Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/111663
technology Are MOOCs Worthy? THE AMERICAN COUNCIL on Education (ACE), based in Washington, D.C., plans to evaluate the academic potential of free massive open online courses (MOOCs). ACE will conduct a broad-based study of MOOCs in partnership with organizations such as online course provider Coursera and the University Professional and Continuing Education Association. The study will be supported with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The project will include a Presidential Innovation Lab where academic presidents and chancellors can discuss the potential academic and ���nancial models of MOOCs. As part of the project, ACE College Credit Recommendation Service will evaluate speci���c Coursera courses for college credit. MOOCs hold great promise for providing education to students around the world, says Molly Corbett Broad, ACE president. ���But as with any new approach, there are many questions about long-term potential.��� The initiative will be overseen by Cathy Sandeen, ACE���s vice president for education attainment and innovation. Researchers will investigate the effect MOOCs have on rates of degree completion, college curricula, and learning productivity, as well as measure the levels of satisfaction among students who enroll in MOOCs. ACE also plans to determine to what extent MOOCs reach low-income young adult and older adult learners and encourage students to later enroll in degree and certi���cate programs. For more information about ACE, visit www.acenet.org. Tweet While You Teach A new free iPad app developed at Purdue University now allows public speakers and college lecturers to post tweets to Twitter while they speak. Backdraft, an app originally developed for Purdue instructors, allows speakers to write tweets���which could contain links, photos, or video clips���during their talks, without breaking the ���ow of their presentations. ���There has always been a backchannel during speeches and lectures, either through whispered comments or passing 62 March/April 2013 BizEd notes,��� says Kyle Bowen, director of informatics at Purdue. ���Backdraft allows the speaker to not only control the room, but also have some control over the backchannel conversation at the same time.��� To use the app, speakers write their tweets and load them to the app before their presentations. They then need only double-tap the tweet to release them to their audiences via Twitter as they speak. Backdraft is available for the iPad at the Apple iTunes store. JOSE LU IS PE LAE Z, I NC./G LOW I MAG ES TOOLS OF THE TRADE