The Online Degree Dorm Room

Associate Online Degree Programs | Another Success Story

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

Janet Ward is a 50-year-old single mother of three children who worked as a paralegal for several years before heading back to the classroom in a very non-traditional way.

She found Limestone College’s Internet Management degree program, and never looked back.

She works at the college’s Eastwood Library, maintaining its Web site during the day, and plans to graduate next month with a bachelor of science degree in computer science and Internet management with a concentration in Web development.

Then she’s off to get her master’s degree.

Here’s a quote from her:

“You know, I’m a single parent, and it’s wonderful to work at your own pace. There are so many benefits to online courses, and the way the program was developed, I’m more than comfortable going into the outside world with the knowledge I have.”

Ward said the coursework required her to develop and maintain a Web site from scratch, to set up computer hardware and to act as a system administrator.

The Virtual Campus for Limestone was created by Doug Hulsey in 1997 and continues to teach the Internet Management courses. The program offers five bachelor of science degrees, an associate of arts degree and 24 majors. Limestone offers new online courses every eight weeks.

The Virtual Campus program began with between 30 and 40 students, and now around 2,000 students take online courses through Limestone.

Way to go, Janet, and Limestone!

Ben

No Comments »

Associate Online Degree Programs | What colleges offer the most online degrees?

Posted by bposton on November 26th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

The annual report on the state of online education has found that the number of colleges and universities offering 4 year and associate online degree programs has increased.

Which is good news for everyone.

However, the last 3 annual reports showed a very uneven distribution of online course and program offerings by type of institution.  Public colleges and universities and the very large institutions in the US have always been first with online degree offerings.

Private, small 4 year colleges have been least likely to offer online courses, and typically have they’ve received the most negative opinions about online education in general.

And this year’s report is pretty much online the same line. This year’s results show no major changes from this type of pattern. The same large and public universities are still offering the most degrees online.

More than 96 percent of colleges and universities with more than 15,000 total enrollments have some online degree programs, which is more than double that of the smaller, private institutions.
The proportion of colleges and universities with completely online programs rises as the size of the instituion increases. 

About two-thirds of the very largest institutions have degree programs that are completely online programs, while only about one-sixth of the smallest institutions have such programs.

Interestingly Doctoral and Research institutions have been shown to have the greatest depth of online programs and courses. Over 80% of these colleges and universities have some form of online program, either courses or full programs.

So you probably need to look toward the public university or a very large college to find an online degree program with a lot of depth and selection. The private colleges have them also, but you might not find exactly what you need.

Ben 

1 Comment »

Associate Online Degree Programs | One Dean’s View of Online Education

Posted by bposton on November 25th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

Andy DiPaolo is the executive director of the Stanford Center for Professional Development for Stanford University. He’s also the associate dean of the Stanford School of Engineering.

Here’s what he had to say about online education:

Online education is not appropriate for undergraduates, who benefit from on-campus socialization, he said. Nor does it work for doctorate candidates, who work one on one with faculty.

(I personally disagree with him on that one. I beleive online education is just fine for folks getting an undergraduate degree. Sure you may miss out on some socialization, but if you’re focused it works just great) 

But a masters-level degree from the School of Engineering is a good fit for older students who are working and so cannot attend class, he said. Many employers help pay for a worker’s graduate degree.

Now that I do agree with

Ben
 

2 Comments »

Associate Online Degree Programs | All About Associate Degrees - A summary

Posted by bposton on November 21st, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

I hope I haven’t bored you to tears with all these posts about associate degrees

And maybe you’ve even learned a few things that you didn’t know, like:

The difference between Community and Junior Colleges

The three different classes of associate degrees

The three different types of people that persue associate degrees or take associate degree courses

The advantages of associate degrees over 4 year degrees

How to make sure that your community college is accredited and that the credits you earn will be transferable to a 4 year school if that is your plan.

If you didn’t catch all of the posts, don’t worry, there still here in the online degree dorm room. Just take a look around and you’re find those and other posts that I hope you’ll find helpful.

Ben

No Comments »

Associate Online Degree Programs | All About Associate Degrees - Part 6

Posted by bposton on November 21st, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

I’m getting close to wrapping up this series of posts about associate degrees, but before I do I wanted to make sure you understood the advantages of getting an associate degree.

Here are some of the advantages:
 

Since it’s normally a two year program, getting an associate degree can be completed sooner than a bachelor’s degree. 

Today many skilled trades and professions, as well as high-paying technical jobs require an associate degree in a specialized field. Those types of jobs are predicted to increase over the next several years.

An associate degree is less expensive overall than a bachelor’s degree. Tuition is usually a lot less, and you normally pay less for room and board. In fact, a lot of students stay at home with their parents when enrolled in an associate degree program since most community colleges lack dorms.

(I have to interject here that since a lot of community colleges and 4 year colleges now offer online programs, the room and board aspect of this is a mute point.)

You can normally find a community college very close to home. There are many more community colleges and 4 year colleges, so you’re more likely to find one that’s close and that offers the courses that you’re looking for.

(Another interjection - with associate online degree programs, distance is not as much of an issue. However, some online programs still have minimal on-campus work requirements, so keep that in mind.)

People with associate degrees are more marketable than ever before since there has been an increase in the reputations of many community and junior colleges.

Ben

No Comments »

Associate Online Degree Programs | All About Associate Degrees - Part 4

Posted by bposton on November 20th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

Part 4 in my series, which I should be calling

Everything you wanted to know about an Associates Degree, but were afraid to ask

Here’s something you probably did already know. That the cost of getting an associate degree at a community college is normally much less than at a four-year college or university, even a public one. That’s why more and more students are choosing to attend a community college for two years to reduce the ever-increaseing costs of getting a bachelor’s degree. First, community colleges offer a great education in the way of associate degree programs at a great price. Second, many students are getting thier first 2 of their 4 year degree by going to a community college for 2 years with the intention of transfering to a 4 year school to finish their degree.

Be aware, however, that this is not as easy as it sounds. Especially for students who want to finish their 4 years in an out of state university.

That being said, it’s also been reported that even international students are now looking into the possiblities that US community colleges give in the way of lowering costs.

Even though the costs are higher for international and out of state students, it’s still cheaper that going a full 4 years at an out of state (or out of country) university.

So , if you’re on a tight budget, you should seriously consider associate degree programs at community colleges and junior colleges as way to cut costs.

No Comments »

Associate Online Degree Programs | All About Associate Degrees - Part Deux

Posted by bposton on November 20th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

Here’s the next segment in my “All about Associates Degrees’ Series

Did you know that there are three different types of Associate Degrees you and earn?

Well listen up my dorm room buddy, here they are:

The first, and most commonly know of the three classes of US associate degrees offered is the associate of arts degree (also called the A.A. degree).

The second is called the associate of applied science degree (also called the A.A.S. degree).

And last but not least, there’s the associate of science degree (A.S. degree)

So those are the three types of degrees. Next, I’ll discuss the three types of people that typically choice to get an Associates Degree.

Ben

No Comments »

Associate Online Degree Programs | All About Associate Degrees - Part 1

Posted by bposton on November 20th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

OK, I found a note on my online dorm room door last night that asked sort of a strange
question - “Can you tell me everything you know about Associate Degrees?”

Well, if I could tell you everything I know it would take a few weeks

But we’ll just cover the basics over the next few posts, OK?

First - a simple definition.

An associate degree is a 2-year degree given by two types of colleges upon completion of an associate degree program. The two types are Community Colleges and Junior Colleges.
So, I guess you already knew that right?

So here’s something you might not know - the diference between Community College and Junior Colleges:

Community colleges are operated by the local government and are financed by public funds. On the other hand, Junior colleges are generally privately run. Either way, these are both excellent options if you want to earn an associate degree.

More to come…

No Comments »

Associate Online Degree Programs | A sampling of associate online degrees

Posted by bposton on November 19th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

I’ve been doing some quick checking and found that there’s a lot of associate online degree programs out there.

Getting an Associate Degree is a great way of starting on the higher education pathway.

An Associate Degree is a two year qualification, which can be a degree all by itself, or it can be the first step to a Bachelor Degree and beyond. Many colleges recognize GEDs, testing them to place them in classes for their level of learning.

Here are some of the many colleges where you can get an online assoicate’s degree:

The Art Institute Online

St. Leo University

University of Phoenix Online

FMU Online

Westwood College Online

I’ll be taking a look at these and other colleges that offer associates degress in the near future, but this should get you started

Ben

No Comments »

Associate Online Degree Programs | A Hurricane Katrina Survivor Story

Posted by bposton on November 19th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

Here’s a great story I read about a Hurrance Katrina survivor who’s now persuring her degree online

Sharon Truly had never evacuated for a hurricane.

So when Hurricane Katrina came barreling through New Orleans, she thought it was just another storm and decided to
ride it out at a motel with her husband, her son and her 21 exotic birds.

“In one day, everything you have in your whole life is wiped out. That fast,” Truly said, with a snap of her fingers,
as she looked through photographs of the things she lost.

Truly, who suffers with seizures, migraine headaches, a chronic respiratory disease and ruptured disks in her back,
is unable to work. She must have oxygen to sleep at night. Her oxygen concentrator was flooded and she also had
trouble getting her prescriptions filled. She eventually relocated to Memphis, Tenn.

That’s when she heard about the Memphis and Shelby County Community Services Agency, a member of Katrina Aid Today.

Truly’s case manager helped her find an apartment and furnish it, and get her prescription medications refilled.
The case manager also is helping her map out a plan for her recovery, and assisted her in applying for an educational grant.

Today, Truly is working toward her bachelor’s degree online and plans to start a home-based business selling
vitamins and nutritional shakes.

What a great success story. I wish you all the best, Truly

Just so you know, Katrina Aid Today is funded through a $66 million grant to the United Methodist Committee on Relief and monitored by Federal Emergency Management Agency. It’s a consortium that consists of 25 agencies with years of
disaster recovery case management experience serving either as national partners or as local service providers under
the Katrina Aid Today umbrella.

Although it has been more than a year since Hurricane Katrina swept through the Gulf Coast,
the figures confirm that many people across the nation are desperate for aid. This consortium plans to
assist about 70,000 more Katrina-affected families over the next 11 months.

Kudos to Katrina Aid Today!!

Ben

No Comments »