Monday, March 29, 2010

“Funk Bassist Bootsy Collins' Offers the Online Degree You Won't Get at DeVry (Fast Company Magazine)” plus 2 more

“Funk Bassist Bootsy Collins' Offers the Online Degree You Won't Get at DeVry (Fast Company Magazine)” plus 2 more

Funk Bassist Bootsy Collins' Offers the Online Degree You Won't Get at DeVry (Fast Company Magazine)

Posted: 29 Mar 2010 11:02 AM PDT

Bootsy Collins

Is it us or are the historic halls of higher education getting a little ... funky? Oh, no, it's just Bootsy Collins' online university.

Music Ally points us to the announcement that the Rock 'N' Roll Hall-of-Famer, songwriter, and former bassist for James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic (and Deee=Lite) wants to become the dean of online bass instruction. Sayeth the four-string instructor:

Because a groove is a terrible thing to waste, this sonic learning institution will be unlike anything before, as Professor Collins and the finest bassists in music will unleash an intense curriculum, on the web, for intermediate to advanced funk disciples within the program.

The first semester begins July 1. Here's your summer viewing list for those looking to make an early impression. A sample of the professors prowess is below. No word on tuition price just yet--or whether it includes includes the cost of cartoonish top hats, star-shaped shades, or boarding passes for the mothership.


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Employers on online education (CNN)

Posted: 29 Mar 2010 05:53 AM PDT

(CareerBuilder.com) -- Going back to school is an appealing option for many people, but they can't afford to quit their jobs to be a full-time student. If this sounds familiar, there might be a solution that allows you to go to school and continue working: an online or distance-learning program.

Online colleges and distance-learning programs are ideal for full-time professionals because they can earn a degree without driving to a campus or attending classes, and they can learn on their own schedule.

While all of this sounds alluring, there are a few things to consider before starting online classes. How long will it take to earn the degree? How much will it cost? How do I know if a school is legitimate? And most importantly, how will employers perceive it?

What do employers say?

To many people, a degree is a degree -- but to others, there can be an issue of trust, or lack of reputation and familiarity, says Marc Scheer, a career counselor and educational consultant based in New York City.

"Traditional programs have been around for hundreds of years, but online programs are relatively new [and] employers tend to be less familiar with them," he says.

Employers are getting there, however. In a survey done by online institution Excelsior College and Zogby International, 61 percent of CEOs and small business owners nationwide said they were familiar with online or distance learning programs.

Not only are they familiar with them, but 83 percent of executives in the survey say that an online degree is as credible as one earned through a traditional campus-based program. Employers said such factors as the accreditation of the college or university, the quality of its graduates and the name of the institution awarding the degree were among other things they considered to make an online degree more credible.

Dannie McClain, a category manager for Town and Country Linen, says she thinks getting a degree from a school with both online and traditional programs has helped employers view her degree as credible. Initially hired without a degree, McClain now has a double online degree in marketing and business from Michigan-based Baker College, which also has online programs.

"I think gaining my degree from a 'true' college that offers online courses in addition to regular ground courses helps in my employer seeing this as a 'true' degree," she says.

Not all employers feel the same way, however. Brandon Mendelson, a former business owner, says he wouldn't consider an applicant with an online degree -- even if he had everything he was seeking. He says he thinks that students get only a fraction of the learning experience online.

"I want someone who made the full commitment," he says. "These days, there are no excuses. Your job will pay for school; colleges have day-care facilities that are usually free; so actually going to the school gives a candidate the edge in my book."

The online advantage

But what about those who don't have time to make it to school every day? Luckily, one of the biggest perks of earning an online degree accommodates that very issue.

"Online degree programs are designed to help adult learners with busy lives earn their degree without being tied down to class times and without having to go to campus," says Jeff Caplan, dean of strategic enrollment management at American Sentinel University, an online university.

Michael Rogich, director of the center of online learning at Saint Leo University, based in Florida, says studying online is just as effective as studying traditionally, and in some sense is more powerful.

"With adult students, your options are either part time or online," Rogich says. "Online, the student has more access to a good program and is constantly connected to instructors and fellow classmates."

Tom Johansmeyer, who earned his MBA online and is currently working on his doctorate, is a perfect example. He says an online program was his only option for going back to school.

"I was working as a management consultant and spending 40 weeks a year on the road," he says. "With that kind of travel schedule, it would have been impossible for me to get to a classroom."

Indeed, online learning can benefit some students more than classroom learning. For example, some students might not learn as well in a classroom if they are shy or disengaged in group settings. In this case, Scheer says online students may benefit from their programs by interacting with students like themselves. Additionally, online discussions can be more inclusive and productive than classroom debates, especially because online forums offer more opportunity for participation.

Disadvantages to online learning

Not having face-to-face interaction with a teacher, however, can be seen as a disadvantage for some students.

"Being able to attend when you want means you have no face-to-face, so there are no real-time answers to questions you have," McClain says. "You either have to wait for someone to reply to a forum, e-mail the instructor or hope that there is someone on IM that can answer you."

Scheer says it's easy for online programs to be fraudulent and nonaccredited, so there's the possibility of being scammed or unable to transfer credits to another school. Finally, some employers simply don't accept online degrees from any school, accredited or not.

Tips for finding a quality online degree

Are you interested in going to back to school online? Here are six things to consider when looking for a quality online degree program:

1. Reputation

Is it an institution that provides only online degrees or does it have physical locations as well? Having actual campuses helps to establish credibility. A red flag would be the existence of only a post office box or suite number.

2. Accreditation

The Department of Education says that researching the accreditation is essential. Diploma mills are usually accredited by fake agencies. It's important to make sure the accrediting agency is one recognized by the department or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

3. Accessibility

Does the school offer technical help and easy access to speak with advisers, professors and the help desk?

4. How quickly can you earn the degree?

A red flag would be earning a bachelor's degree in just months.

5. Program fees

Students should pay as they go and be charged per credit hour, rather than per program.

6. How hard is the work?

Diploma mills require very little work and often take life or work experience into account. Legitimate programs require the same amount of work one would expect attending class on a campus.

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Online Degrees Don't Impede Job Searches (US News & World Report)

Posted: 29 Mar 2010 10:19 AM PDT

Rather than go to college after graduating from high school, Scott Marrone opted to join the armed forces. After a three-year stint in the Army that ended in 2001, Marrone was equipped with expertise but no college degree. While in the Army, his facility with computers earned him a position as a network systems administrator, which he thought would serve him well as he transitioned into the "real world." He was able to earn contract positions at computing giants IBM and Microsoft but was told pointedly by superiors that despite his experience and information technology certifications, he would never be hired full time without a college degree. "The job market was very challenging," he says. "I realized that just having experience without a degree wasn't going to cut it."

In his mid-20s and supporting himself, Marrone knew he couldn't afford to take time off from work to earn a degree, no matter how badly he needed one. His solution: enroll in the University of Phoenix and take courses online. Though the school is accredited as traditional universities are, Marrone wondered if employers would be receptive to an online degree. "I was a little skeptical of it," he admits. "But out there in the real world, we've got real problems and real demands. I couldn't stop working."

He treaded water in his career while attending school, but he emerged in 2008, five years after he first enrolled, armed with not only a bachelor's degree but also a master's in technology management. Despite his initial worries, he was pleased to find that potential employers had no qualms about his online education. Now Marrone is the information technology manager for building materials firm ASC Profiles. "They're just looking for degrees," he says. "No one looked any differently on an online degree than an on-campus degree."

[See our complete coverage of Online Education.]

Marrone's story is not uncommon. Many Americans opt to go back to school well beyond their teenage years. Some opt to do it to finally earn a bachelor's degree and others in order to add a graduate degree to their résumés in hope of accelerating their careers. Either way, completing a college degree later in life can be a daunting task. Most who do so are supporting themselves—or a family—and can't afford to take a few years off to complete an education. One way to circumvent this problem is to earn a degree online, which can be done from the comfort of home at a time convenient to the student. Those who have made that sacrifice say that balancing a full workday with an online class load is draining but ultimately worth it. "Being sleep deprived definitely did take its toll," says Jessica Guberman, who received an online master's degree in psychology from Capella University in 2001. "But I never got to the point where I wanted to stop doing it."

Guberman, who jumped into a job in the nonprofit sector immediately after graduating from the State University of New York–New Paltz, soon realized that her aspirations to receive a master's degree might be derailed by her 50-plus-hour-a-week job. A magazine ad for Capella piqued her interest and seemed like a viable solution. Still, she, like Marrone, had some reservations before she took the plunge. "I was a little hesitant because I hadn't heard of anybody else doing it before," she says. "I didn't want to sit in front of a potential employer and have them say, 'Nope, that [degree] doesn't count.' "

But after reviewing Capella's accreditation credentials, Guberman decided the school gave her the best option to support herself while advancing her education. Because Guberman attended the school in online education's infancy, Capella offered her pointers for handling employers who might be wary of hiring someone with an online degree. In interviews, she was able to highlight how curriculum online was similar to that of traditional schools, and she claims that employers were impressed with her choice to attend school, online or not, while still working. Guberman is now the executive director for public relations at Community Options Enterprises, a nonprofit dedicated to helping the disabled.

Several years ago, Becky Bravo, who had a bachelor's degree and nearly a decade of work experience, wanted to go back to school. A military wife, Bravo moves often with her family, and she felt a graduate degree would expedite her job search each time she moved. Unwilling to sacrifice time with her daughters in order to attend classes, Bravo turned to American InterContinental University's online program, and in 2009 she received a master's degree in education. Last September, her husband's job required the family to move from Texas to North Carolina, but Bravo's new degree helped her land a job at a private school just 15 days after the move. The Bravos will be moving again, this time to Florida, at month's end. Bravo is undaunted by an unemployment rate that remains above 10 percent and is confident that the skills she honed as an online student will earn her a job soon after arriving. "I don't imagine it will be too difficult to find a job," she says. "[Employers] expect you to be computer literate. They expect you to know your stuff."

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