Online Continuing Education - Is It Right for You?

ONLINE CONTINUING EDUCATION - IS IT RIGHT FOR YOU?

There are many reasons students choose to continue their education online. But, is it right for everyone? Research says no. Not everyone can handle online courses. Some individuals need to be sitting in a classroom to succeed. There are many factors to consider when you are deciding what program to choose. Many professions require continuing education to be done online for many reasons. They feel you receive the same education online as if you were sitting in a classroom. For the most part the content the student is learning is the same whether they complete the course online or in a classroom. In this article we will talk about some different characteristics of online courses and classroom courses so you can better decide what the best option is for you.

First, let's start with some pros and cons of taking a course in a classroom. One of the major benefits is the interaction you have with your professor/instructor and your fellow classmates. The majority of students really appreciate this because they can bounce ideas off of each other and participate in a live lecture. They are also able to ask the instructor questions and receive an immediate response. A major con to sitting in a classroom is having to drive to the physical location and sit in a lecture/seminar for a specific amount of time. This eliminates the flexibility and convenience that an online course offers.

Now, let's talk about online continuing education courses. A major con to taking courses online is there is typically no live interaction with any of the other students or the professor. This can be a huge downside if you are having trouble in one of the courses. You have to rely strictly on email and sometimes that is just not enough. Hopefully your instructor is available via telephone or live chat so they can walk you through the problem. On the upside, online courses can be completed from the comfort of your home or office at anytime during the day. Many professionals and adult learners really appreciate this since their schedules are typically slammed.

As you can see, there are some positive and negative characteristics when taking online courses. You have to weigh the pros and cons to decide what the best method is for you. Also, consider the course content and how familiar you are with it. Is it professional continuing education that you know or a completely new subject to you?

“KEY SUCCESS FACTORS WHEN RETURNING TO SCHOOL”

There are many things a student can do to be successful in school. Many times an adult learner has not been to school in a number of years. They are not sure what to expect. Others only take a term or two off before returning back to school. Every student and situation is a little different. It is important to know what to expect when you are returning to school. This will help prepare you for classes and ensure you succeed. In this article we are going to uncover some key success factors everyone should consider when going back to school.

The first thing we recommend is learning more about the structure of the course. Is it online or on campus? How many hours a week are required to study, work on papers, and attend class? Knowing what you are up against is half the battle. Are there group assignments? When will you make time to meet up with your group to complete these assignments? Is the course 12 weeks long or five? This is important if you are a working adult. In a 12 week course the assignments will be more spread out. If you are taking accelerated classes expect to spend more time per week on the coursework.

After you learn the structure, read over the syllabus to see what type of assignments are going to be required. For instance, do you have a presentation due in week four? If so, how familiar are you with PowerPoint? You may want to take a refresher course or do a tutorial online to bring you up to speed. Another popular program in many college courses is Excel. Excel is used for data entry, statistics, finance, and accounting courses. Excel is fairly easy to use, but if you do not use it at work you may want to learn more about the program before your course starts.

Finally, the third recommendation is making sure you have the required amount of time to commit to going back to school. Make sure your friends and family are aware of your commitment. Also, block out a couple of hours a day (including weekends) to work on your assignments. Try to commit a certain amount of time each week to be successful.

As you can see there are many things you can do to help you succeed in a college course. These are only a few recommendations, of course there are many more.

“TOP TRENDS IN EDUCATION”

There have been a lot of changes in the education world over the past few years. The government has been cracking down on for-profit schools and their enrollment practices. Large Universities have started to launch more online degree programs and competition is fiercer than ever before. There have also been budget cuts in state schools leading to layoffs in multiple departments. Most schools are doing more with less. In many schools enrollments have increased so it is weird to see the budget cuts taking place. For schools that have not developed online courses they are hurting the most. The education industry is counter-cyclical; meaning when the economy is doing well and people have jobs enrollments in schools actually decrease. On the other hand, when the economy is in a slump or recession more students go back to school. They feel they have to get a degree to be more competitive when searching for a job or impress their boss to keep their job.

Even though online education has increased over the years, there were a couple of schools doing business unethically, according to the United States Government. The government felt Kaplan University and University of Phoenix were enrolling students that were not necessarily qualified for their online degree programs. They would admit the students and help them with all of their financial aid paperwork. Unfortunately, the students were not passing the courses which led to them defaulting on their student loans. So the students were incurring debt, late fees, and not receiving their degrees. This was a big issue according to the government and their investigations. They went in and cleaned house so to say. Both schools had to lay off employees due to the government's findings.

Online degree programs have had their share of criticism over the years, but that hasn't slowed them down. Now that state Universities are launching online programs the public view an online degree as equivalent to a campus program the majority of the time. Because schools like Boston University, Penn State, and University of Cincinnati offer online classes and degree programs employers are starting to accept more and more degrees completed online.

In summary, even though enrollments in online degree programs are up some schools are feeling the heat. They have since altered their enrollment practices to stay compliant with the United States Government. State schools are offering more and more online programs to stay competitive in the market and increase their revenue. And finally, remember the education industry is counter-cyclical so if enrollments are down it could be because the unemployment rate is also down.


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