Can Distance Learning Courses REALLY Meet My Educational Goals

These days, who’s got time to sit in a classroom? Between working hard all day, or night, and other responsibilities, finding the extra time to attend a traditional campus to further education is a dream that may never come true. Because of the Internet however, online learning is becoming the wave of the future, and the future is catching up when it comes to education.

More and more schools and universities around the country and the world are offering online learning courses to students and adults who have long ago put their educational needs on hold. For many, attending a school campus for classroom instruction is just not feasible, or possible. Now, a farmer from China or a home business owner in Oregon or anywhere else in the world can log on and study to their heart’s content on the Internet, thanks to the growth of online coursework offerings available today. While some distance learning courses may be simple and consist of one subject, others offer complete course loads for certificates to degree programs. More people today than ever before are earning Master’s degrees online, which is convenient for busy work schedules and obligations. Whether you want to take a course in home business management, computers, or medical terminology as a course unit or as part of a larger program, there is an online school out there that will cater to your goals and desires.

When searching for any distance-learning course however, the first thing to do is to make sure that a national recognized accreditation board properly accredits the school you’re looking at. Online schools are held to the same standards of quality and course requirements as traditional colleges and universities, so don’t worry that your certificate or degree from an online school won’t hold water. Did you know that more nurses are able to advance their careers and education through online universities and programs that specialize in medicine? The same is true for those seeking careers in education or other medical careers, and we’re not just talking dental assistants.

Distance learning has become the preferred method of attending school for millions of students around the United States as well as the world. As long as enrollment requirements are met and coursework grades can be transferred, students can also attend foreign universities and distance learning programs that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to take advantage of, thanks to the World Wide Web. With a computer or a laptop, men and women are now able to access the degree program they’ve always dreamed of, and the best part of all is that they can do so when it’s convenient for them and not the other way around.

There’s no longer any reason not to pursue the degree that you’ve always desired. Student financing and payment methods are available to online students as well as those who attend university programs. If in doubt, call the online school that you’re interested in and ask them about student financing, loans and payment methods they offer. Remember, a college education will earn higher wages, bigger promotions and open doors that have otherwise stayed closed for years. Taking distance-learning programs can change all that.

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The American Dream – Offering Affordable Education For All

Today Americans face a tough and increasingly complicated economy while business changes at a more rapid pace than ever before. Unemployment continues to rise, while the job market gets more and more competitive. Individuals are expected to possess a wide variety of skills and add to their knowledge base on a minute by minute basis. Corporate leaders and working professionals are expected to be jack of all trades and masters of many disciplines within their respective area. Needless to say, it is not easy to do business in the 21st century.

With that said, most of the information needed to succeed in this competitive environment is easily available anywhere, anytime thanks to the internet. The proliferation of the internet and mobile technologies has revolutionized the modern world of business, science, education and related fields as we know it, and internet and technology-based education is becoming a de facto standard in both public and private education systems.

Unfortunately, with a hyperactive economy and business structure comes the skyrocketing costs associated with obtaining an education in America. On average, the cost of obtaining a higher education degree has almost doubled during the last 10-15 years. Student debts have surpassed credit card debts, and are currently estimated to amount to approximately $830 billion.

Analysts predict that in the next 15 years the world will educate over 250,000,000 students. America and Europe are expected to grow 65-75% on average where as China and India are expected to grow approximately 450-550%. This need for education in the coming years shows the need for rapid growth in quality and affordable education, that will be in high demand worldwide even more so than it already is today.

Understanding the current market conditions and predicting the future of education, the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), a Washington-based education accrediting agency, took initiatives to create and publish a public service announcement called Think About It” during their fall workshop. Meant to guide the student community, the video PSA was well received during the conference and quickly spread across the internet. Highly successful in explaining the need for affordable higher education, and ways of achieving that goal in the coming years, this video was published and featured in esteemed online media outlets ranging from Forbes to Yahoo, CNBC and more. So far over 10,000 individuals have come in contact with this information, thus proving the impact and need for a plan and direction to provide affordable education worldwide.

Spreading information about the possibilities of education attainment, the DETC continues to pioneer affordable online education. DETC institutions have enrolled and helped an estimated 140 million students worldwide since the founding of the first DETC school in 1890, and today DETC schools teach over 2.5 million students annually. Their mission is to continue to fulfill the American dream by providing opportunities for aspiring students everywhere. Setting a global standard for online education it is the hopes of myself, and many other educators and members of the industry, that Think About It” is just the first of many successful attempts at making higher education a possibility for all.

Strong Online Education Marketing Essential In Attracting International Students

UK universities are working tirelessly to attract foreign students. The recent cuts to the education sector announced by the government are set to cripple UK universities who will have to make huge savings to help plug a 950 million gap in funding over the next 3 years.

The average cost for non-EU student undergraduate courses is set at 10,000 per year, however given the fact that UK universities have to make huge savings this is likely to reach nearly double that depending on the type of course or the universitys reputation. Therefore, it is clear to see that UK universities have a lot to gain from increasing their overseas recruitment.

To ensure that universities have a chance of attracting new students, they need to ensure that they have a strong online presence. Recent research states that 31.7% of the 338m internet users in China are students. This research suggests that most international students are already using the internet, primarily to find out more information about UK universities.

To help UK universities build up their online education branding, here are few tips to ensure that you are making the most of the internet as a resource and are targeting the right students:

Localised research can help to identify a students needs from a university.
Ensuring that the right subject is marketed to the right nationality is crucial and very likely to attract international students. For example arts, media and psychology is popular with the Japanese so it is best to market arts, media and psychology courses to students in Japan.

Highlight key phrases which are set specifically to the target market.
Making sure that these key phrases are implemented successfully into the site is essential as it can help to dramatically improve your search engine optimisation (SEO) particularly with regards to attracting new international students. A useful page to have on your website is the universitys ranking as it can help influence the decision making process of students particularly in China where the prestige of the university is very important.

Social network sites are an active way of targeting specific international students.
A vast majority of social network users are young people (aged 16-24). Again, it is important to keep in mind the locality of the market. Despite the fact that both Facebook and Twitter maybe the first social networking sites that spring to mind in the UK, in China www.renren.com is particularly popular amongst students.

Despite the fact that the UK is currently ranked 2nd for attracting international students behind the USA, it is getting to be a very competitive market with other countries launching their own international recruitment marketing campaigns. Given the recent changes in UKs student visa policy, it is vital that UK universities focus their efforts on upping the ante in terms of their international marketing.

Therefore it is vital to ensure that they embrace the recent advances in technology into their education marketing strategies.