Warmer weather means summer is right around the corner. Most local colleges and universities begin their summer session in May, so if you are interested in taking online classes during the summer to advance your education - sign up now! Many graduate students use the summer to catch up on classes they never got to take, need to retake, or take additional classes to get ahead.

Although attending college classes and/or taking them online may not be how you wish to spend your summer days, some students have found it extremely valuable in advancing their degrees. Alexandra Leonard, a Salem State graduate student, took four classes last summer to speed up getting her master’s in elementary education. Her hard work will allow her to graduate earlier than planned. She started her summer session last May while she was still working as a full-time teaching assistant. Since a lot of her classes required doing things with kids, she was able to do a lot of her graduate school work while she worked.

That’s not to say that balancing online classes and work is easy. In fact, online classes required more, if not the same amount of time and dedication than traditional colleges classes. Dedicated students are willing to sacrifice their summers and time off to advance their degrees. By doing so, they hope to earn higher salaries and more advanced and respected career positions. Living in this tough economy has left people with few options. Many students have decided to reach their full potential and earn higher levels of education to hopefully better their lives.

And although everyone enjoys the summertime, what better time to start pursing a career or go back to school?!

Browse accredited online degree programs today!

Source: BostonHerald.com

Online certificate programs are ideal for those individuals who have recently been laid off, want to learn a new skill set, or who are returning to the workforce after an extended period of time. Online certificate programs are short-term, but highly career-oriented programs that will get you ready to rejoin the job market.

Certificate programs are marketed towards two types of people:

• Those who are employed and looking to advance in a current career
• Those looking to change careers (and learn a new trade, set of skills, etc)

Carol Aslanian of EducationDynamics said, “Certificates can be geared to the highly educated who need a sellable skill, or the less educated who are not ready or [do not] want to enter a degree program but who want a credential to get a quick-fix job.”

Online certificate programs are more affordable and less time consuming than bachelor’s or master’s programs. Usually they range from $2,000 to $4,000 in tuition, and take one to two years to complete. Most online certificate programs can be taken for academic credit, where the credits are used toward a bachelor’s or master’s degree program in the future through the online school.

Certificate programs are also valuable to working adults, when not used for academic credit. People who have already earned a bachelor’s or master’s degree may take online certificate programs to get short-term training for their jobs, or at the request of their employers.

Earning an online certificate provides you the flexibility to study on your own schedule, while still working full or part-time. They also provide a fast way to learn the newest skills and technology in your career field.

If you are interested in taking your current career to the next level, or need training to earn a degree or certification for a new job, check out the available online degree and certificate programs available!

Source: US News

Students who take online classes for the first time sometimes get in over their heads. Here are some common mistakes that online students make:

1. Taking on too much. Some students who switch from traditional classes to online schooling may sign up for too many classes at first, and not realize that online courses require time, commitment, and lots of work. Students may become overwhelmed with their workload and the additional technology and features (blogs, forums, interactive discussions, etc) used to take their classes.

2. Budget your time. Online classes require a lot of reading and writing, and usually require students to post comments daily or weekly on discussion boards. The workloads are often more than traditional classes, as well as being more time consuming. Make sure that your current schedule can include the additional work online classes will have.

3. Not participating with the rest of the class. Many online classes require students to interact with others in discussions, forums, blogs, or for joint projects. Your grade depends on your participation, so putting things off till the last minute or not contributing with have a negative effect on your grade.

4. Your teacher. Teaching online courses is very different from teach traditional courses in a classroom, so if the teacher has never taught online classes before it may be a challenge.

5. Check out the school. Make sure the online school you are pursuing is accredited. Also make sure that the credits you have earned from your traditional school will transfer over to your online school.

6. Make sure your technology is up to date. Taking online courses requires students to access a computer and the Internet. Students without computers or with limited access to them, or dial-up or slow Internet connections will have a hard time accessing the course material and doing their assignments. Most online schools also require students to turn in assignments using Microsoft Excel or Word.

7. Plagiarism. Just because you are taking classes online, and submitting essays, papers and other work electronically, does not mean it is okay to copy and paste work that is not yours. If you are using other people’s work as reference, you must cite it appropriately. Most reputable online schools and teachers use anti-cheating software like TurnItIn.com to catch cheaters and plagiarism.

   To find an accredited degree program, and start your online education today click here.

   Source: U.S. News

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According to GreenReportCard.org, here is a list of the overall Top 26 Green Colleges in America:

1. Amherst College, Amherst, MA
2. Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
3. Brown University, Providence, RI
4. University of California - San Diego, San Diego, CA
5. Carleton College, Northfield, MN
6. College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME
7. University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
8. Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA
9. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
10. Luther College, Decorah, IA
11. Macalester College, St Paul, MN
12. Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT
13. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
14. University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
15. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
16. Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH
17. Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, WA
18. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
19. Pomona College, Claremont, CA
20. Smith College, Northampton, MA
21. Stanford University, Stanford, CA
22. University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
23. University of Washington, Seattle, WA
24. Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
25. Williams College, Williamstown, MA
26. Yale University, New Haven, CT

If you are interested in a green career, earn your sustainability degree today!

The 2009 Sloan Survey of Online Learning reports that enrollment of students in online courses rose by nearly 17 percent from the previous year. That means that one in four college students are taking at least one online course. Here are top 5 myths about online degree programs:

1. Online credits won’t transfer

   Each school will have its own policy for transferring credits from online courses. It’s the student’s responsibility to research these policies before starting their online or campus courses, to make sure the classes they have already completed is transferable. Usually schools except credits from accredited programs or colleges.

2. Employers don’t recognize online degrees

   Employers realize that online courses require students to be committed, focused, and devoted to online schooling – which are traits that they respect and assume will transfer over to the workplace. Make sure you research the online degree program to make sure it is in fact from an accredited school. Many employers even offer educational incentives like tuition reimbursement or funding for textbooks to take online courses.

3. Online students are isolated

   Students must actively participate in their online courses by interacting in discussion boards, chat-room collaboration, video conferencing, emails back and forth between professors and students, in order to receive credit. Many students are more comfortable participating in online courses rather than in the classroom, as there is a sense of ambiguity.

4. Online courses are easy

   Online courses require a greater motivation and self-discipline from students than traditional campus courses. There are undergraduate and graduate-level courses available, along with associates, bachelors or master’s degrees which are offered from accredited colleges or trade schools. Students are responsible for getting their assignments in on time, and if they miss any coursework, they have a better chance in failing the course.

5. Online degrees are worth less than campus degrees

   Employers are most concerned with the quality of your degree and training, and your job-specific skills. Online degrees programs require lots of reading, online tests, research, discussions, and essays, which may be the same, if not more than what traditional campus courses require. Many campus professors are starting to teach online courses, along with advising their students to take online classes to further their education.

   Online degree programs are becoming more popular, as many people are going back to school to learn a new trade or gain a new skill set to further their careers. More nontraditional students are earning their college degrees from accredited online schools.

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Many colleges across the United States have started to offer three-year bachelor’s degrees, as a way to better serve students and reduce college costs. According to an article from USA TODAY, Arcadia University, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Holy Family University have all introduced formal three-year bachelor’s programs that will begin in the fall of 2010. Within the last year or so, University of Houston-Victoria, the University of Washington, Lipscomb University, and a few others have already introduced three-year degrees to their students.

Although there seems to be more and more three year programs, some people are against them arguing that students won’t be able to handle the coursework and finish their degree programs in three years. Some colleges have provided opportunities already for students to graduate in less than four years. For example, Bates College and Judson College had provided heavier course loads, summer classes, or advanced placement credits so their students can earn their bachelor’s degree early - although few students usually take advantage of this option.

Some people are concerned that the heavier course load will make students give up other extracurricular programs and sports, since they may not have time to balance both academics and activities. Students’ social lives and time spent hanging out with roommates and friends may also become limited. Colleges and universities also offer study abroad programs, and many students may not take advantage of these life-changing opportunities if they have too much schoolwork to handle.

Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, the former U.S. secretary of education from 1991 to 1993, supports three-year degrees. At the February 2009 meeting of the American Council on Education, he compared shorter degrees as a fuel-efficient car, to a “gas guzzling four-year course”. Basically if a three-year degree can provide the same experience and education that would normally take four-years to complete, then strive to complete it in three years. You will save an entire year of tuition, room, board, textbooks, and other college expenses.

Interested in finding an accredited degree program that meets your needs and interests? Answer a few simple questions now!

If you are pursuing an online MBA, at some point you will need to take the GMAT, the Graduate Management Admission Test. How well you perform on the GMAT will help determine your acceptance into certain business schools.

Here are three books to help you prepare for the GMAT exam:

Cracking the GMAT, 2010 Edition (by Princeton Review)

This book is an essential resource and is filled with tips, techniques, and strategies to do well on the GMAT. It also contains sample tests, questions, and information about how to be accepted into the best business schools.

Master the GMAT, 2010 (Peterson’s, by Mark Allen Stewart)

This guide to the GMAT includes a companion CD, with 9 full-length practice tests and essay-writing analysis.

Kaplan GMAT 2010: Strategies, Practice, and Review

This book includes hundreds of test practice questions, detailed answers with explanations, score-raising strategies, and 2 full length practice tests.

The following five careers usually require short-term vocational study, but will teach you skills and on-the-job training to start a new career off on the right foot!

Legal Assistant

• As a legal assistant, you will research, analyze cases, and prepare reports to help lawyers and attorneys determine how to handle their cases. Many legal assistants earn their Certified Legal Assistant accreditation from the National Association of Legal Assistants. Employment of legal assistants is projected to grow 28 percent by 2018. The median annual earnings of legal assistants were $46,120 in 2008, where the top 10 percent earned more than $73,450.

Dental Assistant/Dental Hygienist

• As a dental assistant, you will acquire skills needed to remove sutures, make casts of the teeth and mouth from impressions, take dental X-rays, and make temporary crowns. You will also teach your patients about proper dental hygiene. Employment of dental assistants is projected to grow 36 percent by 2018. The median annual earnings of dental assistants were $32,380 in 2008, where the highest 10 percent earned more than $46,150.

Medical Assistant

• As a medical assistant you will collect lab specimens, administer medications, and record vital signs, among other things. Most medical assistants earn their Certified Medical Assistant credential through the American Association of Medical Assistants, or the Registered Medical Assistant credential through American Medical Technologists. Employment of medical assistants is projected to grow 34 percent by 2018. The median annual earnings of medical assistants were $28,300 in 2008, where the highest 10 percent earned more than $39,570.

Physical Therapist Assistant

• As a physical therapist, you will prevent and treat conditions that are associated with patients’ loss of mobility. You will teach your patients exercises for strength, coordination, and mobility, and also learn basic massaging techniques. Employment of physical therapy assistants is projected to grow 33 percent by 2018. The median annual earnings of physical therapist assistants were $46,140 in 2008, where the highest 10 percent earned more than $63,830.

Occupational Therapist Assistant

• As an occupational therapy assistant you will learn skills to help people achieve physical independence in all parts of life. You will work with patients to improve their reasoning abilities, basic motor functions, and compensate for any permanent loss of function. Employment of occupational therapist assistants is projected to grow 30 percent by 2018. The median annual earnings of occupational therapist assistants were $48,230 in 2008, where the highest 10 percent earned more than $65,160.

Find an online degree program to fit your interests today!

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition

In my first two weeks taking an online class at Kaplan University, I’ve already learned so much – not just about the subject matter, but about what it’s like to be an online student. I talk to folks about online degree programs on a daily basis, so I’ve heard many of the best practices and challenges to expect, but now that I’m actually in it, I wanted to share my thoughts on one particular part of being an online student: the online class discussion board.

This online class discussion board is no joke! The graded requirements for my class overall involve participation in a weekly hour-long seminar and chat session, a weekly project, and ongoing participation in our discussion forum.

The discussion board is not to be underestimated – I had a hard time understanding the requirements at first:

• I must log into the class discussion board at least 3 separate days throughout the week and post something each time. I’m getting into the routine of posting on Saturdays, Sundays, and Tuesdays.
• On one of those days, I must post my answer to the professor’s question about the material we’re learning. This involves much thought and analysis, and it often takes some time to compile a clear, meaningful response that might help other members of the class. You can’t just recite what the textbook says; for a full grade, you must apply it to your experiences to really show that you’re grasping the topic.
• I must respond to 2 of my classmates throughout the week for a complete grade. At first, my classmates would respond with a quick sentence congratulating each other on a well-thought out post, but in just 2 weeks, polite debates have already begun over some of the material, and questions are asked of each other, similar to a normal discussion that would be held in any brick-and-mortar classroom. The advantage to the discussion board is that you get to write and rewrite your answers before posting them.

Remembering to participate on 3 separate dates was challenging at first; I had to keep track of when I had logged in and posted something, and I can imagine it would be easy to forget this part and then scramble the last 3 days of the Unit week to fulfill the requirements.

For just this one class, I am spending at least 3-4 hours a week on the project and participation. I cannot imagine working full time and going back to school full time - my hat is off to those of you that can prioritize and make it work! The online class discussion board is quickly becoming my favorite part of the class. It certainly debunks the myth that online classes lack the social interaction found in traditional college environments.

Online degrees are becoming more popular, and losing their bad reputation. Celebrities have even signed online to earn degrees, showing that anyone, anywhere, can do so! And with their busy schedules, online degree programs offer the flexibility that celebrities need when trying to earn an education. Let’s take a look at some celebrities who earned their degrees from accredited online colleges:

Shaquille O’Neal

Shaquille O’Neal is a basketball legend. O’Neal started his education at Louisiana State University, but dropped out to play basketball professionally for the NBA. He returned to LSU later, and earned his bachelor’s degree in General Studies in 2000. In 2005, O’Neal returned to school - this time online – and earned his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix.

Hilary Duff

Hilary Duff became famous for starring in the Disney Channel’s “Lizzie Maguire” at an early age. Since then she has recorded pop albums and started her own clothing line. In 2010, Duff was taking online classes in liberal arts, computer science, and management from Harvard University Extension School.

Didiayer Snyder

Didiayer Snyder is a designer on ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” Synder earned diplomas in interior decorating and carpentry from Ashworth College’s distance education program.

Lisa Leslie

Lisa Leslie is one of the greatest female basketball players. Leslie graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in Communications. Later, she earned her MBA online from the University of Phoenix.

Sasha Cohen

Champion figure skater Sasha Cohen was studying nutrition through Penn State’s World Campus distance learning program in 2010.

Mary Peters

Former Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters earned a bachelor’s degree in management online from the University of Phoenix in the 1980s.