Merits And Demerits Of Distance Education

Merits of Distance Education

The biggest advantage of getting enrolled in distance education course is that you get flexible studying hours. You need not to learn in four walled classrooms at strict schedules. You can choose your study timings as per your convenience and can do it with your work too. Another advantage is that you can choose any university from where you want to do your course. Almost all the universities of the world offer online courses and it is very easy to get admission in them. Also these programs are cheaper than regular classroom programs.

Demerits of Distance Education

The only disadvantage of taking online course is that you have to study on your own and you are responsible for completing your course. You will not be under continuous supervision and you have to regulate your working hours to study.

Centers of Distance Education

There are various educational establishments world wide which offer distance education courses to international students. These colleges design comprehensive and interactive curriculum for distance education students and take regular assessment tests. New York University, Utah State University , North Carolina State University etc are some of the institutes which have quality distance education programs. Many professionals and students tae online courses fro these institutes to take increase their qualifications and get higher jobs in their fields.

Utah state university is situated in Logan , Utah and was established in 1888. It offers various courses at graduate and post graduate level. It is composed of seven colleges which deal in numerous domains of career options. It provides financial aid to students in need and it also releases scholarship to meritorious students. It has luxurious hostels which provides all type of entertainment facilities for its students for their all round development.

Is Higher Education Worth the Cost

With college tuition costs rapidly increasing, more and more students are questioning whether it is worth it to pursue higher education. As it turns out, a college education is still a wise investment. Heres why.

Increased Earning Potential

Its estimated that for every dollar a person invests in higher education, they will enjoy over $30 in increased lifetime income! Thats a return on investment that anyone on Wall Street would envy.

Similarly, people with a bachelors degree earn an average of $1.6 more over their lifetime than those with only a high school diploma, according to the Postsecondary Education Opportunity Research Letter. Meanwhile, the average incomes of those with a high school education are sinking. Given this atmosphere, you cant afford not to go to college.

Improved Job Prospects and Benefits

College graduates arent just more prosperous they have a wider array of careers to choose from.

The number of jobs that require a college degree is increasing. Some jobs require a specialized college degree; other employers simply value college graduates because they have the skills and knowledge base that high school graduates lack.

In addition, the process of attending college frequently makes students aware of subjects and fields they wouldnt have otherwise considered opening doors for lucrative, rewarding careers.

Having a college degree is an advantage, regardless of your major and the industry you wish to enter. And in some cases, if you desire a job that doesnt actually require a college degree, your education is likely to net you better pay and benefits than a person with less education.

Lastly, careers restricted to college graduates are more prestigious, pay better, and offer great benefits such as health insurance, life insurance, and retirement benefits. These benefits are necessary to achieve financial security and stability, especially if you have a family.

Better Quality of Life

Numerous studies have shown that college graduates enjoy better health and quality of life, and they pass these advantages onto their children.

Compared to people with just a high school education, college graduates have longer life spans, better diet and health, better access to healthcare, greater economic stability and security, more prestigious employment, better job satisfaction, more self-confidence, more savings, and more hobbies and leisure activities. College also tends to make people more rational, open-minded, consistent, and cultured.

In addition, the children of college graduates are healthier, perform better in school, and are more likely to attend college, compared to the children of high school graduates.

Lastly, we cant overlook that college can and should be fun! Attending college presents amazing opportunities to meet new people, develop new skills, and explore your areas of interest.

College is also a great setting in which to grow personally, culturally, and intellectually. College students often have the opportunity to study abroad or to participate in other exciting learning experiences. In addition, the college environment invites students to explore academic disciplines, join student organizations, connect with professors, share ideas in a safe setting, and grapple with difficult problems. All of these activities prepare students to be productive citizens in todays world.

Conclusion

Are you wondering how youre going to afford college? Maybe you should be wondering if you can afford not to go, given all the advantages of a college education.

With grants, scholarships, and financial aid available, college is accessible to nearly anyone. And with todays distance learning programs, such as the University of Phoenixs respected online degree program, you can earn your degree while working full-time.

Trends In Nursing Education

Healthcare is changing rapidly. It is affected by a variety of different influences, from information technology, to economics, to government policy and regulation, to the changing demographics of society, to the advances in medical research. And all of these things will affect the trends in nursing education as well.

One more obvious trend is the use of computer technology. The use of this technology has increased access to clinical data, and has reduced the amount of time it takes to access the information. All of this has improved the care of patients and led to better outcomes.

Another major trend is the use of the electronic medical record, which replace the traditional paper documentation. Consumers will be much more knowledgeable as well because of access to the internet. And more medical goods and services will be delivered electronically.

Nurses in the 21st century will need to be knowledgeable in the uses of computer technology. Nursing education may involve more distance learning, and make it easier for nurses to continue their professional education. Computer technology will allow nursing students to simulate clinical conditions electronically to help them learn.

Because of globalization, nursing education will have to address the issue of the spread of disease across national boundaries, and deal with emerging disease threats around the world.

Nursing education also will have address the changing economic situation in healthcare. Nurses will need to have an understanding of how to care for patients in ways that improve quality, deal with the complexity of care, and do so in a cost effective way.

Nursing education will more and more have to deal with the impacts of health policy and regulation. As costs go up, state and federal regulations will become more of a factor in healthcare. Along with the regulation, there also will be trends toward moving to less expensive ways to deliver healthcare and to apply market forces to keep down costs.

There is also a trend in nursing education to incorporate more nursing science and research, which are playing much greater roles in nursing practice. Nursing research is providing a scientific model for healthcare. This research deals with how patient behavior affects health, how to manage symptoms of illness, helping patients and their families cope with illness and its treatment.

One trend in nursing education is related to the makeup to the student body itself, which is likely to become older. And schools of nursing have to be ready to deal with the challenges of educating an older student.

Another trend affecting nursing education is the increasing complexity of patient care. Patients in hospitals now are more acutely ill — there are almost as many beds in critical care and other specialty areas now as there are general use beds. Because life expectancy is now longer, there is an increase in the number, severity and length of chronic conditions, which adds to the complexity of the care needed.

Brief History of Education in Nigeria

Long before the Europeans arrived, education had been part of Nigerians. The Children were taught about their culture, social activities, survival skills and work. Most of these education processes were impacted into the children informally; a few of these societies gave a more formal teaching of the society and culture.

In these Societies, there are formal instructions that governed the rites of passage from youth into adulthood. The youth is expected to have attained the necessary social and survival skills as well as having a grounded knowledge in the culture. These are the foundations of education in Nigeria, and upon them were the western education implemented upon.

European Education was introduced into Nigeria in the 1840s. It began in Lagos, Calabar and other coastal cities. In a few decades schooling in English language gradually took roots in the Nigeria. During the Colonial years, Great Britain did not promote education. The schools were set up and operated by Christian Missionaries. The British colonial government only funded a few schools. The policy of the government was to give grant to mission schools rather than expand the system.

In the northern part of Nigeria, which was predominantly Muslim populated, Western-style education was prohibited. The religious leaders did not want the missionaries interfering with Islam. This gave way to establishing Islamic school that focused primarily on the Islamic education.

Today, adult literacy has been estimated to be over 78 percent for men and 64 percent for women. These statistics were made based on estimate literacy in English. That excludes the literacy in Arabic among northern Muslims. It is therefore not erroneous to call Nigeria a nation dominated with educated persons.

Prior to Nigeria’s independence, Nigeria had only two established Post-secondary Institution. Yaba Higher college (founded in 1934, Now Yaba College of Technology) and the University of Ibadan was founded in 1948. It was then a College of the University of London until two years after the independence when she became autonomous. More prominent universities which include University of Nigeria, Obafemi Awolowo University (formerly University of Ife), Ahmadu Bello University and Mohood Abiola Kashimawo University (formerly University of Lagos) were founded in the years that followed the Independence.

In 1970s more universities were founded which include University of Benin (founded in 1970), and new university opened in Calabar, Ilorin, Jos, Port Harcourt, Sokoto and Maiduguri. In the 1980s, more universities were opened as well as institute specializing in Agriculture and Technology. A number of Polytechnics were also opened, which includes the Yaba College of Technology in Lagos and Kaduna Polytechnics.

In 1980, the estimated enrollment in the primary schools was 12 million, Secondary and technical colleges 1.2 million, teachers colleges 240,000 and Universities 75,000. One would expect that with such an estimate, the Nigerian education in Nigeria three decades after would have greatly improved. Unfortunately the reverse has been the case.

The present decline in the Nigerian education system can be traced back to the 1980s and 1990s. Then there was a shortage of qualified teachers, the few qualified teachers were not paid in a timely manner. The number of schools did not grow with the population and many of the existing schools were inadequately funded resulting in poor maintenance. In the Universities inadequate funding led to the shortage of space and resources. Increase in tuition fee often resulted in riots leading to cancellation of semesters. Industrial actions by the University Staff requesting for higher salaries and better working conditions also compounded the situations. However, today governors in most state are addressing these issues.

The damage to the educational system has been done. Most graduates lack the necessary survival and social skills that should have been learnt in schools. These have led to many disastrous situations in the nation. The center of the nation’s growth “the Education system” no longer holds value; hence the entire nation is falling apart. Products of the Nigeria education system are not employable, causing massive unemployment and under-development in the country. No survival skills leading to increased poverty rate in the country.

The situation however is not entirely hopeless. The foundation of education in Nigeria upon which the Europeans laid the western-style education is strong. This has managed to hold the educational system of the country together through the trouble days. However, if left unattended, we will all join Chinua Achebe and exclaim: Things fall apart, The center cannot hold… Anarchy is set forth everywhere.

Facts About Home Education

All of us are keen to give quality education to our children. However often due to lack of infrastructure it becomes a daunting task. In such a scenario hiring a home based tutor helps.

In home tuition it is possible to personalize the learning process according to the individual needs of the student. On the one hand for the weak student the tutor can devise a system so that is much more simplistic so that the student can grasp easily. And on the other hand for the more than average student tutors can help to maintain the good grades of the student. They can also provide the student with extra exercises so as to encourage their skills. Moreover, tuition timings can be set according to the family schedule so that your children do not miss on their social life.

Education has become so much competitive these days that parents must make all to efforts to find some avenue for their children to stay ahead of it. In the modern times education has become much more career oriented and thus making the work of the students much tougher. Getting good grade and have a first class overall education is of utmost importance in the job market. And of course there is the issue of working parents. With both the parents working there is little time left to spend it on guiding the children with their studies. Because of all such complications home tuition has become a safe way to help out the children.

There are many advantages of appointing a home tutor. They play a very crucial role in the overall development of the skills of the student. The most significant part about them is that they can give individual attention to the students, which you cannot even dream of in schools today. There student teacher ratio in school is enough evidence for this fact. It is not humanly possible for a school teacher to give equal attention to each and everyone of a classroom, say comprising of 60 students. However the case of home tutors is much different. In home tuition the student and tutor ratio is 1:1, 1:2 or a maximum of 1:3. The home tutors can design their own routines according to the capabilities of the students and hence make the education process more fruitful.

One of the other practical advantages of home tuition is that they can take place at home and the student does not have to waste time and fuel in traveling. Home tuition provides an ideal solution for working parents. Often there will be times when after a hard day at work it will be next to impossible to sit down with your child with his or her homework. In such situations home tutors play a very vital role. They manage the educational life of your child and if the parent does not like it they can always change the tutor for a better one. Home tutoring can be also done to cure children with autism and other learning disabilities.

As for those who want to become home tutors it is a great chance for college and high school students to earn pocket money while doing community service. There are many resources online on home tutoring so if you want more information you can always surf the internet.