THECOLLEGEDEGREES.COM BLOG

Online university degree programs face challenges that are unique to distance learning universities. Most people don’t take time to consider the unique difficulties faced by professors teaching online degree courses. These problems, however, are real, and often play a significant role in the design of university online courses.

First, academic honesty can be a problem. Because students log in from home and complete their homework assignments online, it is impossible to ensure that the person who is enrolled in the course is actually completing the assignment. Occasionally, a student who is pressured to complete a distance degree course for employment or professional reasons may not be strongly motivated to do so on his or her own accord.

Often, online degree universities try to solve this problem by having the student take examinations at a testing center, in the presence of a proctor. A proctor is someone who verifies the identity of the test taker and watches to ensure that the person taking the test does not cheat.

Another issue faced by professors at many top online schools is how to offer learning opportunities using a variety of teaching styles. Each person learns differently. Some learn primarily through visual methods, while others learn mainly through listening. A number of people learn through hands-on activities. 

Because most people learn best using a combination of these approaches, the professor must learn to utilize technologies that incorporate all of these methods. Although rapidly evolving technological advances can make this difficult, being able to do this is critical for many students to the successful completion of an online college degree program. Even the best professors will find themselves constantly challenged to meet the wide variety of educational needs experienced by students who want to earn a degree at home.

You and all your friends are out of the starting gate. High school is over, and it’s time to get your college degree. Who will graduate first? Who will attend university longest? Who will make the most money?

After graduation, many college freshmen see college as a race to get the career of their choice, and to make the most money as quickly as possible. They enroll in a college degree program and choose a major long before they know what they want to do for the rest of their lives. Many end up changing majors multiple times, and some get discouraged and quit altogether.

Choosing a major is difficult, and depends on a variety of factors. One way to avoid the problem is to stay away from choosing a major too soon. Concentrate instead on completing core classes or general studies requirements, such as English, Psychology, and Sociology. If you know you are definitely not going to major in mathematics, don’t take the higher level math courses unless you really enjoy the subject.

If you have completed all the core courses and still aren’t sure, consider taking a year off from your studies to work, study abroad, or join the Peace Corps. Take some online degree courses to keep your study skills sharp. You may find that you really enjoy attending an online degree university and and find your niche in the major that interests you most.

It’s your future, and you will never have those college years again after you graduate and begin raising a family, so take the time to experience all those things you really want and need to do. Earning a college degree isn’t a race - it’s one of the most important times in your life!

Are you intrigued by Matlock, Murder She Wrote, or CSI? Do you enjoy reading forensic mysteries or criminal detective stories? If you can solve the mystery in half the time, but find the deductive process fascinating, then your choice for a college degree program should be an elementary one, my dear Watson.

Paralegals are key personnel in any legal office. These individuals do the research, and often the roadwork, necessary to making an attorney’s case stick. They are often responsible for handling communications with clients and preparing documents for an attorney’s approval.

Of course, if being a paralegal becomes less challenging, you can always enroll in a top online school that offers a J.D. or law degree. Get the experience you need to succeed in a graduate degree program while earning an income to support your family. The convenience and flexibility offered by online degree programs allows you to accomplish exactly this.

Start untangling confusing legal issues and work for justice while you earn a college degree at home. Enjoy your favorite pasttime - solving mysteries - and get paid for your skills. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it will offer you a lifetime of interesting and rewarding employment opportunities.

Have you been debating about whether you would rather earn a college degree at home or get a degree online? If you can’t make up your mind, read this and decide for yourself whether distance learning degree programs are right for you - or whether you want the traditional college campus experience. These top ten reasons for choosing to get a distance education degree can help you make up your mind quickly.

10. You have no interest in pledging to a sorority/fraternity, and could care less about playing college sports.

9. You prefer reading and answering emails to lengthy in-class discussion or hour-long waits outside a university professor’s office for course-related questions.

8.  You cannot imagine sitting in a lecture hall four to eight hours a day.

7. You’re computer-friendly and technologically savvy.

6. You learn best when studying by yourself, and have the discipline necessary to finish a college degree program without extensive peer support.

5. The price of gasoline gives you nightmares.

4. Your children have started calling your childcare providers “Mommy.”

3. You work 40 hours a week and don’t want to spend 20 more hours weekly on a college campus.

2. You can’t afford to stop working for four years and go back to school to earn a college degree. 

1. You are motivated and determined enough to earn a degree that offers convenience and flexibility. 

Impossible to earn a college degree at home in cooking? You might think so, but there really is a distance education degree program that will allow you to do exactly that. This college degree program offers a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Hospitality and Restaurant Management.

Many people say they are interested in learning how to cook, but really only want to take a gourmet class or two. They really aren’t interested in actually earning a degree in culinary arts. This distance learning program is for people who are serious about their cooking skills, and want to learn how to manage a five-star restaurant or hotel.

Managing a successful restaurant or hotel establishment is much more complicated than most people actually realize. Learning how to successfully juggle the demands of customers, employees, budgets, and product costs requires more than merely working alongside an experienced person for a few months. Furthermore, top establishments are looking for the best managers, individuals who truly excel in their professions.

If you are already working in a good restaurant or hotel, and want to climb the corporate ladder, get a degree online and earn the knowledge you need while continuing to perfect your hands-on skills. Online degree universities are designed especially to help working professionals continue to advance their careers while they work. Get more information today and see how a top online school can benefit you.

For more information about distant degrees in the culinary arts, visit:

http://www.thecollegedegrees.com/Online/Degree-Certificate-Coursework-Diploma/Culinary-Arts-Hospitality/

by Boyd
A FEW WORDS ABOUT DISSERTATIONS AND DISTANCE LEARNING

The most rigorous part of the dissertation includes the

Methods Section

• Study Design
• Research questions and hypothesis formulation
• Development of instrumentation
• Describing the independent and dependent variables
• Writing the data analysis plan
• Performing a Power Analysis to justify the sample size and writing about it

Results Section

• Performing the Data Analysis
• Understanding the analysis results
• Reporting the results.

When you enter this phase of the program, you are nearing the end of the journey. Given the difficulty of this phase, one often wishes they had previewed what was to come.
Many Ph.D candidates seem to hit a brick wall and feel disarmed when called upon to work on the methods and results section of their dissertation.
This is the point where many students diligently search for help calling on their advisor, peers, university assistance and even Google.
This is also the time when the student asks themselves the question” HOW MUCH HELP IS TOO MUCH”.

Surely no one will deny that having your dissertation written for you is very wrong. On the other hand, it is not unusual for doctoral students to get help on specific aspects of their dissertation.(e.g. APA formatting and editing) It also is not unusual for advisors to encourage students to seek outside help.

If you are a distance learning student it is almost essential you seek outside assistance for the methods and results section of your dissertation. The very nature of distance learning suggest the need for not only outside help but help from someone gifted in explaining highly technical concepts in understandable language by telephone and e-mail.

Distance learning, and the availability of programs, has increased exponentially over the last few years with some of the most respected institutions (Columbia University, Engineering; Boston University and others) offering a Ph.D in a variety of fields. If you are enrolled in a distance learning program, or considering one, you will be interested in reviewing the reference sites listed at the bottom of this page.As stated above, many students hit their dissertation “brick wall” when they encounter the statistics section. Frequently, a student will struggle for months with that section before they seek a consultant to help them. This often leads to additional tuition costs and missed graduation dates.If I were to name a single reason why a PhD candidate gets off track in their program it is the statistics and their fear of statistics.So, the question is whether or not it is ethical to get help at all. If so, how much help is too much.I don’t know if there has ever been a survey of dissertation committee members who were asked this question, however, I know many advisors take the following position when they suggest or approve outside help:To a large extent the process is self controlling. If the student relies too much on a consultant, the product may look good, however, the student will be unable to defend his/her dissertation. It takes a committed effort on the part of the student and the consultant (resulting in a collaborative/teaching exchange) to have the student responsible for the data and thoroughly understand the statistics. The day the student walks in front of the committee to defend, there should be no question as to his/her understanding of statistics.When their defense is successful, the question “was the help too much” is answered.

If you are a Ph.D candidate and would like additional information, please review the referenced sites below:

Boyd

Reference sites:
http://www.usdla.org/
http://www.cgsnet.org/
http://www.statisticallysignificantconsulting.com/

Set the alarm for 4 A.M. Get up, and try to focus your eyes with a cup of caffeine. Spend an hour studying for your degree. Wake your children and get them ready for day care. Make sure they have lots of activities; it will be a long day for them. Drop them off and head to work.

After a long, grueling day at work, try to unwind while you drive across town to the community college campus. Tonight, classes are four hours, so expect to be finished around 9 P.M. Hopefully, you are one of those students fortunate enough to have a family member or life partner who can pick the children up and take them home.

The children will be in bed when you get home. Try to spend a little time studying before you fall asleep, exhausted. Set the alarm so you can do all of this again tomorrow.

STOP! What are you doing? Is this really worth it? If this kind of routine seems unthinkable, but you really do want to finish your college degree program, consider earning a degree from online schools that are regionally accredited and reputable. Top online schools now offer business degrees, online graphic design majors, and even online graduate courses. You can earn a degree online in almost any major.

Consider this alternative: Get up at 6 A.M. and get ready for work. Wake the children and drop them off at day care. Go to work and come home at 6 P.M. Spend some time with your family and put your children to bed. Spend an hour or two studying for your distance learning degree, and go to sleep knowing that you will never have to face 4 A.M. again.

Don’t consider the money you will save on gas. Don’t consider the amount of driving time you will save, or the energy you won’t spend sitting in a classroom listening to a professor yawn over his material. Thin about setting the alarm clock for 4 A.M. instead. Think about coming home exhausted long after the children are in bed.

Which alternative would you rather face?

With your skills and talents, you could have played the lead role in the 1980s movie “War Games” - without learning how to act. Your teachers and parents probably spent considerable time wondering whether you would earn a college degree or a cellblock number, because you knew just a little too much about configurations, bypassing settings, and password encryption.

While you probably could earn your keep on the black market, wouldn’t it be a lot less dangerous not to live on the wrong side of the law? Enroll in a college degree program instead and maximize your earnings - without maximizing your sentence!

Chances are, you don’t have the time or inclination to spend several hours each day with the latest copy of PC  tucked under your books while the professor lectures endlessly about Maslow’s hierarchy of education. Why not optimize your output and get a college degree online instead? At least then you can spend your free time focused on things that are actually important  to you!

Distance Associate Degree programs offer students an excellent opportunity to maximize their skills and manage their time. With the convenience and flexibility that characterize online learning, you will have plenty of extra time to educate your friends about trojans, firewalls, and worms. And, with a network security degree, your skills and experience will be in high demand.

Stop wasting time wondering how to avoid spending more time in a classroom. Instead, get an online computer degree and put your skills to the test as you learn. While dreaming of being  a computer hacker may sound as exciting and dangerous as a pirate’s life, don’t fool yourself. It’s as much a dead end as Davy Jones’s locker.

For years, online degree schools have been warning people against diploma mills and fake degrees from online universities. Educators and site sponsors such as www.thecollegedegrees.com have been warning people to check to make sure the colleges are accredited. Now, however, these fake college degree programs have added a new twist to their masquerade.

Some of these schools are now urging students to get an accredited graduate degree online. Others are claiming to offer accredited undergraduate programs. They proudly post accreditations on their websites or offer information about their accreditation with their brochures and advertisement mailings.

The only problem with these online degree schools, however, is that they are NOT ACCREDITED AT ALL! They are posting false information about the status of their programs. Furthermore, some schools are failing to list the fact that not all of their online degree course offerings are accredited.

If you are considering a distance degree, check reputable websites such as www.degree.com, wwwthedegree.com, or www.thecollegedegrees.com to find schools that are actually accredited. Don’t waste your money and your time falling for someone else’s scam.

Because this is a relatively new phenomenon, it remains to be seen how the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will handle complaints concerning this problem. Fake accreditation does constitute false advertising, and these diploma mills may find out that they have bit off considerably more than they can chew with their latest ploy.