07.09.06
Top Education Links
03.21.06
What Is A Distance Learning Degree Program And Can It Work For You?
If you have ever given any thought to going back to college to earn a degree, but do not feel that you would have the time, money, or ability to do so, take a look at distance learning. Distance educational entails using current communications technology to provide instruction and interaction between an instructor and students when they are separated by any given distance. What that means is that no matter where you are in the world, you can be a student in a distance learning degree program at a college or university anywhere in the world. Distance is not an issue.
Distance education has the capacity to provide many different types of people with a myriad of educational opportunities. Older adults can fulfill an ambition to go to college and earn a bachelor’s degree, or return to earn an advanced degree such as a master’s or doctorate degree. Distance education provides those with full time work and family schedules the chance to go to college, and it is ideal for those who might be restricted by a physical disability. Distance learning also provides established workers the opportunity to update and reinforce their knowledge within their current career field, broadening their scope of information and providing more opportunities for advancement and promotion. The benefits of distance learning seem to far outweigh any drawbacks, but a successful distance learning degree program is dependent on the school, the faculty, and the student working together to make the experience as enriching and valuable as any traditional college experience.
You might be concerned that you won’t receive the same quality education as you might in a traditional classroom setting, or that you won’t learn as much, especially in a graduate degree program. That is a valid concern. Distance learning has been shown to provide students with an equally effective and valuable education as traditional students receive, provided that the various available instructional methods are used in a way that stimulates the learning process and the interest of the students. There are several instructional methods currently in use with distance learning. There is a component for every type of learner that will help to facilitate the learning process and enrich the online experience. One method that is used is the medium of voice, which includes telephone communications with instructors and classmates. This really helps to ease the isolation that can be felt in a distance learning degree program, and reinforces any course content that has been relayed. Video is often used in a distance learning classroom, usually in the form of slides and streaming video lectures. This is advantageous for the student because this data is saved and made available for use at any time, whether to print out slides or to review lectures online. Other types of instructional media that are used in distance learning include discussion boards, email communications, and chat rooms (for classmate interaction as well as “lectures”). All of these methods help to facilitate communications between students and instructors, as well as encourage class participation.
For distance learning to be successful, it is important that the faculty of a college or university be willing to adapt their teaching styles in order to fit with the technology and educational format. They have to be willing to deliver course content is a variety of media, as well as facilitate classroom chats, and have open lines of communication. Faculty must also be open to the idea that their students will be spread far and wide, in different time zones, countries, and cultural setting, and should be prepared to adjust assignments and expectations accordingly. Ultimately, though, the individual success of a distance learning degree program lies with the student. Being a successful distance learner requires the motivation to get the assignments done, make the effort to communicate with classmates and instructors, and attend scheduled lectures and chats. Because there is freedom in the format, responsibility is a key factor in getting a valid and valuable education online. Without the drive to do the work, there will be no benefits earned for the student.
About the Author
Learn the essential information for picking the right online degree course at Community College Online
technorati tags:
education
distance learning
online education
university degrees
college
learning
02.17.06
If Knowledge is Power, Why Are Professors So Poor?
How many times have you heard the statement “knowledge is power”? How many times have you been told “you have to go to college to get a good job”? If that is the case, why aren’t the smartest people the richest or most powerful? Why don’t Mensa members fill all the highest slots in the government and run all the big companies? Why have some of the richest people in history been folks of moderate intelligence and sometimes much less than moderate education? Is the connection between knowledge and success just a bunch of hogwash?
In a word, NO, but unfortunately our teachers left something out.
Over and over we have heard statistics that college graduates earn X percent more money a year than non-college graduates. We have also been told repeatedly that if “you don’t have a good education, you’ll never get a good job and you’ll be a loser all your life”.
What most people have taken from that, is that if you get a great education and hold high degrees, you will automatically make much more money and be much more successful in life. Sound’s logical. But that’s WRONG. So what is the secret ingredient that makes all these confusing elements make sense?
The only successes in life are the people who have a focused objective and are willing to take action!
What does that mean for education? Simply that it is a tool you use on the way to your goal. With objective and action, you will get there faster with the right tools, the right sort of education (be it institutional or self-taught) that pertains to your objective. But if you don’t have an objective, or if you procrastinate and don’t take action, all the education in the world is no more useful than a shed full of expensive tools covered in dust. It’s not the tool the gets the job done, it’s the using it.
A person with moderate intelligence and no education can still succeed if they have the 2 key elements of objective and action. It will just take them longer and take more effort than if they also had the knowledge tool. But they would still succeed!
So what does that mean for us? Well it doesn’t mean abandon learning, but it does mean reprioritizing your efforts. If you spend all your day stocking your brain, but there is no focus to it, you are wasting your time. Stop and pour yourself a cup of tea and ask yourself what your objective is. What is your primary goal? Not just any old sounds-good-when-you-tell-your-spouse kind of goal, but the objective that stirs you inside and makes you sit on the edge of your chair in eagerness! If you don’t have one, than finding one needs to be at the TOP of your priority list, your most important activity, up there with eating and sleeping. You must find your passion!
Once you have your objective, then you need to figure out how to get there so you can start taking action TODAY. Don’t tell yourself “oh well, I’ll go get another degree or read 20 more books and call that taking action.” Most likely, it is just another form of procrastination! Figure out what steps you can do NOW, while you are learning whatever you need.
1. Have an objective, a clear targeted quantifiable laser beam objective! 2. Take action constantly toward your goal. Don’t put it off until tomorrow, don’t come up with reasons why you can’t. Find a way you can and do it NOW!
Once you have these two things engraved on your brain, guiding all your thoughts and influencing every action you take, then everything else will fall into place and you will be able to use the tools you have, see clearly what tools you need, and travel constantly forward toward success.
About the Author
Meredith Keeney is a motivational writer and publisher of The Right Path newsletter, a free bi-weekly ezine that helps you achieve your dreams. Check out TheRightPath.bravehost.com!
technorati tags:
education
professors
knowledge
success
intelligence
learning
Add this blog to: 
BackFlip, 
BlinkBits, 
BlinkList, 
BlogMarks, 
del.icio.us, 
Digg, 
Diigo, 
Fantacular, 
Fark, 
FeedMarker, 
FeedMeLinks, 
Furl, 
Google, 
Gravee, 
igooi, 
Jookster, 
Jots, 
Linkagogo, 
LinkRoll, 
LookMarks, 
ma.gnolia, 
Markabboo, 
Ning, 
RawSugar, 
reddit, 
Riffs, 
Rojo, 
Scuttle, 
Shadows, 
Simpy, 
SiteJot, 
Smarking, 
Spurl, 
Squidoo, 
Taggly, 
tagtooga, 
TailRank, 
Wink, 
Wists
