E-learning, distance education, virtual learning, online education, Web learning – whatever you call it, technology has changed education. The classroom and the computer have come together to create a viable learning environment that allows students the flexibility to earn a degree at their own pace. That’s reason alone to appreciate what online learning has to offer.

Being a student is basically a full-time job. Let’s face it. Going to class, completing assignments, studying for exams – it takes time, and lots of it. Now add in a job, family responsibilities, commute time, and other commitments, a full plate is an understatement to say the least. And what about time for yourself? Can leisure and higher education co-exist?

Online education has provided a remedy, if you will, for helping busy students balance it all; hence, the growing popularity of online degree programs. But there’s more to it than that. Taking classes online is revolutionizing education and benefiting students in many ways, and we’re here to share why.

Reason #1: Students Control Learning Time

Many online schools pride themselves on providing students self-paced instruction – an effective teaching method that proceeds based on learner response. Students move as quickly or slowly through the learning material as they need to. Self-paced instruction helps students learn in a non-threatening environment with unlimited opportunities to review and master concepts and skills.

Reason #2: Mass Customization

Online learning allows students to customize their education style and timeline: Learn when you want, how you want, and what you want when it’s convenient for you. Many schools offer blended courses that combine the best of both worlds –the classroom and the computer. If you prefer to take your courses entirely online, that’s an option too. Whatever works for you, works!

Reason #3: Lowers the Cost of Education

Have you researched the cost of tuition these days? It’s going up with no end in sight. Online programs lower the cost of education by reducing or eliminating the need to commute to campus. Students also save money on student fees, textbooks, and other expenses that often add up, and quickly!

Reason #4: Improves Productivity

If you’re easily distracted, the solution for some students is to limit their exposure to interferences, such as partying, roommates, and the constant flow of people. Some college campuses boast more than 40,000 students! With online learning, you choose where to attend class. You login when the time and place are suitable for learning.

Reason #5: Access to High-Quality Instructors

Highly qualified instructors are at your disposal to teach you what you signed up to learn. Many online instructors have impressive resumes, credentials, and a breadth of experience to draw on. You’ll learn from professionals, scholars, and industry experts in a variety of subjects. What’s more, you can interact with your instructors online to go over lessons, ask questions, and address any concerns you might have.

Technology continues to change how we learn, and online degree programs are testament to that. And with a tough job market, it’s best to make yourself marketable. An advanced degree is often a necessary credential to land a job these days, and without a college education, it’s often difficult to find employment. Online learning makes it easier for students to earn a degree while working or raising a family. And while learning online is not for everyone, online learning proves to be a good solution to many students who need to balance more than one responsibility.

It takes more than an Internet connection and a computer to succeed in online learning. Specific skills are needed to accomplish your goals, and time management is just one of them. And for online learners, effective time management is undoubtedly an important skill to have.

But it’s a tough skill to crack. It takes focus, and well, time, to learn how to manage your priorities. For college students, time management is even more challenging. Balancing work, academics, and other life responsibilities is no easy task. If you’re new to the online learning environment, we’ve compiled a few strategies to help you avoid time wasters that can derail your educational progress.

1. Identify Roadblocks: Roadblocks include external and internal distractors such as noise and environmental conditions as well as thoughts, emotions, and physical feelings that can impede academic success. It’s important to find the culprits and get them under control. For example, if your home is chaotic and full of distraction, perhaps studying at the local library is a better option…or if negative thoughts about school or otherwise intrude and you find yourself discouraged, find ways to de-stress and unwind that will keep you engaged and on track.
2. Prioritize Your Schoolwork: At the start of each semester or quarter, why not spend some time organizing your responsibilities. Establish a study plan for each class you’re taking, make note of all quizzes and tests in your planner or calendar, and mark out time you’ll need to write papers and finish group projects.
3. Create To-Do Lists: Each morning or at the end of your day, create a to-do list that includes your priorities and calendar items. Your list can include non-school related activities such as laundry, pet care, and dinner plans. Basically, a to-do list allows you to think about one issue at a time and makes it easier to concentrate on key tasks. You can even set reminders on your smartphone if sticky notes tend to get lost in your bag or around the house.
4. Keep Those Long-Term Goals in Mind: Always remind yourself why you are pursuing your college degree. Are you studying to become a doctor, an accountant, a construction manager, or a social worker? Your long-term goal is a goal for a reason so when you find yourself getting the urge to surf the net or party with friends, remind yourself that your future successes depend largely on your performance in college.
5. Ask for Help: Are you still struggling to manage your time wisely? Don’t be discouraged. Ask for help. Reach out to your classmates and teachers for advice on how to make better use of your time. Chances are your peers are also having difficulties. By opening up and asking for help, you open up a line of communication that helps keep you accountable and on top of meeting your goals. Perhaps connect with another online learner, and together, you can help each other stay motivated!

Pictured below, President Jimmy Atkinson and Chicago Branch Manager Scott Hawksworth installing the bell.

Skeptics say that a quality education is sacrificed when one decides to enroll in an online education program. They cite reasons such as lack of face-to-face interaction, the ability to cheat, and a de-emphasis on time management. The fact is though, in our connected world, online education isn’t going away. In a study conducted by Aslanian Market Research presented at LeadsCon last month, online education is witnessing major growth. Around 10% of higher education students took all of their courses online in 2010, and that number will continue to grow. By 2015, it’s predicted that 15% of students will complete their entire program online.

For many, online education provides a means to study while working around work and family obligations. Choosing online education though, shouldn’t be a copout. Even though you’re studying from a distance, you can still make the most of your education. Follow these tips to ensure you’re maximizing your potential in an online setting.

As Tempting As It Is, Don’t Cheat

You’ll be doing yourself a disservice. Even though answers can be more accessible when you’re working alone from your computer, part of the learning process is discovering things on your own and learning from your mistakes. You’ll be better off in the long run if you treat your online learning experience as if you were in a traditional classroom.

Make Friends From Across The Country

Interaction is still a key part of online education, even from opposite corners of the country. Use the friends you make in class as resources during the class and professional contacts after your program ends. Likely, you’ll enjoy your experience more if you’re connecting with other students.

Make A Weekly Schedule And Stick To It!

Online education can make it easy to get off track and let everything slide until the end when it’s due. But what good will that do you in your job? Our lives are typically based on deadlines, so online classes are the perfect time to practice prioritizing and scheduling accordingly. Each week, write yourself a schedule that accounts not only for homework and studying, but for your current work responsibilities, family obligations, etc. Try your best to stick to it, and at the end of the week, you’ll get to look back at all you’ve accomplished.

What tips do you have to add for making the most of your online education?

Some of us from Best Online Universities, LLC were lucky enough to attend LeadsCon at the Mirage in Las Vegas earlier this week. For those not in the industry, LeadsCon is the pioneering conference and expo dedicated to increasing the effectiveness of those operating in the online lead generation industry. The audience of about 2,600 people consisted of representatives from a variety of verticals from B2C and B2B lead generation, including online education, insurance, credit cards, mortgage, home improvement, senior housing, health care, and others.

Some of our favorite presentations came from Carol B. Aslanian, SVP of Aslanian Market Research who outlined the demographic profile of online learners today, Michael Norton, Behavioral Scientist at Harvard Business School who discussed the co-creation continuum and Nathan Labenz and Jay Gierak of Stik who made a case for the importance of social proof in search.

Operating in the online education space, we’re back from LeadsCon excited to implement some of the many ideas discussed, in order to make our web properties even more useful for potential students. If we had to come up with a list of 3 key takeaways for our industry, they would be as follows:

1. Personalization is rewriting the rules of paid and organic search. Social search is going to become important for all online marketers and businesses in the coming year – social annotations such as Google +1 provided a 20-200% increase in CTR (click through rate) in one study.
2. The lead generation industry is seeing a shift from a sole focus on monetization to a more consumer-centric view.
3. Despite the growth and chatter around for-profit institutions in recent years, a majority of students (62% in one study) don’t recognize a difference between for-profit and not-for-profit institutions.

What did you find to be your key takeaways, LeadsCon attendees?

The following video, by Best Online Universities, LLC highlights the following topics, including:

• The best online universities in the United States
• Benefits of obtaining your bachelor’s degree online
• Earning potential for degree holders
• Why brick-and-mortar institutions are including online as part of their long-term strategy

What Are America’s Best Online Universities? – The best home videos are here

The event, that takes place at the Guggenheim Museum next Thursday, will likely address its latest product updates and how they will benefit educators and learners. For online learners, this could be huge. The tablet has already revolutionized learning, in that it allows the classroom and its related materials to be portable.

While fantastic for mobility and convenience, some question their effectiveness as a learning tool. Penn State released a study of their approaches to online mathematics programs, with mixed results. Some of the problems found related to the rendering of mathematical symbols. In general, tablets are geared specifically towards the written word, meaning that students of online courses related to mathematics should be aware of potential issues when selecting a tablet PC.

This is just the beginning for tablets though. It will be interesting to see how they evolve, and how online programs adapt them into their course design and curriculum. How do you think tablets will evolve over the next year?

5. Bachelor’s in Education

Even though in some areas in the United States recent graduates are hard pressed to find teaching jobs, the country is still in need of the next generation of quality educators. Upon completion of a bachelor’s degree in Education, students will be prepared to sit for their state’s Board of Education certification examination.

U.S. Department of Labor Average Salaries:
Elementary School Teacher: $54,330
Technical Education Teacher, Secondary School: $56,010
Special Education Teacher, Middle School: $56,500

4. Bachelor’s in Communications

Those interested in studying communications are typically tuned in to current events and changing trends. They thrive in fast-paced environments. A bachelor’s in Communication’s prepares students to work in a variety of communications roles including advertising, journalism, public relations, internal corporate communications and tv/radio/film.

U.S. Department of Labor Average Salaries:
Editors: $59,340
Reporters/Correspondents: $43,780
Public Relations Specialists: $59,150

3. Bachelor’s in Information Technology

This undergraduate degree has a major focus on computers and technology, it differs from a Computer Science degree in that students are also versed in management and information theory. IT professionals are trained to successfully bridge the gap between management strategy and back-end product development.

U.S. Department of Labor Average Salaries:
Computer Systems Analysts: $81,250
Network & Systems Administrators: $72,200
Software Developers: $90,410

2. Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice

An online bachelor’s in criminal justice is often the first step towards a career in security and law enforcement. A wide range of law and justice-related courses like psychology, sociology, law, and public administration are offered.

U.S. Department of Labor Average Salaries:
Probation Officers & Correctional Treatment Specialists: $51,240
Criminal Investigators & Detectives: $73,010
Social Worker: $52,270

1. Bachelor’s in Business Administration

A popular degree at brick-and-mortar institutions as well as online colleges and universities, business administration is likely to reign king as the most popular major of 2012. Students are trained in a variety of courses such as finance, marketing, human resources, strategy and basic information technology to prepare them for the always-evolving business climate.

U.S. Department of Labor Average Salaries:
Financial Managers: $116,970
Actuaries: $98,620
Insurance Underwriters: $65,220

1. Business
2. Computer Information Technology
3. Education
4. Engineering
5. Nursing

The number of students enrolled in online degree programs is increasing, and quickly. According to one study, “Going the Distance: Online Education in the United States, 2011,” it is reported that more than 6.1 million students took at least one online class during fall 2010. 10.1 percent more than the previous year.

Information regarding the quality of online education programs is lacking. Currently, prospective students don’t have the information that would aid them in determining the strengths and weaknesses of online degree programs they are considering enrolling in. U.S. News reported that they took on this project to begin filling this information gap.

Since this is the first time U.S. News has attempted to rank online education degree programs, it should be expected that the rankings methodology will fluctuate and become more sophisticated as online programs are better able to keep record of information that will be useful in evaluating the academic quality of their programs.

Besides the initial rankings, U.S. News plans to expand their directory of online programs with more detailed information and searchable data. For the past three decades, U.S. News has published rankings for traditional brick and mortar institutions and they’re aiming to bring the same quality and style of rankings to online programs. Despite controversy over the credibility of ranking systems, their popularity among students considering college cannot be ignored. Any information available to help students make an informed decision can only be seen as a positive. Don’t forget to check U.S. News on January 10th for the first-ever rankings. Feel free to share your thoughts below.