Education Online

eLearning: Cutting Edge On-the-Job Training for the New Millennium

Remember the early 1990s, when on-the-job training meant sitting in a dark conference room watching a video of someone lecturing about techniques that were already outdated? Both employees and employers were frustrated and left undereducated, which decreased efficiency and, most likely, the financial bottom-line.

Luckily, those dark days are over—now, and eLearning (online learning) has stepped up and kicked videotape learning to the curb. eLearning reduces the time and expense of training and thanks to its incredible flexibility and diversity, is much more relevant to the tasks at hand. Naturally, this is more in line with the business goals of a company—and eLearning and online learning is literally already at your fingertips, through the use of the mighty Internet. Online colleges and other online schools are now offering continuing eduction courses online to businesses and their staff.

In The Pink: Women Are Learning Online

Maybe you’ve heard your friends say it: “I’m taking this course online…” It’s not surprising. Online learning has grown in popularity in the past ten years, with more and more online educational programs becoming accredited and respected. Even Ivy League brick-and-mortar colleges are increasing their online presence, offering everything from single courses to full degrees—all from the comfort of your home.

Given the flexibility of online and distance learning—after all, you can study at any hour of the day or night, even while wearing your pajamas—it should not be shocking to learn that the majority of online students are women. According to American Association of University Women (AAUW), over 60% of those currently studying online are women, most of them over 25 years old.

Avoiding the Scams: Accreditation and Diploma Mills

You’ve found the online program you want, all you to do is click, pay, and you are in! Is it too good to be true? Well, yes. You can end up not getting the education you paid for, credits that are not transferable, or course work that is not accepted by professional organizations. The best way to make sure you aren’t falling for a scam is to make sure the online provider is accredited.

Accreditation Comes First

If you are looking to earn a bachelors degree in economics and then plan to get an MBA, accreditation is essential. It gives you some degree of assurance about the organization, regardless of whether it is a distance education provider or a face-to-face institution. Nonetheless, just knowing if an online program is accredited is still not enough. Anyone can set up an organization and call itself an accrediting agency. It is not that common, but diploma mills have been known to create their own accrediting agency and then declare they have accreditation.

Doctoral Degree: Online

The doctoral degree, the highest degree awarded, is earned after an advanced course of study that usually consists of original research, a dissertation, and extended written work. The traditional on-campus doctoral student takes four to ten years to complete the degree, but many distance learning doctoral programs are structured to streamline the process. The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is the most common doctoral degree; it is awarded in fields that range from philosophy to geology. Other frequently awarded doctoral degrees include the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.), Doctor of Engineering (Eng.D.), and Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.).

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Graduate Degrees: Online

Online learning program providers predominantly offer master’s degrees. It makes sense. The students who need to keep up their skills in the workplace or need graduate degrees to move ahead in their professions are most likely to have jobs and families. Online learning is a great fit for their busy lifestyle.

The master’s degree is the first academic or professional degree earned after the bachelor’s degree. A traditional, full-time master’s degree student may take a year or two to earn the required 30 credits. In some master’s degree programs, students are simply expected to take advanced-level courses and perhaps pass a culminating exam. In others, original research and a thesis are required. Some online learning programs have a brief residency requirement. Students usually earn a Master of Arts (M.A.), a Master of Science (M.S.), or a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree. Many of the online master’s degree programs are professional in nature.

Bachelor's Degree: Online

Generally, the bachelor’s degree is recognized worldwide as the first university degree you earn. Although students enrolled full-time can earn the degree in four years, many take up to six years to earn the required 120 to 128 credits.

In most colleges and universities, the course of study that leads to a bachelor’s degree consists of concentrated work in a major, such as psychology or business, and wide-ranging work in a variety of subjects, such as the liberal arts, to give students a broad foundation of knowledge. However, some bachelor’s degree programs focus on intensive study in a particular field without the broad liberal arts background. The most common bachelor’s degrees are the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and the Bachelor of Science (B.S.), although there are many other titles.

Associates Degrees Online

The two most common associate degrees are the Associate of Arts (A.A.) and the Associate of Science (A.S.), with others such as the Associate of Business Administration (A.B.A.) and the Associate of General Studies (A.G.S.). Usually students in Link associate degree programs take two years to finish. But if they are part-time, it can take a lot longer to earn the 60 to 64 credits required.

The growth of online courses in community colleges has been extremely rapid, fueled in part because so many people who want a college degree work, have families, or lack the funds to take off four years to go to a traditional college.

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