Taking online to the next level?

Hasn't one of the criticisms about online teaching and learning been the lack of face-to-face interaction?  Here is one solution that is being implemented:

One of San Jose State's most recent additions to that lineup is a videoconferencing system that allows faculty and students to interact in a "face to face" format online.
"We wanted a tool that would help students feel less isolated when taking Web-based classes," explained Debbie Faires, assistant director for distance learning for the School of Library and Information Science. After reviewing the various products available on the market, the institution selected Live and Next, both of which are developed by Elluminate of Pleasanton, CA.
Live enables real-time collaboration between instructors and students and allows for the addition of synchronous content to asynchronous distance learning. The Next suite comprises two different products, Plan for organizing, scripting, and packaging content and activities for live, online sessions; and Publish, for the creation of standalone recordings or industry-standard audio files from session recordings, and the storage of those files on a computer, learning management system (LMS), Web site, or other media.

Are we sure it is the student who is doing the work?

Hey, after the conference I subscribed to a couple of listservs so that I can get updates on online learning issues.  (as if I don't have enough things to do; but, that is another story!)  Well, today I got an email, in which there are two things that we might want to look into.  First the excerpt from the email:

A Special Issue of the MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching is planned for June 2009 that will be focused on the topic of integrity in the online environment and authenticating the identity of students taking online classes. This is a timely topic in light of the provision of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (H.R. 4137) that requires that institutions that offer distance education “…have processes through which the institution establishes that the student who registers in a distance education or correspondence education course or program is the same student who participates in and completes the program and receives the academic credit”. As rule-making with respect to this legislation is in progress, articulating effective approaches to meeting this requirement is essential. Many in the distance education community have already sought to reframe the conversation to focus on pedagogical and curricular approaches, as opposed to costly and potentially invasive technological ones.

1. You/we have an opportunity to contribute articles.

2. More importantly, it is news to me (maybe not to you) that there is rulemaking in progress to require institutions offering distance ed to ensure that the registered student is the same as the one doing the work.  I mean, I welcome the discussion on this topic because it is an extremely important aspect of credentialing.  (I know of lots of horror stories in India, where correspondence courses through some universities were notorious for being diploma mills.  And, no, I did not get my degree that way!)  But, it is interesting that this is being worked into the Hr. Ed. act itself.

Maybe if I require students to turn in their assignments through video-clips I can verify the authenticity, eh :-)  But then what if they had outsourced the work to somebody in India (hopefully not graduates of those correspondence courses) and then all they do is present the work in an YouTube clip as if it is their work?  I tell you, students will always sniff out the path of least resistance :-)