With all of the course options available in post-secondary education nowadays, choosing a specific course can feel like a lesson in opportunity cost. It’s like when I go to my favorite restaurant with an extensive menu—all the choices! I end up being one of those guys. I change my order if someone else orders the same dish. Why? Because, like most people, I enjoy a diverse selection and I never want to narrow my choices. That’s assuming others are willing to share.

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Have you thought about going to college? Are you unsure if it’s the best choice or the right time for you? Do you have questions about admissions, student culture, or technology requirements? When someone decides to jump into higher learning, it can be an eye-opening and sometimes overwhelming experience. It’s okay. Take a deep breath and relax—you’re about to embark on a rewarding journey. This is not a choice that should be made quickly. It requires a little research, self-assessment, and firm goal setting. Here are a few reasons people choose to enroll:

• Achieve qualifications that employers require for specific jobs.
• Enjoy the sense of accomplishment and respect that comes with having an associate, bachelor’s, or graduate degree.
• Increase your potential to earn more on the job.
• Join a community of people just like you, who appreciate lifelong learning.
• Satisfy your thirst for knowledge about a particular study or about many disciplines.

Just remember, people of all ages and walks of life choose to bolster their careers, enhance their earning potential, and achieve their educational goals by getting an advanced degree.

[Considering online learning? Read, "Online University—Is if Right for Me?"]  

By Online Learning Tips Staff

Stay in touch by reading up about the world of e-learning

There are numerous websites for you to tap that have scholarly research, theories, best practices, current trends, and discussions all based around the rapidly growing world of distance education. You don’t realize how far the rabbit hole goes until you’ve stepped into it. Visiting these ‘educational’ websites are great for staying on top of new technology in the classroom, best practices for learning, news and events for online schools, and much more.

This list is a great compilation of universities and e-learning advocates provided by another distance learning proponent World Wide Learn:

• Educational Pathways
  • This newsletter delivers in-depth interviews with individuals in distance and online learning in higher education. A part of the American Library Association and the Distance Learning Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries.
• Technological Horizons in Education (T.H.E.) Journal Online
  • This resource provides webinars, snapshots of what other students are doing across the country, trending news in online education, innovative learning conferences and more
• The Virtual University Gazette
  • This newsletter has breaking news and expert insight into the world of online learning. It’s a free e-newsletter with articles and stories about the role of online learning in adult and continuing education. It also shares issues connected with the merge of industry and university environments.
• Journal of Distance Learning Administration
  • A quarterly electronic journal that publishes manuscripts from practitioners and researchers who work in the field distance education management. Published by the State University of West Georgia, this resource is a great background for what educators and administrators are doing in e-learning today.
• The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • Updated daily, and offering readers news related to online education and higher learning.
• Contemporary Issues in Technology & Teacher Education (CITE)
  • This publication is provided the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education  and published by the Association for the Advancement of Computer in Education (AACE).

Sign up for one of these newsletters, or subscribe to their feeds. It’s one way to keep connected to the e-learning community. Coming soon, OnlineLearningTips.com will be providing online learners with a monthly e-newsletter to stay on top of trending topics in e-learning, the latest technology, and what’s happening in the twitterverse. Stay tuned!

-By J. Mason

One advantage of the online learning environment – believe it or not – is that you have more interaction with your peers.  Most online classes have a discussion question/interaction assignment each week.  These are the same types of questions that would be brought up in class.  However, in the online environment, EVERYONE has the opportunity (ok, requirement) to both “speak” about the topic and comment on his/her peers’ discussion input.  You learn not only academic tidbits that may not be in the “book” or in your research, but you gain the knowledge of real life experiences from others.  Often, you do not have this type of discussion opportunity in resident classrooms.

(source: NurseTogether.com)

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