Topic: Accreditation within the Nation (2 of 2)

http://blog.edvisors.com/online-schools/how-to-spot-a-degree-mill/

Students have gone or are consider going to a non-accredited school because it’s cheaper and it takes less time to earn the degree. But there are reasons to why these schools are so cheap. Many students are either uninformed or skeptical of the important role accreditation plays in distance education. To help get a better idea of how important a degree from an accredited institution is to your future, consider these eight reasons why you should avoid non-accredited institutions and programs.

You’ll receive a less-respected degree.

Employers want the best educated and trained employees. But they can’t be sure they’ll get that from a candidate with a degree from a non-accredited institution. A degree from an accredited institution or program offers them assurance that you have learned the skills necessary to properly do the job.

You may get a lower quality education.

Non-accredited programs and institutions have no educational requirements or accountability so there’s nothing or no one to oversee what is being taught and by whom.

Financial Aid won’t be available.

You can only apply for and receive financial aid if you are registered in an accredited institution or program.

Your credits won’t be transferrable.

If you attend a non-accredited institution or program, then decide to transfer some place that’s accredited, the credits you’ve earned won’t be transferrable.

You’ll waste your money.

Without Financial Aid you’ll be responsible for paying the full cost of a lower quality distance learning education. And you may miss out on the job you want.

You’ll be passed over for scholarships.

Organizations offer scholarships as a way of helping the students most in need and who they feel will put scholarship funds to good use. If you enroll in a non-accredited institution or program, you’ll have a difficult time convincing scholarship committees that you fit these criteria.

Your support system won’t be as good.

In a non-accredited distance learning institution or program, you won’t find Financial Aid counselors, there might not be any career advisors, and there may not be an opportunity for one-on-one relationship building with professors; all of which are crucial to your educational success.

Extra-curricular activities will be non-existent.

Important but not crucial to your education are extracurricular activities. Extracurricular activities are a great way to network, meet like-minded people, and learn. However, these probably won’t available at non-accredited schools either.

Question #2 of Week 4:

Many students within this class have experience with the finding jobs and transferring credits within colleges. Please share with us your experiences of accreditation situations. Either it is trouble within transferring or how success it has been.

Sources:

http://www.onlinedegreecenter.com/_articles/accredited_vs_nonaccredited.php

http://www.valueofadegree.com/resources/accreditation/students-and-accreditation/avoid-non-accredited-institutions/

Topic: Accreditation within the Nation (1 of 2)

Before you begin an online degree, you have to make sure to select a college or university that is accredited. Accreditation, according to the U.S Department of education means educational authorities have evaluated the school. This ensures the schools are offering high quality learning opportunities. But all accreditations are not the same. There are three major types of accreditations: regional accreditation, national accreditation, and specialized accreditation.^[1]

Regional Accreditation:

In the United States, there are 6 regional accrediting agencies. Each agency covers a different section of the country.

http://nsse.iub.edu/images/usa_map.jpg

As shown above, the 6 regional accreditation agencies are:

1. Middle State Association of Colleges and Schools (Commission on Higher Education)
2. New England Association of Schools and Colleges (Commission on Technical and Career Institutions and Commission on Institutions of Higher Education)
3. North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (The Higher Learning Commission)
4. Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (Commission on Colleges and Universities)
5. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (Commission on Colleges)
6. Western Association of Schools and Colleges (Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges and Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities)

These agencies are all recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.^[1]

National Accreditation

National accreditation is not based on geography. National accreditation was designed to evaluate specific types of schools and colleges. For example, the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT) evaluate career schools and technology programs. The Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) accredit colleges that offer distance education.^[1]

Specialized Accreditation

Specialized accreditation, also known as program-based accreditation, is awarded to specific programs or departments within a college or university. Specialized accreditation is offered by agencies that represent specific fields of study or professional organizations. These agencies do not accredit entire colleges. Instead, they accredit the programs within certain colleges that prepare students for their industry.

For example, the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredits engineering programs within various colleges and universities. If you plan to become a licensed engineer, you may want to limit your search to programs with this accreditation. If you plan to become a teacher, on the other hand, you don't need to worry about whether or not a college's engineering program has specialized, ABET accreditation.^[1]

http://www.mustuniversityaccreditation.com/tag/quality-education/

According to the Department of Education, accreditation helps to:

• Verify that institutions meet educational standards.
• Gives assistance to students in identifying quality institutions.
• Assist institutions in determining if transfer credits from an institution are acceptable.
• Identify institutions and programs for the investment of public and private funds.
• Encourage improvement of standards for institutions and programs.
• Create criteria for professional certification and licensure. Schools can upgrade their curricula to better prepare students for certification and licensing.

This creates a safer and easier process for new online students to gain credits from accredited institution. Helping students use online degrees to fill out required credit for future study or a greater learning tool to better your knowledge. Accredited programs provide higher quality education, recognized by schools around the nation, direct influence to employers, all in which to help students compete in the job market.^[2]

Researching a school’s accreditation status is very easy.  Most schools have the accreditation information listed on their website, and you can verify that information directly by looking it up at the U.S. Department of Education website. It is also just as important to research the accrediting body by looking it up at the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) site. According to the site, some institutions mislead students and the public about the quality of an institution.^[3]

Visit ED.gov for more information on accreditation and list of accredited traditional and online colleges and universities. 

Question #1 of Week 4:

After getting a better understanding of accreditation, what do you think of non-accredited institution? And why?

Sources:

[1] http://www.elearners.com/online-education-resources/degrees-and-programs/regional-accreditation-vs-national-accreditation/

[2] http://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg2.html

[3] http://www.chea.org/degreemills/default.htm

Topic: Fun Job Training through eLearning (2 of 2)

Let us take a closer look on some of the companies that have already implemented change to their employee training towards eLearning based.

Cleveland Clinic Foundation did a research for its employee satisfaction with eLearning within an integrated healthcare delivery network. Within the article it discussed many regulations and trainings required by the healthcare facility to provide for it's workforce and how it has improved through eLearning. An example is the development of the 5 lessons that teaches the 15 policies of Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The 5 lessons are designed into series of scenario using familiar interactive modalities including "multiple choice questions", "drag and drop", and "hotspots". Apart from that, the employees are also required to keep their skills up to date with the newest equipments and software. Luckily, Cleveland Clinic provides their employees with extensive training and 24 hour accessibility to eLearning that can be done during work hours or outside of the work environment. With this kind of flexibility employees are learning quickly and satisfied doing so.^[1]

http://lumosdigital.com/wp-content/uploads/corporate-training-300x300.jpg

Perry Kendall, director of global reservation for Delta Hotels and Resorts recalled, “We wanted to deliver a more-robust training experience, not just classroom training, and certainly not a memo format.”

So he deployed Envision Telephony' eLearning solutions (supports recording, workforce management, business intelligent, eLearning and quality monitoring applications ^[2]), which within two years the benefits are clear. Quality monitoring rose from 83% to approximately 90%, while call-conversation rose from 38% to 42%. It would be safe to assume with all the training, the agents are becoming more comfortable and more experienced.^[3]

As the new generation enters the workforce, organizations like Marriott, Deloitte, Aetna and even the Department of Defense are using gamification to attract recruits, develop, and motivate employees. Gamification is a growing interest deriving from a desire to increase engagement levels among employees. In the process bring more visibility, openness and a system of rewards and recognition into the workplace. In a recent Pew Internet/Elon University report, 1021 internet experts were interview with some university researchers suggesting that the principles of gamification could actually improve creativity, learning, participation, and motivation.^[4] With the recent recession and the need for lean management, companies must find more efficient ways to train their employees. With our non-stop growth of technology, eLearning has become an important source of the efficient job training method. Soon job training will be filled with gamification and even more interesting means of learning methods.

http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/upl/icwales2/feb2013/6/6/welsh-soldiers-take-part-in-computer-style-war-games-408650285.jpg

Please check out this video of CEO from many different eLearning companies talk about Game-Based Learning:

(Video was unable to connect with the blog, please click the link below)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uulNfy-4DA

Question #2 of Week 4:

What are some of you own personal experience with gamification? It could be related to all eLearning experience not just from a job experience.




Source:

  

[1] http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1472-6920-8-48.pdf

[2] http://www.destinationcrm.com/BuyersGuide/ReadCompany.aspx?CompanyID=2126

[3] http://www.destinationcrm.com/Articles/Editorial/Magazine-Features/The-Evolution-of-E-Learning-57516.aspx

[4] http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeannemeister/2012/05/21/gamification-three-ways-to-use-gaming-for-recruiting-training-and-health-amp-wellness/

[5] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uulNfy-4DA

Topic: Fun Job Training through eLearning (1 of 2)

              Companies around the world all choose eLearning for various reasons; some need to train a wide range of employees on various topics, others need to train employees all over the world “Many companies look into eLearning as a way to reduce costs and address the needs of a geographically dispersed workforce. It’s only after they implement a program that they realize the benefits go much deeper." Many companies are surprised at how easy eLearning is to use and the advantages it brings. Some advantages include social learning, creative content, and simplicity.

1.       Social learning: New business eLearning systems are beginning to have an informal aspect to the system where employees can create profiles and comment on the eLearning resources. Businesses are surrounded by their best critics, their employees, and often do not take advantage of the opportunities available through socializing with them. "You’re surrounding expert information with the knowledge and expertise of your own employees," says Ogilvie." These comments can be valuable information for future eLearning development and encourages employees to interact with each other for a stronger work relationship. 

2.       Creative content:  “Content can be delivered with surgical precision,” says Ogilvie. “You’re getting the right training to the right person when they need it.” By tailoring eLearning to employee's likes, companies are finding more effective methods of eLearning. For example, the article gave an example of a smoothie company that needed to teach their employees the new recipe. Instead of requiring each employee to watch a PowerPoint about the ingredient order, they created a video game that was a race to see how fast the ingredients could be put in the correct order. Companies have also found that by providing eLearning resources in many forms like videos, video games, articles, and summaries right at employee's desks, employees are becoming more engaged. By keeping the eLearning content lengths to an hour or less, employees absorb the information better and learn when they have time. "ELearning also provides a convenient library of information in case someone needs an answer to a specific question."

3.       Simplicity:   
Many companies worry about the logistics of eLearning. They worry about things like cost, time to get it running, and if the company needs eLearning. Most companies are surprised by how easy eLearning is to implement. "When companies select an eLearning partner that offers Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), a solution can be up and running in as little as four weeks." Companies have also reached globally with eLearning by creating courses in different languages tailored to the culture. 

Question #1 of Week 4:

Could you see yourself learning more effectively through creative contents of eLearning such as educational video games? or do you prefer a more formal/traditional way of learning? 





Source:

http://www.skillsoft.com/infocenter/whitepapers/documents/Taking_eLearning_Leap.pdf

Topic: ELearning leads the Corporate Training Industry (2 of 2)

 http://www.ambientinsight.com/Reports/eLearning.aspx

Elearning is the fastest growing market, the worldwide market for "self-paced" eLearning reached $35.6 billion in 2011. The five-year compound annual growth rate is 7.6% and revenues will reach $51.5 billion by 2016. Five-year revenue forecasts are provided for 85 countries in this report.^[1]

                                     

US and Europe utilize 70% of the world’s e-learning.  ELearning is not only cost efficient but also time efficient; classes are generally 25-60% shorter in duration that traditional classes.^[2]

We have seen a lot of great advantages with eLearning. With the substantial growth in corporate industries use of eLearning, have you ever wondered if technology could take over your job?  This is rapidly becoming a concern within the industry as more information about eLearning benefits and how it is expanding in the world is becoming more available. Technology improves employee competency and makes possible new and improved ways of working. As a result, over time employees with be required to change the ways in which they learn and the skills required in these job positions will morph into what we know as "traditional" training methods.

Question #2 of Week 3:

Can technology replace teachers?

An article written by Ian Quillen, describe how recent budget cuts were made by the Eagle County Colorado school district. There were 89 staff job layoffs, a 1.5 percent pay cut, and three unpaid leave days. Three foreign language classes were replaced by eLearning. Many teachers are beginning to feel that technology could push them out of their jobs, especially in an era of persistently tight budgets and a society that is using technology at an increasing pace.^[3]

Source:

[1] http://www.ambientinsight.com/Reports/eLearning.aspx

[2] http://elearningindustry.com/important-statistics-about-the-elearning-market-for-2013-infographic

[3] http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/08/08/37replace_ep.h31.html

Topic: ELearning leads the Corporate Training Industry (1 of 2)

           The greatest assets of a company are the great employees who work there, not the walls that bind them. To be successful in business today, companies must understand the employees’ need to be highly informed, educated, and properly trained in their field. The need to keep up with today’s ever changing business environment is crucial to managing a company. Companies are constantly changing their production processes, product lines, and implementing usage in new and improved technology to keep up with the competition of other businesses.



ELearning has become a constant growing business, providing corporations/companies more cost effective solutions for employee training. ELearning, now a $56 billion dollar industry, is expected to double in earnings by the year 2015. Businesses are seeing eLearning effectively keep employees up-to-date with training and learning new skills in the employee’s own work environment. ELearning is easily accessible to the employers and employees. This creates a more cost efficient solution than participating in a classroom setting. ELearning can be done in company groups or individually at the employer's or employees' convenience, making eLearning very marketable among various companies.



Did you know that, 77% of American corporations use eLearning to train their employees?  Corporations can save anywhere between 50 to 70 percent when they replace classroom based training with eLearning.  Although the United States and Europe represent 70% of the eLearning population, slowly other countries are starting to implement the switch to eLearning. Two of the fastest growing eLearning markets are Vietnam and Malaysia.

Question #2 of Week 3:

Can you think of some reasons why some corporation is not fit to use eLearning? or Do you think all business should implement eLearning as a training tool?

Source:
Infographic on E learning, http://www.certifyme.net/osha-blog/elearning-statistics-2013/2013/

http://chron.com/business/press-releases/article/CertifyNe-net-Announces-important-e-Learning-4332465.php

Topic: The Development of eLearning (2 of 2)

Source: http://www.blackboard.com/About-Bb/Our-Story.aspx 

           In the 1980s many institutions started to develop online courses; among them was Nova Southeastern University. The school began offering online programs in 1983 and created the first electronic classroom in 1985.^[1] In the 1990s, universities started to design their own Learning Management Systems (LMS) but most of the educational institutions were using systems off the market. Blackboard was one of the main players in this market. It was a complete solution for the management of the courses. It helped students and teachers to exchange learning materials, do tests, communicate with each other, and track progress. The environment was able to facilitate learning in quite an easy way.^[2]

In 1999 Jones International University became the first fully online university in the U.S. to be accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.^[3]

Source: http://thedrivenclass.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/10.30.11-8AM-Beth-The-DriVen-Class-Online-Learning.jpg

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, many LMS software applications were being developed by companies such as epathlearning, CourseNotes, and Moodle. By 2001, Blackboard reported that more than 1200 schools around the country are using its learning management system. In 2011, the company reported that 18.5 million messages were sent in a single day via Blackboard.^[4] This shows the exponential growth of eLearning in the past 10 years. 

Over the past decade, the flexibility, convenience provided by these LMS software applications and the growing recognition of online education has changed how college students earn their degrees. Today, most public and private institutions in the United States offer some type of online course. According to the Huffington Post, four of the country’s largest universities operate mostly online. The report also noted that in 2011, University of Phoenix awarded nearly 6,000 degrees, more than any other online or traditional university in the U.S.^[5]

Question #2 of Week 2:

Tell us about your personal experience with Learning Management System(LMS). Either good or bad experience, please explain how it was beneficial or how it caused you trouble.

Sources:

[1] http://scis.nova.edu/

[2] http://www.xtimeline.com/evt/view.aspx?id=43348

[3] http://www.jiu.edu/about/history

[4] http://www.blackboard.com/About-Bb/Our-Story.aspx

[5] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/07/online-education-degrees-_n_1753752.html

Topic: The Development of eLearning (1 of 2)

Sir Isaac Pitman.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Isaac_Pitman.jp>

ELearning includes wide-ranging topics throughout the computer based learning environment. ELearning as we know it today began just about the same time as personal computers, but the concept and practice of distance learning existed way before the computer area. Sr. Isaac Pitman in Great Britain gave the first self-study distance course via mail in the 1840s. He taught his course by mailing assignments to his students. The postal service played a big role facilitating the early stages of distance learning.^[1]

Sidney Pressey's testing machine
Source: http://www.xtimeline.com/evt/view.aspx?id=43342

In the 1920s, Sidney Pressey, a psycholo
gy professor at Ohio State University, developed a machine that looks like a typewriter with a window that showed a question with four answers to choose from. The user selects the answer he/she thinks is correct, and then the machine records the answer and moves to the next question. This machine has a significant impact on distance learning because it demonstrated that testing and assessment could be perfectly done in an automated way in or outside of the classroom.^[2]

The introduction of personal computers such as the Kenbar-1, designed by John 

IBM 5110
Source: http://ibmclassics.wordpress.com/2010/09/09/ibm-5110/

Blankenbaker in 1971, the Apple II in 1977, and the IBM 5110 personal computer in 1978 were helpful to some teachers as wonderful additions to their teaching tools. ^[3] But the World Wide Web, started by the Department of Defense in 1969, revolutionized distance education. According to Janice L. Flake, Professor, Florida State University, the World Wide Web provided several very important educational prospects. In her 1996 Computers in the Schools article, she writes that the World Wide Web helped students to have access to a wide range of knowledge by giving them access to information from others on the web, helping them to do their own research, and share their findings with others.^[4]

Question #1 of Week 2:

Sr. Issac Pitman was the first to develop the idea of distance learning. Knowing that distance learning in the past was done mostly through mail. What are some problem you might see happen through this process? And does these same problems occur with modernized eLearning?

Sources:

[1] http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Brief-History-of-E-learning-and-Distance-Education&id=496460

[2] http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/history/machine.html

[3] http://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/personal-computers/17/297

[4] http://mailer.fsu.edu/~jflake/WWWEd.html#EXAMPLES

Topic: Traditional Learning vs. Online Learning (3 of 3)

In the fall of 2011, it was recorded that 20.3 million students were expected to attend American colleges and universities.^[1] Among the 20.3 million students, 6.7 million students nationally took at least one online course.^[2]  That is at least 32% of the American college and university population. The online-only student population of America accounts for a total of more than 3 million. The 6.7 million is expected to grow to 18.7 million by 2014.^[3] By using the Projection of Education Statistics to 2021, we could expect about 85% of the American college and university students will be enrolled in at least one online course. That is a growth of more than 50% within five years. Soon all of America, including grades K-12, and college would be affected by the online education growth.

In the corporate end of the spectrum, currently there are over 1 billion people in an online training course. ELearning represents $52.6 billion of the $200 billon industry of corporate training. That number is expected to grow to $107 billion in the year 2015. That is also a 50% growth within five years. Now, 77% of American corporations are using eLearning. In 1995 that number was below 5%.^[3]

Below is a short film by Znanja Inc. educating the importance of eLearning:

As technology grows the expansion of eLearning is inevitable. In regards to which educational environment is more preferred by the students really would not matter. Because in the world of business to be successful is to be knowledgeable and versatile. Nothing says this more, than the future of eLearning.

Question #3 of Week 1:

Blogging is a type of tool for eLearning. As you can see, we have all become students of eLearning. As fellow bloggers, what are your eLearning experiences? If you cannot think of any, please tell us of your experience with our blog or other educational blogs.

Sources:

^[1] National Center for Education Statistics, ."Projections of Education Statistics to 2021." Institute of Education Sciences National Center for Education Statistics. 40th. n. page. Web. 1 Mar. 2013. <http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2013008>

^[2] Puente, Kelly. "California universities see future in online classes." San Gabriel Valley. (2013): n. page. Web. 1 Mar. 2013. <http://www.sgvtribune.com/rss/ci_22625376>.

^[3] znanja, Inc, dir. The eLearning Revolution. 2012. Film. 1 Mar 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlJshzOv2cw>.