Category: Featured Articles
LU To Unveil New Site Design
Posted by Nick Roy in Distance Learning News, Featured Articles, LU News Saturday, 7 March 2009 10:53 No Comments
Next week, Liberty Univerity is going to get a long overdue website overhaul with a new design. The whole purpose of this new design is to make it easier for current students and faculty to find the information that they need.
How to Get Mentally Prepared for College
Posted by Lima in Featured Articles Saturday, 10 January 2009 09:59 No Comments
A Guide for College Bound Students and Their Parents to get mentally prepared for the new journey in life.
As the last 12 months tick down until a high school student makes heads off to a college, they have to mentally prepare for college. Parents and students can make life a lot easier by considering some of these pre-college training ideas.
1. Take advantage of as many opportunities as possible to stay away from home. Whether you are a high school wall flower or the tough guy on the hockey team, going away to college and living in quarters that are not your own can really shake you up. There is no shame here. Besides the emotional trauma of separation from parents and friends, going to college means changing your whole way of living. To me the biggest surprise about being 500 miles away from home was the feeling at the end of the day that I wasn’t going back to the security of my house. Coming back to your dorm room or college apartment can be mentally taxing. You will truly miss the down time and familiarity of your own home and the presence of people who already love and accept you just as you are. In time your dorm will become more and more like home and your new college friends may well become friends for life, but to get mentally prepared for college and those first few months of transition it is really worth your while to make some practice runs living for a few days at someplace that is not home, before you take on the long term college rooming situation. Even staying over several nights with friends or relatives can help to loosen you up and show you that you will survive.
2. Spend time in the library and get help learning how to use all its sources. My husband and I both went to college, as did our three children and our experiences have taught us that preparing mentally for college really should include a major overhaul of student study skills. The one thing that the five members of my family all discovered on their own was how little one can actually study in your dorm room. Constant interruptions and the nearness of way too many diversions make regular study in the dorm a less than satisfactory arrangement. Coupled with that is the fact that once in college you are likely to need resources beyond just your regular texts. Gearing yourself to be able to study in the library and getting a handle on available library resources even at your own public library is a good beginning. It may feel strange at first, especially if you are used to studying in your own bedroom with music going or not really studying that much at all. Being mentally prepared for college includes coming to the realization as my son told us that “this is real.” Whatever maneuvers worked in high school to minimize studying are just not going to cut it in college. The better the college the more competitive the class work. Being somewhat acclimated to using a library, any library, will allow you to hit the ground running when it comes to staking out study space.
3. Increase time spent reading My husband, two daughters, a son and myself will all attest to the fact that getting mentally prepared for college should include taking the next twelve months to gradually elevate the quantity and quality of your reading. Certainly you can enroll in any type of private reading readiness program you wish. But if you don’t have the time, money or inclinaiton to add something else to your already overcrowded senior year then just take a personal pledge to work on your reading on your own schedule. It really doesn’t matter what you are reading – novels, biographies, even Sports Illustrated – as long as you are adding more minutes to your daily reading schedule. Of the many changes you will find at college one of the top academic differences is the amount of pages you will be expected to handle on a weekly basis. Slow readers and those unaccustomed to doing more than scanning outlines will find themselves ill prepared for the college curriculum load. Working on your reading skills in advance of college entry is a favor you do for yourself that will continue to have benefits throughout your formal education.
4.Work on note taking and outlining skills. Far too many high schoolers leave for college with insufficient or shaky note taking or outlining skills. For whatever reason perhaps they have been able to get by for four years of high school without putting much effort into the process of recording what others say or concisely organizing an outline of what they are reading on their own. Discovering this at the college level can be truly traumatizing. I can remember as a college junior having friends that were still asking to borrow notes from classmates for lectures they had both attended but for which some were still not capable of taking solid notes. Taking good notes is not about handwriting, it is about mental discipline, paying attention and being able to transform the paragraphs that are being spoken into comprehensible outline form. In both undergrad and graduate school I found that taking good notes was absolutely essential to doing well in any lecture course. High school English teachers will gladly give you assistance and perhaps even resources to help you with your skills if outlining is not part of the school curriculum. You have to be willing to seek out help and to use the materials that your receive.
5. Know what campus guidance and counseling programs are available for Freshmen. An excellent way to become mentally prepared for college is to check out the support facilities that are availalbe at the college you will attend well before you plan to arrive. You might never have visited the school guidance counselor in high school for anything other than a recommendation or a course change, but college could be very different. You have no way of knowing what kinds of difficulties may await you. Rather than stressing out about the potential headaches that may lurk down the road, why not spend the time on line or with your newly chosen college’s catalog to discover the kinds of guidance and counseling assistance programs are on campus. Sometimes just knowing that you are not alone with your problems can give you incredible peace of mind and make you feel mentally prepared to take on what college has to offer.
6. If possible arrange to spend time on your new campus well in advance of going there. The college provided tour you took when you went to interview gave you an overview of the school but it in no way really got you oriented to what lies ahead. You can really reduce your stress level and find yourself remarkably mentally prepared for college by spending extended time on campus, take a summer on campus class, go to a sports event, play or concert. The more comfortable you are with the campus the less mental energy will need to be directed to orientation and can be used for other things. If possible also spend time checking out the local geography and transport system. Many colleges do not allow freshman to have cars on campus. You help keep your head on straight if when you arrive you are already somewhat oriented to the area and have a clue about traveling.
7. Prepare in advance for your on campus spiritual needs. If you are a person who is religious and regularly attends worship services, being mentally prepared for college should also mean being spiritually prepared. You do yourself a favor by checking out how your spiritual needs can be met on campus and discovering what campus organizations are availalbe to help you to contiue living the kind of spiritual life which you can trust to keep your mentally grounded during this difficult transition time.
Going to college is a life altering experience but it doesn’t need to be a traumatic one . As you draw closer to that first day in college you will do all kinds of planning. You will make provisions for everything from spending loot to that special pair of kicks that you just have to have. Don’t sell yourself short. Take time to also become mentally prepared for college and then, filled to the brim with confidence, get ready to enjoy four of the very best years of your life.
About The Author
Lima is a former teacher now a freelance writer with a husband, 3 children and 3 grandchildren. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University, and a Master’s degree from Brown University.
Is Your Distance Learning School Accredited?
Posted by Bill Johnson in Distance Learning News, Featured Articles Saturday, 3 January 2009 20:47 2 Comments
Distance Learing Requires Doing a Thorough Research
For whatever reason, when deciding to continue education through distance learning or online colleges, the most important requirement to check out first is if the establishment is “accredited” by accrediting institutions that are recognized by the federal government through the Department of Education. Otherwise, students could end up paying their money for a qualification paper that will not get recognition by almost all traditional establishments.
The downside of distance learning or an online degree is, even if the learning establishment that is giving the qualification has the required accrediting, it is not yet widely accepted by employers. It could also be difficult when trying to transfer the credits obtained to other programs run by those that do not recognize the particular learning establishment. This attests to the fact that it is a mutual recognition among the educators and their partners, so that the quality of the education given will be at a higher level, and there are no sets of rules to follow.
The accreditation is a process where other learning institutions, through a peer group setup, ascertain that a given learning establishment has what it take in terms of the education quality it is availing. The essential issues they would be looking at could be the school’s mission, goals, objectives, available resources and how they are utilized, enrollment requirements, and the overall quality of the education.
It is important to pay attention to the accrediting of a learning establishment because the acceptance level is very much dependant on the assessment done and the kind of recognition given by these groups. Not finding the name of the establishment a student is planning to attend in the listing of National and Regional Accredited Agencies could mean whatever qualification a learning establishment is availing to the public will not be recognized by a wide margin, which will include those who are in charge of hiring or admitting student to the many higher learning institutions, because the peer group that is doing the accreditation is made up of this group. It has nothing to do with the government and what the government does is to assesses the recommendations to see if there are irregularities and whether the process meets certain criteria.
There is also an agency known as Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) that carries its own list of those that had been validated as accredited establishments, and not finding the establishment a student wants to join in these two lists could mean a red flag. However, still there could be establishments that cannot make it into the list, yet they could avail quality education or they are not necessarily illegal, but the downside is there will always be a recognition problem.
There are certain establishments that are offering professional training that might not need the accreditation, because the profession itself might be a hands-on training where there is a high demand for it in the job market, or the establishments are recognized by a given sector as professional organizations. For example, most short-term computer training courses fall into this category.
As a result, the two essential concerns students should pay heed to are employers and other higher learning establishments where the students might be planning to further their studies. Because their not recognizing the certificate might reduce the value of the education that is attained by incurring a lot of expense and time investment. If students are doing it just to satisfy their learning drive, there will not be a problem.
It is also possible that there is a better chance that the certification would get recognition by a current employer for advancement, raise, or the like. But the bottom line of the accreditation is a certification obtained from any learning establishments will be as good as the traditional learning establishments if it is from an accredited school, and that definitely will go a long way and would be worth the investment. In addition, more and more employers have started recognizing the distance learning education.
The expense more or less would be the same with students who attend regular classes, because there is always room and board, whoever is covering it. The cost involving learning material will also be the same except that students can opt to buy used ones. One expense that is possible to eliminate could be the cost of commuting to a school, but again most distance learners are working people who have to commute to work. Cosnsequently, the only advantage it avails for the most part is doing it at one’s own convenience and pace.
If there is one thing lacking in the process, it is live interaction that usually takes place in a classroom environment. However, there are teleconferences, videos, email, message board, and chat rooms that will help the students to interact with other students and the faculty members, including the instructors. That might be the only area that will be different. Other than that it is possible to listen to a recorded lecture that could take the normal class room hours at the comfort of one’s home or if the workplace environment allows it.
There are what are known as diploma mills, establishments that are not striving to avail a high standard of education that students have to watch out for no matter what kind of incentives they are offering. Some of them could also be unnecessarily expensive and comparing price and doing a thorough research about the stand of the learning establishments is very important.
As it is, distance learning is not yet fully accepted even if the acceptance rate is on the rise and incurring a huge expense will not make things any better. Going for those schools that have the accreditation and offer an affordable tuition fee is a wise decision for the long haul. Because it is always possible to borrow money for the distance learning, which means paying back the money could be difficult, and might take a long time if some kind of planning is not in place in advance.
Hence, especially adults who were procrastinating going back to school because of work, family, lack of time, and drive will find the latest development of distance education very attractive and accommodating, as not only the quality of the education has been augmented, but the number of the establishments is on the rise. The fee and the amount of time it takes to complete a diploma or a degree is also shrinking making it the best time ever to look toward the direction of furthering one’s education level, not to miss out from the advantages that could be had, as the demand for higher education in the workplace is not letting up.
About The Author
Bill Johnson is a freelance writer and Internet entreprenuer where he promotes and sells ebooks and e-serials.
Hard Work Pays Better Than No Work
Posted by Nick Roy in Featured Articles, MBA Advice Monday, 29 December 2009 12:27 2 Comments
Whether or not you decide to pursue your education online or offline, at the end of the day there’s really one thing you’re going to have to embrace if you want to succeed: hard work. To succeed in online education, whether it be an online degree program like I am currently working on, is to prepare yourself for that hard work. Many people think that taking a course online is easy. No it is not! Not by a long shot! Online courses are equally challenging to their residential counterparts.
Hey, I appreciate the conveniences and cost savings that can be had through online programs, believe me. I love the fact that I can go to class on my own schedule, and that I can use the flexibility of the Web to achieve my degree goal. No question at all, e-learning offers some tremendous advantages. But those advantages absolutely do not negate the fact that it will still take hard work on each individual’s part in order to successfully complete the program.
For some reason, a lot of people think that online education is going to be so much easier. I’m not exactly sure where they get that impression, but believe me, as someone who has been through it, e-learning is just as demanding as regular, traditional, offline in-classroom learning. You may be able to attend class in your pajamas, or you may be able to take an online test during your lunch break at work. But again, that’s convenience rather than “easier”.
Instead, approach online learning as an opportunity, rather than an easier path. Consider the benefits of the e-learning experience, but don’t equate online learning with some sort of shortcut. In fact, for some people, electronic education is actually more difficult than classroom learning. It’s only an opportunity, not a gift. I like to think of a quote by Thomas Edison:
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
Take advantage of the opportunity.
Making The Decision To Go To LU
Posted by Nick Roy in Featured Articles, MBA Advice Sunday, 28 December 2008 10:08 No Comments
All of you who have been reading my blogs recently know that I have been actively searching for my next degree. I knew that when I completed my MBA from Hawaii Pacific University that my academic career as a student was not over or at least I knew I had enough vinegar left to do one more degree at least. I consider learning to be a lifelong pursuit but even I have to admit that enough is enough when it comes to actually obtaining that next degree. At some point it just doesn’t make sense to keep going, to keep sacrificing and to keep having your family make sacrifices. Sometimes you just have to know when to walk away. A day will come when you have to admit to yourself that you can’t keep doing this indefinitely. Fortunately this isn’t that day!
I have decided to attend online at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. I will be working towards a Master of Arts in Professional Counseling with a focus on Clinical Psychology. Given that I have no psychology background, I still have to take a number of undergraduate psychology courses as pre-requisites. Anyhow there are a number of reasons I have decided to attend LU.
First, they are inexpensive. This is the one of the single most important things to me right now. It has to be accessible and to be accessible it has to be inexpensive. In fact the school has a payment plan that allows you to spread the tuition payments over 5 even sums at given times throughout the semester. How thoughtful.
| Estimated Costs 2008-2009 |
| Average | Local | Honors | |
| Tuition/Room*/Board/Fees | $21,234 | $21,234 | $21,234 |
| ScholarshipsChampion EDA Pastor Alumni Academic (average) Virginia Scholarship SBCV Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant Honors |
$1,000 $500 $500 $500 $2,000 NA NA NA NA |
$1,000 $500 $500 $500 $2,000 $1,000 $1,000 $3,200 NA |
$1,000 $500 $500 $500 $3,000 NA NA NA $3,750 |
| Total Scholarships | $5,000 | $10,200 | $9,750 |
| Total estimated cost/year | $17,234 | $12,034 | $12,484 |
| Total estimated cost/semester | $8,617 | $6,017 | $6,242 |
Source: Liberty University
Second, they are regionally accredited. This is a big deal because I intend to use this degree become a licensed psychologist and to immediately enter a doctoral program in psychology.
Third, with the 8 week sub-terms, I will still be able to complete my second Master’s degree by 2011 and then immediately enter a doctoral program. Also, I will be getting high quality Christian education and develop the ability to use the Bible in counseling sessions. Like most investments, it makes sense to diversify. This is the big winner over my second runner up, Nova Southeastern University.
Fourth, Since Liberty University has both residential and online programs; I can choose to take any course on campus if I feel the need to. Residential students can take online courses as well.
Now some cons that I have discovered, or at the very least some concerns.
First, the learning software is Blackboard. Since January 2008 was my first semester at LU, and I had never taken an online course before, I had to spend a few extra hours learning what Blackboard had to offer and how the courses are structured.
Second, most of the instructors for the undergraduate courses only have Master’s degrees, while for the graduate courses, the instructors all have PhDs. Many of the instructors at both levels have a lot of autonomy in how they work their online class even though many of them have many sections which means many student papers to grade. This can present problems from the student perspective as workload, assignment format, expectations, etc. will likely vary greatly from one professor to the next.
Lastly, taking an online course is not easy. It requires a lot of self-discipline. The semesters are still 16 weeks, but the courses are 8 weeks. In each course we go through the entire book. There are assignments due every week. For example, in my course on human learning, there was an essay and multiple choice exams every week, as well as a group presentation of learning theories. Every week there was three things due by 11:59 pm on Sunday night. Points were taken off if you missed this deadline, unless you had permission from the instructor. In week seven, there was a 10 page research paper that was also due to be written in APA format.
The multiple choice tests were extremely challenging. Whereas most multiple choice questions in undergraduate courses were mostly verbatim recall, these exams were applied multiple choice questions. You had to know the concepts. You could not get by just by memorizing key terms. Each question was a hypothetical situation with four choices to choose from. Choose the best answer. Bottom line is that online courses are equally difficult to the residential counterparts.