Posts Tagged E Learning
Online Education Class
You may have heard about online classes, but you may not be aware of how popular and pervasive they have become. In the last few years, it seems as though everyone is online learning or researching something. The Internet provides unprecedented access to knowledge and education for people of all ages.
In addition to the over 3 million college students who are taking at least some of their classes online, there are online high schools, online career training schools and courses and continuing education for adults online.
A 2005 survey by the National Center for Education Statistics found that 44% of American adults, almost 93 million people, were pursuing some type of continuing education.
They also note reported that 32% of these adults had participated in some form of distance or online education. This means that almost 30 million adults were involved in learning or taking a class online.
Why do people take online continuing education classes?
The NCES survey found that 27% of continuing education students were taking work-related courses or training programs, While 21% were taking courses to pursue personal interests, and 4% were part-time students working on a university degree.
Dr Kenneth Hartman, director of academic affairs for Drexel University Online says “Online learning is the fastest growing area in higher education today. As more and more adults look to higher education to expand their knowledge base for promotional or new career opportunities, they will look to online learning as a convenient and viable way to continue their education.”
It is now estimated that the average person will change careers 3-5 times during their lifetime. Online classes and training can allow you to prepare for a career change without quitting your job and going back to school. You can take university or college classes online that will count towards a degree, or career training classes, which generally are not transferable to universities.
What kind of personal interest classes are available online?
The second most common reason people take continuing education classes is for personal satisfaction or personal interest. In this area, the choices are tremendous.
Have you always been fascinated by ancient Egypt? Would you like to learn about the history of Egypt, study hieroglyphics and archeological discoveries? For only $149, you can take an interactive online course in Egyptology.
Or have you dreamed of tracing your family tree and exploring your family history, if you only knew where to start? You can take a 4-week online genealogy class that explains records searches, tips, chats and more for less than $30.
Or maybe you’ve always wished you could speak Italian or Spanish. You can take an online class, complete with instant translation features and become proficient in a short time. Courses are available in 7 languages for under $30.
Are there practical or hobby classes available online?
Oh, yes. There are hundreds of choices in the continuing education or noncredit field, and some of them are very practical and helpful. For example, would you like to learn how to prepare your own taxes instead of paying someone to do it? You can take an online course in Tax Preparation for around $50 that will teach you about forms, filing status, income, credits, pensions and more.
If you are over 50 and want to save some money or just refresh your driving skills, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) offers an online Driver Safety class for around $20. This could get you a discount on your auto insurance and make you feel more comfortable on the road.
Now that spring is on the way, are you thinking of gardens? Perhaps you live in an apartment or don’t have much of a yard. You can still have a beautiful garden in containers. The Horticulture Gardening Institute can teach you which plants to choose and how to care for them in their online class “Art and Science of Container Gardening” for around $70.
A more expensive option is an online class in digital photography. While the beginning class is around $300, it is an 8-week class and includes critiques and instruction from professional photographers. If you would like to learn photography on this level, this could be a great opportunity.
Or, if you are mainly concerned with learning how to use the digital camera you got as a gift, you may want to check out “The Art of Digital Photography” at UniversalClass. This class covers areas such as using the camera, scanning images, printing pictures and choosing cameras, along with basic photography for around $99.
If we haven’t mentioned an online class that interests you, check out universal class.com, as they have more than 500 classes available and most of them are reasonably priced. You can choose from areas such as cooking, pet care, fitness, web development and many more. (www.universalclass.com)
So, no matter what your educational level or interests, there will be an online class that will be right for you. Whether you use it to get ahead at work, obtain a college degree or simply make your life better through learning something new, online classes truly offer something for everyone.
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How to Successfully Complete Your Online Degree Program
Online education has become so popular especially among working adults to earn as many degrees as they like to help bringing their career to next higher level without the need to quit their current job or interrupting their current lifestyle. The advantages of online education have made it the best option for you to pursue your career related degree online, but the question is: are you the right candidate to be an online student? Before you even consider pursuing your degree online, this is the first question you need to consider and here are some guides to help you find your answer.
Try to evaluate yourself whether you have mindsets or behaviors below:
1. You think pursuing a degree online is easy
Online education has advantages of flexibility to plan your learning schedule and convenient because you can attend the online classes from your comfort home. But, it does not as easy as you think because your need to manage your time between your work, family and study. In many time, you may lose focus on your study if you are too busy with your works or you are unable to mange your time probably to allocate enough time for your study. If you are in this situation, your priority on work and family may cause you to drop or delay your degree program.
If you decide to pursue your degree online, you must be prepared to face the challenge during the online learning process and be consistent to stay in focus on your online learning.
2. You have less self-motivation
Online education allows you to study at your own pace, which means that you must be self-motivated to plan your learning schedule and push yourself until your complete the whole program. If you are a kind of person that prefers motivation from other persons to push you to complete a certain task, then, you might be at risk of potentially unable to complete your online degree program.
If online degree program is your ultimate option, then your need to change your behavior meet online student characteristics, or you can get help from your family members especially your spouse as your mentor to motivate you along your online learning process.
3. You Prefer To Listen to the Lecture
In the traditional campus-based classes, when a lecturer is teaching, you are listening to it. If you are comfort to this learning environment, then you might have problem to adapt to new online learning media. Although, there are material in audio or video format, but most of online learning materials are still in text formats which require you to read it instead of listen to it. You must adapt to this learning environment if you want to success in your online learning.
4. You Prefer Face-To-Face Communication
Online chats and discussion forums are the key communication media for online learning. If you are not comfortable to discuss or ask questions through these media, then, you might have difficulties to convey your questions if you face any problem during online learning process. Although, there are some learning and discussion sessions may involve video conferencing, but you still need to familiarize and adapt yourself with the key communication channels which are mainly text format.
Summary
If you find yourself have thinking and behavior above, you may face problem in becoming a success online student to complete your online degree program. What you can do if you are deciding to earn your degree through online education is change your behaviors and mindset so that you are integrated with the success characteristics of an online student and earn your degree finally.
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What You Must Know About Online Degree Programs
Working on an online degree at home lets you learn on your own schedule and in your own way and lets you decide how quickly you want to earn your degree. Many people are earning a bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degree online in their field of interest whether it’s an online nursing degree, online education degree, online psychology degree, or even biology, engineering or online criminal justice degree without conforming to the traditional, time consuming campus setting.
The Dept. of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation recognize the Distance Education and Training Council as the accrediting organization for distance learning institutions and education programs that offer online degrees. In 1996, the University of Colorado at Denver expanded its metropolitan campus with the formation of CU Online, one of the first fully accredited online education programs offering online university degrees. Make sure your online degree school choice has accreditation. This means the institution has passed a certain level of standards through a recognized organization for upholding quality education.
Its been reported that employers feel that an employee receiving an online education degree compared favorably, in terms of the knowledge learned, to someone with an on campus degree. If you’re working but would really like to earn a degree, then the opportunity is there more so today than ever before. Some of the experts argue that degrees in certain fields are more accepted online than in others, while some online degree programs are less suited for online-only schools.
Finding an institution that offers successful job placement after graduating or completing an online degree program may be the deciding factor in your search. Research the schools of your choice and talk to a counselor or representative from each of the institutions. Also find out what financial aid or education loans are available. There are scholarships, grants, education loans and other financial aid available for online degree programs.
Graduates of the best online degree programs are a good source of recommendations. Make sure to ask them if there is anything they think you should be aware of or avoid. Very important: make sure that any online credits you earn are transferable. Ask the institution directly because most schools vary from course to course and with the individual school policy. Try to find online forums, blogs or chat rooms with students who are attending the school you have in mind.
Today if you want to get an online degree know that it just isn’t as hard as it used to be. Keep in mind if you do need financial aid there are plenty of education loans available if you can’t locate any grants or free online degree scholarships. And don’t forget to ask what the percentage of job placement has been for online degree program graduates if you’ll be looking to start a new a career.
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