How to Work and Study while Gaining a Distance Learning Education
February 26, 2009
One of the main attractions of a distance learning education is the ability to continuing working, and earning a paycheck, while going to school. With the best of both worlds, students do not have to attend classes on campus. In addition, they have the flexibility to study at a personal pace and during the time best suited to their schedule. No wonder obtaining an online degree is enticing more people to further their education.
However, amidst these perks, distance learning requires a lot of discipline and motivation from students. When we are juggling between a job and studies, it is very easy to lose track of our priorities and fail to keep up to mark. Moreover, distance learning students do not have the advantage of getting their learning drive renewed whenever they interact with lecturers or peers in classes.
Then, how can online students stay focused and overcome the challenges of learning from home? First, time management skills are essential. With only so many hours in the day, it is important to make time for work and family, and still have enough hours to adequately study the courses. Make a plan and stick to it. Let the family participate in your success. Let everyone know what your hours are dedicated to learning without interruption. Without a schedule, obtaining a distance learning education will be extremely difficult.
Another important aspect of a distance learning education is to stay in touch with classmates and instructors through email, instant messenger, college discussion boards or Internet calling. Discuss projects and assignments with peers who can help you stay focused by holding you accountable, and providing motivation and encouragement whenever needed.
In addition to peer contact, rewarding personal education goals is an excellent way to stay motivated and succeed in obtaining a distance learning education. Write particular course milestones on a calendar, and then celebrate the achievement. For example, after turning in a major paper, do something nice for yourself. Then, cross out each accomplishment. With a sense of personal satisfaction, it will keep you motivated to face the next educational hurdle.
Finally, make sure to have a quiet, undisturbed place to study. It is extremely easy to be distracted by the television, a ringing phone, or normal family activities in the household. If necessary, lock yourself in a quiet room equipped with a comfortable chair, a good desk or table, and ample space to create a productive learning environment.
Distance learning education is an excellent way to improve job opportunities and acquire a desired degree. However, success depends on the individual. With hard work, determination and the discipline to stay on track and maintain good study habits, academic excellence is within sight, without relocating and sacrificing job and family.
An IT Networking Course in 2009
February 26, 2009
These days, commercial institutions could not function efficiently if it weren’t for support workers fixing PC’s and networks, while making recommendations to users on a day to day basis. Whilst we are getting progressively dependent on advanced technology, we in turn inevitably become increasingly more reliant upon the skilled and qualified IT professionals, who maintain those systems.
Be under no illusions, the IT industry provides impressive possibilities. However, to properly investigate, which questions do we need to raise, and what are the most important factors?
Throw out the typical salesperson who pushes one particular program without an in-depth conversation to assess your abilities as well as experience level. Always check they have access to a wide-enough range of products so they can solve your training issues. An important point to note is that, if you’ve got any work-experience or certification, then you may be able to commence studying further along than someone new to the industry. Working through a basic PC skills course first can be the best way to start into your computer training, but depends on your skill level.
Consider only training paths that’ll lead to industry approved qualifications. There’s a plethora of minor schools suggesting minor ‘in-house’ certificates which will prove unusable when it comes to finding a job. You’ll find that only recognised qualifications from the likes of Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA and Adobe will have any meaning to employers.
One thing you must always insist on is full 24×7 support through dedicated instructors and mentors. Far too often we see trainers who only provide support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later (but not weekends usually). some companies only provide email support (slow), and telephone support is usually to a call-centre that will chat nicely with you for 5 minutes to ask what the issue is and then simply send an email to an instructor – who’ll call back sometime over the next 1-3 days, when it’s convenient to them. This is no use if you’re stuck and can’t continue and only have certain times available in which to do your studies.
Keep looking and you’ll come across professional companies which offer online support 24×7 – including evenings, nights and weekends. Never compromise when it comes to your support. The vast majority of IT hopefuls who throw in the towel, are in that situation because they didn’t get the support necessary for them.
We can guess that you’ve always enjoyed practical work – a ‘hands-on’ type. Typically, the painful task of reading endless manuals is something you’ll make yourself do if you have to, but it’s not ideal. Consider interactive, multimedia study if you’d really rather not use books. We see a huge improvement in memory retention when we use multiple senses – educational experts have expounded on this for years now.
Find a course where you’ll receive a selection of CD and DVD ROM’s – you’ll learn by watching video tutorials and demonstrations, and be able to hone your abilities through virtual lab’s. You’ll definitely want a study material demo’ from your training provider. You should ask for demo’s from instructors, slideshows and fully interactive skills-lab’s.
It doesn’t make sense to opt for on-line only training. Connection quality and reliability varies hugely across most broadband providers, you should always obtain actual CD or DVD ROM’s.
Adding in the cost of examination fees with the course fee then including an exam guarantee is popular with many companies. However, let’s consider what’s really going on:
It’s become essential these days that we are a tad more knowledgeable about sales gimmicks – and most of us realise that of course it is actually an additional cost to us (it isn’t free or out of the goodness of their hearts!) Evidence shows that when trainees fund each examination, one by one, they’ll be in a better position to pass every time – because they’re aware of their investment in themselves and will therefore apply themselves appropriately.
Sit the exam at a local pro-metric testing centre and find the best deal for you at the time. A lot of current training colleges secure huge profits because they’re charging for all the exam fees up-front and hoping that you won’t take them all. Additionally, many exam guarantees are worthless. Many training companies will not pay again for an exam until you’ve completely satisfied them that you’re ready this time.
VUE and Prometric examinations are currently clocking in at an average of 112 pounds in Great Britain. What’s the point of paying huge charges for ‘Exam Guarantees’ (usually wrapped up in the course package price) – when good quality study materials, the proper support and a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.
OK, why might we choose commercially accredited qualifications rather than more traditional academic qualifications gained through schools, colleges or universities? Corporate based study (in industry terminology) is most often much more specialised. The IT sector is aware that a specialist skill-set is essential to cope with an increasingly more technical commercial environment. Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA are the dominant players. Vendor training works through honing in on the skill-sets required (along with a relevant amount of associated knowledge,) rather than spending months and years on the background ‘padding’ that degrees in computing often do – to fill a three or four year course.
If an employer is aware what areas need to be serviced, then they just need to look for the exact skill-set required to meet that need. Vendor-based syllabuses are set to meet an exact requirement and do not vary between trainers (in the way that degree courses can).
Have you recently questioned your job security? Normally, this issue only becomes a talking point when something goes wrong. But really, the lesson often learned too late is that job security simply doesn’t exist anymore, for the vast majority of people. It’s possible though to locate security at market-level, by looking for high demand areas, tied with shortages of trained staff.
Using the computer market for example, a key e-Skills study demonstrated massive skills shortages throughout the United Kingdom of over 26 percent. It follows then that for each four job positions in existence across Information Technology (IT), organisations are only able to locate properly accredited workers for three of them. Achieving proper commercial computing exams is thus a quick route to succeed in a life-long as well as gratifying living. Unquestionably, it really is the very best time to retrain into IT.
Higher Education in the Cloud
February 24, 2009
Change typically occurs on an evolutionary basis, but some innovative changes can be quite disruptive resulting in significant re-alignments among competitors and reshaping entire industries. One industry that is currently being restructured is higher education. In his book, Disrupting Class, Harvard’s Dr. Clayton Christensen predicts that within the next ten years, half of all instruction will take place online. If Dr. Christensen is correct, traditional “brick and mortar” schools need to develop online programs or risk loosing many of their students.
There were not many more than 50,000 online students at the end of the 1990s. Now we have more than a million students involved in distance education – and this is just the beginning. Dr. Christiansen predicts that nearly 10% of all students will be taking their courses online by 2015 and that number will increase to nearly 50% by 2020.
Low-cost, easy access to high-speed networks is what initially enabled individuals to participate in online higher education. But to meaningfully engage in online education one still had to deal with a variety of technological issues, the solutions to which had a fairly significant cost. Until recently, online education still required the student to have access to significant computer power, PC-based applications, storage, and protection. Cloud computing is rapidly reducing the cost of distance learning by significantly reducing what online students need of have on their laptops and PCs, by moving the computer power, applications, storage, and security required for state-of-the-art to a virtual platform “in the clouds.”
What is emerging is a new world of online education in which students only need a low-cost “netbook” because nearly everything else they need will be found online. Rapid progress on open standards and content along with approaches to “virtualize” applications, storage, and critical services, is producing a revolution in online education that will enable much wider access and improved quality.
If the new Administration in Washington can provide the funds facilitating education in the cloud, we could be on the brink of the second revolution in distance learning. Inexpensive, high-speed Internet access led to the rapid growth of online higher education that we could call the first technology-driven revolution in higher education. Virtualized platforms and inexpensive netbooks are creating the second technology-driven revolution in distance learning – “Higher Education in the Cloud.”
7 ways to ensure success with an online education degree
February 24, 2009
Attaining an online education degree has opened opportunities for many students, especially those who find paying for traditional full-time courses outside their reach. But as much as acquiring an online education degree has many benefits over traditional learning, many factors play a role in order to make it successful for online students. Because of the differences in the way that online education is disseminated and acquired, some amendments in approaching this mode of learning need be put in place to make it a success.
1. Choosing an ideal online education degree college – One of the ways to succeed is to select the right online education degree college. There are many dubious “fake colleges” out there that are only interested in selling their diplomas without providing any quality education and support to their online students. As a result, the diplomas acquired from these fake colleges may not be recognized by prospective employers who simply term then as fake degrees. To avoid this pitfall, it’s important to do background work on the college you wish to pursue. Before you enroll, check it out with relevant accrediting agencies to ensure that it is a legitimate college.
2. Evaluate the cost and benefits – Generally, obtaining an online education is a costly venture. Most people do not realize the cost is often more than a traditional education. So, it is important to evaluate the desired online education degree, and determine whether the benefit of future income opportunities will offer the reward for gaining an online degree.
3. Provide degree verification to potential employers – Faced with the prevalence of bogus and worthless degrees, it is no wonder that prospective employers are a little wary to hire employees who have acquired a diploma through distance learning. Therefore, anticipate potential skepticism and bring along proof of accreditation from the college or university. By underscoring the recognition of the U.S. Department of Education and CHEA, it will immediately alleviate any degree misgivings.
4. Practice discipline, time management and be determined to succeed – During the course of learning, many students simply lack discipline and are unable to focus. This makes it difficult to keep up with their online lessons and coursework, it is thus crucial for students in pursuit of online education degree to have a great determination to succeed. It is very easy to lose focus and motivation when studying alone. Exercising good time management and keeping in constant touch with classmates would increase the morale to succeed.
5. Utilize all the facilities provided by your college – Many education degree online courses provide online lectures and email access to facilitate communication among students, lecturers and administration staff. It’s important to take full advantage of these services as they keep you “connected” with your accredited online college. It helps further your motivation in your studies when you make use of these facilities to stay in touch.
6. Make use of credit transfers – Many online education degree colleges allow students to transfer their credits from courses they took in previous colleges, whether online or traditional. By doing this, it means students don’t have to repeat courses they learnt before. For this to be effected, it’s important for a student who intends to pursue an education online to make sure they get transcripts and results from their previous universities or colleges and make them available to their accredited online college so they can be passed as transfer credits.
7. Using Educational technology is essential – The only way to facilitate an excellent online education degree is to take full advantage of all the educational technology available. Virtual libraries generally have all the information necessary to complete research projects and other assignments. The online materials have been factored into the cost of the course. The convenience is another reason for using this benefit to the fullest.
The Value Argument for an Online College Degree
February 1, 2009
In November of 2008, the U.S. News and World Report estimated the average net present value of a four-year college degree is around $300,000. Of course, graduates with career-related degrees like Business, Nursing, and Technology will find the value of their degrees will be much greater compared graduates in Humanities or History. On average, however, a $300,000 estimate is reasonable. Now let’s look at the cost side of equation.
The average cost of a four-degree for tuition, fees, and related expenses could easily reach $60,000. But the range is quite wide from around $40,000 for in-state tuition, fees, and expenses at a public university to more than $100,000 for many private universities. So even if you pay $75,000 to $100,000 for your degree, it is a very good investment.
But now let’s compare these costs to online learning. First, the tuition for online learning is less. An online degree from a DETC-accredited school can be found for around $37,000. I would estimate the average four-year online degree costs about 25% less than a traditional university – but that isn’t the whole economic story.
If you attend an online university, you can take courses and complete assignments on your schedule without those time-consuming trips to and from campus. For many online students, this means you can work and earn while completing your degree. Of course you can also work while attending a traditional university, but you will be much more constrained due to your rigid schedule and travel time. This means online students have more time and greater flexibility to earn more money while they pursue an online degree. How much more can an online student earn? You can easily make the case that an online student can earn an extra $7,000 to $8,000 a year more than a student at a traditional university for the reasons previously cited – more free time and schedule flexibility. This amount is almost equal to the full-time tuition at some online universities.
