Scheduling your work using the calendar and making sure that you give yourself sufficient time to read and complete your assignments is very important. It is not just a matter of being aware of the dates and times, but also your own calendar, and the availability of your peer group.

Goal-Setting

Part of an effective motivation strategy involves setting long-term goals that are punctuated by short-term goals. The more you can codify the goals by writing them down and setting concrete deadlines, the more likely you are to feel a sense of accomplishment and reinforcement for additional effort.

Anxiety Reduction

One way to reduce anxiety in the e-learning environment is to make sure that your equipment is working, that you have the right kinds of technology for the task (computer, tablets, connectivity, software, hardware, storage / backups, high-speed internet / wifi access). When things are not working at their ideal level, it’s important to put together a plan for reducing anxiety. You might try meditation, especially when combined with brainwave-measuring headsets such as MindWave, that now sell for less than $100.

Mental Focus and Concentration

How often do you find yourself zoning or not paying attention when instructional materials are being presented? How often do you just skim and not capture the essence of what the instructional materials contain? You may have a difficult time staying focused on the computer interface, and it may be necessary for you to take breaks and to be sure to stop and test your understanding at certain intervals. It’s also good to monitor yourself to detect when you’ve stopped paying attention. How can you do that? Again, sometimes it has to do with quizzes and tests. At other times, it’s more scientific.

Monitoring and Reducing Stress Levels

Many studies have shown a very clear negative relationship between stress and academic performance. In a nutshell, if you’re stressed out, you’re not likely to be working at your highest possible level. As you evaluate your life, be sure to integrate work, study, home, and recreation so that they are mutually reinforcing. Learn how to give yourself positive feedback and affirmations, and avoid putting yourself in situations where you feel internal conflict.

Sleep and Nutrition

What your mother told you was true. To do well, you need to get a good night’s sleep every night. Don’t go two or three days with 3 or 4 hours of sleep and then try to catch up by sleeping all day. Your body does not work like that. Instead, manage your time so that you have enough time to sleep as much as you need – ideally 6 – 8 hours.

Nutrition is also extremely important for maintaining your overall health and wellness. Loading up on pizza and French fries while you’re pulling an all-nighter is a great way to feel sluggish and to lose your ability to maintain alertness.

Exercise

You can’t mention diet without bringing in exercise, can you? Exercise is extremely important. You should try to get vigorous exercise every day. You should elevate your heart rate so that you’re building your cardio-respiratory system. In addition to cardio, be sure to include strength training and flexibility. Your brain needs to be fed with the oxygen and great “feel good” chemicals that exercise helps you get.

Comprehension Monitoring

Quizzes, discussions with peers, and “check your understanding” exercises are excellent. It is very important to schedule them as soon as possible in the course and to monitor your understanding of the concepts as you progress through the material. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

2. Make sure you have your texts (paper / digital / multimedia) before the course begins. In the past, it was a simple matter of purchasing a textbook (used or new). Now things are not so simple, and you need to check that you have access to the e-text, and also that the interface is functioning well enough so that you can work with your text in a convenient way. Access is a big issue in this case, and if no one has prepared for bandwidth overload, then you’re going to have to come up with a contingency plan for the times when your text (which is cloud-based) is slow, slow, slow to load.

3. Don’t rely on the syllabus as your sole source of information about the course. With today’s complex structures, it’s rather futile to think that everything is in the syllabus (even though everyone would like to think so). You’re going to have to be aware of all the intricacies of the course, so the best approach is to become comfortable with the course. That means going through and clicking every link at least two or three times.

4. Post an introduction on the discussion board and start to interact with your peers as early as you can.

5. When you have questions, post them in the “Ask the Professor” section of the discussion board in order to facilitate knowledge transfer and to diminish the sense of panic that can grip an entire online cohort.

6. Post and check in at least once every two days. Don’t miss anything. Take the time to check in and keep current.

7. Connect with your professor. Don’t become a burden. But, do show you are pro-active and that you want to do things ahead of schedule, and you’re willing to go the extra mile.

8. Develop a calendar for yourself and start doing time management. Once you have developed a plan for yourself, and you feel comfortable with the work and the due dates, you’ll start having an enhanced sense of self-efficacy. Don’t laugh. This is important.

9. Don’t fall behind with your readings. It’s very important to stay on top of the readings. This does not mean that you have to read every word and get bogged down in minutiae. What it does mean is that you need to familiarize yourself with all the readings and be able to capture the main points and the ways the text connects to your learning objectives.

10. Use strategies for maintaining attention and focus. Obviously, one of the best ways to keep focused when you’re slogging through your readings / instructional material is to employ strategies that require you to maintain focus / attention. What are the strategies? They can be as simple as asking you to summarize what you’ve just covered, and to write a synopsis or “précis” every chapter or so.

11. Stay on top of announcements and any “out of the box” deviations from the syllabus or course schedule. Usually these are to your favor. They usually have to do with unexpected problems, and they buy you time. Take the gift, run (!) and don’t look back.

12. Turn in work ahead of time and develop a backup plan if you’re not able to meet deadlines. Sounds simple? It is, and it is not. If the only contact you have with your professor is through the learning management system, you’re in trouble. You need to have at least three ways to send your professor work, and/or to communicate with her. I’d recommend the following: the course itself (the interface), email, and also phone / texting / social networking.

13. Use your college’s online library resources to develop high-quality papers that are well-documented with peer-reviewed articles. Wikipedia? Well, it’s a great starting point, but if you trust the information you glean there, you’re likely to make huge, egregious errors. You’re much better off using it as a starting point and then using whatever repository you like – EBSCO? Gale? And then you’ve got reliable information. Don’t forget free government sources. Go to http://www.fedstats.gov and http://www.childstats.gov if you’re in the U.S. and you have a sociology or psychology paper that requires demographics / statistics. You’ll be thrilled at the depth of the papers / research results available there.

14. Assessment: The Monster Under the Bed. You can’t escape it. You can’t run forever. Eventually, you’re going to have to be assessed. Do you like it? Believe it or not, some students thrive on standardized tests. For them, it’s like playing Texas Hold’em or Sudoku … it’s a puzzle they’ve figure out. For most ordinary mortals, however, the prospect of dealing with standardized testing – especially in a context of high-stakes, timed, online testing – is pretty ghastly. How can you succeed? Practice! Practice! Practice!

1) Insure Blog

By: Henry Stern, Bob Vineyard and other contributing editors

Insurance Issues, Principles & Solutions

The primary focus for this blog is health and life insurance, although they do have the occasional P&C-related posts. Henry Stern says, “My motivation for creating the blog was pretty simple: I wanted – no, *needed* – a place to vent, and also to provide a resource for non-insurance folks to find information and answers (hence our motto: Insurance Issues, Principles and Solutions). We like to think that we’ve helped move the debate on health insurance/ObamneyCare (and there’s some evidence that this is the case), which the blog platform has made possible”. The most important work the very informative blog does is in their long-running “Stupid {fill in the blank} Tricks” series, which skewer carriers, government agencies, agents and consumers who, by accident or design, screw up in spectacular newsworthy fashion. Epic “oops” moments from homeowners, media, carriers and agents are dissected in the blog’s straightforward, often witty way. You will also find the authors are good about corresponding with those that leave comments.

2) Embrace Pet Insurance Blog

By: Laura Bennett

Pet Insurance is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of insurance but as Laura, author of this blog states, “no-one was talking about pet insurance on the internet and someone needed to speak up and show it can be a great product but historically had not been executed well. Frankly, back in 2006 when I started the blog, pet insurance wasn’t considered much better than alien abduction insurance and since new products were coming out to do a much better job of it, including ours, I thought a good start would be to talk from an actuarial and objective view on the product”. Laura is the Chief Embracer and Co-Founder of Embrace Pet Insurance and has worked in insurance for over 16 years. Writing the blog has become a self admitted addiction for her…in a good wayJ. Embrace Pet Insurance is an insurance program manager that designs, sells and manages pet health insurance policies for cats and dogs. The Embrace Blog touches on subjects from dental health to behavioral issues (and so much in between; even training cats to leash walk!). “This blog is my way of showing that pet insurance can be real, can be helpful, and can be interesting – yes, even interesting! I continue to write from the perspective as CEO of a successful pet insurance company and the first pet insurance actuary in the US. There is still a lot to talk about in the every changing industry”. – Laura

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3) Contractor Insurance And Risk Management Blog

By: John Sadler

Sadler & Company has specialized in insuring residential trade contractors, home builders, remodelers and light commercial general contractors since 1946. John Sadler, President of contractor-insure.com (a division of Sadler & Company, Inc.), is a published author and speaker on contractor insurance and risk management topics and author of the blog. It has been ranked in the top 50 best risk management blogs by an independent resource, PMP Certification Training. “My vision for the blog is to simply give our prospects and clients great content that is useful for their insurance and risk management decision making process. The best blog postings are re-circulated in our quarterly newsletters. In addition, those blogs that answer frequently asked questions are emailed to clients as a link whenever they have a question that is answered by the blog”.

4) Specialty Insurance Blog

By Bob Sargent

News & Commentary on Specialty Insurance, Risk Management & Private Equity – with an emphasis on professional liability and entrepreneurship in insurance

The Specialty Insurance Blog is managed by Bob Sargent, President of Tennant Risk Services and Managing Partner of Tennant Capital Partners. Posts are written by Bob, Tennant staff and other contributors. Sargent states, “We are a wholesale insurance broker specializing in professional liability insurance and our clients are retail insurance agents and their professional insured’s. Our business is based on a high level of expertise in technology, errors & omissions, directors & officers and employment practices insurance. The purpose of our blog is to provide useful information to our clients on the professional liability insurance business, particularly information that they would not normally see”. The blog provides periodic information on the insurance business, with a focus on specialty lines insurance and professional liability. With an interest in entrepreneurship, private equity and venture capital in insurance, the blog will also include information on building insurance businesses.

5) eHealth Insurance Blog

Get Smart. Get Covered. Health Insurance Information and Answers.

This is a very well laid out, easy to navigate, organized blog that covers many topics in the health insurance field. eHealthInsurance was founded in 1997 and its technology was responsible for the nation’s first Internet-based sale of a health insurance policy. Licensed to market and sell health insurance in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, eHealthInsurance has developed partnerships with more than 180 health insurance companies, offering more than 10,000 health insurance products online. Suzanne Thomas, Public Relations and Social Media Manager for eHealthInsurance writes, “Our blog is designed to help people find the best information possible on health insurance and related issues. We provide news, research and information about health insurance for individuals, families, small groups and the Medicare-eligible”. The entries are posted by many different authors and topics range from basic insurance questions to discussing specific health issues. Some authors choose the question and answer format, some just straightforward information laden write-ups. The entries are personable, easy to read and informative.

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6. GoHealth Blog

By Erinn Springer

This blog is meant to help clear the mist surrounding health insurance, a great read for beginning students and even non-insurance students! Erinn explains the inspiration behind the blog, “The GoHealth blog is written to help consumers understand the complexities of health insurance and health care reform. One of the main drivers of the blog is the realization that many consumers don’t understand their health insurance policy. As more consumers are shifted from group health plans to individual, there is going to be this greater need to create educated consumers who know how to use their plan effectively.”

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Much like insurance offers peace of mind, so does the valuable knowledge that these bloggers post. Insurance: important because the cost of NOT having it can be much more than you can afford. If you are a student headed down the insurance field path add these blogs to your studying, reading or just basic information gathering of online research, you can’t afford not to.

FAFSA Guidelines

Regardless of which federal grant you apply for, you will need to complete the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) form which is readily available online. The application period usually lasts from January 1 to March 1, but you are advised to apply as early as possible to mitigate any unforeseen technical or administrative delays. This will require you to fill out basic personal details such as your name, address and social security number. It will also require you to declare your family income status which is often the basic determining factor behind a successful application. There are a number of online companies that will help you fill out your FAFSA for a small fee.
Take note that when you provide parental information on your FAFSA, there is a requirement that at least one of the parents whose information has been provided must sign to verify the details. It is hence advisable that you apply for a Federal Student Aid PIN on the Federal Student Aid PIN website to avoid hassles and speed up your application process. You may choose to create your own PIN or have the system generate a PIN which can then be emailed to you or sent to a private mailing address. Your parent can then use this PIN to electronically verify the FAFSA. Once all your details have been verified, you will receive a letter from the Student Aid Report listing the list of grants applicable to you.

Federal Pell Grants

The most common federal grant is the Federal Pell Grant, which is usually awarded to low-income students who have never obtained a professional or bachelor’s degree. The sole exception is for students enrolled in a post-baccalaureate teaching degree. The maximum award is $5550 per academic year. If you have a parent or guardian who passed away as a direct result of military service in Iraq or Afghanistan after September 11, 2011, you will automatically qualify for the full amount of financial aid. In more general cases, the value of the grant will depend on your income, your school-related costs and your student status (full-time students will receive larger grants than part-time students).

Grants can also be awarded based on your choice of degree. If you intend to pursue an online degree in computer science, science, mathematics, technology, engineering or an essential foreign language, you may also wish to consider the National SMART (Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent) grant. This grant is available to students who have already qualified for a Pell Grant and provides up to $4000 per year for your third and fourth years of college education. Combined with a Pell Grant, the National SMART grant may even fully cover the costs of your online degree program, allowing you to put financial woes aside and focus on your studies.

Finally, certain grants are awarded based on academic background. One such grant is the Academic Competitiveness Grant. This student aid is available to students who have graduated from a “rigorous” high school education program. The definition of rigorous is extremely complex. One definition is a high school program that has been designated by state education agencies or state-authorised regional education agencies and recognised by the Secretary of Education. The full list of rigorous high school programs is available online and is updated every year by the Secretary of Education. However, the student must not only have graduated, but also passed with flying colors. For example, graduates from the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme must take at least two courses and graduate with a score of four points or more in the final course examinations. Like the National SMART Grant, the Academic Competitiveness Grant can be combined with a Pell Grant. It consists of a $750 award during the first year of college education and $1300 during the second year.

In recognition of the essential role that education plays in our societal, economic and political progress, the government has made available a vast range of federal grant programs for online college students. Don’t miss out – get federal sponsorship for your online degree program today!

It has been said that employers view people who can handle both work and school as multi-taskers who can successfully negotiate their own personal schedule, which is a quality that is essential in most work environments. There are several online degrees that are acknowledged, accepted and sought after by employers who are interested in hiring qualified candidates. Obtaining one of the following online degrees will ensure that employers will take a second look at a resume:

1) MBA – The Master in Business Administration is definitely a degree that is lucrative for any professional who wants to pursue corporate positions in companies. Students will want to select a major that is focused in the field that they desire to work in. For example, if a student desires to work in the accounting or finance department of a company, they will want to select accounting as a major for their MBA. If government and politics is the career path of interest, business and public policy could be the major of choice. Combining both finance and business and public policy can lead to jobs in micro-finance.

2) Bachelor of Computer Engineering Technology – The computer world is expanding exponentially by the day. Companies, banks and government offices are changing from the old-fashioned paperwork to computerized processing and many are moving toward online sales. With these changes comes the need for more experienced and educated professionals who know how to finagle computer systems and networking efficiently. The Bachelor of Computer Engineering Technology leads to software design and implementation and hardware configuration in offices. In addition, graduates will be able to create advanced software for iPods or Smartphones or equipment for defense, as well as work in manufacturing, research, consumer product markets, security or communications, to name a few.

3) Bachelor of Science in Health Administration – The healthcare industry is projected to grow continuously in the future, along with the population of the U.S. With a Bachelor of Science in Health Administration, graduates will enjoy the opportunity to land a job in healthcare management. Injury, patterns of disease, management, and application of healthcare theories and concepts are all part of the integral learning that a student will accomplish with this online degree. After completing it, graduates can look forward to management level careers in hospitals, retirement communities, clinics, rehabilitation, home health care setting and long-term care facilities.

4) Master of Science in Forensic Psychology – Crime rates and court systems certainly are not slowing down in cases. As a matter of fact, this field of expertise is expected to increase by 36.4% between 2004 and 2014, according to MSNBC. The average pay for someone starting out in the field with their Master of Science in Forensic Psychology is in the $50,000 range. General job duties include gathering, classifying, identifying and analyzing evidence during routine criminal investigations, many are called to testify in the court of law as expert witnesses, and others are experts in one area, such as handwriting, fingerprinting, ballistics or biochemistry.

5) Bachelor of Science in Nursing – The Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected the nursing career field to continue to grow through the year 2020 at a phenomenal rate. As a matter of fact, it is one of the fastest growing occupation fields for the future. Although an Associate’s degree in nursing will qualify graduates for a successful career, the bachelor’s will open up more prospects, including management-level positions such as Head Nurse of Nursing Chief. For those students who want to achieve the highest level in nursing that can be reached in order to be more competitive in the field, the Masters of Science in Nursing can be obtained in as little as two years after the bachelor’s degree is completed.

Some might say that online degrees are not respected by employers like “regular” degrees that are completed at brick-and-mortar colleges, however times have changed and employers are much more inclined to hire candidates who have worked while they have pursued their online degrees, as they demonstrate the desire to achieve. Any of the above degrees will help graduates to make a smooth debut into the workforce; however they are focused toward specific career fields. Essentially, employers will definitely accept candidates with online degrees, as long as they are focused on the field of work that the graduate is interested in entering.

1.) Child in Mind

Author: Claudia Gold
Site: Visit Child in Mind

Promoting Children’s Mental Health Through Relationship Based Interventions

Her aim for the blog is to “spread to a wide audience, including parents, professionals who work with children and families, and policy-makers, the explosion new knowledge at the interface of neuroscience and developmental psychology.” Just a few subjects Gold has recently touched on are: prejudice against children, yoga for a mother’s emotional regulation, the effect of a mother’s mental health on children’s brain development and child defiance.

Gold goes on to say, “Research shows that by supporting early child-caregiver relationships we can promote the physical and mental health of the next generation. My blog also identifies forces that often work against this model, including the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries.”

Follow on twitter: twitter.com/childinmind

2.) PsychoStud.com aka Psychology Student Disclosure

Author: Dr. Jerry D. Smith, Jr.
Site: Visit PsychoStud

“I created the Psychology Student Discourse, aka PsychoStud.com, blog because I wanted Psychology students to have a place on the world wide web where they could go to get interesting and practical information on the field of psychology, as well as engage in interesting, timely, and thoughtful discussion. As a student, myself, I found that there was a wealth of information on the internet. However, it was hard to find a single site where I could read information relevant to my varied interests. Usually, I would find myself with dozens of different browser windows open, causing my system to get very slow and sometimes crash. In the end it wasn’t very effective for me. So I set out to create a single site where all the topics I found of interest, and hopefully of interest to others, could be found and returned to time and time again.”

Smith’s blog covers a VERY wide variety of psychology-related information, both valuable and entertaining. For the second year in a row, PsychoStud.com has been ranked in the top 100 Best Blogs for Psychology Students.

3) Notes from the School Psychologist

Author: Dr. Rebecca Branstetter
Site: Visit Notes From the School Psychologist

“I created Notes From the School Psychologist blog to connect with other professionals working in the school system and to share with parents and families ways to help students be more successful and happy in school. I always loved school when I was younger; I used to play “school” on the weekends! I work with students who do not share my love of school and learning. I hope the blog will help other school psychologists, teachers, and parents connect with students in a way that will help them improve their school experience. Those exploring school psychology as a career will also find that the blog allows for a behind-the-scenes peak at what it is really like to be a school psychologist in the public schools. It is a career that is challenging and rewarding.”

This is a very humorous, personable blog that tends to tell one story but has several different underlying meanings.

4) The Media Psychology Blog

Author: Pamela Rutledge
Site: Visit the Media Psychology Blog

The psychology of social media, transmedia experience and emerging technologies

“I started the Media Psychology Blog to discuss the psychology of all kinds of media and technology. Understanding psychology as the basis for analyzing and developing media and emerging technologies is the key to harnessing their potential. Too many people look for the problems, but media technologies are the tools of the 21st century and they are not going away. It’s important to understand the dynamics of human-media interaction so media technologies can be used to support human goals across all levels of society. That is the essence of media psychology.”

In addition to her blog, Dr. Rutledge is also available for appearances, workshops and to reporters for comments and analysis of social media.

Follow on twitter: https://twitter.com/pamelarutledge

5) Cal Poly Dolly aka Nichol Elise

Author: Nichol Elise
Site: Visit Cal Polly Dolly

“The blog of a real life student’s experiences in researching the human being and in being a mid-30s full-time Grad Student, and “Disabled” Human. — My Goal: To survive and thrive in school and inspire others to do the same.” And in case you’re wondering, she is not a “Cal Poly Dolly”…..google it!

Nichol writes about many different psychological topics like sleep deprivation, depression and the importance of exercise. She has also recently had a guest blogger write about electronic media and education…..in other words online degrees.

To all the psychology major students out there, if you are interested in pursuing a degree online you should add these blogs to your studies. Filled with valuable information, some humorous, some more text book like, all worth following.

The Future for Graphic Design Careers

The graphic design industry is one that is destined to grow immensely in the future along with the growth of technology and internet. The positions that will be available are endless. As a matter of fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects graphic design opportunities to increase by 13% by the year 2018. This is a career avenue that must be engraved in a professional’s heart, because according to The Princeton Review, 40% of newcomers to the field of graphic design leave the industry within two years. Another 30% leave the field within five years and only 30% of professionals stay in graphic design occupations for more than five years.

These statistics should not discourage people who have a true interest in graphic design; however anyone who has a pure desire and the artistic talent should understand that this field of expertise is one that is demanding and quite competitive. An immense amount of time and effort may need to be put into graphic design trial-and-error and conferencing with clients before the work pays off. Building a client base or obtaining a job in this cutthroat field can also take time, however once these goals have been achieved, the income stream could be fairly lucrative.

Career Prospects for Graphic Designers

Many graphic designers who have the type of personalities that can stay motivated, manage their own work and clientele, and work alone may elect to stay self-employed, working hand-in-hand with clientele. As with all self-employment job possibilities, the salary of a self-employed graphic designer could fluctuate according to the amount of clients within the month. Others would rather work for a firm that recruits clients for them and collect a salary that they can count on.

A professional who is skilled in advertising and marketing might become an Advertising Designer or Commercial Designer, while people with the ability to coordinate many aspects of a project may become an Art Director. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecast that educated and experienced Animators will be in high demand in the future. These graphic designers have both web design skills and animation abilities and can turn their client’s ideas into moving visuals. Entry-level graphic designers could enjoy a salary of $36,000, while Art Directors and Creative Design Directors could see salaries of $100,000 and more.

Getting a Graphic Design Degree Online

To be competitive in the industry, a bachelor’s degree is recommended from a top graphic design school, as most graphic designers have the equivalent of a four year degree. The Bachelor of Arts or Science in Graphic Design or the Bachelor of Science in Game Art & Design are some of the options for aspiring graphic designers. Although the bachelor’s degree is not necessarily a requirement for positions at the entry level, employers in established firms seek candidates with a four-year degree for their more prestigious positions.

Artistic people who want to start their own business from home could choose to pursue their Associate of Science in Graphic Design or Associate of Art in Graphic Design if they wanted to learn the basics to get started. Some of the topics that will be discussed in both the online associate’s degree program and the online bachelor’s degree program include finance and production, computer software and graphic design tools.

Life as a Graphic Designer

Students should also focus on creating a working portfolio to show to prospective clients or employers throughout school and during their working life. The lifestyle of a degreed graphic designer is fast-paced and high pressure; deadlines are extremely important and can come quick and constantly pursuing work can lead to burnout. Even magazine layout editors and design consultants experience high pressure to meet deadlines.

For the artistically inclined people who enjoy this type of fast-paced lifestyle and are anxious to pursue it, the online degree programs that are available can be the fastest way to a future in creating artwork and design. The online associate’s degree can be accomplished in less than two years, while the online bachelor’s degree can be obtained in less than four years, and they are both achievable in a shorter amount of time if a student takes summer classes in addition to their regular coursework. Graphic designers who are already working with their own clientele, but want to take their experience to a company, can easily work from home while obtaining their online degree until they have the degree that is necessary to be competitive in the workforce.

Technical and Human Phases

Most educational technology degrees will cover several essential modules, divided into two main categories – the first is “technical” and the second “human”. The technical phase will naturally begin by covering the prevalent technologies being employed in the education industry, most notably the Web 2.0 technologies that form the backbone of online colleges around the world. This is usually followed by a course on applied statistics. This will imbue you with the skills necessary to use educational modelling tools to track your students’ progress and perform diagnostics your own effectiveness as an educator.

The “human” modules in the foundational phase are usually highly theoretical in nature and will provide an insight into the effects of technology use on students. This will be based largely on behavioral and social psychology regarding human learning patterns, backed up by some case studies and statistical research.

Practical Phase

After gaining a solid foundation from these modules, a student will then transit into the most challenging part of their online educational technology degree – the practical phase. This portion of the course will usually involve three to five modules, each requiring the student to solve increasingly difficult instructional problems using technology. For example, question-and-answer sessions and round table discussions are an integral part of many education programs. However, not all learners are able to adequately or clearly express their views when placed under the spotlight. Such pupils will benefit from online discussion boards which give them breathing space to conduct research and phrase their opinions. Hence, the practical application module will teach you to identify such problems and come up with these technological solutions.

Besides familiarizing you with the practical application of technological teaching tools, an online educational technology degree program will also delve deep into instructional design. As any architect will tell you, it is no good having all the tools without a solid blueprint. The instructional design module will equip you with the skills necessary to design a well-rounded educational blueprint with both depth and breadth. It will teach educators how to integrate technology into traditional lesson plans with panache and professionalism. True teaching is about substance, not style. While the temptation often exists to include technological elements just for the sake of it, instructional design will teach you how to identify situations where simple text-based teaching may be the preferred method.

There will be ample room for case studies here as classes are conducted using different technologies such as podcasts, video lectures and e-software. Students may then evaluate the pros and cons of these technologies based on how well they work for them, thereby gaining an invaluable understanding of the various tools available to a distance educator.

The majority of educational technology courses will offer some sort of opportunity for specialization through elective modules. The most popular elective is, of course, online education. The module will cover some of the finer points in online teaching, such as designing effective assessment criteria for distance learners or managing online academic forums. For example, many online degree instructors find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer volume of posts on their discussion boards. This module will offer effective solutions such as the appointment of “student moderators” who may help you respond to queries. The module will probably conclude with a brief overview of the history and philosophy of distance learning. This will help put your career in perspective and is often helpful in helping you determine not only how far the industry has come, but also where it is heading. Overall, you will emerge well-prepared for a career as an online instructor through realistic training and honest advice.

In summary, whether you are aspiring to utilize technological tools in your traditional classroom lessons or to take on a new career entirely by exploiting educational technology in distance learning, an online educational technology degree program will be a fascinating, challenging and effective way to strengthen your teaching skills.

In online education, we see three important factors that relate to the accommodation of students with disabilities. First, there are some obvious and other less obvious reasons that extra strategy and assistance must be focused on this population specifically within web-based courses. Secondly, in some ways, online degrees are already more user-friendly in many cases. Finally, some of the efforts that institutions have taken in order to ensure that their online pupils are being offered fair opportunity and access to education.

Why is offering accommodationss important?

The primary reason that it is important to offer assistance for students is that they need it. It is common sense that if a person wants to become educated, that they should be able to but the specific ways that their dream becomes a reality is not always as easy to put a finger on. Online degrees in comparison with their campus counterparts are relatively young, so now is a crucial time in the development of these programs as the popularity of the online option grows. The second important reason and the one that is the likely motivator for most of the help that students receive is the fact that it is the law. The text of the law clearly states that participation cannot be denied to a person that is otherwise qualified, due to a disability. Therefore help is offered. Of course, it is also important to colleges to make accommodations because they don’t want to miss out on the chance to include these learners.

Online degrees are already more accommodating

In many cases, the obstacles to learning that some students find are already alleviated simply by being able to learn in the online format. Because electronic learning tools like the computer and the Ipad when used from the comfort of one’s own environment are more user-friendly than maneuvering through a campus and classroom carrying books. Some will find online degrees create a more inclusive path to learning without extra effort. In addition to physical access, most computers are now equipped with accessibility options including magnification and audio to text conversion.

However, there are conditions computers will not fix. With issues like dyslexia or attention deficit disorder, it may be more difficult to focus on large portions of text to complete assignments. In some of these situations, online classes prove again to be a superior in that they favor media-rich presentations and audio lectures that can be replayed at the student’s own pace. Additionally, the asynchronous environment of online classes can be a major advantage when considering the additional time that many students need to level the academic playing field for the completion of assignments. With this advantage students no longer have to be concerned with the pace of the classroom and can be more comfortable in their learning.

How are schools making online degrees more accommodating?

Even with the level of ease and convenience that comes with an online degree program, there are still some people who will find themselves unable to participate. This, of course, is unacceptable and institutions around the country are constantly finding new ways to make the online learning environment more accessible.  Some colleges have actually gone so far as to create a separate non-discrimination policy for online courses to ensure that they focus specifically on the accessibilityy issues associated with distance education.  Other schools have chosen to enroll teachers of online courses in classes and seminars that teach methods of inclusion specific to web-based teaching and learning.

Educators know steps must be taken to make access to education a reality for all students. Educators however do not have much direction in this effort. The incorrect idea that a class can undergo minor tweaks to make it more accessible often proves to be a stumbling block for those who would hope to accommodate online learners. However, the Center for Disability Services at Central Washington University has researched and discovered that it is more helpful to the student, cost effective, and time-saving to create new online courses written specifically with accessibility in mind.

Since online degrees are the fastest growing portion of higher education, it is no wonder that the demand for increased accessibilityy has risen. Fortunately, online colleges are responding to this need with real solutions for students who want to pursue and further their education. Thanks to advances in technology and groundbreaking legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act, today education is more accessible than it has ever been.

Government tax guidelines can be quite puzzling, and although most people go to a tax consultant to prepare their tax forms, it is beneficial to know the credits that are available in order to ensure the highest reduction. Tax credits come and go each year, as the government elects to modify tax standards, qualifications and income limits. So, we have decided to provide you with a quick guide to some of the past tax deductions that the government has allowed for students pursuing their higher education, with the hope that they continue or reinstate these benefits for future students.

Hope Credit/American Opportunity or Lifetime Learning Credit

Although the government phased out the Hope Credit as of 2010, they initiated the American Opportunity tax credit. This is essentially a renaming and expansion of the Hope Credit that previously existed. They have also introduced the Lifetime Learning Credit for college students, which is similar to the American Opportunity Credit, but offers a different reduction amount. Income limits are imposed to qualify for these new reductions.

Credits and Eligibility

While the Hope Credit provided a maximum credit of $1,800 for each eligible student when it was available, the new American Opportunity Credit offers those who qualify a maximum credit of $2,500 and the Lifetime Learning Credit states a maximum credit of $2,000 for eligible students. The American Opportunity Credit poses income limits of $80,000 for the single filer while joint income claimants cannot exceed the $160,000 gross income level. The Lifetime Learning Credit only allows single status filers who made $58,000 or joint filers $116,000 to claim the credit.

When Can You Claim?

While eligible filers could only claim the Hope Credit during the first two years of higher education and the student had to be enrolled in the equivalent of at least half-time college credit courses, the American Opportunity Credit allows students (or parents) to claim for the first four years of postsecondary education. The Lifetime Learning Credit stretches beyond the limits that both of the previous credits allowed, permitting students (or parents) to claim during any postsecondary years, in addition to courses that are related to skills training and occupational improvement.

The Hope Credit was only allowed for two years per eligible student and the student must be working toward a complete undergraduate degree or similar academic credential. The American Opportunity Credit, on the other hand, allows up to four years of claiming for students who are working toward their undergraduate degree or academic credential, while the Lifetime Learning Credit is not limited to the amount of years that can be claimed on tax returns and can be claimed whether or not the student is working toward a full degree or academic credential. The government also stipulates that students cannot have any felony drug convictions on their record to be eligible to claim this reduction on their taxes.

Covered Expenses

The government also specifies the types of expenses that are eligible for the reduction. Regarding the Hope Credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit, the IRS states: “Student activity fees and expenses for course-related books, supplies, and equipment are included in qualified education expenses only if the fees and expenses must be paid to the institution as a condition of enrollment or attendance”. Essentially, any fees that are imposed by the institution of higher education can be claimed with this credit.

On the other side of the spectrum, the American Opportunity Credit allows course materials and tuition as eligible expenses for a tax reduction whether or not they are purchased through the academic institution. Fortunately, for students who choose to pursue their degree online, many of the accredited online institutions include the cost of supplies and books in their tuition fees.

So, the answer is: Yes, students who want to obtain their online degree are granted the same tax credits that the students who attend brick-and-mortar colleges can claim. The only exception to this rule would be if a student were to choose a college that is not accredited by one of the regional accrediting bodies for colleges. When deciding if an online degree is feasible, it is vital to consider these tax credits and how they will help lighten the financial burden.