Rabu, 20 Juni 2012

Continuing Education - Online Interactive Courses


In this day and age online education is one of the best ways for students and adults to complete their continuing education. Continuing education can mean a lot of different things. Some adults are looking to go back to school for a bachelor's degree or a master's degree. Others are looking to complete professional education to better equip themselves in the workforce or to satisfy certain state requirements. In this article we are going to discuss the use of interactive courses offered online in both formal education and professional training.

First let's talk about adults and students going back to school for a specific degree. Online courses give the students flexibility to log on and off to complete their coursework at their convenience. Interactive courses allow them to communicate with their classmates and professors via discussion board postings, live chat, or email. They give the students a way to network and form relationships with others in their class.

Interactive courses are usually powered through Moodle, Blackboard, or WebCT and are facilitated by a professor or graduate assistant. Students can post, submit papers, take quizzes, and also email other students or the professors. This kind of technology really brings the students closer to their peers even if they are thousands of miles away.

Professional continuing education is typically set up a little bit different. For instance, if you are taking an online interactive course as an insurance agent you are not communicating with other students or a professor. You are usually reading a textbook and completing short online quizzes at the end of each chapter. Once the quizzes are complete you are prompted to take an online final exam which concludes the course. So in this scenario, you are doing a lot more reading and test taking than interacting with others. Some prefer this method, but many like networking with others in the classroom.

Another big difference with professional training is there is usually no due date for the quizzes or assignments. The company you purchased the course from does not set a deadline. You deadline is actually your compliance date with the state you reside in. This gives the student a lot of flexibility and time to complete the course if planned correctly.

As you can see these are just two ways interactive courses are used for continuing education purposes. Who knows what the future holds, but online education will be around for a very long time.


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