The Successful Online Learner

Are there tricks that will help you be a more successful online learner? Instead of tricks, I think I prefer the term "ingredients." If you use the proper ingredients, this will greatly improve the possibility of success. What are some of those ingredients? It is easy to identify five key ingredients that will work to guarantee success.

• Hard work. Sometimes the answer really is that simple. People who work hard at most anything are more successful than people who do not. Online learning is most decidedly not easier than traditional learning. My experience has been just the opposite. Working alone and being in charge of your own progress is much more difficult.

• Collaborate. For most people, the ability to discuss topics is a key ingredient to greater understanding. This does not mean that you need to be in a traditional classroom. What it does mean is that you are an active participant in the online discussions however those might occur.

• Do your homework. Homework becomes that much more important when everything is homework. Remember, there really is no class work. It is all done at home. Just get it done. The best way is to schedule homework time at the same time every day.

• Hit the deadlines. One of the major causes for not succeeding is that you fall behind. In the traditional classroom, you have a teacher or a professor ready, willing, and able to collect assignments. It is much more teacher-driven. Online learning is very student-driven. It is up to you to make sure that things get done and turned in on time.

• Read the books. I know a student who got all the way through high school and college without ever reading the books. He, however, is a genius. He could sit in the lectures and absorb everything. Most of us, including me, are not capable of that. It becomes even more difficult when there are no lectures.

What? You expected secret, difficult-to-find ingredients? Nope. There are no secrets to being a successful online learner. Follow these five simple steps and you will create a recipe for success.

Thomas Nixon is the author of Complete Guide to Online High Schools. In it, he details how to earn a high school diploma online The companion website, BestOnlineHighSchools.com, is the premier source of information on online high schools. Tom is also the manager of CheapCollegeDegrees.com His website is ThomasNixon.com.

The Successful Online Learner

Are there tricks that will help you be a more successful online learner? Instead of tricks, I think I prefer the term "ingredients." If you use the proper ingredients, this will greatly improve the possibility of success. What are some of those ingredients? It is easy to identify five key ingredients that will work to guarantee success.

• Hard work. Sometimes the answer really is that simple. People who work hard at most anything are more successful than people who do not. Online learning is most decidedly not easier than traditional learning. My experience has been just the opposite. Working alone and being in charge of your own progress is much more difficult.

• Collaborate. For most people, the ability to discuss topics is a key ingredient to greater understanding. This does not mean that you need to be in a traditional classroom. What it does mean is that you are an active participant in the online discussions however those might occur.

• Do your homework. Homework becomes that much more important when everything is homework. Remember, there really is no class work. It is all done at home. Just get it done. The best way is to schedule homework time at the same time every day.

• Hit the deadlines. One of the major causes for not succeeding is that you fall behind. In the traditional classroom, you have a teacher or a professor ready, willing, and able to collect assignments. It is much more teacher-driven. Online learning is very student-driven. It is up to you to make sure that things get done and turned in on time.

• Read the books. I know a student who got all the way through high school and college without ever reading the books. He, however, is a genius. He could sit in the lectures and absorb everything. Most of us, including me, are not capable of that. It becomes even more difficult when there are no lectures.

What? You expected secret, difficult-to-find ingredients? Nope. There are no secrets to being a successful online learner. Follow these five simple steps and you will create a recipe for success.

Thomas Nixon is the author of Complete Guide to Online High Schools. In it, he details how to earn a high school diploma online The companion website, BestOnlineHighSchools.com, is the premier source of information on online high schools. Tom is also the manager of CheapCollegeDegrees.com His website is ThomasNixon.com.

Is Online Education Any Good?

Often when I'm teaching classes, both 'onground' and online, students ask me if it makes a difference if they study online or onground. Students are often concerned that if they get an online based degree, will their employer consider it valuable or something along the lines of a mail order degree. This concern is understandable-after all, you are about to subject yourself to the blood, sweat and tears of a several year marathon of going back to school!

The experience I have had with teaching in several online schools and on-ground programs leads me to believe that, generally speaking, online students actually put more hours in per week at their craft. I say this because they spend more time in communication in online forums, writing and research.

The big disadvantage I see is that even though they spend a lot of time doing the above activities, the social aspect of an education, the give and take of classroom banter and the relentless challenging of ideas that characterize a good education cannot be replicated fully in an online forum. Often students are more interested in meeting the posting requirement for a given class or assignment than they really are in a deep and thorough discussion on an idea.

Adult student success depends as much on this aspect of an education as it does on writing and submitting papers. Until the modality of discussion forums changes to make a more immediate banter and feedback possible, this lack of interaction is going to concern me as an educator. By no means is online education lacking in value (and for many students it is the only way back to school), but it does have its limitations and issues like any other mode of learning.

John Brady has taught at Marian College, Indiana Institute of Technolgy, Ivy Tech State College and several large online Universities. He is the owner of http://www.adultstudentsuccess.com a site dedicated to helping adult students succeed and http://www.mlmwebhelp.com a free site dedicated to improving web visibility for mlm and small business companies

Accreditation and Afflilations

Accreditation can be termed as a validation of online and traditional education institutes against pre determined standards set by the Education Board. Accreditation gives an idea of the educational standard of the institutions. Affiliation on the other hand is the process in which some big University allows a smaller institution or college to teach courses complying to the standards of he University. The exam papers are checked and marked by the University and the degree is issued by the University to the student upon completion of the course. This is how colleges offer degrees of graduate and post graduate level.

The terms Accreditation and Affiliation are often unknown to students. Some students, unaware of their importance, don't take much notice and some times suffer a lot through fraudulent institutions. Frauds over the internet are inevitable. Committing a fraud is quiet easier as the person is not present in real. Students should thus confirm every detail before enrolling for a course and paying the fees. Checking the accreditation and affiliation at the time of registering is very crucial to the student. Because some institutions take fees, give classes and tests as any other normal institution would do, and issue a degree at the end to the student. The student thinks he has finally achieved a degree that'll boost his career only to find out that the degree is bogus and has no value more than a piece of scrap. Such incidents ruin the entire work career of the student. He tends never to trust online institutions again.

Being a little careful and observant may avoid such situations. The most important factor to check before enrolling at any institution online or local is to check its accreditation or affiliation. In case of online institutions student visit the website of the institution. First browse around to find the link that provides information about the accreditation of the institution. Accreditation details should be very clear. Anything that is complicated of difficult for you to understand may be misleading. The best thing to do is to note down the name of the accreditation agency, look out the number in the telephone directory, call them up and confirm if they had accredited the institution or not. You may even email the agency to get the details. This step is extremely important, even if you are sure about the accreditation. There is no harm in re-confirming as it may save you from some bad situations in the future.

An online database of institutions and there accreditations can be found at CHEA's Institutional Database website at http://www.chea.org. This is an easy way to check an institution's accreditation online by entering its name or state. If the required institution is out of the United States, the website's international database of institutions may help you in getting the required information.

An institution that is fair in its dealing would just simply and clearly mention the name of the accreditation agency along with the date and address. Some institution providing wrong information often use the terms that sound like accreditation but mean different. Some examples could be "pursuing accreditation", "chartered", "licensed or registered", "recognized", "authorized" or "approved."

Not being accredited does not always mean a fraud institution. Some institution fairly imparting education may not be accredited maybe because they are innovative than the current standards. New standards may have to be set for institutions like them. In such cases it is advisable to search for students who are either currently studying or have studies in the past to get an idea. Therefore when you decide about your online education it is more important to keep the nature of your degree in mind than to check on the accreditation. An Online MBA or Graphic Design degree should preferably be taken from an accredited Institution, whereas a simple word processing certificate wont matter even if acquired from a non accredited institution.

Keith Londrie II is the Webmaster of http://best-online-degrees.info/ A website that specializes in providing information on Online Degrees that you can research on the internet. Please Visit http://best-online-degrees.info/ now!

Online College Accreditation - How to Tell the Real from Scams

The Internet has recently brought forth a new kind of university, one without a geographical center. These colleges offer an education through online lectures, discussions, and assignments. They are a good option for people without the time and money to spend four years at a college site, but can also turn out to be scams. Before enrolling in an online university, you need to determine whether it is accredited.

If a school has been accredited, that means it has been reviewed and certified to teach an academic program and hand out degrees. If a school is not accredited, it can claim to teach all they like, but you will never receive a real diploma from them. Accreditation ensures that schools are providing a high quality education and a somewhat consistent curriculum for each subject core.

There are many schools claiming to be accredited, but accreditation doesn't mean anything if it comes from a non-recognized organization. Any organization stating they are accredited by the IAAOU (International Accreditation Agency for Online Universities), Board of Online Universities (BOUA), World Online Education Accrediting Commission (WOEA), and UCOEA (Universal Council for Online Education Accreditation), are not real universities and will not offer a quality education. Hint: no real accrediting organization has the word "online" in its title.

These so-called "online universities" that claim accreditation from such sources will, at best, provide you a poor education that few respect. At worst, they will simply sell you a fake diploma. It is illegal in many states to claim you have a degree if all you really own is a diploma from one of these schools.

There are real online schools, but legitimate ones are the in the minority. To be a valid, recognized university in the United States, a school must be accredited by an organization that has itself been recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), or both. There are five main regional accreditors and many smaller organizations recognized by CHEA and USDE. These organizations have lists on their web sites.

An online education is not as well respected as attending a physical university, but it can be a great option for self-motivated people who need to earn a degree more quickly while they move forward with their lives. It is not such a good idea to jump into an online education straight out of high school, but is very helpful for those already employed and who want to give their careers a little boost by finally earning that coveted degree.

Make sure the online school you are considering is accredited from a respected institution that has been approved by the CHEA or the USDE. They authenticate the only real schools online that count!

For practical college & university selection information, please visit http://www.college-selections.com, a popular site providing great insights concerning issues that help you with college choices such as New York fashion colleges and many more!

Online MBA Degree Basics

What You Need to Know Before Enrolling in an Online MBA Program

Online MBA programs are a prevalent catalog of adult adults and mid-career professionals who want to earn a gradation lacking sacrificing their job and home lives. Such programs are also befitting a quick desired of the younger crowd, who are looking for customs to earn a rate gradation while charge their present employment. Many find that online knowledge agreements a flexibility that can't be found in traditional trains. If you're considering earning an online MBA, make surely you do your training. Intended the basics will help you make a learned resolve about whether or not these programs are right for you.

How are online MBA programs different from traditional MBA programs?

Separate knowledge and traditional MBA programs normally portion a related category of curriculum and can be considered regularly thorny (depending, of course, on the particular train).

Instead of payments hours in style, online MBA learners are likely to agreement their time to studying independently.

Online curriculum normally consists of lectures, readings, assignments, and participation in online discussions. Some programs also agreement multimedia components such as capture lectures, pod casting, and capture conferencing. Online MBA learners from some programs are likely to physically focus a certain number of courses or workshops in order to acquire rights hours. Requisite tests can commonly be full with proctors in your own commune. Online MBA learners don't splurge less time studying than their traditional learner counterparts. But, they are given the country to fit their train hours into their own schedules.

Are online MBA gradations respectable?

This probe deserves a skilled yes. There are two highest factors in determining a concern trains respectability: accreditation and reputation. Online MBA programs that are accredited by the personal agencies should be respected by your imminent employers and colleagues. However, there are many unaccredited or diploma refines programs that give out worth fewer gradations. Duck them at all overheads.

A train with a good reputation can also add respectability to an online MBA gradation. Greatly like law trains, concern trains obtain rankings from organizations such as dealing Week that can touch imminent employment. Online learners may not be agreement the same high-paying, big corporation jobs that rates from top-ranked trains such as Wharton are. However, there are ample of companies keen to hire MBA grads with gradations from other institutions.

Mochi Mogi writes for http://www.mbadegreez.com where you can find out more about MBA Degrees and other topics.

What is Online Education?

Often times we hear phrases like "online degree", "online certificates", " online courses etc. We ourselves talk about studying virtually. But do we all know what really online education is? Online education which is gaining popularity without leaps and bounds in the past few decades, probably a few years, as termed by Doctor Stella Thompson, an online assistant professor of English at Prairie View A&M University, is a "classroom without walls".

Describing Online Education, if explained in simplest words, is acquiring education at the ease of the student using the most famous World Wide Web. The internet has gained tremendous exposure in the past 10 years and is accessible from almost every house in the world. Online degrees are tailored according to the requirements of every student. Online education is not just for students, even elderly people or working people can also benefit from it and quench there thirst of knowledge. It also helps them gain advancements in the current career, provide better salary opportunities and earn higher placements in there fields of work.

This doesn't mean that education takes places over the internet with bots and automated programs. On the other side of the communication are real time qualified professors and lecturers. Online Instructors, as the lecturers are called, are available round the clock or at most times of the day. Hardware accessories like microphones and videophones are used to enhance communication and learning process between the instructor and student. Class timings can be set privately between the student and instructor or may be scheduled according to the time table set by the institution or University.

To get started with an online course or a degree, the student must firstly have a detailed look at the finance available to him. Online courses can range from being merely affordable to highly expensive techno courses. Although institutions offering online courses also provide financial assistance in form of scholarships and reference to loan providing agencies and organization, but its not wise to depend on financial assistances fully. People opting for an online degree mostly are those who choose to rejoin their educational career after a break or a gap. They may not have a clear vision of the amount of mental abilities they still have to possess academic results. It is thus better to keep an arrangement of fees for at least for the first term, quarter or semester. This will help a lot and won't let you fall into a situation of being lost. After beginning the course, the student gets an idea of how much he is able to grasp and learn and can then apply for scholarships with full confidence and surety.

After tackling the finance issue, or maybe alongside the finance issue, another crucial point to consider is the knowledge you have with the internet or software programs. You would never want to end up in a program that is too technical with whole lots of software stuff that's beyond your understanding. Such a situation will ultimately land you into more stress and in worse condition of even failing the course. Not all courses require the same level of computer knowledge. In some cases the pre requisites are basic computer usage, knowledge of typing and MS Office, while some may require high computer proficiency and even programming skills and experience. To be sure that you don't land into a course that's not technically meant for you, you must take the service of a course advisor or correspondent. Almost all institutions providing online education offer free consultation to students which assist them in selecting a course that is feasible economically, socially and technically for them.

Even though regular school, colleges and institutions are vital, no one can deny there importance and they would never be lost. However the number of students enrolling for online degrees is increasing with every passing day. So if you need a degree to gain promotion at your workplace or earn a better job or get higher salaries and online diploma is just exactly something you may want.

Keith Londrie II is the Webmaster of http://best-online-degrees.info, a website that specializes in providing information on Online Degrees that you can research on the internet.

Please Visit http://best-online-degrees.info/ now!

Online Degree Accreditation - What Does It Really Mean?

You should really be wary when you apply for an accredited online university. Avoid diploma mills like the plague. Diploma mills are universities who sell pieces of paper called diplomas that are worthless. The degree means nothing. These so called 'schools' prey on people's lack of knowledge and confusion about what accreditation really means.

One scam that works time and time again for diploma mills that offer these fake programs is to advertise as being "accredited nationally" or "globally accredited". The trick here is that they are indeed "accredited" -- but by unknown and unrecognized agencies -- phony accrediting agencies that they have created themselves.

You Can Protect Yourself

If you're considering an online university, ask the following questions of the university before you enroll:

1. Are You an Accredited University?

2. If So, By Whom Exactly?

Is the accrediting agency a recognized agency? Accreditation by an unrecognized agency is a common ploy used by online diploma mills. In the United States, the Council for Higher Education is the agency that oversees legitimate accrediting agencies. CHEA (http://www.chea.org) maintains a directory of recognized accrediting agencies online.

3. Do Your Research. Understand the Type of Accreditation You Need.

Attend only those online colleges that hold the type of accreditation you need to advance.

4. Verify Accreditation

Some degree mills lie about their accreditation status. Take the time to verify all accreditation information. Check with CHEA or check the official printed guide to such matters: The American Council on Education's "Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education." This guide can be found in most college libraries.

- Locating Online Colleges through Search Engines -

Your chosen online university appears as a top listing at your favorite search engine. It seems to appear on every portal's educational page. It has to be a real university, right?

Wrong.

A top search engine listing is not an indicator of authenticity or academic quality. A top search engine listing is an indicator of a big online advertising budget. At some search sites the majority of online college listings are held by unaccredited or phony colleges.

Anyone can easily put together a bogus college Web site and submit the resulting URL to a search engine. Search engines do not inspect online colleges to determine their accreditation status or academic validity.

Search engines and most online educational portals accept college listings without checking on accreditation status or academic integrity. Diploma mills and fake colleges advertise heavily on the Internet. Protect yourself by taking the time to verify the accreditation status of all online universities.

Visit http://degree-distance-learning.com/ for even more valuable information about your degree education.

Ashley Bowkett has been headhunting and recruiting quality graduates and working professionals alike for more than 5 years into the television industry. And as an almost full time internet marketer with unique expertise on marketing and doing business in and across China, Ashley seeks to address the concerns of candidates of any age.

For reliable information on degree level education visit his website at http://degree-distance-learning.com/

When Ashley isn't writing articles and setting up joint ventures, he is a chief development director of a television network responsible for offices in New York and Beijing.

Ashley's Personal Site

http://ashleybowkett.com/career-guidance-articles/

is a feast of useful information and products designed to help you better your career as soon as possible. If you are an author, you can even easily submit your articles to his site as well.

SCORM - Online Education Institutions

Online learning or online education depends on a series of software applications for aiding the interaction between the tutor and the student via the internet. it is interesting to note that these software technologies provide the basic infrastructure by means of which it is possible for the online educational institutions to introduce assessments and gradation systems with the help of which it is possible for the e-learning tutors to evaluate their students. Moreover, it also allows the students to interact amongst themselves or with the teacher through online forums, blogs and emails as well. These software applications are supported by certain prescribed formats which they have to adhere to in order to aid the successful functioning of online education.

SCORM refers to such a specification which e-learning tools have to conform to in order to aid the cause of online learning. SCORM is an abbreviation and it stands for Sharable Content Object Reference Model. Here it is necessary to introduce one to the concept of 'run-time environments' which are a variant of the learning management systems. The run-time environment refers to the cooperation and coordination between the host systems and the content on the client's side and it is this interaction which is ably supported by the Sharable Content Object Reference Model. SCORM was introduced as a specialized program in the year 2003 and it was initiated by the office of the United States Secretary of Defense. SCORM is a part of the Advanced Distributed Learning initiative and the various programs that are involved in the imparting of education through online learning need to conform to this system.

The first version of SCORM known as SCORM 1.0 pioneered the concept of Sharable Content Object for the first time in the arena of the World Wide Web. SCORM 1.1 was the premier production version which made use of an AICC specified XML course content management file though it yet did not support the usage of metadata. However, the following version of SCORM was able to eradicate this shortcoming that plagued the precious version and it made use of IMS Content Management specifications for its functioning. At present SCORM 2004 is the prevalent model with three of its editions being introduced, the last being in October 2006. SCORM 2004 conforms to the IEEE standards necessary for API and it has introduced the concept of sequencing which is vital for aiding the various learners in their online learning process.

Get an online degree today and advance your career

Online University Education Gaining In Popularity

Online university education is growing in popularity. More and more students are turning to higher education online to complete their secondary education and to earn their college degrees. There are several reasons that online university studies are gaining in popularity.

One reason that online university education is gaining in popularity is the advancement in technology. Not only has technology advanced but it has become more user-friendly. Several decades ago a person had to have a business degree in order to be able to do anything that was computer related. Additionally, the majority of homes did not have computers. In fact, the thought of a public computer being in Internet cafes, public libraries and community centers was not even anything anyone would consider. With technology becoming so advanced and computers so common place, more people can now access the Internet to obtain an online university education.

Availability of online university education programs has made it more popular as well. Initially, only some universities were offering a select number of courses from their traditional university on the Internet for students. This of course began to increase. Before you know it, many universities are now offering complete degrees on the Internet without students ever needing to step inside a physical classroom. With so many types of degree programs, majors and even courses to improve your current career without receiving a degree there is a rise in the number of students that are turning to online university education to meet their goals.

Many companies realize the importance of their employees receiving further education and training to help them be successful within the business. As a result, companies are offering tuition assistance and even some are completely paying for employees to return to school to obtain higher education. Employees are still working full time while attending educational courses to help improve their lives and their careers. The structure and setting of online university education classes has grown in popularity for full time workers because they can combine a career and student life more easily than traditional colleges. Companies are willing to pay for the online courses as long as they are from an accredited learning institution. This enables full time workers more freedom in the selection of schools to attend to improve their knowledge and advance in their chosen careers. You can read more at http://www.highereducationandyoungpeople.com

In the past, many people were intimidated by the thought of using a computer. It was overwhelming to think about posting on message boards, sending emails, attaching files and even using a word processing program. Today, many of the regular middle schools and high schools are offering computer application training that is required for students to advance to the next grade. Adults are learning how to use basic computer functions in the work place. You don't have to be an administrative assistance to learn how to use computers at work because so many work positions are training employees to use the computer. For example, many cashiers have computer registers instead of the previous traditional registers. Because so many people are not intimidated by computers, more people feel comfortable in the thought of participating in courses on the Internet. The logical result is that online university education is increasing in popularity.

Read more about studying for a career with Higher Education Online to achieve your academic goals at http://www.highereducationandyoungpeople.com

Improve Your Career Credential With A Career Related Degree

Most students are getting a general degree to start their career after college graduation. Although many job vacancies do accept degrees without any specialization or degree that is not related to their career fields, they will loss their advantage when comes to job promotion or career advancement in the future.

The job market is so competitive and you must out perform other job candidates in order for you to move your career to next higher level. It will be your wise decision to improve your job credential with a career field related degree if you want to achieve the highest level in your dream career. Today, with the available of online education, you can get a degree just with a click away while continue with your career; online education allows you to focus on both career and study as long as you do some time management to divide your time between these two important tasks.

It is common for students to start their first job with a general degree or get a job that is no related with their degree. For example, you may get a job at hotel as an officer or executive with your art degree. But, in the process of climbing up your career ladder, you will need to compete with your colleagues and out perform them if you want to successfully get promoted to a higher job position. Working experience, job performance, skills and knowledge are among the importance factors which will be reviewed by your boss in selecting the best candidate for the job promotion opportunity. You will lose your advantage if your competitors have a related degree with a strong education background and equivalent job performance.

The internet can be the best channel for working adults to earn their career credential without the need to give up their existing job. If you need a career related degree to help in your career path, you should use the advantage of online channel to earn a degree to support your dream career while maintaining your current lifestyle. Today, online degree programs cover almost any field that is available in the job market. You should find one that best fit your need.

Selecting an online degree program is easy with the available of internet, but you may required to spend some time if you want to choose the best degree program that covers the most courses in related to your career needs. Before you make up your decision, try to request as much information as possible from online universities or campus-based colleges that provide online courses to send you their details information about their degree programs. In most cases, information request from universities are free of charge, what you need to do is simply fill-up a request form from their website and those information will be sent to your email inbox within minutes.

Once you get all the necessary information from your preferred universities, you next step is carefully review the courses from each program to select one with courses that best meet your career needs. Depending on your pace of study and the credit hours required to complete your degree program, you could earn a degree from a few weeks to 1 or 2 years. By improving your career credential with a career related degree, you are putting yourself in the competitive edge to get the highest success in your career.

Summary

The job market is increasing competitive and your need to equip yourself the best knowledge and career credential to out perform your competitors in securing any career opportunity that appear along your career path.

Amelia Turner, an educational article writer for http://www.your-online-degree.info You can find more details information and free resources about Online Education, online business degrees, financial aids and other accredited online education programs that can help you to make decision to earn your degree online.