Career Improvement Opportunities With An Associate Degrees

An Associates degree is an academic degree that is usually awarded through community colleges, junior colleges and some four-year colleges and universities. To get an associates degree at most colleges, you need to at least 60 undergraduate credit hours.

If you enroll in courses full-time you can expect to earn your associates degree in about two years. Nonetheless as a part time student you have the flexibility of online classes as well as a wide choice of courses that you can complete within your program of study. Generally there are two options in associate programs.

There are two main categories of associates degrees: Those that prepare you for your professional degree and those that you can use to earn your four-year degree as transfer courses. The second type helps you work toward your general education (Gen. Ed.) courses or foundational coursework. Typically, programs are made up of general education requirements, major requirements, and electives. Full time study is equal to 4 semesters or 15 semester credit hours. Some accelerated distance two-year programs are also available online and most associate degrees online have many of the same requirements as on-campus or in-classroom courses.

Two-year virtual learning is available in business, liberal arts, and other disciplines. Many degrees online will accept transfer credits from two-year programs. Some areas of study within associate degrees online are: Accounting, Arts and Humanities Business & Management, Criminal Justice, Design, Early Childhood Development, Education, Engineering, Computers and Technology, Graphic Design, Health Sciences, Hospitality Management, Human Resources Management, Law and Paralegal, Marketing, Social Sciences, and Telecommunications to mention a few.

General education courses are an integral part of most associate degrees online and include coursework in Communication, Natural Sciences/Mathematics, Humanities, and Social Science. You can earn an Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree program, an Associate in Science (A.S.) degree program or an Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree programs depending on whether you pursue arts or science track.

Both professional and occupational degree programs give their graduates the advantage of being qualified for entry-level positions in professions such as medical assisting, computer networking, computer programming, nursing, paralegal, and criminal justice. These programs offer graduate the advantage of expedited entry into their profession.

As a general rule you need to have a GED or high school diploma to get admission into a degree program. As an additional requirement, SAT or ACT might be needed. Nonetheless some colleges might accept related or relevant work experience for those that do not have a diploma. However, it is always good to check with the college you are applying to if this is the case in their entry requirements.

As many working adults continue to enroll in college, there is a growing demand for online degree programs. You can research many of these schools online. Many have great programs and they give students the option to apply for financial aid and scholarships.

Sophie Peters is the editor for a webwebsite with information in health programs and criminal justice degrees. Learn more about other options from her website.

categories: online degrees,flexible degree programs,accelerated degree programs,technical colleges,community colleges,career advancement,junior college,continuing education,adult learning,online distance education,career colleges,trade schools

How You Can Get The Best From Online Learning: Six Guidelines

With the globalization of the economy have come many changes. Distance is no longer an obstacle to communication; labour crosses borders; jobs change; and people change jobs frequently. And because of all these changes, lifelong education becomes particularly important in this knowledge-based economy.

But education on-campus at university or college is not possible for many people because jobs or other commitments make it impossible for them to attend on-campus classes. Online learning provides a flexible solution for such people. Unfortunately, many learners enter an online program without realising the problems they need to face. Thus, all too often they are disappointed with their first experience of this new mode of learning. To avoid this, there are six things that the learner should watch out for.

Online education is a flexible form of education, but it doesn’t mean that you can keep “putting off” your learning day after day. All too often, that is what often happens – and this results in failure to learn. So be organised – manage your time. Set aside a regular time in your diary for study of the material and completion of assignments.

Living and working in today’s ever-changing world demands life-long learning. And so if you wish to continue to be part of it, you must have a desire to learn and be motivated to learn for the rest of your life. So this means wanting to learn even when there is no extrinsic motivation (e.g., a salary increase).

Unfortunately, many of us were not taught how to learn. Instead we were only taught to remember things and to apply rules. Somewhere along the way we were expected to acquire the skills to acquire knowledge. In today’s world it is essential that we “know how to learn”. In particular, learning online requires that you develop these skills. This not only means having the technical skills of how find books or web sites on a topic, it also means having well-developed critical reading and thinking skills.

For many of us, our school experience has taught us to be “passive learners” – we were told the knowledge, we learned it by rote and then we repeated it in an exam. Passive learning seemed to be a useful strategy for success. Unfortunately, that is not a useful strategy for success in today’s world, or, indeed, in online learning. If you are learning online, the courseware often includes questions, exercises and further reading so that your learning can be active rather than passive. You must make sure that you complete all the exercises and that you thoroughly interact with the material.

In an online course, real learning takes place when you are interacting with others on the course. So try to find a learning group, either in your area or online – your e-Tutor may well facilitate this. You can then take part in “social learning” – and you will find that you only truly “know” something when you try to explain it to someone else. Make sure that you respond to all the e-Tutor’s requests for feedback and do participate in the discussion forums.

Don’t be tempted to buy a qualification from a “diploma mill” – a business that simply prints diplomas and degrees. Such qualifications are worthless in the eyes of employers and genuine educational institutions, so will just be a waste of your money. Always take an accredited program from an accredited institution.

Sophia Peters writes for the Online and Distance Learning web site where you can get other relevant information about online programs. Visit the web site for other relevant information about where and how to study online.

Purchasing vs. Building Training Platforms: Tips and Ideas for Decision-Making

Assume that you been assigned by your employer to suggest whether your company should buy or build a training platform from scratch. How would you state your case, for and against the decision that your company should make? Should you recommend buying an existing off-the-shelf software application or would you suggest that your company purchase existing software?

Custom-built software has the appeal of being designed to fit your particular training needs. One issue you should address early is whether or not it will save you any effort and time, rather than purchasing existing software. Also, you would have to determine the employees in the organization who need to have access to the training software. An additional point to note is that the data management, data processing, and data reporting functions and features should be planned on from the onset of the project to then be implemented and tried out during product testing. Remember also to focus on data quality as you develop the training software. So, if you are planning to incorporate e-learning tools, be sure that data tracking and management is accurate and efficient.

If you make a decision to purchase a learning management system, be sure that the features that you really need are already part of the system. You should not assume that the training platform will meet all your teaching and learning needs. As a matter of fact, it is not a good idea to assume that the training software;s data management and collection system is going to be automatic. Hence look to answer the following questions as you decide what is it that you want for your training needs:

Seek to answer the following questions: What user interface features are desired? What level of trouble shooting and debugging is needed during production and development? What levels of access will different users have? How will usability testing be approached? What database outputs are needed for training and records?

Typically, the above questions will generate different answers for each individual company or organization. Therefore a team should work together and have a project manager coordinate the entire process. Usability testing must also be part of the process throughout the design and implementation. Using a small group of learners and instructors, the training platform should be tested out to ensure that it suits both the instructional and training needs of the organization.

Sometimes it turns out that homegrown products are more expensive either to build or maintain. There is also a possibility that the people who build the systems are no longer with the organization and the technical support is thus interrupted. Because of these issues, companies end up looking for off-the-shelf product, with standard support, training, and continuous upgrades and improvements that they can buy rather than build themselves.

One disadvantage of pre-existing software is that it may not always meet your particular training and educational needs. Technical support can be expensive and not readily available when needed. The support features that include licensing and copyright requirements and software updates should be part of the project management teams discussion while the procurement process is ongoing. Whenever it is possible, looking into the customizable, flexible features of off-the-shelf applications is suggested. Most software vendors may have this as an option, so it is a good idea to investigate this further.

So, regardless of the option you or the company decides to go with, remember that you will likely incur additional costs in maintenance, updates, and user training. In the final event what it boils down to is the return on investment for the company. Even more important is the value added to the organization through the training and skill and knowledge advancement of the trainees (employees), instructors and learning management system team.

Working Parents Returning to School: Tips for Successfully Completing your Degree

You just never seem to have any spare time to do all the things that need to get done. Everything is a priority. You don’t know where the time does. Now, you are also thinking of going back to school!

Home expenses are an issue that most families deal with, and incorporating a new payment for tuition is not a likely option for the monthly budget. The United States Census Bureau notes that about one-fifth of families in the country are headed up by a single parent, who in most cases is the mother. Further, 95% of the single parents earn less than $75,000 a year in income. So, returning to school is a financial quagmire.

The US Department of Labor reports that most mother who work have full time jobs. When they get home they spend another ten hours cooking, cleaning, running errands, running car poolings, playing with the kids, washing and doing laundry in addition to their other responsibilities.

The good news is that there are many programs available for working parents (both moms and dads) through accredited distance learning programs as well as financial resources such as scholarships and grants to support working parents. Government and private foundation programs are available specifically for single parents and working mothers.

The first step is to figure what you want to go back to school for. Then, find out the available financial options from the prospective college. This information can be obtained from the college’s financial aid office. In-depth Internet research will also yield you various results. In addition, going to the local library and looking through the annual scholarship books is always a good recommendation. One thing to remember though – watch for the deadlines and make sure you submit your application on time. Also determine the application materials that should be submitted such as letters of recommendation or essays and prepare those ahead of time. In addition, be sure to apply for the right scholarships. Some are quite specific in their criteria. For example some scholarships are only available for student in certain areas such as engineering or science.

The next thing is time management. With all your other responsibilities and tasks, adding school to your to-do list be daunting. So, developing and sticking to a routine will help give you and the family some structure. For example you can establish the children’s bedtime and stick to it so that after they go to bed you can study without interruptions. You can also get into the habit of getting lunches ready in the evening to save you time in the morning and avoid the rushed feeling. Delegate responsibilities for your family members so that you don’t have to feel like you have to do it all alone. This will help you in reducing the stress level and this means more focus in your studying. Keep a calendar or daily planner and use it to monitor events at home, work, and school.

As far as succeeding in your classes, there are a few strategies that you can employ. First, find out what each of your instructors expects from you early in the course. Then, ensure you read the syllabus thoroughly and ask any questions sooner than later. Write down due dates for assignments and exam dates and study ahead of time.

Dont wait until the last minute to start working on your big class project or term paper. Creating self-deadlines is a good strategy get this going. Be sure to prioritize your assignments and your work or home activities ensuring nothing gets pushed back. Pace yourself and do not be afraid to ask for help. It is also very important to be self confident and to tell yourself you can do it.

Instructional Design Careers: Locating the Best Graduate Program for You

So, you are contemplating a degree in instructional design. The first thing to know is that there are various instructional design degrees and instructional technology degrees available, but the specific preparation and concentrations may be different depending on what you want to do when you graduate. At present, most colleges and universities only offer instructional design degrees at the graduate level. These are ” MS, MA, MEd, EDS, and PhD programs.

The second thing to keep in mind is that instructional designers develop content to be used by trainers, instructors, teachers, or other designers, with the purpose of enhancing instructional effectiveness and outcomes. They decide on the most effective instructional delivery methods for a given set of skills and knowledge. Hence, this requires an in-depth knowledge of educational psychology, understanding the learner, and determining the best instructional media to incorporate.

As a future student, you ought to consider several issues when selecting your ideal program or university. It is important to think about your future professional goals, your expertise and interests, distance learning options, and the cost of the program.

Something else to look for when doing your search is the name that the programs might be listed as. Common program titles are: Computer Education, Educational Technology, Instructional Design and Development, Instructional Technology, Instructional Systems Technology, Learning Technologies, Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation, Instructional Design and Technology and Instructional and Performance Technology. It is important to know this as this may be an indication of the types of courses you would be taking.

Another important consideration is whether your prospective graduate program is accredited. Being accredited mean that the program has undergone self-evaluation, it has been reviewed by peers and peer institutions, and accreditation bodies. Accreditation bodies are tasked with evaluating program to ensure that they conform to established standards that address the goals, mission, objectives, curriculum, students, faculty, administration, finances, and physical facilities and resources. Most employers will require you to have a degree attained from an accredited program. In addition, if you ever need to transfer or join another program, your new institution will evaluate whether your degree is worthwhile.

Instructional design programs offer different areas of specialization to prepare their students. Instructional designers, instructional technologist, or e-learning specialists work in a variety of different settings in corporations, K-12 schools, universities, government, the military, and non-governmental organizations (NGO’s).

Whenever possible try and schedule a visit to the institution that you are interested in and talk to the instructors and students. Ask them questions about internships, jobs, employment, the kinds of courses you will be taking and the general structure of the programs. Check out the classrooms, library resources, and computer labs to see what is available to the students. This information will help you in making final decisions.

You will generally have an academic advisor assigned to you to help you develop a good program of study. Various institutions have different course requirements and some departments do offer special tracks such as multimedia or evaluation specializations. This however is dependent on the overall structure of the program and the available electives.

Instructional design is a growing field for people who enjoy training, working with learners, developing multimedia, and designing instructional content. The profession has established a broad knowledge base in learning psychology, cultural studies, and media studies. The profession continues to expand as more organizations move toward e-learning, human performance technology, and other instructional modes.

Six things learners need to know to be successful when learning online

With the globalization of the economy have come many changes. Distance is no longer an obstacle to communication; labour crosses borders; jobs change; and people change jobs frequently. And because of all these changes, lifelong education becomes particularly important in this knowledge-based economy.

But education on-campus at university or college is not possible for many people because jobs or other commitments make it impossible for them to attend on-campus classes. Online learning provides a flexible solution for such people. Unfortunately, many learners enter an online program without realising the problems they need to face. Thus, all too often they are disappointed with their first experience of this new mode of learning. To avoid this, there are six things that the learner should watch out for.

When you study on-campus, other people organise much of your study time. With online learning, you have to organise it yourself. So be organised ” manage your time. Set aside a regular time in your diary for study of the material as if you were attending classes. And complete assignments well before the due dates. That way you have time to check them and also avoid those last minute things that go wrong when youre late. Do not be a poor time manager.

With the world of work and our living environment constantly changing, you need to be constantly learning new ways of doing things. To be successful, you need a desire for life-long learning. And this is precisely what you should have or wish to develop in yourself ” a desire to learn.

Unfortunately, many of us were not taught how to learn. Instead we were only taught to remember things and to apply rules. Somewhere along the way we were expected to acquire the skills to acquire knowledge. In todays world it is essential that we know how to learn. In particular, learning online requires that you develop these skills. This not only means having the technical skills of how find books or web sites on a topic, it also means having well-developed critical reading and thinking skills.

For many of us, our school experience has taught us to be passive learners ” we were told the knowledge, we learned it by rote and then we repeated it in an exam. Passive learning seemed to be a useful strategy for success. Unfortunately, that is not a useful strategy for success in todays world, or, indeed, in online learning. If you are learning online, the courseware often includes questions, exercises and further reading so that your learning can be active rather than passive. You must make sure that you complete all the exercises and that you thoroughly interact with the material.

One of the good things about learning on-campus is that you are surrounded by other people learning the same stuff and so lots of learning actually happens in informal discussions with those people. So, when learning online, try to find a learning group, either in your area or online. You can then take part in social learning ” and you will find that you only truly know something when you try to explain it to someone else.

Dont be tempted to buy a qualification from a diploma mill – a business that simply prints diplomas and degrees. Such qualifications are worthless in the eyes of employers and genuine educational institutions, so will just be a waste of your money. Always take an accredited program from an accredited institution.