Online University Lowdown

You may be shy and reticent of going to a brick-and-mortar College and is money the only other thing stopping you from education? Are you physically challenged, stay-at-home mom, high school grad, or a struggling first-rung employee? If the answer is yes and if you are also interested in furthering your education but have been unable to do so for want federal financial aid. You have just won an education-jackpot!

Both houses of Congress have voted to alter the “50-50 Rule”. Government financial aid for online students was given to accredited universities only if the online universities offered more than 50 percent of their classes online. So, now all accredited universities can offer financial aid to online students.

You can now start your MBA program from the comforts of your home with government aid paying the university. It’s a win-win situation for most people who have had the time but not enough money to pursue studies online.

It goes without saying that universities (the traditional kind) are happy to offer more classes online and offer education to students from all walks of life. A computer and broadband connection and now financial aid from government and you are set to get your dream education and a better career.

There are concerns that Uncle Sam might be funding diploma mills but financial aid is available for accredited colleges only and all the more reason now to go for an accredited program. So approach your university of choice and start filling up those forms and yes there is some extra paper work to be done now.

Watchdog organization, Sloan Consortium’s 2005 report shows that over 2 million college students are currently enrolled in online courses. We can expect a huge increase in this number with the ‘50-50 rule’ being done away with by congress.

Online learning and virtual classrooms – make this form of education very prone to scams. So what can you do to ensure that you sign up to a good course with a good university? The answer is to look for accredited universities and programs. Search no further than our online university degree finder, which searches a complete directory of accredited online university programs:

What are the benefits of accreditation?

If you need federal financial aid sign up with an accredited college. Federal and state governments look for accreditation to extend financial aid. Accredited courses after a successful review by the government are qualified for financial aid.

Credit Transfer: In order to transfer credits to an accredited school, employers also look for people who have received a degree through an accredited academic program. Even the eligibility to apply for a job may be jeopardized if you have a degree from non-accredited school.

If you would need to acquire state licensure keep in mind that states require that a college, university, or program be accredited.

In the United States, the United States Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) have the job of reviewing accreditation.

Accreditation ensures a basic level of quality in the education you receive from an institution. It also ensures your degrees will be recognized for it’s true value.

Educational institutions are forced to set higher standards and maintain good quality education. As accreditations also boosts confidence in the public as it makes the universities or courses accountable to a certain extent.

As online degree programs become more and more predominant in the world of higher education, students in around the globe should be aware of the advantages of signing up with an accredited school.

So, now that you have decided to enroll with an accredited college you are on your way to good education with good prospects with all the advantages of online educations on your side. All that remains is for you go through the course and finish the program to move up in the world.

An online degree can be rewarding in more ways than one. Besides offering run-of-the-mill advantages like flexile class hours, the comfort of learning from your own home, the freedom from the hassles of commuting, and the chance for career advancement, earning a degree through the use of distance and online resources augments your life experiences in the following ways:

• Improves your understanding of and familiarizes you with the technical implements that you use for you daily lessons.
• Offers you the chance to interact with people who live in different parts of the country, or in foreign countries, thus enhancing your geographical and cultural knowledge.
• Gives your brain food for thought everyday, and helps to keep you mentally alert and sharp by learning new things with every class you take.
• Prevents you from becoming a couch potato with an expanding waistline, and instead helps you utilize your extra time judiciously and to your advantage.
• Enhances the way you use the Internet to search for materials relevant to your course curriculum.

How many times have you found yourself taping a checklist to the door of the refrigerator so that you will not forget that all-important chore? A checklist is just a mnemonic that aids us when human fallacies like forgetfulness take over our normally efficient brain. Such a list will also come in handy when you decide to enroll for an online degree, the only difference being that this particular sheet of paper should be chockfull of questions that you should get satisfactory answers to before making your school and degree choice. I can almost read the question in your mind now, what questions should this list incorporate? The following suggestions are not exhaustive, but they should give you a good starting point, after which you can tailor your questions to the institutions and degrees you narrow down.

• Find out if the institution is accredited. If it is in the process of being reviewed for accreditation, ensure that the process will be complete before you enroll.
• Calculate your expenses for the entire study period taking into account your tuition fees, the scholarships and federal loans you may be eligible for, the cost of your books, and any other costs you may incur. Be sure to check for hidden and additional costs thoroughly before you commit yourself to signing up.
• Obtain details about the instructors who will be handling your online classes. If possible, get firsthand information on their teaching methods and skills from alumni of the course. Also enquire about the number of students that constitutes a class; you don’t want to be one in a crowd.
• Get adequate information about your hardware and software requisites before enrolling for a particular course.
• The size and history of the school do matter, because, all said and done, a school that’s been around a longer time has more experience to offer. So do some probing to find out the strength of the college and how many graduates it has produced.
• Make of list of phone numbers and email ids of people you can approach for academic or administrative aid. Most important, find out when they will be available for guidance; you don’t want to be interrupting their personal life just because your degree is flexible.
• Though most schools promise an expedited graduation process, go through your course requirements thoroughly, assess the pace at which you can complete the work, and estimate the time you will need to complete the course. Allow enough latitude for unexpected contingencies and unavoidable delays.

For all you chemistry buffs with a flair for technology, the Indiana University School of Informatics is offering a graduate level program in chemical informatics, scheduled to begin in the fall 2006 semester. The course can be taken entirely online or on campus at the Bloomington or Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis. The course, which offers a primer on the application of computer technology to chemistry, especially the pharmaceutical industry, will help in the application of chemical informatics techniques in approaches to information technology. Indiana University reports:

Successful completion of four courses (three credit hours each) earns students the certificate. The classes must be completed within a maximum of three years. The classes include chemical information technology; computational chemistry and molecular modeling; programming for chemical and life science informatics; and independent study in chemical informatics.

A new online course is helping students to understand the changing face of the global economy, and as a result, to gain a better grasp on the career prospects that await them once they graduate. The course, which is designed by the Michigan Department of Education, is sponsored by Microsoft’s Partners in Learning program. It will be offered through schools or for individual students who wish to learn on their own initiative. South Bend Tribune reports:

The course would meet the new requirement for an online learning experience that is being considered as part of the new mandatory high school curriculum proposed by the State Board of Education that is now before the Legislature.

The Open University is all set to provide course material and educational resources online to students, teachers, and others in the education field, both in the UK and abroad. In a move that is a first of its kind, the University will offer access to a diverse range of subjects including arts, history, business and management, languages, sciences, and nature, at all levels, from basic to postgraduate. The university’s vice-chancellor, Brenda Gourley, said that the institution was following the lead set by various US universities. MIT was the first institution to offer its course material online for free in 2001. The Education Guardian reports:

The university plans to provide both educational material and a range of learning support, with one site aimed for learners, where material with suggested learning pathways will be offered. The second site will be mainly for course creators to encourage the sharing and re-use of materials. The $9.49 million project will be partly funded by a $4.45 million grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in the US.

The University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC) Online is offering an online project management course that will train you in the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation processes involved in a project. Classes will be held for eight weeks, between March 30 and May 24. Interested participants are asked to contact the External Education department of UIC by email, their website, or over the phone. Details can be found on the University’s website. University of Illinois Online reports:

Completion of UIC’s Project Management Online course fulfills the 35-hour project management education requirement for Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP) exam. Project Management Online is ideal for project managers, team leaders and anyone interested in improving their project management skills.

This may be your one-stop guide to selecting the best online or distance eduction institution for you. US News has compiled several lists of online universities that rank them according to the largest and smallest in terms of student strength, and the newest and oldest in terms of courses added to those on offer. The site offers a comprehensive catalogue of schools that offer business, engineering, education, public health, nursing, and library science courses, including accreditation details for each. It also lists which universities are professionally accredited.

Do you have a flair for the creative? Are you computer savvy? Are your brush strokes inspired by a stroke of genius? If you answered yes to all the above questions, a course in animation might be right up your street. You can become a master animator along the lines of Chuck Jones by enrolling at the Animation Mentor Internet School. All courses are taught online by instructors who are renowned in the animation industry. All you need to complete an 18-month course is a capital investment of $13,000, a web camera, animation software, and a drawing pad. While a background in visual arts is helpful, it is not mandatory. Professional reasons or just to draw out your creative streak, this course is a must for aspiring animators.