A lot of attention has been focused on how rising fuel costs will have a detrimental affect on the tourism and travel industries, telecommuting, and especially the agriculture industry. But an industry that may gain (Yes, I said GAIN) the most could be online education, or distance learning; especially in those areas where a large percentage of the student population consists of adult learners who must commute to local campuses.

Think about what it costs you to drive:

Let's assume that your automobile gets 20 miles per gallon and gas is prices at $4.00 per gallon.

If you commute 20 miles per day (10 miles to and from school), for a 12 week semester, at 5 days per week for attending classes it will cost you an extra $240 per semester for fuel. That does not take into account wear and tear on your vehicle or insurance and parking fees.

Compare that to what you would pay if you were attending an online program:

Fuel is still $4.00 per gallon.

Your car still gets 20 miles per gallon of gas.

You still attend classes 5 days a week for each 12 week semester.

You still live 10 miles away from the campus.

So, your total fuel bill would be...let's see if the mathematicians among us can get this....

Well, it would be $0.00, because you did not drive to your classes.

I know that was a really simple math problem, but have you thought of the implications of what it really means?

If you attend a minimum of two semesters per year you would save at least $480.00 per year by 'attending' classes online. This also does not take into account the affect that you would have on the environment by not releasing pollution into the atmosphere through driving your automobile.

Now, someone might say that I have not included the cost for having access to an internet connection; and that is a valid argument. Except that, if you are reading this, chances are that you must already have access, somehow, to the internet (whether at home or work) and thus that cost is already being taken into account (by somebody). Either you are paying for at or your employer is.

How can you take advantage of this opportunity?

Check with the university or college that you are attending. Many of the classes that you may be taking, or need to take in the future, might already be offered online. If they are not currently, maybe there is a process for petitioning the administration to consider allowing your courses to be delivered in an online format. An extreme option, though in all likelihood, one which will be used more often than not, is to transfer to a college or university that does offer you the ability to take your courses, and achieve your goals, online.

Even if you cannot 'attend' your classes online every day; for every day that you do not have to drive to attend your courses you will save a minimum of $4.00 at the rates mentioned above.

Earning a teaching certification has never been easier with the available of online education programs. Today, many colleges which offer teaching degree programs have made their courses available online. The online teaching programs provide teachers who wish to pursue advanced career training in their teaching field an alternative option to complete their courses without affecting with their teaching job.

Online learning programs are becoming increasing popular mainly due to the advantages that benefits most working individuals: the lessons are accessible 24/7 and you can access the learning materials from anywhere either at your workplace or from your comfort home. Teachers who are also parents will find online teaching program a good option to earn their teaching credentials while continue to stay focus on their family.

Although there are many advantages of taking the courses online, it may not benefit you if you are not the right candidate to be a successful online student. There are a few things that you need to take into consideration before you decide to earn your teaching credentials through online learning media. Online learning is different from the traditional class-based learning style; it requires you to have very good reading comprehension because the learning materials are mainly in text format. Self-motivation is another important element that an online learner should equip with if you want to successful complete your study. Additionally, you should have the basic knowledge on using online tools such as email, online chat and discussion forum because these are the major communication channels among online students and lecturers. Once, you have confirmed that you are able to adapt to the online learning style, then you should not face any problem in earning our teaching credential through online teaching program.

The online teaching programs with various specializations cover almost all teaching fields such as adult education, corporate training, curriculum design, distance education, early childhood education, education administration, K-12 education and special education. Hence, you should be able to find the online courses that meet the area of interest in earning your teaching credentials.

Although there may be too many schools that offer online teaching programs and it may causes some difficulties to choose one that the best fit your teaching needs; But, requesting information from these schools is never been easier through online request form offer by various education portals or the school's website. What you need to do is fill up the free information request form and the information will be sent to your email address within minutes. Once, you have received the online teaching program information, review careful to ensure the courses offered in the program meet you teaching goal and the school which offers the program is properly accredited by an accrediting agency before you enroll into the online teaching program.

There are several colleges round the globe that might teach you all about forensic nursing, or there are a few distance learning centers that provide you with the degree of forensic learning too. Getting you a certified degree in forensic nursing is quite easy as there are many courses that are available. Forensic nursing education is a very notable and reputed profession that can guarantee you a good career and even much required advantage in life.

Apart from the university or college related forensic nursing education courses there are many online courses also present that can help you get a forensic nursing degree. There are many advantages in choosing an online forensic nursing course and because of this fact they are becoming quite famous among people now days.

There are many advantages of online forensic nursing educational courses, and the increasing trends are showing favorability towards these online forensic nursing education courses. Internet is fast increasing and gaining a lot of popularity among people. There are many things that a person can do through internet and educating himself is one such thing.

There are many online forensic nursing education sites that can help you get the required knowledge and the degree. There are many advantages of an online forensic nursing course:

a) When you search for a college you check out a place that is near your home, and online forensic nursing education is very convenient as you have to go nowhere other than your home. So it is the nearest college that you can think of.

b) Earlier there were doubts about the quality of study and teaching method of online forensic nursing education courses, but due to the increase in student number and popularity people have started realizing that these classrooms also works the same way as a real classroom, so getting forensic nursing education from these online classrooms is also a fair deal.

c) These online classrooms might give you freedom of choosing your own timing, so that you do no have to manage other things for your classroom timings. These timings might suit you and well you can adjust them according to your needs.

d) There are professors that teach you and you can well interact with them with the help of emails. So it would be like one on one session as in a classroom but the best part is that you do not have to use any pencil or paper here.

e) The best part is that there are types of softwares available that allows you to access various chats and all the emails as well as other lectures that have been given earlier too.

These are convenient lectures and classes that are there for your benefit, online forensic nursing education is really grabbing people's attention and it is really becoming widely famous. These are ital options for those who cannot travel distant places to get forensic nursing education, so getting the right degree and knowledge at home is worth than anything.

So you want to earn a high school diploma online? Before you begin, you need to decide why it is you want to start down that path.Please do not do it because you think it will be easier. This is rarely true; often it is exactly the opposite. While in traditional high schools, there is someone who monitors your education. When you take your high school education online, there is much more independence. That is both good and less good.

There are two basic kinds of online high school diploma programs. There are commercial programs and there are public programs. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. It is best to explore both to determine which is the right choice for you

Commercial Programs

Commercial online high school programs include schools like Penn Foster High School, Kaplan College Preparatory High School, and National High School. These programs offer an online high school program for varying amounts of money. The advantages to these types of programs is that most of them are available to students regardless of age. So, whether you are fifteen or fifty, you have access to the majority of these programs.

These sorts of programs, however, are the ones where you need to be the most careful. It appears that there are just as many fake programs as legitimate ones. A commercial program should have regional or national accreditation. However, and importantly, just as there are fake schools, there is also fake accreditation. If the accreditor is not listed on this list of recognized accrediting associations from the U.S. Department of Education, it is probably not a good choice.

Public Programs

Public programs include such entities as charter schools, university-based high schools, and state departments of education-funded schools. Some of these high schools are actually free. There is somewhat less concern for the validity of these schools since most will either be regionally/nationally accredited or be approved by a state's department of education. Colleges tend to find either acceptable.

Those free online high schools typically have specific age requirements that correlate to traditional public schools although, in some states, they are free up to the age of twenty-one. Check with the school to be sure. Readers will notice that school chains - like Insight Schools or Connections Academies - have begun to sprout throughout the United States. To my thinking, this can be good for quality control, but there are many find local programs as well (think: Greenways Academy or Laurel Springs School).

One thing you will notice is that these public programs tend to be newer. The commercial ones were out of the blocks much earlier. There are exceptions, of course, like the program at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, that has a long history.

Conclusion

Whichever direction you decide to go, make sure that you do your homework before you choose. This includes the issue of accreditation and even checking with your potential colleges to make sure of acceptability. That being said, properly accredited online high school programs have reached the point where acceptability is mostly a non- issue.

People value education a lot. Some would never stop studying until they have reached the highest peak of educational attainment, while others will not stop studying until they have explore every corners of human knowledge. Some people, especially for those who belong to poor nations believe that education is their key to escape from poverty and this is the reason why they continue to search for possibilities to study. Technology has influenced the advancement in education. There are a lot of improvements in education brought by the advancements in technology. This is of course, possible because of the growing and changing needs of the people.

The online type of education is one of the advancements in education brought by technology. When online education is just starting, there were a lot of debates. Some education experts said that this type of education will not last and this is killing the essence of education. While some would say, especially those who are in favor of online education, is that indeed this type of education is helping a lot of people who want to learn but cannot do so because of many constraints included here are the Online Bachelor's Degree and Online Masters Degree. Because this type of education is new to everyone, a lot of questions arose during its starting years. The question of who will be the prime beneficiaries of this type of education is the question that will be tackled in this article.

Online studying offers Bachelors degree and Masters Degree. Hence, they are now called Online Bachelor's Degree and Online Masters Degree.

In a traditional education, bachelor's degree is the first degree offered in college education, aside from certificate degrees and diploma. In some countries, where college education is a little bit high in cost, students opt to work and study at the same time. If the working student will pursue an online bachelor's degree, it will be easier for him to balance his work and education since online education offers students a kind of learning which they can acquire anytime and anywhere. The resources and reading materials are also available online. Only a few online teachers require students to buy a book for reference in their studies.

Masters degree is another degree offered in the college level next to bachelor's degree. Usually, masters' degree is needed by people who are already working because they need further knowledge as they go through with their career. Still, online education is the best option for these working people. Online masters' degrees are more rampant compared to online bachelors' degree. This is because online masters' degree is widely-used by people engaging in online education. Just like those working students who are pursuing online bachelors' degree, online masters' degree is beneficial for those people who have established careers already because they can learn anytime and anywhere. Some employers also appreciate the benefits of this type of education. This is the reason why some employers who require masters' degree to their top employees recommend online education. Perhaps, they still want their top employees to perform well in the company while pursuing a master's degree. Because with this, there is no hassle of going to class, taking leaves from work because of exams, etc. Online Masters Degree is also favorable for those who have their own families. Since they still hold their time, they can study and at the same time give quality time for their families.

If you are unable to attend lectures in a school because of your sick grandmother, you can go for a distance learning program. A distance learning program does not distract you from other responsibilities. You can juggle your job, or nurse a sick relative with a distance learning program.

Asia and North America are two continents that are actively engaged in accredited distance learning programs. The use of the internet to enhance distance learning has made it possible for people even in the most underdeveloped nations of the world to engage in distance learning. Distance learning has made it easy for you to stay in a remote area and still get an education.

Distance learning or distance education is all about convenience. It is a practice or avenue that gives you the opportunity to school from home without actually going to the school. Many people practice it these days, especially those who are incapable due to a handicap or some other obligation that ties them down to their present location.

Late in the 1960s, the United Kingdom Open University was established. The collage used television and radio as its primary delivery methodologies. Due to the technologies available at the time, this positioned it in the forefront of applying emerging technologies to learning. It was a success, today spawning offspring that have spread far and wide across the globe.

Lecturers in some colleges sometimes allow students to listen or watch videos of their courses. Sometimes, they do these recordings themselves, and mail them to the students with accompanying assignments. The distance leaning student replies in a like manner. This though, is only necessary when the Internet is unsuitable for some reason or other.

Knowing that you have to be in school - physically - to write your examinations can send a bit of a chill through you. College deans and professors know this. This is why they ask you to come to school on the day of your final exams to write the papers in person. You are forced to study hard so that you can pass. The degree you get in the end is absolutely worth it.

The national board of education is the body that gives accreditation bodies the right to function. Any accreditation board that is not recognized by the national board of education should be disregarded. All in all, there are about six accreditation bodies.

Many lecturers are happy to dub their lecture notes once off on audio or video CDs, copy them and have them sold to their distance learning students all over. Naturally the student pays for this, and they get to learn and study by themselves.

In a distance learning setting, the instructor uses chosen media to teach the student. An instructor of a distance learning course can use a webcam to talk extensively on a module for a distance learning course. While the internet's features provide a way for both the student and the instructor in a distance learning setting to interact, physical face to face communication is not attainable.

Be careful about whom you tell of your online degree. Some employers actually look down on online educational qualifications as trash. Don't mention that your newly acquired degree is an online product unless you are absolutely sure that your boss is not disinclined to online qualifications.

The postal service was developed in the 19th century. Before then, distance learning was a major challenge for student and teacher alike. Problems associated with communication and transfers of correspondence were incessant. This did not end, but it was relatively checked when post improved. But the Internet makes this all look like a lot of ado about nothing.

For those who have to pay their own way through school, they might want to consider distance learning. Although they could do part-time jobs and attend college full-time, it would be more appropriate to work the job full-time, and do the course at the convenience of a distance education program. What counts is the degree, which is worth the same both ways.

Lectures on teacher education, science education, and rural development, as well as programs in agriculture for farmers, creative writing, or even mass communication, are all still delivered via radio in some places. This despite the fact that technology has brought about many changes that can and are being adopted by distance education.

Recording lectures and correspondence or tapes and cassettes is something that used to happen a lot back in the day. Today audio and video sharing on the Internet is common enough even in distance education programs. The next phase takes us to more real technologies that help to enhance the learning experience.

Accreditation is incredibly important as far as distance learning programs and institutions are concerned. The New England associate of schools and colleges is an accreditation board for both on and off campus education. The north central association of schools and colleges and the middle states association of schools and colleges are equally accreditation bodies in their respective states. Make sure that a distance learning program is accredited before you commit to it.

Don't be taken in by flashy online distance learning adverts that promise to give you the impossible. Distance learning online can be completed in a maximum of two years if you are serious. Any distance learning offer that promises a degree in less than a year should be ignored.

With inflation on the rise, food and gas prices skyrocketing, and job growth at a standstill, this may seem like the worst time to put your precious time and money into going back to school for a degree. Contrary to that intuition, however, economic downturns can be a great time to revisit the student life.

Going back to school can give you an unlikely shelter in the recession storm. Here are five reasons why:

1. Access to free money - Scholarships, Pell grants, and awards are as catch-free as the $20 bill from Grandma on your birthday. The money is yours to use as you please, and you never have to pay back a cent. All you have to do is fill out the applications, maybe write a few essays, and keep yourself in school. When else in your life are you going get thousands of dollars for free? Never, unless your grandma is Oprah or somebody.

2. Access to cheap money - Student loans are the best loans on the planet. Their interest rates are insanely low, and you don't have to start paying them back until six months after you graduate. Loans like this aren't available to anyone else but college students.

3. You're not missing out on anything - While you are absent from the working world, especially during a recession, guess what? Nothing is happening. Your former co-workers aren't moving into their dream jobs because there are no jobs. A recession really lowers the opportunity costs of going to back to school.

4. Powerful networks and career resources - Forget the classifieds. College campuses are hubs for powerful networks. They tend to draw influential people from various disciplines together into one place. You will have access to professors, administrators, and fellow students who may be your key to your dream job. Add onto that the well-connected career centers that are usually found on college campuses, and you have a cornucopia of opportunities to network. Way better than happy hour.

5. Uncle Sam loves you - When you are living on financial aid and making little or no income, the government has nothing to tax you for. According to Uncle Sam's numbers, you are the poorest of the poor and, therefore, have access to handfuls of free services. Many students qualify for food stamps, Medicaid, and even utility assistance. Visits to those infamously unkind government offices can be grueling, but the free food and insurance more than make up for the shoddy customer service.

If you've been thinking of going back to school, now may be the time to do it. Why weather the recession storm looking for jobs when you can go to school, get ahead, and save alot of money doing it? Do a search now and find a degree and school right for you.

Online education is one of the effective tasks for the current time. It gives us easy access to the education available from the recognized university world over.

There are several colleges provides basic as well as advance course online. It can be certified by the accredited agencies. If you are looking for the online course, there are different criteria for the selection available online.

Here are the steps require for taking online admission

1. You must find online colleges and see the course offered by them. It is essential that the online college must be accredited by the registered agencies. You can brows the courses details online. The details about the courses and time available online. The selection of online course is depends on the interest of the field, while selecting the online courses you can also see the location in mind, incase you want to visit your college campus and have attend some classes.

2. The second most aspects of the online courses are the structures of the courses. It is depends on the types of courses and colleges. The fee structure is depends on the courses. It also indicates the mode of the payment and other benefits given by the online colleges to the students like student education loan, grants, and scholarship. The fees details have shown on the college website. It is important to take the calculation of your fees so that you have an idea about the final payment.

3. The third most important part of the online education is the admission process it covers entrance test, eligibility of age, prior education records etc. The admission process differs from college to college. You must have to study the admission process and if you have any problem you can contact the admission department of the college. All the online colleges have its own admission department and admissions counselor to deal with admission process. Normally the online admission process is very smoother and quicker. Most of the colleges give online submission to get the admission.

4. The Online College education is ideal then the traditional campus education. Regarding online education there are different types of studies proves that in the present time online education is more effective tools then the traditional education. The quality of the online education is very good. The most important one is you only need to select best college and their approach with the students to provide online education.

5. If you are full time employee it is important to get the admission in online courses.

Gary Zivkovich is a writer for http://www.1888onlinecolleges.com , the premier website to find online colleges, best online colleges, online colleges and universities, accredited online colleges, colleges online, cheep online community colleges and many more.

A a solid majority of the training material we produce in the corporate world is based on some sort of regulation or technical specification and must be very straight forward and matter of fact due to the subject matter, but not everything needs to be quite as staid. Many times the way we train our customer service and sales reps is the way we develop our outward persona to our customers. This is an area in web based training where a little humor can go a long way.

As I've mentioned in previous newsletters the goal with web based training in for the learner to retain the information being taught and ultimately transfer that knowledge to on the job skills. Effective and appropriate use of humor can go a long way in keeping your employees engaged with your online training initiatives. Sales and customer service reps are on the front line dealing with customers every day, your web based training for those employees needs to reflect your corporate culture. One of the best ways to teach these types of skills with an online course is through the use on consequence based video simulations. This type of simulation based training is a prime opportunity to introduce a little humor into your WBT.

In the simplest sense consequence based training gives the user the opportunity to do something the right way and the wrong way. One way to broach the wrong way with impact is to take it to an extreme. By setting up your wrong way scenario in a manner that makes the user laugh it also makes them realize they do not want to put themselves in a situation that makes them look silly. You have created a tool that makes your employees think about what they look like when they are in a similar situation and how they can avoid looking like the person who looked a little ridiculous in the training course.

In order to use humor in your training you must first have appropriate subject matter and second it must fit into your corporate culture. Make sure when you push to use humor in your training it is in good taste and fits within your company guidelines.

Delivering your information in small easily digestible learning chunks, making the content interactive, relevant and easy to use, all of this is very important, however another aspect to consider when developing e-learning is to ask yourself, "What is the terminal objective of this course?" Typically there are two answers to this question; how you answer directs how to go about development. Answers typically fall into one of two categories... Employees should be able to pass a test in order to be in compliance with some sort of regulation, or the goal is to create a change in behavior in my employees which will ultimately transfer to their job and benefit the company. Where your answer falls in this spectrum will dictate the type of web based training you create for your organization, and the type of return your will see on your e-learning investment.

Let's start with training for compliance. This type of WBT typically has little to no interactivity, media stimulus and is primarily text and graphic based. The training will be relevant since it is of a regulatory nature and in most cases the employee's job will be dependent on staying in compliance. The outcome for this type of training is for the student to be able to recall information for the test and pass. The return on investment is the employee keeps their job and the company does not incur penalties or fines for lack of compliance.

Changing behavior requires a different approach. In order to successfully change behavior the employee must successfully transfer knowledge learned to on the job skills. This brings me back to the key points I mentioned at the beginning of the article, deliver in small easily digestible learning chunks, make the content interactive, relevant and easy to use. Mix in some media stimulus and you're on your way to engaging and effective e-learning which maximizes ROI. Returns could be a safer workplace, consistent customer service, a defined sales process and of course compliance, on paper and in practice.

Before you begin your next online course project ask yourself, "Is my goal to simply be in compliant?" or "Is my goal to actually change behavior?"

While working with a new client something very interesting was brought to my attention. The foundation for e-learning was built far before the technology was even available. In 1969 author Edgar Dale presented what is called the cone of learning which is a visual representation of how we retain information. The basic principle of the Cone of Learning is, "We tend to remember our level of involvement." We only comprehend 10-50% of what we are taught through passive learning mediums like reading, lecture or even watching a movie.

On the other hand active learning methods such as participating in discussion, simulation of real experience and of course doing the real thing are the most effective ways to actually comprehend something over a significant period of time. These activities achieve comprehension rates up to 90% over a two week period. The corporate training world does not allow us to put all of our employees through "the real thing."

There are a number of legitimate reasons for this, cost and safety are the first that come to mind. However, if you look right above doing the real thing on the cone you will find that the next best thing is simulation of real experience, which is where expertly developed e-learning fits the bill. I have said it before, simulation based training where the user has to make consequence based choices is by far the most effective way to teach people something short of doing it themselves. You could argue that for the purpose of corporate training it is better because in the simulation mistakes are made in a virtual environment rather that in the real world where it can cost companies millions of dollars in losses and fines.

The principles have been the same for 40 years, what has changed is the ability to cost effectively distribute these principles to the masses.

Getting staff to learn new skills and gain knowledge relating to their job, and also helping them progress either within an existing role or progress within a company could be seen to be costly in time and financial resources, as well as having an impact on productivity. But this is often not the case, especially when employees study with an established learning provider or college online.

Thanks to the technological innovations of the Virtual Learning Environment, students can now benefit from a range of web based applications such as web cast classes in real time, forums and course management and information, in a seamless and easy to use online accessible platform.

One important factor for employers to consider when thinking about online learning for staff is that many employees are keen to learn new skills in order to get more from their career. This will have great benefits in the workplace, giving staff the time to develop and put their skills form online learning into practice.

Time too can be seen as a costly expenditure, especially if employees are taking paid time off work. But when considering that the time taken off work can improve performance thanks to the online learning of new skills, techniques and responsibilities it can pay for itself many times over.

As online learning has increasingly become the study mode of choice for a range of employers, courses such as online business degrees and courses in Internet Marketing have been developed especially with work based learners' needs. Online colleges understand that their students will have professional and /or family commitments.

Most courses delivered online by colleges and learning providers that are tailored for students who are work-based will be ideal for employers looking to improve the skills of their workers. This is because online learning is an interactive, engaging and informative way to learn the same subjects offered by traditional 'walk in' colleges.

With easy ways of communication, making use of e-mail, mobile and other communications technologies, students of online learning can expect to get the same level of communication with teachers as a traditional college - but without the hassle of having to arrange in-person meetings or having to get to a college.

The e-learning revolution has seen a wave of new educational technologies that can be applied to online learning, with studying and information dissemination having a greater impact on students in full time or part time employment. Students can relate directly to their work and improve on it not just after the course has ended, but throughout the course.

Online learning for employers is made more attractive thanks to the demonstrative benefits of the Virtual Learning Environment, which can involve the employer in the application of new skills learnt by their staff, as they are aware of not just what the students are learning, but how they are learning.

Virtual Learning Environments for employers considering online education have made accessing quality education more affordable and more beneficial to all.

Do you want to pursue a course in forensic nursing but do not have the time to attend classes? Here is an easy option for you - Online education in Forensic Nursing. If you live in a far away place and find it difficult to commute to your university or you could not get into the university of your choice or if you want to work or pursue a different course along with your forensic nursing course then you can go for online forensic nursing degrees.

Many universities have come up with their online courses. Some websites are working in collaboration with some of the major universities and educational institutions to provide online education to aspiring forensic nurses. A number of courses are available online. You can select the one that suits you the best and go for it. The best thing about online degrees is that they provide you study hour flexibility. Online studies are mostly self-study. You are provided the study material. You can attend classes online and take part in discussions. You can mail your queries to the faculty and get answers immediately. Teachers and faculty are available online all twenty four hours so you can study when you want to. Once a while you got to take tests as well but that too depends on you. You can take the tests whenever you think you are prepared for it.

The subject names and courses differ for all universities but they are essentially the same. Different universities providing online courses have different facilities. Some provide you a certain period of internship training after completion of the course. You should find out as much as you can about the various degrees offered online by various universities on their websites. Find out about their course material, facilities provided, study hours and fee structure. Some employers reimburse your education fees while some offer scholarship. Find out about the online course and the university that you are going to join is covered under any such schemes.

Some of the universities offering online courses are:

Duquesne University

Offers courses like Master of Science and post master of science in nursing with emphasis on forensic nursing. The Cyril H. Wecht Institute of Duquesne University offers specialized courses in Forensic Science and Law

University of California Riverside, Extension:

It offers Comprehensive Certificate course in Forensic Nursing online.

Kaplan College

Recently Kaplan College has recently launched its programs in forensic nursing. It offers Forensic Nursing certificate and Legal Nurse Consultant Certificate.

American Forensic Nurse in Collaboration with University of California has launches several online certificate courses and programs in forensic nursing. This institute offers SANE- A (sexual assault nurse examiner- adolescent/adult) certificate courses, online certificate program in forensic nursing, DNA identification and other such courses.

Online degrees hold as much importance as any regular degree. You can get your degree while sitting at home. You can also take admission in the institution or course of your choice without having to consider restrictions of time and distance.

Distance learning and flexible learning are both popular and practical thanks to colleges and other learning providers using the Internet to deliver quality degree courses. Essentially, colleges have adapted to suit the needs of students, who often find it preferable to study online whilst continuing in their careers and family responsibilities. The way in which education organisations have adapted to deliver degree programmes online is based on technological developments and applying a range of philosophies and theories all geared to giving students the best tuition and support around their work and family commitments.

What colleges and learning institutions have found is that although the Internet is an easy to use and very useful tool in distance learning and for online degrees, the way in which it used, and the presentation and organisation of learning materials online is important for students to be able to get the information they need in an accessible way.

The various features and resources of online degree programmes, such as online business degrees and online management courses, can be collectively defined as Virtual Learning Environments or VLEs. Approaching delivering degree programmes online by considering the VLE, colleges can build and develop learning resources based around the philosophy that the student can access all the necessary course information, classes, and teaching staff via such a Virtual Learning Environment.

The specific aspects of each VLE depend on the nature of the subject of study, whether it is an online degree in Internet marketing, or a distance learning foundation degree. Because students with professional or family commitments need more flexibility when they choose to study, the VLE is an ideal Internet platform that can offer students learning resources and features at a time that suits them.

Colleges that adopt a VLE for their distance learning courses also appreciate the needs of students that choose flexible learning as their chosen academic route, and therefore will have adapted courses, and the way in which courses are delivered, according to those needs.

As well as the innovation of online degree programmes, colleges as a whole have become more 'customer focused' and devote much time to finding out how better to cater for students with a range of specific needs. It is this philosophy that has seen colleges adapt to provide online courses and flexible learning in a seamless way.

Staff are especially trained to use the VLEs to present course information and syllabuses, deliver classes and provide learning resources in a clear and accessible way. Importantly, the VLE enables clear and easy communication amongst teacher and learner, and amongst learners, through Internet classes in real time, forums and email. Many VLEs use mobile media such as mobile telephones to provide information and communication for staff and students.

Colleges have not only adapted their outlook to use the Internet in delivering online degrees, but pioneered the concept of distance and flexible learning using the web and other types of e-learning in delivering quality online courses for students.

If you are eligible to start you online MBA course in University of Phoenix, how does it feel?

You might be over-excited and you can't wait to face the new challenges of your new course. It feels like a major breakthrough in your life as this could be the crucial step of improving your current status quo.

What should you do before registering to an online program in one of the top accredited business schools?

Once you have enrolled to this program, you will have to attend one 3-credit class for six weeks and optionally a week off before the next 3-credit course begins. This enables you to have time-flexibility to handle your time between work and study and it is recommended that you take one course at a time. In order to have full credit, you are required to have active participation in each class discussions for four or five days per week.

Try your best to keep yourself occupied during weekends as you need to allocate your time for wrapping assignments in which the dateline is generally at the end of each week. It takes perseverance and hard work to finish your assignments which are taken into account for the course assessment marks.

For an online MBA course, you need a computer and an internet connection as all class communication takes place in the newsgroup in which required Outlook Express for access. When you enter into the newsgroup, you will be able to start a course discussion; or obtain course materials, presentations, and other learning tools.

The facilitator guides the students in discussions when necessary, but for the most part allows the students to learn from each other's experiences. You have to put a lot of extra effort to excel in your studies.

Most of us could not stand long hours looking at monitor screen. It is interesting that you will be able to communicate with your facilitators and your classmates during class discussions about case study in which reflects real business situations. It can help you to develop values of a remarkable business leader.

You must be wondering whether all of the business schools require Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) results as their course requirement. Some schools only accept candidates who have certain GMAT score in which selection of candidates are based on GMAT score, academic qualifications and working experiences.

In spite of that, University of Phoenix offers online MBA course that does not requite GMAT. This university acknowledges candidates based on their undergraduate GPA as GPA requirement is a better predictor for admission of business administration post-graduate program.

In order to get into a graduate program, you must have an undergraduate degree from a nationally accredited college or university and a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) as listed on the bachelor's degree transcript.

If you are from other countries - perhaps you should seek advice first from their admissions counselors. Normally, your admission can only be accepted if your local institute is internationally accredited and the lectures that you attended previously were conducted fully in English. If you are from non-native English-speaking countries, then you are required to have TOEFL qualification before continuing your tertiary education at one of the top online business schools.

Besides that, the University of Phoenix also requires candidates to have at least three years in the workforce and active employment in order to immediately apply concepts and provide insight during the online classes. This enables candidates to have active participation on class discussions regarding case studies in which candidates are required to apply business concepts with the assistance of their course facilitator (or a.k.a. course lecturers) - as if they are dealing with business tasks or problems in the real dynamic business world.