Engineering Degree Online | Stanford’s Online Masters Program

Posted by bposton on November 24th, 2006 — Posted in engineering degree online

I just read about Stanford’s online master’s degree program.

The program is call the Honors Cooperative Program. It’s a degree that you can earn over 5 years by completing 15 courses - and it’s offered as both an on campus or online program. It’s open to 250 students, most of which live in the Bay Area, but quite a few of them live all over the U.S. and overseas.

Students hail from as far away as China and India. All foriegn students are required to hold a valid student or visitor U.S. visa, and they must be proficient in English.

The online students that are admitted to Stanford are held to the same academic standards as on-campus students. This degree which is offered through Stanford Online, established in 1996, is identical to those of other students.

Ben

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Engineering Degree Online | A Three Part Primer about Online Degrees - Part 2

Posted by bposton on November 8th, 2006 — Posted in engineering degree online

Here’s part deux of my quick primer on taking online courses or getting a
degree online

So how much PC skill do you need?

Well, if you’re reading this I’m gonna assume you have some skills with a PC  :-)

Here’s the skinny on how much skill and PC power you need to take an online degree program.

First of all, Universities and colleges hire companies to help them develop their E-learning programs,
at least from the technical end of things. In doing so, they try to make sure that those technical details
of “going to class” online are so easy enough that anyone who has surfed the Web can do it.

What kind of comupter do you need?

Well, I’ve taked about this in an earlier post, but bascially any Internet-ready laptop or PC
should be enough to tackle the class. However, it’s still a good idea to check with the school
you’re thinking about attending and finding out what their requirements or recommendations are.
 
You should also try to find out what hours their tech support staff are working during the week
and if their support is just via email, or if you can talk to a live human body on the phone.

Oh, and if you are still living in the dail-up world, you’re in trouble. Taking classes online
will require that you upgrade to a broadband Internet connection of some kind (DSL, Cable Satellite)
so you’ll moste definitely hae to bite the bullet and do that before starting a class.

So much for part duex. Next post will be about what to expect when taking an online class.

Ben

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Engineering Degree Online | A Glossary for Online Degrees

Posted by bposton on November 6th, 2006 — Posted in engineering degree online

Hey there
I thought you might like to have a short glossary of terms that you’ll probably see when doing
a search for your online degree.

These are some terms that are used in various websites and it’s good to know what they mean so
you don’t get confused - like I did :-)

Synchronous
A real-time, instructor-led online learning event in which all participants are logged on at the same time and communicate directly with each other. In this virtual classroom setting, the instructor maintains control of the class, with the ability to “call on” participants. In most platforms, students and teachers can use a whiteboard to see work in progress and share knowledge. Interaction may also occur via audio- or videoconferencing, Internet telephone, or a two-way live broadcasts.

Asynchronous
This means that there is a delay in the instruction interaction between instructors and students. For example, self-paced courses taken via the Internet or CD-ROM and intruction via email or in online discussion groups.

E-learning (electronic learning)
This is a broad term that covers a wide set of applications and processes, such as Web-based learning, computer-based learning, virtual classrooms, and digital collaboration. It also includes the delivery of content via Internet, intranet/extranet (LAN/WAN), audio- and videotape, satellite broadcast, interactive TV, CD-ROM, and more.
 
Online Education
This is defined as a credit-granting courses or education training delivered primarily via the Internet to students at remote locations, including their homes. These online courses may be delivered synchronously or asynchronously. An online course may include a requirement that students and teachers meet once or periodically in a physical setting for lectures, labs, or exams, so long as the time spent in the physical setting does not exceed 25 percent of the total course time.
Pretty much the same a distance education (see below)

Residency requirement
This is the amount of time that a student is required be physically be on campus for a specific distance education course or program.
 
 
CBT (computer-based training)
This is a broad term that means the use of computers in both instruction and management of the teaching and learning process. Some subgroups in this term are CAI (computer-assisted instruction) and CMI (computer-managed instruction).
Some organizations use the terms CBT and CAI interchangeably.
 
Distance Education
You probably already know this one. The official defintion is a credit-granting education or training courses that is delivered to remote (off-campus) locations via audio, video, or computer technologies, such as the Internet.
This would include both synchronous and asynchronous instruction. Sometimes this may also include a small amount of on-campus course or lab work, or an on-campus exams, or visits.

You should know that Distance education does not include courses for which the instructor travels to a remote site to deliver instruction in person or courses conducted exclusively via written correspondence.

OK, I know your head is full, so I’ll stop with the terms now :-)
Ben

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