Did you know that the term "distance education" dates back to the late 1800s? It was first used in a school catalog for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Nowadays, this concept of "distance education" is associated with online education at your fingertips anytime, anywhere.
Since its inception, the online education industry has grown in popularity, altered the definition of 'classroom' and has given brick and mortar educational institutions tough competition. Recently, it's no longer uncommon to know friends and family members who've earned their degrees, particularly advanced level degrees, from an online education portal. Though now fully functional and aesthetically pleasing to students, thriving online schools have come a long way.
That Was Then...
The Swinging 60s can mostly be summed up by Paul Kanter's quote, "If you can remember anything about the sixties, you weren't really there." Despite a society rife with drugs and free love, there were some advancements in the educational field. Some schools, including Stanford, began implementing the earliest versions of "online education" which enabled students to reach instructors via online notes and teachers to monitor their students' progress via data. In a different field, a group of psychologists formed "Teaching Machines, Inc", learning texts based off of earlier versions written by legendary behavioral psychologist, B.F. Skinner. In the 70s and 80s, computers began to appear in classrooms as early as in Kindergarten.
Lotus Notes version 1.0 was released in 1989, paving the way for the Internet to transform from "geek gadget" to a necessity. During the mid 1990s, Internet companies were by the thousands and gave way to the "dot-com" boom. Later that decade, schools began to explore internet and computer capabilities-beyond creating slideshows- into very basic, text-based online courses. In 1996, founders Glenn Jones and Bernard Luskin created the first accredited web-based university, Jones International University.
...This is Now
What once began as text-based courses with a smattering of pictures transformed into courses with streaming media, web access and the ability to work anytime, from anywhere. Online education has literally opened doors for many who thought they could not further their education. Whether you've got two jobs, are a busy caretaker, or simply can't afford to commute to a campus program, online education makes pursuing your dreams achievable- often at a lower price, too.
Based on a list recently published by the QS Quacquarelli Symonds, a leading global career and education network, the United States offers more high-quality colleges and universities than any other country in the world, boasting 58 schools in the Top 200 and 6 in the Top 10.
The only nation to compete with the US’ big numbers was the United Kingdom, putting up a respectable 29 schools in the Top 200 and 4 in the Top 10. Educational institutes in Australia, Canada and Japan also ranked well with voters, with Israel making its first appearance at a respectable #93 (Hebrew University of Jerusalem).
The QS World University Rankings 2008, the fifth edition of the Times’ popular list, is compiled from the surveys of nearly 9,000 academics and employers. It focuses primarily on academic excellence, global reputation, staff-to-student ratios and current trends in business.
This year’s list seemed to spotlight technology-based institutions, with schools like Caltech, MIT and the ETH Zurich all climbing towards the top of the list. Experts believe that this rise may be due to a societal need for engineers and scientists, as well as an academic need for technology professionals in the classroom.
Topping the list for the fifth consecutive time is Harvard University, followed closely by Yale, Cambridge, Oxford, Caltech, Imperial College, UCL, University of Chicago, MIT and Columbia.
For other rankings on top US universities, check these resources:
It's every student's dream: getting paid to go to school. While this still may just be a pipe dream, there are companies willing to pay for to at least pay attention during your classes. According to a recent article from InsideHigherEd, students may be able to earn money simply for having great notes. And papers. And other study materials.
Thanks to a driven Babson University drop out, students may be able to earn dough for taking good notes, writing great papers, and providing great study materials not only for fellow classmates, but also (hopefully) for researchers and professors. The site is called Knetwit, and it is poised to become the largest "one-stop-shop destination for educational content." The site offers free registration for all users, as well as other features including user profiles, groups and communities and file sharing.
For many, the site's user-related content raises eyebrows and legal questions. School officials are concerned about plagiarism, cheating and copyright infringement. However, Chuck Cantrell, the vice chancellor for university relations at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga states, “One of our faculty members ... met with some of the Knetwit folks and felt that they had some safeguards in place to protect intellectual property,” he said, “and also, I guess the bottom line is, the world is changing, and this is a new way of sharing information."
Many potential and current college students feel the
pressure of completing their bachelor’s degree. For some, they are soon-to-be
first generation college students, for others, it is a rite of passage. For
other still, college holds the key to a successful career.
But the myth that a four year college degree is a necessary
element to a successful career is not always true.
Some of the fastest-growing and top paying jobs only require a two-year or
associate’s degree, which means more money in your pocket before and after graduation. Check out these top 10 fastest growing jobs
that don’t require a four year degree.
1. Veterinary Technician
If you’re an animal lover, then this may be the job for you!
Individuals in this career perform medical tests, prepare vaccines and serums
for preventative medicine, take blood samples and conduct laboratory tests.
Degree/Training Required: Associate degree
2. Professional
Makeup Artist
Put your makeover magic to use! This niche profession is
used in virtually every industry. Artists ‘paint’ faces to reflect
appropriate age, period and style for each event, commercial, performance or
gala.
Degree/Training Required: Postsecondary vocational award
3. Esthetician
Also referred to as skin care specialists, these professionals
enable others to let their inner beauty show! Estheticians enhance natural
appearances through cleansing and skillfully applying skin care treatments to
the face and body through a variety of techniques.
Degree/Training Required: Postsecondary vocational award
4. Physical Therapist
Assistant
If you’re a problem-solver, this is the career for you!
These assistants help physical therapists in the development and implementation
of physical therapy treatments, as well as monitor, document and modify, if
necessary, throughout progress of treatment.
Degree/Training Required: Associate degree
5. Dental Hygienist
Say ‘Ahh!’. These professionals examine, clean and floss
your pearly or no-so-pearly whites, evaluate for oral diseases, take and
develop X-rays and educate on oral hygiene.
Degree/Training Required: Associate degree
6. Environmental Science
Technician
Smell the roses! Typically under the guidance of
environmental specialists, these individuals sample gases, soil, water and
other materials to monitor the environment for pollution.
Degree/Training Required: Associate degree
7. Manicurist &
Pedicurist
Nail technicians are every chronic nail-biter’s best friend!
These professionals clean, shape, polish and decorate customers’ fingers and
toenails with speed and accuracy.
Degree/Training Required: Postsecondary vocational award
8. Personal Trainer
& Aerobics Instructor
These usually more-than-buff individuals are responsible to
instruct, coach and motivate both groups and individuals in the fundamentals of
sports and fitness. With our
ever-increasing desire to become fit, employment rates are expected to increase
27% by 2016.
Degree/Training Required: Postsecondary vocational award
9. Preschool Teaching
With seemingly everlasting patience, preschool teachers
instruct young 3-5 year old children in engaging, fun activities that inspire
intellectual growth, develop social skills and promote physical activity in a
safe environment.
Degree/Training Required: Postsecondary vocational award
10. Cardiovascular Technologist
& Technician
Is the 'ole ticker working? These trained individuals test
both pulmonary and cardiovascular systems and assist in electrocardiograms,
cardiac catheterizations, lung capacity tests and measuring pulmonary
functions. Basically, they make sure your lub-dub is performing at its best.
Degree/Training Required: Associate Degree
Like this post? Know of other careers on the rise? Let us know and leave a comment!
Despite imminent back-to-school blues, students have something to celebrate this August. President Bush has signed to renew the Higher Education Act. The act, overwhelmingly supported by both the Senate and Congress, details spending for federal student aid for the next five years.
Bush reportedly signed the 1,000-plus page legislation "unceremoniously", according to Chronicle.com. The newly signed law decrees many new provisions for grant programs that benefit both students and educational institutions. Additionally, the document restricts the secretary of education from "dictating how colleges measure student learning for purposes of accreditation."
Many of today’s most sought-after jobs are being snatched up by a variety of degree holders – and earning large salaries to boot. If you’re working in the field of e-commerce, special education, counseling studies, general psychology, or technology management, expect big paydays.
According to salary.com, people in the previously listed career fields and working in New York City can bring in the big bucks just as their base salaries! Whether you hold a graduate certificate or a PhD, you’ll be able to support yourself and your family and still have some extra income to put in savings or invest in that new stereo system you’ve been thinking about.
While certain factors such as degree level, position and job title within your company, experience and size of your organization can determine your salary, you can be guaranteed a big payout. Within a company of 25 to 100 employees, you can expect to make anywhere between the following:
According to a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, distance education students may be in for an 'invasive' awakening.
A small portion of a 1,200-page Higher Education Act suggests that distance education providers must require spy cameras in students' homes.
Though the bill has not been voted on by Congress yet, few strong objections have been voiced.
In order to maintain the advantages of online education (taking classes anytime, anywhere), the bill outlines measures to decrease cheating. Some colleges have already embraced these efforts by reading students' fingerprints, installing Web cameras or recording keystrokes.
The proposed bill will certainly raise concerns regarding individual freedom versus institutions' ability to discourage and prevent cheating. We'd love to hear (read) your thoughts in the comment section below!
Since the Women's Movement, the number of women entering the work force has been steadily climbing - until this decade, that is. Economists chalked up the
decreasing number of working women to the motherhood movement just two or three years ago, when they first started to notice the decline. Originally thinking that many women were going home to take care of their children, economists are now saying that women are facing the same problems as men in the work place: layoffs, downturns, outsourcing, stagnating wages, and the prospect of an outright pay cut. Women leaving the work force in the same numbers and manner as men have potentially dangerous consequences for families and their lifestyles. These trends are just about the same in well- and less-educated women, married and never-married women, white and black women, and women with teens as well as women with children under 6 years old. As a result, women with an
associate's degree, or no degree at all, find themselves back at school in hopes of finding a higher paying job after graduation.
Foreign and American policies spilled into the world of education recently as three
Gazan Fullbright scholars were denied access into America by Israel, deeming them "too dangerous." The students, all former scholars or teaching assistants of the Islamic Univeristy of Gaza were denied entry into the US and had their awards revoked by Israel. The university is a stronghold of Hamas, the radical group currently in control of Gaza. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice publicly stated that the Fullbright program was a vital part of American policy and reinstated visas for the students. They are currently undergoing detailed security checks. Should foreign policies bar students from other countries from pursuing an American education?
As the housing market slumps even further, government-sponored enterprises
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are helpless against their falling shares in the stock exchange. The national government has stepped in to help these two mortgage holders with plans to help provide them with new borrowing capacities to stay afloat. This means a potential rise in taxes, and the fear of some major banks being seized by the government, similar to the
recent IndyMac collapse. Many people are left with
questions as to what this means to the
currently sluggish economy as well as their personal finances.