EDUCATION BLOG

Eighteen GED and high school diploma students graduate via adult education program in Rockport (Camden Herald)
ROCKPORT — Eighteen students have earned diplomas through the Five Town CSD Adult & Community Education program since June 2006. On Thursday, May 24, the program hosted a graduation ceremony and reception for GED and High School diploma recipients and their guests.
Source: www.mainecoastnow.com

We have just come back from the Thanksgiving break. We have eight more class days before Dead Day, then final exams. Everyone is ready to end the semester, break for Christmas, and then come back for the Midwinter session and the Spring semester. Students are finishing their research papers and preparing for finals. It's crunch time for everyone...students and faculty. What a relief when the semester ends, grades are filed, and students have graduated.

By Savia Rajagopal-Shah 

Are distance education programmes really adding to your resume? Or should you reconsider the benefits of a full-time programme? Here’s weighing the options... 

Short on time

With time at a premium, and a multitude of tasks to accomplish, do you find yourself wondering if you’ll ever head back to school again? Your answer could be a programme offered through distance education. Many believe it’s a heaven-sent – and why not? You can work and earn a degree at the same time! 

First person

Why do correspondence programmes find so many takers? Shanta Nair, a banking and finance professional, fills us in, “I wanted to work immediately, but it was also important that I pursue higher education. Correspondence education was the answer! A mere graduate degree gets you nowhere nowadays.”    

On the right track

Though much maligned for adding no real value to your resume, Deepak Deshpande, Head, Human Resources, Lionbridge Technologies Pvt Ltd, India, debunks that theory about distance education. “Having a distance education degree sends out a strong message to the interviewers (about the interviewee), showing a eagerness to learn, quick learning skills, a desire to grow and the willingness to walk that extra mile,” he confides.  

The pros

So you are working and think you can gain more from these programmes? You’re RIGHT! Many experts feel that working professionals are more equipped to apply classroom theory to real-life situations.  Pick correspondence courses if:

·      You are looking to upgrade your existing skill set

·      You want a professional qualification that boosts your market value

·      You want to make a serious career switch and need validation in the form of a degree. 

The cons

Like it or not, in the case of freshers, employers still prefer full-time students, picked straight off the campus. When it comes to the moolah, the pay packages you receive as a ‘correspondence’ student might be lower than that for those with conventional qualifications.  Those considering full-time studies have added benefits at hand such as:

·      Building teamwork, honing communication skills

·      Inculcating other key skills such as leadership, interpersonal skills, etc

·      Building a network with industry people and other peers. 

How far will it get you?

Although distance education programmes find many takers, do they really add value to your resume? YES! Deshpande affirms that there has been a shift in popular thinking, adding, “Academic qualifications through distance education mode are now widely accepted.” But, he cautions, “When hiring laterally, distance education qualifications are accepted, though the first choice would still be conventional full-time degrees unless the candidate with a background in distance education scores on other parameters.”  

Before choosing a distance education programme, know that…

·      Vocational/ professional courses are preferred, for example, BEd, MBA, PhD, MCA, BTech, MSc and a host of certificate and diploma courses.

·   The institute has accreditation that is valid and certified by the regulating educational authority. 

The final word

In today’s world, we’re lucky because distance education is no longer viewed as a drawback. Consider it a blessing and go ahead, take the distant route! 

(Opinions quoted in the above article are those of individuals alone and not of the organisations they may be associated with) 

Yes, I finally own an iPod.  No, I didn't own one prior to this point in time.

Shocked?

I had to buy an iPod so I could continue taking courses at CCEF via distance education.  And "excited" doesn't seem to do it justice.

You see, I had resigned myself to the fact that it was just too far to drive 2 hours one way, one day a week to take a class.  But now...the courses I need to take are available via distance ed.!  When I found out that the Marriage & Family course (taught by Winston Smith) was being offered for the first time in June, I signed up almost immediately!  (Of course, I had to talk it over with Hubby first, and he lovingly obliged.)

I know, I know.  I'm a huge nerd.  I absolutely love school.  And even better--this is school for a subject that I simply love to learn more about: counseling.

So, I've started listening to the first lecture on my iPod, and wow...I'm remembering why I missed taking these classes so much!

Here's what my brain is "chewing" on right now (yes, a lot of the static has dissipated):

"A person's relationship with God is visible through his/her relationships with other people."

YES!!!!  SO TRUE!

This is not rocket science.  This isn't a completely foreign truth--but I had forgotten it!

This is why Jesus emphasized relationships so much in his teachings while he was here on Earth.  Winston cited the following Scriptures: Matthew 19:16-22 (the rich young ruler), Matthew 22:34-40 (Jesus's summary of the Law), Micah 6:8, Matthew 5:23-24, and Matthew 25: 40.

Our relationship with God is directly reflected in the ways in which we treat other people.  If my relationship with God is based on a works-oriented system, my relationships with other people will be the same.  I will seek their approval at all costs, define my self-worth in their opinions of me, and judge them harshly when they don't meet my own standards and expectations. 

If I don't understand God's forgiveness, I will treat others with graceless rejection, and harbor unforgiveness toward them in my heart.

It makes so much sense!  Stay tuned...

Sorry for the delay in postings. It has been a rough year and things are looking up finally. I hope to be able to get on track and post more about online and distance education. Things are changing rapidly in this field and I have a slew of technological news, e-learning news, etc. to catch up on.

Right now I am still searching for an online teaching position. In the meantime I have arranging for online tutoring for local high school students and getting ready to enter my comprehensive exam process at Capella U. Looking forward to having time to post more for all my faithful readers.

I just emailed a letter to the Dean of the School of Information, Communication and Library Science at SCSU. I had initially sent him an inquiry at least a month ago, and he asked for the issues that I would like to have addressed. With the end of the semester, I had to push it off a bit - and really, I needed some space and some distance from this past semester. Once things quieted down, I began to second guess myself, question whether I wanted to continue to push things, and think about climbing back into my shell and just powering through the rest of the program. I definitely got the impression that several people would be very happy if I just let things go. Fortunately, I had the support of my advisor and with some subtle (so subtle he might even have realized that he was doing so) prodding on his part, I made myself revisit the whole thing. I determined that I needed to say something. We (students) can sit back and complain incessantly about things we think are unfair, wrong or unclear. However, how do people know what is wrong if people don't tell them? I don't want to be someone that just accepts status quo. If they will let me, I want to be an agent of positive change - to make things better - to make the education experience more rewarding. Along with some help from Pink and my new favorite song, U + Ur Hand, I got myself fired up again.

So, it is done. I wrote the letter - and we shall see.

4 out of 5 practicing private detectives agree: Correspondence courses are not worth your time and money.

Don't believe them? I was skeptical too. Honestly, they were the first thing I thought of when I thought of doing private investigations. After all, I had seen dozens of advertisements for them, and when you Google for information on how to get into the business, you will get many different distance learning courses in the first few pages of results. Then I did my due diligence, and the results tend to indicate that the majority is correct. You can decide for yourself, and if you know of more programs, feel free to let me know and I'll add them to the list.

Detective Training Institute (DTI) - For $799, you'll get 35 lessons in 7 units which cover a large number of PI related topics. The guy who runs it does investigations, and the first lesson is actually free for the download so that you can see what it is all about. If you are the type who needs structure but can't put it together yourself, this is probably the course I would recommend. It seems comprehensive, puts a bit of emphasis on field exercises, and is not overly expensive. It is not accredited, so the diploma is mainly for show.

Global School of Investigation (GSI) - For $372, you'll get 25 lessons in 5 units, which again cover a large number of topics. They also offer a downloadable curriculum for $285, and an add-on 12 lessons on cassette for $60. The DTI website specifically points out GSI as being an unethical school, but I haven't looked into that. It is not accredited, so the diploma is again mainly for show, but they also include a badge! Fan-cy (and illegal if you practice in California).

Hodson & Associates Training Seminars - A bit different than the other offerings, Hodson & Associates (a detective agency in LA) provides a series of video seminars, a certificate of completion, and more interestingly, "contact with investigation firms hiring now" for $150.  Whether this is an introduction or a link to a job site is unknown.

Lion Investigation Academy - Now we get into the big bucks. This is a 2 year, 60 credit hour (20 courses), community college style program which costs $3795 and results in the Associate of Specialized Technology degree. Unfortunately this program isn't accredited either, but they get points for having the snazziest-looking diploma, and textbooks are included in the cost. If you don't have four grand, they also offer several certificate courses which focus on specific areas like undercover investigations and cost between $65 and $105 each.

Penn Foster Career School - You know those post cards that fall out of magazines and offer to teach you how to become a locksmith, or a gunsmith, or an interior decorator, or a paralegal? Penn Foster gives you the option of "becoming" a private investigator by taking their 9 month, $1113 course (in California...the rest of the country gets a discount). Some of the pros for this school are that the course qualifies as continuing education if you need CEUs, offers some sort of mentorship program so you might get some experience out of it, and the school is accredited. However, the PI program does not yield a degree of any sort, so you'll have to be happy with the diploma. It is organized into 8 "instruction sets" that cover an apparently very wide ranging set of topics, from homeland security to handwriting analysis to executive protection. Personally, I think it is too wide ranging to be very useful for anything, but what do I know?

PI Mall Free Private Investigation Short Course - I'll bet you think I'm going to tell you that this one, being free, is worth it. Well...I'm not.

Private Investigator and Detective Training School - This $397, unaccredited certificate program includes 3 courses having 2 modules each, with 'labs' that encourage you to practice the skills conveyed.

Professional Career Development Institute (PCDI) - Another all-purpose school, PCDI offers 18 lessons for $918 which cover a wide range of activities, some of which may actually be useful. As Homer Simpson says, "How can I lose!?"

Secrets of Top Private Eyes - This course doesn't pretend to be a school. For your $139, you get 4 hours of video, 400 pages of text, access to a website and a certificate for your troubles. The same group also has some instructional articles here.

Stratford Career Institute - Four modules with a disjointed educational plan for $589. As usual, unaccredited.

NetWebinars - This isn't a correspondence course, but rather an online provider of seminars on PI related topics, like skiptracing, surveillance, pretexting and marketing. Each hour is around $35, and delivered in a very odd way - you see the video online, and receive the audio by telephone. For a couple of dollars more, you can order the presentations on CD or USB drive, but for most of the apparently useful offerings, you must present proof of licensure, so it isn't much use for me and I can't comment on the quality.

As for the tagline, I really did ask 5 practicing PIs whether they thought the online courses (no particular course specified) were useful for someone getting into the biz. One said it couldn't hurt, the others laughed.

In the recently released issue of Educause Quarterly (Volume 30, Number 2, 2007), Stephen R. Ruth, Martha Sammons and Lindsey Poulin examine the current state of distance learning in an article titled "E-Learning at at Crossroads - What Price Quality?" One of the things that I found very helpful about this article is the section with demographic statistics about online learning enrollment in the U.S. - including the fact that there are about 3 million students (out of 17 million total) enrolled in online programs. While a good portion of these students are studying in community college, approximately 1/3 (or 1 million students) are in graduate programs. The authors then go one to look at several areas that they believe will provide significant challenges to distance programs: use of part-time and non-Ph.D.'d instructors, overall quality of programs, incentives for faculty to teach online programs, faculty productivity and an atmosphere of innovation at the administrative level.

The article is worth a read for anyone interested in distance learning. I can say that I honestly wasn't aware that some institutions have a great deal of difficulty getting established faculty to teach online - which can often lead to a greater number of adjunct faculty having to teach the online classes. I was also amazed at the number of students taking classes from non-accredited, online programs. This seems to be a large problem - especially for distance business programs where the top three online programs, in terms of enrollment, are not accredited.

These are exciting times in postsecondary education, and there's probably no issue more significant than the dramatic proliferation of e-learning. The foresight and innovative spirit of academic administrators will determine whether the next few years of e-learning are characterized by discipline, efficiency, and attention to quality—or unbridled growth, decreases in graduation rates, and fragmented service.

Here, they stress the need for an innovative spirit in order for online programs to distinguish themselves. This part caught my attention. Innovation will be the ways the schools and programs distinguish themselves from the crowd. It isn't enough for schools to take their traditional classes and just put them online. In order to succeed in the long run, online programs need to be better.

Some Thoughts on My Program:

SCSU’s MLS program is accredited by the American Library Association - that much I did check before I applied. Fortunately, there is not a significant percentage of adjunct faculty or instructors versus full-time faculty. So far, all of the classes that I have taken have been taught by full-time, tenured instructors that teach both online and face-to-face classes. However, this was not something that I thought to check before I enrolled. I guess students ought to add these items to the list when exploring and comparing distance programs.

These are web resources that I used for my recent paper on the impact of distance education on the academic library for ILS560-College & University Libraries.

College & University Distance Education Websites

• Bluford Library - Services - Distance Education Services - Ferdinand D. Bluford Library at North Carolina Agricultural  and Technical State University - Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• Buley Library - Homepage for Distance Education- Hilton C. Buley Library at Southern Connecticut State University - Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• Distance & Virtual Education Services- Ramsey Library Off-Campus Services - D. Hiden Ramsey Library at University of North Carolina at Asheville - Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• Distance Education - Library - Central Virginia Community College - Central Virginia Community College Library - Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• Distance Education Library Services - Ferris Library for Information, Technology & Education, Ferris State University. Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• Distance Education Library Services- J. Murrey Atkins Library - University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• Distance Education Library Services- McGoogan Library of Medicine - University of Nebraska Medical Center. Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• Distance Education Library Services - The University Center Libraries. Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• Distance Education Library Services - Utah Valley State College Library. Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• Distance Education Library Services - Distance Education - Eastern Kentucky University Libraries - Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• Distance Education Library Services - FAQ - Hamilton Library- Hamilton Library at University of Hawaii at Manoa. Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• Distance Education Library Services - The University of Iowa Libraries. Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• Distance Education Library Services - USU Library- Merrill-Cazier Library - Utah State University. Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• Distance Learning Services - AASU Lane Library - Lane Library - Artmstrong Atlantic State University. Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• Distance Learning Services - UTPB Library - The J. Conrad Donagan Library Online - The University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• ENMU - Academics - Library - Services - Distance Education Library Services - Golden Library at Eastern New Mexico University. Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• IUB Libraries Distance Education Home- Indiana University at Bloomington Libraries. Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• Library Services for Distance Education Students - Calvin T. Ryan Library - University of Nebraska Kearney. Accessed May 4, 2007.
• Newton Gresham Library - Sam Houston State University - Distance Education Services. Accessed May 4, 2007.
• Off-Campus & Distance Education Library Services- Gelman Library - George Washington University. Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• Owens Library Distance Education - Owens Library - Northwest Missouri State University. Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• UT Arlington Library - Services for Distance Learners - The University of Texas at Arlington Library. Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• UW Colleges Distance Education Library Support - University of Wisconsin Colleges Libraries. Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• UW-Eau Claire - McIntyre Library, Distance Education Library Services- University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. Accessed on May 4, 2007.

Other Web Resources

• Distance Education Clearinghouse - University of Wisconsin-Extension. Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• Distance Education Transforming Libraries - - and Librarians. Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• JLSDE- Journal of Library Services for Distance Education - ISSN: 1096-2123 - 1997-1999. Accessed on May 4, 2007.
• UWG - OJDLA- Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration. Accessed on May 4, 2007.

These are the resources the I used for my paper on the impact of distance education on the academic library for ILS560-College & University Libraries earlier this semester.

• ACRL (2004). Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services. American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/acrl/resjune02.html (Accessed on April 13, 2007). 
• Adams, Chris. (1997). The Future of Library Services for Distance Education: What Are We Doing, Where Are We Heading, What Should We Be Doing? Journal of Library Services for Distance Education, 11(1). http://www.westga.edu/~library/jlsde/vol1/1/CAdams.html (Accessed on April 15, 2007). 
• Bancroft, Donna and Susan Lowe. (2006). Helping Users Help Themselves: Evaluating the Off-Campus Library Services Web Site, Journal of Library Administration, 45(1/2), 17-35.
• Black, Nancy E. (2001). Emerging Technologies: Tools for Distance Education and Library Services. Journal of Library Administration, 31(3/4), 45-60.
• Buchanan, Elizabeth A. (2000). Going the Extra Mile: Serving Distance Education Students. Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 3(1) http://www.westga.edu/~distance/buchanan31.html (Accessed on April 19, 2007).   
• Buckstead, Jonathan R. (2001). Developing an Effective Off-Campus LibraryServices Web Page: Don’t Worry, Be Happy! Journal of Library Administration, 31(3/4), 93-107. 
• Butler, John. (1997). From the Margins to the Mainstream: Developing Library Support for Distance Learning. An Occasional Newsletter of the University of Minnesota Libraries. 8(4). http://staff.lib.umn.edu/LibraryLine/LLvol8no4.htm (Accessed on April 19, 2007). 
• Calvert, Hildegund M. (2001). Document Delivery Options for Distance Education Students and Electronic Reserve Service at Ball State University Libraries. Journal of Library Administration, 31(3/4), 109-125. 
• Casado, Margaret. (2001). Delivering Library Services to Remote Students. Computers in LIbraries, 21(4), 31-38.
• Cassner, Mary and Kate E. Adams. (2006). Assessing the Professional Development Needs of Distance Librarians in Academic Libraries, Journal of Library Administration, 45(1/2), 81-99.
• Caspers, Jean, Jack Fritts and Harvey Goover. (2001). Beyond the Rhetoric: A Study of the Impact of the ACRL Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services on Selected Distance Learning Programs in Higher Education. Journal of Library Administration, 31(3/4), 127-148. 
• Coffman, Steve. (2001). Distance Education and Virtual Reference: Where are We Headed? Computers in Libraries, 21(4), 20-25.
• Cooper, Jean L. (2000). A Model for Library Support of Distance Education in the
  USA. Interlending & Document Supply, 28(3), 123-131. 
• Cornell University Library. (1998). Cornell University Library Distance Learning White Paper. http://www.library.cornell.edu/staffweb/Distance.html (Access on April 15, 2007). 
• Croft, Rosie and Nancy Eichenlaub. (2006). E-mail Reference in a Distributed Learning Environment: Best Practices, User Satisfaction, and the Reference Services Continuum, Journal of Library Administration, 45(1/2), 117-147.
• Dewald, Nancy, Ann Scholz-Crane, Austin Booth, and Cynthia Levine. (2000). Information Literacy at a Distance: Instructional Design Issues. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 26(1), 33-44. 
• Dewald, Nancy H. (1999). Transporting Good Library Instruction Practices into the Web Environment: An Analysis of Online Tutorials. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 25(1), 26-32. 
• Gaide, Susan. (2004). Integrated Library Services Boosts Online Recruitment and Retention, Distance Education Report, 8(8), 1-4.
• Gandhi, Smiti. (2003). Academic Librarians and Distance Education: Challenges and Opportunities. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 43(2), 138-154. 
• Getty, Nancy K., Barbara Burd, Sarah K. Burns and Linda Piele. (2000). Using Courseware to Deliver Library Instruction Via the Web: Four Examples. Reference Services Review, 28(4), 349-359. 
• Gibbons, Susan. (2002). Course Management Systems. Library Technology Reports, 41(3), 7-11 
• Gregory, Vicki L. (2003). Student Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Web-based Distance Education. New Library World, 104(1193), 426-431. 
• Hanson, Brian. (December 2, 2001). Distance Learning. CQResearcher, 11(42). Retrieved online at http://library.cqresearcher.com/ (Accessed April 14, 2007). 
• Hines, Samantha Schmehl. (2006). What Do Distance Education Faculty Want from the Library? Journal of Library Administration, 45(1/2), 215-227.
• Hisle, W. Lee (November 2002). Top Issues Facing Academic Libraries: A Report of the Focus on the Future Task Force. College & Research Libraries News, 63(10). http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/crlnews/backissues2002/novmonth/topissuesfacing.htm (Accessed April 14, 2007). 
• Kazmer, Michelle M. (220). Distance Education Students Speak to the Library:Here’s How You Can Help even More. The Electronic Library, 29(5), 395-400. 
• McIsaac, M.S. & Gunawardena, C.N. (1996). Distance Education. In D.H. Jonassen, ed. Handbook of Research for Educational Communications and Technology: A Project of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. 403-437.
  New York: Simon & Schuster. http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/~mcisaac/dechapter/index.html (Accessed April 19, 2007). 
• McLean, Evadne and Stephen H. Dew. (2006). Providing Library Instruction to Distance Learning Students in the 21st Century: Meeting the Current and Changing Needs of a Diverse Community, Journal of Library Administration, 45(3/4), 313-337.
• Moyo, Lesley Mutinta and Ellysa Stern Cahoy. Meeting the Needs of Remote Library Users. Library Management, 24(6/7), 281-290. 
• Nipp, Deanna. (1998). Innovative Use of the Home Page for Library Instruction, Research Strategies, 16(2), 93-102. 
• O’Leary, Mick. (2000). Distance Learning and Libraries. Online, 24(4), 94-96. 
• Painter, Mary Ann. (2005). Library Support for Distance Learning. Distance Education Report, 9(12), 3.
• Peacock, Judith and Michael Middleton. (1999). Mixed Mode Education: Implications for Library User Services. New Library World, 199(1146), 11-19. 
• Reiten, Beth A. and Jack Fritts. (2006). Distance Learning Librarianship Over Time: Changes in the Core Literature, Journal of Library Administration, 45(3/4), 397-410.
• Richard, Debbi. (2006). On the Road Again: Taking Bibliographic Instruction Off Campus, Journal of Library Administration, 45(3/4), 411-425.
• Roccos, Linda Jones. (2001). Distance Learning and Distance Libraries: Where are they now? Journal of Distance Learning and Administration, 4(3). http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall43/roccos43.html. (Accessed on April 20, 2007).
• Stevens, Norman D. (2006). The Fully Electronic Academic Library. College & Research Libraries, 67(1), 5-14. 
• Wang, Chengzhi and Zao Liu. (2003). Distance Education: Basic Resource Guide. Collection Building, 22(3), 120-130. 
• Williams, Pete and David Nicholas. (2005). E-learning: What the Literature Tells us about Distance Education. Aslib Proceedings: New Information Perspectives, 57(2), 109-122. 
• Woolls, Blanche, Ken Dowlin and David Loertscher. (2002). Distance Education: Changing Formats. The Electronic Library, 20(5), 420-424.