Archive for the ‘Online College and University’ Category
Online Degree as the Cheaper Alternative
Monday, December 8th, 2008
With the current financial turmoil going on all over the world, everybody is seeking for the more economical alternatives for our basic needs such as choosing the cheaper brand of soap or toothpaste. For some, this extends to looking for a cheaper alternative from the traditional form of education – and one way is through getting an online degree. These are some reasons that show how online degrees as the cheaper alternative.
Learn Now, Pay Later. Many online colleges help enrollees take out federal student loans. You may be able to earn an entire online degree without paying a dime until you graduate.
Take Advantage of Employer Tuition Reimbursement. If you’re working for a company offering a tuition reimbursement program, now is a perfect time to take advantage. Improve your resume by earning an online degree on your employer’s dime. Double check to see if you qualify – even Starbucks offers tuition reimbursement payments to hourly workers.
Defer Your Current Student Loans. If you’re making monthly payments on a federal student loan now, you may be able to defer the loan by enrolling in an online college. This could save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year. Further your education now and resume payments when the economy recovers.
Save on Gas. Enrolling in an online college will help you save at the pump. Forget commuting to a brick-and-mortar school; earn a degree without fretting about rising gas prices.
Study in Your Spare Time. In a troubled economy, few professionals are able to forgo employment to return to school. With online learning, you don’t have to. Many students are even able to balance a full-time job while taking a full load of online classes.
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Online Degree in a Troubled Economy
Monday, December 8th, 2008
When the economy is in trouble, many professionals look for other ways to get additional education they need and turn to online learning. Here are some reasons why earning an online degree is a smart way to deal with a recession.
Invest in Yourself. When stocks are down and savings accounts aren’t offering much, it’s a good time to invest in yourself. Putting money towards an online degree now may yield rewards for years to come.
Protect Your Job. Improving your skills and broadening your experience will help make you invaluable to your company. Online colleges offer many courses that prepare employees to succeed in the workplace. In just a few weeks, you may be able to improve your management style, learn basic web design, or become certified in a software program.
Prepare for the Worst. Unfortunately, some people do lose their jobs through layoffs and downsizing during a recession period. If this happens to you, your online studies will make you more attractive in a competitive job market.
Increase Your Earning Potential. Once you earn an online degree, you may become eligible for promotions and salary increases. When the economy rebounds, you may find that your earning potential follows suit.
Prepare for a Profession Change. Some jobs are more “recession proof” than others. If you’re suffering from unemployment and few job prospects in your field, now may be a good time to reconsider your options. An online degree in a field such as education, nursing, or law enforcement may help you land a more secure position.
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Synchronous Technology in Distance Education
Sunday, December 7th, 2008
One type of available technology used in distance education is synchronous technology. This type of technology is a mode of online delivery where all participants are “present” at the same time. It requires a timetable to be organized. Here are some sample items of synchronous technology:
Telephone - The telephone is a telecommunications device that is used to transmit and receive sound (most commonly speech), usually two people conversing but occasionally three or more. It is one of the most common household appliances in the world today. Most telephones operate through transmission of electric signals over a complex telephone network which allows almost any phone user to communicate with almost anyone.
Videoconferencing - A videoconference (also known as a videoteleconference) is a set of interactive telecommunication technologies which allow two or more locations to interact via two-way video and audio transmissions simultaneously. It has also been called visual collaboration and is a type of groupware. It differs from videophone in that it is designed to serve a conference rather than individuals.
Web conferencing - Web conferencing is used to conduct live meetings or presentations over the Internet. In a web conference, each participant sits at his or her own computer and is connected to other participants via the internet. This can be either a downloaded application on each of the attendees computers or a web-based application where the attendees will simply enter a URL (website address) to enter the conference.
There are many other types of synchronous technology used in distance education. It would be great if you could maximize the use of these items and make sure that you are receiving the proper quality education that you need.
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Distance Education Options
Sunday, December 7th, 2008
Distance education has a very wide coverage of concepts and ideas. Some educational institutions offer different types of options to students, depending on the type of distance education that they might need. In the province of Manitoba in Canada, the department of Education, Citizenship and Youth provides three options in distance education: Independent Study Option, Teacher Mediated Option and Web-based Course Option.
The Independent Study Option (ISO) provides the opportunity and flexibility for both school-age and adult learners to study a wide range of compulsory optional print based distance education courses from Grades 7 to 12. This form of distance education also provides students with support by email or phone. The Independent Study Option also offers several courses in French. In the event that a student leaves the province on a temporary or permanent basis, the ISO also provides the opportunity for continuing the study of Manitoba curriculum en route to receiving a Senior Years graduation diploma.
Teacher Mediated Option (TMO) supports the delivery of distance learning courses that are scheduled within the school day and use a variety of technologies to assist students including: instruction twice a school cycle for 40 minutes per class by audio teleconference, recording of classes as required for use up to five days after the class has occurred, and corresponding with an instructor between classes by email or phone. These courses are only available to students attending school or an adult learning centre.
Web-bases course in Manitoba are available to schools wishing to deliver high school courses on the internet. Manitoba uses the Blackboard learning System CE version 6.2. While being delivered through the internet, these courses are taught by a teacher who may be off-site. Assignments are submitted online by students to teachers, and a final examination is written on site.
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Tools Used for Distance Learning
Sunday, December 7th, 2008
With the event of the rapid improvement and innovations on science and technology, so many tools and apparatuses have been very helpful in the expansion of distance learning. In the twentieth century, radio, television, and especially the Internet have all been used to enhance distance education. Computers and the Internet have made distance learning distribution very much easier and a lot faster. For example, a private, for-profit Phoenix University, which is primarily an online university, now has two hundred thousand students and expects to serve five hundred thousand by 2010, yet little is known about student success or lack of success in such a fast-growing institution. In 2006 the Sloan Consortium reported that more than 96 percent of the largest colleges and universities in the United States offered online courses and that almost 3.2 million U.S. students were taking at least one online course during the fall 2005 term. In short, there is an increasing number of student enrollees for the online courses.
Despite the fact that minimal data is available on the student success rate on on-line schools, there are some on-line educational institutions that show good student outcomes. One example is Canada’s leading distance education providers, Open Learning (TRU-OL) of Thompson Rivers University. TRU-OL educational goals are obtainable for anyone through accessible and varied courses that can be taken anytime and at an individually-determined pace. With over 400 individual courses and more than 57 programs available for completion by distance and online learning, students can take a variety of programs such as: adult secondary school completion; certificates and diplomas, including advanced and post-baccalaureate; associate degrees; and bachelor’s degrees.
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