Why Studying Online Degrees Are A Better Option For Aspiring Learners?

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Are you preparing to earn a college degree? But are you ready to take a heavy student loan to pay for your college education? Let's face it, with continuously increasing tuition fees in universities and other higher education institutes worldwide. It is becoming highly challenging for most students to earn an accredited degree. Not only you will have to repay your student loan for the rest of your life, but due to lack of effective employment opportunities you will face several financial and professional problems through out your life.

Is a college degree worth all the money?

Apparently, most aspiring students and young professionals do not feel so. It is perhaps for this reason they are opting for more affordable and better learning opportunities. With the growing gap in initial funding, even more number of students will move away from traditional classroom learning due to limited access to education. Read on....

  Narrowing the funding gap

Recently, the Louisiana’s legislative session for 2015 was held and proved to be among the most testing sessions in memory. As health care and higher education are likely the sole “unprotected entities for budget cuts,” along with the fact that a $1.6 billion budget gap was in place at opening of the session, most members were concerned about finding a “reasonable solution” during this 9 week session.

It has been estimated that the initial higher education funding gap was around $608 million. This amount was needed to accomplish a similar funding level that was present during 2014-2015 term.President of Louisiana Tech University, Leslie K. Guice, said “For Louisiana Tech and other public universities, there was the possibility of more than an 80 percent cut in our base state funding. This level of cuts would have been devastating to all of our state institutions of higher education and would have had negative economic impacts that would have reverberated throughout all our communities.”

Developing bold plans

Guice added “Even before the official start of the session, our legislators began developing a plan to close the budget gap with a particular focus on placing higher education at the top of their priority lists.”

He claims that they are now identifying their particular responsibilities and looking for ways to best use the resources to meet the essential academic requirements of the state. He said “Now is the time for us to begin even bolder plans to reinvest in higher education to ensure that we have great educational opportunities for our children, economic prosperity for our citizens and long-term competitiveness for our state.”

However, I believe that we will still need to overcome many obstacles before we can actually close this funding gap and increase educational opportunities and access to all our students. Moreover, making bold plans, implementing those plans effectively and accomplishing the desired outcomes are completely different things. You simply cannot wait around for the scenario to get better. What you need is a better and more effective solution that allows you to earn a recognised degree now, without feeling the burden of student debt.

What is it?

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If you ask me, the most feasible and suitable solution for aspiring learners to pursue higher education in a cost-effective way is studying for an online degree . If you are planning to start your career or if you are already a professional looking to boost your career, then pursuing online education programmes can be highly beneficial for you. These online degree courses not only cost a fraction of traditional college programmes, but these allow you to work an study at the same time. With flexible schedules, you can opt for doing a full time job and gain relevant work experience, while studying for your degree at your leisure directly from the comfort of your home. You can access all the content directly from the internet and easily interact with your faculty and fellow learners via online forums; hence there is absolutely no need to visit the campus physically.

When you study the best online degree program available for your preferred discipline, you can be rest assured about receiving high quality education without emptying your wallet. You will acquire the necessary skills and knowledge, which will fetch you excellent employment opportunities and empower you to build a great future, both professionally and personally.

So what are going to do? Wait for the funding gaps to narrow down or go for an online degree now? Let me know what you think by commenting in the box below I would love to hear from you.

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Why We Need Autonomy, Mastery & Purpose For Encouraging Learners

Daniel H. Pink has analysed and studied the aspect of motivation in the world of business for several years. Now, he has reached a remarkable conclusion where he claims that conventional ways of motivating and encouraging employees through financial incentives simply does not work anymore.

Motivating Businesses

In several studies, social observers and scientists have discovered that external rewards tend to limit the focus of employees and narrow possibilities. This makes it even more challenging for individuals to work on creative solutions for complicated problems. In fact, one of the times that incentives proved effective was only when the difficulty was mechanical and there was a clear and straightforward the path to the solution. It was found that most businesses across the entire globe have expressed that employee motivation tends to enhance when individuals are offered autonomy. This is works as a driving purpose and creates a strong desire to further hone their craft.

Dan Pink is renowned author of 5 books on business and management which have sold over 2 million copies globally. He is also the host of a National Geographic Channel show called Crowd Control. During his recent TED talk, he spoke about the state of business, but it was clear that his arguments were also relevant to education and schools. Nowadays, educators are teaching learners to prepare them for a world, where jobs are increasingly needing problem solving skills, critical thinking skills as well as creativity.

Transforming Education

The fact is that most schools are attempting to follow this thinking and approach in their classrooms in order to enable their learners to practice with solving complex problems. However, most students do not have the needed autonomy, purpose or mastery which can empower them to build intrinsic motivation and find a suitable solution.

Pink's book 'To Sell is Human' talks about how education has become one of the most rapidly expanding job categories in the nation. This level of development brings an excellent opportunity to transform the manner in which teachers envision and imagine their roles as well as their classrooms. Established by findings in neuroscience studies and educational research, the focus on cognitive skills, like memorisation and computation, is transforming to incorporate less tangible and non-cognitive skills, such as improvisation and collaboration.

Pink said, “The premium has moved from problem solving to problem finding as a skill. Right now, especially in the commercial world, if I know exactly what my problem is, I can find the solution to my own problem. I don’t need someone to help me. Where I need help is when I don’t know what my problem is or when I’m wrong about what my problem is. Problem solving is an analytical, deductive kind of skill. The phrase ‘problem finding’ comes out of research on artists. It’s more of a conceptual kind of skill.”

Then how can teachers help students to be problem-finders even when they do not have any idea about what the problem is? Pink added “A lot of people hate this word but I think we have to take it seriously, which is relevance. There’s something to be said for connecting particular lessons to something in the real world.”

What do you think? Feel free to share your own thoughts and ideas on this topic by commenting below. We would love to hear from you.

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Why You Need Quality Management For Professional Advancement

How can you gain an edge over your peers at the workplace? How can you get noticed for your efforts? You work effectively, put in extra hours and get everything completed in time; but so does most others. What makes you better than the crowd? How can you boost your career? Do you feel that your career lacks momentum and has come to a standstill? Well then it's time that you change things around a bit and get a fresh start. 

Understanding Quality Management

 

The best way to do this is to improve your skills, knowledge and experiences without hampering your current employment or taking meaningless career risks. Here we are going to talk about 4 excellent benefits of learning and utilising quality management. Simply by acquiring core quality training and adding strategies and frameworks to your current professional abilities, you will be able to take your career to new heights. 

The benefits that I will mention here are not just generic possibilities; I have actually experienced these benefits in my own career by boosting my quality management skills. I am sure these will work for you as well. As a quality management professional you will be able operate in various areas like quality assurance and control, process and systems management, risk management, supply chain management, business development etc. When you add such quality functions to your skill set, it will prove highly advantageous for you and your employers or business. 

Here are the four career benefits that you can get by adding quality management to your existing skill set- 

Learn Management Strategies

 

When you perform quality assessments and audits, there is excellent learning potential and a wealth of practical knowledge which you can gain. This will help you to analyse the method which creates the corporate risk management process. Of course, you need to consider the ethical responsibilities at play here. You must keep all details regarding proprietary and corporate information, tactical business processes and other specifics in strict confidence. 

To make sure, you gain expertise over quality management skills and develop effective strategies and tactics, it is best that you study a strategic management online postgraduate diploma programme. This will enable you to learn the necessary skills and knowledge while effectively balancing your work and study. 

Moreover, you online strategic management programme will enable you to immediately apply your new skills at the workplace. 

Get Away From Your Office

 

Do you love travelling for work? Do you think that visiting different locations and companies is an interesting career option? Then you should go for it. I simply love travelling as it gives me the opportunity to get away from my daily routine and experience new things, both professionally and personally. With a career in quality management, you will be able have some great experiences and opportunities to travel to new locations, share information, learn new skills and make some valuable contacts. 

Boost Your Earning Potential

 

Don't you want to increase your potential to earn more money? By improving your skills and taking the right steps to develop yourself, you will not only prove yourself as a valuable player in your company, but you will also be able to boost your earnings and become more confident about your worth in the company. There is no doubt that the best way to enhance your earning potential is to develop your expertise and expand your professional knowledge. 

As I said earlier, you can improve your quality management skills and add to your existing set of skills without affecting your current job role and with minimal investment by studying an online strategic management programme. 

Move To Different Positions Or Industries

 

Let's face it....industry diversity can be an excellent career advantage for you which can fetch you various professional advantages. If you believe that you are stuck in your current position due to your career experience or educational background, then you are wrong. However, you need to realise that the education, experiences and skills gained throughout your career are more transferable and important than you consider. 

In respect to quality management processes and strategies, you will see that most of the tactics and principles are very similar across various positions, sectors and industries. Being a quality management professional, you will develop the right skills and expertise to transitions to various industries. 

The Bottom Line

 

Quality management offers a lot more than what I have been able to explain here. I can assure you that by taking a tactical and informed approach for your career development, you can make the most of these benefits. 

What do you think about quality management? Feel free to share your opinions with us by commenting below.

Top 4 Tips For Entrepreneurs To Become More Productive

Are you planning on being an entrepreneur and run a start-up? Well then you need to make sure that you take all the necessary steps so that the productivity of your business increases effectively. However, this can be easier said than done as you will have to face various challenges as a business owner. Here we are going to share a few tips that will enable you to be better at being your own boss. Keep reading... 

Starting Your Business

 

There is no doubt that starting a business can be exciting and the main reason for that is you can become your own boss. Tabitha Jean Naylor, founder of Successful Startup 101 Magazine, writes in a recent post “This is often the driving force behind most startup businesses – well, that and a really great idea. You’re able to choose your own hours, make your own decisions, and otherwise be independent. This sounds great in the beginning, and most people dive into their new business with every ounce of energy they have. They work ridiculously long hours, and are incredibly productive … for a while. Then they hit a wall, and nothing seems to be getting done anymore.” 

Getting Burnt Out

 

Most entrepreneurs and small business owners are usually very productive when they start a business. But as time progresses and they become engrossed in work, boredom starts to set in and they start feeling drained of all energy. This phase is known as “burnout.” Naylor adds “You run on nothing but steam, and this greatly affects productivity. Less gets done, and what is getting done isn’t getting done right.”

However, there are some simple ways to boost your productivity by being your own boss. How? Just follow the smart tips mentioned below to get started- 

Set Your Limit

 

Make sure that you set a limit for the amount of hours you work each day. The limit you set must be reasonable so that you can effectively balance your work and personal life. For instance, 10 hours is normally a practical time limit with one or two day off every week. According to Naylor “No matter what, you quit working when you reach your daily limit. This will help you to stay more focused while you do work, because your entire life won’t be comprised of your job.” 

You Are Just One Person

 

You are not going to get all the tasks completed in a single day. I have seen numerous entrepreneurs who are excessively “hard on themselves.” Give yourself the space you need to work effectively. The post states “The truth is you’re only one person, and you can’t move mountains. It would be great if you had the ability to get a month’s worth of work done today, but you can’t, so stop worrying about it.” 

Don't Multitask

 

According to recent studies multitasking can prove to be counterproductive. You might believe that you are doing more work, but the work you do will not be as effective as it could have been. What you are actually doing is jumping from one task to another without completing the first task in the best way possible. 

Tabitha Jean Naylor writes “Instead of multitasking, focus all your energy on getting one task done at a time. You may not believe it now, but much more will get done and it will all be high quality.” 

Allocate Work Smartly

 

Being the business owner, you are bound to be concerned about each and every aspect of your work and you would want to get thing done in the most effective way, but you must understand you alone can't do all the work. You need assign the tasks and designate responsibilities in a smart way. According to her post “You may not want to let go of your choke-hold, but you need to. Let your employees or associates handle the small things. There are some things only you, as the business owner, can handle. Those are the things you should be focusing your energy on.” 

I hope these simple tips can help you to boost your productivity to a great extent and avoid getting burnout. “As a small business owner, it can be tempting to do everything yourself — and do it all today. This just isn’t realistic, however, and can lead to serious issues in the long run. Pace yourself and you can continue seeing steady results in what you are able to achieve,” Naylor concludes. 

What do you think? Share your thoughts with us by commenting in the box below.

5 Unsual Yet Effective Ways To Impress Your Boss

Do you want to impress your boss? Then the first thing you need to do is get things done. However, there are many other things that you need to do to leave your mark on your employer so that he thinks about you first when the next big promotion comes up. 

Here I am going to talk about some unconventional tips and tactics that can not only improve your work performance, but also make you the star in the eyes of your boss. Read on.... 

Write your emails shorter

Trust me on this one. I have made a habit of writing 3-4 sentence emails by getting rid of the fuzz and focusing only on the important parts. It will not only save the time of the reader, but also save your time as well. When drafting a new email, think how you can make it more concise and effective. Instead of writing longer emails, save time by talking on the phone or in a meeting. Time is the most valuable item for any business. 

Be obsessive and compulsive

 

Let me tell you a little story: Van Halen, the popular rock band from the 80s, followed a unique control tactic. In their 53-page tour contract, a stipulation was hidden that there must be M&M’s in the backstage green room, in all possible colours, excluding brown. If they found even a sing brown coloured M&M they cancelled the gig. Why? If your contractors don't think that it is important to read the fine print, then they cannot be trusted with more serious work. So if you want to boost your performance, then don't skip the small stuff. 

Walk out of a group meeting 

 

But why? The truth is meetings are ineffective; you can resolve some issues within minutes while some agendas take hours. Issues that might be important for a particular group may be totally irrelevant for your group. So make sure that you excuse yourself when the meeting does not seem to be productive for you any more. It's better to utilise the time by doing some work than simply sitting and absorbing useless information just to be polite. 

Manage down

 

You need to develop the skill to work with everyone, including people who are under you and not just your superiors. Make sure that you analyse how new recruits are treating clients, colleagues and strangers. Most bosses often value traits like courtesy, civility and caring for others. Keep your ego outside the office. 

Fail...Yes, you read that right

 

But keep in mind that 2 main kinds of failure: failure due to ambition and failure due to inability. Your boss will be able to identify the difference between both and encourage employees who might fail for the former reason. It is better to work on projects that are too ambitious or big than not to try at all. A good employer always knows that ambition and failure are 2 different sides of the same coin. 

So that's it...I hope you find these tips helpful and manage to boost your performance to great new levels. Feel free to share your own tips and ideas by commenting below. I would love to hear what you think.

Is Line Management Partiality Affecting Your Chances Of Becoming A Manager?

Do you wish to advance your career and become an effective manager? If so, then you must be dedicated enough to perform to the best of your abilities and prove your worth at the workplace. You will need to acquire a strong understanding of business to build a thriving career in today’s intensely competitive corporate world. However, your career dreams can get broken as assembling talent pool in an organisation mostly depends on the sole judgement of the line managers. 

Identifying Potential In An Organisation

 

Most businesses around the globe wish to recognise which workers have the potential and ability to add significant value, so that the organisation can engage, develop and retain those employees. However, most Human Resource teams are unable to define “potential” in real terms. Hence the job of identifying talent within an organisation is often left to the instinct of the line manager. 

Is It A Biased Process?

 

The fact remains that this entire procedure is susceptible to any mental or emotional bias which the managers may have. According to a number of studies managers, whether unconsciously or consciously, tend to consider those individuals to have a lot of potential who possess similar traits like them, such as ethnicity, gender, education, background etc. I think it is highly important that such type of bias in the management should be avoided by taking informed decisions about identifying talent staff in the company. Hence, HR managers must utilise their resources effectively to interpret data. How? 

Taking A Holistic Approach

 

Firstly, organisations need to follow an investigative and integrated approach to indentify skilled employees, instead of just relying on the recommendations of managers or the interview panel. Companies need to decide what exactly senior level managers must do over a period of 3 years and then decide who might have the ability to provide a valid and reliable opinion for every requisite competency. 

In case an employee is considered to have potential by every other employee, except the manager, then it would denote some concern with the subordinate-manager relationship. Moreover there can also be a ‘blindspot’ due to which the manager is unable to identify the skills of the person. 

It can occur due to simple negligence or there may be some menacing intention as well. A manager can intentionally overplay the skills of a particular employee to remove them from the team or downplay the skills of a team member as he is an excellent performer and wan to retain them. 

Need For Preparing Yourself

 

Apart from the efforts of the HR team, you yourself can take some steps to make sure that your performance is identified and that you become a better manager in future. I believe one of the best ways to do this is by pursuing a business management programme that will teach you about the various aspects of business, including human resources elements like performance evaluation and appraisal. However, it is nearly impossible to attend a full time programme and keep your day job at the same time. Hence I would suggest that you study quality management diploma programmes online. 

Online courses offer high levels of flexibility, affordability and convenience that will allow you to study at your own pace and balance your job and education efficiently. Your business management education will not only improve your knowledge and skills, but it will also empower you to become an ethical and successful manager in the future. 

You will be able to develop better strategies to include line managers in tutorial-type conversations that will allow workers to improve their strengths further and recognise areas where they need to develop. An online management diploma will teach you to take a more informed decision after gathering the right statistics from the right sources to spot potential.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Feel free to share with us by simply commenting in the box below. 

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Should Schools Focus More On Technology Than Curriculum?

Educational technology has become a reality in our schools with more and more institutes offering various digital tools to their students to help them learn better. The main objective of using advanced technological tools in the classroom is to create an enhanced learning environment and offer and engaging and interactive experience. 

However, before we focus on technology integration, educators first need to focus on a flexible and effective academic curriculum. It is only then that we can identify the means and approaches to improve education with the help of technology. But schools should not force digital tools in the classroom. Technology must facilitate the goals of the educators for the school year. If it is not used properly, technology might become a barrier to achieving those goals, instead of being a catalyst. 

Implement Technology To Improve Curriculum

 

Do you think your school is ready to use educational tech in the classroom? The first thing you need to do is be confident that your curriculum will be enhanced by implementing technology. Here are 5 excellent ways to use technology to improve learning by elevating the curriculum- 

Understand How Technology Is Used By Students At Home

 

It is imperative that you learn what type of technology is used by your students and how they are utilizing it outside of your classroom. This information will enable you to identify challenges and opportunities related to executing EdTech tools in the classroom. It may also help to initiate motivation for your tech solutions in school.

Be Sure About Your Goal

 

You need to determine the purpose and objective of using latest technology in your classroom. Make sure you don’t implement it just for the sake of using EdTech or because other schools are doing it. If you don’t realise why or how you should use technology as an educational tool, then it simply means you are not ready for it. 

Take One Step At A Time

 

You need start by implementing just one educational technology at a point of time. When you implement multiple technology tools, then it become easy to lose focus of the main objectives and enhance the curriculum. If you try to use too many digital tools at once then it can prove to be overwhelming, not only for the educators, but also for the learners and their parents. If they start to feel overwhelmed then it may cause frustration which will adversely affect your goals.

Use The SAMR Model

 

Designed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura, the SAMR model depicts the phases of technology integration, namely –

• Substitution
• Augmentation
• Modification
• Redefinition

This approach enables schools and educators to evaluate and reflect on how to implement technology in the classroom and what we can do to adapt, reformulate and modify our classrooms by using it. 

Look For Opportunities For Professional Development

 

You can find innumerable free online learning resources for administrators and educators to read regarding different tech experiences and what we may learn from them. This can be highly effective if your school is connected with larger networks which can allow colleagues to learn and share the best teaching practices.

What are you doing to Integrate technology into your classroom? Share your views, ideas and thoughts with us by commenting below. We would love to hear from you. 

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