What Kinds of Degrees Can I Get Via a Distance Learning Education?

One Year Diplomas

After high school, the most basic level of post-secondary education that is out there is typically something that would come in the form of a one year (or shorter) diploma course. These courses come in a variety of different types that are generally designed to provide someone with enough education to get them an entry level job in a variety of industries. These include things like diplomas in business, secretarial programs, and programs designed to provide an introduction to certain trades, such as locksmithing (although the latter will usually require a job site apprenticeship as well as such a course).

Bachelors Degrees

Today, you can also study for a bachelors degree via a distance learning education. For most people that are planning on attending a formal university, this is where their education starts. For some, a bachelors degree can provide an entry into the job market. For others, it can provide a stepping stone to further education. Many professional schools, such as those that focus on law and medicine, require a participant to first complete an undergraduate degree before they can apply to those schools.

Because these learning options are now available online, it means that a person can study for a bachelors degree in any discipline via a distance learning education. However, in the world of physical schools, you are limited to what you can study simply by the distance that you are willing to travel to attend a certain school. Bachelors degrees are available online in fields such as the arts, business and economics, social sciences, hard sciences, engineering, and more.

Masters Degrees

For many individuals, a bachelors degree is only the start of their education. This includes people who wish to complete a bachelors degree with the purpose in mind of immediately pursuing further education, as well as those who have been away from school for many years and realized that their job progression has been halted because they don't have a graduate degree. Through distance learning education, it is possible for both of these types to obtain their MA or MBA degrees through one of the many accredited graduate programs that are available to them.

PHD Degrees

Doctorates and PhD Degrees are also available through distance learning education, showing that it is possible to attain even the highest levels of education via correspondence and online education options. Doctorates can be obtained in subjects as varied as psychology to economics.

Online Learning is the Right Education and Training Solution For Businesses and Individuals!

Don't let the terminology confuse the issue. E-Learning, cyber learning, video training, computer training, online learning are all pointing to one key result-improving the quality and effectiveness of employees and opening doors to new jobs and more money for individuals.

Individuals and businesses, using the internet as the delivery tool, can readily identify from hundreds of schools and training providers, the exact solution needed or desired and it can be delivered by a knowledge expert.

The education and career content, data, and training modules used in today's online courses are organized to provide the most up to date, relevant, and accurate information needed based on rapidly changing market demands.

And high quality online training programs are delivered with proof of completion and skill certification, if required, to provide the assurance and confidence every company or individual needs to utilize online resources.

Extreme financial and economic stress such as today's environment demand that both astute business managers and forward thinking individuals continue to invest in skill upgrades or make strategic career decisions to ensure long term productivity. And the diverse selection of online education and training programs gives every party the full range of options needed for almost every situation.

Every manager or individual must identify the tasks and skills the emerging market requires and then examine the gaps or weaknesses and determine what steps can be taken to elevate your capabilities. Only this approach will ensure long term competitiveness.

As a company, it is more efficient and cost effective to identify quality employees internally that are willing and capable of new training than attempting to hire unknown people and hope you get what you need. Those employees that are unwilling to change and not a good long term fit can and should be let go for the benefit of both parties.

If you are an individual trying to prepare for a job promotion or ready to make a dramatic shift to a new career, online education and training in most cases is the perfect solution that offers the flexibility and choices to get exactly what you want.

Whether it is personal or corporate online training, flexible computer based learning courses have demonstrated over and over to require substantially less time to accomplish desired learning or training objectives while doing so in the most cost effective manner compared to traditional classroom settings.

No, investigation can be considered complete unless the extensive selection of online courses and educational institutions are carefully considered and weighed against alternatives. In most cases, the solution will be clearly apparent...online computer training and career education is the winner.

How to Create Effective Online Learning Courses

Facilities, labor and travel expenses make the decision to build a cost-effective infrastructure of online learning an easy one. That's why many distance education departments and corporate executives turn to Web designers to develop online education courses to train their students and employees. However, this decision, many times, results in a waste of time and money, and can be frustrating to organizations simply because Web designers are not trained in the area of creating effective elearning courses; usually their focus is on visually appealing aesthetics.

For successful online course development, you need to work with a course developer that has proficiency in building programs from start to finish, while accomplishing educational objectives in every step of the process. An effective elearning course needs to have the same care and expertise put into the educational aspects as the design elements. Course content must be engaging and presented in the proper sequence in order to maximize a learner's memory retention. Skilled developers build courses that are carefully aligned to students' needs and directly achieve their learning goals, making elearning an essential part of education and training.

When it comes to valuable elearning programs, online course development is more than just making the pages look good. Here is how to create an effective online learning course that will successfully meet your goals:

1) Establish your idea - What is the learning objective of your course? What do you want participants to achieve by completing the elearning course?

2) Refine your ideas - Work with a subject matter expert (SME) to determine what the course needs to do to effectively meet your needs. Decide how much information to include in the course and how detailed it needs to be by making a prioritized list of key points you want emphasized in the course. The SME will insure the accuracy and sufficiency of the information you deliver.

3) Decide if your course needs an administrative function - You may simply need a system where participants can take the course without keeping any formal records. Many times, however, training programs need an administrative tool that manages learners and keeps track of their progress across all types of course activities. In elearning, this element is called a learning management system (LMS) or course management system (CSM). It provides a way to enroll students into courses, handle grades, deliver test or quiz material, offer two-way communication between the instructor and the student, upload study resources and keep records and transcripts of content and student-instructor interaction. These systems are designed to your specific training needs and seamlessly move students through the course process and record their progress appropriately.

4) Work with an instructional designer - The instructional designer will ensure that the information is presented in an interesting and successful manner using the established learning principles. They determine how the knowledge is presented, and how it is reinforced through activities, exercises and quizzes.