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I met a young lady in Lordsburg, New Mexico, when I got held up for 2 days because of that 2" snow on my way back from San Diego, that wrote coursework for the University of Phoenix. That was the highlight of my 2 days in Lordsburg. She also had a huge Doberman Pinscher.
I know this, but the statement stands. There are a lot of universities going the online route. Many of them are respected universities, such as Harvard and George Washington. Unfortunately, there are going to be degree mills like that one in San Francisco that was broken up a year or two ago. The only problem right now with brick & mortar schools going into this new frontier in education is the lack of degree programs in anything not business, health, and education related (those are the most common offered). Very few liberal arts or engineering.Originally Posted by Saint Greg
They aren't totally online. I know a guy who is working on a masters degree there. He attends actual classes at the boardwalk....above O'Brien's Pub
My friend just started an online degree program at Tech in Health Information Management.
Acually JuBru, they have been around for quite some time. University of Maryland University College (UMUC) is the first that comes to mind. They have been the largest provider of distance learning over the years and with the introduction of the PC and internet have expanded their reach. Moreover, online learning opportunities allow those that can’t attend traditional “brick and mortar” universities a venue so they can get those degrees without having to get off of work or take a sabbatical. Now with that said…obviously the classroom is still the king and given the choice, most adult learners would rather attend the class in person rather than virtually. I say ADULT because the online programs originally came about to target that audience.
But like some traditional schools out there, there are online schools/degree programs that aren’t worth the .hml/xml they are written on. The so called “diploma mills” exist in both! It comes down to the individual taking the time and initiative on their part to do their homework to make sure that the programs they enroll in are accredited by one of the 6 regionally accrediting agencies and if nationally accredited, they are legit and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
But the bottomline is…regardless of the avenue an individual takes to get a degree/certification, they will only get out of it what they put into it! And I do have to agree that some degree programs offered are very limited in scope and some do not lend themselves very well to an online/virtual classroom. Could you imagine a doctor or dentist cutting on you that received their degree from an online med/dental school? Not on me in this lifetime!
But, I can’t believe that there are limited liberal arts degrees. I thought that I read a Newsweek or US News and World Report article a few months back that had a listing of the best online liberal arts programs in the nation and it had quite a few offering from some highly regarded schools and not just from the University of Phoenix’ of the world.
A lot of y'all were excited about joining the LSU system and being separated from the other schools in the Univ of LA system. Now they're talking about leaving us where we are and merging with Shreveport--changing their system, not ours. And y'all are ok with that?
I was talking about the traditional brick and mortar schools that offer online programs. Most of the schools I've researched offer MBA's, nursing, and education degrees. There are a few out there that offer liberal arts and engineering, but the percentage is much smaller than those that offer business, health, and education degrees. I've looked at a lot of universities throughout the United States, and UK, roughly 300, and those are the most common offered. I would put it at at least a 80/20 split.
I know there are a lot of websites out there that deal with this type of stuff, but they all share the same wrong information. Thinking of making my own that would actually help.
Here's my point. The future is more than bricks and mortar. There is some distance learning that can be done online and we need to make sure Tech is up to snuff in making those types of courses of study available.
Here's a thought I have, why print textbooks when you have more modern versions of the colorful Kindle Fire coming down the pipe? I mean, heck, these generations won't read a newspaper, so why stop there . . . .
Louisiana Tech University
Flagship of the University of Louisiana System
It is sad to think that there will one day be a generation of Tech engineering students that will never know what it feels like to walk from the Hut-Cottingham parking lot to Bogard Hall with a day's worth of engineering textbooks strapped to their back.
Jordan Mills on choosing Tech:
“It’s a great experience seeing them play. It was a good atmosphere. The fans stood up the whole game and never sat down. They have a great fan base.”
Tech has taken a step in the right-direction with the Global Campus, but their choices are slim with only 8 (6 masters, 2 bachelors) degrees offered. Tech needs to get their name out there, and they haven't done a great job with that.
There are a lot of books offered as downloadable books. But the programs the books are available on kind of suck. Search features are useless, marking is useless, everything is pretty much useless. I've used 5 different programs and not one was user-friendly or workable in any way other than reading like a normal book.
Most of today's engineering graduates don't have any concept of what a slide rule on your belt feels like much less know how to use one!!!
I can still see that gigantic slide rule hanging on the wall in the slide rule classroom on the first floor of Bogard Hall! Had to have a Post slide rule. All others weren't as cool!
Believe it or not, I had to learn a slide rule senior year in HS. In fact the last class at Hot Springs HS to do so, as the ol' HP monster pocket calculators arrived on the scene. (guess it was my penalty for taking HS calculus class even though I never planned to ever use whatever I learned from that class . . . .:icon_wink.
But I digress. The bricks and mortar merger is a major accomplishment for ol' Lolly Polly. I was just looking at the next generation . . .
Louisiana Tech University
Flagship of the University of Louisiana System
HP? Mine was a Texas Instruments Sr-11 and I couldn't use it until I showed my work with the slide rule! For what it's worth, My arm was in a cast because I broke it while playing football and I used the slide to scratch my arm by sliding it down the cast to get to that itch I had!
If DR and LA Tech are smart, they'll incorporate Cisco Telepresence Technology into their classrooms. It would be perfect for this Ruston-Shreveport merger. A professor could be teaching in either location and the class could be broadcast INTERACTIVELY in REAL TIME in the other city.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVOk2uzLO-w
This isn't like watching your TV or some video on your laptop. The student in Shreveport will be able to see and hear the teacher in Ruston, and ask questions in real time, and the teacher in Ruston can see and hear the student in Shreveport.
HD
...always the salesman! Good idea!
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