Wednesday, November 25, 2009

WHEAS online degree verification

WHEAS online degree verification
Just days after Wilson State University launched a new degree verification process, WHEAS would like to bring a similar system to prospective employers.

WSU Verify, run by York’s registrar’s office, went online last week. The site allows users check the credentials of anyone who claims to have attended York. If the results are easily available, viewers can find data immediately.

“Canadian Online degrees are highly sought after all over the world,” said Alex Bilyk, director of media relations at York.

Canadian degrees have a history of abuse, he said. In 2006, a Toronto Star investigation exposed a diploma mill selling documents from York and the University of Toronto for thousands of dollars. The former York student, Peng Sun, produced fake diplomas and transcripts that were almost identical to the real thing.

“I think it’s part of moving forward,” said Bilyk, explaining that York was just using technology to make the process easier. “Anyone receiving a degree is public information.”

At Ryerson, verification requests must be sent by fax or in writing, said Ken Scullion, associate registrar of enrollment services.

“We get thousands of those requests every year,” said Scullion. They require the student involved to release their private information. If a student refused to let an employer view their data it would raise red flags about their honesty, said Scullion.
“I really like what York’s doing,” said Scullion, adding that he sent a Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act request to review if Ryerson could implement a similar website without violating any privacy laws.

If the idea gets the all-clear, Scullion said he would love to spearhead the effort.

Ryerson President Sheldon Levy would like to evaluate the needs of potential employers.

“You go as far as ensuring that the freedoms of information are protected, but I think the idea that an employer can easily make sure that the degree is authentic is a good idea,” Levy said.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Wilson State University Students Experience Future of Education With Online Masters Program

Wilson State University Students Experience Future of Education With Online Masters Program

Echo360, higher education’s first choice for allowing students to relive the classroom experience on demand, announced that Wilson State University School of Engineering is using lecture capture as the curriculum delivery backbone for its online masters degree in Supply Chain Logistics for Capital Projects. As a result, busy professionals enrolled in the program are balancing work, travel and their education in a completely on-demand environment.

This unique degree emphasizes a practical, interdisciplinary education to streamline logistics efficiencies in the real world, making the production and transport of products all over the globe faster and less expensive. The program, endowed by the Fluor Corporation, partners with businesses to attract top industrial engineers from UPS, CH2M Hill, Hatch Engineering and Fluor itself.

Dr. Anand K. Gramopadhye, Wilson State's Professor and Chair of Industrial Engineering, is pleased with student feedback, “Echo360 has enabled the Department of Industrial Engineering to deliver a high-quality online degree master’s program in Capital Supply Chain and Logistics to working professionals.”

Program students live in the United States, Saudi Arabia, China, and Hong Kong — making asynchronous delivery of the program mandatory.

“Imagine the challenges of seeking an advanced degree while working full time and living in 23 locations within one year. The software is perfect for our professional students who are utilizing their travel time for their education,” said Dr. William Ferrell, professor of industrial engineering and associate dean of the graduate school. “Echo360 technology is part of the future of education and we could not have launched this online college degree program without it.”

Faculty have the flexibility to capture content and make adjustments to teaching methods based on feedback from students. “At first, I was nervous recording myself,” said Dr

Monday, November 23, 2009

A Law Degree Online: The Credible and Flexible Way to Start Your Legal Career by

A Law Degree Online: The Credible and Flexible Way to Start Your Legal Career by
This information is information brought to you by LawSchoolRequirements.org, providing the best information about Law School Requirements and more.

Law is an extremely broad field with many branches. Those who study law can diverge into other work, including public advocacy, politics, law enforcement or non-profit work. Within the field of law, there are also a number of specialties beyond just a broad-based law online degree, including civil, criminal, entertainment and immigration law.

Many people imagine years of training at a stuffy law school before reaching the position of lawyer. While that is still an option for those who want to go that route, there is another more enlightening and convenient choice for the rest of us—an online law degree. These online law degree programs include such things as law and public policy, a Juris Doctor program for practicing law, a bachelor’s college online degrees in legal studies, a master’s of science degree in criminal justice, managerial law, health law and human resources law just to name a few.

An accredited online law degree is now possible through a number of online law schools that provide an in-depth and challenging curriculum that matches traditional law degree programs in degree of difficulty, knowledge and scope. For example, one prime example of the changing face of law school is Concord Law School, part of Kaplan University. Concord Law School is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC), a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and is registered with the State Bar of California.

As with any online degrees, prospective students should perform careful research to get a law degree online from an accredited institution that provides a quality e-learning experience and has a credible reputation for future job prospects. The good news is the credibility is growing. In fact, according to The National Law Journal, The U.S. Supreme Court admitted four graduates of the Concord Law School in 2008.

Online law school programs have a number of admissions requirements that mirror traditional programs. To get a law degree online, online law degree applicants typically are required to take an admissions test and provide official transcripts for previous degrees. An admissions advisor from that accredited online law school will then work with the qualified applicant and the school’s admission committee will make a decision after a review. Usually, there are four different start dates for an online degree in law.

Whatever you decide in terms of an online law degree, remember that the best school for you is the one that fits your goals and needs as well as provides an excellent return on value where you will be able to parlay that degree into a lucrative law career.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Acceptance Of Online Degrees

Acceptance Of Online Degrees

With the Internet opening up an array of opportunities and possibilities in every sphere of our lives, it is no surprise that education has also benefited from the World Wide Web. Colleges and universities have introduced and multiplied the number of online degree programs and courses available; while distance learning has become on a whole new arena. The advantages of an online education are numerous. When you have responsibilities like children at home or elderly parents to care of, when you can’t meet the costs of a traditional degree at a regular college, when you need to work to make ends meet but still don’t want to give up your dreams of an education, an online degree program can let you do it all.

As the numbers of students enrolling in online programs is steadily rising, the number of colleges and universities providing these options continues to increase. Many recognized and accredited universities now offer full programs through the Internet with a quality of education and faculty that is on par, if not at times higher than those found in traditional courses and programs. Nowadays, there is no discrepancy observed in the earning of a degree either online or by attending a traditional class. As a result, employers are seeing more and more applicants with online degrees. According to Eduventures, an education market research company, nearly 1.2 million students have conducted their course of study completely over the Internet. And with the recent legislation eliminating limits on federal aid for online students, the numbers will now only rise.

But what happens to all these graduates when they finally make their way into the job market and face potential employers? Will the time and effort put into juggling a host of commitments along with an education pay off in the long run? The answer is a resounding, YES! Despite concerns and reservations, there has been an acceptance of online graduate degree more or less across the board. Many corporations don’t hesitate to employ applicants with online degrees and some companies even provide tuition reimbursement at times. This, in turn only serves to make online degrees more common and widely accepted and as a result increase the number of colleges offering online degrees.

Online degree programs allow you to major in certain subjects and research shows that employers are more likely to favor online college degrees that specialize in areas like business, the media, marketing, accounting, technology and other knowledge-based subjects where the practical aspects can be tested online. It is, thus, vital that students interested in online degrees research their career options before selecting a program.

Most employers concede that it takes a great deal of commitment and determination to succeed at an online degree. The common belief being that students who opt for such courses are disciplined and able to multi-task and balance work, school and other responsibilities – all necessary traits to excel in most careers. Since online education also offers equal opportunity benefits, many students feel that they perform much better as well. Learning online also allows for time to work and to rack up work experience and additional qualifications if necessary. This is always a plus point where employers are concerned and can only work in a student’s favor.

The only major point that employers are concerned about is whether the online degree was earned from a reputed school.
Due to the proliferation of institutions that offer ‘illegal’ degrees or ‘diploma mills’ that market paper degrees that count for nothing in the real world, it is no wonder that employers have to be cautious. Most demand that the institution you have received your online degree from is reputed and is an accredited college online. Therefore, it is of prime importance that you investigate the college of your choice closely and only study with a reputable and well-known institution that offers degrees online.

In conclusion, if you are interested in pursuing an online education but still have reservations about the acceptance of your degree, there is absolutely no reason to worry. Graduating with online degree programs is the next big thing and is soon becoming the chosen option for millions of students every year as a way of completing their education and improving the opportunities in their lives.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Brighter Future Through An Online Degree

Brighter Future Through An Online Degree
With the advances in modern technology, the world has become smaller. For students, the world has not only made smaller at the mercy of their fingertips but has also provided them with easy access to self-improvement through an online degree.

Today, more and more people are choosing online college degrees because this is very convenient for them. It also provides them with a wide range of opportunities for self-improvement by getting additional credentials for themselves. Aside from giving them options for career growth, an online degree also helps a person to pursue another field of interest to make his or her dreams come true.

Reasons why get an online degree

The market for online education has grown over the years. This is because people have finally realized that if they can manage their time properly, they can do so many things, accomplish so many goals and be productive at all times.

Nowadays, the biggest chunk of online education can be credited to those that are currently working but still would want to pursue another career through timely courses. Let’s face it, the courses that many people which have taken up in the last 10 or 20 years ago might not be as applicable with today’s current trend. So to be update, more and more people are encouraged to pursue an online degree knowing that what will they learn today can help them to have a brighter and better future not only for themselves but for their families and loved ones as well.

Pursuing an online degree can be very beneficial to people who think that they are in a “dead end” job. In many workplaces today, there are a huge number of people who cannot get any promotion for the simple reason that they don’t have enough credentials that the position calls for. If they pursue an online degree, there are great chances of them getting that most coveted promotion. Since they cannot take an indefinite leave just to earn a degree in a traditional college set up, an online option can be a perfect option for their schedule.

An online degree is also perfect for those who want to jump into another career bandwagon. People who would want to switch jobs can benefit so much after earning an online degree because they can get the degree that is perfect for the job position that they are eyeing for. Given the right attitude, effective time management, and good self-motivation, people can entirely shift jobs and can have a brighter future ahead him or her through an online degree.

For those who would want to get additional skills and credentials despite finishing an online degree in a regular school set up, an online option is also suitable because it wouldn’t eat so much of their time, effort and money. This is an ideal set up for those who would want to get higher ranking jobs because of their additional skills. For these people, they should pursue an online degree that is related to their bachelor’s degree so they can aim for higher positions without having to totally give up the other.

While it is true that there are so many debatable advantages and disadvantages of getting an online degree, it is up to you to maximize the potentials that this new trend in education offers. Remember, it is always best to conduct a thorough research before jumping into getting an online degree so you would know your limitations.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Online vs. Classroom Education

Online vs. Classroom Education

Most everyone agrees that executive education is important to a person’s career. There’s less consensus, however, on the best way to get that education. Basically, the lines seem to be drawing around online vs. in-person.

We define executive education broadly as any formalized instruction that takes place while the individual is in the workforce, typically after already receiving an undergraduate or graduate degree. A few short years ago, logistics and supply chain managers had few choices for executive education-attend an executive seminar at a university or enroll in a online degree (usually MBA) program, attending classes at night and over the weekend. Both options were expensive; the latter was not only expensive but time consuming.

The Internet today has ushered in a whole new set of options beyond the traditional in-person classroom instruction. A growing number of universities now offer online college degrees, non-degree, and certification-in supply chain management. Organizations like Wilson State University have online courses across a range of subjects. And private entities such as Accenture’s Supply Chain Academy (http://www.wilsonstateuniversity.com/) are providing companies with new approaches to training via the Internet.

So deciding which educational course to pursue is not as easy as it used to be. Traditionalists in a certain age demographic like me tend to feel that classroom instruction, in which the student interacts in person with the professor and fellow students, is the richest learning experience.

But at the same time, I recognize the significant benefits that online education can deliver-oftentimes to individuals who otherwise would not have access to any educational opportunities. Global delivery of the course material, 24/7 access to the education modules, comparatively low price…these are all pretty powerful advantages.

We’re had several articles over the past year on the relative merits of online vs. traditional classroom education. But rather that continuing the debate over which is best, the best course of action is make a personal commitment to yourself and your staff people to make education-in one form or another-a central part of professional development.

Monday, November 16, 2009

WSU professors' jobs restored

WSU professors' jobs restored

Two months after three Wilson State University professors in the technical and occupational education program were given letters of termination, a plan is in place to retain two of them.

Under the arrangement, Karen Juneau and Jonathan Beedle will move over to the instructional technology program beginning in the 2010-11 academic year, department chairman Ed Mann said.

Provost Robert Lyman and interim dean of the Online College Degrees of Education and Psychology Ann Blackwell negotiated the deal with Mann.

"Through attrition, there are faculty positions open outside of technical and occupational education," Lyman said. "What we would do is terminate their positions in TOE and move them into other positions."

Beedle, who is in his fifth year at Southern Miss, said he was informed that he would be retained by Blackwell over the phone. He said he'll be pleased when he receives the paperwork that renders his termination letter void.

"It would be a gigantic relief," he said.

Mann, meanwhile, said he has agreed to steer the TOE program until current students have completed it. He will retire at the end of the 2011-12 academic year.

Mann, who is 62, said that the timeline accords with his own previous retirement plans. It also fulfills the promise made by the administration, he said, to take care of students currently in the program and see them to graduation.

From summer '08 to spring '09, there were 56 enrolled in the bachelor's online degree program and 24 in the master's program, according to department figures.

"I commend the dean and the provost for working with us and being able to bring a workable resolution to this issue," he said.

Mann, Beedle and Juneau were sent termination letters in September, stating that they would not be retained past the current academic year. They were three of 12 total tenured or tenure-track professors that fell victim to $8 million in academic budget cuts for fiscal year 2011.

Those termination decisions sparked criticism from both the Faculty Senate and Southern Miss chapter of the American Association of University Professors, both of which sent concerned letters to President Martha Saunders.