Crestwood School – Education and Science

Whether you are already certified as a CPA or you are in the market to enter this field, CPA continuing education is a great way to stay on top of the game and make sure that you are on top of the latest trends in the field. Tax preparation is one of those fields that are constantly shifting, due to different acts that are passed by the government. This can make it essential for you to be at the top of your game, in order to effectively advise others regarding their best options for their own tax preparation.

CPA continuing education is a smart option, considering that this field is one that is constantly evolving and growing. Even in times of a rough economic climate, there is still a need for qualified CPA. There will always be a need for people to prepare their taxes. In fact, when they are watching their finances more closely than ever, they will appreciate the guidance of a qualified professional to make sure that everything is done by the book. Most importantly, people need help in getting maximum tax credits. This makes the role of a CPA more vital than ever.

Those who are looking for CPA continuing education course work, you may want to consider attending a CPA school which will offer online courses. There are several different benefits to taking online courses as opposed to going to class. Firstly, online courses are undeniably more cost-effective than classroom courses. In addition, the courses are more convenient, because you can complete them from the comfort and convenience of your own home as opposed to having to commute to a classroom.

Specially, in the case of those who have day jobs and are looking for a career change, choosing online CPA continuing education makes sense. This course work covers all of the latest procedures as well as the basics of accounting practices, making sure that you receive a current and well-rounded insight into the accounting world. To learn more about this option, it is recommended to visit the website of an online accounting school. There are different CPA certification guidelines that vary state by state, so it is important to take it into consideration.

Children with autism commonly face problems with verbal communication. This is usually due to the frequent speech and language problems associated with the disorder. Though the actual reason that these problems are faced by autistic children is unknown, many experts believe that they are the result of several conditions occurring before, during, or after the child’s birth that have had an impact on the development of the brain. The inability to properly communicate verbally can make interpretation and interaction with the child’s world much more difficult.

The communication problems experienced vary from child to child, depending on the individual’s social and intellectual development. While some may not be able to speak at all, others may maintain extensive vocabularies and can express themselves regarding complex topics. However, most children with autism experience some form of communication difficulty usually with the appropriate use of the language, for example difficulty with intonation, rhythm, and word and sentence meaning.

Autistic children who are able to speak may say things without true information, expression, or content. They are only words with no meaning to the situation. Others will use echolalia, where they simply repeat what they have heard, even if they have been asked a question. And yet other autistic children will use delayed echolalia, using the question previously posed in order to ask for what they want. For example, a child who had earlier been asked “are you hungry?” may say “are you hungry” at a later time to express his or her hunger.

Many autistic children will have a stock of phrases that they use in specific conditions. For example, a child may introduce him or herself at the beginning of every conversation. Some autistic children learn scripts from television shows, commercials, books, or other recorded dialogs.

Autistic children able to speak can frequently speak extensively about a topic without the ability to actually converse with others. They may also make up a voice to use other than their own such as a robot voice, a deep voice, a squeaky voice or another similar type of alteration.

It is possible to help an autistic child to better his or her verbal communication skills with improvements made through the use of appropriate treatments.

The first step is to consult a speech and language pathologist in order to have your child’s communication skills evaluated. Specific treatments suitable for your child may be recommended during this evaluation.

No single method of communication treatment has been universally found to improve all autistic children, but starting early increases the chances of significant improvements. Try to target your child’s specific communication strengths and weaknesses. Different forms of goal orientated therapy for useful communications are the most successful techniques, though not guaranteed to work for all children. Periodic in-depth evaluations from a specialist are recommended for perfecting and altering the therapy to best work for your child’s unique needs.

Many parents find that consulting physical and occupational therapists can also be very helpful for helping to reduce unwanted behaviors during communication, which are common hindrances to the development of skills.

Find out what your child best responds to: a structured behavior modification program, an in-home therapy program, or another type of therapy that utilizes reality-based situations as a foundation for the therapy.

It may surprise you to discover that music therapy and sensory integration therapies may have a large impact on your child’s ability to use verbal communication. This is because stimulation of the senses often helps to improve the child’s ability to respond to sensory information, and therefore helps him or her recognize what he or she is hearing through verbal communication and seeing through non-verbal communication. The goal is to help improve the effectiveness of sensory understanding.

Medications may also improve an autistic child’s attention span, which in turn can help to improve verbal communication in your child. However, with long-term medication use there is the possibility of undesirable side effects.

To be certain that your child is at his or her fullest potential, mineral and vitamin supplements, as well as a tailored diet, psychotherapy, and overcoming sleep challenges may greatly assist in focus and attention, which should help improve verbal communication.

Life centered career education address the needs of students with learning disabilities, students with mild mental disabilities and students at risk. The curriculum includes various training programs that provide education and training to develop skills useful to this challenged segment of society. These programs teach students to function independently and productively as family members and citizens. The process of learning incorporates training in liaison with family members or available friends.

The first step in the training process is to assess individuals and determine whether such training would be beneficial to them. For this purpose, there are various verbal and non-verbal tests.

On the basis of these assessments and certain observations, a student is accepted in the correct type of training program. The present level of competencies is determined and an individual educational program (IEP) is prepared with a set of objectives. This plan is a program of education for the particular student. Systematic instructional content is prepared and elaborated into a curriculum in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Life centered career education allows society to address the needs of the physically or mentally challenged segment of population. The main components of this training are daily living skills, personal-social skills, occupational guidance and preparation.

The curriculum focuses on reaching the goals with a lot of flexibility provided to the trainer and the student.

Daily living skills segments teach students to manage day-to-day tasks such as personal activities, food preparation, household management and personal finance management. “”Personal social skills”" segments focus on relations with other people. These enhance the self-confidence of the student and hence improve his decision-making skills. Lastly, a very important part of the training is to find a suitable job for the candidates. Life centered career education addresses this concern by training students and providing occupational guidance according to the specific competency skills.

Assessment is a very important part of life centered career education. It includes various assessment devices along with the requirements for testing. Overall, life centered career education opens up opportunities for growth and personal satisfaction to the people who participate in these programs.

Many pharmacy technicians are trained on the job, however, most employers prefer to hire pharmacy technicians that have had formal training or previous work experience. Pharmacy technician requirements include attention to detail, no prior history of drug related offenses, strong math and reading skills, no felony convictions within the past 5 years, and a high school diploma or GED.

Pharmacy technician training programs are accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). You can find a program directory of all of the accredited programs on their website. There are certified programs in 37 states, including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

These training programs are located mainly in technical colleges, community colleges, and vocational schools, though there are also a few located in universities and other locations. The programs teach all of the required skills for pharmacy technician, such as the names and dosages of different medications, pharmaceutical calculations, pharmaceutical law and ethics, pharmaceutical techniques, pharmaceutical terminology, and pharmacy record keeping. Once a student has completed all of the pharmacy technician requirements of the program, they will be awarded with a certificate, associate’s degree, or diploma depending on the program.

Most states do not have pharmacy technician requirements in regard to certification, but employers usually prefer those who have taken the certification exams offered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board and the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians since they know if someone has earned this certification they have the necessary skills to be a pharmacy technician.

Becoming a certified pharmacy technician requires passing one of the certification exams mentioned above, and completing 20 hours of continuing education every two years in order to keep your certification current. You can meet the certified pharmacy technician requirements without attending a formal program, however, it might be easier to learn the information necessary to pass the exams through formal study.

In order to qualify for the certification you need a high school diploma, no past drug convictions, and no felony convictions in the past five years, all of which are also requirements for those who are not certified. The main thing that sets apart Certified Pharmacy Technicians is the fact that they have passed the certification exam and completed the continuing education requirements to keep their certification current.

Without a doubt, distance learning for higher education has opened up an opportunity for people who, in the past, were unable to realise their educational dreams. Their difficulty was not just about money. Some people just did not live close enough to reputable learning institutions to attend classes there. Even if they did live close enough, their busy schedules (which often included taking care of their families and working full time jobs) made it impossible for them to attend classes during regular school hours.

Now, thanks to distance learning, students can pursue a higher education no matter where they live. And they can set their own hours so that, no matter how busy their schedules are, they can make time to study when it is convenient for them.

The Advantages

The Internet has made it easier than ever. And, more and more, reputable learning institutions are embracing the concept.

The biggest advantage of learning by long distance is the convenience. You do not have to make time in your busy schedule to travel to a campus so you can take a required class at a certain time. Wherever your computer is, that will be your classroom.

Another big advantage is that, with distance learning, there is almost no limit to what you can study. Do you dream of being a teacher? Do you want to become a registered nurse? Do you want a business degree? You can do all of those and more online.

From home, you can earn an Associate Degree, or a Bachelor’s Degree. You could even go for your Master’s Degree. In fact, many people who have had to abandon their pursuit of a degree for one reason or another have been able to go back to school online and finally complete their studies, earning the degrees they had already worked so hard for.

The Limitations – Is Distance Learning Right for You?

Studying for a degree by long distance will take a bit of discipline and organization. You will not have teachers or professors there to remind you to do assignments. And you will be responsible for knowing when certain work needs to be done, knowing where certain paperwork needs to go and when it needs to be there.

However, if you have the motivation, and the desire to succeed, you can make it work.

Distance learning and higher education go hand and hand. Location and lack of time do not have to be obstacles anymore. With all of the options out there, there is nothing to stop you from pursuing your dreams of earning a degree.

Gaining an education in hospitality management is available to those who are looking to pursue an exciting career in this field. Degrees are obtainable by enrolling in a variety of accredited online schools and colleges. With numerous training levels and areas to choose from students can gain the skills and knowledge they need to pursue a successful career. Pursuing the necessary education for a hospitality management or hotel and motel management career will give students the training they desire while preparing them for the career of their dreams. Students can start by choosing the specific level of study that interests them most, and learning more about gaining an education in this field.

Associate’s Degrees
Gaining an accredited online associate level degree in this exciting field will prepare students for a number of careers. Training can last around two years and will require the completion of various coursework. Subjects will be based on the career desired and the educational program. Students may study subjects like food safety and sanitation, restaurant management, hospitality accounting, hotel purchasing, hotel and restaurant marketing, and many other related courses. By gaining an education at the associate degree level students can pursue careers as guest services managers, dining room supervisors, management trainees, banquet sales coordinators, and more. Those who wish to further education can do so by obtaining a bachelor degree.

Bachelor’s Degrees
Those who wish to pursue a bachelor level degree can do so with an accredited online educational training program. Students can earn their degree by completing four years of training. The desired career path will help decide what coursework will need to be completed. Studied will vary but may include accounting, food production management, leadership in hospitality, marketing, human resource management, and much more. Students who choose to gain a bachelors degree in hospitality management can pursue various careers such as hotel manager, event planner, resort manager, director of marketing, and other professions. By gaining an accredited online education at this level students will be ready to enter the workforce and seek employment or pursue a master degree.

Master’s Degrees
Studying for an accredited online education in hospitality management can be done through various schools and colleges from the comfort of home. Students can obtain their desired career training with an additional two years of study once a bachelor degree is earned. Specific areas of study will be based on each student’s desired career. Possible coursework can include financial analysis, marketing management, restaurant development, hospitality accounting, strategic management, and more. By gaining an online master’s degree in this field students will be able to find employment as hospitality managers, finance directors, franchisees, management consultants, and more. By gaining a degree students can be on the way to the career they desire.

Accredited online schools and colleges can provide a number of educational options to those looking to pursue a career in this field. Full accreditation provides proof that the program can give students the best quality education they deserve. Agencies like the Distance and Education Training Council ( http://www.detc.org/ ) are approved to fully accredit qualifying online programs. Students can start by researching and enrolling in an online hospitality management program today.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERIC OUTLINE and may or may not depict precise methods, courses and/or focuses related to ANY ONE specific school(s) that may or may not be advertised at PETAP.org.

Copyright 2010 – All rights reserved by PETAP.org.

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Why get involved with TQM? 

TQM is a philosophy and system for continuously improving the services and/or products offered to customers. Now that the technologies of transportation and communication have replaced national economic systems with a global economy, nations and businesses that do not practice TQM can become globally non-competitive rather rapidly. This march towards non-competitiveness can be avoided if citizens are helped to become TQM practitioners. Therefore, the potential benefits of TQM in a school, district or college are very clear:

1. TQM can help a school or college provide better service to its primary customers–students and employers.

2. The continuous improvement focus of TQM is a fundamental way of fulfilling the accountability requirements common to educational reform.

3. Operating a no-fear TQM system with a focus on continuous growth and improvement offers more excitement and challenge to students and teachers than a “good-enough” learning environment can provide.

What are the essential elements of TQM in education?

In a TQM school or college, improvement teams and individuals are constantly working on improving service to customers. The concept of a service being “good enough” is considered inadequate.

1. Awareness and Commitment for Everyone.

The talents of a student will not be developed to their fullest potential unless EVERY member of a teaching-learning partnership promotes the highest possible quality at each step in the development process. An excellent way to begin is with a total staff meeting. The meeting can provide:

a. A dynamic overview of TQM elements and potential by one or more presenters who have experienced both and

b. A clear commitment from the school board, superintendent, and principal that they will fully support TQM efforts and that they do not expect (to use the language of W. Edwards Deming) “instant pudding” results.

2. A Clear Mission. Managing continuous movement toward progressively higher quality standards depends on defining those standards. If a TQM steering committee is formed in a school (See element #10a.), it should determine the answer to this question–Does the school have a clear, customer-focused mission statement and a functioning process for divisions and/or departments translating this statement into exit outcomes for graduates? If the answer is “no”, that problem must be addressed with local, state, national, and employer standards. These standards should emphasize developing students’ abilities to solve real-life problems.

3. A Systems Planning Approach.

Traditional education has become excessively compartmentalized. Teacher X provides an English course; science teacher Y might focus heavily on a student’s knowledge of scientific principles without paying much attention to developing that student’s ability to use English principles in writing a technical report. Subconsciously, the student begins to view English as a “course” instead of as skills to be USED. If higher levels of student competence are to be developed, there must be higher levels of system-wide and cross-department PLANNING for instructional improvement in schools and colleges.

4. Teaming Replacing Hierarchy.

The hierarchical organizations of yesterday are still dominant in too many businesses and schools. Such organizations tend to promote individual effort “good enough” to satisfy a supervisor who sometimes knows less about how to achieve quality than those he/she supervises. Cross-department teams can and do promote stronger improvement if they are:

a. Given a clear mission and strong authority

b. Supported rather than hampered by supervisors.

Support is a major element in the success or failure of TQM. If administrators, supervisors, and department chairpersons support task improvement teams, those teams can generate more motivation and improvement than can otherwise be achieved. If not, TQM cannot achieve its potential. In properly operated TQM programs, administrators and supervisors work diligently at:

a. Insisting on clear visions and missions

b. Coordinating among task or improvement teams c. Supporting the efforts and authority of improvement teams to the highest possible degree.

These are very critical support actions. Unless administrators and supervisors fulfill them properly, task improvement teams can fail because of this system weakness.

5. Enabling AND Empowerment Replacing Fear.

Traditional do-it-to-them evaluation systems by themselves generate fear and lack of initiative. Staff members focus on doing whatever is enough to keep the boss happy. However, if volunteer members of empowered improvement teams are given opportunities to become experts and/or to use experts, that enabling generates excitement and dedication. School districts should support members of quality improvement teams with funding and time others. Teams function best if team members are given the background and authority to make informed decisions. Each district and school should define and implement objectives for a strong focus on being a learning organization.

6. Focus on Mastery Learning.

In traditional classrooms, teachers often follow this sequence: 1 Plan————-> 2 Teach—————-> 3 Test. The normal curve that usually results stands as testimony to the fact that many students fail to learn at the highest possible level in this system. The TQM alternative is: 1 Plan–> 2 Teach (DO) –> 3 Check**–> 4 Revised Teaching (ACT) –> 5 Test** In the “check” step, formative (not-for-grade) testing is used to determine which learning some students have missed. Then non-mastered material is retaught in some different way or style. If advisable, the checking and revised teaching can be repeated more than once. Meanwhile students who have mastered the material move to enrichment learning or assist with instruction of those who have not achieved mastery. This system of mastery learning can result in much more complete learning for most students, in effect, a positive movement of the “normal” curve. This improvement in learning is a basic purpose of TQM in the classroom.

7. Management by Measurement.

In the section above, you were introduced to an adapted Shewhart Cycle, a basic part of a TQM process. Be aware that measurement is very important in the ** marked steps of this cycle. For example, if a reading teacher used a new computer program in the ACT step to assist students having trouble, he or she might gather data in steps #3 and #5 and plot it in a scatter diagram to investigate the relationship between use of that program and final learning results. If careful analysis showed that the new program promoted strong progress in reading, that would affect planning for future instruction. This management by data rather than by opinion allows objective pursuit of the two basic purposes of TQM in education:

a. Improved learning.

b. Improved cost effectiveness.

Excellent books on quality processes and measurement in education are available in a free catalog from ASQ Quality Press; PO Box 3005; Milwaukee, WI 53201-3005. The telephone number is (800)248-1946; the fax number is (414)272-1734. Member discounts are available to those who join the American Society for Quality. ASQ’s web site is http://www.asq.org. State or regional chapters also exist.

8. Development of Student TQM Skills.

In addition to using TQM to improve learning in general, every school district should specifically equip its students to understand and use TQM. This is a basic part of schools contributing to readiness for work in the global economy. Whether a school staff decides to integrate learning TQM into existing courses or to provide it as a separate course, it is important that students DO and not just study about TQM. Excellent resources in this area are books from ASQ Quality Press at the address shown in section #7 above. These books are relevant to student activities — (1) THINKING TOOLS FOR KIDS; (2) FUTURE FORCE: KIDS THAT WANT TO, CAN, AND DO!; (3) a CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT SERIES covering science, language arts in primary classrooms, mathematics, and history and social science; and a SMART TEACHING handbook that presents a complete 8-step teaching system. An excellent way to have students live TQM is to establish a system in which student assessment portfolios are dynamic records of constant improvement in which the students can take great pride.

9. A Humanistic and a Brain Compatible Focus.

In the Learning Environment Dr. William Glasser has provided one of the best translations of TQM principles into suggestions for a very productive learning environment. Every educator can profit from reading his book: The Quality School Teacher, by William Glasser, M.D. (1998) Harper Paperbacks. Working with people is much more complex than manufacturing widgets. Dr. Glasser offers an excellent blueprint for TQM in classrooms in the context of deep sensitivity to human relationships. Also,one of the most productive areas in which a school task improvement team can work is in helping all staff members use the model more brain-friendly techniques in teaching.

10. A Transformation Plan. Under element #1, an awareness presentation was recommended as the first step in considering transformation from traditional to TQM operation. Two other basic actions are recommended here:

a. Form a TQM steering committee that–

(1) Develops a plan for supporting the staff in TQM implementation and

(2) Builds a positive connection between that committee and the traditional supervisors. in

b. Use advice from consultants and/or from schools that have succeeded at TQM transformation.

The latter action is particularly important.

The idea of online education was scoffed at not so many years ago. But these days both educational institutions and prospective students are taking online education seriously.

The first universities to offer accredited online degrees began appearing back in the 1990s. More often than not, these groundbreaking schools were looked down upon by the “academic elite,” and considered to be somehow “shady” or disreputable. But a lot has certainly changed since then, and these days even the most prestigious Ivy League universities are offering online classes, and sometimes, a complete online curriculum for distance learning.

If you’ve wondered how online education works, or if it would be a good alternative for you, read on to get a sense of the online learning experience and what it means to be a “virtual student.”

Obviously the biggest difference between online education and attending an actual university is that it is not necessary to be in any particular location to study. This means that much of the social aspect of going to college is removed from the online education experience. But depending on your point of view, this could actually be a very good thing. It makes it possible to bypass a lot of the peer pressure and “popularity contests” that many college cultures have become inundated with.

If you are an older student — and by older, I mean over 24 — you will probably find much of the petty jostling for popularity and status to be a real turnoff anyway. That’s why online education can be a great option for returning students, or those who are a little more mature.

One of the biggest questions prospective students have about online education is how the virtual classroom actually works. While there are similarities between the virtual classrooms used in online education, and the brick and mortar classrooms of a traditional university, there are striking differences as well.

For example, if you attend a physical campus you will enter the classroom and attend a certain course at a certain time that will be designated to last between one and three hours on average. The instructor of the course will likely lecture for the majority of this time, but there may also be some student participation. At the end of the class the instructor may assign homework or inform students of upcoming quizzes.

But in a virtual classroom the structure is much more open, and there is a far greater degree of flexibility in the lesson plans. For example, normally you may log into your virtual class at any time, where you will listen, read and watch videos covering the course material. As a general rule, you may take as much time as you like to go over the material and complete any assignments given. While your course instructor will normally be available to ask questions via real-time online chat, e-mail or instant messaging, they will not monitor your progress or concern themselves with your work habits.

This means that with online education the student has far greater responsibility for their own learning. No one will babysit you, or ensure that you are doing the required work; it is simply presented to you, and you are expected to be responsible for completing assignments and reviewing the information.

This kind of freedom and flexibility fits many people perfectly, but others — especially younger students — may crave the structure of traditional campus learning. If your time is important to you, and you are motivated enough to be responsible for yourself, online education could be a perfect fit for you.

More and more young people are choosing non-traditional education to start and advance in their careers while completing and furthering their formal education. “Typical distance learners are those who don’t have access to programs, employees who work during scheduled class hours, homebound individuals, self-motivated individuals who want to take courses for self-knowledge or advancement, or those who are unable or unwilling to attend class” (Charp, 2000, p. 10). Three key elements surround the online learner: technology, curriculum, and instructor (Bedore, Bedore, & Bedore, 1997). These elements must be keenly integrated into one smoothly and operationally functional delivery tool.

While an online method of education can be a highly effective alternative medium of education for the mature, self-disciplined student, it is an inappropriate learning environment for more dependent learners. Online asynchronous education gives students control over their learning experience, and allows for flexibility of study schedules for non traditional students; however, this places a greater responsibility on the student. In order to successfully participate in an online program, student must be well organized, self-motivated, and possess a high degree of time management skills in order to keep up with the pace of the course. For these reasons, online education or e-learning is not appropriate for younger students (i.e. elementary or secondary school age), and other students who are dependent learners and have difficulty
assuming responsibilities required by the online paradigm.

Millions of students use e-learning solutions in over 140 countries: corporations such as Kodak and Toyota and education providers like ExecuTrain, New Horizons, the Enoch Olinga College (ENOCIS), Phoenix University amongst the hundreds of schools and colleges.

Studies have shown student retention to be up to 250% better with online learning than with classroom courses. Several recent ones have helped frame the debate. The Sloan Consortium published a widely distributed report titled “Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States in 2005″ that examined the growing prevalence of online education across U.S. institutions.

In addition, a study conducted by the Boston-based consulting firm Eduventures found that, while about half of institutions and more than 60 percent of employers generally accept the high quality of online learning, students’ perceptions differ. Only about 33 percent of prospective online students said that they perceive the quality of online education to be “as good as or better than” face-to-face education. Ironically, 36 percent of prospective students surveyed cited concern about employers’ acceptance of online education as a reason for their reluctance to enroll in online courses.

But what actually drives quality? A March 2006 report released by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education identifies six quality indicators: mission, curriculum and instruction, faculty support, student and academic services, planning for sustainability and growth, and evaluation and assessment.

The debate rages on while the Pros and Cons of Online Adult Education for today’s international students are constantly analyzed to determine if this type of education platform can deliver predictable and measurable results.

The Enoch Olinga College (ENOCIS) is one institution which uses this type of delivery system. ENOCIS enhances their learning experience by offering many other “value added”, cost reducing benefits to students. Online pupils can apply for scholarships available to students of excellence and other financial aid programs like the Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), with attractive interest rates. They also provide convenient payment facilities, on line banking, Western Union Quick Collect, bank cards and a student who is granted a loan can start repaying it after two months if they have a corporate guarantor.

Pros of Online Education:

The key advantages of the online education experience are briefly explained below:

1. Cheaper: Online courses may be more affordable than those offered at colleges or trade schools. You may also save on transportation costs like gas, bus passes, and parking permits because you don’t need to commute to school and there are no housing or meals plans to worry about since you do not need to live on or near a college campus. Housing expenses and other costs associated with living expenses are usually the most expensive aspects of a college education, so by taking an online course you could save quite a bit of money.

The best part of online education is the absence of travel and immigration problems. Some students may prefer not to pursue traditional on campus education, as it involves traveling to attend lectures. With online education, an applicant does not need to travel. Courses simply require accessing the internet in order to begin the learning process.

2. More Convenient: By taking courses online, you’re able to decide when you study and for how long. You are also able to schedule your studying around your work or social schedule.

Since you’re not bound to a classroom, you may do your work wherever you have access to a computer and the internet. You’ll be able to set your own pace and decide exactly how fast you want to go over the material.

Take online courses when you need them, not based on some college’s annual or semester schedule. You can learn when you need it (Just-In-Time) A course is as close as a computer with an Internet connection.

3. Flexibility: with no set class times, you decide when to complete your assignments and readings. You set the pace. In some programs, you can even design your own degree plan. The online students can carry out their private or official work, along with the online education. As it provides the convenience of time flexibility, a student can login and logout as per his desire whereas, the traditional education do not provide such flexibility in learning.

Flexibility of online education allows the student control over their studies. They can allot more time in the topics, which they feel comparatively hard and vice versa. The speed of learning depends solely upon the students.

4. Technology: With the help of the scientific technology, students can do their online education at any place. The only mandatory pre-requisite is the availability of computer along with an internet amenity. Side benefits include the learning new technologies and technical skills

5. Availability: distance-learning opportunities have exploded over the past few years, with many accredited and reputable programs.

6. Accessibility: with an online course, you can work on the course just about anywhere you have computer access. Your learning options are not constrained by your geographic location. The new virtual classrooms have created a myriad of learning opportunities for global learning and education center. On line education is a new era experience adapting to the needs of the world citizen.

7. Self-Directed: you set your own pace and schedule, so you control the learning environment.

8. Time Spent in Classroom: now you can take a course on just about any subject without ever having to be in, or travel to, a classroom so you have very little wasted time. Note, however, that some distance-education programs still do have an in-class component and normally to receive a fully accredited US university degree an international student must spend one or two semesters on campus.

9. High Quality Dialog: Within an online asynchronous discussion structure, the learner is able to carefully reflect on each comment from others before responding or moving on to the next item. This structure allows students time to articulate responses with much more depth and forethought than in a traditional face-to-face discussion situation where the participant must analyze the comment of another on the spot and formulate a response or otherwise loose the chance to contribute to the discussion.

10. Student Centered: Within an online discussion, the individual student responds to the course material (lectures and course books, for example) and to comments from other students. Students usually respond to those topics within the broader conversation that most clearly speak to their individual concerns and situations resulting in several smaller conversations taking place simultaneously within the group. While students are expected to read all of their classmates’ contributions, they will become actively engaged only in those parts of the dialog most relevant to their needs. In this way, students take control of their own learning experience and tailor the class discussions to meet their own specific needs. Ideally, students make their own individual contributions to the course while at the same time take away a unique mix of information directly relevant to their needs.

11. Level Playing Field: In the online environment learners retain a considerable level of anonymity. Discriminating factors such as age, dress, physical appearance, disabilities, race and gender are largely absent. Instead, the focus of attention is clearly on the content of the discussion and the individual’s ability to respond and contribute thoughtfully and intelligently to the material at hand.

On line adult education can be more effective and better for certain types of learners (shy, introverted, reflective, language challenged, those that need more time). Distance education courses are often better for people who learn through visual cues and experiential exercises.

12. Synergy: The online format allows for a high level of dynamic interaction between the instructor and students and among the students themselves. Resources and ideas are shared, and continuous synergy will be generated through the learning process as each individual contributes to the course discussions and comments on the work of others. The synergy that exists in the student-centred virtual classroom is one of the unique and vital traits that the online learning format posses..

13. Access to Resources: It is easy to include distinguished guest experts or students from other institutions in an online class as well as allow students to access resources and information anywhere in the world. An instructor can compile a resource section online with links to scholarly articles, institutions, and other materials relevant to the course topic for students to access for research, extension, or in depth analysis of course content material in the global classroom.

14. Creative Teaching: The literature of adult education supports the use of interactive learning environments as contributing to self-direction and critical thinking. Some educators have made great strides in applying these concepts to their on ground teaching. However, many classes still exist which are based on boring lectures and rote memorization of material. The nature of the semi-autonomous and self-directed world of the virtual classroom makes innovative and creative approaches to instruction even more important. In the online environment, the facilitator and student collaborate to create a dynamic learning experience. The occasion of a shift in technology creates the hope that those who move into the new technology will also leave behind bad habits as they adopt this new paradigm of teaching. As educators redesign their course materials to fit the online format, they must reflect on their course objectives and teaching style and find that many of the qualities that make a successful online facilitator are also tremendously effective in the traditional classroom as well.

Cons of Online Education:

Briefly explained are some factors that could negatively affect your success with distance learning courses:

1. The Technology:

a. Equity and Accessibility to Technology: Before any online program can hope to succeed, it must have students who are able to access the online learning environment. Lack of access, whether it be for economical or logistics reasons, will exclude otherwise eligible students from the course. This is a significant issue in rural and lower socioeconomic neighborhoods and educating the underserved peoples of the world. Furthermore, speaking from an administrative point of view, if students cannot afford the technology the institution employs, they are lost as customers. As far as Internet accessibility is concerned, it is not universal, and in some areas of the United States and other countries, Internet access poses a significant cost to the user. Some users pay a fixed monthly rate for their Internet connection, while others are charged for the time they spend online. If the participants’ time online is limited by the amount of Internet access they can afford, then instruction and participation in the online program will not be equitable for all students in the course. This is a limitation of online programs that rely on Internet access. Equity of access to learners of all backgrounds and parts of society

b. Requires New Skills/Technologies: if you’re not computer-savvy or are afraid of change or new technologies, then online education will probably not work for you. The online students are required to learn new skills, such as researching and reviewing the internet. For the online students, they need to learn the techniques of navigation on an online library for necessary information. Technical training and support of learners and instructors

c. Computer Literacy: Both students and facilitators must possess a minimum level of computer knowledge in order to function successfully in an online environment. For example, they must be able to use a variety of search engines and be comfortable navigating on the World Wide Web, as well as be familiar with Newsgroups, FTP procedures and email. If they do not possess these technology tools, they will not succeed in an online program; a student or faculty member who cannot function on the system will drag the entire program down.

d. Limitations of Technology: User friendly and reliable technology is critical to a successful online program. However, even the most sophisticated technology is not 100% reliable. Unfortunately, it is not a question of if the equipment used in an online program will fail, but when. When everything is running smoothly, technology is intended to be low profile and is used as a tool in the learning process. However, breakdowns can occur at any point along the system, for example, the server which hosts the program could crash and cut all participants off from the class; a participant may access the class through a networked computer which could go down; individual PCs can have numerous problems which could limit students’ access; finally, the Internet connection could fail, or the institution hosting the connection could become bogged down with users and either slow down, or fail all together. In situations like these, the technology is neither seamless nor reliable and it can detract from the learning experience.

2. The Institution: Many online education facilities are relatively new with many courses and hence, lack in modern instructors for instructing the new curriculum. Estimates show that there is still a need for an increase of more 50% of qualified instructors for online education.

b. The Administration and Faculty: Some environments are disruptive to the successful implementation of an online program. Administrators and/or faculty members who are uncomfortable with change and working with technology or feel that online programs cannot offer quality education often inhibit the process of implementation. These people represent a considerable weakness in an online program because they can hinder its success.

3. The Facilitator :Lack of Essential Online Qualities: Successful on-ground instruction does not always translate to successful online instruction. If facilitators are not properly trained in online delivery and methodologies, the success of the online program will be compromised. An instructor must be able to communicate well in writing and in the language in which the course is offered. An online program will be weakened if its facilitators are not adequately prepared to function in the virtual classroom.

4. Perceptions/Reputation: while slowly changing as more and more mainstream colleges and universities embrace distance learning, there still is a stigma attached to distance education to the student’s interaction in the online education. Some of the students believe that, there are few opportunities with regards to face-to-face interactions and feedbacks.

5. No Instructor Face Time: If your learning style is one where you like personalized attention from your teachers, then online education will probably not work for you.

6. Little Support: students are expected to find their own resources for completing assignments and exams, which is empowering for some, but daunting for others.

There is little support and limited guidelines provided in online education system. Online students are required to search as per their own imaginations for completing exams and assignments.

7. Lacking Social Interaction: while you often interact with classmates via email, chat rooms, or discussion groups, there are no parties or off line get-togethers.
If you enjoy meeting new people and learn better while you’re interacting with other people, you may want to reconsider online education.

8. No Campus Atmosphere: part of the traditional college experience, of course, is the beauty of the campus, the college spirit, but you have none of that with distance-education courses.

Since you’re not on campus or in classes, you may lack opportunities to meet other students. You will not have many opportunities to interact face-to-face with your professors, so they may not have a real sense of who you are as a person.

9. Making Time: if you are a procrastinator or one of those people who always needs an extra push to complete work, you may have a hard time making time for your online classes. On line learning requires new skills and responsibilities from learners

10. Academic honesty of online students: requires a new mindset to online assessment. Most education experts agree that rote memory testing is not the best measure of learning in any environment and new measurement and evaluation tools are evolving.

11. Types and effectiveness of assessments: The importance of outcomes in online learning cannot be over emphasized. Does the program have measurable results? Are students learning what you say they should be learning? Then there are institutional outputs: course completion rates, job placement rates (if that’s the goal of the institution), graduation rates, student success on third-party tests, and student satisfaction scores.

These factors, both the pros and cons, contribute greatly to making an informed decision about the direction of your career path and how you are going to accomplish your goals: on line, in the classroom or a combination of both.

Institutions and companies that use continuing education to meet their needs also face similar decisions. Institutions that deliver online education are confronted with a series of challenges, including the search for good faculty, use of technology, and provision of adequate student services.

The Sloan Consortium report “Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States in 2005″ found that 64 percent of chief academic officers and faculty believe that it takes more discipline for a student to succeed in an online course than it does in a face-to-face course.

More and more major business and industry is turning to on line continuing education as a viable and cost effective resource for training its personnel. Hilton Hotel has 380 hotels worldwide and is represented in 66 countries.

When you weigh the benefits and advantages of on line adult continuing education the cost of study and flexibility of scheduling tip the scales of programs like the Enoch Olinga College, Capella and Phoenix University’s distance learning program on line adult continuing education is becoming a world wide respected form of education.

However, as with any situation, there are both pros and cons with the concept of online education and the benefits of the virtual or global classroom. You may want to evaluate both before you decide on an online education program. By examining the advantages and disadvantages, you will be able to make a more informed decision. But, at the end of the day, online learning is independent learning. A lot of structure has been put into online programs, but it still comes down to a learner sitting in front of a computer by him or herself. The knowledge you receive or the benefits it will generate either in development of self esteem or increasing earning capacity will depend sole upon you the student.