Advantages and Disadvantages Of Getting Your Online Graduate Degree

Posted on December 28, 2011 by admin

Working online to get that degree definitely requires self-discipline and motivation. You don’t have to go to class at a specific time or place so you have to be able to schedule your time to include working on your courses. It is important to consider both the pros and cons of getting your degree online.

Make sure you honestly assess your personal circumstances, your specific goals and priorities, and what your needs are when it comes to social interaction versus private studying before you make the decision to study online.

Advantages

The positive aspects of online learning are very appealing. To start with, you can work at home or anywhere you have an accessible computer. You don’t have to travel to get to class so there is no commuting time or expense. Because you work at your own pace and schedule, you can continue to work while you take classes.

Another advantage is that you can live anywhere and yet attend the university or academic institution of your choice. Over 60% of the colleges and universities in the United States offer online courses and many of these include online graduate degrees. This option for furthering your education is flexible and convenient which is often a great choice for anyone with a family or other responsibilities.

Imagine sitting down to work on your graduate degree after the kids go to sleep or on the weekends. With online courses you can study at your pace, not at the pace set by other students in the class or the teacher. This type of schooling is especially beneficial for those students who excel at written communication over expressing themselves verbally.

Online graduate degree programs are especially focused on individual research and expression. Students benefit from having their course work tailored to their needs. Online classes encourage participants to keep abreast of new technologies. Students will get plenty of experience in utilizing the Internet and all types of office software programs. This experience will transfer into the workforce.

It is impossible for gregarious students to monopolize the classroom discussions so less social students will be able to get more out of the online discussions. Work done will stand on its own merit and there is no opportunity for the classroom to become a popularity contest.

Disadvantages

You have to have the proper tools to be able to study online. This includes a computer, high-speed internet and the appropriate software. Make sure you include these items in your budget. It is important that you have basic computer skills and are willing to learn more. This will probably include needing to troubleshoot minor problems.

While scheduling can be flexible, you must be prepared to meet assignment due dates and make some adjustments concerning your other responsibilities. Working towards an online graduate degree will probably take longer than if you went to school full-time. You must be able to plan and work unsupervised. Self-motivation and dedication are important traits to have if you are going to make this work.

Working on your own means you won’t have any face-to-face contact with your teacher or other students. This may lead to a feeling of isolation. Many students come to feel detached from the process and become depressed at the lack of feedback.

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Technology for an Effective Online Graduate Degree

Posted on December 28, 2011 by admin

Many colleges and universities that offer online graduate degree programs effectively use new technologies and a wide variety of media to allow students to pursue these degrees.

Web-based learning starts with an online campus website. These virtual learning environments allow online students to login and receive information as well as interact with fellow online students. One of the most important things that you can do if you plan to enroll in an online program is to make sure you have a good computer with high-speed Internet. Otherwise utilizing some of the media requirements for your courses will be frustrating.

Course Management Systems

Many online graduate degree institutions utilize course management systems that allow instructors and students the ability to interact with each other, to track assignments and progress and they often offer much more. The most popular course management systems are eCollege, Moodle, and Blackboard.

For the most part this software is simple to use. The student simple goes to the institutions assigned website and logs in with a user name and password. At this point the student is directed to class assignments, correspondence from teachers or other students and depending on the type of class, be directed to a “virtual” classroom.

Virtual Classrooms

Some online graduate degree courses may require students to utilize a virtual classroom. This simply means that students may be required to make use of streaming video or audio to watch or listen to a lecture. This is done directly on the computer or you may even be able to download the video or audio to your IPOD or other portable devise.

Then you can watch or listen to the information as often as you want or wherever you want. These options have proven to be such an advantage for students that many traditional onsite classes now offer lectures in the same manner.

Online graduate degree programs will inevitably have a lot of reading. You will need to be able to access Word documents and PDF files. These files can be downloaded and printed to make them easier to use. If the technology is new to you it can be a little overwhelming at first. Most online institutions have the resources to help new students get familiar and comfortable with the technology so this shouldn’t scare you off.

Still Use Textbooks

Even though this is the digital age, textbooks are still in use. Sometimes those textbooks are available as ebooks and can be housed on readers, computers or even IPODs and similar devices. But traditional textbooks are still very much a part of the learning experience.

Back It Up

Your computer is going to be a very vital part of getting your online degree. You will be working on assignments, gathering notes, and putting your academic life on the line. Make sure you take the precaution of backing up your files and information on a daily or at least weekly basis. Months or even years worth of work can be lost in the blink of an eye. Even backing up to a set of flash drives is preferable to doing nothing.

Diploma and Transcript

Online graduate degree diplomas and transcripts look the same as those earned by on-campus students. The diplomas don’t specify that you earned your degree online. Online programs are growing and gaining in both popularity and acceptance. Over sixty percent of all colleges and universities offer online studies of some type. This includes schools like Duke University, Harvard and Pennsylvania State University.

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Accredited Online Graduate Degree Programs

Posted on December 28, 2011 by admin

An online graduate degree is a master’s or doctorate degree you earn from an online school or the online program at a university. After you’ve achieved a bachelors or other undergraduate degree you can work on a graduate degree online. It is important that you choose an accredited online graduate school program to earn your degree.

Understanding What Accredited Means

Colleges, universities and other institutions of higher learning have to abide by established standards in order to be validated or accredited. This process ensures that the education you are receiving meets specific guidelines. These guidelines are generally established through a review process. The review is done by or facilitated by a group of faculty members from already accredited institutions.

The basis of the review is to assess items like the overall mission of the school, the goals and objectives the institution plans to reach, the admission requirements that must be met by students who wish to enroll in the school and what resources the school has to meet student needs. Other items that will be reviewed and qualified are what support services are available for students and at how well the faculty and class offerings meet established measurement standards.

New schools have to go through this process as well as established schools have to renew their accreditation on a regular basis to keep their standing. This peer-review method is not only used for online schools, but for brick and mortar institutions as well. In the United States this process is not overseen by the government nor is the process mandated by law.

The voluntary process is managed by regional and national agencies. The criteria to identify the judges and the process are evaluated by the government to ensure the accrediting agencies meet specific guidelines while doing their job.

Accreditation is Important

It is important to choose an accredited school in order to receive value from the degree you receive or the course that you pay for. Degrees earned from non-accredited institutions may not be recognized by employers. Course credits earned from a non-credited school may not be transferable to other schools.

Accredited online schools often have to overcome the bad reputation that is generated by so-called “diploma mills” that grant degrees without making sure the students have earned those degrees by successfully completing the appropriate qualifications for the degree.

Be aware that some online graduate schools will use words like recognized, authorized or licensed. This does not mean accredited. Pursuing accreditation does not mean accredited. There are also organizations that say they are accredited or are approved by an accreditation agency, but the agencies aren’t recognized by the US Department of Education.

Truly accredited institutions will offer the name of the accreditation agency and you will be able to visit the US Department of Education’s website and verify the agency’s credentials. You can also check with CHEA, or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This is an agency that isn’t associated with the government but they assist recognized agencies coordinate information, policy and other issues. CHEA has a list of all the regional and national agencies that meet the stringent standards necessary to bestow accreditation on a school or institute.

CHEA’s website even maintains a search function so that you can enter either the state where the school is based or the name of the institution and the database will verify if the online school has been accredited by a reputable agency. They do this not only for the United States but also for international schools.

Having accreditation still doesn’t mean that all or any of your credits will transfer to all schools. But this is true with brick and mortar schools as well. Many factors are considered when it comes to transferring credits. Schools will look at what you are studying in your current program as well as any past degree programs you’ve completed. They will also look at your grades and how long the course lasted.

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