E-learning | Meta-Education

Learning Wherever you Are

Some people say that wherever you go, that’s where you are. With this cryptic quote as your guide, it’s no wonder you can take your educational experience with you to any corner of the globe. You can even go to school from the comfort of your own local coffee shop. All you need is a laptop with wifi capabilities, and you’re in. Caffeine expenses notwithstanding, it’s even reasonably inexpensive.

Being educated means more than just having a fancy piece of sheepskin paper to hang on your wall. For a lot of people, it also means that you’ve grown beyond where you were before. If you spend your entire life in a small town and rarely meet anyone new or different, you won’t be as socially educated as you would be in a major metropolitan area. However, the people you can meet online are all but infinite, as well as infinitely varied. With this in mind, online education allows you to combine the best parts of small town life with the unbelievable amount of learning you can do when you’re online and guided by trained professionals.

Imagine being able to sit in a coffee house and sip your brew of choice while you pay little to no rent, because you aren’t living on campus. This is a pretty nice life in itself, but it gets even better when you realize that you can also be taking in an entire education, and even earning an advanced degree in a lucrative field while you live this kind of life. No matter where you want to get your education, you can do it. From there, you can go far.

Filed Under: Higher Education, Online Education Tagged With: Academic degree, E-learning, Education

Virtual Classroom Basics

Getting admitted to an online college is much the same as admissions for a traditional college. Just like admissions to brick-and-mortar schools, applicants must complete applications, submit test scores in some cases and pay application fees. The course curriculum is also basically the same for the both. However, once you’ve been accepted, attending class is a little different.

Online degrees can be self-paced which means you are able to start it at any time, or they can be structured so that students are scheduled to begin classes in groups and then they go through their programs at the same pace. In the latter case, there is usually a specific start date.

In addition to finding out when each course begins, it may be able to take individual courses at an accelerated pace. Although a student might have an entire semester to complete an online course, it is sometimes possible to complete a course early, depending upon the speed at which you work.

Although computers are the status quo for most degree-seeking students, regular access to a computer with Internet access and email is absolutely necessary when attending a virtual school. In addition, different online schools may have different technical requirements so it is important to check these out as well. For example, find out the time of browser you will need, how fast your Internet connection should be and whether or not you need specific software like Microsoft Office or something else that might be required for a certain class.

Filed Under: Adult Education, Online Education Tagged With: E-learning, Microsoft Office, Student

Myths about Online Colleges Debunked

Going to school online sounds good; who wouldn’t want to go to school without getting out of bed? But many people wrongly assume attending college online isn’t for them because of expense or level of difficulty.

Taking courses online is not any more expensive than taking classes at your local college. In fact, many local colleges now offer courses online as well as in the classroom. The prices for online courses do vary greatly just like classroom courses. Credit hours typically range from $100 to $300 and there are usually additional fees as well. However, when you go to school online, your car stays in the garage so you don’t have to pay for gas or parking.

Online colleges also offer scholarships and financial aid just like brick-and-mortar schools. It is important to check whether the degree being offered is accredited because programs that are not may not be eligible for certain federal financial aid programs.

The difficulty of online college courses isn’t any different than traditional colleges because they basically follow the same curriculum, even if the material is delivered in a different format. The upside is that because you are taking classes online, you can frequently “attend” the class when you want to. So if you aren’t a morning person, you don’t have to go to classes before you get your morning coffee. Also, an instructor’s lectures can be gotten in written form, a plus if you are a lousy note taker.

Another myth about online programs is that you can’t get credit for work experience. Just like traditional programs, many schools offer the option of taking proficiency exams, such as the College Level Examination Program and the Proficiency Examination Program, instead of coursework.

Filed Under: Online Education Tagged With: College Level Examination Program, Distance education, E-learning

Adult Educational Services

Returning to school as an adult or later in life can be a challenge that is both intimidating and frustrating. For many people returning, they have already established their careers and have made a good living until something forced them to make a change. For some they are looking for career advancement and are looking to make more money before retirement. Others simply want to change careers and they need more education to do so. Regardless of the reasons, many adults find that navigating the college market is not like it was a decade ago. They find that they need help getting to the right points in order to begin the process.

There are services that are exclusive to adults that are returning to schools, and many will assist in helping these students find the proper forms, services, and places to be in order to begin their adventure down the educational brick road. For adults that are looking for online programs that fit into their schedule they are in luck. Most of the online programs are geared for people that are over the age of 25, have had a job or career, and potentially a family, and they need something that will fit into their lives. This is much different than those that are simply indecisive, in which case online learning can still be a valuable tool while you are trying to decide what to do.

Some of the things that adult learners may be shocked to find out is that their old college credits may no longer be valid for their new program of study. College credits are only good for up to ten years. After that a student will have to consider retaking many of the older classes, and in some cases they will be required to start completely over.

Filed Under: Adult Education, Higher Education Tagged With: E-learning, Education

Your Education: Traditional or Online?

Choosing the right type of education has become an important part of pursuing a degree or certificate, and now you can choose between online courses or traditional campus courses when enrolling in school. There are benefits and drawbacks to each of these education types, and so it is up to you to decide which type is going to address your needs and match with your personality style in order for you to have the best possible learning experience imaginable.

Online degrees and degree programs do have benefits, especially for students that need to pursue a distance learning program. If you cannot attend on-campus classes due to location or scheduling conflicts, then an online degree program can benefit you. Many distance learning courses also offer the benefit of self-paced learning by making course materials available early and allowing you to complete the work at your own pace, but this is not always the case and every course and degree program is different.

On campus courses offer benefits as well, which you must consider. For example, online courses do not provide any face to face communication with the instructor, and so they are less personal in comparison to on campus courses. It can also be slower to get help with problems in online courses because you cannot simply raise your hand or ask for help from fellow students.

It is ultimately up to you to decide which type of education is going to meet your needs depending on what your personality is like and what your schedule is like as well. Make sure to explore different resources online to find out whether an online university or a traditional university is going to be ideal for you. You may also consider a hybrid education involving both on campus and online courses depending on what your university offers.

Filed Under: General, Online Education Tagged With: Academic degree, Campus, Distance education, Distance Learning, E-learning, Education, Online degrees, Student

The Many Conveniences of Online Courses

If there is one general advantage of online courses over traditional classroom courses, it is convenience. The convenience of online courses become apparent in a variety of ways, from time management to control over how one learns the material. It is this advantage that has made online courses a standard in all major universities, as well as allowed some to prosper and provide legitimate degrees on them alone. So in what ways exactly are they more convenient?

Unlike courses that follow rigid schedules, those online allow an extensive mode of flexibility. Students don’t have to be in class at a certain time for lecture, instead they spend time familiarizing themselves with the material when it best suits them. Additionally, students can tackle assignments on their own time as well, never having to stress over in-class projects.

Because of this convenient flexibility, students can allocate time towards other matters like working. It is difficult for most students to fit a job in the confines of a class schedule. But with online courses, class time can be moved to any hours of the day. This opens the door to more kinds of jobs available as well.

Instead of attempting to take notes during a lecture by hand, online courses readily provide lecture materials for students to conveniently browse and consult at their leisure; an extremely helpful feature for studying for exams. This convenience can also lead students to save money by eliminating the need for certain school supplies like notebooks.

Online courses also provide the convenience to pursue additional curricular activities like an internship, fellowship or apprenticeship to supplement a student’s education. They can also tackle other endeavors that can help buffer a resume such as research and papers for publication in their respective field of study. And who can forget the convenience to enjoy the many fun and exciting activities offered by colleges from intramural sports, art exhibits, theater performances and musical concerts.

Filed Under: Online Education, Online Learning Tagged With: E-learning, Education, Student

Great Resources for Online Learning

Textbooks have given way to web browsers. In a digital world of free encyclopedias like Wikipedia and search engines that answer questions in under a second, any adult or child can learn math, history and science facts with a click of the mouse. But mixed in with all that information is a lot of misinformation making an education garnered from the Internet much more suspect than the peer-reviewed tomes in a library. However, there are many reputable online learning resources available and each eager learner should start with these.

Cosmeo
Coming from the creative minds at the Discovery Channel is this educational tool that features interactive games, tens of thousands of videos, over 150,000 articles and tutorials. This resource is designed towards grades K-12 and costs $100 for yearly subscription or $10 per month.

Best Robotics
For those future engineers of the world is this online learning resource that will kindle everyone’s competitive and creative-thinking spirits. It is geared towards entering a nationwide robotics contest that features over 10,000 contestants. Users can get up to date information from current pros in the robotic field.

Education.com
No matter what the subject, those seeking to be schooled online will find credible information from an expansive collection of articles from a list of PhD-worthy educators, as well as government agency reports. It also features a discussion board where people can exchange ideas and learn together.

Curriki.org
Undecided what you should be learning exactly? The Curriki.org online learning resource is an open forum for educators and parents to create lesson plans anyone can use, or change as they see fit.

Smithsonian Institution
Those dusty old museums people have forgotten about are actually flourishing in the digital world. One such museum is the Smithsonian Institution that features multiple online learning resources, including Smithsonian Education and Smithsonian Research, for curious youngsters. Each expansive site is home to informative presentations and videos on everything from snakes to Presidents.

Filed Under: Higher Education, Online Learning Tagged With: Discovery Channel, E-learning, Education

Top Degrees to Obtain Online

It’s harder and harder to find a job that doesn’t require a college degree. This presents quite the dilemma for people already in the work force that decided to forgo college and start working right out of high school. At this point in their lives they have too many responsibilities to attend college full time which is why online courses are a viable alternative. Students get all of their materials online and have much more flexibility in their schedule. Accredited online programs offer all degrees–associates, bachelors, masters and yes, doctorates–that are recognized by any career recruiter. If you’re looking to join the working ranks, or looking for a career change, here are the top degrees to find online.

Business
Most online programs offer degrees in all fields of business. This includes finance, accounting, marketing, international banking and many more. Getting a business degree online is great for supplementing a degree you currently have and advancing your career, and can be achieved in 1 to 3 years time.

Engineering
The job market for engineering is hot and hasn’t shown any signs of cooling down. Believe it or not, students can learn the latest in engineering in every subject–mechanical, electrical, civil, aeronautic, etc.–and get a degree in this burgeoning field. The most popular programs in this field are masters degrees as people in science careers seek to further their expertise.

Teaching
Master programs in teaching are more prevalent online than bachelors, but can open the doors to all sectors of the education industry. In addition, most programs will request teaching hours right on campus but can be generally administered on a campus nearest to you.

Computer Science
Another industry with many job opportunities is computer science and information technology, many by Fortune 500 companies. Since the curriculum covers computer technology, what better way to learn than on a computer? Students can learn to write code, as well as design interactive networks.

Filed Under: Higher Education, Online Learning Tagged With: Academic degree, E-learning, Education

Professional Courses Provide Practical Education

Beginning as early as middle school students start judging what they learn in class and how it applies to the real world. Anyone that has had to sit through hours of algebra or calculus and went on to get a job in a profession that uses neither math or science certainly understands this sentiment. The same thinking continues in college classrooms as well. Every college has a set of required courses, especially for freshman that leave some to wonder about their purpose.

If the goal is to get a job out of college then why spend time learning about things that are irrelevant to your future industry? This question has created new educational programs, which many colleges are starting to offer, that teach more practical knowledge for specific subjects. These are generally known as professional courses.

Professional courses are usually geared towards attaining a master degree with employment as the final goal. Many working adults enter these education programs to expand their experience in their current profession or jump into something brand new. They are taught in a variety of fields from real estate to public relations to digital media.

One advantage of professional courses is that students don’t have to dedicate themselves to superfluous studies in unrelated material. Everything studied in the class is predicated on the real-life issues of that particular field or job profession. If you study business then you don’t learn Shakespeare.

Additionally, professional courses are taught by instructors that are also leaders in their field. Instead of learning from someone that just knows a lot about an industry, they learn from someone who is actually in that industry and doing well in it. Also, students in professional courses are commonly required to garner hands-on experience in their field of study. This can mean having a class in the actual work environment and taking part. Or it can mean taking an internship while going through the program.

Filed Under: Higher Education, Online Learning Tagged With: E-learning, Education, Learning, Student

How to fit Continuing Education Into a Full Schedule

Continuing education is for working adults. Thus, most students partaking in continuing education have received degrees in various fields and have even already had long careers in their profession. But like they say, there is always room for improvement, and continuing education provides a means to gather more experience and build better credentials for moving ahead in the work place.

But how do busy individuals find time for such educational improvement? On top of the full time job, there are usually children to take care of, or the needs of a spouse. Then there are the general adult responsibilities like managing a home. It would seem there is no time left to study. Yet, many adults take on the challenge by incorporating a few changes.

First of all, adults taking a continuing education program need to creatively rearrange their schedule. This means asking a spouse to take on some additional home duties, as well as cutting out other activities–be it nights out or playing cards with friends. It may also mean working with your employer to accommodate your schedule. While most continuing education courses are taught at night or on weekends, you may need additional days to study. A lot of employers encourage education and will make those arrangements, and some may even help pay for it all.

Second is finding the right program that will work for you. Most likely, there is a local college offer continuing education courses that would be easy to get to. But if you can’t make arrangements to attend those classes in person, then there is always online courses. Colleges across the country offer continuing education programs online.

Lastly, decide how soon you would like to finish a continuing education program. If you want to complete a program as soon as possible, then it will most likely mean a greater number of schedule changes. But, if you’re in no hurry, taking courses over a two-year span may be easier.

Filed Under: Continuing Education, Online Learning Tagged With: Continuing education, E-learning, Education