Art courses, programs and degrees online

Art Institute Online general information pages.

Art Institute Online – Special Rates for Military Servicemembers.

Thomson Education Direct has programs in applied Computer Science, AutoCad, Desktop Publishing and Design, E-Commerce Administration, Electrical Engineering Technician, Electronics Technician, PC Maintenance and Repair, VisualBasic.net, Visual C#.net, Web Programmer, Internet Multimedia and Design, Computer Graphic Artist.

Westwood College Online has a program in Computer Animation.

Accounting Courses, Programs and Degrees Online

baker College Online Master's Programs – MBAs in Accounting, Computer Information Systems, Finance, Business, Health Care Management, Human Resources Management, Industrial Management, International Business, Leadership Studies, Marketing.

University of Phoenix Online single courses in Accounting, Finance, Leadership and Ethics, Statistics.

University of Phoenix Online single courses in Accounting and Teaching Certification.

University of Phoenix Online Bachelors in Business Accounting, Business Administration, E-Business, Business Management, Business Marketing, Criminal Justice, Human Services Management, IT, Management, Nursing.

St. Leo University AA and BA in Accounting, Management and Health Care Management.

Thomson Education Direct Business Programs in Accounting, Bookkeeping, Business Management, Finance, Small Business Ownership, Home Inspector.

Rapid spread of MyDoom worm

An update from Reuters on the MyDoom worm spreading rapidly.

This from an Educause listserv. For information on EDUCAUSE publications, go here.

NATIONAL CYBER alert SYSTEM OFFERS CYBER ALERTS, ADVICEThe U.S. government has announced a new cyber alert system to try to minimize the effects of computer threats such as the recent Mydoom virus. According to Amit Yoran, director of the Department of Homeland Security's cyber security division, the goal of the system is to spread information as quickly as possible to prevent cyber attacks from proliferating as rapidly as Mydoom and others, including the SoBig and Slammer worms. Yoran said the new system is intended to augment other warning systems from private firms. Users who are interested can sign up for the service . Alerts will be sent by e-mail and also posted to the Web site. Those who sign up will also receive information about how to secure their computers. Reuters, 28 January 2004

Culinary Courses – Top Culinary Programs

Too many cooks spoil the broth? Perhaps not enough …Culinary workers are again a hot commodity, at least in California, according to this California Jobs Journal story from December.

I've always entertained the idea of going into culinary Arts, and even took a semester of courses at one point in my varied academic career. Though the hours are long, and the work is tough, eventually if you become a chef or top assistant, you could launch a small business entrepreneurship of your own. I've seen some great successes, as well as sputtering failures at this, but it is worth the risk. By coupling your culinary studies with management skills, you can one day open your own restaurant – whether you are in Los Angeles or Lima – it all depends on innovation, marketing, appropriate atmosphere, some luck, and above all – great food.

In Las Vegas, mostly known for sin and glitz, you'll also find a large community of chefs. All those buffets take a lot of work, and a lot of workers. Here is a story from American Prospect about Sin City's claim as a worker's paradise with a strong hotel worker's union.

The hotel workers' union boosted wages and transformed dead-end jobs into middle-class careers in the very belly of the casino economy.

Not so far away from these locales (well, Lima is a bit of a stretch) Arizona Culinary and Westwood College offer programs on-campus only at this time. If you are near these or are interested, you can find more information here.

If you want to study up on a life in culinary arts before diving into the pot, here are a couple books that you should check out.

This, about the crème de le crème of culinary schools, the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) … The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America, by Michael Ruhlman.

The Values of Good Food by Corby Kummer looks at the culinary movement as a philosophy of life.

And lastly, if you want to find out if you can cook something more substantial than a pot of boiling water, here is one of the supreme sites for recipes and all things gastronomic …Epicurious.

Epicurious also has a great resource about the best culinary programs, courses and learning opportunities.

IT, the Candidates and Employment Predictions

Articles of note …

Information Technology and the Presidential Candidates

From CIO magazine, Where the Candidates Stand …

Technology policy ought to be topic number one (or two, or at least three) on the campaign trail, considering its importance to the economy and everyday life. Understandably, candidates are talking about jobs and the mess in Iraq instead.Also from CIO, Training Key to Keeping Jobs in U.S., Grant Gross interviews Representative Sherwood Boehlert who heads the House Science Committee about funding technology innovation and issues in technology related education.

In a Motley Fool article A Revolution in Education, three Virginia colleges are banding together to declare financial independence from the cash-strapped state budget in order to raise tuition as they choose. Tight budgets around the country should open the market to better choices in economical education, including supplementing or taking entire programs online.

This trend bodes well for private educators like Corinthian Colleges (Nasdaq: COCO) and Apollo Group (Nasdaq: APOL) (owner of also-publicly-traded University of Phoenix Online (Nasdaq: UOPX), as well as The Washington Post Company (NYSE:WPO) subsidiary, Kaplan.

Each is currently free cash flow positive and, in some cases, five-year annual growth rates are astounding. (Corinthian, for example, boasted 53% sales growth last fiscal year over the prior year, and 37.2 % annual compounded sales growth over five years!)Lastly, the California Job Journal has a number of future predictions for the job market …

Imagine one day employers bidding for workers in online auctions, work schedules set by the year vs. the week, and colleges offering a degree program in generational mediation.

Criminal Justice Online Courses

"If you live outside the law you must be honest" – bob dylan

Current and future likings to Dick Tracy and Sherlock Holmes are more likely to be logged online than glued down to a bar stool getting tips from the local hoods. Now the local hoods are 'virtually' everywhere.

Here is an article from ComputerWorld, 22 January 2004 about the current state of identity theft.

FTC Reports Identity Theft, Fraud Still Rising

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission released statistics showing that identity theft and fraud cost Americans in excess of $400 million in 2003 as scam artists took advantage of the Internet to find new targets. The FTC said it received more than 500,000 consumer complaints in 2003, with identity theft topping the list at 215,000 complaints, up 33 percent from 2002. Internet-related fraud was responsible for more than half the remaining complaints, with auction fraud the most prevalent form of Internet scam.For those interested in a career in law enforcement, as well as in the computer and Internet realm, mixing computer science degrees and criminal justice may offer a package to future employers that fits a niche needing to be filled. Here are a couple online university programs that offer criminal justice courses.

Kaplan Online Criminal Justice

University of Phoenix Single Course Criminal Justice Programs

Online Computer Science Degrees

The Creative ClassShe blinded me with computer science …

In his book The Rise of the Creative Class, one of the groups Richard Florida writes about is the well educated hip, young, tech savvy professionals that have been driving the dot com and tech economy since the mid-90s. While much of the dot com boom was a bomb, there is still limitless potential in computer related fields. In some ways you have to be lucky, in the right place at the right time. But to put yourself in that place, getting the right education is key.

With the increasing use of computers and the Internet, the demand for computer scientists has risen dramatically and looks set to continue. The depth and breadth of employment opportunities continues to expand in response to demand for computerized solutions. A multitude of subjects come under the general ' Computer Science' umbrella, which in itself is a misnomer as many of these subjects can be creative and artistic in nature.

In an review of the year ahead, IEEE Spectrum Online looks at Technology Trends for 2004 and says the tech sector is turning around. Here is an excerpt …

Biomolecular engineering is hot, the tech sector is turning around, and the United States will continue to dominate high-tech R&D in the coming decade. So say the IEEE Fellows in the second annual 2004 IEEE Technology Leaders Survey.The subjects from which to choose from within the Computer Science field can vary to suit virtually every personal taste and skill set. While all prospective students will need to be reasonably computer literate, possessing an expert level of knowledge is not a requirement.

CIO Magazine agrees that the boom is not over, and that even though many IT jobs have left the country for places like India, the U.S. will still be on top especially in high-level strategy, design and implementation. Here is a portion of the article, which points to the limitless sky (and wide variety of work locations … all you need to be is linked up).

By the year 2010, Intel CIO Doug Busch envisions himself managing an IT staff that's all over the map, literally. Not only will his employees be working in places ranging from Rio Rancho, N.M., to Parsippany, N.J., in the United States, they'll also reside in Beijing, Leixlip, Haifa, Penang and a host of other locations Busch has never even been to. Each spot will specialize in a particular area of expertise for the company's IT department-call centers in Manila, business analysis at company headquarters in Santa Clara, application development in Mumbai. And a full roster of career opportunities-from entry level to senior leadership-will exist at each and every location.Those that want to express themselves creatively can choose from a number of design courses such as Computer Aided Design (CAD), Graphic Design, Computer Game Design, Computer animation, Web Design, or Multimedia Development for example. For those who are more interested in the technical aspects there is Computer Programming, Network Engineering and Systems, Computer Analyst, IT Security, Robotics, Military Applications, Cryptanalyst, and Software Development to name but a few.

In addition, most of these roles need to be managed within organizations, so if your skill set lies more on the organizational side then some of the following might appeal: Computer Systems Manager, Computer Systems Officer (Military), Computing Services Manager, or even Cyber Café Manager/Owner.

Here are a few schools which offer your standard computer science oriented degrees …

ACCIS (American College of Computer and Information Sciences)
Clark University's Computer Career Institute
Westwood Online – Computer NetworksWestwood Online – Software EngineeringWestwood Online – Computer Network ManagementOn the creative side, there are many out there.

An article in Metropolis Magazine looks at the best case and worst case scenarios for the future and talks to a few hip urbanists, designers, etc.

Here are a few online programs I am aware of.

Art Institute Online has a Game Art and Design program.

Adult Education offers a course in Design.

Here is one from Thomson Education in Design.

Westwood Online offers one in Graphic Design & Multimedia, as well as one in Animation.

Ellis College

Ellis College is the online college of the New York Institute of Technology. Developed in association with Columbia Business School, Stanford University, The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, Carnegie Mellon, and The London School of Economics and Political Science, Ellis College provides 50 years of experience in higher education.

Recently, Ellis College has added extra M.B.A. concentrations. Specializations include:

Accounting and Information Systems
E-Commerce
Finance
Global Management
Health Care Administration
Human Resources Management
Leadership
Management of Information Systems
Management of Technology
Marketing
Professional Accounting
Project Management
Risk Management
Strategy and Economics

To request more information, link here.

New undergraduate programs are also offered by Ellis College. Aimed at providing flexible and personal education, these programs hope to engage students through learning by doing while using the latest technologies.

Here are the new undergraduate programs.

Bachelor of Science – Business Administration (BSBA), programs include:
Finance General Management Human Resources Management
International Business Marketing
Management of Information Systems Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Bachelor of Science – Accounting (BSA), programs include:
Managerial Accounting
Professional Accounting

Interdisciplinary Studies Program: Bachelor of Science Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Professional Studies, programs include:
Behavioral Sciences
Business
Communication Arts
Computer Science
English
Hospitality Management
Humanities
Labor Relations
Math/Physics
Social Sciences
Technical Writing
Technology
Telecommunications Management

For any of these undergraduate programs and the MBA's highlighted above, admissions representatives can be contacted by following this link.

Online Education: From Iraq to the Inner City

A couple articles of interest …

This from the BBC, 20 January 2004 … IRAQI ACADEMICS STAY CONNECTED WITH TECHNOLOGYAfter years of suppression under Saddam Hussein's regime, some Iraqi academics are using the Internet to reconnect with colleagues now scattered around the world and to rebuild the country's largely crippled education system. Iraqi scientist Abduljabbar al-Wahedi has set up a Web site where academics can connect with each other and with universities and students in Iraq. According to al-Wahedi, members of the Web group who left the country are encouraged at least to travel back to Iraq and lecture at the universities, and some have decided to move back to Iraq permanently. Some universities in the country still lack e-mail access, but al-Wahedi said his group hopes to connect all of Iraq's universities by the end of the year.With Iraq's infrastructure being rebuilt, some young Iraqis who can't get the funding to come to the U.S. to study may want to try studying at a virtual university. There are a number of online international programs out there. Here are a couple …

Jones International University- MABC

Jones International University General

University of Phoenix International ProgramsAnd the Chronicle of Higher Education, 20 January 2004 (sub. req'd) … WIRELESS HIGH-SPEED ACCESS FOR DETROIT'S POOR RESIDENTSThe University of Michigan at Ann Arbor is working on a project to bring wireless high-speed Internet access to residents of poor areas in Detroit. Commercial ISPs often bypass less affluent urban areas due to an expected lack of return on the investment required to establish necessary infrastructure. Working with nonprofits and religious institutions in the area, the Center for Urban Innovation at the university's School of Social Work hopes to bring wireless access to Detroit's poor communities for as little as $100 per year, per customer. In addition to high-speed access, residents of affected areas will also be able to take computer-training courses. The project involves setting up several large antennas as well as smaller repeaters to cover currently unserved areas. According to Larry M. Gant, director of the project, wireless was chosen because of its relatively low cost. Gant also defended the technology as being fairly simple to secure, as long as people take the time to lock down their systems.

With this service to Detroit's poor, it only makes sense that they should be given better access to the education possibilities which will help lift them out of poverty. Why not online technology hubs, or virtual universities in the inner cities? Other than grants and Student Loans, these students are often stuck in the inner cities due to poor elementary education, societal ills, and cultural restrictions. What better way is there to get around prejudice, discrimination and biased perceptions which often surround the poor than through a virtual online university?

There is an old (a few years at least) saying that ' No one knows you are a dog on the Internet'

Nor do they know if you are poor, a minority, or physically disadvantaged.

Here are a few major online universities from where to start a search for online education whether you live in the pits or on top of a mountain.

Adult Education Theme SiteAspen UniversityCapella UniversityEllis CollegeDeVry University

Keiser College eCampusKennedy-WesternNorwichRegis UniversityJacksonville UniversityUniversity of LiverpoolWestwood College Online

Breaking the Information Technology Glass Ceiling

According to studies and news items over the last few years, many women have been shying away from the prospect of a career in what is perceived as a male-dominated field and Information Technology.

Here is a story from IT World on the situation in Canada.

" Fewer than half as many Canadian women are graduating from university and college IT programs today as were 15 years ago, a statistic that managers and business owners should find bothersome, said a director from a national technology society.&lrquo;

Yet, successes of the likes of Carly Fiorina (Chief Executive of Hewlett Packard) and Meg Whitman (CEO e-Bay), show that it isn't impossible to crack the glass ceiling. These are only two examples out of a large, mainly male dominated profession, but it does beg the question — Why aren't more highly-educated women chosen for executive positions in IT related careers?

Analyzing the figures for degree entry make one thing clear — the numbers of women going into the field are low.

For every three men who embark on pursuit of a technology degree, only one woman will do likewise. The main reasons given for this phenomenon are similar to those areas where female workers are at a low percentage. IT careers are perceived as incompatible with family life. There are few female role models in the higher rungs of the business. There is also a perception of IT being very competitive field and that educators have not given enough encouragement to push women into this labor force. But that shouldn't stop a woman any more than it would stop a man, should it?

Data also shows that girls are discouraged from using computers at an early age, often due to violent and aggressive games played by their male peers. This lack of use, however, is changing as women, especially younger women surge into the Internet culture. This is especially the case in the U.S. and Europe, though the rest of the Internet world remains male dominated.

Like a lot of data on women in various careers the key word is ' perception'. If a female student ignores the perceptions that IT is incompatible with family life (or maybe family life is not even a goal), searches out the role models (they are out there), takes on a greater role in facilitating their own education instead of waiting for others to push them into the field, and competes with the boys, the picture is actually rather rosy.

Currently a quarter of a million networking administration jobs are unfilled.

Network and system administration, as well as Web development workers are in high demand. Companies place a high premium on teamwork, communication, and multitasking – areas where many women outperform men. Employment opportunities abound for those with a good education in technology – male or female.

Demand by employees is much higher than supply. Companies cannot afford to recruit from only half the applicants – they need the best. As Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorino have already proved; the only requirements for getting to the top are determination and having the right skills.

Here are a few links for online technology and computer courses and programs which on their own can be a launching pad toward a career in Information Technology, or supplement existing coursework at a traditional university.

Adult Education Theme Site

ACCIS (American College of Computer and Information Sciences)

Aspen University Technology Degree

Capella University Special Technology

Capella University School of Technology

Clark University's Computer Career Institute

Colorado Technical University Graduate Programs

Thomson Education Direct Technology

ITT Technical Institute Online

Kaplan Online IT

UOP Online Single Courses Technology

University of Liverpool-MSc in IT

Westwood Online – Computer Networks

Westwood Online – Software Engineering

Westwood Online – Comp Network Managment