Online Degrees

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Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Finally Got My Degree

When I was young I never realized how much not having a degree would hurt me in years to come. First of all, I quickly learned that I would have to take lesser paying jobs than friends who had degrees. And the opportunity for advancement wasn't there, either. Many of the jobs available to me were downright menial. People looked down on me, too. It wasn't anything they said, but I could feel an air of superiority about them. The worst humiliation came when I was introduced to someone's brother at a party. He seemed interested in me until the questions about education started. Even though he turned out to be a pompous fool, he caused me plenty of pain before the evening was over.

At some point he referred to me as "one of the unlettered." Actually I owe the so-called gentleman a thank you, as it's because of him that I have a degree today! But back then I didn't have the time or the money to go to school.

So, I began investigating other ways to get a degree. But it wasn't until the internet came along that I began to have some real hope. I discovered online universities. You could actually earn a degree from the comfort of your own home! But I couldn't help wondering if people would think it was a fake. I could only hope that I wouldn't be asked too many questions at an interview.

As things turned out, some employers were very suspicious about online degrees and wanted proof of accreditation. Obviously that was not going to be a good match. There was no trust to build anything on. Luckily there were others who put a generous light on my online degree. I was actually complimented for being ambitious and motivated.

Thank goodness things have been rapidly changing when it comes to online degrees. There are many more good online universities all the time and you can now pretty easily do your due diligence to make sure the online university is accredited.

The three industries most likely to accept online degrees have been:: New Media Technology, High Tech Media and Marketing, Telecommunications and Consulting. As more and more people get online degrees and use them in the workforce, Human Resources managers will begin to feel more secure about the quality of education people with online degrees have. The future of getting jobs and advancements based on online degrees gets brighter with each passing day.

Choose schools carefully, and check for accreditation and strong programs. When you've earned the degree, go to job interviews armed with information to counter any questions about the quality or validity of your degree. Make sure the interviewer knows how hard you worked to achieve the monumental task of attending an online university and how much juggling you did to work your earning an education into a busy schedule. Stress how you overcame all obstacles. It will show a self-motivation and discipline that any employer would be happy to find.

Dee Smith gives you all the facts at: http://www.onlinedegreeprof.com

Friday, March 23, 2007

Distance Learning And Online Degree

Distance Learning and Online Degree:

With the advent of the Internet the mode of education has changed drastically. From distance education the word has changed to Online Education where the method of teaching has become virtual. Additionally, course materials will be sent by post, which they can finish at home An online business degree is best suited to working executives who can finish their course at their own pace and do not need to lose work to attend classes.


2. How will an online business degree help your career?

An online business degree is one of the best possible ways to enhance one’s academic qualifications. Many fortune 700 companies appreciate employees who have a higher academic degree and consider such degrees as a criterion for promotion. This means that even if you work hard and exhibit good professional ethics, you may be sidelined when it comes to promotions and pay hikes.

3. Getting qualified through an online course serves three purposes:

1. It enhances your academic standing

2. It does not require you to lose your job in order to make time for learning.

3. You can learn in your leisure time and use it productively to enhance your career.

Online Degrees are available all over the Internet from valid accepted Universities to fake Diploma Mills that churn out diplomas without need for anything other than cold hard cash. While the advantages of the Online Degree providing colleges are many the fact remains that the fake diploma mills are adversely affecting the reputation of the legitimate degree providing colleges.


Legitimate Online Degree College vs. Fake Diploma Mills

Universities and colleges online have to be accredited and the best ones like Phoenix University are, but there are again, the 'life experience' degree providers like the Belford University that create fake accreditation agencies and then accredit themselves, causing students looking for shortcuts to believe that these are legit institutes and are merely showing them the way out.


However, when all online degree holders enter the practical world looking for a job carrying their 'online diplomas' these fake diploma holders cause the legit degree holders to lose out as potential employers lose faith in the 'online degrees' so many of which are useless.


The latest trend in education is distance education where you can attain an undergraduate and graduate, certification or professional degree with the help of advanced technology of Internet.

It is gaining popularity owing to the fact that it can be obtained without leaving your job and can be done at your own pace. Owing to this sudden popularity in distance education, more and more universities are introducing online degree education.

With the wave of intensive growth in distance education comes another problem which is that of fraudulent online degrees.

Universities need to make a profit in order to sustain in the growing competition. The statistics behind online universities indicate that online universities are growing by 33% annually [International Data Corporation Online].

The benefit that the universities offering online courses are that they need not worry about infrastructural expenditure and they can reach out to people across the globe.

The difference between a fake degree online and a valid one is that fraudulent online degree universities are called 'degree mills’ as their main focus is in fast production and distribution of fake diplomas. They just offer credit for life experience and if you pay your fees you get your diploma. You don’t have to worry about practical experience. If you pay a little extra, you can even graduate with honors!

The problem arises when this life experience is not accepted by state and federal laws and you face the problem of looking for a suitable job. A legitimate online college can be recognized against a fake one by checking out the actual web address which is usually offered by The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the international organization that dispenses domain names (web addresses).

Accredited schools will receive the .edu designation. For example, Stanford University's web address is Stanford.edu which authenticates that they are genuine online universities. Next you can also check from the list of accredited schools provided by US Department of Education.

What is the 'The Diploma Mill Police'?

Diploma Mill Police is an online resource to identify if the diploma you have received from an online university is a valid one and is from a fully accredited institution.

To authenticate your degree, GetEducated.com, has launched a free online service, The Diploma Mill Police (TM). This is a free service offered by the website and helps students as well as employer to put forth their grievances regarding the accreditation of their online certifications.

All you need to do is to submit a query to check on the accreditation status of any online college operating in the USA. A Consumer Seal of Approval is also provided by GetEducated.com which genuine accredited colleges can use on their site after being screened by an authorized deputy of the Diploma Mill Police.

Is getting a fake degree worth the effort. Will it get you a job in a Fortune 700 company?

Getting a fake degree may cause lot more problems than benefits. It is a very big risk to buy a fake degree from a diploma mill as well as to claim that you have a degree which rightfully you are not worthy of.

You are shelling out enormous money and the people who are scam artists can get away with it but you can be victimized. The problem arises when this life experience is not acceptable by state and federal laws and you face a problem which acquiring a suitable job.

Students might be thinking that getting a diploma from an unaccredited university will save them the drudgery of studying and they want to out for an easy way out by just paying some money and buying a diploma.

The Diploma itself typically looks impressive and is indistinguishable from a real college or university diploma. Clearly the diploma mills have no integrity and are not worried about the injustice to the students like you who have worked hard for your degrees.

The fake degree may even lead to your prosecution as in the case of a dozen teachers in Georgia who claimed to have Doctoral degrees from the bogus Saint Regis University were caught in 2003. Similarly in May 2004, nearly 500 government employees lost their jobs when their degrees were checked.

It would be sheer luck if you acquire a job in a Fortune 700 company with the help of a fake degree as these companies undertake rigorous investigation to check the authenticity of the degrees.

If by chance you manage to get a job, you are always under pressure on when you might be fired, if they get to know about the fact that your degree is a fake.

Fake online degrees are a meaningless, waste of money because wherever, you use the degree; it will be validated as 'fake'. Is that true?

Getting a fake online degrees is a meaningless, waste of money because wherever, you use the degree; it will be validated as `fake’; this is true to a certain extent.

There are chances that you will acquire a job in smaller companies who do not undertake rigorous screening of certificates of their employees. You might get away with it for sometime.

However, as you go up the ladder or look for a job in established companies you might come across the ground reality that your degree is just of piece of paper. A fake online degree has more problems than benefits. You will always be under the pressure that you would be caught for your fake certificate.

Students might be thinking that getting a diploma from an unaccredited university will save them the drudgery of studying and they want to out for an easy way out by just paying some money and buying a diploma.

The diploma itself typically looks impressive and is indistinguishable from a real college or university diploma. But the truth is employers know which degrees are worth it and which have been bought.

Some FAQs Accreditation and College Degrees


1. What is accreditation?

Accreditation is an assurance. It is a type of authorization given by an authorized government institute. The reason for accreditation is to give online degrees required recognition. In addition to this, it is also to ensure the quality of the program being offered.

2. What are the types of accreditation?

Regional accreditation boards provide the most recognized form of accreditation. For instance, Harvard and Ohio universities are regionally accredited. Stanford is also regionally accredited. Whenever you come across people asking you whether you have attended an accredited university or not, they generally refer to regionally accredited universities. Hence, regional accreditation is the most preferred form of accreditation.

3. What is the significance of accreditation?

Accreditation provides a public record of your degree. A degree from an accredited institute is recognized by employers and companies all over the world.

4. What are the six regional institutes for accreditation?

There are about six authorized units responsible for accrediting online degrees. Namely they are:
NASC – Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges

NCA – North Central Association of Schools and Colleges

NEASC – New England Association of Schools and Colleges

SACS – Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

WASC – Western Association of Schools and Colleges

MSA – Middle States Association

What is programmatic accreditation?

At times, the special departments in accredited universities require special accreditation. The teachers licensing board requires a degree from accredited universities. Also, to accredit certain programs, the government requires a college to be accredited.

What do I need to know about State approved Universities?

Presently, there has been an enormous increase in State approved Universities. Many states have a test which a university has to pass, in order to be approved.

This process however is not equivalent to accreditation. It simply means that the college is approved to do business. The standard and quality of the degree is not ensured.

The above given FAQs comprise of basic information regarding distance learning. If you choose for an online degree, you should keep in mind the above points.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Pros And Cons Of Distance Education

Previously, it was possible to practice distance learning only through the mail. However, in recent times, with the help of technological advancements, these programs are also available online. Distance learning is beneficial to those students who not only wish to complete higher studies but also need to earn a living at the same time. It is also ideal for those who can study only part-time, as they may be busy with other activities. Distance learning programs are offered for education at any level, but are more popular with university studies.

Distance education, as the name suggests, is a method of implementing education to students living in distant places and cannot access further education. Using this approach, the student is not required to attend classes like in a regular school or college. Education is imparted through correspondence and communication between the institution and the pupil.

Procedure

In order to gain knowledge and complete higher studies, a student does not have to attend regular educational institutions. Distance learning makes the task of achieving the desired course of education easier while sitting in the comfort of your home. In distance learning, you do not have the advantage of receiving personal attention and guidance of a teacher or a professor as in a regular school. Instead you need to study on your own.

The educational institution supplies all the required educational material, resources and references. This correspondence will help you to stay in touch and move in pace with the activities and course of studies of other students attending regular schools and colleges. The institution usually provides an entire range of books, audio and visual aids such as tapes and CDs where you have enrolled.

Requirements

In order to implement distance-learning programs effectively, you need to correspond and communicate with the instructors regularly. To enable efficient and quick communication, it may be necessary for you to install a computer. To clear your doubts and answer your queries, you may also have to download certain programs and suggested websites or interact with the professor through videoconferences.

Advantages

Distance learning provides you the convenience of studying in the comfort of your home and saves you from the daily grind of commuting. You have the liberty of performing other chores and completing studies at the same time. These programs offer immense flexibility of pace, especially to those who are involved in other occupational activities. Disadvantages

You will be entirely by yourself and can receive help only through the resources supplied by the institution. If you are not good at grasping and learning without the supervision and guidance of an instructor, the program may prove to be quite a challenging task. If you cannot adhere to deadlines and have a habit of procrastinating, distance learning is not a very good idea.

A simple guide to make the task of distance learning easier is to follow basic rules and management techniques. Prepare a timetable and allocate appropriate hours to studies and other activities. Dedicate the required time and attention to learning. Stay in regular contact with your teachers and other students so that you don’t lag behind. Do not hesitate to ask questions and clear your doubts. Put in all the hard work and effort as you would in a regular school.

Before you finally decide to enroll as a student of distance education, remember to consider the positive and negative aspects so that the program proves to be beneficial.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions - Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Friday, March 09, 2007

The Use of Virtual Environments in Online Learning Education

When the world was introduced to online learning, education saw several changes that were for the better. A wider range, more students which, in turn, meant less people who were illiterate, and an overall cheaper, better educational system.

Online learning is indeed all it is made out to be, as the many graduates from online colleges will attest to. The tools used to give this form of education its extra edge are numerous, ranging from computers to PDAs and occasionally more sophisticated technologies. Of those, virtual learning environments most resemble a classroom.

When the teacher and students don't communicate face to face, it becomes harder to keep track of each student's progress. In addition to that, in online learning education there is no limit as to how many students can attend one class at a time, and a teacher is often faced with hundreds of exam papers. Virtual learning environments are software systems that help in management and course administration and enables both teachers and students to keep track of their progress through the click of a button.

These systems run on servers and can look like internet pages, making them easy to access and navigate. Within the system you will find forums, discussion groups, online chat rooms, templates for content pages, as well as assignments and quizzes that can be downloaded or answered on the pages themselves.

The way this system operates is simple in theory. Teachers will fill in the existing templates and release them so the students can use them. The released pages are usually course material, quizzes or assignments. If the document needs to be resubmitted with modifications, the teacher can set up a submission form through which students can upload the required documents.

None of this needs any knowledge of computer languages, which is part of what makes this system so desirable. All one needs is a basic knowledge of how to operate computers, which is not such a rarity in this day and age, when the Internet motivates nearly everyone to learn how to use computers, if only for the sake of communicating with friends and loved ones in other parts of the world.

Universities that offer online lessons have started to incorporate virtual environments in their systems for numerous reasons. It economizes the time of the teaching staff and reduces confusion and clutter that may result otherwise. Students are comfortable with the system as well and can go there for information rather than getting frustrated over fruitless searches.

Overall, the advantages of online learning education are numerous, and the disadvantages little to none. And since the field of computer software is always in development, whatever disadvantages there may be will, eventually, be erased completely.

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