Every parent wants the absolute best for their children.  Sometimes the best things in life are free, such as your parental love and affection, your guidance, and just having the time to be there for your kids. Sadly that time is often a luxury in today’ s world, especially for single moms and dads struggling in this economy and working long hours just to make ends meet.

In fact, my own mom raised my brother and sister as a single working mother before meeting my dad. That was over 30 years ago, yet some things haven’t changed. There are still plenty of single moms (and dads) out there today working their tails off and wishing they had the opportunity to do better for their kids.

Now there is one significant difference in today’s world. Single working mothers today have an opportunity that moms of the past didn’t have. Read more »

There is a call for submissions for nominations for the 2010 International Distance Learning Awards.

The USDLA International Distance Learning Awards are created to acknowledge major accomplishments in distance learning and to highlight those distance learning instructors, programs, and professionals who have achieved and demonstrated extraordinary achievements through the use of online, videoconferencing, and satellite/video delivery technologies globally.

These prestigious awards are presented annually to Read more »

Did you have a really positive experience with online education?  Or were there consequences you would have never foreseen when you first began elearning?  How did distance learning ultimately impact your life, for better or worse?

Charlotte was faced with the opportunity of a lifetime attending an overseas University, and the decision of a lifetime on whether or not to stay when her father was suddenly diagnosed with cancer.  What did she choose?  What type of impact did her decision ultimately have for her life?  You can read the rest of Charlotte’s story to find out.

If you are a graduate (or soon to be gradating) from any online degree program then there’s an audience of prospective students out there that would love to hear your story too. Read more »

I’ve noticed the term mLearning progressively more and more lately.  mLearning is short for Mobile Learning.  It’s likely that due to advances in mobile technology, applications and affordability, that the adoption of mobile learning in education is beginning to accelerate.

So is mobile learning the same as distance learning?  I would argue that not all distance learning is mobile learning, yet all mobile learning is distance learning.

So what does this mean?   Distance learning has already allowed for students to remove themselves from the classroom and substitute learning in their home environment as a matter of convenience and some would say luxury. Read more »

Meet Joann Lewis-Massey, a Legal Supervisor and a 2008 online Graduate from Benedictine University’s MBA program.

This video commentary filmed during her graduation ceremony in August ’08, attempts to portray some of the positive benefits Lewis-Massey ascribes to her experience with the online program from Benedictine.

Here below I’ve summarized her response to the four questions posed to her in the video, and contrasted whether or not the same benefits could be attained as well from a bricks & mortar school as from an online school. Read more »

I decided it would be fun to review some online videos about various aspects of distance learning.

I’m a fan of documentary films, and so to narrow my initial selection for the first of three video reviews in this three part series, I simply typed in the words “distance learning” + documentary to see what I would pull up on YouTube.

The first video I chose wound up being a total parody, though it took me a good few minutes of watching before I even realized it.  The next video I landed on was the one you will see below. Read more »

This week, from November 9th – November 13th, marks the official National Distance Learning Week here in the United States.

National Distance Learning Week (NDLW) is officially sponsored by the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), a valuable hub of distance learning resources that I encourage you to explore.

During this week many online universities across the country will be making a special effort to showcase their distance learning and online degree programs for prospective students.  If you’ve been contemplating distance learning or have been stuck on the fence about it but want to learn more, now may be your best time to contact some prospective schools to see exactly what they have to offer.

The USDLA will also be holding a series of eleven webinars from now through Friday.  The range of topics covered is truly far beyond what I would have expected.  For example, Read more »

I’ll take a break from distance learning in this post to discuss a more general matter that’s near and dear to my heart:  learning as an end in itself, rather than as a means to something else (e.g. a well paying job).

Many young people today go off to college with the notion that happiness in life results from a high-paying salary; and the higher the happier.  Therefore they wind up pursuing a field of education that has little to no personal appeal.  In short, the student oftentimes makes a sacrifice; that of doing something wholly unfulfilling now, in the hopes that one may find later fulfillment in a lucrative career. Read more »

Does it cost more to obtain an online degree than it does to obtain a degree from a traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ post-secondary educational institution?

I’ve begun to do some research around the subject, in order to educate myself on which is actually more costly.  My strong suspicion has been that online colleges would offer lower tuition rates than offline schools.   However, as I am finding out this may not necessarily be the case. Read more »

I was reading yesterday in Fast Company’s June 2009 issue, on their cover story, The 100 Most Creative People In Business, when I came across #37 – Shai Reshef. Reshef is the founder of University of the People (U.P.?), who’s ostensible aim is to level the educational playing field for those for whom higher education is financially out of reach. Tuition at University of the People is free (aside from registration and testing fees), the professors volunteers’, and the course-work open-source. Whoa!? Did you get that? An open-source education!? Read more »