Feed: Internet Degree Advice - AggScore: 84.1
Not the usual work/study balance I think of but theres a report on WEAU about local soldiers deployed in Iraq.
While serving by day, at night soldiers like Kevin Vender are puting in time to do homework and earn credits towards a degree.
“The Army right now is really into giving people time to better themselves, but I think the best way I can better myself is doing classes online.”
“It’s kind of a nice break from what we do over here,” says Nick Essick, deployed with the 128th Infantry out of Menomonie. “I can come home three more credits towards my degree that’d be really beneficial to me, no matter how hard I have to work for it.”
So, if soldiers serving full time in Iraq can find the time and commitment to complete an online course, current job commitments shouldnt be an excuse or barrier to prevent you from gaining new qualifications.
There is a good article on the abc news website about people who bought fake online qualifications (see picture where a cat has been awarded a high school diploma). The simple answer in my opinion is that if it seems to good to be true – it is. You will not get a proper diploma just by sitting a test on life experience or some simple online questionnaire. Online courses require work just like any other, while the flexibility and choice make them alot easier to manage than conventional college the fact still stands - you will not get a qualification for nothing.
Most of these “diploma mills” are easy enough to spot, for instance the abc article starts of with the story of Diane Cerulli:
Diane Cerulli’s colleagues have always sought her out for health advice, and as a certified medical assistant, she did a “pretty good job” of diagnosing their aches and pains.
But she couldn’t see the scam coming — an online offer to get a medical degree by taking a test based on life experience for a mere $1,400.
A Medical degree from a life experiece test? Something that normally takes 4 years to earn and results in a high pressure job with lots of responsibility? This one you could spot a mile off, but the article also mentions fake high school diplomas though same story applies, too good to be true – it is
So, before you settle on a course, make sure you check its accredited first! Or start off through an agency like Course Advisor and they will point you in the direction of reliable, accredited degrees, in my past experience I can highly recommned them for getting you started!
According to research from the University of California Consortium for Language Learning and Teaching, learning a foreign language online can be just as effective as traditional classroom based learning
“Distance learning of a foreign language can be a responsible and equivalent option to the classroom experience,” said consortium director Robert Blake, a professor of Spanish at UC Davis.
“Distance-learning and hybrid formats have tremendous potential to address increasing societal pressures to help second-language learners reach advanced proficiency, especially in less commonly taught languages where access is a key issue,” Blake said.
I must admit, language programs are never something I hear mentioned alot with regard to online degrees. Learning a language takes alot of discipline and (naturally) social contact with another speaker to get right. However, other aspects such as learning verbs and general vocabularly I could see as being easily accomplished online.
Hopefully in the future we see more types of courses properly migrate online.
The EducationDynamics eLearning index is a report on trends and demands in the higher education sector, the latest one has some interesting facts on online degrees.
“Economic challenges, such as high fuels costs, rising unemployment and lowered ceilings for career advancement, impact the preferences and choices that students make about education and online formats typically prevail as a more prudent choice,” says Dr. Adam Troy, director of research at EducationDynamics. “Our research suggests that in the long-term, interest among prospective students in the financial sector is expected to diminish, while in the short-term, interest in health programs will likely increase significantly.”
As would be expected in recession, demand for certain degrees is decreasing, those with the greatest downward trend however are:
- Associate’s in Finance
- Bachelor’s in Computer Science & Engineering
- Bachelor’s in Sociology
- Master’s in Business Communication
- Master’s in Environmental Sciences
Healthcare related degrees seem to be on the up though so there is a sensible possibility for some people.
A good article on how well online colleges are preforming appeared recently in Newsweek, a few key facts to take from it are:
- 4 million American students took at least one online course in the 2007–08 school year
- Online enrollment is growing at 10 times the rate of the higher-education population at large—12.9 percent vs. 1.2 percent for traditional degrees
- UMassOnline enrollment of students under 25 has increased 91 percent in the past three years
The article also contains what is an interesting testemonial from Luis Figueroa, a 21 year old who despite living just down the street from UC Merced, undertakes an online bachelor’s degree in business administration from Columbia College in Missouri, some 2,000 miles away. At $630 per course—about $1,800 per semester it costs far less than tuition in the UC system. He does all this while holding down full time in a management-training job with AT&T in Merced. As he explains “Once I realized I had time constraints, I knew the traditional classroom wouldn’t work, Courses online are open 24 hours a day, and I’m able to go there any time I want.”
A recent study for the US Department of Education has concluded that those undertaking online courses preform better than those in traditonal courses.
To quote the study’s conclusion:
“On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction.”
SRI who conducted the study found that, on average, online students would rank in the 59th percentile of all college students, while average classroom students would be in the 50th percentile.
You can find the study Here
Alot of this in my opinion could be down to the greater motivation of those who seek out education and undertake online courses, though it also proves that the courses are not just a quick way to churn out some qualifications, but acutally provide a potentially more thorough education than traditional courses.
Just a few snippets from an interesting article I discovered from the Lincoln Journal Star in Nebraska. About half of it was concerned with how the University of Nebraska is starting to catch up with others and offer online degrees. However there were a few interesting parts about people balancing their normal day job with earning a degree at night:
On most days, Andrew Parr reports to the office at 7 a.m., ready for a full day of work as a design engineer for LI-COR Biosciences.
After work, Parr might spend time with his wife and dog or practice guitar with his church band.
By nightfall, he’s usually wiped out.
Yet the 25-year-old is somehow finding time for an ambitious undertaking: pursuing a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
How is he doing it?
By earning the degree via the Web – not in the classroom.
“It’s just a lot more convenient to be able to take (classes) online and not have to leave work in the middle of the day,” said Parr, who in 2007 earned bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering and computer engineering from UNL the old-fashioned way.
“The big thing is it just works with my schedule better.”
Parr is in fast-growing company.
Across the nation, millions of students are flocking to online schooling, increasingly lured by the idea of pursuing an education on their own timeline.
For a younger generation hooked on e-mail and Facebook, the appeal of online courses – built around Web-based discussion boards, group chats and video conferences – is obvious.
And for adults with family and work obligations, or those with no time or means to travel to campus, online education offers an opportunity for a college degree where in the past no such opportunity existed.
I think this aspect to distance learning is one that doesn’t get enough coverage and I’m glad this article made light of it. These courses are designed with flexibility in mind, they aren’t just like High School all over again where you arrive home only to have a ton of homework to get through.
The assumption is that if you are motivated to start in the first place, then you will get the work done as and when you have the time and this also dictates when you finish the qualification. If you slack a bit for other reasons then of course that’s going to be accommodated for – Plus if you slack a little too much, a sternly worded email is a hell of alot less to contend with than being summoned to a Professors office!
No doubt when researching online degrees you will see all these terms and unless you’ve been to college already, many of them may seem a bit bewildering, here’s a quick glossary of some of terms
MBA – Master of Business Administration
Quite common in the online degree world, an MBA is a qualification for those hoping to enter management positions in business or start their own business. They are becoming a near necessity for higher paying corporate jobs
AA – Associate of Arts
Generally the most basic qualification you would aim for with a full online degree program, mostly in liberal arts disciplines but depending on the institution can be in sciences as well. Normally a good stepping stone to a BA degree (see below)
AS – Associate of Science
Same as for Associate of Arts but in science disciplines
BA – Bachelor of Arts
Next level of qualification after Associate degrees and the standard degree most people obtain from college. As with AA mostly in liberal arts disciplines but depending on the institution can be in sciences as well.
Other Bachelor’s degrees
You will likely see many other acronyms for Bachelor’s degrees, here are a few common ones:
BSc – Bachelor of Science
BEng – Bachelor of Engineering
BFA – Bachelor of Fine Arts
BM – Bachelor of Music
MA – Master of Arts
Usually considered a Postgraduate degree but offered by many Online Colleges none the less. Requires a much higher level of study than a Bachelor’s degree and can involve producing a dissertation. Demonstrates a high level of commitment to a subject, very impressive to employers and a stepping stone for those wishing to go into academia full time.
MSc – Mater of Science
Master’s Degree in a Science discipline
Also:
MEng – Master of Engineering
M.Arch – Master of Architecture
MFA – Master of Fine Arts
PhD – Doctor of philosophy
Despite the name rarely has anything to do with Philosophy, though does allow you to put “Dr.” before your name! Will most likely require some from of campus participation is you intend to take the degree online. Can take about 4 years longer on top of a Bachelor’s degree but online courses can shorten this to only 2 or 3 years – hence reducing your expense!
Other Doctorate Degrees:
JD – Jurius Doctor, the standard Law Degree in the United States
MD – Doctor of Medicine, the standard Medical Degree in the United States
Paraphrasing of whats being said in the Dallas News, They bring up some pretty good points I thought I’d share. A good sign for those still unsure of the credibility of distance learning that even mainstream papers are taking it more seriously.
With more students heading back to school to gain new skills for a tough job market, online degree programs are becoming increasingly popular.
There are some challenges with online degrees, such as the perception by some people that they are of limited quality. But a lot of employers are hiring people from online institutions, said Bruce Chaloux
“We need to reach them where they need to be reached, rather than come to campus” he said. “There is a lot of renewed attention at the state and national level, and I think this will be an exciting time in the next few years and online will be a significant player for success towards degree completion.”
“There is a huge adult population with some college and no degree, leaving them without credentials,” he said. “There is a growing emphasis to get students to return and get degrees.”
A large portion of that enrollment growth is occurring in distance education, he said. Enrollment in online classes at universities has grown 20 percent annually over the last five years”
“Nearly 40 percent of students who completed a bachelor’s degree in 2000 got some financial help through this program. In our current economy, the need for financial aid is greater than ever. The Pell Grants program and other federal financial aid programs are an economic lifeline for students at colleges and universities. Without that aid, students will struggle to get the education they need to compete in the international economy.
President Obama’s budget makes a historic investment in Pell Grants and student aid. The budget will provide $129 billion in new grants, loans and work-study assistance. Through the fiscal
2009 budget and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the maximum Pell Grant will increase to $5,550—a $819 increase over two years ago. In future years, the size of the grant will increase at the same rate as the consumer price index plus one percent.
I’m grateful for the support that the House Appropriations Committee has given to our proposal to increase the Pell Grant and other financial aid programs for fiscal 2010. We look forward to working with Congress to make college more affordable and accessible”.
This is very good news for those eligible for federal grants (Pell grants), by the looks of things they arent going away anytime soon and if anything will get better. Certainly makes online courses more cost effective for the unemployed and those looking back into the job market.
Read our article on financial support Here
