Earn A Degree Online

The university professor is an institution unto himself, and I’m sure we all have the following picture (or similar) imagined when we discuss them. Wild-haired. Erratic and obsessed. Tweed-wearing. And most of all, an inspiration for the students whom he/she teaches. It might come as a surprise, then, that the future of higher education may not involve or need a professor as a guardian of learning at all - and it may happen sooner than we think.

In an article in The Los Angeles Times, Raja Abdulrahim reports of plans by an Israeli entrepreneur to set up an online education institution with global reach, and at a low cost, but offering education by using an unconventional ‘peer to peer’ method. The University of the People, established by Shai Rashef, will offer any prospective student the opportunity to obtain a degree by blending open-source, free course material from MIT, and a social networking framework which will serve to cause discussions between students as they learn - with the aim of preparing them for traditional assignments, tests, and final exams.

Despite Rashef’s background and experience in the online learning sector (in the past he has chaired KIT e-learning, and has worked for Cramster), he has still been subject to some criticism for his plans. Michael Lambert, from Distance Education and Training Council, points out that all free learning projects have failed in the past, whilst John Bourne from Sloan Consortium, suggests that without professors, ’students often don’t recognize when they need help.’

Despite these issues that need to be addressed, the interest has been overwhelming, and rightly so - to me, the idea seems entirely logical. Despite having fond memories of my university lecturers, and ideas of how the stereotypical “prof” should be, these thoughts do seem decidedly dated. Today, in traditional and e-learning institutions, more and more learning is conducted independently and with a focus on primary and secondary research as opposed to lectures etc.

However, I do admit that the idea of a no-professor institution seems odd, but maybe we just need to re-imagine the role of lecturers in future education. Instead of lecturing in a sense of giving information, they may need to act as a guide in terms of assuring students the best ways of which to learn individually. I.e. instead of being experts in their field, they may well need to become experts in learning itself.

Advantages of an Online Education

The option of getting an online education is a welcomed by many, particularly people who don’t have easy access to a nearby college or university, or access to a school which offers the courses necessary to fill their particular needs.

Online educational opportunities are a real boon to students that travel frequently, or are in the military.

Many of us may have missed the opportunity to get our degrees during the traditional college years. Finances and family obligations may have curtailed opportunities.

Thankfully, easy access to online college degrees has given us our “second” chance.

Drawbacks of an Online Education

With all of its benefits, however, you need to be aware of some of the drawbacks to getting an online education.

First, make sure the school you are taking courses through is an accredited school that offers transferable credits. The Internet has opened up vast educational opportunities with many prestigious schools.

However, there are plenty less reputable schools that amount to nothing more than “diploma mills”.

“Diploma Mills” give you credit for life experience, which is not recognized by state and federal laws. You can even “buy” a doctorate. So don’t let a fancy website fool you.

Employers are well aware of these types of diplomas, and will check the accreditation of your degree.

If you’re in doubt as to the school’s reputation, check with U.S. Department of Education’s Council of Higher Education Accreditation to ensure the courses they offer are accredited.

Time Management Skills

To be successful, make sure you can manage your time well. The flexibility of online courses is great, but if you’re easily distracted, this type of schooling may not work for you.

It’s all about self-discipline - the ability to work on your college courses and set aside time to study - even though there are a million other seemingly more important things to do.

Set Manageable Goals for Yourself

Goals help us to stay focused on our end goal. Remember if a project seems too big, break it down into more manageable, less intimidating steps. Complete a step, and move on to the next.

Staying organized and focused with the help of daily planners will help you to achieve your goals.

You can take just about any college course online nowadays. This is good for people who already have jobs but would like to be able to go back to school to get a degree in something they love. One thing that a lot of people like to go back to school for is to get a degree in early childhood education. The only problem is that it can be hard to locate the best online schools to go to. There are so many online schools out there, how do you know which one offers the best early childhood education online courses? Well, this is something that we are going to talk about today. When you get done reading this, you would be able to locate a great online college that offers a great early childhood education program. You will soon find out that it is not as hard to located these schools as you may think.

First of all, the great thing about early childhood education online courses is the fact that you can take them no matter where they are located. Unlike traditional schools, where you can only attend classes that are located around you, the internet allows you to attend schools that are states away. Now, when looking online for these courses, the first thing that you are going to have to do is do an online search. This is going to come up with tons of schools that offer these classes. After it brings up a few different schools, you are going to want to look and see which schools are accredited. You can do this by opening up a few different school websites and looking for information about the school. Getting online degrees is only good if you get them from accredited online schools. Otherwise, getting a degree is going to do you no good.

Now, after you locate some accredited schools, it is time to start narrowing down the field. You are going to do this by simply looking at the different features that each school has to offer. You are also going to want to look at online reviews for each online school. See if you can find any user reviews from students that have used that online college. Find out if their early childhood education online courses were worth taking. Also find out if the students had any problems with the school overall. You can usually find this kind of information on online forums as well.

Overall, it is very easy to see why so many people are choosing to go with online colleges. Just before you choose to join an online college, it is very important that you do a little research about the school. You need to make sure that the school is accredited, and that students like using the online campus. After all, you do not want to sign up with a school that is not good or a pain to attend. That would just be a waste of money, and if you are looking for online colleges, you more than likely do not have any kind of money that you want to waste.

Online Education?

Growing popularity for online studies is evident in today’s economy. Distant educational programs meet the expectations of today’s lifestyle and online educational programs have become a preferred choice.

Regular colleges are witnessing a downtrend in enrolments as a result of recession; a phenomenal increase in the number of online enrollments is seen instead. Education on the net gives the student flexibility of attending classes on their own preferred timings and at a place of their convenience helps them meet their educational requirements without sacrificing or compromising their career and family priorities.

Corporate houses prefer web based learning courses for training their employees; it enables them to reduce the cost of training incurred on travel and accommodation. It is a cost effective medium that offers the necessary education without compromising on the quality at a minimum cost.

Educational loans are extended by the federal government in order to encourage students. It has formulated specific plans enabling students to acquire educational loans in easy steps by securing the secondary market.

What are the things you should remember while enrolling for Online Educational Program?

You remember the following before you proceed enrolling for an online course of study.

·         A reputed school of study should be your choice for enrolment.

·         Kindly ensure that the school and course of study are recognized by your employer.

·         Accreditation of the online educational institution is a must and the said accreditation should be provided by the department of education and other recognized organizations.

·         Make sure the online college is not a diploma mills or illegitimate company whose sole intention is to mint money from genuine students.

·         Some of the online institutions sell degree certificates for money, be sure it is not one of them.

Is Online Education an investment for future?

Distance Learning Education prepares you to face the challenges of economic meltdown helping you save your employment and thereby your career on the whole. Online Education offers the following benefits.

·         Investment in education is in truth a human capital investment for better earning.

·         Enhanced skill set and knowledge helps you save your job during layoffs.

·         In a badly hit economic scenario it is important that you are equipped to handle the unexpected and toughest of challenges.

·         You loose every benefit in your employment in times of economic turmoil, which in turn makes it essential for you to increase your potential to make more money.

·         An Online Degree Program helps you learn first and pay for it over a period of time, with no immediate repayment liability.

·         You can look out for career shift by enrolling for specialized online courses.

·         There is no need for you to move out of your home or office, no strict class timings; online education provides you convenience and flexibility in learning.

·         Tuition reimbursement is offered by employers for career developmental courses, make sure you use it.

The current economic situation is taking its toll on all facets of life, including education. For many, without the opportunity to take advantage of scholarships or federal aid, their educational aspirations will not be realized. This is true even in the realm of online education. Nevertheless, there are still plenty of opportunities to finance your education online. Read on for a few key points to help guide your financial aid search.

First of all, fill out a FAFSA form. FAFSA stands for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and is normally the first step in the financial aid process. The most efficient and quickest way to fill out the form would be online. The form is available at FAFSA website. Directions on how to complete the application and the necessary forms you’ll need to guide you are given at the  website. From the FAFSA it will be determined the amount of money you (or your parents) are expected to contribute and whether or not you are eligible for federal financial aid in the form of grants or loans.

If you receive a federal grant, most likely in the form of a Pell Grant, it is money that you do not have to pay back. A federal loan, on the other hand, normally has to be paid back eventually. The good news is that even if you receive a federal loan in the form of a Perkins loan, for example, the interest rate is relatively low, and you don’t have to worry about paying it back until you leave school. There is even a grace period for certain loans, which means that you’re given some time after graduation to start making payments.

FAFSA is not only used to determine if you are eligible for federal funding, but it also helps schools decide if you’re eligible for any need-based grants or scholarships they may have access to. This is especially important for those who don’t receive financial aid from the government. While the government has its own qualifications for loans and grants, your school may have others. Meaning, even if you don’t receive federal loans or grants, you may still qualify for money that the university of your choice has in the form of a need based scholarship.

Besides the FAFSA it is also a good idea to look for other sources of funding, such as scholarships. There is an array of scholarships available. Millions of dollars worth of scholarships go unapplied for every year. Do you belong to a certain ethnic group? Are you below 5′ feet tall? How about a child of a veteran? Or are you an artist? How about a stay at home mom? A “non-traditional” college student? Or pursuing a specialized career? There are scholarships available for everyone, if you look hard enough. There are many websites that offer free registration that will send you a list of scholarships that you can apply for based on the questions you answer when registering at that site, a few that come to mind are www.fastweb.com and www.college-scholarships.com.

What some schools will tell you also is that they may have their own funding source, meaning scholarships that you’re not even aware of, that they distribute to students after reviewing their financial situation or transcripts to determine if they meet a specific criterion. So don’t be shy, ask your school if they have any university specific scholarships whether need or merit based that you could then apply for. Worst case scenario: if you don’t receive a scholarship or loan, you can discuss payment plan options with your university, where instead of paying all your tuition up front, you can divide the payments over an agreed upon time frame.

Just remember, don’t let a lack of sufficient funds stop you from pursuing your education. Try to take advantage of all the funding sources listed above, and you’re sure to be able to finance your educational dreams.

T Jae asked:


how good are those online degree programs, I’ve been offered an awesome deal to earn a degree in the field I wanted to study for a long time now. How good are they? and are they considered valid? I don’t wanna get ripped off, or spend money for nothing. HELP!!!

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