Learning Online Info

Is Online Schooling Right For You?

Guest Blogger — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:47:40 +0000

Online learning programs are becoming increasingly popular largely due to the increased accessibility of this method of education.

Benefits of Online Schooling Programs
Also known as distance learning, online schooling has a number of benefits. These include:

Convenience and Access for Students in Rural Areas – Students can complete the class anywhere they have access to a computer and the internet without long commutes to a physical campus
More Accommodations for Learning Disabilities – Online classes are often more user-friendly for those with disabilities especially for students who already possess computer technology adapted for their particular needs.
Lower Costs – Fees for such on campus factors as meal plans, housing, text books, and miscellaneous fees covering other campus expenses are avoided for online programs

Yet, even with such benefits, many students who are used to attending campus in a physical location with face to face instruction may wonder if online schooling options are right for them. One thing to consider when making this decision is the different types of online options that are available.

Types of Online Education Learning Options
There are several types of online education options, predominantly defined by the amount of time the students spends online vs. in a physical classroom with live instruction, when completing a certificate or degree program. The most common types of online education are:

Individual Credit or Non-Credit Courses – Colleges often offer the ability to take or audit certain classes online either at the school the student attends or at another school. Classes can be synchronous (requiring instructors and students to be online at the same time in order to receive credit for the lecture, discussion or activity) or asynchronous (class materials can be accessed by the student at any time).
Blended or Hybrid Courses – These courses mix classroom instruction with online instruction. Commonly instruction is split fairly evenly between face to face class time and online class time while assignments, activities, discussions and often tests are completed online. The number of blended courses available differs by college but is generally significantly less than traditional classroom or fully online courses.
Low Residency Online Degree Programs – While most of the degree requirements for this type of program can be completed online, students are required to attend short classes, day-long or weekend-long workshops. Residency requirements differ by school and degree program.
Online Certificate or Degree Programs – These programs allow the student to complete all requirements for a certificate or degree online, with no residency requirement included.

Even with all these options, however, many students wonder if an online education is right for them.

Determining if Distance Learning is the Best Option for Your Education
There are a number of factors to consider when deciding if an online education is the best fit for you. While motivation and independence play a large part in successful online learning, there are other important internal and external determinants of whether distance learning is a good match for an individual student. Internal characteristics are those that are intrinsic to the individual.

Important internal characteristics for success in online learning programs include:

Learning Style – Those who learn best through visual and kinesthetic (based on movement) channels tend to be comfortable with online learning since it involves a great deal of reading and typing. Auditory learners are less comfortable outside a traditional classroom setting since they are more successful when they can listen to the material as it is presented orally and process it as the hear it.
Self-Motivation and Organization – Those who are internally motivated and do not need others to keep them on track perform best in online courses. A successful online student must be able to organize the components of the class. It is also crucial for online students to be able to organize their schedules in order to balance course requirements with other responsibilities in their lives.
Independence and Time Management Skills – Completing an online course or degree requires the ability to work well with minimal external structure and the capacity to impose structure without the need for outside guidance. In addition, online work requires the self-discipline to set and meet individually determined goals.

Important external characteristics for success in online learning programs include:

Time Availability – While asynchronous courses are more flexible than classroom based courses, there are still required deadlines. In addition, though many assume online classes aren’t as time-consuming as traditional classroom courses, most online courses require more time per week to complete, generally around 15-20 hours weekly vs. 10-15 hours weekly for classroom courses.
Computer Competency – For online education to be a good fit, the student must be comfortable with basic computer technology including internet use, familiarity with programs like Word and Excel and the ability to learn the specific computer platform used to teach the course.
Expression of Ideas in Writing – Online courses involve correspondence via email. Courses also often require participation in discussions or synchronous chats. Therefore to be successful in online coursework students must be comfortable communicating about the course with your professor and fellow students online and be able to express your thoughts and opinions accurately in writing, sometimes in real-time.

So Is Online Schooling Right for Me?
There are numerous factors that predict whether online schooling is right for an individual student, some of which are intrinsic while others are extrinsic. If after reviewing the requirements of online learning, you are still uncertain, there are several interactive assessments available to aid your decision. Easily completed online, such assessments can help you determine your comfort with this type of learning and whether you possess the characteristics and skills needed to succeed in an online learning environment.

About the Author: Jessica Alan is a guidance counselor earning a counseling masters degree online from the comfort of her own home.

Is Online Schooling Right For You? is a post from Learning Online Info, a blog dedicated to the world of e-learning and new learning technologies.

5 Useful Android Apps For Students

Jorge Goncalves — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:57:31 +0000

Gone are the days when mobile phones were just meant to be used for making and receiving calls and text messages because nowadays with the number of smartphones and iPhones available in the market, mobile phones have been transformed into PDAs. While iPhones may be synonymous with the image of a cool mobile phone, it is not an affordable option for everyone. Therefore those who cannot afford to get an iPhone can settle for smartphones featuring Android OS (operating system) which is just as useful as iPhone if not more.

For the contemporary generation, Android smartphones have become the friend, philosopher and guide for students. They help them study and organize their study materials better. The following is a list of top five useful Android apps that are meant for use by students:

Merriam-Webster Dictionary
This is definitely a must-have app for all students since it is not practical to carry a pocket dictionary with you everywhere. Dictionaries play a very important role in a student’s life and this app is best because it allows them to find out the meaning, synonyms and antonyms of words with the snap of a finger or rather the tap of a finger. The app also supports voice search and the best thing about this is that internet connectivity isn’t required to use it.

Android Scientific Calculator
This app can be downloaded from the Android marketplace just like the other apps. Even though scientific calculators have evolved and they are no longer big and bulky, but small and compact, students would still prefer this app over their scientific calculators any day. This app is considered to be the best for students and it is free of cost. One can use it for calculating degrees, fractions, complex mathematical problems, trigonometric problems, conversions and much more.

Evernote for Android
Evernote has long been in the list of ‘top 10 must-have apps’. This app is not just useful for students but just about everyone from businessmen to homemakers, office-goers and school-going kids. It is free and it can be used for the purpose of organizing one’s photos, ideas and videos. As a student, you can use it for tracking your study plans, managing your study materials, summarizing your notes, capturing photos of the whiteboards, preparing time tables, capturing important notes and many more. Don’t try cramping everything into your brain and use Evernote instead to help you to remember everything.

Aldiko Book Reader
Given the modern world that we are living in, students are bound to use certain e-books instead of using the traditional physical books all the time. To view such e-books you will require a good application like the Aldiko Book Reader. This one allows you to customize, highlight and copy the text. You can also download or buy e-book with this app.

My Budget Planner
Students generally have a hard time planning their budget because they have to balance so many expenses. Budget planning is required in order to have a successful financial life as a student and this app will help you plan your budget and manage your finances easily so that you will have money whenever you require it.

About the Author: Denis a contributor for http://www.carinsurancecomparison.org provided us with this free article on android apps.

5 Useful Android Apps For Students is a post from Learning Online Info, a blog dedicated to the world of e-learning and new learning technologies.

Top 10 Benefits of E-Learning Adoption for Schools

Jorge Goncalves — Thu, 10 May 2012 23:52:33 +0000

While many schools have begun adopting more online learning programs and are offering a wider range of online courses and tools, there are many out there still wary about the implications of online education. Schools like South University are offering both physical, in-class learning options as well as E-learning options that open the doors for a much larger number of students. And for those of us who have personally benefitted from various facets of online education, we already know how much of a blessing it can really be.

That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the biggest benefits of online learning; it’s our hope that more schools will give greater consideration to offering online options that can benefit an entirely new range of students in the future.

Boundary-less
The geographical boundaries associated with physical locations are virtually wiped out with online learning. Students can access content from anywhere around the world at anytime with the latest wireless technology. As more and more developing countries gain cheaper access to these technologies, online learning becomes more accessible as well.

Physical Space
E-learning undoubtedly decreases the physical space required to house students, and offers the unique advantage of learning from the comfort of one’s own home.

Degree Management
E-learning affords students the unique ability to manage their own course load and work toward getting their degree at their own pace. There are also a number of great online resources like Degree Scout to help find online schools and aid in the degree decision process.

Engagement
With many great new communication technologies emerging E-learning is increasingly engaging. Students can exchange ideas easier via live chats, video or audio conferencing, and by various modes of document sharing.

Live Feeds
Live reporting allows learners to get feedback from instructors and have one on one communication very rapidly and easily, letting them know where they stand academically and what they can improve on.

Less Learning Curve
With learners online going at their own pace, and being able to review material when they want and as frequently as they want, learning curves will be significantly reduced.

Teacher Freedom
As a teacher, online learning offers the ability to teach multiple courses at the same time. Professors can become more resourceful and helpful without spending so much time traveling to and from a physical classroom.

Reuse
Materials can easily be reused and updated quickly online. With the click of a few buttons, content can be virtually updated and instantaneously revamped.

Cost
E-learning is much more cost-effective than in-class learning on account of lower delivery costs of training, fast grading, reduced prep time for materials, and eliminated travel and housing expenses.

Eco-Friendly
It’s no surprise that with much less travel, and virtually no paper or printing costs, online education is a very environmentally friendly enterprise.

These are just some of the many reasons why implementing online courses or teaching methods could be a good fit for any teacher or institution. While we’re certainly not recommending that E-learning take over your entire existing physical education systems, utilizing or implemented hybrid systems with online education may be a great consideration and benefit to you. Online learning can allow you to keep your current student base, while simultaneously expanding your reach, students’ reach, and attract new students from around the world all the same.

Image credits:Ronfromyork | Dreamstime.com

Top 10 Benefits of E-Learning Adoption for Schools is a post from Learning Online Info, a blog dedicated to the world of e-learning and new learning technologies.

3 Ways to Supplement an Online Education

Jorge Goncalves — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 13:27:13 +0000

The online education route is becoming an increasingly popular way for students to obtain degrees and educations in a number of fields. There is no doubt that it affords numerous great benefits including levels of schedule flexibility, personal freedom, and personal comfort that many physical institutions just can’t offer. But there are some additional things that students taking online classes should consider doing to supplement their educations that can be very helpful in landing a job after degree completion. Here are just three of those supplements for your consideration.

Internships

Although many people take the online education route because they don’t have enough spare time or means for getting to a physical institution, if you can manage it, getting an internship can be a huge step to help you land a job upon completion of your online education. Many internships offer part-time or very part-time positions that can still give you valuable experience that will make you a better candidate for future employers. Check out a list of sites that offer plenty of internship postings. There are bound to be multiple that will fit the profile of what you’re seeking.

Job Resources

Using the internet to figure out some beneficial resources for finding jobs is something you should do prior to graduation. There are some great job placement agencies out there that can be of immense service to you in finding a job after obtaining your degree. Do some research to figure out the best job resources for your particular needs.

Mock Interviews

Many students receiving their education through online courses don’t have the benefit of getting personal mock interview experience. Do some research on the types of questions asked most often in an interview setting, and get a friend or family member to sit down with you and ask you some of these questions. Getting comfortable with certain responses and questions is a great way to be ready for the real thing when that day comes.

No matter how far along in your education you happen to be, preparing for a job search in your field of study is something that you can start doing now. There are tons of comprehensive and helpful online resources out there to help you get comfortable with all the various aspects associated with finding a new job once you graduate. Keep up the hard work and look to the future at the same time.

3 Ways to Supplement an Online Education is a post from Learning Online Info, a blog dedicated to the world of e-learning and new learning technologies.

Time is Money: Assessing the True Benefits of an Online Education

Guest Blogger — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:31:35 +0000

Just like their campus-based counterparts, online universities are not created equal. Telling the best online colleges apart from glorified degree-printers is tough when the web is awash with online education offerings. Seriously, try Googling “online college” or seeking out Miami college information and see if you can find some objective insight out there. Yet an accredited online degree program has its advantages. Mainly, it’ll cut some costs and save you time. It’s the balance of these savings that can help you determine the true value of your online education.

Let’s start by focusing on what colleges stand to save by offering courses online. The costs of powering a classroom are stripped away, such as utilities and custodial necessities, but that’s about it. Everything else that goes into the cost of a course still applies. You still have the professor, who undoubtedly gets paid the same. You still have the academic infrastructure behind the online course to pay for: admissions, the registrar, server management, et cetera. The savings for the school are seemingly minimal. Therefore, it can’t be expected of an online program to be drastically cheaper than traditional courses and campus classes.

Not would a significantly cheaper education be a good thing. It would mean that somewhere down the line the college is cutting costs in a major way. That’s great, but you have to ask yourself: why aren’t traditional colleges cutting these costs too? While perhaps they are and are refusing to pass the savings down to the students, the likelihood is that an online college, if not legitimate, could be paying staff significantly less or providing students with a less-than-standard quality of education.

So it can be said that the costs of a college class whether online or otherwise should roughly come out to about the same, relative to the particular program. Discrepancies should be treated as red flags instead of bargains. Double check discount online programs before the enrollment process begins.

The true savings netted from an online degree program comes in the form of time. Yet with that said, it’s not exactly what you think. Many people believe an online degree program can get done in two years what takes typical college goers double that time to achieve. The truth is: probably not. More likely than not, you’ll shave a few months off your academic career.

But to say that’s not worth it is to improperly price your time. Those extra few months are a valuable moment in your life where you can be getting a head start in the job market. They’re certainly worth the “you’re on your own” style of most online colleges.

That’s not to mention that you stand to save an extraordinary amount of time every day by avoiding the campus commute and the lulls of the classroom. With a worthy online education, you skip all of that and go straight into the material. For working professionals, that’s an essential factor of why many choose to take college courses online.

It “might” only save you a few hundred bucks in the long run, but that’s not the point of an online education. It’s a streamlined version of traditional accredited learning, so the value of the education itself remains almost entirely intact. Instead, the savings are all in the time. I don’t have to tell you that saving time IS saving money. If that’s going to be the fundamental lesson you take away from your college experience, I’d say it was more than worth it.

Time is Money: Assessing the True Benefits of an Online Education is a post from Learning Online Info, a blog dedicated to the world of e-learning and new learning technologies.

Latest e-Learning Tool: Robot Teachers

Guest Blogger — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 11:04:18 +0000

Probably this seems to be on the mind of researchers in South Korea. They have been putting in serious effort to get robots accompany human teachers in classrooms. Sometimes, robots may serve the primary teacher, and even the stand alone ones without human guidance! During the second decade, robots may be replacing many English-speaking teachers in South Korean institutions.

The robot teacher
This should be similar to the e-learning environment which the internet now provides to its creative learners. If this shapes up, the researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology can emerge with an army of robots to deliver English instructions to school children, delivering the most elaborate online-learning effort yet.

The robots are being designed from the ground up, and will possibly posses realistic facial features, with arms and gestures, and sensors allowing them to keep their distance from students. These brightly colored penguin-like three feet tall robots know speech, transmit audio, reveal expressions and roll around. Besides, they can help you with pronunciation. They are operational in two manners- either teaches through pre-programmed exercises or with the help of a human operator (via the internet).

The need for robot teacher
Robots have been made to help humans since long, whether in the form of the EcoBot (which powers itself by eating flies) or the NeuroArm (made to help the neurosurgeon get into your head). For South Korea, the need for robot teachers is mainly due to its lack of native English speaking teachers. This effort can serve an improvement for local teachers having inadequate knowledge on the subject.

For this technology driven nation, designing robots seems to be a chosen option over ‘importing’ foreign talent. Another reason emerges to be the attraction which these toy-like creatures may create for children, scoring over the boring Webcam.

The idea is to increase the role of robots, and decrease the role of human teachers. However, human teachers are not supposedly going to vanish!

Extended manifestation of this technology
It is anticipated that in the long run, these robots will emerge cheaper than ‘importing’ English-speaking teachers. Another advantage which the team is pointing to is the elimination of ‘moral problems’. Robots also do not break the law, which has emerged a concern for the government in the past.

With robots around, learning sessions may not remain restricted to classrooms. These robots can potentially deliver beyond class-hours, learn as they teach and behave highly informed instructors. Their skill can find specific applicability in treating developmental problems in autistic patients. This project has a whooping $100 million support from the South Korean government, and engages about 300 researchers.

Besides South Korea, many countries have been testing teaching machines in classrooms. According to the University of Washington, robots can provide the right kind of technology at a crucial period in child’s development. This can potentially supplement learning in the classroom. However, robots completely replacing human teachers seem impractical. They can probably work best complementary to human beings.

Still time to go…..
This year itself, South Korea may operate several robots in preschools. In a demonstration at the research lab, the robots revealed encouraging gestures although they shall be trained further to deliver better. For a country like South Korea, robotics indulging in the chores, besides teaching, should not appear unusual. But time shall judge the usefulness of robotics for the entire human species.

There are cultural, political, and religious implications of this idea. Most computer scientists are of the opinion that they have no intention (and capability) to replace human teachers.

Technology can play incredibly in educating people; however, there are many schools which still restrict their skills to the old and tested thoughts.

About the author: Margaret is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on environment and technology. Beside this she is fond of books. She recently did an article on honeywell wind turbine. These days she is busy in writing an article on charlie baker.

Latest e-Learning Tool: Robot Teachers is a post from Learning Online Info, a blog dedicated to the world of e-learning and new learning technologies.

Top Web 2.0 Tools for Learning

Guest Blogger — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:03:55 +0000

Web 2.0 tools have a lot of importance when we consider collaborative learning methods. Web 2.0 tools are useful for effective learning and finding better results with less effort. Here are the top 10 web 2.0 tools for learning.

Wikis
Through wikis, we are able to learn everything that reached human’s hand. It is a powerful tool to create a useful content to share it with fewer efforts. You can embed any kind of content to wikis and hence the learning becomes easy and special. Take a look at Wikispaces for some great examples.

Blogs
With the large number of blogs around the web, we are able to know everything in this world. Also there is a possibility to meet a large community through blogs if you wish. Edublogs, based on WordPress, is one of the largest networks of educational blogs used by teachers and students. Highly recommended.

Empressr
Empressr is an effective tool that allows you to upload images, videos, music and audio to make a final video. The video can be shared publicly to reach a large amount of audience. Students and teachers can make use of this to make study materials, presentations etc.

Animoto
Animoto is a video presentation maker that allows you to create your own videos with images and caption effects. Students and teachers can experience the free service for creating unlimited videos for class seminars and presentations. Also they offer a paid service.

Kerpoof
As the name seems different, its services are special. Kerpoof is a website which will be useful for businessmen and students to draw graphics, create animations and movies. Kerpoof’s easily manageable tools will help you to draw whatever is in your mind. You may save or convert the output according to your needs.

Voicethread
It is an online tool which is being used by a lot of schools and colleges worldwide. Through Voicethread, you are able to upload your images and videos to add text, audio comments later. It will be a great experience to create study materials yourself through Voicethread.

Glogster EDU
It is another online tool that allows teachers and students to create and use virtual class rooms and tutoring materials such as presentations. Class rooms are called as Glogs. Students will have the ability to express and share their skills, creativity and knowledge through their glogs.

Skype
Skype is a familiar service to all of us. Skype offers free voice and video calling with other skype users around the world. It helps us to conduct virtual class rooms sitting at home! Skype is mostly being used by professionals, students and teachers.

Create-A-Graph
It is a good online tool which allows us to draw graphs such as Bar, Line, Pie, Area and XY graphs. This tool will be useful for students and researchers to summarize their data. Totally millions of graphs are already created by the users in this site till the date.

Voki
Are you having some difficulties to pronounce something? Let the Voki clear your vocal problems. Voki is a text to speech converter which is able to generate the speech of text you entered. You can create your own avatar and add voice to it. Finally you may include it in your website or blog.

Web 2.0 tools are the sophisticated learning tools available today for students and teachers. Most of the web 2.0 tools are available for free of cost and there is no country restriction to use these valuable tools.

About the author: Margaret is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on environment and automotto. She recently did an article on full windsor. These days she is busy in writing an article on automotto.

Top Web 2.0 Tools for Learning is a post from Learning Online Info, a blog dedicated to the world of e-learning and new learning technologies.

Academic Subjects that Best Lend Themselves to Online Learning

Guest Blogger — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 19:39:02 +0000

When looking to study online, there are some classes that are meant for independent study and distance learning. These classes do not require much hand on experience. Most of the work for these courses is in understanding the information and applying it to real life situations. There are several topic that are great for online learning.

Psychology Courses Online
Psychology is a great subject to study online. There is a lot to learn in this field, including the parts of the brain and how each one works. There are also many theories to analyze. A psychology student can learn a lot by examining case studies and applying what they have learned to those cases. Psychology often does not require lab work or an internship making it a great subject to learn online.

Online Business Studies
Business is another great subject to study through distance education. This program requires learning important concepts and applying them to real life situations. In business, a person also needs to spend time online looking up the new statistics and laws. Business does not require an internship in most cases, which means the coursework can be done online. Business meetings can be held via web conference or telephone so there is no need to travel. Business is great for those who are not able to attend a traditional classroom but still want to get a degree. There are also many great MBA programs online for those who are looking for further their education in the business field.

Criminal Justice Online
Criminal Justice can now be studied online. This program gives a person the training to work with lawyers, probation officers, or in the court system. All the information that has to be learned can be done at home. The course material is available on the internet or in a textbook. Any legal information or cases that need to be studied are most likely going to be found through an online source. This is another program for those that want to study and receive a degree from an online school. Criminal justice is a growing field with many employment possibilities. It is one of the most popular degree programs with online learners.

Cyber Security
The internet opens many new doors for people. Unfortunately not all people have the best intentions. There has to be someone monitoring on the internet to keep people safe. A degree in cyber security is relatively new, but much-needed. This degree program teaches a person how to spot hackers, online predators, and viruses. This program is based around the internet so it is appropriate that it is offered as an internet class. A person can review the coursework and apply what they have learned right at their computer. Cyber Security is needed to keep unsuspecting people who use the internet safe.

Taking course online is increasing in popularity. Many top schools are now offering their education through online classes. When choosing an online school, make sure it is accredited and any certifications are accepted by the state. Online learning often offers accelerated programs so a person can have their degree in less time then attending a traditional campus.

Adam Greene is a former online student and financial writer comparing masters in taxation programs to recommend the right one to his readers.

Academic Subjects that Best Lend Themselves to Online Learning is a post from Learning Online Info, a blog dedicated to the world of e-learning and new learning technologies.

Online Doesn’t Always Mean Online: 4 Hybrid Subjects

Guest Blogger — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 22:22:24 +0000

Online classes are specifically designed for those who are pressed for time and seek the luxury of being able to “attend” classes whenever their schedule allows via the internet. This opens up a whole new world of opportunity for those that can’t go to a traditional college. But just because there is a plethora of online degree programs to choose from, doesn’t mean that you’ll necessary be able to conduct everything in cyberspace—there are certain unique “hybrid” programs (sometimes also called “blended learning”) that require an in-person component in order to fulfill degree requirements. That said, if you feel as though you won’t ever have the time to strip yourself away from the computer to earn your degree at least one point during your college career, then you should definitely not pursue the programs listed below.

Online Nursing, Physical Therapy & Vet Tech Programs
If you want to pursue a career in the medical industry but only want to do the course strictly online, then it’s your best bet is to pursue something more on the administrative side, like medical billing and coding. This is because if you want a career that will require in-person patient care, such as nursing or physical therapy, you’re going to need in-person patient training. It only makes sense. But most online programs don’t mandate this portion until the end of the program—so if you don’t have time the first year or so, you don’t need to worry about it right away. At the end of the program however, students are sent to a designated hospital or facility to complete clinical hours. At this time students learn how to speak with patients, administer actual shots, work on muscles etc. Those pursuing a vet tech degree are also sent to practice treatment on actual animals. If the school you’re considering enrolling in says you can earn your degree without getting any type of “hands-on” experience you should really investigate the school further—chances that it’s a fraudulent school is high.

Online Chemistry & Other Hard Sciences Programs
No matter if you want to pursue an online degree in chemistry, biology, physical science or any of the other “hard” sciences, you’ll need to conduct labs and other experiments to fully grasp what you are learning. These experiments typically have to be monitored by a proctor since an inexperienced individual can really hurt him or herself—not to mention that the tools and equipment are generally inaccessible to the average public. Therefore, most science programs will require its online students to go to the school’s brick and mortar location or some other designated facility when labs come around. Labs typically happen as early as the first semester, so you need to make sure you have some time to complete them when scheduled.

Engineering
Similar to hard science programs, no matter what specific engineering program you decide to take they too are also heavily focused on labs and experiments—after all, “engineering” isn’t something that only focuses on theoretical concepts.

Fashion/ Interior Design
Last but certainly not least are fashion and interior design degrees. End of year assignments typically include creating an ensemble from scratch or remodeling a room from the bottom up. Photos don’t suffice since the naked eye isn’t equipped to be able to identify quality by sight alone. Therefore, at some point you’ll need to show off your work to a professor or some other trained professional.

Online courses are a great option for those who can attend traditional school. Just make sure that it’s not a hybrid program if you can’t squeeze in some additional in-person time.

Alvina Lopez is a freelance writer and blog junkie, who blogs about accredited online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: alvina.lopez @gmail.com.

Image by 24x7learning.com [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Online Doesn’t Always Mean Online: 4 Hybrid Subjects is a post from Learning Online Info, a blog dedicated to the world of e-learning and new learning technologies.

Stay Productive in Your Online Classes

Guest Blogger — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 11:49:34 +0000

Completing online classes, you work on and submit your assignments in your own time and in your own way. For most students, that flexibility represents the principal advantage of online study. It can, however, degenerate into the class’s greatest threat, because it allows for lots of avoidance and procrastination. You know that big assignments buried in small print can sneak-up and ambush you. In order to avoid digital disaster, you must restructure all the old school rules to fit with your virtual circumstances.

Different school. Same rules. Although they keep score according to your log-ins and time on the website, your instructors do “take attendance” in your online classes, and some will exact penalties for excessive absence. Instructors also strictly enforce minimum word counts for class “discussions,” and many administer quizzes to make sure you keep up with your reading. Although you need not appear in a classroom and mind your manners, you do have to satisfy the virtual equivalents of the traditional school rules. Therefore, simultaneously capitalizing on your class’s flexibility and complying with the rules, set a regular schedule for your study and homework. Your instructor probably requires three log-ins each week. Make three appointments with yourself, and use the time to stay not just current but a little ahead of the class schedule. Five weeks pass very quickly.

Structure and discipline support excellent performance. Nearly 80 percent of online students juggle full-time work and families with their college classes. Among those highly motivated, frequently over-caffeinated, always-stressed students, about half do their coursework as time permits. The other half strictly manage their time, scheduling study time according to their biological rhythms, and working-out the details with their families so they get the peace and quiet they need. Not surprisingly, the “random” group earns C’s; the self-disciplined group earns A’s. The moral to the story: Although you have lots of latitude, you still must have structure and discipline to earn good grades in your online classes.

Focus. Then, more focus. If you do your homework when you’re exhausted, and especially if you do your homework in the hour before it’s due, everything about your performance will look “a little fuzzy.” Fatigue will detract from your reading comprehension, so that quiz and test scores will suffer. Stress will detract from the quality of your writing, so that you will lose points on discussions and papers. Do your best to schedule your study during your personal “prime times,” the times of day when you naturally feel most awake and alert. If you must study during off-peak times, do not try to substitute energy drinks and coffee for natural focus and concentration; the buzz will turn to a blur. Instead, lower the temperature in your study area, and transform your assignments from passive to active, taking lots of notes or regularly quizzing yourself to stay on-task.

Engage with the material. Back in the good old days when course materials came in book form, you probably learned a study technique called “SQ3R”—survey, question, read, recite, review. The technique helped you stay engaged with the textbooks by transforming every study session into dress rehearsal for a test. Your all-new and generally improved online course materials follow the same design standards your textbooks did, so that SQ3R works even better with the stuff on your monitor than it worked with the stuff on the raggedy old textbook pages. Reprise those old skills in electronic form, so that you are constantly reading and answering questions about your reading. Promoting your engagement with the texts, you naturally will increase your comprehension; and that increased comprehension translates immediately to higher test scores and better discussion grades.

Interact with your classmates and instructor. Just as they would shy away from controversy in “real life” classroom discussions, so most online students become victims of their own classroom courtesy, forfeiting great opportunities to learn and grow from spirited discussion and debate. Next time you enter your virtual classroom and develop a discussion post, take time to read all of your classmates’ posts. Count how many times you see “good post” and “I agree.” Then, ask yourself, “Who learns anything from that stuff?” Face the inescapable fact that your classmates make mistakes, sometimes fail to get the point, and occasionally make controversial statements of their own. Help them correct their mistakes, get the point, and benefit from their controversies by asking lots and lots and lots of questions. Get even more aggressive with questions about your instructor’s responses. The more you inquire, the more you will learn.

Take advantage of the flexibility built into your online classes, but beware the risk that comes with the flexibility. Most of all, make sure you maintain the foundation of your academic success: Make sure your colleagues and supervisors at work understand the importance of your college study, and make even more certain your family knows what your degree means to you and will mean for their quality of life.

Ryan Carter is a writer and finance consultant earning his masters degree in accounting online in his spare time.

Stay Productive in Your Online Classes is a post from Learning Online Info, a blog dedicated to the world of e-learning and new learning technologies.