According to Eduventures, which conducts research in education marketing, by the end of 2006 there will be close to 1.5 million students taking part in online higher education programs. Given that online learning has rapidly grown into such big business, it is important that if you are desirous of obtaining information about the subject, you visit the right online resources. Websites and blogs that publish fresh and unbiased reviews are any day a better alternative to marketing sites posing as content sites.
These sites are very often managed by colleges that purportedly offer high quality online education. If you cannot get in touch with someone who has an online degree to his name, there are a few genuine resources on the internet. These include www.geteducated.com and www.oedb.net
Accreditation is a way to ensure the reputability of the online university/program that you choose. The key, of course, is the unimpeachability of the accreditation organization. A university has to meet or exceed a set of standards that are deemed necessary by the accreditation body before they grant their seal of approval. A brief idea of how accreditation works will be of help to those who choose to pursue higher education online.
If a university seeks to avail federal student financial aid, it has to acquire national accreditation. Regional accreditation means that the university is recognized throughout the U.S. There are six regional accreditation bodies in the country, they are given below. An online degree from an institution accredited by any of these institutions is accorded the same validity as an onsite degree.
Another form of accreditation that exists is specialized accreditation, in this it is the course that is accredited so that employers have an assurance that students who have undergone the course have the basic minimum skills required to perform in a real-life scenario. Any specialized course should have the approval of the industry, so whether it is aeronautics or hotel management, check that your course has received a nod from the industry.
Online courses revolve around
One reason why online college degrees are proving to be so popular is that they are well received in the professional world. If you are planning on an online degree, you would do well to first evaluate courses so that you select the best one for yourself. Of course, the prime considerations are the course content, campus support, and whether taking up that course allows you to make the best of both worlds
According to this report, the Columbia Gorge Community College is offering its popular Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer (AAOT) degree online. According to Karen Carter
The ECU faculty will be offering online degrees in elementary education, special education-general curriculum and middle grades education. The course is being made available in collaboration with Wachovia Partnership East. "Data from the N.C. State Department of Public Instruction shows that 10,000 new teachers are needed per year, and N.C. colleges/universities graduate about 3,500 of which about 2,500 go into teaching in N.C.," said Dr. Vivian Martin Covington, director of the office of teacher education at ECU.
ECU is hoping to develop bench strength of teachers who can teach students in areas that are not being served at present. This should hopefully lead to the development of teacher assistants who will help with public school education in their communities.
The ITT Technical Institute in Indianapolis, Indiana helps students gain quality technical education online when onsite education is not a possibility.
Degrees offered cover masters, bachelor, and associate programs. Programs offered by the university include a BS degree in Information Systems Security. IT Infrastructure is built around information security and there is a good demand for professionals with knowledge on information systems security. The online curriculum places equal emphasis on the managerial and technical part of IT so that a graduate stands a better chance of performing in this increasingly digitized world.
The online MBA offered by ITT is an excellent alternative and in no way inferior to MBA degrees offered by other onsite and online institutes. The MBA offered by ITT lays stress on building managerial capabilities that can accommodate and use changes in technology and information systems to their advantage. An MBA degree from ITT teaches you to identify opportunities for business building and contributing to the value of a brand. The MBA degree gives working professionals the opportunity to learn about the management of human resources and finance.
A Bachelor degree in Technical Project Management from this university enables professionals to convert their business ideas into reality. Technical project management is essential know-how if one wishes to succeed in an online business endeavor. It is best learnt online where one can absorb maximum benefits extended by this powerful media.
A BS degree in Criminal Justice
The WebFlex MBA from Benedictine University is an opportunity for working adults to gain expertise in any of the four popular specializations such as International Business, Financial Management, Health Administration, and Marketing Management. The US News and World Report’s 2005 rankings had Benedictine University at nearabouts its top position.
The salient features of the 100% online MBA course include 24 x 7 access from any place on earth, round the clock technical support, online forums that provide working adults with an excellent opportunity to network with others, and exactly the same degree as that received by on-site graduates. The university lends support to graduates in assisting their search for a job. There is career counseling on offer, assistance in developing an impressive resume, job bulletins, and much more. Of equal importance is the financial aid that the university helps you to avail.
According to this news item, the benefits of online education are being made available to not only working professionals but also school-going children who now no longer have to leave their homes for school; the school comes home to them everyday via the internet.
For example, take the case of James Testa who says "You really get independent study and if you need help, they give you certain sites you can go on and it will explain everything for you." James and other students like him are enjoying an unprecedented freedom and a sense of responsibility about structuring their studies thanks to the California Virtual Academies Program, an online public school program.
Its not just dry subjects like math and science that they gain exposure to, they learn about the arts and music as well, how about that? The California Virtual Academies Program imparts education to 4000 state children who are K-10. The program hopes to add grades 11 and 12 as well. Of course, the program does require that an adult be at home to be there for answering the student
The simple folk of West Virginia have reason to rejoice. This is because the West Virginia University College of Human Resources and Education has made its extant education programs online. The significance of this is explained by Dr. Perry Phillips, who says "West Virginia is a very rural state, and a graduate level education is not easily accessible". The online course covers graduate degrees in Elementary and Secondary Education.
The choice of degrees includes a master