University of Phoenix – First week of class

From Michele, a student we're following through a MBA in Business and Marketing at the University of Phoenix. She was a little short on time this week, but had this to say …

First week of class was a little frenzied. Since you have to learn about how
to go to class differently on the computer and participate with your
classmates. I think once I get the swing of it it will get easier.

I've been pretty satisfied with everything. I just personally don't have a
lot of time, so there is that to juggle.

Pay as you go e-learning

HBOS is offering pay as you go e-learning. Here's a story from Vnunet.com …

Financial services giant HBOS has signed up to a pay-as-you-go e-learning scheme in a bid to improve the efficiency and management of staff training.

Customers can select from more than 1,000 courses on an as-needed basis. These include content from a range of top e-learning providers and cover subjects such as IT, business, management, leadership, finance, sales, and health and safety.

Indiana University offers online English-language test course

From the Indiana Daily Student …

The IU School of Continuing Studies is offering its first online course to help international students prepare for the Test of english as a Foreign Language.

The 10-week non-credit course offered by SCS will prepare students primarily for the TOEFL essay topics in the writing section of the test. The course content was developed by Bruce Leeds, adjunct assistant professor with the IU Center for English Language Training. Leeds has 20 years of experience in preparing international students for the TOEFL and was formerly an official reader for the writing section of the test.

Tips and Tricks for Online Students

A great resource here at Tech Learning, Mark Evans provides ten tips for students going into online courses.

In the summer of 2000 I began an online Masters program at the University of Phoenix. I wasn't expecting too many bumps in the online road. After all, I regularly spent time on the Internet; I used chat programs and newsgroups and my job title, district Instructional Technology Coordinator, had me firmly entrenched in all that was new and cutting edge. Or so I thought.

At the end of my first week "in school" I was panicked, confused and overwhelmed. It quickly became apparent that this virtual schooling was not going to be easy. To my colleagues, I am known as one of the most methodical individuals in my school district, yet in the online classroom I was disorganized.

To the list!

Preparing for e-learning courses

From Robin Good and E-learn Space …

This is an excellent reference generated after four weeks of online discussion by a group of seven e-learning insiders and academic experts in the area of online learning. Among them is Stephen Downes who is a well-known Canadian researcher who publishes a very rich and interesting daily news blog at:
http://www.downes.ca/news/OLDaily.htmThe report includes sections on role of the learner and the instructor, as well as interesting and valuable recommendations relating to the "Role of Learning Styles", "The profile of the ideal online student", and a list of important tasks to be carried out before an online course is started.

One of the key points reiterated and clarified in this report is the need to understand that taking a class online has nothing to do with taking a traditional classroom-based course.

Tech bust zaps interest in computer careers

This from the LA Times …

There used to be waiting lists for Rick Ord's classes as students packed 200-seat auditoriums to scribble down bits of code once thought to unlock a life of riches and security.

Students to get iPods

Via Distance Educator, this story from Individual.com …

Duke University will distribute apple ipods to its incoming freshmen, as part of an initiative to encourage creative uses of technology in education and campus life.

University of Phoenix – Student Reviews – Part I

I'm going to be following two students as they go through a University of Phoenix Business Administration and Marketing MBA program they are starting this week.

Here are some initial comments from Michele, who works as a successful freelance graphic designer, as she gets geared up to begin the program.

From Michele …
I can tell you initially, they have made it extremely easy. They walk you through everything. You are assigned a counselor and that counselor will take you through your first class even. I've talked to my counselor a lot. Most of the counselors are going to school at the same time. The nice thing is that (University of Phoenix) is open 24 hrs, so you can do your work any time of the day. Also, the classes are geared for working people and most of the students are over 30 – working full time and have a family. It's expensive because of the convenience. You also, only have 10-15 people in your class which makes it really which makes it a bit easier. The good thing for me is that the classes are designed to be condensed – you go to class for 6 weeks and your done with that class. They don't use traditional class methods which I didn't do well with, they ask you questions and you take that question or situation and apply it to your experiences or life and answer how you would honestly handle that particular situation. So, for me – who doesn't learn well by listening to a lecture, I will be able to do very well here.

Not sure what I'm going to do in the future, but I don't want to be limited if I have to go back out into the job market. Also, I think it will help me with my business since it's marketing. Designers don't learn marketing they learn design, but when you go out to the real world, people don't care so much about the design as much as they care about the message and is it going to make them some money by doing this marketing. I think it will be a big asset to what I do.

Censorship on Campus

From Reason Magazine …

Master’s of (Barely) Nothing

From Business Week comes this review of a book about how CEOs have been promoted as saviors in MBA programs, and how this is failing the business community.

The Masters of Business Administration is one of higher education's most respected degrees, both a touchstone of managerial ability and a ticket to the higher reaches of Corporate America. Now, though, comes an apostate — a respected professor of management studies who challenges the very basics of business education. In the scathing Managers Not MBAs: A Hard Look at the Soft Practice of Managing and Management Development, McGill University business professor Henry Mintzberg says today's B-school is essentially a sham.MANAGERS NOT MBAs
A Hard Look at the Soft Practice of
Managing and Management Development
By Henry Mintzberg
Berrett Koehler — 464pp — $27.95