More Students Are Taking Online Courses For Online Degrees

Numbers of Online Degree Students Are On The Rise.

According to a report by The Sloan Consortium, the number of college students who are taking at least one course online is quickly rising in the United States. Annual totals were tallied in the fall of each year and the numbers show steady growth.

In the Fall of 2002, there were 1.6 million students registered taking online courses. In the Fall of 2003, the number of students registered taking online courses rose to 1.97 million. And the numbers rose again in the Fall of 2004 to 2.33 million students registered and taking online courses here in the US.

With these numbers we can project that there is an estimated 370,000 new students every year since 2002 taking college courses online. Bringing those numbers up to date, we find that come the Fall of 2008, there will be an estimated 3.44 million college students attending online courses, in virtual and online classes, getting online degrees.

One of the nation’s very best online education institutions is The University of Phoenix. In fact, University of Phoenix happens to be the nation’s largest private, accredited university. UOP was founded in 1976. The school has been in operation for over thirty years now! University of Phoenix is known for providing relevant, real-world education to working adults.

If you have serious interest in getting your online degree, it is well worth looking into University of Phoenix. There are campus locations and learning centers in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Alberta and British Columbia, for those interested in supplementing the classroom for online courses. And, the internet courses are available across North America. University of Phoenix is for serious degree-seeking students.

Skype and Online Courses: The Evolution of the Online Education Experience

The really cool thing in online education now is that we are finding the introduction of audio and video into the course work.

What we are not discussing here are audio files that are shared and downloaded or streamed to the student, or video files which can be viewed online as part of online coursework. These technologies are certainly available and are a part of the online education coursework. But that is not what we are talking about…

We are talking about Skype! We are talking about live, real time video and audio conferencing during class time in an online course. Today, we are able to skype and be there either by voice, or by both voice and video, brought into the virtual classroom in real time, online. Now, it is actually just like being there, in the moment, in the virtual classroom, and in deed we are…

Though we may be thousands of miles apart at class time, at the same time we are online and in the presence of one another and able to react to the discussion together and share ideas, debate, and have greater impact and absorption of the lecture from the instructor.

Today, the classroom is really happening wherever “you” need it to take place; and we, as students, are able to interact with the instructor and all the other students in our online classes, just like we would in the traditional classroom. As this technology revolutionizes the way we attend classes online, we are evolving the very foundations of education. Skype is the next movement in bringing the video conference into the online class experience.

Individually, classmates are now able to use the video conference as the way to have study groups and individual study sessions outside of class time. The computer video camera is nothing new, but the technology of Skype has taken the video conference or video call to the next level. Skype is software that allows users to make telephone calls over the Internet. Calls to other users of the service are free of charge. Skype is not just freeware for the masses; it does have a profit component. The other services of Skype are that calls to landlines and cell phones can be made for a fee, a smaller fee than traditional telephone companies. Additional features in Skype include instant messaging, file transfer and video conferencing.

So, the Skype technology is not necessarily brand new… video conferencing has been around for many years now. But, the difference between previous versions of video conferencing available through private business including Microsoft and Apple and other companies is that the main difference between Skype and standard VoIP and video is that Skype operates on a peer-to-peer model rather than the more usual client-server model. The Skype user directory is entirely decentralized and distributed among the nodes of the network —i.e., users’ computers— which allows the network to scale very easily to large sizes (currently about 240 million users) without a complex centralized infrastructure costly to the Skype Group.

With Skype, the user does not have to join MSN or Apple in any way. You don’t have to become a member of any network. You don’t have to subscribe or be forced to share your personal information in any way. All you have to do is download the software, get a video camera and headset for your computer and you are up and running.

This means, students can get the software for free with an online download, and get the hardware from any WalMart, Target, or Best Buy at a nominal cost, and then may be able to experience class and study sessions that are more convenient than going to college has ever been! The technology is truly svelte and sleek and easy to use. It is peer to peer and does not require a great deal of set-up. It is easy and affordable and it has revolutionized online education!

Economic News Continues to Push the Workforce Toward Economical and Online Education Resources

The news continues to reveal our declining economic situation that has been plaguing the financial markets and the business growth in the US for last year and more.

The workforce at large is finding that the need to compete in the workplace is forcing many to either increase their current skill set or obtain new work related credentials and education. The ever-growing online education system is a resource that more and more people are finding the best value for the dollar.

One example of an online education student today is Dave Coffman, a 45-year-old husband and father of two who works in law enforcement. He is the major provider for his family and has little time to devote to furthering his education and the cost involved, but a new bachelor’s degree is essential to his career growth.

Families always benefit when a parent earns a new degree.

Dave did not want to take out student loans or put forth the time away from his family that a traditional education would have required. Mr. Coffman discovered that he could easily afford afford an online education without a huge impact on his family budget.

This is one example of how online education is revolutionizing the workforce’s ability to increase their marketability and workplace value.

While the current US economy is in a downturn, there is still no time to waste in acquiring the skills and degrees that every individual needs to compete for the best jobs or to maintain the ones that individuals already have. Since, typically, online education is more affordable and less taxing on the student, online education is now in vogue. Online Education has already revolutionized the way we are educated students today… and it is on it’s way to replacing the traditional education system with one that is driven by the new technologies of an online society.

Are you thinking about going back to school starting your first class online? Find out everything you need to know from the nation’s best online education provider, University of Phoenix.

With Soaring Gas Prices and the Need to Compete, Students are Opting for Online Degrees!

More and more students are going to school online.

Now that the economy is in such dire straits, and the gas prices are soaring to record highs, the workforce is still looking to improve their resumes and skills sets but needs to find the way that makes the most sense and saves them the most money!! So, current students, and those going back to school, are getting online degrees. They are choosing to go to school via online programs and online classes. Students are getting their degrees online!

The most popular courses in online degree programs right now are:

• AAHCA - Associate of Arts in Health Care Administration
• AACJ - Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice
• AAPSY - Associate of Arts in Psychology
• AAB - Associate of Arts in Business
• BSCJA - Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration
• AAHCA/MR - Associate of Arts in Health Care Administration-Medical Records
• CONT-ED - Continuing Teacher Education
• AAEE - Associate of Arts in Elementary Education
• BSED/E - Bachelor of Science in Education / Elementary Education**
• AAACC - Associate of Arts in Accounting

So, what is apparent, right now, is that as a workforce we still need to develop our skill sets and resumes with new degrees, especially in today’s detracted economy where competition for jobs is intense. When this fact is combined with higher and higher gas prices, we find the solutions in the form of staying local and staying home. Everyone in America is traveling less now, and any ways in which we can save money are being embraced.

Online degrees are a sensible choice in today’s economic climate. The workforce is able to increase the value of the individual as a skilled employee; and the individual is able to better his or her position by getting a new degree, by being in control of their busy schedules through the attendance of courses online, conveniently from home, and moreover by being able to save money from travel and gas expenses.

Balance: Full-time Job, Wife, 3 Children and Attending an Online College Degree Program

I realize how hard it is to go to school while juggling the rest of a very busy life schedule. When I started with the online program in IT Systems Management, I knew I needed to do enhance my career and my life with a new degree. Working full time and having 3 kids, but I am able to go to school because of the real flexbility I can create with my scedule. Going to school online is not easy, you still have the work you have to do, but you can do it without the hassle of actually going to a physical location. No traffic, no bad drivers to deal with, just my computer and my classmates meeting at a given time while I sit on my couch.

Getting Started with Online School

I remember what is was like when I first started an online education course…

I thought that it was weird at first that we were expected to “chat” about the course. Meaning, we were supposed to log-in and type out some comment or question in the course Discussion Log and then look for feedback from other students and the professor. But, my mind soon changed as I realized that what was really happening was that we were creating a repository of all of the class notes that we would need to have been gathering throughout the semester if we were in the regular “raise your hands and ask your questions” format that I was used to. I quickly cam e to love it! I realized that we were saving class notes and questions better than I could have done by hand or typed along in a classroom where we had 60 mins for each session.

So, me, being one who loves new technology anyway, embraced the Discussion Log or Discussion Board like you would not believe! It was better than trying to accumulate all of that information during a class and trying to get it all down.

For me, I was going back to school after having finished my previous education endeavors in the Spring of 1999. I knew that it was going to be different. And, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. But, I was impressed with how much more efficient it was.

The newness and awkwardness of the new format was also exciting to me too. I knew that this online education style was going to take some getting used to, but it proved to be the best thing for me for going back to school. I could have my busy life and get a real education where I learned something new and got the training that I needed.

Once I absorbed the whole thing and new how it was going to operate, I remember that I said to myself… “Wow, this is cool… now I know that I am really going to learn something here!!”