Distance Learning Can Really Be Rewarding As a Regular Course

By: Richard J.S. Johnson

The concept of correspondence education was prevalent in the late 19th century. Education took place by sending and receiving paper through regular mail due to the development of postal service. There was literally no other channel of communication. After the Second World War, the lifestyles of the common people changed drastically. Off-campus courses came into existence in the U.S.A in the early 50's. Today, with the advent of the internet, the world of education has changed dramatically. Two-way interaction became possible with the help of internet. Lectures are now being delivered in the form of video on the net.

Distance learning is a mode of education which is more popular than ever today, reason: convenience and flexibility. In Distance learning, the student does not have to travel to the campus to attend classes on a daily basis. It is specially aimed at those people who are unable to attend campus for the classes. It increases the accessibility and broadens the area of study. The learning material can be exchanged between the learner and the teacher through regular correspondence and/or via net.

Hundreds of colleges, universities and institutions all over the world are offering countless Online Degree courses these days. Degree courses as well as vocational courses and professional courses are all available to students. These courses are especially popular among youngsters who can continue to study while working full-time to earn. This type of learning helps them to fulfill their career objectives at the same time gaining experience. With this mode, students get to study at their own pace, saving a lot of time that could have otherwise gone into waste for traveling to the campus and a lot of money that could have otherwise gone into waste for miscellaneous expenses to stay in the campus. Sometimes students of this particular mode of study do better than regular students who attend classes at the campus everyday.

The United Kingdom has developed and expanded their education system, offering innumerable courses to cater to different sections of students. Even professional courses like business, media, engineering, law etc. are being taught through UK distance learning. If you want to study in this mode, you have to develop yourself into a self-organized student. This mode has proven to be a blessing for thousands of students worldwide who could not have otherwise came to the UK for studying their much sought after British degrees. These are prestigious credentials that the students from all over the world want to achieve. Many courses offer an extensive range of materials including videos, computer disks, audio tapes and annotated texts while some colleges have opened up internet-based classes. But there is one criterion that is just indispensable if you want to achieve your desired degree through this mode of learning, which is self-discipline. Since, the onus of completing the course and getting the degree to advance your qualification or job mobility, you need to be self-disciplined to the core.

Before you get yourself enrolled in a college/institute/university that offers these kind of study programs, check a few things like whether or not the degree is recognized by a government body, the course content and structure, the assessment process, and most importantly, financial assistance. Once you get all these things clear, you can start with your dream lessons.

I am an educationist and self published author. I believes that distance learning courses are no way different than traditional courses. For more information on distance learning, UK distance learning, online education, and online university I recommends you to visit: http://www.RDI.co.uk

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What is Accreditation?

By: James Perlick

Accreditation is a set of guidelines and rules in which colleges operate. This set of rules insures students that generally everything within that college will be uniformly kept. This also protects students from unfair practices within a college. These rules make sure that the students are getting treated fairly, classes are taught professionally, and the students are not unduly harmed by the college.

Types of Accreditation

There are two types of accreditation for colleges:

1. National Accreditation: This is more of a vocational or trade school accreditation and is used mostly for colleges that teach subjects such as culinary, cosmetology, auto mechanics and other trades. There are over fifty accrediting agencies in the United States that make up the national accreditation.
2. Regional Accreditation: This is the best type of accreditation a school can attain. Regional accreditation is more of an academic accreditation and includes most of the top colleges like state colleges, community colleges, and some of the top private colleges. There are six accreditation bodies that comprise the regional accreditation system.

Transfer Credits

Transfer credits are credits that transfer from one college to another college. Being regionally accredited is the best for transfer credits. For instance, if you take classes at a community college which is regionally accredited most likely these credits will transfer to a state college that is regionally accredited. Most of the time regionally accredited colleges will not accept nationally accredited transcripts for transfer credits. If you have a bachelor's degree from a nationally accredited college the likelihood of attaining a master's degree from a regional college is very slim. They will not recognize your bachelor's as a transferable degree. Transfer credits also vary from one college to the next, so check with the colleges.

Evaluating Colleges

If you are evaluating colleges make sure that the accreditation is the highest of the colleges. For instance if you are comparing two colleges for business degrees and one college is nationally accredited and the other is regionally accredited choose the regional accreditation.

Now, on the other hand if you were choosing a college for a trade such as art, this can be found at a community college or a nationally accredited college. Usually the nationally accredited college has less general education and more hands-on classes. This might be more beneficial for the student.

So compare wisely and know your accreditation.

James Perlick is a consultant for:
http://www.FindOnlineColleges.com

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Are Online Degrees Valid to Prospective Employers?

By: Rose M

Online distance learning has gained rapid popularity with the advent of the internet, which has proven to offer great supporting facilities and convenience for online education. However, just like everything else with pros and cons, the internet has also opened doors for the widespread sale of bogus online degrees. According a report by USA Today, there were already 400 diploma mills in the year 2003 and the numbers are rising. In fact, many of these unscrupulous operations are run by organizations in an industry that is worth $500 million a year.

However, amidst the negative hype about online education, there are actually many distance learning colleges offering valid degrees and diplomas. These institutions do not sell bogus certificates, but actually aim to provide quality education as alternatives for on-campus higher education. Valid online courses with online video lectures as well as online library facilities and test examinations conducted are often deployed to ensure that students truly qualify in their areas of study and graduate legitimately. Sadly though, many employers only see the negative side of things, and easily brush off online education degrees as equivalent to bogus degrees.

In view of the confusion, the National Education Board of the U.S. government has authorized 6 accreditation agencies to provide institutional accreditation to education institutions, as a measure to differentiate legitimate universities from the crooks. This means that students choosing their universities will be assured that these universities would have met minimum criteria set forth by these agencies for learning institutions. Additionally, there is also The Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) which provides accreditation specifically for distance learning institutions. The DETC is an accreditation agency that is recognized by the US Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Furthermore, there is also specialized accreditation for specific programs of different areas of specialization. These programs which are found to have attained excellence will be awarded accreditation by various professional accrediting agencies depending on the area of specialization. For instance, the International Association for Management Education (AACSB) gives accreditation to accounting related programs while health programs are accredited by the American Health Information Management Association. It is also important to know that only accreditation agencies recognized by the Department of Education or CHEA are considered accreditation agencies which are acknowledged.

What does accreditation mean to a student? An institutional accreditation agency evaluates the various aspects of universities or colleges against minimum standard criteria to determine if the particular institution meets their list of basic requirements and quality of education. College accreditation is necessary to ensure that the education, facilities and support provided by a college or university adheres to basic levels. On the other hand, specialized accreditation evaluates excellence in individual program regardless of which institution the program is being delivered within. In this type of accreditation, course content and program curricula is evaluated against pre-set standards of the institution.

All accreditation does is to assure employers, students and parents that the graduates who are awarded degrees from accredited colleges have undergone quality and adequate training in their respective areas of specialization. This also means that colleges that are not accredited by the proper accreditation body would not have met the standards imposed by the agencies. However, courses taken by prospective employees that are accredited by the respective agencies would have met standards imposed on the respective specialized areas.

It is totally up to the judgment and decision of the employers on evaluating the validity of an online or on-campus degree. With the recent hike in bogus degrees, employers can't help but be stringent in their applicant screenings and consider those with degrees that have been accredited. This may prove tedious and sometimes employers may get confused. Therefore, if your accreditation is provided by an agency recognized by the US Department of Education, then you will need to explain to your prospective employers on the background of the accrediting bodies. This way, you can avoid employers from sidelining your application based on something that they may be unclear about and increase your chances of being short listed for a job interview.

About the Author:

Rose Musyoka is the editor of http://www.distance-learning-college-guide.com where you find answers, information and advice on distance learning colleges, accredited online degrees and online courses. See more related information on distance learning colleges and why college accreditation is important.

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How To Improve Your Life With An Accredited Online College Degree

By: Andy West

With the information super highway raring full steam ahead, quality accredited online college degree or Online Diplomas programs are becoming a more plausible way to get an education. Now more than ever, time is becoming a huge factor in people's lives. Balancing personal and professional lives on top of school is becoming increasingly difficult.

Therefore, many people are choosing to get the education they deserve without sacrificing the other important areas of their lives. It is now possible to receive the same credits that you would get from attending full-time classes at a college from the comfort of your own home.

There are a lot of things to consider when deciding if accredited online college degrees are the route that is best suited for you. It takes quite a bit of self-discipline to do well in an academic setting. However it takes even more to be able to do it from home.

In a class setting, a routine will be set that will involve the students and the instructors getting together several times per week. But if you are learning online, it is up to you to decide what times are best for you and to make your schedule accordingly.

There are also a few other things to take into consideration before deciding on this method. Basic computer knowledge and a reliable computer are absolutely essential to successful online learning. You will be using the computer to access your assignments, to send them in and also to conduct research. If you are not comfortable with computers, or you don't have a dependable Internet service, then you might find it exceedingly difficult.

It is also imperative to be comfortable with the written language. Almost all of your communications will be in writing, so that is something that is very important. There is virtually no personal contact, so proper writing and communication skills are essential.

A few years ago, online learning was not as broad as it is now. There were only a few select courses to choose from and it was difficult to find the one you want. But these days you can get almost any degree you could ever dream of without ever having to leave your house.

Whether you have an interest in law, accounting or health care you are bound to find the perfect course for you. And most accredited online college degree course can be found at the bachelor, associate and graduate levels. Therefore, no level of education is out of reach.

One of the major costs in attending school is the textbooks. After a full program, you would normally have to spend thousands and thousands of dollars on textbooks alone. Not the mention the cost of tuition.

Many accredited online college degree programs include the cost of the textbooks in the tuition. Well balancing a work life and a school life, every penny saved adds up in the end.

One of the best features of any online learning program is that it suits your schedule. You can learn and study any time of the day and on any day. This is a great benefit for those who wish to continue working full-time and earning their degrees in the evenings.

The appeal of learning online is being realized by more people every day. The sheer convenience is reason enough to motivate you to earn the degree that will land you your dream job. So, make that dream a reality with one of the many accredited online college degree programs.

About the Author:

Andy West is a writer for Virginia College. Virginia College Online offers many Accredited Online College Degree programs. Visit Virginia College Online at http://www.vconline.edu/index.cfm to select the online program that is right for you.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/how-to-improve-your-life-with-an-accredited-online-college-degree-93567.html

Real Degrees From Real Colleges on the Web - Really!

By: Scott McQuarrie

A national poll from 2006 revealed that only 60% of Americans believed that young people should be taught the value of hard work and studying. One writer commenting on this statistic tried to spin it positively, by revealing that the figure was less than 40% among Europeans. But there is one group today where just about 100% would support the notion of hard work and study - people who are working for an online college degree.

With the explosion of the "virtual world" of the Internet over the past decade and a half, we have witnessed the construction of a whole parallel world, except instead of brick and mortar and 2-by-4's, the buildings are made of bits, bytes and computer graphics. The grocery store down the street, the movie theater downtown and the bookstore at the mall all have counterparts, as well as competitors, in cyberspace. And now that colleges have made the move, people have a choice of sitting in class for two or four years or studying in a more flexible way, from home, to get an online college degree.

Brave new world, indeed.

Getting a college degree is not an easy thing to do, online or on campus. The research indicates that a person who goes to an online college for a degree is less likely to drop out, gets higher grades and has fewer disciplinary issues. These were the same findings some 30 years ago when an educational research group studied junior college students. Because they were older, more settled and knew what they wanted to do, junior college students, like today's online students, were more motivated, focused and, ultimately, successful in school.

There are economic and practical reasons that getting an online college degree is becoming a more popular option. People who previously could not afford college are finding lower-cost online alternatives. Parents of young children who could not get away even to a nearby campus can now study from home. Workers who had to keep their jobs and support families are scheduling their classes for evenings and weekends.

Online colleges, trade schools and training institutes have actually performed a remarkable public service by making higher education, in the form of an online college degree, available to more people. This in turn increases the talent pool available to American industry and, along with continuing technological advances, raises worker productivity, economic forecasts and, ultimately, the gross national product.

An educated populace is required for the survival of any free, prosperous nation. America is fortunate that, even though some 40% of the population no longer respects the value of hard work and study, there are enough people who do to keep us going and growing. Those are the kind of people who work hard, get an online college degree, get back to work - and then make a difference.

After founding his first security firm in 1990, Scott McQuarrie built several security-related companies into regional and national powerhouses over the ensuing years. Since 2000 he has focused his sales and marketing efforts on the Internet, which opened up a virtually unlimited, international market for his flagship product line, EZWatch Pro.

The EZWatch Pro brand has come to stand for world-class expertise in electronic security, video surveillance and the myriad technologies involved in both fields. From small houses to gigantic international airports, there is an EZWatch Pro solution to meet any and every residential, business, commercial and government security challenge.

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