Online Colleges

“What are you waiting for?” Frequently, when I was an academic advisor, I would ask my students this question. My advisees were attending a quarter school. Instead of 2 semesters, we had 3 terms. For seniors who were graduating, the beginning of the spring term was generally their last term. Many students would wait until they were seniors in the spring term before they would begin their job search. That was, and is, too late. For readers of this blog who are currently participating in an online program or for those who are contemplating the journey, here is my advice: Your job search starts now. Read the rest of this entry »

With 28 posts in 2011, this blog is quickly becoming a content-rich source of information for online learners. My first post began with a “toolkit” for online learners and I am excited about continuing to share, create, teach, and engage with everyone.

Here is my recap of some of my favorite posts for the year: Read the rest of this entry »

With the start of a new year coming soon, an inventory of sorts seems apropos. For the online learner, having certain items (and a particular service), while not necessarily mandatory, can optimize several aspects of their web-based experience. Here are 5 things that I would highly recommend investing in for 2012. The caveat being of course that there are alternatives, but this is my list, so it has my particular bent to it. Read the rest of this entry »

In 2009, the Chronicle of Higher Education featured an op-ed that asked if higher education would be the next “bubble” to burst. The concept being that (similar to the housing market collapse or the dotcom disaster) higher education was going to implode (or pop) due to high tuition rates and a lack of innovation. Some have even started labeling higher education as a scam. Well, the world loves polarization and rhetoric that exists in a bubble of absolutes. However, reality is far more nuanced and from what I’ve seen, higher education is hardly the next bubble. Read the rest of this entry »

Writing a blog for online learners represents an exciting task. Having worked in higher education for more than 10 years, most of my experience is in working with students on a physical campus. However, there are multitudes of similarities and differences that provide ample material for this site. One of my goals for 2012 is to feature stories from online learners. That is right. I want to share your story with our readers. Students love hearing from other students. If you are an online learner or if you represent an online degree program, I would love to hear from you. Read the rest of this entry »

One of my favorite t-shirts states that “Procrastinators [are] leaders of tomorrow.” The play on words makes you think as you realize that those that wait, have to wait to be a leader too. Academically speaking, procrastination is not always a bad thing. In fact, procrastination can be incredibly helpful. Let me explain… Read the rest of this entry »

Online Colleges.org in partnership with Education Aid, Inc. announced the winner for their first-ever “Online Colleges.org Support A Student Scholarship for Single Parents.” The recipient, Mary Nadeau, is an associate degree candidate studying criminal law at Remington College and a single mother of two young boys. Read the rest of this entry »

An interesting article about 6 steps to online success was published at Campus Technology. The article was written specifically for online teaching faculty. However, I think it contains a lot of useful insights for online learners. Taking the original post and flipping it upside down and sideways, here are some things to consider for your online success. Read the rest of this entry »

It is a simple question about a dynamic website. LinkedIn is a professional social networking site. If you are not using it yet, you should be. LinkedIn offers a degree of utility that other social sites cannot offer. It’s the go-to site for up-and-coming professionals. For the online learner, LinkedIn is a great place for networking, recommendations, intelligence gathering, and building your personal brand. Read the rest of this entry »

When a traditionally-aged student starts a degree program at a brick-and-mortar institution, there is an accepted norm that impacts a large number of new students: they change their major. It is not uncommon to change your major. Sometimes a major change can be due to a single course, advice from an academic advisor, or from the realization that the current degree just does not seem to fit. On-campus students change their majors for a variety of reasons, but I for one think that a major change can be exceptionally beneficial for a student. However, what happens for online learners? Does the “major change is acceptable” practice translate to the web? Read the rest of this entry »