In today’s economy it is important to have additional ways to supplement your teaching income. This newsletter contains information about the following two ways:
- Serve as a test proctor through TestProctors.com.
- Design and teach an online course through CourseCity.com.
Make additional money and serve students by being a test proctor
You are invited to participate in a beta test of TestProctors.com. This beta test is now under way and upon completion we will announce the full launch of TestProctors.com in early 2009. TestProctors.com will be a searchable database of neutral testing proctors. Many schools have criteria which their proctors must meet, but they assign the student to find the proctor. This process could compromise the objectivity of the proctoring process. Using TestProctors.com schools will be able to identify neutral test proctors within a specified range of the student’s address.
Just as is the case with FacultyFinder.com, there is no cost for you to create a profile in TestProctors.com. As schools and their students are needing a proctor in your area, if you meet their criteria they may contact you to proctor an exam for a student of another school.
You may choose to provide proctoring services free as a service to the greater good or you may choose to charge a fee for the proctoring service. Standard fees are typically about $25 but can range from $10 to $100 per hour.
Are your students ready for distance learning?
As you are teaching online courses have you noticed that some students just seem to be more ready for distance learning than others? Those students who are not ready are often at risk of dropping out of the course. When this happens it is not good for the student, the faculty or the school.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could identify who these students are for whom distance education may be a challenge?
The same company which provides FacultyFinder.com also provides a tool called READI – Readiness for Education At a Distance Indicator. (www.READI.info). READI is used by over 330 colleges and universities and has been taken by over a quarter of a million students.
To find out how your school can pilot READI for one academic term with no cost or obligation email sales@readi.info or call toll free 1-866-411-3582.
10,000th faculty member creates profile on FacultyFinder.com
The recent spike in fuel prices and the slowing economy have signaled an increase in distance education at many institutions. Interest in distance education is also evidenced by the fact that recently the 10,000th faculty member created a profile on FacultyFinder.com. FacultyFinder.com is a searchable database of persons who are available to teach online courses. As the distance learning programs of colleges and schools continue to grow they need academically qualified, experienced online faculty. Using FacultyFinder.com schools can efficiently find online faculty who meet their criteria.
Initial usage of PostCourse.com is very positive
In 2008 eLearningToolBox.com, the company which provides FacultyFinder.com, launched a new service called PostCourse.com. Many of our client institutions were so pleased with the way that we managed their student readiness data and their online faculty data through READI and FacultyFinder.com that they asked us to manage their end-of-course perception data as well. Out of this need grew PostCourse.com. Because the response to this tool has been so strong we have currently suspended accepting any new clients until additional functionality can be developed to make the process totally manageable through a web-based administrative control panel. If you would like for your school to be on the waiting list of client schools for PostCourse.com, please send an email to sales@eLearningToolBox.com.
New branding scheme for eLearningToolBox.com
We are not your father's tool box any more. Early in 2009 we will release a new branding scheme for eLearningToolBox.com, the parent company of FacultyFinder.com. You will see the new scheme on the website, in our conference display booth and on all printed and electronic communications. Here is a sneak peak at the new logo:
Corporate offices moving December 15, 2008
In an effort to be a more "green" company the corporate offices of eLearningToolBox.com will be moving out of the urban, downtown offices in Montgomery, AL to a bedroom community where several of our employees live – Prattville, AL. This move will allow for a shorter commute plus this office suite has more windows. This move will be transparent to most of you. All phone numbers and email addresses will remain the same. The new mailing addresses will be PO Box 681025, Prattville, AL 36068 or 696 N. Silver Hills Drive, Suite 110, Prattville, AL 36066. |
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Here is an interesting idea for those of you looking for new resources to help with blended or online courses. AliveTek's release of their CourseCity website on December 1, 2008 marks the beginning of a new concept in the e-Learning market. CourseCity bridges the gap between full-service course developers (like AliveTek) and self-service sites that lack quality standards, subject matter experts, or controls.
The CourseCity model bridges the price gap between these, as well – with a nominal course commitment fee. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) with an existing course, or an idea for a course, work with Course City designers to create a curriculum. CourseCity course designers handle the aesthetics and flow of the course, using the SMEs content, quiz questions, etc. and apply best practices in pedagogical design to complete the highest quality online courses available. CourseCity hosts the course online, provides a secure e-commerce function for customers to buy, and provides all the facilities for learners to communicate & collaborate from anywhere in the world. The SME is asked to have an existing market, and to facilitate the course, which simply means answering any student questions through e-mail or discussion boards online.
Perhaps best of all, it provides a significant revenue stream to the SME. CourseCity splits sales revenue for each course – as much as 50% - with the SME. Compared to book royalties, that’s a huge difference, and with online course fees ranging from $30 to over $1000, online courses can be very lucrative.
Current courses include topics such as:
- Avoiding plagiarism and cheating in online courses (“How to Cheat Online” – by John Krutsch)
- Grammar rules for high-school seniors to college sophomores (“Grammar Grand Prix”)
- Regulatory mandates for pharmaceutical manufacturers (“Intro to Laboratory CGMPs: A Quality Systems Based Approach”)
- Becoming a certified Grant-Writer for a non-profit organization (“Writing Winning Grant Proposals”)
As their library of courses builds, CourseCity plans to target non-credit workforce training in several areas, potentially granting CEUs as appropriate.
If you are interested in submitting a proposal for your course at CourseCity, please visit www.coursecity.com or email to help@coursecity.com.
For those of you involved in blended or online courses, you can sign up for John Krutsch’s entertaining and informative course on avoiding academic dishonesty online by clicking here. |
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