Overview of Online Bible Course

December 29, 2011 By EDUPro 4 Comments

Taking an Online Bible Course Might Be What You’re Looking For

Fortunately, you may not have to major in religion at an accredited college or university to take an online Bible course. Religious institutions of higher learning like the Moody Bible Institute, Baptist Bible College or Philadelphia Biblical University teach online bible college courses. You can also take courses that reference the Bible from mainstream (non-religious) schools. Furthermore, you can get undergraduate and/or graduate degrees in subjects like theology, religion and philosophy or religious studies.

In addition to taking tuition based and/or free online bible courses, you can also take bible courses to earn degrees like an Associate of Biblical Studies, Bachelor of Science in Bible or a Master of Arts in Christian Ministries or a Master of Arts in Christian Leadership. You can also combine online bible course studies with other subjects and get degrees like Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Christian Counseling; Bachelor of Science in Bible and Bachelor of Science in Social Work; Bachelor of Science in Bible and Bachelor of Science in Music.

Depending on the school you attend, the courses might be offered through the college’s School of Bible and Ministry, while other colleges offer Bible courses through their Distance Learning departments. Bible courses you can take online may help you to understand the Bible, the time periods that events from the Bible occurred in, meanings in religious Bible translations and/or original Hebrew biblical texts. Keep in mind that you can also take an online Bible course as an elective, helping you to complete other degree credit requirements.

Test Driving Online Bible Courses

Some schools like Moody Bible Institute allow you to test-drive their distance learning programs by taking a free trial course. You can complete sample courses and access the schools’ blackboard learning systems. Again, the specific tools available for you to test-drive are established by the particular school you attend. Courses may run for 8 or 16 weeks. You can also take self-paced online Bible courses. As long as you have basic experience working with computers and accessing the Internet, you should be fine taking an online Bible course.

Types of courses you can take include:

The Church and Its Doctrines
Spiritual Life and Community
Studying and Teaching the Bible
Analyzing and Engaging Worldviews
Hermeneutics
The Church and Its Ministers
Communication of Biblical Truth
Marriage and Family Systems
Structure and Style in Biblical Exposition
Evangelistic Messages

As with other postsecondary schools, make sure that religious schools you’re thinking about taking an online bible study course from are accredited by national or regional agencies. If administrators at a school tell you the school’s in the process of getting accredited, think long and hard before enrolling in that school as you’re encouraged to enroll in schools that have already received accreditation. The United States Department of Education lists accrediting organizations it recognizes; this is important because not every accrediting agency is recognized by the Department. Some recognized religious accredited agencies are the Association for Biblical Higher Education, Commission on Accreditation, Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Incorporated, Accreditation Commission and the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools. Postsecondary schools accredited by these and other Department recognized organizations are generally reputable and can receive student financial aid from government programs.

Online Programs for New Students

December 26, 2011 By EDUPro 4 Comments

New Students Can Benefit from Completing Online Programs

College online programs for new students are designed to ease your transition from high school to college. As a freshman, some colleges and universities may allow your parents to attend one or more of the programs with you. Depending on the postsecondary school you attend, you also might be required to attend a few of the mandatory programs like the school’s orientation program. Furthermore, college online programs are, at times, the first step you take as a new student before meeting with your academic advisor and sitting down to create your course schedule.

Even if you’ve attended college before, by taking classroom courses, you might find it beneficial to attend one or more online programs for new students. Through these training sessions offered by colleges that offer online degree programs, you and other students can learn:

Dates to drop and/or add new courses to your academic schedule
Computer requirements necessary to enroll in and complete online college degree programs
Who to contact to receive mentoring or tutoring support
How to register for college internships and work/study programs as well as the deadlines to do so
Skills needed to succeed while taking distance learning courses

Types of Online Programs New Students Can Take

Other information you may receive when you take online programs for new students include:

Money management tips and advice, information that may help you avoid creating financial debt while you’re in college
Health services (e.g. college health insurance plans, immunization programs) you may be eligible to participate in
Career counseling, interviewing and job search skills you can receive as a student
Types of undergraduate and/or graduate degrees you can receive from the school
Available campus housing, including room and board expenses and move-in dates
On campus parking, may be helpful if you plan on combining online and classroom courses
Overview of administrative offices (e.g. Bursar’s office, student affairs office) at the school

If you’re in high school and, depending on the accredited college or university you attend, you may also be able to take pre-college courses through online programs for new students. Some schools like Hawaii’s Chaminade University might also have new student retreat programs through their campus ministry departments for you to participate in.

Whether you enroll in online college certificate programs, diploma or degree programs you may be able to save yourself the time of searching for answers to basic and more advanced questions you may have by attending one or more online programs for new students. Classroom based schools as well as some of the best online college programs in the country offer focused support to new and existing students taking their courses. Additionally, by enrolling in online programs for new students during the summer, before you take your first college course, you can gain the skills to sign into online classroom discussions, learn how to ask questions during online college chats and download presentations and other documents your professors review during distance learning courses. This can help to cut decrease the amount of time it takes you to work with virtual documents and complete and submit your school assignments via email or college file sharing systems.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: accredited, accredited online college, courses, freshmen, new students, online college, postsecondary schools, programs

Online Courses for Adult Learners

December 22, 2011 By EDUPro 4 Comments

Continuing Education Online Courses Adult Students Can Take

Online courses for adult learners are available at mainstream campus-based and distance learning schools. Some of the courses are free of charge, while others charge a standard tuition. Schools like local community colleges offer several online courses for college credit you can take, helping you to balance continuing your education with work and caring for a family.

You can enroll in a short term online course like college diploma and certificate programs, courses that generally take between three to 24 months to complete. As an adult learner, you can also enroll in two and four-year online course degree programs. If you didn’t graduate from high school, you can also return to college and finish your diploma before enrolling in postsecondary courses. Benefits of taking online courses as an adult learner are multi-faceted, among them being:

Ability to take courses at your own pace
Chance to learn more about virtual educational methods and strategies
Opportunities to combine online courses with classroom courses
Chance to enroll in and complete college courses year round

Depending on the college you attend, online courses for adult learners might be administered through individual schools of discipline (e.g. engineering, medicine) or the courses might be administered through the college’s school of independent continuing education. Not only can you take interactive courses that allow you to connect with your professors and classmates, you can also take self-paced online courses. If you decide to enroll in self-paced courses, you may have to start and finish the courses by certain dates. However, you might not have to log into your computer to attend classes or finish assignments at the same time that your classmates do. As with classroom courses, registration and college textbooks are generally required to complete the courses. Furthermore, you might have to pass one or more examinations before you earn credits for the courses.

College Courses Adult Learners Can Enroll In to Advance Their Learning and Careers

Types of courses that may be available to you at the school you attend include:

Elementary Spanish
Mathematics
Business Management
Business Administration
English
Early Childhood Development
Sociology
Political Science
Biology
Introduction to Psychology
Nutrition
Hospitality Management
Healthcare Management
Social Sciences
Communications and Marketing
Finance
Accounting
Cultural Studies
American History
Computer Science
Information Technology
Medical Billing and Coding Online Courses
Medical Terminology Online Course
Photography Online Courses

It’s not easy to juggle parenting young children, the demands of work and a college education. Fortunately, online courses for adult learners have made it easier for you to take one or more college courses without leaving your home. Credits earned in courses offered by schools that are accredited by national and regional agencies recognized by the United States Department of Education can generally be transferred to other schools, shortening the amount of time it takes you to earn additional college degrees. If your employer operates a tuition reimbursement program, you also might be able to get your online courses paid for in full by your employer.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: accredited, accredited online college, adult, choosing online degrees, classroom courses, college online, colleges and universities, courses, distance learning courses, online college, online degree programs, online degrees

Online College Course Review

December 19, 2011 By EDUPro 5 Comments

Quickly Learn More about College Courses

Online college review strategies can provide you with information about professor teaching requirements, including licensing and work experience, student enrollment demographic figures, dates postsecondary schools were founded and whether or not college and universities you’re interested in attending are for-profit. The types of student organizations you can join, athletic teams you can compete on or support, on campus housing options and degree program tuition rates are additional types of information you can get from online college review reports. Fortunately, much of this information is available for you to access and review free of charge.

Some of the best online college reviews rank schools nationally. These and other online colleges and universities reviews include US News and World Report and The Princeton Review college rankings reports. Amongst the postsecondary schools covered in reviews and overviews are Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, Columbia University, Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Depending on the review or overview report you reference, colleges and universities might be reviewed and categorized as liberal arts, regional schools or Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Data and Valuable Information You Can Find in Online College Course Review

In addition to the information noted above, other data you can find in an online college course review includes:

Schools with the best engineering programs
Colleges and universities operating top education or teaching programs
Top public colleges and universities around the country (e.g. University of California at Berkeley, University of Virginia, University of Texas, University of Wisconsin)

Undergraduate and graduate schools might be reviewed separately, giving you the chance to compare degree programs based on the level of education taught at the schools. As more organizations create and distribute online college review reports, informational analytics like Baker College online reviews and Lincoln College online reviews might get created in the near future. Current review and overview reports provide information on distance learning programs at schools that offer Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs as well as on the top 10 online schools. You can also get information through the reports about online certificates, affordable degrees and school factors (e.g. accreditation, employer thoughts about the schools) to check before enrolling in online colleges.

By reading an online college course review for each college or university you’re thinking about taking one or more courses at, you can learn what’s required to get admitted to the schools, find out what national, regional and local accreditations the schools have and learn about student loan default rates for online schools compared to classroom based colleges and universities. Because other professionals working at organizations like the National Center for Education Statistics, help to compile data included in the school reviews and overviews, you don’t have to spend the time visiting individual colleges and universities to start comparing school offerings. If you combine online college review and overview reports with feedback you receive from professors and students who’ve worked at or attended schools you’re interested in enrolling at, you can gain more insights into the workings of the schools.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: college online, course review, higher education, online college, postsecondary school, programs, students

Online Schools Pave the Way for Adult Learners

December 15, 2011 By EDUPro 3 Comments

Growing Popularity of Online Schools for Adult Learners

The National Center for Education Statistics reports that by 2008, nearly 20 percent of undergraduate students had enrolled in at least one distance learning course. Reason for this may be that accredited online schools offering rigorous and in-depth courses may make it more feasible for adult learners to continue their postsecondary education. Furthermore, with a large number of college students attending school part-time due to family and/or work obligations, there are times when taking an online course is the only option continuing education students have to complete their undergraduate and/or graduate degrees.

As an adult learner, you’re encouraged to enroll in online schools that are highly respected in the subjects you want to major in. College Board, Peterson’s, the Wall Street Journal (through its “The Top 25 Recruiter Picks” article for colleges and universities) and Washington Monthly list accredited colleges and universities that have earned the respect of educators, students and employers. Some of these schools allow you to earn continuing education college degrees by taking:

Blended courses (courses that require you to complete portions of your work virtually and other portions in the classroom)

Web based courses (college or university courses that use Internet tools, online research programs, databases, etc. to educate you and other students; for example, your classroom professors might require you to use documents listed at online libraries or learning databases like Britannica or EBSCO or ERIC to create school reports)

Fully online courses (only use online platforms to teach classes)

Aligning Online Schools With Adult Learner Work Requirements

Online schools for education and online schools for nursing prepare you to earn state required licenses like the National Council Licensure Examination and teacher licenses which are often administered through teacher licensing offices affiliated with state departments of education. Additionally, if you’re one of the adult learners who’s trying to get their general equivalency diploma (GED) you can enroll a K-12 online school to your GED or you can get your GED from a community college.

The diversity of ways you can learn today may also help prepare you to step into broader jobs at work. For example, in the “Hidden in Plain Sight, Adult Learners Forge a New Tradition in Higher Education” report archived at the United States Department of Education, a 2005 survey mentioned in the report states that more than 500 corporate and government organizations listed “customization” and “applied learning” as two key features they sought in third-party education providers. Choosing majors that align with the types of jobs you perform at work (or would like to perform after you get promoted) may help you to receive more customized learning that you can readily apply on the job.

Whether you take free online school courses in a specific discipline or take one or more courses to broaden your job knowledge and skills, you’re encouraged to commit sufficient time and energy to completing your course reading assignments, projects and virtual laboratory work. The more you focus on realizing your best academic performance, the more you can gain from courses you take from online schools. As an adult learner, before enrolling at online schools, check with your employer to see if he operates a tuition reimbursement program; this way you can attend college for free.

Filed Under: Online College News Tagged With: accredited, accredited online college, adult learners, advantages of online college, college online, colleges and universities, distance learning courses, online college, postsecondary schools

Online Colleges Taking Over Traditional Schools

December 12, 2011 By EDUPro 2 Comments

Online Colleges Stacking up to Traditional Schools

Whether or not online colleges will take over traditional schools remains to be seen. After all, it appears that both forms of learning can co-exist successfully as they have been doing for the last several years. What is clear is that large numbers of students are opting to enroll in distance learning programs offered at accredited online colleges and predominantly brick and mortar postsecondary schools. Furthermore, some schools with the highest student enrollments are online colleges and universities.

Although there are free distance learning courses that you can take through your employers or online colleges, to earn undergraduate and/or graduate degrees you generally must pay tuition, even at the cheapest online college. The amount of tuition you pay to attend online colleges is generally the same as what you would pay to take classroom courses at brick and mortar schools. According to the National Center for Education Statistics during the 2007 – 2008 academic calendar year nearly 4.3 million undergraduate students enrolled in an online course. This number represented 20 percent of the undergraduate student population at the time.

In a Department of Education study mentioned in Inside Higher Ed’s June 29, 2009 “The Evidence on Online Learning” article, it’s reported that college students taking blended courses (course that require students to access the Internet to complete a portion of the course and attend classroom sessions to complete other portions) performed better than students who took fully online courses or only classroom courses. A reason for the success of distance learning programs was linked to the amount of time students taking online courses spend on school projects versus students taking classroom courses. The report states that, “Studies in which learners in the online condition spent more time on task than students in the face-to-face condition found a greater benefit for online learning.” It could be that when the classroom bell sounds, students stop focusing on their coursework until they sit down to study. On the other hand, students taking online courses might continue to focus on their coursework until they feel they have a firm grasp of the material.

Choosing to Enroll in Online Colleges

Students, particularly adult continuing education students, enroll in online colleges for a variety of reasons:

To gain more flexibility in their daily schedules
Get the time to care for their families and continue their education without having to travel to and from classes (which can also eliminate the need to hire a babysitter)
Avoid having to commute in inclement weather
Take advantage of expanding technologies
Earn degrees at an accelerated pace
Get the chance to take college courses regardless of where they are in the world (e.g. while away on business trips)

Despite the benefits of attending online colleges, a set of personal skills are needed to perform well as you complete distance learning courses. For example, self-discipline, time and project management skills, the ability to motivate and encourage yourself and focus and vision are skills that can help you to succeed while you take online college courses. The desire to conduct your own research work and write original college essays and term papers can also be pluses that cause you to earn top scores in your courses. Good news is that these same skills are generally needed to get hired and excel on a job.

Filed Under: Online College FAQ's, Online College News Tagged With: college online, distance learning, higher education, online college, online college courses, postsecondary schools, schedule, students, traditional schools

Online College Search Tips

December 8, 2011 By EDUPro 1 Comment

Search for a College That Fits Your Needs

The numbers of colleges and universities in the United States exceeds 2,000. Over the last several years many of these schools have begun offering online courses and degree programs. Understanding what to look for as you conduct your colleges and universities search may save you hours of time.

If you want to combine online courses with classroom courses, as you conduct your college university search review postsecondary schools that offer on-campus and virtual courses. You might see these courses referred to as blended courses. Tools you can start your online college search with include:

U.S. News and World Report college rankings
Princeton Review college rankings report
Peterson’s college database
College Board database

The United States Department of Education also list accredited colleges and universities in its database. Many of these schools are authorized to accept financial aid from government programs. Enrolling in accredited schools listed with the Department of Education is one way you can increase your chances of securing federal financial aid through programs like the Federal Stafford Student Loan and/or PELL grant.

As you’re conducting your online college search, jot down notes about public and/or private colleges and universities you’re interested in attending. For example, you could collect information on in-state and out-of-state schools including the costs of tuition, scholarships offered by the schools, numbers of undergraduate students enrolled in the schools, whether or not the schools offer graduate programs in subjects you’re interested in majoring in and the types of distance learning courses available for you to take at the schools.

Additional College and University Search Resources

It’s also important that you find out if the schools offer programs or student support services like:

Career counseling
Enrollment counselors
Student tutoring
Mentoring programs
Financial counseling or financial advising
Academic advising

Through career counseling and academic advising programs you can learn about internships, work/study programs and career fairs you can register to participate in. If you take advantage of career counseling services you might land jobs before you graduate, helping you to meet employers’ two pronged job hiring requirement (education and work experience). Bottom line, search for schools that support your educational and post graduation efforts. After all, college is expensive. The more support top schools give you to join the employment ranks, earn top wages and work in fields you’re passionate about, the better.

Other sources you can use to learn more about online and offline colleges and universities are:

Cultural education organizations (e.g. United Negro College Fund, cultural alliances)
Professionals associations (many members of professional associations graduated from top schools)
Alumni associations

In addition to using search engines and college ranking reports to conduct your colleges and universities search, you may be able to reach out to your high school counselors and ask them for their insights on schools offering curriculums that can best help you achieve your academic and career goals. You can also ask your family members, friends and colleagues who are continuing their education for recommendations on top schools you can attend. Thanks to the Internet, as someone searching for a quality institution of higher education, you can also visit college and university discussion forums, ask specific questions about the schools and read through feedback and comments made by students currently attending the schools.

Filed Under: college online search Tagged With: accredited online college, choosing a college, college online, college search, colleges and universities, good places to pursue online degrees, online college, online education, postsecondary schools

Is Your Online College a Top Online School?

December 5, 2011 By EDUPro 2 Comments

Not All Online Schools are Created Equal

Top online schools educate tens of thousands of students each year in a broad range of majors and disciplines. Because these schools are generally accredited by regional and/or national accrediting agencies, academic credits earned at the schools are often transferrable to other private or public institutions of higher learning.

As the Internet continues to attract businesses, entrepreneurs and educators, it seems as if the numbers of colleges and universities offering distance learning courses is increasing. In fact, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports that during the 2007-2008 school year, approximately 20 percent of undergraduate students took one or more distance learning courses. Even when students take classroom courses, some professors allow the students to use the Internet to complete a portion of their assignments.

However, the growing popularity of distance learning has also seen unaccredited schools, sometimes referred to as diploma mills, cropping up on the Internet. Getting degrees from these schools may not help you to land quality jobs that pay attractive salaries. You also might not be able to transfer credits from these schools to highly regarded higher education institutions so you can earn advanced degrees. These reasons make it important for you to do background checks on schools you’re thinking about enrolling at so you enroll in top rated online schools.

Learning More about Your Online College

To get started on your checks, you can review college rankings created by publications like the Princeton Review, Washington Monthly, the Wall Street Journal or U.S. News and World Report. In addition to ranking brick and mortar schools, some publications and educational organizations list top 10 online schools. Information reviewed about colleges and universities includes:

Accreditation reviews the schools have undergone and passed (e.g. Association for Biblical Higher Education, Commission on Accreditation, American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar)
Year the college or university was founded in
Numbers of undergraduate and/or graduate degree granting programs offered at the schools
Tools used to administer online college programs (e.g. video, Internet)
If the schools are affiliated with religious organizations
Student activities and organizations offered at the accredited colleges and universities

You can also visit a school’s official website to find out about the school’s minimum teaching and/or work experience requirements for professors who teach subjects at the school. Top online colleges also generally assign you support services and help through academic advisors, financial advisors, enrollment advisors and career counselors.

It’s one thing to attend a college or university that’s popular or widely known. However, if you want to get a quality and balanced education, an education that employers, recruiters and other academicians respect and value, conduct your due diligence steps and review colleges and universities before you enroll and pay your tuition. This way you can increase your chances of attending top online schools, including top online business schools and top online MBA schools. Remember to search factors like accreditations at colleges and universities, student enrollment demographics, popular majors at the schools and student graduation and employment percentages.

Filed Under: college online search Tagged With: accredited online college, college online, colleges and universities, good places to pursue online degrees, online college, postsecondary schools, rankings

Information about Online Trade Schools

December 1, 2011 By EDUPro 2 Comments

Succeeding Education with Online Trade Schools

Online trade schools are post-secondary schools that teach narrowly defined and concisely developed courses. Because certificate and/or degree programs taught at the schools are focused, at times requiring you to complete only a few electives, you may be able to graduate from the schools within two years or less. If you major in fields that require you to get licensed before you get hired and put what you learned into practice on the job, online trade schools can also help prepare you to pass your licensing examinations.

An Eduventures survey referenced in the “Hidden in Plain Sight, Adult Learners Forge a New Tradition in Higher Education” report archived with the United States Department of Education shows that as early as 2005 nearly 77 percent of adults stated that they would consider “enrolling in a fully-online program.” Furthermore, that same year, as many as 1.5 million post-secondary students were already enrolled in “fully-online certificate or degree programs.” The ability to balance work, life and school is a key reason that many students, like you, think about completing their education online.

Subjects you can take at trade schools are as diverse as the schools themselves. For example, there are trade schools that teach you how to develop skills in disciplines such as:

Cosmetology and esthetics
Computer science
Culinary arts
Flight and aviation
Automotive technology
Art and design
Plumbing
Electrician trade
Nursing
Auto mechanics and diesel training
Media audio production
Video game design
Fashion
Interior design
Carpentry
Construction and building
Auto body mechanics
Mechanical drafting
Truck driving
Woodworking
Solar energy technology
Electrical engineering technology
Medical billing and coding
Medical office administration
Dental assistant

Trade Schools You May Be Able to Take Online Courses With

Some online trade schools offering focused courses in specific disciplines are:

Westwood College
Lincoln Technical Institute
Kaplan Career Institute
Everest College
Wyotech
Milan Institute of Cosmetology
Remington College
Career Technical College
Virginia School of Massage
Art Institute of Austin (Texas)
Illinois Institute of Art
McCann School of Business and Technology
Career Training Academy

If you enroll in a trade school that specializes in offering classroom as well as distance learning courses you can get hands-on training, connect with your classmates and professors in person and enjoy having a flexible schedule while you complete school assignments online. Also keep in mind that before you start working at some occupations (e.g. nursing, cosmetology), state laws might require you to get licensed and complete one or more years of academic training. To shorten the amount of time it takes you to complete your training consider enrolling at accredited colleges and taking online trade school courses. You may have seen some of the popular trade schools advertised on television. However, to ensure you’re enrolled at the best schools, check sources like the Department of Education, Peterson’s, College Board and national college rankings reports to confirm that the schools are accredited by reputable accrediting agencies and respected by hiring managers and company recruiters.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: careers, college online, online college courses, online trade school, postsecondary schools, trade school