ARCHIVE FOR DECEMBER 2007

At least 69% of academic leaders believe that demand for online education is still growing — at least according to the recent Sloan Consortium report, Online Nation: Five Years of Growth in Online Learning.

The report relied upon responses from 2,500 colleges and universities across the U.S. and asked specific questions about e-learning.

Distance learning continues to grow in popularity at traditional and online schools. Often, courses offered online fill up first when students have a choice between attending the class on campus, or learning from the comfort of a dorm room or home. The Sloan report found that 3.5 million students in the U.S. are enrolled in at least one online class.

Those who study online may now sit in on live lectures via specialized computer video-conferencing software. Programs like Elluminate Live and others even allow online students to click on buttons to raise their hand, ask a question, and even laugh at a joke. Those who are unable to participate in the live lectures may view the archived lectures at a later date.

Students may ask questions through a message board, by e-mail or by phone. Savvy online professors utilize an array of education technology to create a learning atmosphere that encourages interaction between class members and the instructor.

Computers, software and wireless connections continue to grow in sophistication; so newly-developed interactive programs run faster and smoother. Wireless hotspots are plentiful; so that traveling for business or pleasure does not hamper efforts to meet homework deadlines.

The convenience and flexibility of taking online classes is unbeatable. And as more students discover how efficiently e-learning can work, enrollment in such classes will continue to climb – just like the academic leaders have predicted. 

online learning, online education, distance learning, e-learning, online classes, online schools, colleges and universities, online students, education

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The Motley Fool’s ”Innovations and Opportunities“, which offers information about investment opportunities, describes e-learning as a $25 billion industry.

And according to statistics from the Sloan Consortium, enrollment in online schools is expected to continue to grow at a rate higher than that of traditional education institutions.

However, the growth of distance learning is not limited to college students enrolled in online classes. Business and governmental agencies also utilize this flexible option to train staff and upgrade employee skills. For example, the FBI is a huge believer in distance learning. The organization is on the forefront of improving the relevant technologies, which it uses effectively for specialized training.

Emerging technologies combined with innovative new software programs are forecasted to boost the popularity and efficiency of distance education delivery systems.

Two new developments on the horizon include voice-translation technology and the Virtual Eye.  Voice translation technology allows the instant translation of 50,000 words of one language into another, like Japanese to English.  In the future, it may be used to replace translators during war, or place them farther from the battlefield. A plethora of foreign languages and dialects will ultimately be available. The Virtual Eye, a computerized learning system, will be able to recognize a child’s moods and adjust its teaching technique to calm the child, when necessary, while maximizing learning. 

These tools, once incorporated successfully into the online education delivery system, will potentially boost an already burgeoning education trend. Both of these new programs could be operational within 2 years.

Investors and consumers have much to gain in embracing this rising star of e-learning.

online school, online education, distance learning, distance education, e-learning, college students, online classes, FBI, technology, education, investors

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Prison inmates who work toward a college degree are more than half as likely to return to a life of crime. 

In fact, of 43 inmates who earned their associates’s degrees through a specially-funded distance learning program, none have returned to prison according to the Hays Daily News in Kansas.

The power of education to transform lives is being tested in prisons across the country, as inmates take advantage of online degree programs and courses offered through interactive television.   

Prison program offers college opportunities to inmates

By SEAN MURPHY

Associated Press Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Having spent all of his adult life in prison, 28-year-old Roy Cardoso never had a chance to finish high school.

Charged as an adult in the 1994 slaying of an Altus man, Cardoso was just 15 when he was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to more than 40 years in prison.

But this summer, Cardoso was able to obtain an associate’s degree in liberal arts from Rose State College through a program that uses interactive television to offer college-level courses to inmates in state prisons.

“It was a tough situation growing up in prison, but this program has given me an opportunity to better myself,” Cardoso said Monday through a video link from a classroom at the John Lilley Correctional Center in Boley.

Cardoso was one of six inmates who appeared in the teleconference with lawmakers, officials from Rose State and the Department of Corrections and representatives from AT nications company’s foundation on Monday awarded a $26,700 grant to the Midwest City-based college so that it can expand its distance-learning program to two more state prisons — Howard McLeod Correctional Center in Atoka and Joseph Harp Correctional Center in Lexington.

“We are excited to again partner with Rose State to provide the funding for a program that helps to open new doors for inmates and offer the opportunity for an education and a better way of life,” said Don Cain, president of AT money will fund distance-learning equipment like television monitors and video cameras that are linked via a fiber-optic network so that inmates can see and hear their instructors and ask questions.

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According to Bloomberg Press, reverberations from the South Korea diploma mill scandal have extended throughout the country, with a huge net of investigators snaring over 120 people who faked their credentials to acquire jobs, promotions and prominence. Additional unknown perpetrators remain shaken as they await discovery for listing non-existent college diplomas on their resumes.

Even the military is involved, with 13 officers and 8 officer cadets indicted for using fake college degrees.

In a country where education is exalted and over 90% of high school students aspire to attend college, the ongoing scandal has shaken public confidence in educators who previously enjoyed high esteem and life atop a pedestal. 

Our previous updates about this matter — in July, September and October - described a few celebrities who were caught in their own web of deception. But since then, the South Korean authories have worked diligently to sniff out others who have cheated their way up the social ladder of success. Revelations continue to pour out as law enforcement investigators encourage employers to scour the resumes of teachers and career-climbers all over the country.

With so many accredited online schools and traditional universities available, one might wonder why anyone would buy a fake degree from a degree mill. rather than earn it honestly. Nowadays, the risk is growing for those inclined toward cheating in this way; and it only takes an inquisitive employer, a disgruntled co-worker, or a dissatisfied client to begin digging into a person’s credentials. 

However, one must also understand that South Korea has one of the most competitive education systems; and a college diploma from a prestigious school opens the doors to guaranteed success and widespread respectability. According to BBC News, South Korea is #1 in the world in people between the ages of 25 to 34 who have earned a college degree. In fact, 97 of this age group hold college degrees. South Korea beat out Norway, Japan, Great Britain and the U.S. for this honor.

South Korea is just one of many countries with a diploma mill problem. But at least they are determined to do something about it. 

diploma mill, online schools, fake credentials, jobs, job promotion, fake college degree, South Korea, South Korea scandal, employers, teachers, college diplomacollege degree, education

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