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What is Accreditation All About?

Monday, April 25th, 2011

Thinking of getting a degree online? Before you start you need to understand about accreditation and the right questions to ask from online universities and colleges.

Many people are going back to school to earn a degree and they’re doing it online for two reasons, cost and convenience. But not all online universities are created equal in the eyes of some employers and other universities.

Make sure the online university you’re thinking about is accredited through a board of accrediting agencies. Don’t just take the school’s word for it; you need to verify that an accreditation actually exists. If you decide to take your education to the next level you don’t want to discover that the next university you apply for does not recognize your online degree.

Because a school is accredited doesn’t mean that you’re getting the best education either. Some school can obtain an accredited status by passing on the bare minimum of requirements. If you’re going to spend the time learning you want make sure you’re getting the best education possible. So make sure the agency doing the accreditation is approved by U.S. Department of Education. It’s the part of the government that, among other things, regulate which accreditation agencies are legitimate and which are not. If an agency does not have USDOE approval stay away from the institutions that they accredited.

Getting a degree to advance your career can be a wise move. There are many degree programs so you need to consider which one is right for you. If you’re having trouble making a decision on your higher education moves, you might want to consider talking to a professional career consultant to evaluate your educational goals. The last thing you want to do is spend months and maybe even years getting a degree only to discover you really don’t want to pursue that career path.
Another thing you want to consider is the longevity of the career you’re going back to school for. Technology is changing the face of the business landscape and many jobs are either being outsourced to other countries with a cheaper labor force, or being eliminated altogether due to obsolesce. Research what you are considering for your college degree, as it might not be there in a few years.

You’re going to spend a lot of time cracking the books; it makes sense to spend at least a little time researching online universities first.

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Students can Trial Distance Learning Degree Programs before Buying

Friday, November 5th, 2010

Some online degree programs have increasingly been the target of criticism by education leaders who charge that they are enrolling students who aren’t ready for the challenges of distance learning.  Many students who enroll in online degree programs are unfamiliar with computer technology, email, and network security. As a result, they quickly drop out of college.

Students loans don’t disappear when the students leave college, however. Many students find themselves strapped with debts they cannot pay, and end up defaulting on these loans. In the past, since online universities got to keep the tuition fees, university authorities had little reason to keep students motivated or enrolled in their degree programs.

In response to this, as well as to allegations of fraud in federal loan applications, the U.S. Department of Education has announced new regulations that will deny federal aid to future students if the graduates or former students of those online universities default on loans or don’t earn enough money after they earn a college degree.

As a result, many online degree programs are beginning to offer students an academic trial period. Students can sign up for classes and participate in a three-week trial to decide whether or not they are ready for the rigors of a distance learning degree program before they pay tuition or take out student loans.While this will negatively impact enrollment numbers and the profit margin for some online universities, this should also help to decrease the number of students who start a degree program they can’t finish – and get stuck with repaying the tuition for years or decades to come.

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Stepping up Network Security: Campus and Online Degree Programs

Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010

College students, especially those majoring in computer science and information technology, often enjoy demonstrating their computer skills. Unfortunately, one of the ways students in these degree programs enjoy showing their expertise is in hacking into university network systems and making their presence known. As a result, campus based and online universities are ramping up security.

Many computer experts also recommend a layered approach to network security. By using firewalls, routers, and VPNS, or virtual private networks, colleges and universities hope to minimize the dangers posed by unwanted attacks. Protection, of course, is made even more challenging because of the many devices used by students and professors to enter the university network system. Smart phones, laptops, PCs, and iPads are all potential sources of electronic attack.

Both students and professors, as well as university adminstrators, should scan their computer systems regularly and monitor for potential threats. The majority of students trying to earn a degree online search regularly on the Internet for resources and information for their university degree programs. Unfortunately, in the process of doing this, they may leave their computer systems open to attack by visiting unsecured or potentially malicious websites.

If you are a student trying to earn a college degree at a campus-based university or through an online degree program, schedule your computer for a daily virus check. Don’t open emails from unfamiliar senders, even if they look official. Report any suspicious emails that purport to originate from your university or professor immediately. If possible, use an email program that scans attachments before you open them. And always, always, keep your virus protection software up-to-date.

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Do Tuition Guarantees Really Save Students Money?

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

In past years, many traditional college degree programs featured guaranteed tuition rates to freshmen entering four-year degree programs. Of course, costs often continued to rise in other ways, such as higher dormitory charges, meal plan rate increases, more expensive book costs, etc. As a result, many universities began dropping these guaranteed rates, leaving students at the mercy of the economy and the universities’ financial situations.

Unlike these colleges and universities, however, online degree programs charge students only for the classes they take. Students enrolled in distance learning degree programs pay only for the number of credit hours in which they are actually enrolled, plus any applicable fees.

At first glance, you might think that this doesn’t really benefit the student as much as guaranteed tuition programs do. After all, students enrolled in degree programs that offer this guarantee pay only a set rate for each credit hour, and this rate won’t increase over the next four years.

The rate at which tuition increases, however, is much higher for incoming freshmen from year to year among degree programs that with those that do offer guaranteed tuition rates. Add this to increased meal plan charges, room costs, and other not-so-obvious fees, and students at these college often end up paying more for their college degrees than students who enroll in distance learning degree programs.

Many online universities today are offering college degree programs that can be require less money for completion than traditional degree programs. In fact, the average cost of a Bachelor Degree program at a distance learning degree program in 2010 is around $50,000. This may seem expensive, until you start comparing the cost of a college education at private colleges, which can average between $20-$40,000 a year.

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