Unlike a traditional undergraduate classroom where professors play favorites with jocks and beautiful coeds, all students contribute on equal footing by posting to the discussion boards.

Discussion boards allow all students to participate and see the various opinions of other students. Ideas are sometimes easier to express in writing – avoids fears of public speaking.

Instructors are more accessible to students. Faculty can be reached by instant messenger during virtual office hours, or by email any time of the day or night.

Among major corporations, online degrees have become as respected as traditional campus programs. Over 75% of colleges and universities in the U.S. now offer some online degree curriculum.

Online media provide a wealth of study materials from handouts to notes to audio to video. And more. Traditional college cannot deliver as wide a range of course materials and certainly cannot deliver it as fast.

Many professors at online colleges and universities teach part-time and maintain their standing in the business or professional worlds. Students learn real world tips and make valuable contacts.

Visits to websites, often called web field trips, reinforce course content by showing how the knowledge is applied in business or the “real world”.

Online learning encourages student-centered teaching. Each student has his or her own way of studying and learning that works best. Visual learners and hands on “learn by doing” students can all be accommodated.

Working parents can manage their time to include online classes, no matter how busy their home or business schedules may be. For working adults, online degree programs are often the only viable option for career advancement.

Computer graded true-false or multiple choice tests provide students with instant grades and feedback. Incorrect answers are explained. When you study for finals, you have the correct information to study.

At traditional campus based universities, technology is underused. Lectures have not changed since 14th century Europe when books were rare and expensive. U.S. classrooms have not changed in 100 years. Online universities use every interactive online tool available, and will add more as they are developed.

Online, students often form bonds with students in other parts of the country or even the world that would not otherwise be possible. With chat, IM, and video web cams readily available.

For group projects, online education facilitates team learning by using chatrooms and forums for meetings and joint work.

Caveat: Due to the nature of online education, students must be motivated, self-directed, and have good time-management skills to succeed online.

And, of course, there are no frat parties, rush week, or football games online.

A diversity of degrees and courses is available to students regardless of their physical addresses. Online classes, libraries, and study materials give the rural resident equal footing with metropolitan students.

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by Ransom Stone

A diploma mill, often called a degree mill, is a business organization that confers academic diplomas and degrees which require little or no academic study. Diploma mills are not recognized by any official educational accrediting bodies.

In the United States, accrediting bodies meet the standards set forth by either the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). These educational accrediting organizations then review and award legitimate accreditation to school who apply to meet their standards.

On the other hand, a diploma mill operates without the supervision of a state or professional agency and grants diplomas which are worthless at best due to the lack of school standards, or fraudulent at worst.

Some diploma mills claim accreditation from agencies who are not USDE or CHEA certified to monitor accreditation. Often, the mills themselves create the bogus accrediting agency who then “accredits” the officially unaccredited schools.

Accreditation through dummy accrediting organization lends an air of legitimacy to diploma mills in the eyes of the uninformed.

Some will even claim accreditation through prestigious international organizations like UNESCO, which does not possess the authority to accredit or recognize institutions of higher learning in the United States or anywhere else in the world.

Caveat: Lack of accreditation does not necessarily mean an educational institution is a degree mill. New schools which are applying for educational accreditation can be legitimate. Real accreditation is a tough and lengthy process.

Diploma mills exhibit a number of characteristics which differentiates them from properly accredited institutions of higher learning. Legitimate schools may have some of these characteristics, so you have to remember to look at the big picture.

Diploma mills lack accreditation from USDE or CHEA recognized accrediting organizations. Promotional materials and websites may claim the school is “licensed” or “state authorized” or “state approved”. All that means is that the business has incorporated in a particular state. It has nothing to do with accreditation. Same as the UNESCO ruse.

Does the college have a campus? Just because there is a pretty picture on the website does not mean an actual school exists. Is the address a P.O. Box? Or does the website fail to list an address altogether? Red flags.

At diploma mills, degrees can usually be obtained in a short amount of time - under a month - or even in a few days from the time of enrollment. While legitimate online colleges and universities can award degrees in less time than a residential school (due to year round classes), an unrealistically short program time is a sure bet the degree is fraudulent.

While legitimate online universities may award some credit for well-documented “life experience”, only a bogus institution will award a degree based solely on that life experience.

Check the credentials of the faculty members. If their doctorate degrees were awarded from the same institution where you are applying instead of well-known universities with a long tradition of conferring graduate degrees, you may have a diploma mill.

Another sure sign of a degree mill is charging tuition and fees on a per-degree basis. Real colleges charge on a per-semester, per-quarter, per-course, or per-credit basis.

Even online colleges and universities have facilities like a residential campus. Diploma mills often lack all facilities and personnel necessary to run an educational institution.

If the school is situated in the United States, does it have an .edu top level domain name. This is not absolute, as some diploma mills obtained their .edu extensions before regulations tightened. Many bogus schools will register for domains in other countries even though they serve mostly U.S. students, have no native staff, and offer esoteric programs like astrology and natural healing.

The danger in fake degrees from diploma mills is having unqualified people obtain employment, raises, and promotions by passing off their degrees as legitimate.

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Ransom Stone offers free advice and counseling regarding online colleges, universities, and degree programs from his blog at www.virtualjoefriday.com.

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~ Ransom Stone

Online education, degree programs, and even individual classes are not for everyone. You must be able to work independently, meet deadlines, and be comfortable with the technology.

Online education works best for those individuals who are:

1.self-motivated
2.independent learners
3.fast readers
4.do not procrastinate
5.do not need the stimulation of the classroom
6.have 8 hours per week per course for study
7.comfortable with technology and the Internet
8.self-disciplined
9.able to meet deadlines
10.have good time management skills
11.aggressive and able to reach out when they need help
12.organized
13.mature and self-confident
14.work full-time or part-time
15.parents
16.unable to commute to a residential campus
17.don’t live near a residential campus
18.need a flexible schedule
19.going back to school after a long absence
20.older students who don’t want to share a classroom with teenagers
21.living abroad or travel frequently

The ideal online student is familiar with:

1.web browsers
2.Microsoft Word
3.email
4.attaching files to email
5.proper netiquette
6.file management
7.downloading and installing software
8.researching online
9.completing online forms
10.instant messaging

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Ransom Stone assists students in finding the right online college and university degree programs to fulfill their dreams and goals. Email your questions about online education to rstone@virtualjoefriday.com or visit his blog at www.virtualjoefriday.com for more information.

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by Ransom Stone

Your online bachelors degree won’t earn itself. Prospective employers who require a degree before they will hire you for that dream job don’t care that your husband lost his job, that your children really need you, or that your mother wants you to look after her instead of spending your free time bettering your life.

They don’t even care if your house burned down or your dog died. They just don’t care.

Why?

Because without a degree, they won’t interview you for that position, so they won’t even get a chance to get to know you or to care.

Life will always get in the way. Always. So get used to it.

Let’s get the excuses out of the way:

1.I’m afraid of math.
2.I’m afraid of English and writing.
3.I’m afraid I’ll look like an idiot.
4.If I fail, everyone will know.
5.I don’t want to give up family time.
6.I don’t want to spend the money.
7.My job really isn’t so bad.
8.My income isn’t so bad.
9.If I can do the job without a degree, someone might hire me anyway.
10.I will start in the spring.
11.I will start in the fall.
12.My wife doesn’t want me to leave her behind.
13.My husband doesn’t want me to leave him behind.
14.My mother is in the hospital.
15.I’m too busy.
16.I don’t have the money.
17.My friends won’t like me anymore.
18.My kids need me.
19.House arrest makes it hard to attend.
20.My dog ate my application.
21.No, really, my dog did die.

Ransom Stone assists students in finding the right online college and university degree programs to fulfill their dreams and goals. Email your questions about online education to rstone@virtualjoefriday.com or visit his blog at www.virtualjoefriday.com for more information.

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To the online college, your requesting information means that you are ready to start school – today if possible. You will get calls, dozens of calls, from a number of schools.

Why? Because if you filled out the PIF at any place other than the specific school you want to attend, your information is being sold to dozens of online universities. And you were the one who put his or her phone number on the form.

For example, if you requested information on an IT program, your personal information will be sold to every school with a computer degree even remotely related to what you are interested in.

Don’t PIF an info request unless:

1.you have a High School Diploma or GED

2. you are ready to begin classes now – when the next session begins – not next year

3.you have at least $100 in a checking account or available on a credit card to make a small investment in your education

4.if you are interested in federal student aid from the U.S. Department of Education to finance your degree, you have your 2007 income tax form (1040) and your driver’s license handy

5.if you are single, under 25, and have no children, you have your parents and their 1040 available to fill out their part of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

6.you know what online degree program you wish to apply for – and why

Online education is not for everyone. You need to be self-directed, self-mo