While we read a lot of news and articles on online universities, it is good to revisit what online education is all about and why is it that an increasing number of students are opting for it year after year. Tradition education offers a lot of conventional benefits for regular learners. But where it falls behind online education is ‘Convenience’.
When we talk convenience we are taking about a lot of things. For starters we are talking about the convenience of doing an online course while pursuing a full time job. This is an exciting proposition for those who have responsibilities at home and have to be the bread winner. As the same time it allows them to fulfill their desire of earning a degree. Next comes the convenience of studying ‘when you want to’ and ‘where you want to’. This is something that no brick and mortar university will be able to offer. The flexibility to study early in the morning or late into the night or even while grabbing a bite in the lunch time offers a huge benefit to flexi-study learners. Read more on this on Cave Junction News
Northcentral University is a 100% online regionally accredited University and has recently announced changes in its Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) degree program. The program formally kicks off in August 2006. The redesigning has been done in order to not only increase the knowledge and skills of future managers but also to provide them with an opportunity to be placed well in renowned organizations.
The program now boasts of a strengthened core curriculum with increased emphasis on real-world competencies. This is all so that the future NCU graduates have an edge over their counterparts in their careers in the global marketplace. Students can select from a range of 17 career-relevant specializations. These include upcoming and well established specializations like homeland security, international business, public administration, electronic commerce and management of engineering and technology. Therefore what the students have is a wide assortment of traditional disciplines and highly sought-after specializations to choose from.
Apart from this, the learners have the regular advantage of completing the MBA degree program from the convenience of their home or office or perhaps even while they are on the road. Find out more on NCU on Finance Visor.
In the last few years acceptance for online courses has grown tremendously. And we are not talking of only some wayside diplomas. More and more people are today opting for serious bachelors and masters degrees online. The change in mindset has also come from employers recognizing the courses offered by these online universities as completely legitimate. People who are earning their degrees online are today not shy to tell others that they are pursuing education online. There are several companies that are reimbursing their employee’s online tuition money. Some companies, where promotions are linked to a prerequisite of a certain degree, are today promoting their employees on the basis of their online education as well.
Therefore it is not surprising that, today there are over 1.2 million full-time online university students. This figure is up from 700,000 in 2003. The University of Phoenix itself has about 250,000 online graduates so far. If estimates are to be relied upon, it is expected that by 2008 at least one out of ten college students will be enrolled in an online degree program. These figures are from a research conducted by Eduventures, an independent Boston market research firm. This is a clear indication that the era of online education is here to stay. Pittsburgh Tribune reports:
I don’t think you’re ever going to get away from those who want that college experience," said Elden Monday, vice president for the university’s Pennsylvania campuses. But he said there is little distinction between an online degree and any other. It’s not like there’s an asterik on the dipolma.
A degree in the study of real estate? And one that is being offered entirely online? It’s all happening at the Portland, Oregon-based Marylhurst University. The BS in Real Estate Studies that commences this fall at the institution is being touted as “one of a handful of real estate bachelor degrees offered in the United States”.
The course can be studied in the accelerated format and completed in only 26 months. It will cover the basics of statistics, accounting, finance and ethics, besides going into detail on appraisal, marketing, property management and real estate law. Students of the degree can choose one of four specializations – Real Estate Appraisal, Property Management, Residential Sales, and Mortgage Banking and Lending.
Courses will include subjects such as Land-Use Planning, Real Estate Finance, and Environmental Issues and Hazards, and will be conducted in five-week stretches.
Though the college is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, the course is specially recognized by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE), an association that is dedicated to improving student learning through outcomes assessment.
Prior credits from the Appraisal Institute, the Mortgage Bankers Association of America (CampusMBA), the Institute of Real Estate Management and the Building Owners and Managers Institute are transferable to the BS in Real Estate Studies degree.
Follow this link for more details.
As an online student, do you miss nodding off to the drone of your professor’s voice as you sit through an afternoon lecture? Now you can do just that from the comfort of your home, if you are enrolled at the North Carolina State University. Professors who handle online classes will record lectures using a digital chalkboard, and these can be accessed online at the student’s convenience. So now that you have your favorite lullaby, are you all set for a snooze?
Jokes aside, this offering from the institution is a boon for those who learn better by listening to someone rather than reading matter from a book. And you don’t have to be tied to your computer screen to hook up to the lectures; you can access them from your iPod or any other MP3 player.
The professors also get something out of this arrangement; they can track the number of students logging on to each lecture. Just in case they hold a popularity contest?
Having a role model to live up to does wonders for self-improvement. The Northwest Arkansas Community College is revamping itself to reach the standards of its 24 benchmark institutions spread across 11 states. As a result, it plans to increase the number of online courses to raise its current offering of 2 percent to the 6 percent offered by the benchmark institutions.
The Northwest Arkansas Community College is part of the National Community College Benchmark Project, a consortium of 113 colleges. The institution’s executive vice president for student learning, Clarence Ates, said that he planned to retain the services of an instructional designer to help staff members in designing the new online courses.
Quality Matters, which works for the improvement and quality assurance of online courses, has certified three online courses offered by the Allegany College of Maryland. The Quality Matters Inter-Institutional Quality Assurance in Online Learning FIPSE grant project has stamped its approval on the “Introduction to Speech”, “Calculus III” and “Differential Equations” courses taught online at the college.
The courses were reviewed according to a rubric of 40 national quality standards including course design, navigation, learning objectives, assessment and measurement, resources and materials, learner interaction, course technology and learner support. Times News reports:
The Quality Matters project was awarded to MarylandOnline, a statewide consortium of 19 Maryland community colleges and senior institutions, by the U.S. Department of Education Fund For The Improvement of Postsecondary Education, or FIPSE, in 2003.
What does it take to succeed in the world of online education? I scoured the Internet for qualities that enable online students to shine and these attributes were peppered on almost every site.
- The ability to learn without supervision
- The ability to set a timetable and stick to it
- The ability to avoid and ignore distractions of any kind
- The ability to grasp necessary and sufficient information from a motley collection of resources
- The ability to study without being part of a group
For those of you who think you do not possess these characteristics, do not despair. An online learner myself, I’ll let you in on a few trade secrets.
First of all, I set timetables all right, but I never stick to them. I’m always behind. But one thing I am is committed; I just have to finish what I started. So I forgo sleep, sit up a couple of nights, and voila, my work is done.
I can study without supervision, but my best friends are deadlines. There’s nothing more motivating than the Damocles’ sword of a deadline hanging over my head.
I’m good at assessing what needs to be learned to complete a course successfully, so I study only what’s necessary to get a passing grade. I wouldn’t recommend this to all those who study online, but I find that this helps me balance work, classes, family and social life without stressing out.
Distractions are a part and parcel of life. I don’t ignore them completely; rather, I give in to them once in a while. You can call it a treat for some assignment done well. The best part of giving in to temptation once in a while is that I’m so wracked by guilt for slacking off, and work extra hard in the bargain.
As you can see, I’m having my cake and eating it too. Enjoy learning from home; make it a pastime, not a chore.
The online MBA on offer at the Northcentral University (NCU) just got a facelift, according to Bob Branch, chair of the School of Business and Technology Management. The institution has revamped its MBA curriculum to reflect the changes taking place in the global marketplace.
More emphasis has been laid on real-world competencies, in an attempt to hone students’ financial, marketing, statistical, economical and organizational leadership skills. The degree offers students the choice of 17 specializations including homeland security, international business, public administration, electronic commerce and management of engineering and technology.
The business degree is regionally accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of College. NCU is pending professional accreditation at the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) of which it is a member.
Follow this link for more information.
Aspiring journalists from the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are being offered the chance to sign up for a free online course in journalism offered by Transitions Online (TOL) in conjunction with the BBC and the Guardian Foundation. TOL is a news service and media non-governmental organization (NGO) for post-Communist countries.
The training, which is endorsed by the U.S.-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED), will introduce raw press entrants to the exacting standards of high-quality journalism. Twenty exceptional performers will be offered the chance to work for TOL from their respective countries, besides being awarded completion certificates from BBC/Guardian/TOL and being eligible to take advanced courses.
While the course dates are yet to be finalized, it is expected to commence sometime in October. The last date for the receipt of applications is August 30. Follow this link for further registration details.
