Taking Online Learning For My College Degree

Since I was busy working as a full-time office receptionist at an advertising agency, I decided that the only way to fulfil my goal of getting a four-year college degree in Business Management was to take an electronic or online learning course. I only took a two-year associate degree course in office management after graduating from high school and I have been in my receptionist job for two years, but I had figured that I had more prospects for career growth if I had a bachelor degree course.

I also said to myself that since I was working in an advertising company, I should also major in advertising or marketing for my online degree. I decided that online learning is the learning method that is most suited for me because I had a full-time job and I had little time to attend traditional classroom classes in a college campus. I had a computer at my apartment with a fast and reliable Internet connection. I also believed that an online degree was also much cheaper and cost-effective compared to going a classes with all the commuting that I have to do from work, classes and home.

So I searched and researched the Internet for the best schools offering online degrees and I found a university based in Phoenix that offered online learning courses in business and marketing. The university was well suited for my situation because it credited the subjects from my associate degree so that I only have two years to finish my online degree. I am now in the last year of my online course and I feel I have more career opportunities by the time I graduate.

Recent Post: The Forms of Online Learning Communication Technologies
                     Educational Learning

Read the full story

The Forms of Online Learning Communication Technologies

If you have decided to continue or pursue a higher education course through electronic or online learning, your next step is to choose the appropriate and relevant electronic learning method or form of the communication technologies you would use. The communication technologies used in electronic learning are categorised as asynchronous, synchronous and blended methods.

The synchronous communication of online learning is an activity occurring in real time when the communications between the students and the online instructor or faculty are instantaneous, interactive and happening at the same time. The exchange of ideas, knowledge, skills and other information is happening at the same period of time. The examples of synchronous communication includes an online chat session and virtual classroom.

The asynchronous communication is an activity in which the communications between the instructor and students are not occurring instantaneous and in real time. The interaction of the instructor and students in the exchange of ideas, knowledge, skills and other information can happen without all the participants necessarily present within the actual and same time period. The examples of asynchronous communication includes video/audio conferencing, online blogs, discussion forums or message boards, and wikis.

The blended or hybrid learning is a mixture of using online learning technologies together with traditional campus-based educational learning methods. In the blended learning, the students would take several lecture sessions in a classroom located in the campus of an educational institution and they would also participate in campus-based activities such as laboratory experiments and workshops. The students would also take online learning classes such e-mails, online forums and take their exams online.

Recent Post: Teaching Strategies In An Online Learning Environment
                     Educational Learning

Read the full story

Teaching Strategies In An Online Learning Environment

Online learning is primarily in a distance education environment where the teacher and students are not physically present in a traditional classroom setting and the skills and knowledge are delivered to the student via the Internet with the use of an online web browser from a computer or Internet-connected mobile device.

In online learning, the student is present in his home or in other locations where he is not physically in front of his instructor or teacher.

Communications between the student and teacher are primarily through a combination of e-mail messages, text-based instant messaging, interactive software, chat rooms, and video conferencing. Files, documents and other educational materials sent by the instructor is primarily delivered through e-mail and online interactive software.

Since the instructor and his students are not physically in contact with one another, the students should effectively understand, comprehend and absorb all the skills and knowledge they are getting from their computers or mobile devices. Therefore, it is important that the instructor should be using effective teaching strategies for his students.

Even if the teacher is not inside a classroom, he should still be practicing teaching or instructional strategies that will effectively convey his online learning lectures to his students. An effective teaching strategy is for the teacher and his student to establish a regular learning schedule, especially when they have to interact with one another on a real time basis through text chat, audio communications, and video conferencing. The teacher and student should agree on the schedule that is best for both of them. Another teaching strategy is encouraging the student to express his comments, opinions and suggestions on how to further improve the lecture of the teacher.

Related Post: The Forms of Online Learning Communication Technologies
                     Educational Learning

Read the full story