So it's a new year, a new you, and you're ready to go back to school. It's time to finish the degree you've been longing to wrap up, or get the certification you need for that big promotion at work. But you can't quite figure out how to juggle mid-afternoon lectures, after-class discussions, and late-night study groups with your full-time job, two kids, three cats, four best friends, five aunts, six PTA meetings, seven loads of laundry and that partridge in a pear tree.
Don't fear, my friends. Just because a traditional campus curriculum doesn't fit into your lifestyle doesn't mean you can't go back to school. The revolution has begun-the online distance learning revolution, that is. And it's going to help you get the degree you want or the certification you need on your own time at your own pace.
Believe it or not, "distance learning" courses (as they're often called) have actually been around for over 100 years. According to the Distance Education Training Council's website, "since 1890, more than 130 million Americans have studied at DETC member institutions, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Walter P. Chrysler, Walter Cronkite, Barry Goldwater, [and] Charles Schulz."
Back in the days of Franklin D. and Walter P., distance learning consisted of written letters and materials sent via snail mail from professor to student. Today, thanks to the wonders of the world wide web, they offer a whole host of ways to help you get your degree/certification/diploma via online discussion threads, videoconferencing, podcasting, live chats and much more. These varied educational tolls provide benefits you can't get at one a regular campus, including:
- Flexibility
You can study on your own time-before you take the kids to school, at a coffee shop in the middle of the afternoon, or after David Letterman's Top Ten.
- Control
You'll control the pace of your studies, with the ability to review materials and lectures as often as you like.
- Experience
Get valuable experience with web-based media such as threaded discussions, live chats, web-based videos, videoconferencing and podcasts. (I still haven't figured out exactly what a podcast is.)
- Advancement
You can stay on your career path while you study, so you don't have to give up that promotion you've been busting your hump to get.
- Accessibility
Maybe you're a forest ranger who lives on top of a mountain 1,000 miles away from the nearest college campus. Through online programs, you can work towards your degree anywhere, anytime. And for those of you who live in a metropolitan area, online learning means less commuting. (Just think of all that dough you'll save on gas and parking tickets.)
What makes it even more attractive is that thanks to the boom in online learning, there are distance learning programs for virtually everything and anything. There are distance learning programs for people who want to get their GED, learn how to draft architectural plans, or earn their doctorate in astrophysics. (Just make sure that whatever program you choose is accredited-meaning it's been studied and reviewed by its peers and meets industry standards. To find out if a particular school has accreditation, visit the Distance and Education Council's website.
Still not sold? Keep in mind that an online education is every bit as good as what you'd get at a traditional campus. In fact, it may be better. According to "Evolution of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning," a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education in 2009 regarding online learning, "on average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction." It makes sense, given that online learning allows you to make your own study schedule and participate in a vibrant online community, rather than be stuck in the back of a lecture hall with 300+ students at 8:00 a.m. on a Monday morning. (And let's be honest with ourselves. You know you fell asleep in the back of the lecture hall anyways.)
Noel Rozny writes the bi-weekly career blog mypathfinder for the myFootpath website. myFootpath is a resource to help you in your search for a college, degree program, career, graduate school, and even non-traditional paths like volunteerism and gap year experiences. For more information, visit http://www.myfootpath.com/
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น