la temática central de "SOCIAL LEARNING", el miércoles 13 hemos estructurado mesas de debate en la que participarán reconocidos expertos, representantes de la Administración Pública y empresas, en las que se aportará una reflexión fresca, actual y experiencias concretas sobre las siguientes temáticas:
§   Tendencias en Social Learning: Contenidos abiertos, Gamificación y MOOCs
§   Content Curators: La reconversión de los formadores internos
§   Formación por competencias, experiencial y situada:  Aprender haciendo y Comunidades de práctica
§   Aprendizaje informal y PLEs para todos
El bloque de la mañana del jueves 14 estará dedicado a #CONVERSACIONES20 en el que se conversará, bajo un formato de mesas de debate, sobre la nuevas formas de gestión del talento y herramientas para nuevas organizaciones 2.0

We are proud to present the 4th Special Edition of eLearning Papers. This special edition puts the spotlight on last year’s highlighted papers selected by the editorial board according to the quality of the articles, and also taking into account the feedback from our readers.
As the integration of digital media and technology in education is a policy priority throughout Europe, this special issue brings together five articles that discuss the onging transformation in schools and institutions as well as the evolution towards Open Educational practices.
Innovating Teaching and Learning Practices: Key Elements for Developing Creative Classrooms in Europe an article by Stefania Bocconi, Panagiotis Kampylis and Yves Punie looks at how to innovate teaching and learning practices.
The Ageing Brain: Neuroplasticity and LifeLong Learning by Eleonora Guglielman examines the increasingly important role of adult education in comparison to the low participation observed in training activities. Read more...