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September 18, 2009
AUSTIN, Texas — Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will speak during a forum and press conference at The University of Texas at Austin Monday, Sept. 21, on the importance of broadband Internet technology for distance learning to prepare high school students for higher education. The event, held in conjunction with an FCC Broadband Field Hearing in Austin, will be at 1:30 p.m. in the university’s Thompson Conference Center. The broadband hearing earlier in the day at the Texas University Club is the first stop on a nationwide tour by the FCC to promote broadband use in education. Panel members for the discussion will include Dean Judy Ashcroft, Ph.D., of Continuing and Innovative Education (CIE) and Amy Pro, Ph.D., principal of The University of Texas at Austin Online High School. Three students who have benefited from broadband Internet use to further their high school studies through CIE also will be on the panel. One of the students will join the conference via a broadband Internet video connection. “I look forward to a vivid showcase on the power of broadband communications and how it relates to distance learning,” said Ashcroft. “By showcasing how broadband communication impacts both secondary and higher education, this discussion will emphasize the higher goals of Internet usage. We, in Continuing and Innovative Education, are excited by new uses of this technology so we may support learners everywhere in their education continuum.” Continuing and Innovative Education offers a number of distance learning programs and opportunities that specifically employ the Internet to reach students from across the state, country, and world. The distance learning components and services include:
For more information, contact: Kevin Wier, Continuing and Innovative Education, 512-471-2731. |
September 22, 2009
FCC Commissioner Baker to Discuss Broadband Use in Education During Forum at The University of Texas at Austin
August 31, 2009
Soon, online students at Thomas Edison State College won’t even have to be online to complete their course work. The college piloted the flash drives this spring in 15 “FlashTrack” courses.” Each flash drive contained Open Office versions of word processing, spreadsheet and presentation programs; media players; and folders containing course material. At the end of the class, students took a high-stakes test — as they would in any other online course — to complete the course. In this generation of flash drives, the college hopes to install technology that will allow the flash drive to automatically connect to a folder hosted by the college, so students can submit assignments whenever the flash drive detects an Internet connection. The college will also look to add communication and technical-support devices in future versions of the flash drive.
August 3, 2009
Online education comes into its own
Carol Lloyd
Sunday, August 2, 2009
As the job market grows softer and less nourishing than a jelly doughnut, reports show more people are returning to school to immunize their careers and feed their souls. But “school” is not necessarily the idyll of leafy campuses and long afternoons arguing philosophy in oak-paneled rooms.
Online education, long an ugly duckling of the ivory towers of the world, is coming into its swan years.
In its annual report on the state of online education, the Sloan Consortium reported in 2008 that online education continues to grow at a much faster rate than its brick-and-mortar competitors. Anecdotal evidence suggests that 2009’s economic woes will only accelerate the pattern.
“We have seen our small university double in size this year,” says Scott Stallings, director of marketing and admissions for California InterContinental University, a for-profit “distance education” university in Diamond Bar (Los Angeles County). “I believe this can be attributed to our low cost of tuition and the large influx of students who need their degrees to remain competitive.”
Vicky Phillips, founder of GetEducated.com, which rates online education degrees and filters out diploma mills, says that in the past 12 months, she has seen an 18 percent increase in enrollment inquiries for online college degrees on her Web site – with the strongest increase in associate degrees and certificates.
She says this reflects a trend: Though distance learning has mostly served older working adults, online education is now attracting a younger generation.
“These kids must work full time,” Phillips said. “They can’t afford the traditional four years of sheltered college life. Also, they grew up with the Internet and love and trust communicating and learning online.”
Indeed, even traditional universities are getting in on the virtual act. Stanford University now offers 23 master’s of science degrees entirely online. Boston University offers a master’s in music education and the University of California system just announced its first online master’s program in criminology, law and society.
In the wake of a budget crisis that has forced the UC system to reduce enrollment, Christopher Edley, dean of UC Berkeley’s Boalt Law School, wrote an editorial in the Los Angeles Times, calling for a “UC cyber campus” that would extend its first-class education to tens of thousands of additional students.
For those whose disposable income amounts to nary a penny, various top-flight schools like MIT are now offering free university classes – on topics as varied as women’s studies and mechanical engineering – through OpenCourseware, a sort of educational equivalent of open-source programming.
Once a backwater of get-rich-quick MBAs and exotic programs for military personnel, prisoners and serial lifelong learners, distance learning now offers what many returning students desperately need: thrift, convenience and flexibility.
“I weighed a lot of variables,” says Angel Garcia, 32, of Escondido (San Diego County) after finishing his master’s degree in management from American Public University this month. Garcia worked 55 to 65 hours a week on top of a full load of classes.
“I wanted a school that was nationally and regionally accredited but also one that was affordable,” he said. He close American Public University after comparing its fee of $275 per unit to traditional public university programs of $550 to $600 per unit.
When asked whether his online experience seemed less rigorous than studying for his bachelor’s degree from Vanguard University, a private college in Costa Mesa (Orange County), he suggested that it was quite the opposite: “If anything, the people (in the master’s program) were more professional, and the culture was more intellectual.”
Evidence suggests that Garcia’s experience is not unusual. Recently, the Department of Education released a study suggesting that a mix of online and face-to-face education produces the best learning outcomes. Exclusively online education proved slightly more effective than only face-to-face learning.
Such findings don’t surprise Gary Matkin, dean of continuing education at the UC Irvine.
“It’s not that online education is just growing,” he says. “It’s that online education and other kinds of education are merging.”
He says hybrid education combines online components with in-class learning at bricks-and-mortar universities. “I can’t imagine designing a modern professional master’s degree program without it being an online program.” –
This article appeared on page U – 5 of the San Francisco Chronicle
July 6, 2009
Distance Learning Advantages and Disadvantages
There are advantages and disadvantages to distance learning. The advantages are making this online alternative very popular. But, before you decide to choose distance education over traditional learning, you should be aware of the disadvantages, too.
Advantages of Distance Learning:
Convenience: In this economy, it is difficult to take time away from work to further an education towards a more secure future. An advantage of distance education is that it makes it possible for you to maintain employment without a conflict in schedule. Distance learning allows students to attend class anytime day or night.
Availability: Another advantage of distance learning is that you are not limited to only courses offered by local colleges. With personal responsibilities already in place, attending schools at a greater distance away from home is not always an option. Distance education makes it possible to take almost any course from any higher learning institution.
Increased Resources: Distance learning not only provides advantages of broadening the courses and programs available at your convenience, it also provides more opportunities for feedback and interaction with instructors and fellow students. Since email and forums are integral components of distance learning, interaction can all be done as needed – not limited to class or campus time or playing phone tag and voice mail.
Disadvantages of Distance Learning
Deadlines: As with any course, there are deadlines to be met. Because you aren’t attending a scheduled class, deadlines may get away from you. This can be a disadvantage of distance learning if you aren’t good with time management.
Studying: It may be difficult to find enough online time without interruption since you’ll be attending class at home. Instructors provide a syllabus so you should be able to create a schedule around the course schedule. You may need to make arrangements with a sitter or spouse to watch the kids plus remember to turn off the TV and the phone.
Testing: Testing may need to be supervised or timed online to keep you honest, especially for the final exam. Your instructor will make arrangements with local educators or provide you with timed online tests so you can’t rely on using your text book to pass. If you live close to the school, you may be required to take the exam at the testing center. You’ll need to be sure to spend as much time studying as you would learning in the traditional way, but there may be more distractions.
Interaction: Discussion board posts and replies are usually included in the course requirements. Sometimes, you must interact in a forum discussion during a set time so you may interact with your instructor in real time. Again, you need to be able to manage your time to be available without distractions.
Learning Style: Another disadvantage to distance learning is that the course may not include instruction for the auditory or visual learner. If there are lecture and supplemental videos included, then it may work for your learning style. Be sure to check the instructor’s style to teaching before you decide on the course. The course may be offered by more than one instructor – each of whom may have different teaching styles.
Successful Distance Learning
To be successful as a distance learner, you must weigh the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning. For your first time as a distance learner, enroll in just one course that you will enjoy and see how it goes.
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Find here complete information about top distance learning courses, top distance learning degrees, distance education programs and top distance learning colleges in United States and Canada. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amit_Kothial |
May 7, 2009
Virtual Field Trips
Take a Museum Field Trip -Without Leaving Your Classroom!
When a field trip is out of the question, journey to a virtual museum! Join Education World as we visit science, art, and history museums around the world.
A class field trip to a museum can spark intense student interest as well as nurture thinking skills. But practical concerns, such as money and time, limit the location and number of museums a class can visit.
An alternative to real-life field trips is online virtual visits that can be taken via computer. Clearly, nothing replaces the actual experience of a museum tour, yet experiencing a high-quality online museum yields its own rewards.
Here is a sampling of excellent online museums to visit with your class, divided by category. Suggested activities accompany the descriptions of the Web sites.
SCIENCE MUSEUMS
The Franklin Institute Science Museum
This Philadelphia-based museum has structured its online site in a way that is ideal for educational purposes. The presentation is straightforward; you won’t have to spend much time finding what you want. The site offers a number of interesting exhibits, and there is almost definitely going to be some content that relates to your curriculum. At this time, the following are among the offerings:
- The 2003 Flight Forecast, which challenges students to analyze historical weather data as a basis for making weather prediction;
- “Pieces of Science,” an online gallery of sixteen educational resources related to a collection of historical science objects; and
- Jopurney in Time, an exhibit about clocks, gears, sundials, and the history and concept of time. You’ll also find online exhibits about the Wright brothers, scientific instruments and more.
Activity: Have students explore the “Hot Air over Hot Water exhibit, and then experiment with hot water to learn about the phenomenon of El Nino. You might have students look for weather stories about El Nino and bring them to class to serve as a basis for discussion.
Museum of Science and Industry
Variety is the spice of this Web site from a Chicago, Ill., museum. Online exhibits include AIDS: The War Within; Apollo 8 Command Module; the Big Dig Construction Site; the Coal Mine; Hatching Chicks; Giant Heart; and Animated Industrial Gears. A nice aspect of the virtual museum is the inclusion of exhibits that will appeal to students in grades 1 to 4 as well as exhibits more suitable for older students.
Activity: Invite students to explore the Coal Mine exhibit and then ask them to write a paragraph explaining whether they would like to work in a coal mine, and why or why not. A more complex activity for students in grade 5 or above involves visiting a local business or industry and photographing its operations. Students can then use the photographs as a basis of their own exhibit on the business or industry.
Optional Activity: Have students visit the The Chick Hatchery exhibit and write captions for the online photographs of a chick’s birth.
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUMS
American Museum of Natural History
The museum is one of the world’s foremost scientific and educational institutions. It contains enormous collections of specimens and cultural artifacts. Museum collections, including more than 30 million items, are a “field guide” to the life forms and cultures on earth.
Activity: Have students explore the museum’s Web site, (Fossil Halls might be of special interest) and then ask them to make a four-page illustrated brochure about the American Museum of Natural History.
The Worldwide Museum of Natural History
The Worldwide Museum of Natural History (WMNH) is an online museum of photo galleries that features excellent educational products for schools and homes. New galleries and updates are added every month. Categories of exhibits are Vertebrate Life Galleries; Invertebrate Life Galleries; Planetary Science and Astronomy Galleries; and Gem and Mineral Galleries.
Activity: Encourage students to visit the Dinosaurs Galleries in the Vertebrate Life Galleries. Then have them click the image of Dreamstar’s Dinosaurs and draw their own imaginary dinosaurlike creature based on the photographs they see.
HISTORY MUSEUM
American Red Cross Virtual Museum
This online museum is produced by the American Red Cross History and Education Center (HEC). The class can explore one of six different eras (pre-1900; 1900-1919; 1920-1939; 1940-1959; 1960-1979; 1980-present) or take an Automated Guided Tour through the cultural history of the American Red Cross.
Activity: Click the Pre-1900 area of the museum’s History Timeline; then click the other eras, in order. Have students make a timeline of important events, perhaps with illustrations, in the history of the Red Cross. A group of students might collaborate on one long timeline to be displayed in class.
ART MUSEUM
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The museum houses one of the largest, most varied, and most prestigious collections of art in the world. More than two million works of art — several hundred thousand of which are displayed at any given time — in its collections are drawn from more than 5,000 years of world culture. The site provides an overview of the collections from the museum’s galleries. Be forewarned: There are occasional nudes on the site, and you might want to preview any areas before having students explore them if this might present a problem in your community.
Activity: Encourage students to explore the Mary Cassatt exhibit. Several of her paintings are on display in the Works of Art section by clicking on the title of the painting at the end of the text. (One shows a nude girl who looks maybe 4 or 5 years old; just a caution.) A brief biography is included, as is information about her painting style. After students explore the site, ask them to imagine they are journalists interviewing Mary Cassatt about her life and work. Have students write five interview questions they would ask her.
ADDITIONAL MUSEUM RESOURCES ON THE INTERNET
- Museums on the Web This extensive compilation of links to online museums is divided by categories: art, science, history, natural history, cultural, miscellaneous, and Special Exhibits. Included among the miscellaneous museums are the San Diego Model Railroad Museum and the George Eastman House International Museum of Film and Photography.
- Natural History Museums on the Web This list of links to 18 natural history museums on the Web includes the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, the London Natural History Museum, and the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University, in New Haven, Conn.
- Association of Science and Technology Centers A state-by-state list of science and technology museums and centers.
- Virtual Worlds and Fieldtrips This compilation includes virtual field trips to Asia, Europe, the United Kingdom, and America as well as museums, galleries, and environmental and geology field trips.
- Comic Art & Graffix Gallery Virtual Museum A lively history of comic art, biographies of artists, and a list of related comic links make the museum intriguing. Also included is a how-to section on collecting comics and a What’s New in Comic Art section.
- The Vanderbilt Museum The Vanderbilts are one of the best-known and wealthiest families in U.S. history. Take your class on a virtual tour of the museum and grounds.
Article by Sharon Cromwell
Education World®
Copyright © 1998, 2005 Education World
Virtual learning gets second wind from Second Life
3-D worlds and other tools provide new ways to accomplish old goals
Virtual-world technology is giving the idea of online training a second life in the federal government.
A handful of agencies are turning to virtual worlds to create programs that bring together the best aspects of Internet-based training and the traditional classroom.
Like standard online training, virtual-world software makes it possible for employees to take classes without leaving their desks, which saves on the time and costs associated with travel.
And the new technology more closely replicates a classroom experience by creating a 3-D world in which students can interact with one another, the instructor and even objects in the environment.
The key conceit of virtual-world technology is the avatar, a participant’s online representation. In a virtual classroom setting, for example, a student would see the avatars of the instructor and the other students.
Virtual training is part of the move toward the immersive Internet, which is a collection of emerging technologies combined with a social culture that has roots in the gaming and virtual worlds, said Sam Driver, a principal at analyst firm ThinkBalm.
The military, in particular, “is really good at identifying the fact that not every soldier learns by listening, but by doing,” Driver said. “Avatars make a difference. People attach their identity to an avatar.” Eventually, as people move into a virtual space, their avatars become their brands, he said.
Interest in virtual learning is broad and not limited to the younger generation, said Maj. Gen. Erwin Lessel, director of plans, programs, requirements and assessments at the Air Education and Training Command. The command recently launched a virtual-world known as MyBase.
In a study conducted last summer at Keesler Air Force Base, 97 percent of the respondents said it was important to integrate new technologies to enhance training and performance, and 95 percent said it was important to develop innovative approaches for education and training technology. “This tells us that there is a need and desire to introduce this” technology regardless of age, Lessel said.
Here is an overview of three virtual-training programs under way or in development.
Air Force MyBase: Room to grow
The Air Force’s training command entered the world of virtual learning in December 2008 with the launch of MyBase, a 3-D virtual and interactive learning environment in Second Life, a popular virtual world platform.
The idea is to enhance Air Force recruiting, training, education and operations and meet the education and training needs of future members of the Air Force, Lessel said.
“This includes the digital natives that are coming into our Air Force today,” Lessel said. “They have grown up with computers, cell phones, and text messaging. We need to leverage their skills, and we need to use these technologies to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of training.”
In its current incarnation, MyBase is open to the public. After users sign up on Second Life, they can enter MyBase and take a virtual tour of the base, learn about the Air Force, take a virtual flight in a P-51 Mustang, sign up for upcoming online conferences, see what jobs are available, and interact with other visitors.
But there is more to come, Lessel said. In the second phase, the Air Force will establish a secure site to provide virtual education and training, such as certification and degree programs.
In the third phase, the service will build a second secure site to re-create operational environments. For example, it could re-create an air base in Iraq where service members could go to train and also meet others with whom they would deploy, Lessel said.
National Guard: Training on a large scale
Lt. Col. Gregory Pickell, chief of the Joint Advanced Concepts Division’s Training Technology Branch at the National Guard Bureau, has seen firsthand the interest in virtual learning. Pickell is in charge of U.S. Nexus, a virtual world designed to support training, education and collaboration across government.
The Guard started the program from scratch two-and-a-half years ago as a training and preparedness program for service members and civilian emergency managers. However, Pickell soon realized that the program has a broader government application.
“We found that the virtual word has the ability to bring people together in ways that are not possible in the real world,” he said. “If you have distance-based education, training or collaboration requirements, Nexus gives you more value for every mile between you and your audience.”
Engineering and Computer Simulations developed U.S. Nexus for the National Guard. U.S. Nexus will enter its beta test phase in June, with an initial operational capability slated for November.
One of the objectives of U.S. Nexus is to redefine access to traditional distance learning applications, making it easier to locate the appropriate course without Google searches or text links. Approximately 80 percent of online courses are unknown to the user community because they are located at a university or behind a military firewall, Pickell said.
“Our job is to find those applications and bring them into the [U.S. Nexus] parallel world architecture,” he said. Users would access applications in ways that make sense to them, such as a firefighter taking a recertification course at a virtual firehouse.
U.S. Nexus supports simultaneous training of geographically dispersed people at a lower cost than bringing them all together in a single place, Pickell said. The architecture also supports distance learning training and avatar-delivered instruction, and it includes numerous classrooms, offices, conference rooms, auditoriums and operations centers.
U.S. Nexus supports collaboration too, Pickell said. For example, DOD and the Veterans Affairs Department have discussed using U.S. Nexus to coordinate care for injured Iraq war veterans. The Defense Acquisition University, with more than 320,000 students worldwide, plans to use Nexus for a variety of requirements, including avatar-to-avatar synchronous classroom delivery.
Nexus is particularly relevant for government in two ways, Pickell said. It provides an enormous cost savings for distributed organizations like the Homeland Security Department. Also, it offers flexibility to bring in a variety of software applications that provide interactive, quality training “instead of death by PowerPoint,” he said.
When fully fielded, Nexus will allow simultaneous collaboration by large numbers of military and civilian organizations involved in large-scale virtual training exercises or other activities. “How to scale it appropriately — that’s the challenge,” Pickell said.
Navy: R&D goes virtual
The Navy has given the nod to virtual worlds as a place to learn, design and collaborate.
The Naval Undersea Warfare Center set up shop in Second Life about a year ago. “We have a responsibility…that we look globally for new technology,” said Paul Lefebvre, technical director and senior civilian at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport. “This is technology that has potential for a lot of applications.”
As the Navy’s undersea research and development lab, NUWC Division Newport is tasked with delivering better products to the fleet, Lefebvre said. “So we’re looking how to apply things like Second Life to the fleet,” he said. This includes how to use virtual worlds for operational testing, training, collaboration, product development and design work.
This summer, NUWC Newport is planning an experiment that will create a virtual submarine attack center. Some fleet participants will take part in the exercise virtually, where they will access simulated scenarios and perform their mission in a virtual world. Others will take part traditionally, without the immersive experience. They will compare the results of the test to see how participants fare in each.
Eventually, NUWC will likely “end up with a focused adoption of several virtual world” technologies, said Steven Aguiar, NUWC Newport Division’s project lead. In addition to Second Life, they’ve tested OpenSimulator, Sun Wonderland, Forterra’s Olive and Qwaq Forums.
Altough NUWC is still looking at how best to apply virtual worlds to research and development, “we feel even better about it as time goes on than we did a year ago,” Lefebvre said.
About the Author
Colleen O’Hara is a freelance writer based in Arlington, Va.
April 20, 2009
Distance Education: Education through Distance Learning
Learning is a lifelong process. Education is learning what you didn’t even know you didn’t know. As we grow so does our need to know more. To aid this learning through life, we have many options, thanks to the world turning into a global village. Moreover, with competition being the buzzword today, the mantra for survival is the right career decisions made at the right time!
Distance Education is increasingly becoming popular all over the world due as it has many benefits. The main benefit of it is that a people can continue education while continuing their work.
Essentially, the need of the hour today is a one-stop shop for all your queries pertaining to education. Distance Education brings the opportunity to study all over the world. There are many refurbished websites that caters to the ever-changing needs of students, parents and academicians.
Students can enroll for various courses and they do not need to attend regular classes. Today, with advanced technology, you dont need to visit the institute at all, just enroll for courses available in internet. There are many courses and features that you can enroll for like:-
Executive MBA: Extensive information on executive education, management studies, trends, and courses available.
Toolkit: Mind enhancers, communication skills, perfect resume, interview guide, and more!
Study Abroad: Unlike other websites dedicated to education, here, all information on study abroad is classified country wise, so whether you are looking for info for study in UK or study in Singapore, you know where to click!
While enhancing your career, distance education is the decent options to obtain best education, many people require the education to give them the knowledge, believability, and expertness to effect positive change in todays society.
Distance Education is a comprehensive education and open learning programs, means you study in your own time anywhere. So whether it is choosing the right career path, seeking admission in colleges, funding education or looking for professional advice.
Needless to say, Distance Education is a boon to students, parents and academicians, more like anyone who is interested in lifelong learning!
Article Authors : Ekta
April 6, 2009
Math Students Battle at a Distance.
CHESTER — The math problem fell under the category “number sense operations”: 4×62-100/10.
“I got it,” shouted a girl in a black hoodie as she slammed down her pink pencil. “The answer’s ‘d,’ 14.8.”
“We’ve got ‘d,’” said teacher’s aide Kim Canaperi, turning to a large crystal display TV/computer screen.
“We got ‘d’ too,” responded the voice of a teacher with a class of students from Port Jervis, 30 miles away.
Math can be a bore for kids growing up in the MySpace generation. That’s why Chester middle school Principal Ernie Jackson decided he’d try mixing class lessons with what kids love most about the Internet — connectivity.
That’s how he came up with the idea of holding “cyber battles” in math and English between his students and kids from Port Jervis.
Using the latest videoconferencing technology acquired through a $1 million Orange-Ulster BOCES e-learning pilot project, seventh- and eighth-graders from the two schools pitted their knowledge against each other without leaving their school buildings.
“Middle school’s all about motivation,” Jackson said.
It’s part of an experiment among the schools to find new applications for distance-learning technology.
Nine school districts take part in the e-learning project, making it possible for them to ride along with dog racers in Alaska, learn from NASA scientists and meet students in Taiwan.
Jackson has taken the technology and run with it. Two years ago, he started “Songs for Troops,” which linked soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq to students who sang for them at several Orange County schools, all by simultaneous videoconferencing.
The latest math competitions are played like the game show “Jeopardy!” in which students from the two schools receive points by answering questions in categories such as “polynomials,” “number sense operations” and “geometry.”
The game finished with Port Jervis up 390 to Chester’s 150 points.
“Show up at the rink this weekend,” shouted one Port Jervis student as the class period came to an end.
Canaperi quickly jumped in: “We’re not promoting social networking here,” she admonished the students.
Alas, some aspects of middle school will never change.
jsullivan@th-record.com
March 8, 2009
Navajo Nation Bridges the Digital Divide
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February 28, 2009
Demystifying the online graduate degree
Learning from home might not be all it is chalked up to be. For starters, not all classes actually give you total freedom over when to complete your studies. Some programs are indeed formatted in this way, but in others, the professor still dictates when certain assignments are due, when tests will be given, etc. (“Find the best online degree for your career,” http://www.successdegrees.com
Many classes are structured in a similar format to those taught in a traditional classroom setting.
Some further issues to consider include technological failures that may interfere with online studies, a demand for greater personal commitment and responsibility and lessened teacher-student interaction. Although some may argue that the level of interaction in an online course can be very high, it certainly is not the same as face-to-face interaction. One reason for this is that online communication does not happen as quickly as in-person conversations (U of I Online: “Is Online Learning For You?” www.uillinois.edu As a result, it can be much more difficult and frustrating to try to get help through e-mail or discussion boards.
Another issue at hand is whether or not employers will accept your online degree as valid. The good news is that online degree programs are continually becoming more accepted by academia as well as the public. While there are certain online universities that are less-than-credible, many programs are in fact legitimate. As a general rule, there should not be a problem with degree validity so long as your degree comes from an accredited university (“Distance Learning for Graduate Students,” www.gradschools.com of an institution, simply visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website and check their database of accredited universities.
According to educational researchers Kevin Carmody and Zane Berge, “Learning, whether online or not, is a personal process.” (“Elemental analysis of the online learning experience,” www.chicagoflame.com means that while one method of teaching may work very well for one student, it may not work as well for another student in the same class, provided with the same resources. An important part of learning is the personal interaction and engagement, which can sometimes be lost through the use of online learning interfaces.
All controversy aside, there are certainly some advantages to an online degree. Classes can have more flexible schedules for individuals who may have other commitments throughout the day, and certain expenses are eliminated as a result of learning from home. In addition there is a wide range of programs available, including degrees in business, biological sciences, communications, education, engineering, international studies, law and criminal justice, public affairs, administration and many, many more. Besides, who wouldn’t love earning a degree without ever having to leave your bed?
Source: www.chicagoflame.com
