When the non-profit organization, American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), conducted a survey of more than 1,000 universities, it found that fewer than 20 percent of them required either political science or history!  ACTA President Anne Neal asked, “How can one think critically about anything if one does not have a foundation of skills and knowledge?  It’s like suggesting our future leaders only need to go to Wikipedia to determine the direction of our country.”

Aristotle regarded the study of politics as the “supreme science.”  Professor Herbert Adams is credited with coining the phrase “political science” while teaching history at Johns Hopkins University.  The phrase is believed to have been derived from the Greek term “polis” for city-states and “scire” for knowledge.  Political science is a social science that deals with the theory and practice of politics.  It is oriented around academia, theory, and research.  It has clear roots in the fields of philosophy, economics, and history.  It began to be taught in American universities under various names as early as the 1860s.

The importance of political science is the knowledge of the application of political powers in various types of governments.  The study of political science motivates citizens to participate in political activities of the state.  It gives citizens the insight regarding the consequences of individual actions in society.  The principles of liberty, equality, and accountability are made clear by the study of American government. To understand the immense power of government, it is essential to study political science.        

[Interested in a Political Science degree? Learn more about your options online.]

For example, in American Public University’s graduate course on the U.S. Presidency (POLS 630), students actively engage in topics to include the modern presidency, the imperial presidency, and scandalous presidents.  In the American Government course (POLS 210), undergraduate students discuss the merits of omnibus bills to overcome congressional partisanship, analyze key presidential speeches that made a difference in the country, and review key Supreme Court cases with regard to activist judges and justices.

The bottom line is that political science classes enrich one’s mind and widens one’s intellectual horizon as an American citizen.  In order to know what is happening in the country requires at least an elementary knowledge of its political system.  Political science also teaches good citizenship, cooperation, and toleration.  The success of our democracy depends on the political consciousness of the American people.

By Stephen Schwalbe, PhD
Program Director, Political Science at American Public University

With the recent events of the death of Junior Seau, traumatic brain injury is stepping into the spotlight as a serious issue with current and former athletes. In this podcast we interviewed an expert in sports psychology, Steve Juaire, a professor at American Public University about this event and how teams and leagues are handling it with current players.

Analyzing Traumatic Brain Injury in the NFL by APUS

The current political climate nationwide is bubbling with anticipation of the upcoming 2012 Presidential Election. Political science  students and American politics devotee’s alike are analyzing the Romney and Obama campaigns—both the good and the bad. Political jockeying and mudslinging aside, there are three top issues emerging from both camps that if played correctly, could possibly sway the undecided voter and win this neck-and-neck election for either candidate.

An APU Political Science Graduate Student, Robert Garrison, share’s his Top Three Issues in the 2012 Presidential Campaign:

1. Entitlement Reform: If Republicans fail to articulate their vision for healthcare and Social Security reform, President Obama could use the situation to his advantage. If Republican proposals alarm senior citizens too much, they will vote to reelect Obama and that may help him win reelection outright. To win, Republicans must assure voters that Social Security and Medicare will be there for future generations, while assuring seniors those current benefits will not be cut. This is an important issue for Obama as well: If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns his healthcare law, he will have to revise plans for healthcare reform. This issue affects me as well since I am disabled, use a wheelchair, and rely on Social Security and Medicare for my own financial and medical assistance.
2. Immigration Reform: Democrats are often favored by minority voters, because they have supported programs to help minorities and other disadvantaged groups. To win, Republicans must be more open-minded on this issue and propose ways to streamline the legal immigration process. For the purpose of “optics” in the general election, Romney would be well-advised to put Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio on the Republican ticket as his running mate. If a Romney-Rubio ticket can propose immigration reform ideas that do not alienate minority voters, they could substantially increase their support among key Hispanic and other minority voters.
3. Articulating a vision for America: Ultimately, this election will be decided as a contest between two ideologies. One ideology pits the expansion of government and government spending against a vision of limited government and less regulation. If Romney can persuade voters that his programs will grow the economy and create jobs, he will win. However, if President Obama can paint the Republicans’ positions as too extreme, (i.e., cutting too much spending too fast) he will win.

The underlying factor that will dramatically influence all three of these political issues will be the state of our national economy on November 6, 2012. As we get closer to waiting in line at the polls, we as voters will need to make an educated decision based on our ideals and vision for America. When it’s time to cast that ballot we know who we’ll be voting for and why. Do you?

By Online Learning Tips Staff

Why is a US Country Team similar to the President’s Cabinet?

They both meet to discuss events affecting the nation, as well as effective policy-making. In the podcast below APU Political Science Program Director, Stephen Schwalbe, shows how the two relate, and why you should be aware of these types of relationships.

[Interested in analyzing the fundamental theories and philosophies of government? Learn more about a Master's degree in Political Science at APU.]

Embassy Country Teams – Mini Presidential Cabinets by APUS

Tuesday, May 22, 2012
11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. ET

Register today!

Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) are not just a threat to soldiers locked in unconventional warfare – the danger is very real at home, where public safety personnel are faced with life-threatening challenges every day. While no one can be 100% prepared for the impact of a homemade explosive, the countermeasures to assess and control a catastrophic scene can be undertaken by a trained professional.

In this live webcast hosted by American Military University and PoliceOne, guest speaker Dr. Robert Dawkins will provide strategic tips to assist law enforcement personnel who must respond to the threat of an improvised explosive device. His guidance includes a series of countermeasures to consider such as first-response, planning, arrival on scene, situational awareness, threat assessment, and more.

Register today to attend this special live webcast event.

The Political Science degree program draws individuals with a passion for government and politics, but it is also offers interdisciplinary curriculum that is attractive to students seeking a broad, liberal arts education that will serve as a precursor to post-graduate studies. Students may choose to focus their studies and their career interests on international, federal, or state government or political systems.

The most popular career path for political science graduates is to become a lawyer. Political science is a common pre-law degree and the majority of law school students actually hold degrees in political science. The problem-solving, analytical, and oral and written communication skills emphasized in political science curriculum are critical components of post-graduate legal studies.

[Next Step: Law School]

These skills are also valuable and relatable skills for working in:

• Intelligence communities.
• Non-governmental and nonprofit organizations.
• Media or journalism.
• Political campaigns.
• Lobbying or policy analysis in the private sector.

Federal careers can be found in most states and with the largest concentration located in and around the Washington D.C. region. You can find out which jobs are available by searching the government’s Human Resources page. For the federal government, you can see what jobs are available through the Office of Personnel Management.

While a degree offers no guarantee of employment in these areas, political science does provide an outstanding foundational education for developing core analytical, leadership, and communication competencies that are universal and relevant. It is recommended and a common practice that political science students or graduates seek out and complete internships in order to progress in their political-science career of choice.

By Stephen Schwalbe, PhD
Program Director, Political Science at American Public University

According to a 2011 fall survey by U.S. News more MBA graduates are landing jobs now than in the past two years – as a reflection of the improving economy. Among 441 business schools surveyed in the study, 78.8 percent of those graduates were hired within three months of graduation; that’s a 4.1 percent growth from the past two years.

Recent national media attention has shifted to people re-tooling and pursuing their entrepreneurial passions after finding themselves displaced from their jobs/careers. They are finding creative ways to utilize/exercise/capitalize their talents and passions into entrepreneurial ventures. I recently discussed these trends with American Public University’s Dean of the School of Business Dr. Chad Patrizi and Program Director of Business Administration Dr. Kathy Irwin.

What are some enrollment trends you’re seeing recently in the School of Business?

Dr. Patrizi: We are noticing that students are entering the business administration programs and choosing a specific concentration. The highest enrolled concentration is the General concentration in the MBA and BBA programs. The next highest enrolled concentration is the Information Technology Management in the MBA program and the Entrepreneurial/Small Business Management concentration in the BBA program. The Entrepreneurial/Small Business Management concentration has four times the students than any other concentration.

 What forces do you believe are influencing these trends?

Dr. Patrizi: I believe what we are seeing is that our students are entering the program with clear-cut career aspirations. They have mapped the business skills they want to learn to the best concentration that fits their development plan.

Dr. Irwin: We continually assess our curriculum and work closely with industry advisory councils. These councils are made up of exceptional leaders from a variety of business disciplines. This, along with our research and benchmarking practices, help us forecast trends and offer concentrations that many professionals are actively seeking. For example, Healthcare Administration is a high-growth sector that requires specialized knowledge and skills. We are monitoring this and other business sectors to gauge demand. By offering diverse concentrations, we are providing more educational opportunities and students are taking advantage of those.

What criteria do you analyze to determine whether a new concentration will be beneficial?

Dr. Irwin: We research and analyze data, but more importantly, we listen to our students. One of the things I love most about APUS is that it feels like a community. It is a place where our students’ voices are heard. We take to heart what they are saying and we provide relevant curricula. Because of our student-focused culture, and the fact that we are online, we are able to make changes quicker than many other institutions. We also provide additional support that enriches student learning. I believe this distinguishes us from other universities.

Can you expand upon the industry advisory council, how often they convene, and what it means in the long run for learners?

Dr. Patrizi: First and foremost, the IAC provides insight to ensure that the business programs are meeting industry needs. An IAC is held annually and is composed of corporate leaders and experts. They are given an open platform to review the programs in the School of Business. The School of Business sponsors to IACs including an IAC for the Accounting programs and an IAC for the Business and Marketing programs. The IAC s provide information to ensure the programs reflect industry needs to better prepare APUS students. In addition to the IACs APUS conducts Triennial Program Reviews where each program is scrutinize in detail in an effort to optimize the quality of each program. In terms of listening to students, APUS conducts End of Course, End of Program and Employment surveys. The alumni survey are taken 1 and 3 years following graduation. This allows us to pinpoint how effective our programs have been as our alumni members apply their education in the field. In fact, we have a number of alumni who return to earn a second or even third degree.

Many private and public MBA programs are launching development partnerships with large firms to train employees online. Why are so many universities now incorporating online learning?

Dr. Patrizi: Despite the recession, companies still face the challenge of attracting, developing, and retaining top talent. Blended and asynchronous learning offers a lot of advantages to both employers and employees alike. By emphasizing education, organizations are more likely to keep their top employees while also bridging major skills gaps. From an employee’s perspective, numerous studies indicate that education and career development rank high when choosing an employer. It also drives discretionary effort because employees feel as though they have opportunity to grow and develop with an organization.

The challenge is finding cost-effective solutions that are flexible and do not interfere with productivity or work-life balance. That is where online learning comes in. Students can take an online course on their own time and their employers do not lose 8 to 10 hours or productivity per week. Instead, they are developing a multi-skilled workforce. It’s a win-win scenario.

You mentioned the popularity of Global Management Studies—how can employees and multinational firms benefit from this type of business concentration?

Dr. Irwin: Global Management Studies is an important field right now because many companies are transitioning to a multinational business model in order to stay competitive. With the proliferation of the Internet and e-commerce, growth lies in international expansion. Business students recognize this trend and many choose Global Management Studies. This helps them to be well-versed and have an in-depth understanding about the key components for conducting business overseas. These people are going to have a strong foundation when it comes to setting up or growing businesses that are not purely domestic. The program attracts individuals who might be interested in traveling to foreign countries, negotiating complex business deals, and managing projects around the world. It is an exciting subject.

Dr. Patrizi: Europe, China, India, and South America are taking prominent roles in the world’s economy, and the demand is growing for employees that have a global business perspective. Employees are adapting to working in a virtual organization, or in international finance, where team members are geographically dispersed. This is good for business, but at the same time, students need to learn how to research and respect different cultures. Our program emphasizes researching case studies and strategies that have worked or even failed in the international arena. This approach helps students understand and navigate common cultural barriers facing multinational firms.

Why is information technology (IT) such a highly desired MBA concentration?

Dr. Irwin: E-commerce, social and interactive media, enterprise systems management—these are expanding disciplines that are quickly changing. They require employees with specialized skills. We’re seeing a large number of current IT professionals who come back to school in order to finish a higher degree. They want additional business skills to lead larger teams and projects. Sometimes an MBA is required for management positions in IT or for lateral transitions. The IT concentration allows them to earn their MBA while still focusing on a familiar subject. Dr. Patrizi: It is clear that IT is the leading concentration in both our undergrad and graduate business programs. The enrollment data is telling us that this concentration, and the fact we provide it entirely online, makes it a natural choice for IT professionals because they thrive at working and learning in the virtual environment. The data also suggests that many of our students want to round out their technical expertise with business management credentials.

If going back to school is part of your development plan, consider the time you have outside of work and whether online education is a viable option. Be sure to check with your human resources group to see if your organization offers educational reimbursement programs.

[Learn more about the online MBA at American Public University. ]

Interview by J. Mason

Having a college degree usually comes with a bit of prestige. The higher you go, the higher your value is in the job market right? Well, that answer really hinges on your degree focus.

[Learn more about online degrees in Information Technology.]

Those that chose degree programs set on a management track have a higher hiring potential, and a matching salary. Students that chose to study liberal arts still have a chance of landing a well paying job, but they’re in a minority. Even being a liberal arts major with a prestigious Ivy League education doesn’t guarantee a fat paycheck. Those in computer sciences, engineering, medicine and finance have higher earnings potential.

Interested to see what your degree is worth? Check out this great post by Reuters columnis Lauren Young, “What’s the value of a college degree?”

By J. Mason

Follow us on Twitter @tips4learning

Self-Advocacy is a very important aspect of being a successful online student. Before you begin to understand how advocacy relates to the online classroom you must first understand what it means to be an advocate.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online, advocate means “one that pleads the cause of another or one that defends or maintains a cause or proposal”. In the online classroom, as in any learning environment, you must be your own advocate.

[How to Maximize Your Online Education Experience]

One of the biggest mistake students make in the online classroom is not knowing what they want from their class. Before your classes begin, write down what you want from your class. Knowing what you want will start you on the right foot to being your own advocate. Think of these questions when you are making your list:

• What do I want to learn from this class?
• What do I need from my professor to be successful?
• What do I need from my classmates to be successful?
• How much communication and interaction do I need?

The last question brings us into our next important point. Communication is the most important concept in being your own advocate. If something is going wrong, or is just not working for you, staying quiet about the issue at hand is not going to help you be successful. It is very important to communicate not only with university staff, but also with your professor and classmates on a regular basis. This will ensure that you are gaining the best experience possible while in an online classroom setting. In a brick and mortar classroom setting you have the luxury of having the face to face communication. In an online environment you must use the resources given to you to create what I like to call “keyboard to keyboard” communication. E-mail, chat, and forums are all available in the online classroom and will help you feel more connected and will help you communicate more openly.

Self-Advocacy is needed in any learning environment but can get lost in the online learning environment. It is important that you develop and use advocacy skills to be successful and to make sure you have a positive experience while completing your degree online.

Stand up and speak up! Or in the online environment, sit it and type it! What are you waiting for? Start being your own advocate now!

By Jessica Purks
Academic Advisor, American Public University

Grant writing is an essential skill for the 21st century administrator. With the serious budget crisis facing America’s schools, grants are a key to supplementing major budget deficits. Grant writing has not traditionally been taught as an administrator skill, but at American Public University (APU) we’re pioneering the movement to ensure that future administrators are prepared for a new era in leadership.

Learning grant writing online provides our students with an authentic grant writing experience. The entire grant process now takes place technologically from application, to feedback, to funding. There is very little human contact in the application process. By learning grant writing skills in a virtual format, students can become comfortable with the process while gaining applicable knowledge.

Step One: Application Packets

Students are first exposed to a variety of grant application packets. These packets include the original call for applications, a completed application and the feedback provided to applicants. An equal number of funded and unfunded applications are evaluated by the student. For example, when the student is given the grant packet the student does four things:

1. Read the call for proposals. This is an official notice posted that explains the criteria for the grant, timeline for accepting proposals, and the directions for completing and submitting an application.
2. Create a rubric for assessing the grant. The student uses the call for proposals to create a rubric for how he would evaluate the grant proposals based on the criteria and the directions.
3. Read and assesses the completed application. A student will read through a completed proposal and then use the rubric developed in step two to evaluate the application.
4. Read the official feedback from the grant evaluators. In this final step, the student will read the official feedback from the grant evaluators and compare his or her understanding to that of the official granting body.

This provides the student with an understanding of the feedback process and allows the student to evaluate the skills needed to be successful in grant writing.

Step Two: ID Granting Sources

The second step in the process is to identify granting sources. There are a variety of public and private granting sources, many of which are largely unknown. Students create a resource that identifies various sources of grants that meet a variety of needs.

Step Three: Deciding on a Grant

Students have the opportunity to complete a grant application of their choice. There are some websites, such as http://www.grantsalert.com and http://www.schoolgrants.org that provide lists of grants. Students can also perform a simple online search for grants in specific areas. The grant writing process is supported by videos and podcasts of successful grant writers giving tips as well as opportunities for peer review. There are even several sites dedicated to giving tips for writing grants through: The School Funding Center, National Institutes of Health, and the United Nations.

Final Step: Writing and Reviewing a Grant

As a final step, students review the grants of the other students in the class using the original call for proposals to develop rubrics specific to each individual grant.

Preparing administrators is becoming tougher and the need for creative funding isn’t going to go away. This is one of the best ways to offer a useful tool for the administrator’s tool kit!

By Dr. Amy Burkman
Director of M.Ed. in Administration and Supervision, American Public University