Do I need an IPhone to be a Gator?

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

OK, since my daughter (and a lot of my money) when to the University of Florida, when I read this story, I just had to pass it along to all my dorm room buddies… :-)

Looks like UF announced recently that for students enrolling in one of it’s programs would be required to own either an IPhone or Ipod Touch. It seems that UF is the second university to require the Apple product.

According to information on the College of Pharmacy website, all students entering UF’s PharmD students must “have a iPod touch (or iPhone) and a computer meeting minimum UF and College of Pharmacy (COP) requirements,” 

Now, don’t get me wrong, UF is a great school (in my humble opinion :-) ). It’s usually ranked in the top 10 every year by US News and World Report. The school began offering its Doctor of Pharmacy online degree program way back in 1994, and now, according to the school, this program has become one of the sought after pharmacy programs around. 

But, an IPhone? Give me a break. Why do I have to go out and get an Iphone (and subscribe to AT&T’s lousy service to boot)?

Sure, health care is one of the more recession proof career paths out there, and evidently, Apple’s developers have added a ton of software apps like medical reference applications, blood glucose monitor accessories, and the like. But why make it required?

UF is the second school to post this type of requirement. Last May the University of Missouri said that beginning this fall, all of its journalism students will be required to own an iPhone or iPod touch.

So what’s going on? Well, a little research uncovered that UF later announced that they would not actually enforce the requirement, and that they only listed it so that students would have an idea of what to budget for in their estimates of financial need.

What? Students actually budget? :-)

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Is this the number 1 online school in the USA?

Posted by bposton on March 12th, 2009 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

Here’s a newsflash, my little dorm room buddy… 

This year Nova Southeastern University, based in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., was ranked No. 1 in OEDB’s 2009 Online College Rankings.

OEDB stands for Online Education Database, which is an organization that which ranks the top online colleges in the nation. 

In second place went to Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va., followed by Champlain College in Burlington, Vt., in third.

While Nova boasts a 300-acre campus with classrooms and students living on university grounds, their online program is growing and now offers 78 online degree and certificate programs.  The school has virtual students in nearly every state.

According to the information used in the ranking, online classes at Nova take advantage of a number of web resources, including threaded discussion boards, chat rooms, email and other online tools. Course materials are all available online and there’s genuine student-teacher interaction as well.

The OEDB survey is based entirely on numerical data derived from eight metrics: acceptance rate, financial aid, graduation rate, peer Web citations, retention rate, scholarly citations, student-faculty ratio and years accredited.

Here’s how Nova sized up in those categories:
Acceptance rate: 51%
Financial aid: 96% of students receive financial aid.
Graduation rate: 47%
Peer Web citations: Close to 5,000. (Peer web citations are links to Nova’s web site from another college’s web sites. It’s kind of a popularity contest. Nova won this category by a landslide.)
Retention rate: 60% This measures the student body’s overall interest in what is being offered by the school.
Scholarly citations: 11,800. Through a Google Scholar search, Nova had 11,800 references to scholarly academic work, the most of any online school.
Student-faculty ratio: No data.
Years accredited: 38

Undergrads at Nova Southeastern can enroll in online programs such as education, computer science, health science and psychology. There are even more online programs for graduate students in the fields of business, law, education, osteopathic medicine, psychology and more.

So, is this the number 1 online school in the USA?

Well if you agree with the numbers, then it probably is. But just because it ranks well, doesn’t mean it’s the right school for YOU. Make sure you do your own research and decide if the courses, environment, educators, etc are what you need to succeed in your online education.

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Associate Online Degree Programs | Drexel offers new online degree program

Posted by bposton on November 30th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

One of my daughters is a senior in high school and she’s going through that wonderful process of selecting the colleges she wants to apply to.

She wants to major in Communications. I give her credit, because most high school seniors don’t have a clue what they want to take in college :-)

So this announcement from Drexel university Online caught my attention.

They’ve added a Communications degree program to their offerings.

Here’s a snippet from the press release:

The new online Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication provides a common core of courses that emphasize communication theory and methods, followed by a concentration in corporate communication and public relations.

Program content teaches students how to address the communication and relationship challenges that arise when organizations deal with their various publics. This comprehensive approach successfully prepares students for senior-level Corporate Communication and Public Relations positions in any corporation or organization.

Just like Drexel’s other online degree programs, this is a fully-accredited program and is done entirely online. Students will have 24/7 online access to class materials, group discussion, instructor feedback and exams. Drexel mentioned that these courses are taught by the same world-renowned faculty and offer the same well-respected credentials as their on-campus courses

Applications for Drexel’s online Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication are now being accepted. The next term begins in January 2007, with a December 8, 2006 deadline. For more information about this online program, visit Drexel’s online degree website, or call (877) 215-0009.

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