Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts

26 December 2013

Why Online Education is Growing at Top Universities

The reason why online education grows is clear to us today. It’s cheaper, it’s convenient, it helps you move beyond the foursquare system, and offers you an option to build a network throughout the world. Moreover, it’s encouraging lifelong learning and enhancing higher qualifications, notwithstanding predicaments from physical to geological. So, enrollment for online classes has ballooned within the last few years and it’s everywhere now.

In brief, the main reasons behind the mounting popularity are:

·       -Everybody is eager to boost the intellectual property to keep pace with the rising demand.
·       -Campus learning that keeps you engaged from 9-5 isn’t a good choice anymore.
·   -People don’t prefer making sacrifices in professional and personal commitments for the sake of knowledge.
·       -Employer-based courses offered through online learning is helping to enhance the workforce.

And now, it has evolved with options like:

·           1) Video conferences and video instructions to enhance an engaging learning atmosphere.
·           2) Free access to study materials making knowledge available anywhere in the world.
·           3) Online platforms through which a programme can be tailored according to preferences.
·     4) Online tools to discuss, debate on and include comments on any recent topic are encouraging independent ideas.
       Rapid and better connection with the educators and peers for an effective educational environment.  
Online Education Growth: Stockvault

So, no need to visit campus anymore?

But the growing fame of online courses isn’t making the experts happy. The trend of acquiring knowledge through machines and technology is slowly eliminating the human element from the entire process of learning and teaching. A computer can never be equivalent to a teacher. Human guidance, which actually helps to groom the personality of learners, will disappear completely if online learning becomes a mainstream practice.  So, what’s the solution?

Whether the online classes are able to address the sustainability issues, deliver qualitative knowledge and guide you through a right career path are not relevant at this time, it is quite clear that the facilities and freedom they are offering is being preferred over traditional form of learning. So, quite a few measures have to be taken on urgent basis to save universities.

How to drive the flock back to campus again?

A fair deal is immediately required. Students have been spending fortunes for university courses. Higher learning is a financial burden to most of the families. The problem of loan debts is increasing in every nation. Learners today, want to get rid of expenses. If accreditation is available at an affordable price at home, a few would care to set foot on campus.

Adopting practical methods are essential for universities. Blending the advantages of various learning approaches is an intelligent way to encourage campus education. Wasting a great amount of productive time on campus to earn a degree doesn’t seem viable to many.

Adding an online curriculum to the syllabus is a great decision as they open many options to develop a better communication between the educators and learners. Moreover, including technological equipments can help building an engaging learning environment.

Opening more professional and employer-based courses is important. Most of the learners are choosing to enhance qualifications to maximize their career opportunities. So, the courses relevant to the market and employers make them happy.

Including some exclusive attractions besides reducing costs is also important. This inclusion must add facilities on campuses that are able to contend online offerings and will successfully draw students’ attention toward residential education.
  
Welcome change! It’s necessary to accept that open university courses online are getting attention from the new age learners for quite a few reasons. So, opening an online option will not only enhance enrollment but help the universities reach a wider section of academic aspirers. Hence it will expand the service and also the goodwill of the university.   
  
With new age learning system you don’t have to be necessarily in UK to earn a degree from London. Well, that’s truly big news for the academic aspirers all over the globe. The world economy is evolving and expanding. With new business strategies and societal activities, education as well as employment is getting redefined. People these days want a higher position at workplace and also a comfortable life. So, they need to enhance knowledge as well as expertise. The learning system too is changing rapidly to keep pace with these preferences. 

By: Mark William 

18 December 2013

Order the Fear of Unemployment to Sit Down

There are heaps of advices on the internet telling you to be the smiling prince or Cinderella when you’ve just lost a job, by thinking POSITIVELY.  Let me tell you , when unemployment seeps in life,  nothing stays positive, all one desires is to tear the curtain of worldly affairs & run at his/her full speed to hide inside the most loneliest spot on earth.

 “How can one even think of enjoying pizzas and burgers when submerged from head to toe in debts? How can one think of wearing designer brands and go for long drives when the entire day passes searching for a single lucrative job ad? How can one dream of celebrating family members’ birthdays when pockets are empty as an old pot? How can one re-build the inner confidence when everywhere he can see huge billboards of “REJECTION”? And then people talk of smiling during the phase of unemployment! “

The worst part of this entire failure tale is the fear that clings to your bones and brains throughout the span of job hunt. It gives you nervousness fits before you knock another door for an interview. Adrenaline pumps like anything and sweat beads sparkle on forehead just because you have fear of getting rejected once again. For me a person’s inabilities and lack of skills are more small pythons than this word FEAR. It is like a soap that washes away all your talent and self confidence.

Many people often question with grim expressions: how do I overcome this fear?

For me, doing exercise early morning, partying with friends and socializing like a mad man would not completely eradicate this snake from an individual’s soul. One needs to act more smartly in such situations. The only thing that would serve as your confidence saving parachute is your “brain”. No human being on this earth can snatch away the power of your brain from you.

In such times of sheer agony so many of you would make imaginative webs of commencing your own business, do not consider it a foolishness resulting from mental stress. Who knows you might end up finding a diamond from the rubbish can. If your brain compels you to try executing for once ‘your childhood dream’ do not discard the notion. It is at times better to set a new track instead of following the pied piper lead.
Fighting Unemployment
Fighting Unemployment: Stockvault

DO NOT CHOOSE ISOLATION!!! :


What else really matters is maintaining relationships with friends and family. Most of the times people enclose themselves in igloos of isolation when such financial turmoil occurs, THAT IS COMPLETELY INCORRECT! You need to spit the flavor of negativity that rises like steam inside your structure. That does not by any chance mean you get into fights with your spouse or bellow wildly over kids but a TALK will be wonderful enough.  If you don’t do that you will become a pendulum swinging in and out of depression phases. Take for instance a small situation. You are in dark room, where all you can see is darkness and all you can hear is rasping of your own breathe, out of nowhere an evil face pops in front of you. What would you do, stay still and smile at the monster?  Noooooo! You will shout till your lungs explode. This is fear coming out in the form of voice. If you don’t do that your heart will stop beating and you will fall dead on the floor! So you need to take it out, just try, words will spill out eventually.

Emotions + intelligence= weapon to fight rejection:


Then comes the worst part: rejection! I know how painful it is to drag feet along the busy alleys of a big office to search for the exit. With slumped shoulders, suppressed anger and one more stamp of disappointment, the academic and experience file in hand weighs a billion tons. At this point of time you feel like a worthless penny that can’t even buy the lowest quality candy in exchange. Here your mind power is needed the most. Also known as EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, this fusion of brain and raw emotions will drag you out of this phase of hurt ‘self confidence’. What you need to do in these times is hit a FLASH BACK. Go home, empty all your closets, and search for your tiny achievements. You might have received a silver or gold medal in grade two or three for winning a race. A teacher gave you a souvenir for being the best performer of the month. You won a tournament for your school, college or university. Your kid gave you a card for being the best MOM/DAD of the world. Let the nostalgia of happiness sink in your soul and relish the feeling of self elevation. These events and their essence will water your wilting hopes and you will undoubtedly feel a new wave of enthusiasm wash over your inner self.

YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE TO BE DEALING WITH THIS MESS:


When we fall in such troubles, we blame nature for throwing hardships on our way only and the entire world seems to be enjoying the ride meanwhile. That is not the case; people wear masks that conceal their inner pains and sufferings. The best advice is that you buy one for yourself as well.

Once you have worked in the garage of self-repairing pick up the tools to build a pile of contacts and connections. This is not a method to combat fear but even when you are unemployed your network will throw at you one or more opportunity time to time. It is not necessary that you get a straight hit to the position of a CEO or top manager but trivial opportunities shall also be considered a blessing.

Finally I believe what really is important in the achievement of all these objectives is FAITH- have faith that life is an uneven path for everyone. Nobody gets food in a platter without striving for it. So the norm is valid for you as well, things will change; you just need to prevent yourself from a deadly fall and keep moving on …

Jasmine Peyton has a bottomless hunger for reading and writing which she fulfills at Dissertation Palace where she offer academic writing assistance to clients, mostly learners.

10 December 2013

How to Resist Temptations in College

College education can possibly be the last stage of learning that a student will go through which is why they should concentrate even more on giving their best so that they'll be able to graduate without too much hassle. However, college is also the phase where the quality of education is at its highest setting which can put a lot of stress and pressure for a student which would certainly leave them exhausted and drained of energy on a daily basis. It's pretty normal for students to go through that experience because college education demands it which is why it should be taken seriously. However, they could develop some serious problems or habits if they continue to find themselves in this state.

Being in a physically and mentally exhausted state most of the time can lead to something worse such as losing interest in studying altogether. Like the saying goes "All work and no play makes you a dull person" and due to the stress and fatigue they're experiencing at school, they might be tempted to do the opposite.

Temptations are normally experienced by people and we are very prone to it and students are definitely not an exception. We can't help it if we easily succumb to temptations most of the time because after all, it's in our nature as human beings. To be honest, everything else other than academics seems much more interesting to do when we're studying and we're most likely to do it just to escape our responsibilities as students. Every student is aware that college isn't just a place for learning, but it's also the place where parties and other distractions takes place which of course can be very hard to resist.

Diverting your attention to other things aside from academics can really have major effects on your study habits in a negative manner. Procrastination and laziness are just some of the byproducts of giving in to temptations which you should prevent or else, you'll be forced to suffer bad grades and performance at school. As a student, you'll have to make sure that you'll be able to accomplish your goals without any form of distractions. It'll be a tough battle for you, but you can triumph over it with a little bit of effort on your part

With the help of these tips, I'm sure you'll be able to resist any form of temptations that comes your way.

Resisting Temptations in College: Stockvault




Set your priorities

Remember that as long as you are a student, you'll have study in order to learn. You're not in college to spend most of your days wasting it on anything that isn't related to academics. Balance is the primary key towards a healthy social life and academic performance, but studying comes always comes first of course.

Avoid getting bored

Admit it, studying is boring and for that very reason alone can make you put your attention elsewhere. Boredom is one of the greatest factors of distractions and this trait can be found in most students. While studying may be not as interesting as browsing social media websites or hanging out with friends, you'll have to change your study habits for the better. Here are a few things you could do to make shake things up a bit.

Don't get carried away. Learn to take a break especially if you're spending too much time on it.

1) Always use shortcuts. For example, if you're writing an assignment and have to read about it, why not try browsing the Internet for a change? It's certainly much faster and efficient than getting a book from the library then reading about it.


2) Study in a place where you're comfortable. It's definitely much more interesting to study when you're cozy instead of studying in place where you're feeling uneasy.


3) Join or create a group study session. That way, you could enjoy the company of your friends while learning.


4) Distract yourself with other distractions

Getting distracted isn't all that bad because there are a few types of distractions that boosts your performance and interest at studying. Listening to music for example, is very popular among students because it can help you relax and focus on the task at hand. It's so effective, that a lot of students use it all the time. Like stated earlier, boredom is one of the main reasons of developing poor study habits which is why you should distract yourself with something that would allow you to continue studying.

Find it's cause

We would only be tempted to do anything if there would be something that would trigger it in the first place which of course you have to be aware of in order to avoid it. There are a lot of possibilities that could serve as a trigger and here are some of the most common ones.

1) Frustration with the way things are going for you.
2) Lack of confidence
3) Failure
4) Feeling down

Work on having the willpower to overcome these things and most likely, you'll be more successful at straying away from temptations.

Academics is pretty important in your life and always remember that. Keep in mind that there's always a time and place for having fun and you should guarantee that it wouldn't interfere with your studies because that would generate a lot of problems for you in the future. Always have the will, determination and patience to shun any form of distractions so that you could easily make your way through graduation.


Author Bio: Sophia Jennings is a college student who also happens to be a writer for a uk essay writing company which serves as her part-time job. Like any other college student, she experiences the common problems that her peers goes through which is why she shares some of her views through other people in anyway possible.

26 September 2013

Do You Know Everything About The SAT, ACT, & Subject Tests?

Is a 1700 good for the SAT? Is a 2050 good? What about an 1870? A 2300 on the SAT has to be good right? Is an ACT score of 23 good? Is a 27 good for the ACT? What about scores for the SAT II? Is a 650 good? -Well the answer to all of these questions is yes and no. (Either way, it is useful to know some 2013 test score averages which can be found below.)

If you didn’t know, how important standardized tests are for college applications, now you do. Test scores separate the boys and girls from men and women. 

SAT, ACT, AP, IB, and SAT II scores are all objective measures that colleges and universities can use to evaluate applicants and make initial decisions of who meets basic standards. These scores are then combined with other factors like GPA on a 4.0 scale, difficulty of classes, class rank, and national awards in order find the best applicants out of the thousands who apply.

Finally, subjective parts of the application, like essays and letters of recommendation, are used to find the best of the best. It is a lengthy process that breaks many hearts, but there are only so many spots in a freshman class.

There are always exceptions, but generally the objective measures are a starting place for both anyone thinking of applying and admissions staff.

How Does The SAT Reasoning Test Work?

The first and most important test is the SAT Reasoning Test. This test lasts for 3 hours 45 minutes and covers reading, math, vocabulary, grammar, and writing.

These topics are divided into 3 overall sections and further divided into smaller 15-25 minute chunks. Scores range from 200 to 800 per section with a possible maximum score of 2400. The average SAT score is 1500 (500 on each of the 3 sections).

In all sections except for the essay and write in for math there is a ¼ point deduction for every wrong answer.

Below are the average SAT scores of students entering a wide variety of universities. These universities are all for students who perform above average, but there is data available for every school on the Internet.

The first thing to do is to compare your SAT scores with the averages from the school you are interested in attending. While there is much more to an application that a test score, seeing where your score fits is an important step to finding a college you want to attend. Do you want to know what a good SAT score for 2013 is?

Is Your SAT Score Good Enough for College?  

School
SAT Math
SAT Reading
SAT Writing
Harvard
710-790
700-800
710-800
Brown
660-770
660-760
670-780
UCLA
600-760
560-680
590-710
Penn State
560-670
530-630
540-640
University TX Austin
580-710
550-670
540-680
Ohio State
610-710
540-650
550-650
American University
570-670
590-690
580-680
Pepperdine
570-680
550-650
560-670
NYU
630-740
620-710
640-730

 How Does The ACT Aptitude Test Work?

The ACT is the other widely accepted standardized exam that colleges accept. This test covers additional topics that are not on the SAT like science and trigonometry. The ACT is widely known as a test on knowledge (either you know the answer or you don’t), while the SAT is about reasoning (figuring out the answer). 

The ACT takes 3 hours 25 minutes, but there are more questions than on the SAT, so speed is essential. The ACT is scored out of 36 points and the average composite score is around 21. There is no penalty for guessing  on the ACT.

Below are the average ACT composite scores for the same schools where I listed the SAT scores above. Again, scores are not everything, but they act as a good guideline for future applicants. 

Is Your ACT Score Good Enough For College? 

Is Your ACT Score Good Enough for College?
ACT Composite Score Averages

How Do The SAT II Subject Tests Work? 

SAT II Subject tests cover specific subjects and are much shorter than the regular SAT or ACT. The subjects covered by the SAT II’s are: Literature, U.S. History, World History, Math 1, Math 2, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Chinese, French, Hebrew, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, and Spanish.

These tests generally last one hour each and you can take up to three in a single day. The average scores for SAT Subject Tests are rather high, but that is because most people who take a subject test have knowledge about the subject.

Subject tests are useful because they allow a student to stand out among a sea of people as someone who understands a particular subject fairly well. They are another objective measure that colleges and universities can use to compare students to one another when making admission decisions.

Is Your SAT II Subject Test Score Good Enough For College?

Literature
576
Chinese Listening
758
US History
608
French
622
World History
607
French Listening
646
Math 1
610
German
622
Math 2
654
German Listening
611
Biology
605 (Micro 635)
Hebrew
623
Chemistry
648
Italian
666
Physics
656
Japanese
684
Korean Listening
767
Spanish
647
Latin
611
Spanish Listening
663

How Do The AP and IB Subject Tests Work?

Finally, this leaves AP and IB tests. These exams are both subject tests that a student would take at the end of the school year, usually in May. AP is much more common in American schools so I will focus primarily on those. However, most of the AP subjects are also covered under the IB program.

AP classes cover Art, English, History, Social Science, Math, Computer Science, Sciences, and World Languages/Cultures. Rather than list all of the AP courses please look at them here. https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/apcourse

AP exams take an entire afternoon, and are usually over three hours long. There are extensive essays on most exams and multiple-choice questions. AP art students submit portfolios to the College Board to be graded. Tests are graded on a 5-point scale, with 3 usually being a “passing” grade.

Some colleges and universities will only accept 4’s or 5’s but it is different at every institution. There is also no penalty for guessing on AP exams. There used to be a penalty, but it was removed in 2010, so it is to a student’s advantage to fill in every blank bubble.

Conclusions About the State of Standardized Testing

So what do all of these tests really mean? Honestly – absolutely nothing. They are an easy way for colleges and universities to compare candidates when making admissions decisions. Many smart students perform poorly on these tests while many students who are “good at taking tests” can score very highly.

 It is unfortunate that these tests have such a huge weight on the college application process. There are many more important things to consider in an applicant than scores, but these are the easiest and most objective measures.  Until something new is created, all students must play the game and take the tests.

I took the SAT four times before I earned scores that I was satisfied with. It is a waste of money, but what else is there? Don’t feel bad if your score isn’t “good enough.” There are plenty of colleges and everyone can find a perfect match.