What Accredited Online College Courses Mean To Employers ...

High-tech features ?re now standard fare for modern educational institutions. Computer labs, instructor access v?a email, instantaneous assignment submissions, examination formats featuring keyboarded entries and ?mm?diat? score calculation ? th? list goe? ?n and on.

While greatly enhancing instructional efficiency, th? ?ld bugaboos ?f balancing multiple obligations w?th academic advancement ?t?ll abound. The recent union ?f traditional teaching and technology has finally be?n consummated. Sit down f?r a proud pronouncement ?f th??r youngest offspring?s recent birth. Class ?s h?r?b? commenced f?r a closer l?ok at th? latest arrival ?nt? th? family of higher learning.

Common concerns

Education ?? both lucrative ?nd competitive. The net result ?s ?ll manner ?f for-profit, private, and public organizations th?t offer online study. It ?? no wond?r th?t prospective pupils c?n be caught in a virtual maze when selecting ?n online degree program.

Accreditation: th? f?r?t mandatory prerequisite

Your ver? f?r?t assignment before hitting a single keystroke ?n ?n? online admissions form ?? verification ?f th? school?s accreditation status.

Three basic categories ?f accreditation exist. Each h?s a differ?nt instructional implication and institutional focus.

- Specialized

This category ?s reserved m??nl? f?r professional graduate programs ?uch ?? medical ?r law degrees. A poignant pointer: ??u will n?t find exclusively online programs of thi? type. Virtual formats simply cann?t satisfy the highly specialized requirements of such programs.

- National

As th? nam? implies, national accrediting agencies accredit schools thr?ugh?ut the entire nation. In general, national accreditation ?s found among technical, vocational, ?nd career-specific schools. Many ?uch programs onl? issue certifications rather th?n full degrees.

- Regional

This type of accreditation is found primarily am?ng programs with pure academic emphases within non-profit institutions. Major colleges and universities ?lm??t universally h?ve regional accreditation.

Do not enroll in an? program th?t d?e? n?t have regional accreditation. This ?? th? ?nly officially-recognized accreditation. The ??x regional accrediting agencies ?re the ?nly ?ne? th?t h?v? an? clout with Uncle Sam:

Northwest Commission ?n Colleges ?nd Universities (NWCCU)

Middle States Association ?f Colleges and Schools (MSCHE)

Southern Association ?f Colleges and Schools (SACS)

New England Association ?f Schools and Colleges (NEASC)

North Central Association ?f Colleges ?nd Schools (NCA)

Western Association ?f Schools ?nd Colleges (WASC)

As ?our bright minds h?ve undoubtedly deduced, ???h agency confers accreditation with?n corre?ponding geographical boundaries of th? US. None of the?? agencies have an? governmental affiliation. Nonetheless, th? US Dept. ?f Education reserves ?ts official recognition exclusively f?r them.

The Accrediting Procedure

Accreditation entails an in-depth analysis ?f ever? aspect ?f ?n educational institution?s format ?nd structure. The process typically consumes ?ev?ral years. All academic areas ?r? evaluated against pre-established criteria. The process ?? voluntarily sought by institutional candidates.

The adequacy ?f physical facilities, ?v?r?ll volumes of reference materials, academic and professional qualifications of faculty members, institutional budgetary matters, average class size, and student/faculty ratio ?re thoroughly reviewed.

After a lengthy process of documentation ?nd publication vi? vari?us educational forums, a school ?? awarded final accreditation. The process d?e? not stop at th?s initial stage; accreditation is ?n ongoing thing. Schools ?re periodically re-evaluated ?nd continuously monitored t? assure quality control compliance.

Why it?s important

Do n?t waste s? much ?s ? mouse click ?f time ?n institutions th?t do not offer accredited online college courses. Prior to completing ?n? application ?r ?ven writing an email to th? Admissions Advisor, login to Uncle Sam?s personal database of regionally-accredited institutions at ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.aspx.

Why the extra effort bef?r? enrolling ?n ? single online course? Here?s a logical thinking exercise, class. Are y?u g??ng to ?ll the trouble and expense ?f online degree pursuit ju?t for fun? Do y?u plan to take on massive debt, exorbitant time expenditures, ?nd oth?r myriad major sacrifice ?u?t for entertainment? I ?h?uld think not. If planning su?h folly, promptly retire t? the corner aft?r donning ?n? ?f the ?dunce? caps b?s?d? y?ur desk.

If y?u enroll in ?n? academic study plan oth?r accredited online college courses, ??u w?ll have no credibility with employers. You see, folks who found and maintain multi-billion-dollar global conglomerates ?re n?t dumb. Unaccredited schools? instructional quality ?nd over?ll sufficiency ?s n?t reliable ?r credible w?th employers. Just ?? ?ou seek out and strongly prefer f?r recognized, trustworthy products, companies think the sam? way.

Employers view graduates ?f unaccredited programs mu?h ?? consumers perceive street-corner salesmen plying ?gold? watches ?f obscure genre. There is simply no substitute for the assurance ?f compliance w?th educational standards whi?h accredited online college courses offer. With that in mind, you ar? n?w excused to commence ??ur excursion int? quality educational attainment. Class ?? dismissed.

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