The Online Degree Dorm Room

online degree programs psychology | An online degree refresher course for the Holidays

Posted by bposton on December 22nd, 2007 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

Happy Holidays to all my online degree dorm roommates!!

With all your money going to Christmas gifts, textbooks for the next sememster, and gas, your money can stretch thin this time of year. Why not save some traveling cash by taking one or more online courses?

Here’s quick refresher course about online degrees:

You’ve seen the ads that say “Get your degree online”, but have you thought about what it means to school through an online program?

Online education, (also called distance learning and online learning), refers to taking classes over the Internet, usually using a course management system. For the most part, if you sign up for an online class, you will have access to a secure Web site with a course syllabus, reading materials, lectures, course materials discussion rooms and more. As long as your school and program are accredited, you are taking a real class, with a legitimate professor and genuine classmates.

Online education often appeals to working professionals, military personnel, and busy parents. Because you can access your class materials through the Internet, you can take your course virtually anywhere. You can login at the office during your lunch break, e-mail your professor from the airport and check your grades from your PDA.

There are different types of online education. The first is self-paced, which means that, so long as you complete your course within a certain period of time (usually 6,9 or 12 months), you can progress through your work as quickly or as slowly as you’d like. This type of online education is a great option if your schedule varies widely and the time you can dedicate to your course work is unpredictable.

“Asynchronous” courses are classes that do not require you to login in at a specific time, but require that your work be completed at a deadline assigned by the professor. This type of class is a great option for people whose learning style requires a balance of flexibility and structure. Either type allows you to fit your coursework into your busy lifestyle.

Taking classes online can help you freshen your skills and stay competitive in your industry, which helps you move up the ladder and negotiate a higher salary (or a bigger raise). Online education provides you with a way of keeping your professional goals in sight without disrupting your life.

So, save gas, and take online classes in 2008!

See you next year!

Ben
 

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online degree programs psychology | 64 Year Old earns BA online

Posted by bposton on December 16th, 2007 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

Hello my dorm room buddy.

This story was so sweet I couldn’t resist

64-year-old Billie Norczyk of Florida recently received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida (UCF) after completing the requirements entirely online.

Her goal was to earn a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida to expand her job options in health care but she didn’t want to trek to the main campus in Orlando to do it. So she entered their online program.

Now equipped with a bachelor’s degree in Health Services Administration, the former registered nurse can pursue business-side administrative jobs in hospitals and nursing homes with more confidence. She plans to take her time weighing options.

Students such as Norczyk — working adults looking for a boost on the career ladder — are a driving force behind the growth in online education.

And more and more employers in the health-care industry and other fields say they favor making the bachelor’s degree a minimum requirement in some professional jobs because the extra years of instruction enable workers to handle more complex work with less on-the-job training.

Job prospects in the health-care industry are good in part because people are living longer, which raises demand for services.

Norczyk’s husband, John, was the one who challenged her to return to school after she lamented being turned down for a job that required a bachelor’s degree. She became a nurse before schools were offering bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in the profession.

She was beaming as she emerged from the first commencement ceremony to take place at UCF’s new arena, where more than 3,000 degrees will be handed out by the end of the final ceremony. She accepted hugs and kisses from friends and family who stood in a knot amid the crowd of hundreds.

Her daughter, who lives in Pennsylvania, and her son, who is stationed by the military in Afghanistan, had both been planning to watch the live webcast of the ceremony.

Now, wasn’t that a great story? 

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online degree programs psychology | Opps - I missed it!!!

Posted by bposton on November 18th, 2007 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

Looks like I was sleeping too much this week in the online degree dorm room, and I missed a very important event.

The National Distance Learning Week was held this week Nov 12-16

Umm - that’s not a full week, so maybe since it’s Sunday I didn’t miss it after all ??

Anyway, the National Distance Learning Week (NDLW) is an event organized by the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA). It’s reason for being is to generate awareness through a nationwide campaign about the growing importance of distance learning within the areas of pre-k-12 education, higher and continuing education, home schooling, as well as business, corporate, military, government, and telehealth markets.

The USDLA is a non-profit organization, and has been a world leader in the advancement of distance learning since 1987.

There were quite a few universities that announced new initatives that coincided with this week. One of them was the University System of Georgia.

the USG launched a new website,  www.georgiaonmyline.org. to provide access to a full array of distance-education offerings from the 35 USG institutions. This is to improve service to students within the system and at other institutions in Georgia and nationally. The website provides students a searchable catalog of online courses and programs updated each semester and a central location that allows students to register and transfer credits among multiple USG institutions.

Featured among the 1,600 courses and 35 programs on the searchable website are six new online graduate programs designed for Georgia teachers. The six new online master of education programs that will be available for admission beginning in January and course registration later this fall include instructional technology, middle grades math and science, secondary math, secondary science, reading, language and literacy, and a new degree appropriate for all teaching levels called Accomplished Teaching.

Two master of arts in teaching degrees for individuals who wish to change careers and become teachers will be available in special education and in reading, language and literacy.

Five of the USG’s colleges of education are piloting this new program development and delivery model. They include Columbus State University, Georgia State University, Georgia Southern University, North Georgia College and State University and Valdosta State University.

USD was just one of many colleges and online universities participating in the National Distance Learning Week.

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online degree programs psychology | More Cool stuff going on…

Posted by bposton on October 26th, 2007 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

Hey, here’s even more cool stuff going on the the online dorm room…

Looks like the great state of Tennessee is tring to reduce the nursing shortage by offerin a new online degree program.

They voted last month to approve an new associate of applied science in nursing degree to be offered an online program.

“This program will help meet the current and emerging needs of the workplace for registered nurses, using alternative delivery methods and shared resources,” Paula Short, vice chancellor for academic affairs in the TBR system, said in a news release. “We applaud and thank the Board of Nursing for its vision in approving the program, which will help improve the lives of many Tennesseans.”

Back in 2004 a fed report projected a shortage of more than 13,000 registered nurses by 2006 and a shortage of 35,000 nurses in Tennessee by 2020.

And the American Hospital Association guess that there are 126,000 vacanies for registered nurse vacancies across the US -  in hospitals alone.
The Tennesee Board of Regents program will be offered beginning in spring 2008 at nine of the 13 community colleges in the system, including Jackson State Community College and Dyersburg State Community College.

Students will spend a minimum of 360 hours online, plus an additional 630 “on-ground” hours for the courses in the curriculum, not including general education and other major required credits.

Course material will be offered through the Regents Online Degree Program, while lab sessions and clinical experiences are offered on-site and supervised by faculty from participating institutions.

The projections are to have 300 students enrolled by fall 2009, with 50 graduates by fall 2009 and 100 per year starting in fall 2010.

Just so you know, the Tennessee Board of Regents is the nation’s sixth largest higher education system with 45 post-secondary educational institutions. That includes six universities, 13 two-year colleges and 26 technology centers. Overall they provide programs in 90 of Tennessee’s 95 counties to more than 180,000 students.

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online degree programs psychology | Cool stuff going on…

Posted by bposton on October 24th, 2007 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

Hey my little online dorm room buddy.

There’s some interesting stuff going on the world of online degree programs:

First off, Capella University, a fully online university based in Minneapolis, has announced four new specialization degree programs. They include Gerontology, a specialization within Capella’s Master of Science in Human Services, and Early Childhood Education, a specialization within its Master of Science in Education. Also on the new list are two bachelor’s-level specializations, Homeland Security and Security Management, both within Capella’s Bachelor of Science in Public Safety online degree program.

So what do these four specializations get you if you get them?

Well, for one - they were designed to address employment needs in fields that are experiencing a lot of growth. The Gerontology specialization, designed around the recommendations of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE), was developed to help address the shortage of workers with skills and experience in caring for the nation’s growing population of older adults, which is expected to more than double between 2000 and 2030, according to the U.S. Administration on Aging.

Professionals who work with the other end of that range, the preschoolers types, are find that they are going through alot of change as well, not the least of which is an increase in educational standards. According to the National Institute of Early Education Research, 28 states now require lead teachers in state-funded prekindergarten programs to have specialized training.

The new Early Childhood Education specialization is designed for the licensed teacher who has a passion for education at the early stages of development and wants to pursue specialized training.

Capella’s new bachelor’s-level specializations in Homeland Security and Security Management reflect the growing need for security professionals in both the public and private sectors.

 More cool stuff to come…

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online degree programs psychology | Nursing degree programs

Posted by bposton on September 9th, 2007 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

If you’re considering becoming a nurse, you’re not alone.

Being a nurse is a great career choice, not only for those who are seeking a fulfilling career but also for those who want to move away from a monotonous, cubicle bound, nine to five office job.

The rapid changes in regulation and technology in health care sector make it a challenging profession
too. Which is why employers in medical and health care industries are always looking out
for those who are qualified, efficient, at ease with latest technology and knowledgeable in this field.

You could be one of those people, by getting a degree through an online nursing degree program.

You can get a nursing degree online even while continuing with your current job. Since you can schedule your classes around your personal commitments, they do not have to conflict. In,fact the flexibility of a nursing degree program is its major advantage. Studying online also means that you do not have to commute daily to college and that saves a lot of time and energy. You get your course material online and you can submit your assignments and projects online too.

An for the practical portion of your course, (which you can’t don online, of course) often times clinical lessons are arranged at a medical facility near your home.

One option is to get an online associate nursing degree just to get a feel of this profession.
It will work not just as an introduction but also as a gateway to getting advance degrees in nursing.

If you’re already a nurse, then a nursing master degree can do wonders for your career growth and future
prospects. 

So if you are interested in becoming a nurse, or enhancing your current nursing skills, getting
an online nursing degree program should be your first priority.

Also note that as compared to regular degree courses, it can also be less expensive option. Many online institutions also offer scholarships based on merit and need.

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online degree programs psychology | How to make sure your online degree is worth the value

Posted by bposton on September 6th, 2007 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

Thinking about getting an online degree, but need one fast?

Then you better watch out for the diploma mills. 

Here’s how to make sure the degree your get won’t be worthless…

Everybody want’s things now, and a degree is no exception. There are a lot of ways to get a degree online in what I call the “fast-track” method.

You need to be aware of the fact that the most common fast-track degrees that can be earned with a minimum cost are something called “Life Experience” degrees. With these types of degrees, you gain credit for what you have learned in your job or any past experience.

But be wary. There are some of these “Life Experience” degree programs come with zero hour courses, and every others that allow you to complete the degree requirements in just a few days. Proceed with extreme caution. Many (if not most) of the diploma mills are issuing Life Experience degrees. Which are bascially worthless.

Although there are some online degree programs that count in you life experience, the credits from these life experience may just a small part of the total credit hours needed to complete the degree program.

Here’s an easy rule of thumb - if it is too easy to get a degree, then it really is not worth the paper it is printed on.

In order to protect yourself from the diploma mill scam and ensure your degree is worth the value, consider of taking a degree program that:

     * Require at least two years to complete the degree.

    * Come from a university that is listed in accreditation database of CHEA.org

    * Followes degree courses and either do not give andy credit, or only minimal credit  for your life experience.

    * is Offered by reputable university that have many good or positive feedbacks from online forums, or discussion boards.

If you’re even slightly suspicious about on any of the degree program you look at, then it’s better to drop it from your list then taking the risk to enroll it. You should be able to find the same online degree program from a prestige and reputable university.

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online degree programs psychology | Online course evaluations fail

Posted by bposton on August 25th, 2007 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

Soooo…

there was this university that had both classroom and online courses, and they wanted to get feedback from the students on how they liked the delivery of each type of class, physical and online.

So they prepared evaluations for both types of classes…

And the online evaluations failed…:-(

Not because the students didn’t like the online course. They failed because the trial proved unsuccessful because of low student participation.

So if you’re an online student and get send an online course evaluation, make sure you understand the implications of course evaluations.

In this test case, forty-one percent of the student body responded to the online evaluations compared to 75 percent who filled out the paper-and-pencil option. 

So this college will not test online evaluations for at least a year. And that’s a shame.

Ultimately, course evaluations exist to serve the student body. With adequate feedback, professors would be better equipped to improve courses and programs.

Online course evaluations not only allow students to respond on their own time, they allow for course-specific questions, making it possible for students to offer more constructive and accurate feedback.

But, alas, the course evaluations don’t hold a high place in most students’ priority lists.

Some students say they prefer the hand-administered version of course evaluations because they would rather spend class time answering them as opposed to their free time.

The potential improvements the online course evaluations offer the university outweigh any excuse for these students’ failure to spend the two minutes to fill out an online evaluation.

Students should take time to think beyond their immediate convenience and consider the long-term benefits of their two-minute investment in course evaluations.

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online degree programs psychology | Drexel announces another education partnership

Posted by bposton on January 4th, 2007 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

Drexel University Online has been busy lately announcing educational partnerships with some big names in Industry.

A few week ago they hooked up with Johnson Controls. And they just recently announced the launch of an online educational partnership with Bio-Imaging Technologies, the world’s largest independent provider of medical image management for clinical trials.

Through this educational alliance, Bio-Imaging Technologies employees will have the opportunity to complete an online degree or certificate program through Drexel and receive special tuition rates. Employees can choose from a range of bachelor’s, master’s, and certificate programs that Drexel offers online in areas such as business, engineering, computer science, computing technology, education, nursing, and information science.

If you work for Bio-Imaging, or Johnson Controls, you should check it out. Or ask your HR manager about hooking up with Drexel. It could save you a few bucks on the way to your new online degree.

Drexel University Online has been doing this for the past four years. And they have partened with corporations, health systems, schools, and professional associations across the United States who are now able to offer their employees and members such benefits as special tuition rates and career development opportunities, as well as the chance to earn a reputable degree all with the flexibility working professionals need.

Drexel, which is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of “America’s Best National Universities” for 2007, is accredited by the Middle States Association for Colleges and Secondary Schools and its curricula hold the highest level of accreditations from their respective accrediting bodies such as AACSB (Business), NLN and CCNE (Nursing), and ALA (Information Science). Additionally, Drexel’s online programs target adult learners and offer the convenience of advancing their skills on their own schedule.

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online degree programs psychology | Wisconsin Colleges increase online offerings

Posted by bposton on January 4th, 2007 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

It may be cold in Wisconsin these days, but the university system is warming up to the idea of online degree programs.
The University of Wisconsin Colleges - which is the freshman/sophomore institution of the UW System - will be offering 35 courses this spring taught over the Internet as a flexible way to start or continue a college education.

Students have a lot options on how to use these courses, as well, They can be used to assist in completing degrees from other colleges or universities or they can be part of a total online Associate of Arts and Science degree now offered from UW Colleges Online.

But you better hurry if you want to sign up for the spring 2007 online courses. The deadline for registration is Jan. 4.

The cost is $195 per credit plus a $60 course registration fee.

Although these online courses never meet at a particular time or place, they are structured within the spring semester time frame with regular deadlines for assignments. The spring semester runs from Jan. 22 through May 18, 2007.

To register for courses or to apply to the online degree program, call (877) 449-1877.

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