Education and Business

Archive for the ‘Online Education’ Category

In general terms, accreditation is the means by which a school is officially recognized as a provider of a satisfactory education that public institutions (i.e. employers) can trust. It is a voluntary process that requires the school to meet minimum requirements that are established by various regional accrediting agencies.

The lack of one official accrediting agency creates an opportunity for sub par online schools that are trying to obtain students through any means possible. In other words, just about any organization can say that they are an accrediting agency, so potential online school enrollers should do their research before signing up for classes at a particular online school.

Sadly, a number of online schools create false accrediting agencies in order to make candidates think that they are trustworthy and established. To avoid this conflict, be sure to check whether or not an online school is accredited by one of the six major regional accrediting agencies. These include the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), North Central Association of Schools and Colleges (NCA), Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges (MSA), Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS), Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), and the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (NWCCU).

If your online school is accredited by one of the above agencies, your degree will be seen as legitimate by most employers. However, if your online school is not accredited by one of the above agencies but by a false accrediting agency, your degree may not be acceptable to most employers.

Colleges have been reviewing far too many applications recently that show students are addicted to getting good grades which means they are continuously sacrificing the time to figure out what extra-curricular activities interest them. These students are becoming more and more robotic in a greatly increasing competitive atmosphere. Although a student’s academic career is the main focus of the applicants, the problem lies when the college has to figure out what to do when they have too many applicants with a grade point average of 3.8-4.0. There have been several circumstances where the student with the 4.0 does not get into the college and student with the lower grade point average does.

Of course colleges are looking for those students who can do well academically, but they also want their students to come with a certain energy towards innovation. They want their students to be able to contribute creatively and receive some sort of recognition eventually. Basically, colleges need those students who can go beyond expectation. They need the students who have a love in life beyond academics. They need students who can excel outside of the classroom; at sports, volunteer work, dancing, traveling, and the list goes on and on. These students also need to be able to present this in a 4-8 page college application. Now, how do you do this? How does one go about preparing for this task?

It is very important that a student do two things while also maintaining a good grade point average. They must have personal time to themselves to breathe and relax and they also have to commit to something that they love to do outside of the classroom. The students who stay committed to one activity for three years show a much stronger level of commitment and motivation than the student that who participates in twenty activities for a short period of time. However, the students who participate in two or more activities for two or more years show even more potential than those with only one.

When colleges get applications that show various extra-curricular activities with no connection to each other, they question them. Some of these applications will have all different kinds of activities like “one month volunteering at a homeless shelter, three months at a vet hospital, 6 months in dance lessons” etc. Although these applications are full of extra curricular activities, these students show questionable motivation and a lack of commitment. This may simply mean that the student participated in the activities for the sole purpose of filling up that page in the college application. Sometimes these assumptions are clarified in the student’s essay but there are times when they are not and this does not look good for the applicant no matter what his or her grades are like.

Students should always keep in mind that colleges want those students who can think critically. They want the student who can pursue an idea, not the one who simply follows the rules and meets criteria. Colleges want the student who can think outside the box.

Whether to decide if an online business degree suits you is not a difficult job. Having a large variety of programs and great flexibility, an online business degree is a wonderful choice for anyone who starts their way in business or wants to have more knowledge in the field.

There are many arias in business where a degree can be obtained, such as: accounting, leadership, marketing e.t.c. There also are a lot of colleges that can offer you an online business degree but the following two are the most known: The University of Phoenix and Kaplan University.

In order to decide which online business degree to pursue you have to what your career goals are or does your current job requires. For example, if have or planning to start your own small business, a degree in marketing would be a great choice; if want to be a manager or if you already are one, a degree in leadership could be just the thing you need to move up in you career.

There are also a few things you have to know before applying for an online business degree. First of all you have to find out if the college or the university that offers this degree is an accredited one, meaning that that certain online degree has been tested and approved by state or national education review boards. Another thing you must find out is whether the staff there is experienced enough (you want to get the best for you money and time).

To apply for an online business degree you need a high school diploma or a G.E.D., a certain amount of money and, of course, the desire to learn. Completing such a degree could take usually take about three years. This time frame is based on a curriculum of at least twenty hours of course work a week. The time for completion can be shortened by having prior college credits or related work experience.

Once you decided that an online business degree is right for you, applying is very easy because almost all colleges offer a year round enrollment, so you can start your education right away. As soon as you�re accepted the entire coursework is made available for you to download it, any time you like. However, some programs do require the attendance of virtual meetings or classes that are put on at certain times throughout the day via the Internet.

Payment for an online business degree is also easy. Online educational programs benefits from the same tuition assistance as the on-site programs do. Therefore, you should be able to apply for payment plans, student loans or employer reimbursement programs, and even more than that, some online colleges allow the student to pay as they go.

Earning a degree online has many benefits. It is convenient, popular and affordable. It allows an adult the opportunity to earn a college degree while continuing to work, spend time with family and friends, or take care of important commitments. It also allows a worker to advance in the job, often before the degree is even completed.

An accounting degree is one degree that can be earned online that has all of these advantages. An associate degree in accounting is available for those who are just beginning their academic or workplace careers. Those with an accounting background and some college experience can choose to earn their bachelor’s degree in accounting. Professionals can choose to further their careers by earning an MBA in accounting.

Before earning any degree in accounting, you need to apply and be accepted into a program. Like traditional degree programs, there is an application process that prospective students must go through before becoming a matriculated student.

While each online institution will have its own application process, there are common procedures that need to be followed when applying for an online accounting degree program.

Choosing the right degree program is often the most difficult part of the application process. Fortunately, all of the research can be done from your computer. Use a reliable search engine to find the type of program you are interested in, e.g. “associate degree in accounting” or “MBA in Accounting”.

Once you have found some programs that interest you, spend time reading the information that the programs offer. Pay close attention to the details each gives about the application process.

Choose the school that best fits your needs, both academically and economically. Make a checklist for yourself of all of the requirements for applying to the school. Usually there will be an online application, a required essay, and a list of documents (such as past transcripts, test scores, etc.) that need to be sent.

As you complete each application step, check it off on your list. Complete the entire application process carefully and meticulously. Incomplete or careless applications can be rejected.

Once you have applied, the program will contact you regarding your application’s status. If any additional information is requested, submit it to the program as soon as possible.

By carefully providing all of the requested information in the application process, you have started on the path to earning an online degree in accounting.

You have just made an important decision to earn your accounting degree at an online university.

Your next task is to find out which online accounting school is the right one for you. This is a crucial step in starting your online accounting school education.

Refer to this checklist as a guide in making the right decision.

Appropriately Accredited Accounting Program

Many schools claim to be accredited. But are their accreditations specific to your educational needs? Select an online institution that follows the standards set by The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and/or Fundamentals of Bookkeeping program.

Transfer of Credits

If you have previously taken some accounting subjects in another school, look for an online school that will credit these units. It would be a waste to retake subjects you have previously studied in another school.

Appropriate Technologies

The use of technologies is a critical component in online learning. Most virtual schools use a combination of these technologies.

• Audio – examples of these include audio-conferencing, tapes, and CD ROMs.

• Video tools such as slides, video tapes, and video-conferencing.

• Computer aided applications such as e-mail, discussion boards, instant messaging programs, and websites.

Select the school which uses a combination of proven technologies. Many innovative software programs still have glitches that schools need to sort out, so be wary of schools using older technology.

Personal Academic Advisor

Will the school assign a personal academic advisor to you? One who will take care of the managerial details of your enrollment, guide you in the selection of your subjects, and help you plan your career choices? If these services are available find out how you can take full advantage of them.

Qualified Online Faculty

Select an online university whose faculty members have been trained and are experienced in the use of these technologies.

Flexible Schedule

Look for an online school, which allows you to set your learning pace, or one that offers an accelerated format.

Limited Number of Students

Consider enrolling in an online university where there are few students per class. The ideal ratio is 8-13 students to a teacher. In terms of learning you will get a bigger slice of your professor’s guidance.

Ask the prospective school about their accounting graduates. How many have graduated? Is there a testimonial section where you can read these satisfied graduates comments?

Financing Options

Does the school have low interest financing plans or scholarships? What lending processes do they participate in? Find out and ease your tuition fee load. Remember an education is a major financial investment.

It is imperative that you select the online accounting school that is right for you. This decision will have a direct impact on the quality of education you will receive, your career, and future financial prospects.

Each online school employs different technology delivery methods, course materials and study procedures.In short, there are many variables concerned with how online accounting classes are conducted.

Take the first variable – your learning pace. You will find some virtual schools offer an accelerated pace format. With this schedule you can graduate from a four-year course in just thirteen months.

Or you select an online school that is affiliated with an off line university. At this studying pace you will be observing the same semester schedules on-campus students do.

In general, you should expect to finish each online accounting subject during a six to eight week duration.

Multi-media technologies

Most online schools use a combination of software programs like video streaming, CD ROMs, audio tapes, video conferencing, and the traditional blackboard as the delivery methods. These methods have been best studied as the most appropriate way to enable teachers and fellow students to communicate with each other.

Course Materials

Many online schools have formatted their subject materials and texts to be self �user-friendly� study. For accounting materials you will find that this means that practice tests and the answers to these problems are included with the step-by-step course materials.

In the case of assignments � these all have due dates and are the usual accounting exercises, reports, and problems. You may be required to use the electronic version of the accounting general ledger and Windows Excel.

Discussion Boards

Surveys conducted about online learning has revealed that study groups play an important part in the academic success of students. On the net, discussion boards are the electronic equivalent.

Most online schools require students to participate in discussion boards and grade them on this use.

How Tests Conducted

At most distance education institutions you will get to decide on your own learning pace. This means that you decided when it is most convenient for you to learn, do the study exercises and to take the examinations. However, these online schools also hand out proposed study schedules.

That being said, you can expect to take timed online quizzes. For the final examination, most online schools require the students to take these tests on campus sites. Or you may be directed to a test center and monitored by a proctor. While exceptions are permitted it is best to inquire ahead regarding your preferences.

As you conduct research at different online schools you will come to recognize how they make their accounting classes work.

But no matter what online accounting school you go to you need to treat the education you receive just like any other educational institution. You need to set aside the time and participate in the classes as much as possible. Doing so will ensure that you receive the most out of your online accounting learning experience.