February 23, 2012

Step in a New Horizon of Learning

Completing a college degree can be the most influential and rewarding moment in your life. Whether you’re going back to school for job performance improvement, taking a new job or building your own business, your new degree can help you to be successful in the endeavor. Your degree may even take you to new places you never thought possible.

If you are going back to school, make sure you consider all your options. Some people find that continuing education is harder than they thought. You may find it difficult to make classes on time due to your job. Others don’t plan for the increase in travel expenses to go from work to school. You may even be uncomfortable with a younger crowd.

However, there is another option to attend school without ever having to set a foot on campus. Online courses have become the wave of the century. The Internet has allowed people from all over the world the chance to take classes online. Many people with full-time schedules are able to attend classes virtually, complete homework and graduate. This option is perfect for stay at home moms or dads because they can do everything from home.

You’ll find other advantages for online learning. One is the variety of degrees you can get. Most virtual colleges offer associates degrees, but you can find programs that will offer a Ph.D. The school you pick will depend on your career goals. If you feel you’ll benefit more from receiving a graduate degree as opposed to an undergraduate, then continue with your education until you succeed.

With online education, you can step into a new horizon of learning that will allow you to fit your education into your life.

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Is Online Education the Future?

Education, like almost every other cultural, corporate or financial structure today, is in a state of transition. Old models of teaching and learning have come under scrutiny, as the inevitable changes wrought by new and rapidly evolving computer and Internet technology find their way into the educational system.

Today online education is becoming a major part of learning.  It isn’t just happening, it’s a model that has taken hold in every part of education, most notably on college campuses. Except that some of this online learning isn’t on a campus at all—it’s happening on computer screens at homes and coffee houses and libraries. It’s happening anywhere a student, be they an undergraduate or working adult, can stop and study a course via a computer screen.

Students taking a computerized exam

Image by Extra Ketchup via Flickr

A recent study of online education examined the pros and cons of this kind of teaching model and asked educators to weigh in on how the online model might be improved. What’s clear from the study is that online teaching is in transition.

Many educators feel that to be truly effective, online teaching should combine work at the computer with in person class meetings with instructors.  Along with this increase in the ‘blended’ model of teaching, the survey also showed that an increase in funding is needed to improve the quality of online teaching as well as technical improvements in online systems.

Interestingly, more than anything, survey respondents felt that it is the quality of the teachers that matters most of all in the online class model. Finally, as always, it all comes down to people, no matter how technologically sophisticated the classroom becomes.

 

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