The Online Degree Dorm Room

The 5 Habits of Successful Online Degree Students

Posted by bposton on June 28th, 2009 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

OK, I just have to say it…

Using an online degree program is not for everyone.

(glad I got that off my chest )

But it is true. There are some folks who are just not cut out for doing studies via an internet connection.

Some people even believe that the obstacles to getting a degree online are even greater than those at a traditional university. I’m not sure about that, but I will agree that these hurdles are at least different.

So how to you make sure that you’re doing the right things to increase your chance of successfully getting your degree via an online education?

Well, you need to develop what I call the 5 Habits of Successful Online Degree Students:

Habit number 1.
Get the right program for your needs.
It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a bachelors degree, masters degree or doctoral degree program, if you just pick a program for it’s degree alone you’re could make the wrong choice.

Make sure that you’re interested in the subject matter, research the professors, other student’s experiences, etc, just as you would if you were going to apply at a campus based college.

Oh, and make sure that you’re only considering fully accredited online degree programs and courses.

Habit number 2
Be patient with yourself. Different students take different amounts of time before they become adjusted to online classes.
Alway keep in mind that your goal is to balance your online study with your family and your job. But it will take time to get that balance the way you want it to be.
Habit number 3
Make and follow a time schedule. Time can be your biggest asset when getting an online degree, but it can also be your enemy if you don’t take control of it.

Believe me, you’re going to be faced with many choices between conflicting responsibilities and you’re going to be swamped with day-to-day activities from time to time, leaving little or no time for studies.

But do your very best to practice good time management. It’s critical to your success as an online student.
Habit number 4
Break it down to daily tasks.
You’re going to have what I call major projects to accomplish as a student. Like term papers or reports that are due in 2 week.

Break those projects down in to daily tasks to make them more manageable and to fit into your time schedule. For example, ready the course material you are given on a daily basis. Many students often put off reading the lessons and books until the last minute since the professors cannot pressure them into answering or reciting anything. Make sure you don’t neglect doing the daily assignments and many other activities you need to do in order to get your papers done and projects turned in on time.

That way, when others are running around with their hair on fire when exam time or mid-term is around the corner, you’ll be calm and collected - and you’ll have the confidence that you know and understand the subject matter.

Avoid getting yourself into a cram for exams. Do your school work DAILY no matter what.
Habit number 5
Attend the online classes (or at least MOST of them )
You should make sure that you have time to attend all of the scheduled classes.
Sure, you can probably just download notes or even recorded lectures that the professor provides, but remember this - it’s nothing like BEING THERE. You’ll learn so much more by attending, and getting involved in the live discussions in class.
Remember, you can learn from the other students, not just the professor…

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Posted by bposton on June 25th, 2009 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

Just the other day I was blogging about the US Pell Grant and how it was being “beefed up” so to speak to help more students struggling to find the funds to finish college.

Well here is another avenue that you can consider. Grants offered by the institution itself.

Case in point. Ellis University, has announced what it calls an “Opportunity Grant Program” to make its degree programs more affordable to students across the globe.

The Opportunity Grant Program offers qualified students funding on a per credit basis, and is available to eligible new or continuing students for coursework that begins with the June 29th term.

The thing I like about this particular Grant program, is that it’s available for the student through the completion of his or her degree program. Of course, to remain eligible, the student must be and remain in good academic standing with the University.

Who is Ellis University?

Ellis University is an online university that offers certificates, undergraduate and master’s programs in a variety of disciplines. Based in Chicago, Illinois, they are regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and they are a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The University is also nationally accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council.

For more information, visit www.ellis.edu or call (877) 355-4762.

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Bad News and Good News about the College Dropout rate

Posted by bposton on June 23rd, 2009 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

Hey there my dorm room buddy

Hope you’re enjoying the summertime.

I thought I’d pass along some good news and bad news on the college education front. 

Back in the 1960’s the college dropout rates were as low as one (1) in every five (5) students.

You DO remember the 60’s don’t you?

Well, this 1 out of 5 ratio got worse over the years, and stood at one (1) in every three (3) in the 1990s.

And it’s even worst today. Figures from the Department of Education for 2000 through 2008 show that 30% of student enrolled on schools leave in their first year and 50% never graduate.

Believe it or not, these numbers are expected to go even higher. Why?

The biggest reason is the lack of funds to finish college. Another is the fact that most who drop out of college think they can never go back since they (hopefully) have a full time job.

But here is the good news…

The advent of online degree programs are finally giving those who could not finish college a great opportunity to do so now. Sure it’s a struggle to hold down a job and go to school, but at least students can now fit online classes in their busy schedules.

As I hope I’ve pointed out time and time again, even though it is a challenge to study online it is a lot simpler to attend online classes than missing classes in traditional colleges. You can have a one-on-one interaction with your professor via emails and Instant Messaging. You can also attend lectures anywhere (and anytime) so long as you have an internet connection. And, most importantly, you can usually go at your own pace and time schedule. 

Now, what about the lack of funds? Well there is good news here too. It appears that the US government is working on a to help in offering financial aid to the many students who qualify for the federal financial aid – i.e. the Pell Grant.

Last I heard, Congress will now allow up to a maximum of $5500 to those seeking their degree and who have insufficient funds to help with their college education.

To learn more about the Pell Grant check out the US Government website:

http://www.ed.gov/programs/fpg/index.html 
 

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Privacy Policy

Posted by bposton on June 22nd, 2009 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

The Online Degree Dorm Room takes your privacy seriously. This privacy policy describes what personal information we collect and how we use it. See this privacy policy primer to learn more about privacy policies in general.

Routine Information Collection

All web servers track basic information about their visitors. This information includes, but is not limited to, IP addresses, browser details, timestamps and referring pages. None of this information can personally identify specific visitors to this site. The information is tracked for routine administration and maintenance purposes.

Cookies and Web Beacons

Where necessary, The Online Degree Dorm Room uses cookies to store information about a visitor's preferences and history in order to better serve the visitor and/or present the visitor with customized content.

Advertising partners and other third parties may also use cookies, scripts and/or web beacons to track visitors to our site in order to display advertisements and other useful information. Such tracking is done directly by the third parties through their own servers and is subject to their own privacy policies.

Controlling Your Privacy

Note that you can change your browser settings to disable cookies if you have privacy concerns. Disabling cookies for all sites is not recommended as it may interfere with your use of some sites. The best option is to disable or enable cookies on a per-site basis. Consult your browser documentation for instructions on how to block cookies and other tracking mechanisms. This list of web browser privacy management links may also be useful.

Special Note About Google Advertising

Any advertisements served by Google, Inc., and affiliated companies may be controlled using cookies. These cookies allow Google to display ads based on your visits to this site and other sites that use Google advertising services. Learn how to opt out of Google's cookie usage. As mentioned above, any tracking done by Google through cookies and other mechanisms is subject to Google's own privacy policies.

Contact Information

Concerns or questions about this privacy policy can be directed to bposton@bellsouth.net for further clarification.

This privacy policy was generated by the Privacy Policy for WordPress plugin.

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Privacy Policy

Posted by bposton on June 22nd, 2009 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

The Online Degree Dorm Room takes your privacy seriously. This privacy policy describes what personal information we collect and how we use it. See this privacy policy primer to learn more about privacy policies in general.

Routine Information Collection

All web servers track basic information about their visitors. This information includes, but is not limited to, IP addresses, browser details, timestamps and referring pages. None of this information can personally identify specific visitors to this site. The information is tracked for routine administration and maintenance purposes.

Cookies and Web Beacons

Where necessary, The Online Degree Dorm Room uses cookies to store information about a visitor's preferences and history in order to better serve the visitor and/or present the visitor with customized content.

Advertising partners and other third parties may also use cookies, scripts and/or web beacons to track visitors to our site in order to display advertisements and other useful information. Such tracking is done directly by the third parties through their own servers and is subject to their own privacy policies.

Controlling Your Privacy

Note that you can change your browser settings to disable cookies if you have privacy concerns. Disabling cookies for all sites is not recommended as it may interfere with your use of some sites. The best option is to disable or enable cookies on a per-site basis. Consult your browser documentation for instructions on how to block cookies and other tracking mechanisms. This list of web browser privacy management links may also be useful.

Special Note About Google Advertising

Any advertisements served by Google, Inc., and affiliated companies may be controlled using cookies. These cookies allow Google to display ads based on your visits to this site and other sites that use Google advertising services. Learn how to opt out of Google's cookie usage. As mentioned above, any tracking done by Google through cookies and other mechanisms is subject to Google's own privacy policies.

Contact Information

Concerns or questions about this privacy policy can be directed to bposton@bellsouth.net for further clarification.

This privacy policy was generated by the Privacy Policy for WordPress plugin.

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State Budget Woes Could End Online Degree Progams

Posted by bposton on June 11th, 2009 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

On a national level, the growth of online education has been tremendous, growing a close to 20 percent a year over the past 10 years. Today, there are around 1.9 million people are working toward their degrees online. That number equates to about 11 percent of all college students.

While this number is expected to rise even further, some state university online degree programs will be taking a bit hit in their numbers - all due to the sour economy and resulting defecits in state budgets.

Take North Carolina as an example.

While the North Carolina General Assembly is currently grappling with how to balance their budget, one thing seems certain - a drastic cut in funding for online program development at the state’s universities.

Some expect the cuts to online programs to be 50% or higher. In addition, some schools, like East Carolina University, have already diverted online education funds to make up for budget cuts elsewhere.

North Carolina’s public universities started rolling out online programs about five years ago, and the number of programs is about double what it was just two years ago.

But that growth could come to an abrupt end very soon.

Some schools, like NC State University, have already seen a decline in online enrollment, due to the lack of new programs. State budget cuts are targeting this very area - the development of new online degree programs.

Each school has a budget for program development and those numbers are expected to be cut in half - or more. So for now NC schools will have do make due with less, and focus on the limited number of degree programs they were already developing.

And the worst case scenario is that there will not be enough funding to keep the current programs running.

North Carolina is just one example. With 48 of the 50 US States currently experiencing budget woes and the chances are that online degree programs at State Universities are going to take it on the chin.

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The Fresh Air Fund - A June Update

Posted by bposton on June 4th, 2009 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

You may remember me telling you about the Fresh Air Fund, which is an independent, not-for-profit agency which has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877.

Well, there are a couple of updates on the Fresh Air Fund that I wanted to tell you about.

First, they’ve gotten a tremendous offer by some very generous donors. These donors have offered to match any gift given from now until June 30th. 

So if for example they get a $25 donation (from you ) it will be matched dollar for dollar. Total to the Freah Air Fund will be $50!

This a great organization that really deserves our support, so anything you can do to help them help kids would be greatly appreciated.

Here’s where you can help

Second, you may remember I told you that they were looking for host families who could open up their homes for one or two weeks each summer in order to give a child growing up in New York City’s toughest neighborhoods the chance to experience the joy of a summer vacation. Well, they are still in need of host families, so if you have the room in your home (and in your heart) please consider doing this great service for those less fortuneate.  

Here’s more information on becoming an host family

Thanks from me and the folks at the Fresh Air Fund!

Ben

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Is the Traditional University a Dinosaur?

Posted by bposton on May 19th, 2009 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

Hey there my online degree dorm buddies.

Let’s look at possible vision of the future…

…The year is 2020.

And brick and mortor Universities no longer exist.

Gone are the pricey textbooks, 200 class lectures, huge monolithic libraries..

Sound crazy? I don’t think so.

David Wiley, a professor at Brigham Young University, recently claimed that the modern university “will be irrelevant by 2020.”

And, at least in theory, all the informational content offered at a university could be acquired in another form, maybe even for free. Of course, this requires a tremendous amount of time and dedication on the part of the self-taught student.

The problem right now is that the self-taught student is rare. And education itself isn’t just informational content. Teachers and Colleges offer much more than the downloading of knowledge into students’ brains (or Ipods… ) William Yeats once said “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

But it could definitely happen, given the right conditions. And technology.  

And technology will be created, and universites will have to evolve to adapt and accomodate the information age. Things like tenure and other pre-historic policies will have to change.

And hopefully one day, online degree will produce the same quality and expertise as Stanford or MIT.  But even that will take more time. but I beleive it will happen. It should happen, and it can happen.

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Arizona High schoolers can get credit for college online

Posted by bposton on April 27th, 2009 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

Hi there my little dorm room buddy.

I hope that your exams go well, and that your plans for the summer are shaping up nicely.  

If you are still a high school student, or know someone who is, then this information may be of great importance. There are a lot of high-school students out there who have no idea what to expect of college. In fact even if they have some expecations, many are intimidated at the thought of pursuing a college degree, and that keeps them from acheiving higher goals in life.

Yes, a lot of high schools due offer advanced classes that can be used toward college credit, but the big difference between high school and college is the experience of being taught by a college professor instead of a high school teacher. 

So to help students who otherwise might not pursue a college education feel a sense of ease and comfort in pursuing a degree, the Arizona Charter Academy (ACA) and Grand Canyon University (GCU) are collaborating to offer online concurrent- and dual-credit programs for high-school students, taught by GCU faculty on the high-school campus.

It’s a know fact that if a student can get college credit in high school, then they are much more likely to consider going on to college. There are many students who have had no exposure to college so this concurrent-credit program can help them get a feel for the college experience in an unobtrusive way and help them come to understand that for them a college degree is actually achievable.

Online classes are taught by GCU faculty in ACA’s computer lab for $60 per credit hour, which is less than community-college courses. ACA even provides scholarships for students who can’t afford the tuition. In addition, next semester the school will be offering on-site college courses for students who prefer more structured classes.

Getting credit for college in an online environment is certainly the least intimidating and most affordable option for most students, and this credit program at ACA is taking that and offering up a great opportunity for high schoolers.

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Online Degrees - Fact verses Fiction

Posted by bposton on April 18th, 2009 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

OK, so if you’ve been reading the blog for any length of time you know that online degrees have been around for quite some time now, and degrees earned through online education are becoming much more “mainstream” - meaning they are getting wider support from both business and governement.

However, there still appears to be some “myths” out there about online degrees, so lets’ do a little mythbusting…

Here are some of the most the commonlly held myths (and the truth) that you should know before your make your online education decision:

Myth #1:
Online degree won’t be accepted by employers. You won’t get a good job using degree earned through online education.

Here’s the Truth
Online education is experiencing rapid growth, and acceptance. 
Think about it - if online degrees are not accepted by employers, then why is there such a huge demand for them? More and more universities are making their degree programs available for online students because online education has become an alternative option for students to earn their degree. It also a better option for working adults to enrich their career related knowledge and skills through continuing education programs offered through online education.

Myth #2:
Online learning is much easier than getting a degree via the traditional class-room based method. You can easily earn a degree with less effort and less time as compared to traditional programs. 

Here’s the Truth:
If you choose to get online degree just because you think it will be easier then you have a rude awakening ahead of you, my friend.  
Yes, you might be able to get college based credit for some of your life experience, but you’ll still need to put effort and spend considerable amount of time to complete a degree program. Online education provides flexible and convenient learning environment where you can learn from your comfort home at the time most convenient to you. Just don’t make the mistake of interpreting the flexiability and convenience as and easy learning method. It’s just as hard as the traditional courses. 
Myth #3:
You will not be able to transfer credits to other colleges in the future if you pursue
a degree online.

Here’s the Truth
This one is both Yes and No. If you got your degree from an institution that is not accredited, then yes - you will have difficulties to transfer your credits.
So make sure that the university to use for you online degree is approved by the Department of Education. Then, you should have no problem with the transferability of online courses credits since they are no different from the traditional brick-and-mortal universities. Of course, the credit transfer will largely depend on the school regardless of online or offline, so you should check with the school that offers your selected degree program for credit transferability during the enrollment process.

Summary

Don’t make such a major decision about your education solely based on the myths.
Get educated about the facts and learn how an online education can best benefit
you. If may be that you might be more suitable for campus-based education.

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