Guide to Distance Learning Online Education

Monday, October 4th, 2010

Whether you are just starting to think about going back to school to either complete your education or to finally pursue your academic goals, our guide to distance learning will introduce you to some of the basic characteristics of online education.

What is Distance Education?

Distance education refers to any form of learning and/or teaching that takes place with the use of a computer and the internet. In most cases, online instruction takes place in the context of a distance learning setting in which learners and teachers are located in different places and all or most interaction takes place via the internet.

Functions of Distance Learning

The most common function used in online education is electronic mail or most commonly known as E-mail. Electronic mail allows students, teachers and other online classmates to send messages to each other. In addition, you also have conferencing capabilities that let participants conduct discussions either in real-time or on a delayed basis. Online education also involves access to text files or multimedia web pages, as well as the exchange of information such as class assignments, course materials, and much more.

Nature of Distance Learning

Most of us are familiar with the traditional way of learning, but distance learning is much different than the traditional classroom experience. Since most communication takes place via online in the form of written messages, writing and comprehension skill are essential to online success. In most cases, teachers are not present throughout your time spent online; you will have to be able to manage your time effectively and is capable of working independently.

Distance Learning Q&A:

Will there be on-campus attendance? Online learning may vary from one institution to the next. Some online institutions offer 100 percent online degree program with no on-campus attendance. Other institutions may offer a combination of online and on-campus course attendance. Check with your school for the method of delivery.

IS there a Variety of Online Degree Programs? Online institutions offer associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees, in addition to a variety of non-credit and certificate programs. Some online universities offer PhDs in areas such as Health Services, Education and Psychology.

What are the Advantages of Campus-Based Education vs. Online Education? Research shows that online degree programs provide the same quality education that is found in the traditional college degree programs and is just as effective as traditional on-campus learning.

How do I know if the Online Institution is Credible and Legitimate? To find out if an online university or college has been accredited by a nationally or regional accrediting agency you can access the U.S. Department of Education search engine at http://ope.ed.govaccrediationsearc.asp.

How Fast Can I Earn a Degree Online? The time needed to complete a degree varies from one student to the next and the degree program. But in general an online degree can be earned much faster with accelerated programs and how much time and dedication you put towards your studies.

Making the Most of Online Learning

The nature of online learning can be a much more difficult task than conventional classroom learning environment. And like any endeavor, online learning can be a success or a failure. The most important element of successful online education is to keep in constant interaction with your teacher and classmates. Discussing and sharing ideas is one of the most powerful aspects of online education. Also, getting positive feedback and class interaction can make an online class much more worthwhile and enjoyable for all participants.

Tags: Distance Learning, Online Education
Posted in Distance Education, Online Education | 6 Comments »

Innovations in Online Education over the Period of Time

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

The innovation of online education improves the quality of educational experience by building rich educational programs that can be used in various learning environments. The success in online education and online instruction stems from using the best approaches to distance learning

Dating back to the late 1800 distance education is associated with online education. In 1996, founders Glenn Jones and Bernard Luskin created the first accredited online university, called Jones International University. Since the inception of distance learning, online learning has grown in popularity and has given traditional campus learning a run for its money. Now distance learning is fully functional and attractive to millions of students nationwide. Online schools have come a long way and will continue to move forward in the right direction.

The future of Online Education

Reports show that online education grew 13 percent last year and had been growing at about 20 percent in previous years. According to the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, online education is a growing industry in the United States with estimated revenues of around $12 billion at a dozen or so for-profit companies that provide primarily online learning.

Transformation of Online Education

Richard Garrett of Boston consultant Eduventures Inc. said interest in online education may have plateaued for now, awaiting innovations that will transform the experience beyond screen imitations of the brick-and-mortar curriculum.

“We are still at a pretty rudimentary stage,” Garrett said, noting educators rarely employ video, unique links, or other technological innovations.

“Will it be games? Will it be simulations? Will it be social networking? Will it be something we haven’t yet come across?” he said.

Evolution of Online Education

Online education has evolved over the years and continues to explode at all school levels. Even though there have been a lot of changes in online education some things have remained the same. The majority of online courses are organized in much the same way as their campus counterparts. As a matter of fact, most online schools are an extension from the brick-and-motor institutions. In order to remain competitive, most online schools follow traditional academic standards and are accredited by reputable accrediting agencies.

Online Education meeting the needs of Everyone

Online education trend is likely to increase as more and more higher education institutions harness the capabilities of technology to reach a wider audience of student nationwide with online courses and degree programs to fit students’ needs. Today, many online institutions have learned that over time online courses will help to free up classroom space for other courses that might better utilize campus facilities, while providing easy access to online education for those who cannot attend on-campus classes.

Tags: Online Education, Social Networking
Posted in Distance Education, e-Learning, Online Education | 2 Comments »

Product Manager – Job Responsibilities, Education and Salary

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Product management is managing of a company’s product through all of its stages starting from designing, on to manufacturing and marketing. This is also known as the lifecycle of a product. Product management is an inbound focus that is made by product managers to maximize the sale and profit of the product and add to the profit of the company or organization. The main focus of product management, however, lies in taking or considering new product for development. According to the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA), the product that adds up to unique benefit and serves superior value to the customers and clients is considered as the highest product of profitability.

Job Responsibilities of a Product Manager

The responsibilities of product managers vary depending upon the size, structure and type of product manufactured by the company. Their key responsibility lies in defining a new product manufactured by the company. They are also responsible for making strategies and policies to consider product life cycle and product differentiation.

Product managers are responsible for product planning and deal with marketing of the product. In planning, a product manager identifies and articulates market requirements and further enhances the basic features and properties of the product concerned so that it meets the needs of customers and clients.

Product managers are solely responsible for setting target demographics and looking at the plans and policies that other production companies have applied to make their product customer friendly. They create and apply new ideas to manufacture and promote a product that suits the company and fits the business model. Product managers have to manage one or more substantial products.

They are required to meet with the product team on a regular basis and get updates on the development of the product. They create product management roadmaps that will detail the ways by which the product will be manufactured and also give an estimation of particular time required.

Sometimes, product managers also have to make hardware, software, mechanical design, user documents, marketing and sales strategies. They also are involved with customer testing activities to promote the product manufactured by the company which make it user friendly.

Education Required to become a Product Manager

The responsibilities of product managers are wholly associated with the production unit and marketing policies of the company. A product manager must have practical knowledge of the current market and also understanding of the policies and strategies of product development. The most desired degree by the product development companies are that of an MBA in product management studies with a focus on economics, accounting, marketing, and business mathematics. These studies enable a student to understand the basic principles of product management and creating new strategies and plans in marketing research.

Online Studies That Can Get You There

Use of internet in our daily life has brought several unimaginable facilities to us. One of these involves getting desired knowledge on any subject from any corner of the world. There are several colleges and universities world wide that offer a variety courses including management studies. To get an MBA degree on product management, online, the following are names of some of the renowned universities and colleges:

Salary Range of a Product Manager

Salaries are subject to change depending on the assets of the company, the buy and sell strategies, employee strength, geographical position of the company, and also the years of experience. The salary range of a product manager having experience of one year or less, in the Unites States is around $65,471. Persons having experience of five years or more are paid about $72,043 and those having experience of more than 20 years $99,584.

Tags: Career, Online Education, Product Manager
Posted in Career Guide, Distance Education | 8 Comments »

Why is Accredited Education important today?

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

In this day and age when employers all around the world only taking services of individuals that have earned a degree from an accredited institute, it is quite important that you only take admission in an accredited college or university. Accredited degree programs are the kind of programs where course structure is designed by the industry experts taking into account current market trends. Another significant thing about accredited degree programs is that teaching is conducted by experienced faculty.

Importance of accredited education

With accredited education, you are going to gain comprehensive knowledge out of your degree program. Accreditation is only being offered to those colleges and universities which are good in terms of infrastructure and are concerned about the quality of syllabus. In US, accreditation is normally given by the US Department of Education.

Majority of accredited colleges and universities update syllabus after every semester so that students do not miss any of the important topics. With knowledge of current industry trends, you are going to get entry-level job straight after earning a degree. Accredited education also ensures that you will get the admission in higher education level without appearing in any entrance examination.

Taking admission in an online degree program

With so many top accredited online colleges and universities in the fray, taking admission in an online degree program is the way to go especially if your financial condition is not up to the mark and you cannot handle the pressure of traditional colleges and universities. To earn online degree from an accredited university, you do not need to attend classes. You can study through study material provided by the online university in the beginning of the semester.

Diploma mills and fake degree

There are number of students that ruin their future by taking admission in diploma mills. The only objective of diploma mills is to get money out of you. They are not really bothered about your knowledge base and your career prospect after earning a degree from them. Students opt for diploma mills because they are interested in earning degree quickly without any hard work. There is no substitute for hard work when it comes to earning an online college degree. If any college is offering you degree without any study, it clearly means that their degree is not accredited and you will not be able to use it in admission procedure.

To make sure that you do not fall into the prey of fake degree, check the accreditation of your college first before taking admission. Also take into consideration the infrastructural facilities that are being offered by your college. Do not take admission in a college where student-faculty ratio is high. When you take admission in a fake degree program, you will not receive any practical training.

Tags: Accredited Education, Online Education
Posted in Accredited Online College, Distance Education, Online Degree, Online Education | 3 Comments »

Growing Demand Of Distance Education

Friday, May 1st, 2009

With the advancement in technology, there is no surprise that demand of distance education is growing. Another significant factor responsible for this growing demand is the fact that people these days do not have the time to go to the traditional colleges and universities for five or six hours daily in order to attend classes. Most of the students at present prefer to work part-time so that they can manage their finances and do not require any sort of loans to complete their studies.

The best part about distance education is that you can attend classes from the location of your choice through internet. Time is also not much of a factor in distance education as you can attend classes whenever you want. It can be in the morning, afternoon, evening or at night. Popularity of distance education is growing because you can remain anonymous through out the duration of the course. This is extremely useful for single mothers and senior citizens that do not want to disclose their identity. To study in distance education mode properly and effectively, you need to be self-disciplined and hard working.

Quality Of Courses

Quality of courses in distance education has improved so much in the last three or four years that more and more students are enrolling in distance education. To improve the quality of courses, syllabus is updated after every three months. This in turn means that you are not going to miss any current industry trends.

Employers Accepting Distance Education Degrees

There is a growing demand of distance education among students because employers have started accepting distance education degrees. This was not the case some years back when employers only prefer students that have earned a degree from traditional college or university. However, there are still some companies that only give jobs to individuals that have passed out from traditional colleges. To make sure that you do not face any rejection from the employers, check the accreditation of distance education institute carefully. If the distance education institute you have opted for is not accredited, you are going to face plenty of issues in finding jobs.

Subject Choices

When you opt for distance education, you will get wide variety of choices in terms of subjects. Students will be able to earn degrees in subjects that are not easily available in traditional colleges and universities. When you earn degree in the subject that you specialize in, you increase your chances of attaining success in your career field.

Tuition Rates

There are number of students that are taking admission in a distance education just because they cannot afford the high tuition rates of traditional colleges and universities. In distance education, tuition rates are quite low and you can receive grants & scholarships from your distance education institute. To get an approval for grants & scholarships, it is of paramount importance that you fill the application form carefully. If there is any mistake in your application form, you may face rejection from your distance education institute.

Tags: Distance Education
Posted in Career Guide, Distance Education, Online Education | 5 Comments »

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