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February 12, 2022

Distance Learning/ Online Education | Miles College

An institution that provides distance and correspondence training: guarantees that the college student who registers in a distance or correspondence schooling class or method is the similar university student who
participates in and completes the program or method and receives the credit history. Miles Higher education guarantees that the university student who registers in a length or correspondence instruction class is the exact same college student who participates in, completes the system, and receives the credit history through the pursuing solutions:

Safe login and passcode
On line proctoring products and services by way of ProctorU, the major vendor in the business
Blackboard class rosters with students’ shots
Blackboard stay audio and video of college students interacting in the training course.

Secure Login and Pass Code: The Miles Faculty Pupil ID procedure is one strategy utilised by the College for authentication and a safety measure to make sure that accounts are managed with the highest stage of safety doable. All Miles Faculty students are presented identification quantities for safe entry to Faculty systems, such as for length discovering. Through the enrollment approach, new college students are supplied their identification quantities just after authentication by the Miles Higher education Workplace of Admissions and Recruitment and the Miles College IT departments. This usually means that every single student has the adhering to unique information and facts on file: social stability number, entire identify house handle and date of start. With this identification variety, a password, and a validated course timetable, each scholar is granted entry to numerous campus methods and assets, these types of as Bears Den (to enroll in lessons, test grades, transcripts, money assist, and so on.), Miles College or university Blackboard Understanding Management Program (LMS), email, Wi-Fi obtain, and library means. College students are dependable for giving their full and true id info in any identification verification procedure. It is a violation of the Breaking and Entering/Theft section of the College’s Pupil Code of Carry out for college students to share their passwords with other functions. Need to learners forget their identification figures or will need to adjust their passwords, they are demanded to get in touch with the Office environment of Admissions and Recruitment for their identification quantity, and Miles College or university IT for their e-mail account reset.

On line Proctoring Services: The second layer of authentication is supplied as a result of a service deal with ProctorU. ProctorU provides multi-element id authentication with
difficult thoughts, facial recognition, keystroke assessment, LMS login test, and photograph ID verify. ProctorU helps prevent educational integrity violations in online examinations by working with stay proctors, as effectively as technology and reporting tools. Once a faculty member decides to have an exam proctored by ProctorU, just about every pupil will have to log-in to the ProctorU website. Just about every student can schedule a time to acquire the examination inside the screening window pre-set by the school. On the day of the examination, the university student connects to ProctorU to ensure that the relationship between the college student and the ProctorU system is operating. Any specialized issues are solved, and the student’s laptop or computer is checked for simple specialized specifications. Afterward, an tutorial video is demonstrated. The scholar will then screen a federal government-issued photo identification to the webcam and also have their picture taken. The photo on the identification will be in comparison to the student using a combination of confront recognition know-how and the observation of the dwell proctor. The photograph
was taken of the college student, and the college student&#39s identification is stored for foreseeable future authentication works by using. In get to secure the screening location, the proctor asks the university student to pan his/her digicam to exhibit the
total workspace and environment. Finally, the proctor secures the digital screening surroundings by checking for systems not permitted, virtual machines, and cloned screens. The university student should also shut any prohibited program right before commencing the test. The webcam will be made use of to keep track of the student and the environment through the exam. At the completion of the test, a report of all activities is despatched to the college.

Class Rosters with Students’ Images: The 3rd layer of authentication is the characteristic within just Blackboard Study Studying Management Process with which instructors are in a position to obtain class rosters that include college student shots connected with their names and accounts. The Blackboard Finding out Administration Procedure integrates with School authentication products and services to ensure suitable and safe university student accessibility to courses and other Student Info Units. All users of the College’s learning management system are liable for maintaining the stability of their identification figures and passwords, or any other entry qualifications as essential. Trying to find another user’s password or trying to gain unauthorized access to another person’s documents or email is prohibited and a violation of the Scholar Code of Perform. This violation might final result in 1 or a mixture of the subsequent: expulsion, suspension, and fine of not considerably less than $100, probation, and/or community provider.

Live Audio and Online video of College students Interacting in the Course: Reside audio and movie of students
interacting in the course is also a attribute of the Blackboard Discovering Management System that
offers a fourth layer of authentication. The School shields the safety, confidentiality, and integrity of college student documents and maintains stability actions to safeguard and back up details, together with college students enrolled in distance and correspondence education and learning courses or packages. Length and correspondence pupil records are managed, maintained, and protected by the Office of the Higher education Registrar and subject to the very same privacy and confidentiality. School users use distinctive combos of these authentication selections based mostly on their discipline evaluation procedures and finding out results. As technologies and private accountability are not absolute in deciding a student’s id, school associates are inspired to use these technologies and to style and design programs that use assignments and evaluations that help tutorial integrity. The table beneath exhibits many length learning classes and the styles of authentication options applied in the different courses. Program college and the Business office of Educational Information assure the correct pupil receipt of credit rating. The school member enters the remaining quality applying the Bear’s Den module, and the college student receives credit history for the class. Bear’s Den is an online portal utilized to check out and deal with scholar details. Credit history for the system is posted on the student’s transcript at the conclusion of the respective semester by means of the Office environment of Educational Records and the Bear’s Den module.

Miles College does not demand a charge for university student identification verification. College students would be notified of further charges, if any, prior to and in the course of the registration system through various Miles College publications on the college website.

Language for On the internet Instruction

February 6, 2022

Will Online Learning Lead to College Closures? Clay Shirky Says It’s Complicated.

It’s well-known these days to argue that a pandemic boost of online education and learning will lead to a wave of college or university closures. Most faculties just are not altering rapidly more than enough, the idea goes, and lots of are jeopardizing extinction.

But this kind of rhetoric irks Clay Shirky, the vice provost for academic systems at New York University and an influential voice on how technological innovation is changing our tradition. He thinks the situation is significantly additional complicated than many pundits let on.

“I see people starting up with assumptions about what on the net schooling can or should do to the price of a college education and learning, and I assume not only is what they are stating wrong, but the track record assumptions they are creating about how higher ed operates are not even in line with what the American process essentially does,” suggests Shirky.

To help steer the dialogue, Shirky started a newsletter last calendar year known as “The (Continual) Transformation of Bigger Ed.” About the moment a month, he puts out a new essay about the numerous complicated forces acting on greater ed these days—highlighting some strategies true transformation is happening.

We caught up with Shirky for this week’s episode of the EdSurge Podcast, to dig into his arguments and talk about what he sees as crucial transformations at schools these days.

Pay attention to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher or where ever you hear to podcasts, or use the participant on this website page.

EdSurge: What is it that you assume is misguided about some of the discussion of how on the net discovering might change greater ed?

Clay Shirky: It really is not about whether or not or not Zoom gets to be the system or somebody invents some new online video instrument specific to higher ed or regardless of what. It truly is about: Have Western Governors [University] and Southern New Hampshire [University] figured out how to scale limitlessly, and is the selection of students who enroll in larger ed heading to proceed to shrink, or are we gonna come across some way to reverse it and develop?

The point I am most addressing in the publication is, you cannot even assume clearly about what the technological innovation allows or which way the technological know-how is going without the need of knowing that you will find some actually big macro forces going on here—that they are the platform in which the engineering is applied, not the other way all around.

Whilst mega-universities are vital, for a lot of pupils the motive to go to university is for the coming-of-age expertise, right?

Specifically. There are a lot of late adolescents for whom the two main lifetime transitions—leaving superior faculty to go to college and leaving higher education to go function in the world—are at least in section about breaking and reforming their social networks and social connections. Men and women who go to on the net diploma packages are on common more mature. They are probable to be married. They’re likely to have youngsters. They’re significantly extra likely to have employment. They’re additional probably to have jobs that don’t have completely predictable hrs. So the problem isn’t really so a lot, ‘Is there gonna be a market place for the, you know, undergraduates enjoying Frisbee on the verdant quad?’ Of course, of program, there’ll be a industry for that globally. That is one of America’s draws for students to arrive right here.

The midpoint between the remarkably-utilitarian and hugely-effortless, charge-capped on-line degree and hanging all around Princeton—we you should not know exactly where that midline is. Appropriate. And it could be that the flagship point out faculties do fantastic. They in all probability will. But the branch campuses and particularly the community schools will endure in opposition with on line.

You talk about which type of faculties are the most innovative these times. And you stated the scenario of Sweet Briar College, a private women’s university which was all in excess of the information a couple of several years back when it was about to near, but it really is arrive back again. So can you communicate about that example?

I keep in mind when Sweet Briar showed up at the entrance web site of The New York Occasions a person working day due to the fact the trustees voted to fundamentally wind it down. They did what they considered was the fiscally dependable detail. They reported, you know, we’re broke—we’ve bought some revenue in the endowment, but in conditions of profits, all the trendlines are likely down. Then persons blew up [in frustration]. College students, alumni, college, workers, all blew up. The state bought involved, and a ‘save Sweet Briar’ system arrived with each other. The trustees rescinded their shutdown recognize.

And then Meredith Woo arrived in as the new president. And in a solitary summer time, they set together this collection of a school committee, with input, from a entire assortment of sources, and they remodeled departments into larger sized interdisciplinary clusters. They slash the amount of majors from 33 to 17. It was enormous change in a short time period.

That really explained to me two points about the American method as it is now. First of all, the colleges you’ve got read of are not the ones that will shut, and the colleges that will near will not be the types you have heard of. Sweet Briar for no matter what rationale had a national status, even although it was incredibly smaller, and it experienced a loaded, devoted alumni community who were being keen to occur ahead and support it with donations. There are a handful of educational facilities whose alumni base will let them in a instant of crisis to deploy added resources.

Meredith was a transformative determine, no question, but she would not have been in a position to walk into Sweet Briar as it existed in 2015 and remodeled it. It had to near. The trustees efficiently experienced to explain to everybody that unless of course they altered, this faculty was heading away. … Transformation is desperation furthermore chutzpah. You will need anything that comes along and tells the neighborhood that not reworking is not an option.

Hear to the rest of the conversation on the EdSurge Podcast.

January 19, 2022

College students not getting education they paid for

When you purchase a product or service that does not match its description, what do you do? The reasonable detail to do is return the product or service and get your income back. But some points are challenging to get a refund for. Higher education tuition is one of them.

Because the start out of the COVID-19 pandemic, educational facilities have been switching back again and forth involving in-person discovering and distant mastering. In spite of this back again-and-forth among on the web and in-man or woman instruction, a single thing continues to be unchanged: the cost.

College students are paying out the rate of an in-individual education for an on the net education. Schools are charging required transportation and campus expenses despite college students not even getting on campus.

When students paid for their tuition for the 2019-2020 college calendar year, they have been paying out for one educational 12 months of an interactive and immersive on-campus student expertise. That is the item we paid for. Midway into the product’s existence cycle, schools announced that in-person classes would be suspended.

We invested the remaining fifty percent of the faculty 12 months understanding just about. The product served only fifty percent its everyday living cycle, but there have been no refunds or reimbursements. Some universities make exceptions, offering total to partial refunds to college students who withdrew just before the withdrawal deadline. But most universities don’t offer you any cash again just after the fifth 7 days of classes.

Learners are once yet again staying exploited by faculties. Numerous students returned to the classroom in-individual previous September. But following only 50 percent a faculty 12 months of in-particular person understanding, educational facilities are returning to online mastering. Some schools are reverting to temporary online instruction.

For instance, the University of California at Berkeley is starting the semester with a two-phase process, with most courses currently being presented thoroughly distant for the to start with two months and then moving to entirely in-human being. Even now, this is not what college students are having to pay for. And still colleges are doing very little to compensate for these two weeks of wasted campus and transportation expenses.

Higher education tuition is already pricey. For the 2021-22 educational 12 months, the normal expense of tuition and charges for a 4-calendar year personal higher education is $38,070. Notably, for public faculties, the price of attendance differs by residency, but in-condition tuition and charges for 2021-22 at 4-yr general public universities averaged $10,740. Out-of-condition tuition and costs averaged $27,560. The expenses are even bigger when taking into account room and board, books and materials, wellbeing insurance plan, particular expenditures, foods and transportation.

A huge portion of university tuition goes toward tutorial help, college student products and services and auxiliary enterprises. Tutorial help supplies libraries, museums, galleries, computer system labs and other instructional materials for pupils. Pupil solutions include expenditures for college student organizations, occupation steerage, student newspapers and other things to do that lead to students’ very well-staying. Auxiliary enterprises are nonacademic employees and providers these types of as dormitories, eating halls, football stadiums and swimming pools. If students are attending courses pretty much from property, even if for only two weeks, they are not able to fully use the products and services they are shelling out for.

A number of decades back, prime faculties have been embroiled in a college admissions bribery scandal. Far more not too long ago, a amount of elite faculties had been accused of restricting economical assist. These incidents solid doubt on the ethics of our larger education and learning program. Universities demand learners exorbitant tuition service fees but supply no refunds even when pupils are not obtaining what was promised — in-particular person mastering, campus entry and most importantly, support.

Shawn Tran is a new graduate of the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in general public health and fitness. This column was delivered by Tribune Information Service.

December 29, 2021

15 Misconceptions About Online College Courses

You want to get your degree but just can’t see yourself maintaining a rigid schedule where you have to be on campus at specific times each week. Taking college courses online may seem like a good alternative path, but you’re not sure. You don’t know how online classes work, and you don’t want to feel like you’re on your own as you learn.

Here are 15 misconceptions about earning a college degree online that may be on your mind and why you shouldn’t let them deter you from advancing your education.

Misconception #1: I’ll be learning by myself

Even though you’re not sitting in a lecture hall, or sitting face-to-face with your peers, doesn’t mean you’ll be learning by yourself. Online faculty are there to coach you through classes, offering context and personal insights, feedback and recommendations. Instead of raising your hand to ask a question or contribute to a class discussion, you’ll send a message or create a post.

“I’ve never had a term where professors haven’t been communicative,” said Ali Lamoureux, a Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) student earning her bachelor’s in healthcare administration online. She was surprised to find instructors at the ready, there to offer help whenever she had questions.

You can also gain mentors in an online format. When two-time SNHU online graduate Kemar Reid ’18 ’20G was feeling discouraged in his internship, his instructor set up a call to speak with him. “She would have deep heart-to-heart conversations with me,” he said. “She would encourage me that I am going to have issues in the future, and I have to overcome them. I cannot let simple problems determine my career.”

Depending on your online school’s resources, you can also tap into a network of tutors familiar with your course any time of day. “Another huge element that I love about SNHU is they have a 24-hour online tutoring center, which I didn’t think would … exist, but it does,” said online bachelor’s in accounting student Blake Venable. “And I’ve logged on at, you know, two in the morning and gotten help on homework before, so that’s that’s been incredible to see as well.”

An online writing center can also review your essays with you and offer feedback, helping you pass in assignments with confidence.

Misconception #2: There won’t be others there to support my journey

Beyond the classroom, many other staff members are there to help online students in their degree programs. “I was very surprised at the level of support,” Lamoureux said. “I know it’s a big university, and so I was a little skeptical in the beginning of how often I would hear from my advisor.”

From the moment she received her college acceptance letter to now, Lamoureux experienced monthly calls and regular email communication with her academic advisor. “Even if I don’t have a question, she’ll just email me to check in and see how I’m doing with school mentally,” she said.

Online college student support staff can include:

Academic advisors who can keep you on track throughout the program, aiding you as you pursue your goals
Financial aid counselors who can work with you to find the best payment options for your budget
Career advisors who are ready to help you search and prepare for internship and job opportunities

“I thought I was going to do it alone, and, no, SNHU was with me every single step of the way – up to, like, my graduation and beyond,” said Jesús Suárez ’21, a graduate with a bachelor’s in graphic design. In particular, he developed a trusting relationship with his advisor, Chad Payson – someone who he felt was on his side.

When Suárez’s father passed away in the middle of a term, he was touched by the level of support he received from everyone, from academic advising staff to his instructors. “They were so supportive and amazing, and they understood that the hardships happened, especially like losing somebody so important,” Suárez said.

Misconception #3: I won’t feel like I’m part of the community

When you’re on a college campus, it can be easy to feel like part of a greater community; you can see it all around you, from inside residence halls to the bleachers of a soccer game. But when you’re attending college online, you can still become an active participant in clubs and organizations, and connect with peers and alumni who have similar interests as you.

Most classes also require weekly discussion posts that allow you to interact with others in your course. When Jolene Stetz ’21 was earning her bachelor’s in marketing degree, she and some of her peers would regularly connect about their classwork and personal lives. “Even though I’ve never met any of my classmates in person, some of them are my friends,” she said.

Some online schools also have a brick-and-mortar campus. At SNHU, online students can visit the Manchester, New Hampshire, campus for events such as Homecoming and athletic games –or use resources like the library. Some online schools also host in-person and virtual meetups that allow you to connect with peers who live near you.

When Derald Wise ’14 ’18G was earning his degrees online, he discovered many people from the SNHU community lived in his area. “We kind of used that opportunity to … collaborate either on projects or discuss our learning journeys,” he said. Wise also discovered one of his instructors lived just down the road. Hoping to break into the field she worked in, he could connect offline and form a mentoring relationship.

Going to school online can also help you join a global community where you could meet people from different backgrounds and life experiences. In fact, 2021 graduates from SNHU represented all 50 U.S. states and 60 countries.

“When I first started online classes, I was a little concerned that I was not going to be able to build those connections with other students, as you may have in high school,” Lamoureux said. “I was definitely wrong. It is very interesting … learning where everyone is from and what they do for work and their backgrounds and knowing that these programs spread across such a wide variety of people.”

Misconception #4: I’ll still need to be online at certain times

If you choose an online program that offers asynchronous classes – classes without set meeting times – you are free to build a schedule that accommodates the other aspects of your life. You may decide to log in and complete your coursework early each morning, late at night – or anytime in-between. With an online degree, you can set your pace each week.

You can also take online college courses with you on the go. “You can study anywhere,” said Latisha Aguilar ’21, a graduate with a bachelor’s in psychology. “I mean, I would be at my children’s practices; I could be on my lunch break; I could be, just, outside.”

Whenever or wherever you decide to work, it’s important to make a note of deadlines to inform your schedule each week. For example, you may need to participate in a discussion board by each Thursday night, and on Sunday, an essay could be due. While you can tackle these assignments at a time that works for you, you must still be mindful of their deadlines.

You may end up creating a routine that works for you but also leaves room for adjustment when plans pop up. Lamoureux designates certain times of the day to complete her homework. “If I knew I was going to have a busy weekend, I made sure that I added extra time in during the week to complete my assignments,” she said.

Asynchronous learning can also be the perfect fit if you find your work schedule changes often or you have other variables in your life. Venable’s work schedule keeps him busy, and he sometimes travels to visit clients. “Things are constantly changing in my world, so having a school like SNHU that is so flexible and allows me to work on things at any time was a huge deal for me,” he said.

Misconception #5: Short terms = too much work

While many traditional colleges and universities operate on a semester schedule, which could equate to classes that are four months long, online schools may opt for condensed terms. At SNHU, for example, undergraduate students take classes that are eight weeks in length, and graduate classes are 10 weeks long.

Wise, who completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at SNHU, found shorter term lengths perfect for his attention span and knowledge retention. “You wanted to get in there, learn what you needed to know … and then be able to move on to another subject,“ he said.

Misconception #6: It will still take four years to finish my degree

This all depends on your pacing and whether you have any transfer credits that you can bring into your degree program. It’s worth chatting with an admission counselor or academic advisor about your timeline and what factors may alter it.

For example, if you go to a transfer-friendly online school, you may learn your path is a lot shorter than you expected. Or, if you choose to take one course at a time, that pacing can also affect your plan.

When Aguilar first began her degree online at SNHU, she took one course per term. But, after learning she could accelerate her journey by taking two classes at a time, she went for it. “That’s when I made the choice to double up on classes – so I can cut that time in half,” Aguilar said. Between her pacing and the number of transfer credits she was able to take with her, she finished her bachelor’s degree in about two years.

Misconception #7: I won’t actually save time by going to school online

After high school, Wyatt Martensen ’21 earned his associate degree at a technical college and found he needed extra time throughout the day to accommodate the in-person experience. “Being on campus was challenging at times because you had to commute there,” he said. “You had to find parking, and you had to go to certain classrooms.”

Time spent preparing to learn can add up; when you go to school online, it can be as simple as switching on your laptop.

Even the time it takes to track down instructors can differ between on-campus and online experiences. Instead of competing with peers to get one-on-one time with your instructor after class or waiting for scheduled office hours, you can reach out online. “That’s primarily how you talk to your professors, and I found it much easier to reach out to them through email and get answers that way,” Martensen, who earned his bachelor’s in geosciences online, said.

What surprised Stetz was instructor response time whenever she had a question about a class or particular assignment. It often took just a couple of hours to hear back. “If that,” she said. “I’ve had (instructors) that would respond to me within 15 minutes, and it made me feel like my time was important, and my schedule was important. Even if I was emailing them at, like, you know, 9 pm at night, they would respond.”

Misconception #8: What I learn won’t be useful

Online course and program learning outcomes should be carefully crafted with the student and their intended field in mind. As long as you’re pursuing or advancing a career that’s relevant to the degree you’re earning, you will likely find you can apply the information and skills you’re learning to the workforce.

You may not have to wait until you’ve finished your program, either. Lamoureux, for example, is an administrative supervisor in a Boston hospital. Through the knowledge she’s gained in her classes, she’s helped create an improved workflow in her department and gained a better understanding of how to be a good supervisor.

Plus, since she’s already immersed in the field, she can bring her working knowledge into her coursework. “It’s great to be able to take experiences from work and implement them into my assignments – and vice versa,” Lamoureux said.

Misconception #9: My diploma will say “online”

A diploma isn’t just a piece of paper; a diploma indicates you have successfully reached the end of a specified curriculum. It often includes your name, the degree you completed, a signature from your school’s president or someone of authority, and possibly your school’s seal or logo.

At SNHU, your diploma won’t specify whether you earned your degree online or on the main campus. It will simply state that you have fulfilled the requirements of your Southern New Hampshire University degree program.

Misconception #10: My future employers won’t take an online degree seriously

Bethanie Thomas serves in the military, focused on work specifically concerned with the health of satellites. Meanwhile, she’s also focused on earning a bachelor’s degree in geoscience with a concentration in geospatial technology – a move she believes will help her career growth.

Her pursuit of higher education does not go unnoticed at work; she especially feels supported by coworkers, and her leadership has also taken an interest in her journey. Thomas said, “My leadership at work is always asking… What courses are you taking now? How are you doing?”

She knows her degree, which she’s on track to complete in 2023, will be considered when she seeks promotion. “(Education) shows that you are ambitious, that you’re hard-working, and that you’re always looking to improve,” she said.

Reid, a Jamaican immigrant, came to the U.S. for college. After adding his two online degrees to his resume, along with coursework summaries, he landed a job without even applying. “I would not be (in) my current role without my degrees,” Reid said. “My employers were actually very excited when they saw my degrees on my resume, and they reached out to me.”

And for Venable, completing his bachelor’s degree is a necessary step to becoming a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Earning it online means he has the time to continue leading his three businesses while pursuing his dreams.

Misconception #11: It can be just as expensive as going in person

When you get your degree online, you may get to bypass specific fees such as room and board – and tuition could be less expensive, too, depending on where you go. Some schools, such as SNHU, offer lower online tuition – and haven’t raised it in more than a decade.

“I’ve saved thousands of dollars,” Stetz said. “SNHU is less than I ever expected to spend on college… I don’t feel like I’m burying myself in debt; like, I can walk away from college and kind of wipe my hands and go out and financially be able to do the things that I want to do.”

Reid got his bachelor’s degree in psychology and Master of Public Health online at a cost per credit that amazed him. “I was able to complete both degrees with what most people would probably pay for a bachelor’s degree,” he said.

You’ll also still have the option to seek financial support if that’s something you want to do. By submitting your FAFSA application, you can learn what types of financial aid you’re eligible for, including loans, grants and work-study jobs.

“I’m lucky enough that I can get financial aid still for my classes,” Lamoureux said. “What I was able to get for financial aid ultimately covered both my classes and so I have ultimately only had to pay for books for each term.”

Misconception #12: I need to be a computer whiz

Even if technology isn’t your thing, don’t write off online college. Having internet and access to a device such as a laptop is a must, but a good online school will offer resources and support to walk you through everything else.

Online schools typically host their courses on an intranet you can log into, and navigating it may take some getting used to. Luckily, colleges such as SNHU offer tutorials that are accessible to you whenever you need them and a 24/7 technology help desk there to guide you through questions or problems 365 days per year.

“The initial start of my first term at Southern New Hampshire University was kind of nerve-wracking,” Aguilar said. “I wasn’t really sure where to find all the information, but the tutorials … were fairly easy, and it literally took me a day before I pretty much had it mastered.”

Depending on your program, you may work in other types of programs and software as well – beyond the school’s intranet. Incorporating other technology supports learning in specific fields and may have direct connections to the real world. As an accounting major, Venable was pleased with how current additional technology felt. “They use a lot of tools and software that I’m already familiar with and that I know are used in our industry now, so it makes me feel really confident,” Venable said.

Misconception #13: If in-person learning wasn’t for me, online classes won’t work either

Sometimes the traditional route isn’t the best way. Just because you didn’t flourish in a physical classroom setting doesn’t mean you should write off higher education forever. Whether you had a negative experience or weren’t in the right place in your life to learn, taking online college classes can feel completely different.

Stetz switched to online after feeling unsupported and alone in her studies, despite being on a college campus. She also didn’t enjoy the schedule or commute. “I had dropped out of college twice, which was something that I didn’t even talk about for a while,” Stetz said. “I didn’t tell anybody what had happened. And now I’m really open about talking about it because I’m doing so well now.”

Going to school online can allow you greater control over your schedule as well as supportive resources available to you when you need them. So, whether you’re supporting a family or moving forward in your career, you can make online college courses fit your schedule instead of the other way around.

Wise left college the first time around because he needed more flexibility. “With SNHU being online, it was the first time where an education program really conformed to me,” he said.

Misconception #14: Online universities aren’t reputable

It’s easy to believe a traditional brick-and-mortar institution is legit when you visit its campus. But how do you decide if you can trust an online school? There are online colleges and universities out there that are reputable, but it’s important to do some research before handing over tuition money.

One strong indicator is whether the school is accredited, meaning it achieved specific standards and is deemed of quality. Earning accreditation is crucial in higher education, and some employers may only consider candidates with degrees from an accredited institution or accredited program.

“When I looked into (accreditation) and found that SNHU is higher accredited than my local college was, it was an easy decision,” Stetz said.

Another signal of a reputable online university is that it places its students at the center of everything they do – and has their best interests in mind. This could mean its faculty have recent industry experience, for example, or that the university is a nonprofit focused on its mission.

“I knew SNHU was a trustworthy institution from day one,” said Naeem Jaraysi ’20G. He appreciated the support he received from staff and faculty members throughout his journey to get an online master’s in marketing. “Everyone was really, just, warm, and they wanted me to succeed,” he said. “They were with me the whole time and wanted me to be successful.”

Misconception #15: As a non-traditional college student, I won’t be understood

Actually, online colleges know a thing or two about non-traditional students. Whether you’re returning to finish what you started years ago, preparing for a mid-life career change or moving with the military, you may find a diverse group of people within your online college courses – each bringing different types of life, work and educational experience.

Martensen, a service member in the U.S. Army, was deployed for a time while attending college. For the most part, he was able to tackle his coursework at the end of each day, but his instructors always understood if he needed accommodations. “They always, always worked with me, even when I was in remote places, and I did not have access to computers,” he said.

When Wise, a military veteran, returned to school, he received an academic advisor who understood him: “One of my academic advisors was not only a student, but she was also a former military – and actually worked in the same building I did,” he said.

Is Online College Harder or Easier?

The answer is personal and based on lifestyle, goals and learning preferences. What works best for you may differ from what works for someone else.

Whether you take college classes online or in person, you should expect similar curriculum, rigor and learning outcomes.

Jaraysi found his online coursework held real-world value. “I definitely feel like the coursework was challenging, but not too challenging and not challenging for no reason,” he said. “… I felt like it was challenging in the sense that it helped me grow and really use my critical thinking and research skills.”

Now Jaraysi is putting his degree to work as a marketing specialist, a role he landed after graduating.

So, Are Online College Classes Worth It?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), higher education can lead to higher salaries and lower unemployment rates. For example, those with a bachelor’s degree earned a median salary 67{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} higher than those with just a high school diploma in 2020, BLS reported. Unemployment rates were also almost 64{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} higher for those with just a high school diploma compared to those with a bachelor’s degree.

If going to college is a goal of yours, but attending classes in person just doesn’t seem optimal, taking college classes online is a way to boost your education while balancing your other priorities.

“It’s really like you’re there on campus,” Lamoureux said. “You’re just at your home, but you’re working closely with your professors and your classmates, and it’s just … absolutely worth it.”

Work toward your educational goals by earning your college degree online.

Rebecca LeBoeuf ’18 is a writer at Southern New Hampshire University. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

December 23, 2021January 9, 2022

Special privilege in college admissions

Published Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021, 9:43 pm

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Whilst a big scandal erupted in 2019 more than bribery and other fraudulent practices utilised by rich People in america to secure their children’s admission to elite schools, the affluent continue on to profit from other types of particular admission insurance policies that are completely lawful, Alternative Medicine.

Contemplate the reality that, in accordance to a latest examine, only about 57 per cent of Harvard’s white students were admitted on the foundation of academic merit. The other 43 {e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} received exclusive therapy because their mothers and fathers had manufactured big donations to Harvard, or they experienced mothers and fathers who had graduated from the college (“legacy admissions”) or taught there, or had been recruited as athletes. With out this preferential position, some three-quarters of them would have been rejected in the powerful competition for admission.

Truly, a preferential status for the privileged has extensive been a custom in the major ranks of American increased instruction. During their initially many years, elite faculties regarded as only wealthy white college students as worthy of admission. Even by the conclusion of the nineteenth century, their campuses were populated mostly by graduates of non-public high universities. In the early twentieth century, worried directors, anxious to limit the quantity of Jews and other new immigrants, leaned significantly on legacy position, household donations, and athletic recruiting.

I had a vague feeling of these priorities when, from 1958 to 1962, I was a scholar at Columbia School. Founded in 1754, this male undergraduate university offered the core of Columbia College, which grew up all over it. Composed of about 2,000 learners, the school was a section of the prestigious Ivy League, and the suitable, promoted by the administration, was “the nicely-rounded man.” This expression had a alternatively patrician, inbred ring to it, and surely didn’t describe me or most of my college or university close friends, who had attended city community educational institutions, came from modest economic instances, ended up devoid of athletic skills, and lacked household connections to the establishment.

Even so, though a Columbia undergraduate, I discovered features that prompt a disturbing hierarchy in admissions. A ton of my classmates had attended fancy prep schools, and continue to other individuals ended up expert athletes who finished up as reasonably dim stars in the school’s lustrous intellectual firmament. Also, the vast the greater part of Columbia’s college students ended up white. My entering yearbook (The 1962 Listing), which shows pics of almost the complete freshman course, exhibits only five pupils who are clearly Black. At the time, higher education admissions apps necessary a photograph of the candidates, a helpful resource for screening out these deemed undesirable.

Things commenced to transform a bit—though not much—in 1970, when I was teaching heritage at Vassar College. As one particular of the 7 Sister Colleges, Vassar experienced an elite standing similar to Columbia’s, and arrived within just a hairsbreadth of merging with Yale in the late 1960s. Even so, the civil legal rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the discovery of poverty shook it up, top to strain to shift further than Vassar’s traditionally white, economically relaxed (and occasionally rather wealthy) university student constituency and produce a far more numerous a single. As a final result, a committee was billed with developing new admissions conditions, and I was appointed to the committee.

Immediately after many committee meetings, we at last agreed upon a simple affirmative action process. In the position of admission candidates from 1 (the ideal) to 5 (the worst), we would give customers of earlier excluded teams a furthermore, therefore giving them with an edge around some others in their rank. At this position, while, with about 15 minutes remaining in the previous assembly, the admissions director declared, instead casually, that the recommendations would, of course, continue on to give a moreover to kids of Vassar graduates! I instantly objected, pointing out that this would reproduce the outdated admissions sample. A Black college student who served on the committee agreed with me. But we had been outvoted, and traditional privileges prevailed.

It really should occur as no surprise, then, that, even as affirmative motion has elevated the quantity of college students of coloration at America’s elite colleges, older patterns of favoritism have ongoing.

This is especially correct when it arrives to the children of the abundant. Scientists have observed that the offspring of the prime 1 p.c are 77 occasions extra possible to attend an elite personal U.S. faculty than individuals from the base 20 percent. And this is no incident. At Harvard, prime administrators regularly bent the school’s admissions specifications to accommodate rich donors. Jared Kushner’s admission to Harvard, following a desultory tutorial general performance at his prep school, adopted upon his father’s offer of $2.5 million to the university. Of program, offered inflation and the extreme competitors for admission, the cost has risen more than the a long time. “You utilized to be equipped to sway an admissions business office for $1 million,” remarked Mark Sklarow, the chief government officer of the Independent Instructional Consultants Affiliation. “Now it is possibly $10 million and up.”

Even though some elite faculties no longer give particular remedy to small children of their alumni, most of them go on this apply. As a consequence, “legacy” students—who tend to be affluent and white—constitute a sizeable constituency, including 14 {e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} of the freshman class at Yale, 13 {e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} at Dartmouth, and 10 percent at Brown. At Harvard, “legacy” applicants are six periods far more likely to be admitted than pupils without this hereditary privilege.

Eventually, most elite schools carry on the exercise of prioritizing the admission of athletes. This priority, like other classic types, lowers tutorial benchmarks and—largely thanks to the point that quite a few Ivy League teams are located in higher-class sporting activities like sailing, golf, water polo, lacrosse, and fencing—contributes to the admission of massive numbers of white, affluent students. As a Harvard school member noted, the athletic preference is “blatantly privileging presently privileged groups.”

In general, it is very clear that benefit-dependent admission at the nation’s greatest schools will not be secured while these kinds of priorities continue being in put.

Dr. Lawrence Wittner, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is Professor of Heritage emeritus at SUNY/Albany and the writer of Confronting the Bomb (Stanford University Press).

December 3, 2021

What to Know About Choosing Between Housing on or off Campus | Paying for College

First-year college students often are expected or required to live in residence halls or dormitories. In subsequent years, it’s usually up to those students to decide whether to reside on or off campus.

(Getty Images)

“We believe that living on campus for your entire time here during your college career really helps to complement your educational career,” says George Stroud, vice president and dean of student life at Dickinson. “It connects you more with the campus, with the facilities, with your peers and with the faculty. It allows students to easily access programs and labs and things of that nature. And so we really believe that having students here on campus for the four years really helps to build a better community.”

There are exceptions, however. At OWU, a student is exempt from the requirement if he or she is a commuter, fifth-year senior, at least 23 years of age, married, a parent to a dependent child, has medical or psychological needs that cannot be met by the institution or lives with parents or a legal guardian.

Living on campus has been shown to increase graduation and retention rates as well as improve academic performance, especially among first-year students, says Dwayne K. Todd, vice president of student engagement and success and dean of students at OWU.

“A number of indicators around success are quite clear in decades of research,” he adds, “so that’s why schools like ours do have a living requirement to create the best environment for student success.”

Residential housing is not limited to shared dorm rooms and communal bathrooms. Other alternatives include suites, apartments, Greek houses or living-learning communities for students with shared interests.

On-campus students have access to services and resources such as residence life staff who can provide assistance if a housing issue arises.

“The social experience of living with so many fellow new students is a unique opportunity to make lifelong friendships,” Brendon Dybdahl, spokesperson for university housing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, wrote in an email. “Our staff can help students navigate roommate issues or move to another room if necessary, while students who live off-campus are locked into a lease with few options to manage roommate conflicts. We also have academic resources in our residence halls for tutoring, advising and class sections.”

It can also be a safer environment, especially during the coronavirus pandemic as residential students were regularly monitored, quarantined and tested, says Rose Pascarell, vice president for university life at George Mason University in Virginia.

“We have a vaccine clinic on campus,” she adds. “There’s also a health clinic on campus staffed by physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants that residential students have access to. … I can tell you on any given week how many students on campus had tested positive. We had a way to quarantine those students in a residence hall that was off limits to everyone except those that were exposed.”

On the other hand, off-campus living provides a student with more independence, as he or she is not constrained to school housing policies. It can also be better for students with severe food allergies or dietary restrictions, according to Cyndy McDonald, a career coach in California and member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association.

Cost Comparison

At first glance, off-campus housing can appear as the less-expensive option. But the additional expenses outside of rent like utilities, groceries, internet access, cable and furniture are often overlooked.

“I would encourage students to really read their contracts,” says Lisa Ortiz, interim director of housing and residence life at Ferris State University in Michigan. “That is something that I’ve heard from students that they don’t realize those hidden fees and the different aspects of what the contracts are truly telling them in terms of cleaning and other things as they move out of the apartment. So we definitely want our students to fully understand what they’re committing to.”

To reduce off-campus costs, some students choose to overpack houses or apartments, sometimes with four or five people in a two-bedroom house, experts say.

But unlike off-campus housing, the total cost of living on campus is typically all-inclusive – covering rent, utilities, furniture, Wi-Fi and a meal plan.

At GMU, where students are encouraged to live on campus for at least the first year, the average cost of a traditional double room with an “Independence Plan” – the mandatory meal plan for residential freshman and sophomores with unlimited access to dining halls – is $12,630 for the 2021-2022 school year. The school estimates off-campus housing – outside of living with parents – to be $13,268, but prices can be higher or lower based on number of residents.

Another factor that plays into cost is the length of a lease. Residence halls follow an academic schedule while landlords at off-campus properties often require a full year. In such cases, students not taking summer classes must either pay for an additional three months or, if permitted, sublet to a replacement tenant.

Some experts say it’s a toss-up between the price differences of living on or off campus because costs can vary based on many components, including location and convenience. Therefore, when making a decision about housing, students should consider more than just the price tag.

“Take a look at your grades, see how you’re doing,” says Russell Mast, vice president for student affairs at Morehead State University in Kentucky. “If you’re struggling then I would say try to stay on campus because those support units are there for you. But if you know how to balance life, if you’re good at time management and budgeting, then take a look at living off campus.”

Financial Aid Options

Though prices are comparable, schools like Ferris State offer financial incentives to students who choose to live on campus. Admitted students can earn up to $2,000, for example, through the school’s Bulldog Housing Bonus program. To qualify, a student must attend a virtual housing information session and submit a housing contract.

Financial aid is also available for off-campus living.

When filling the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as the FAFSA, a student indicates whether he or she plans to live on campus, off campus or with a parent. A set budget is allocated to each student by a college that can be used for rent, utilities, groceries and other housing-related expenses. If the aid does not cover the full cost of rent for the year, students can file an appeal, and documentation is required, according to McDonald.

She adds that student loans are most commonly used to help pay room and board fees.

“Don’t hesitate to ask the financial aid office,” McDonald says. “There’s nothing wrong with being the squeaky wheel. If you don’t know, keep asking. And there’s nothing wrong with writing an appeal. If you are not getting enough money and you need a little bit more then don’t be afraid to ask for more. All they can do is say no. But they can’t say yes if you don’t ask.”

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