Online education articles

Online education ~ Developing an Individual Course (04/30/2012)
... Not all teachers may feel that periodic updates are- necessary, or they simply may not have the time needed to update courses- as often as they would like.- Administrators may determine that a new course is needed and then ask/- invite/require teachers to develop materials suitable for online classes.- Department chairs, deans, university presidents, or other administrators- are then responsible for managing curriculum development and responding- to market needs for online education. They may supervise everything—- curriculum development, strategic planning, teacher training, marketing,- scheduling, and other educational and business decisions.- Designing and developing online courses may be the responsibility of any- number of people, who have different interests in and experiences with- distance education....

Creating a Positive Learning Environment within Different Times and Spaces (04/30/2012)
... The teacher does the same. However, the connection between teacher and learner—the rapport, shared insights, and suggestions for studying a subject—makes the class a true educational experience. Creating a learning community, even with two people, is a big part of creating a sense of classroom and “real education.” Other institutions treat online classes similar to on-site classes, with one group of students taking a course during the same time frame and working on at least some projects together. Working entirely alone is not an option, if learners want to complete all assignments successfully....

The Five Principles for Developing an Online Curriculum in Online Education (04/30/2012)
... The Internet has added another dimension for research, as collaborative and individual communication processes and products have changed even from those completed with a stand-alone computer. Because of the Internet element of communication, further changes to teaching are being debated. The entire nature of communication, and therefore the disciplines relating to communication, must be rethought. The way a discipline is perceived, and the way that its practitioners define themselves and their work, have a direct bearing on whether that discipline considers online course or curriculum development as suitable. The content needed for adequate understanding of an entire discipline must be able to be delivered well online, using a variety of media....

The Online Teacher`s Responsibilities (04/12/2012)
... Of course, that means that you should be open to having other teachers or administrators look at your online work, too. Being part of an active learning community of teachers working within the same institution is important to trying out new ideas and assignments and solving problems. Broadening your perspective about what is useful and what designs are best means that you also should visit sites hosted by others outside your institution. For example, teachers you meet at a conference may be able to share the URLs/URIs and passwords for demonstration sites. The demonstrations may have been created with different courseware, and you may prefer one to another....

Training ~ How Online Teachers Should Teach and What Learning Skills Must They Have (04/10/2012)
... Anyone who plans to teach an online course for the first time, is going to teach an updated course or a new course, or is working with new tools or technology needs to be trained. Training may take place at conferences, but other types of training should be ongoing for online faculty. The home institution should offer on-site and online versions of the same in-service activities and make them accessible at convenient times. These activities may include discussions of effective teaching methods and ways to implement new technologies in the classroom, wherever it is. On-site training can be provided in a three-hour workshop or a series of mini-courses—whatever is appropriate to the amount of information that needs to be covered and the amount of time it typically takes to work with new equipment....

Online schooling ~ Pros and cons of home schooling (04/01/2012)
...Even if you live in a small town in the USA or a big city like New York or Washington, you can always study your lessons. Online schooling removes the time you have to prepare for school, waiting for the green light or just the time you have to spend on the taxi. 2. You get no more classmates to mind! If you choose online schooling, the classroom (your home) is all yours! You don’t have to get along with a group or to look for your seat and you even don’t have to be nice or rude. 3....

Advantages and disadvantages of distance learning (04/01/2012)
... Since the employers want their employees to develop skills and to be more educated some of them are actually offering reimbursement for distance education degrees. But keep in mind, some companies will restrict the amount covered for the distance learning and your continuing education. If you are actually employed, it’s really worth to check how much does your company cover for you and how much it doesn’t Other things you have to look at when comparing disadvantages and advantages of distance learning are: 1. distance education is mainly comprised of part-time instructors, there are no research labs while the traditional colleges have tenured professors and labs where students can practise. 2....

WIRELESS and DISTANCE LEARNING (12/13/2011)
..., phone lines or mail) to connect students and teacher as an alternative to classroom training. Electronic learning (eLearning) is a form of distance learning that is becoming a viable option to traditional teaching methods and is poised for major growth over the next several years. Through the ability of broadband video and interactive graphic technologies, students are exposed to far greater education stimulus than in the traditional learning environment. Integrated sound, motion, images, and text all serve to create a rich new learning atmosphere and substantially increase student involvement in the learning process. The rapidly changing global economy is forcing industry professionals to continually update their skill sets....

Online classes in the context of pedagogical effectiveness (09/19/2011)
... Motivation level of the instructor determines his level of proactive effort in ensuring effective learning. This depends upon the career goals of the instructor, his basic personality and behavioral traits. It is important to ensure that a sound synchrony exists between career objectives and opportunity and progression, the teaching profession provides. Learner Centric Parameters Learner centric factors determine the learner’s ability to grasp the target knowledge set in isolation as well as in the context of related concepts. This includes: Level of the pre-requisite knowledge and skills Level of inherent aptitude for the specific knowledge set Level of inquisitiveness Ability to process, analyze and link new information with what already possessed Together, these factors determine the learning speed....

Prepare for CFA exam with online CFA study material (06/17/2011)
... There are several benefits of online study of CFA exam. Vast study material: There are websites which provide a huge number of sample and mock question papers. Students can have access to thousands of mock questions and simulation software that will give them almost a 'real' feel of this prestigious exam. It will help them to reduce the nervousness while appearing for the real exam and make them comfortable while taking the test. Self-assessment: The software and question bank provided by websites help you to understand and access your performance....

Distance learning MBA and MCA courses of Punjab technical University (06/16/2011)
... Bachelor of Computer Application is a very popular career course that is aimed to create dedicated professionals for IT industry. The course is exclusively designed to develop a solid base among the aspiring students about different challenges and situations that crop us during planning and developing any software for an industry. It is a very demanding course that requires dedicated candidates who can take the pressure of rigorous course ware. A successful student of BCA course can start his career as a Junior Programmer and can attain the fascinating height of senior programmer. He can be a perfect leader of an IT team and successfully carry out the responsibility of a Program Coordinator or Project Manager....

The Worth of Executive or Part Time MBA in Advancing Professional Career (06/12/2011)
... Taking the convenience of working professionals into account, various executive MBA programs are offered full-time or part-time having duration of 1 year, 2 years or 3 years. Pursuing executive or part time MBA courses can let you enjoy a number of advantages. The flexible timing to attend classes attracts many professionals. The majority of classes are conducted in the evening, so you can study and work at the same time. There is no need to disrupt your daily working life....

The Changes In Language Teaching Methodology (06/08/2011)
... Increased funding helps all of these programmes to have effect. Schools have been encouraged to put in place a benchmark for the number of pupils participating in language learning, although not many have as yet done so because of the difficulty of meeting it. Recently, there has also been a growth in the number of secondary schools becoming Specialist Colleges which is beneficial in many ways and, as Specialist Language Colleges, will put further emphasis on foreign language learning. However, this will also mean that other kinds of Specialist Colleges may focus less on the importance of continuing a foreign language into Key Stage Four and beyond. Another factor which seems to be negatively impacting the selection of an optional foreign language is that the subject is perceived to be difficult, with pupils believing that it is harder to gain a high grade in a language than in certain other subjects....

The Frequent Words To Be Used In The English Language (06/08/2011)
... Conjunctions also appear regularly, with "as", "but", "or", "also" and "because", as well as "and" in the top one hundred. The other most frequent word class is pronouns, the most common examples of which, after "I", are "it", "he", "you", "this", "his", "they", "we", "her", "she" and "my", which is only number 34. Amazingly, the items in this list of the one hundred most commonly used English words make up fifty percent of all the words in the Oxford English Corpus. The ten most commonly used nouns are "time", "person", "year", "way", "day", "thing", "man", "world", "life" and "hand" respectively, while the most frequent verbs are "be", "have", "do", "eat", "sleep", "drink", "put", "keep", "run" and "walk". The ten adjectives used most frequently, according to this study, are "good", "first", "new", "last", "long", "great", "little", "own", "other" and "old"....

Setting Up Smaller Learning Communities in Online Schooling (08/31/2010)
... 3. Send group messages and create bulletin board folders with important information the entire group needs to know. Middle Weeks 1. Set up smaller groups for projects. Vary the composition of the groups with each team assignment or project....

Time Allocation Problems in Online Schooling (08/31/2010)
... Learners may rely on hands-on experiences in a lab or workshop setting to gather important information and skills needed to succeed in the course. Teachers and course designers who are developing purely online courses (or Web-based on-site courses that in effect are online courses overseen by a teacher meeting students face to face) may need more development time to create materials that are technically effective and operational, as well as pedagogically sound. On-site teachers, of course, also need time to develop and reproduce effective course materials. However, those teachers who use photocopiers or the university’s print shop to produce paper copies, transparencies, and slides, for example, may not need the same lead time for producing (not creating) new assignments or course content. Course Development/Curriculum Development Time Online classes require technical development and startup time, as well as content development....

Strategic Planning and Trends in Online Education (08/29/2010)
... At times, the modification may indicate the need for a whole new strategic plan, which is then developed and discussed right away. Strategic plans must reflect the institution’s mission and the direction for online education. They must be workable plans that have the faculty’s and administration’s support. Following and updating an online program’s strategic plan is an important managerial activity. A strategic plan should emphasize not only the immediate institutional needs and priorities—such as developing and updating programs, implementing a curriculum or curricular changes, marketing programs, and preparing for accreditation....

Pedagogical Concerns ~ Approaches to Course Design and Constructivism and Behaviorism (08/26/2010)
... In addition, the amount and types of interactivity with the system and with other learners and the teacher/facilitator also have to be determined. If the course-development process will be designer-centered, teachers should work closely with technical specialists to create a usable, appropriate structure and content for each course. Instead of user-centered or designer-centered as terms describing the design process, other researchers use teacher-centered approach and learnercentered approach. If a design is centered around the teacher’s preferences in materials and activities, the design is teacher-centered, whereas if students’ preferences are the determining factors in the design, the plan is said to be learner-centered. Teachers often recreate the educational stance that is most familiar or comfortable for them....

Problems within Learning Communities (08/25/2010)
... To help alleviate any of these problems, you have to show learners how effective collaboration can take place and guide the learning communities so that members early on realize benefits from participating in them. Ways to Overcome Problems with Learning Communities You can do a lot to increase the probability of success in classroom learning communities by following a few guidelines. The community members have to be interested in the subject or activities that pull the group together. You can help generate interest by selecting topics that pertain to learners’ career interests or common personal interests that mesh with course objectives. You may have to introduce community members to each other and note these common interests to help the community begin to work together....

How works accreditation for online educational programs (08/25/2010)
... If you want people to take your online courses seriously, accreditation is an important step in developing credibility. Regional accrediting agencies evaluate and approve traditional on-site academic institutions and their programs. In the United States, nongovernmental agencies monitor and review distance learning institutions based in one of six geographic regions. The agency within that region oversees a particular institution. The six agencies in the U....