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In right this moment’s quick-paced business world, one needs to enhance himself consistently or danger being left behind as a has-been. Such is certainly the case in the human resources profession. In an effort to keep up with a globally-changing business local weather, human sources studies needs to be undertaken. The advantages of human sources studies are numerous, not the least of which is improved work performance and productivity. To make human resources studies worthwhile, nevertheless, a couple of ideas needs to be observed.

In right this moment’s quick-paced business world, one needs to enhance himself consistently or threat being left behind as a has-been. Such is unquestionably the case in the human assets profession. In an effort to keep up with a globally-altering business local weather, human sources studies needs to be undertaken. The advantages of human sources studies are numerous, not the least of which is improved work efficiency and productivity. To make human assets research worthwhile, nonetheless, just a few concepts ought to be observed.

A resume is usually an one- to two-page document summarizing your career objectives, professional experiences not to mention achievements, and educational historical past. The heading of the actual resume should contain the name, address and speak to information. The body of the resume should be broken in to the following sections: career purpose, profile/summary, professional experience, triumphs, scholastics, and references. Your career objective should be limited, up to two sentences; it should give your potential employers a good idea of how you would like to move forward in your own professional life. A concise profile or a summary should discuss who you will be and how your competencies and experience best try to find the job you are researching for. The summary, as well as other places of your resume, ought not contain personal information the fact that discloses ethnicity, sexual orientation, marital status, age, being situations, or any other personal information which is not directly related to your career. Personal profile/summary should only have a few well-written sentences that convey anything you can bring to the table when considering the specific job. Work with this section to attract typically the employer’s attention, but don’t exaggerate in trying to end up being creative – stay expert. Your experience listing will include information on one in order to five jobs you’ve organised, starting with your current or last job, plus listing previous positions through chronological order. Your education will incorporate college, graduate and post-graduate job, as well as all courses or professional certifications which might be relevant to your position development. Achievements, volunteer rankings, publications and interests should really only be listed once they apply to your pro work experience References needs to be listed if requested; best practices suggest not to directory generic statements about evidences being available upon request as it is understood.

Pharmacy technicians are getting an growing role inside pharmacies because the pharmacists they’re assisting are getting busy. They’re not substitute to licensed pharmacists but an extension of their hands. These technicians are frequently mistaken for the pharmacists simply because they share practically similar responsibilities. Due to this expanded role of the pharmacist and the shortages of pharmacists in some locations, pharmacies have come to rely on these technicians even more. The good thing about having more responsibilities is that their pharmacy technician salary will boost, too. These are the issues that somebody pursuing this career wants to know.

When you have an automobile which had been manufactured by just Ford therefore you are using an appear at purchasing lengthy ford warranty, then it’s value browsing about. By just investing time searching for your solutions, likelihood is you will turn out economizing oneself a lot of income. Many are under a lousy impression that it’s required to go to the auto dealership as a way to purchase a strategy. The fact is, the situation in regards to like products and solutions, neither with the two could it be the reality after we think about appear with the extra information about purchasing a guarantee for your Ford car or truck. Brand name new cars will broadly talking arrive by using a warranty supplied. This can be to pay for the automobile grasp through their initially time period of automobile ownership. As a result of the fact new autobus and trucks may very well be anticipated to get some niggles, it truly is ordinarily privileged this these kinds of offer with is in spot. The length of this particular original get care of can range collected from one of maker to an increased. Any time you get maintain of the new motor vehicle, it is critical that you simply test in the details of any sort of inclusive warranty arrangement. You could possibly obtain not putting on running shoes supplies aid for between 12 in addition 36 months. Just after this deal with expires, a lot of Ford owners get a glance at invest in prolonged guarantee agreements. It might make certain you can certainly even now use your motor vehicle, safe and sound from the know-how that any troubles will be insured. The financial safety border that this type of coverage supplies can be priceless.

Online learning has seen an explosion in popularity in recent years. According to an annual report published by the Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C), nearly 3.5 million students were taking at least one online course in 2006. They also reported that one in five higher education students were taking an online course in the fall of 2006. The growth rate reported for online learning was nearly 10%.
To meet the demand, as of 2000 over half of the degree granting institutions in the U.S. offered some type of distance education. By 2002 the number was expected to rise to 84% .
Access is the reason most often cited for the increase in both interest and the number of online offerings. Online course offerings and programs provide greater access to education for potential students. This is especially true for working adults who are looking for ways to further or change careers. Access is also the number 1 reason cited by educational institutions for the increase in their online offerings, followed by attracting students from beyond their traditional service area, and growing continuing or professional education .
There are also studies by groups such as the Distance Learning and Education Council and Eduventures that indicate growing acceptance of online education programs. An Eduventures study indicated that more than 60% of managers or human resource professionals view online degrees favorably. Studies including Sloan-C’s indicate increasing levels of acceptance of online learning among professional educators as well.
Popular Online Universities
Here’s are a few of the larger universities that have a focus on online programs (see a longer list in the left column):
AIU Online provides degree and non-degree programs in business, education and other career-centric areas
Capella University is an entirely online university that maintains a focus on graduate programs
University of Phoenix Online is a very large and established online educator with a strong breadth of programs and degrees.
There are, however, still prejudices against online programs and degrees within both the academic community and the hiring community. A study conducted by Jonathan Adams (Director of Interactive and New Communication Technologies at Florida State University) and Margaret H. DeFleur (Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at Louisiana State University), indicates a much lower degree of acceptance of online education and degrees on the part of hiring managers and educational institutions .
Given the increasing popularity and proliferation of online learning and courses, as well as varying degrees of acceptance, it is important for individuals to have a framework with which to evaluate online learning offerings. Prospective students need to evaluate programs to maximize their potential for getting a good, sound, education that will be looked upon favorably by the academic and hiring communities. This paper will highlight the top factors that individuals should take into consideration when evaluating online learning.
Sloan-C defines an online course as one in which at least 80% of course content is delivered online. Courses with less online content are considered to by blended or hybrid (30-79% online content) or “web facilitated” (< 30% online content).
Top Considerations When Evaluation Online Learning
Is On-line Training Right for You?
Probably the best place to start is with a little introspection and self examination. Questions that you should ask yourself include:
Why do you want to take an online course versus a more traditional instructor delivered course?
Is online learning compatible with your needs and the way that you learn?
How comfortable are you with a computer and technology?
Many people look into online learning because they think it will be faster or easier. Both are common misconceptions. A quality online course or program should be every bit as demanding as its classroom counterpart. Also, because many online courses are self-paced, they may actually take longer for a student to complete, especially for working adults who are juggling other life commitments.
Online learning is a fairly solitary and self-directed undertaking. This is especially true of online courses that progress at a student's own pace as opposed to those on a schedule with specific deadlines. Online learning also requires some facility with a computer. If you are an individual who needs structure or direction, or who thinks that the social aspects of an education (live interaction with other students and faculty, campus events, etc.) are appealing or important, than online learning may not be the right vehicle for you.
Expectation issues may be the reason that so many students (15% at post secondary and degree granting post secondary institutions) actually never start their distance education course (2007 Distance Education Survey, DETC). Once over the initial hurdles, however, course completion rates (75% or better) and graduation (65% or better) are fairly high for distance education (2007 Distance Education Survey, DETC).
What is the quality of the institution offering the online course/program?
One of the main indicators of the quality of an educational institution is accreditation. Accreditation is a process of peer-review of educational institutions and programs against established quality criteria by an independent, non-governmental, private educational association known as an accrediting agency. At a minimum, a prospective student should consider programs that are nationally accredited by an agency that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Even better is to consider the programs of an institution that is accredited by one of the 6 regional accrediting agencies, and their 8 commissions. The regional accrediting agencies are generally believed to be the highest form of accreditation in the United States. For more on accreditation see: Understanding Accreditation of Online Education Programs.

This spring, millions of capped and gowned kids will proudly cross stages all over America in celebration of their academic achievements. But how much do you know about the origin of these traditions? Try our quiz below and find out:
1. An early version of the mortarboard, or cap worn by grads, was worn in the Middle Ages by A.) the nobility B.) the clergy C.) the military
2. Some researchers speculate that the robes of early scholars were black in order to A.) disguise ink stains B.) symbolize the death of the old self C.) mimic the dress of the nobility
3. “Pomp and Circumstance” was not originally meant for graduation; in fact, one of its earliest performances was for A.) a wedding B.) a coronation C.) a funeral
4. Diplomas were originally made of A.) rawhide B.) moleskin C.) sheepskin
Answers: 1(B); 2(A); 3(B); 4(C)
Need a refresher course? Read on to learn about the history behind some of our most time-honored graduation traditions.
The cap
Though the mortarboard is one of the most recognizable trappings of academic achievement in modern times, even your Kindergartner’s cardstock and paste rendition of it would probably have been recognizable to medieval scholars because of its telltale shape. Though its earliest origins are somewhat murky, the close-fitting bottom part of the mortarboard probably derives from the skull caps worn by early medieval clerics to protect their tonsured heads. Later, the style was adopted by scholars at England’s Cambridge and Oxford, and the biretta became one of several insignia conferred upon academic dignitaries.
The caps were sometimes worn with tufts on top, which find their contemporary equivalent in the tassel, which we now move from right to left to signify a change in academic status. The meaning of the odd square shape is still debated by scholars; some say it represents the books (which in medieval pre-backpack times were occasionally carried upon the unfortunate scholar’s head!).
The gown
Your senior boy may balk at having to wear a “dress” for graduation, but assure him that it too is part of a tradition that stretches back hundreds of years. Medieval classrooms were cold and damp, a far cry from the modern temperature-controlled and technology-equipped buildings that students of today enjoy. To protect themselves from the elements, scholars wore long, loose robes over their clothes. As guild system grew into the medieval university, gowns evolved in color and style to represent the branches of study pursued by their wearers.
Traditionally, the gowns are black–perhaps to represent the sobriety of academic study, but many scholars speculate that the black material might have had something to do with disguising the ink stains produced by such diligent scholarship. By the late 19th century, specific colors were adopted for the various academic disciplines—most of these manifest themselves in the special hoods worn at college graduations.
The music
Most kids know it as the “graduation song,” but Sir Edward Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D” is actually just one part of his Pomp and Circumstance Military Marches, Op. 39. They were all written around the turn of the 20th century, and when Elgar was honored with an honorary doctorate by Yale in 1905, the “Land of Hope and Glory” trio section of the first march was played as a recessional. The tradition stuck, and over 100 years later it is the gold standard for both graduation processionals and recessionals. Though the song was inspired by lines from Shakespeare’s Othello and played at the coronation ceremonies of King Edward VII, it will forever be associated with alphabetized rows of fresh-faced grads for most of us.
The diploma
You may have heard people talk about hanging their “sheepskin” on their office walls. Some sort of bizarre cult ritual? Believe it or not, sheepskin—far more durable than fragile paper of the time—was originally used for diplomas. Diplomas used to be written by hand, akin to the beautiful fonts and calligraphy we see today in their modern counterparts. By the beginning of the 20th century, parchment became the standard for diplomas. Some of the older, more traditional colleges still use sheepskin and painstakingly handwritten Latin on their diploma, but now most of them are simply printed on ordinary A4 size paper.
Many of these traditions are so steeped in our collective consciousness that we don’t think to bat an eye when kids queue up for “Pomp and Circumstance” or move their tassels from right to left, but understanding the long, proud history of graduation truly underscores just what a momentous occasion it is.

People attend community colleges for many reasons. One of them is saving money–both in terms of reduced tuition and not accumulating academically related debt.
Community colleges have been seeing a boom in enrollment, due at least in part to the weak economy and the skyrocketing costs of private and public universities.
Matt Braswell, director of counseling and advising, career transfer, and disability services at Harrisburg Area Community College, reported that the Pennsylvania school saw a 13 percent increase in enrollment last year.
“That’s a huge increase,” Braswell said. “We’ve noticed classes filling up much earlier and needing to add more sections, beginning in July. Usually that happens in late-August”.
Students who spend two years at a community college, then transfer to a four-year school, get the same diploma as someone who attends the four-year college all along–with a lot less debt. A year at a community college might cost about $5,000 in tuition, as compared with $12,000 to $20,000 or more for even a relatively inexpensive four-year institution.
Students at community colleges are also eligible to apply for federal financial aid programs, such as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The FAFSA form indicates how how much students might be able to obtain in loans as well as in grants from their specific schools.
Price has always been a selling point of two-year colleges, according to George R. Boggs, president and chief executive officer of the American Association of Community Colleges.
“With their lower tuition costs, community colleges give students a way to save money while learning in a supportive environment,” Boggs said. “They also allow students to access training for associate-degree or non-degree careers, and they offer continuing education and personal development classes for the broad spectrum of adult learners.”
Moreover, community colleges can offer the boon of easy-to-transfer credits. Most of these schools have articulation agreements with four-year colleges and universities, ensuring that credits earned at the community college will count toward the four-year-degree program once the student has transferred.
HACC, which has more than 600 articulation agreements, has seen an increase in transfer students to four-year colleges, as opposed to those stopping at an associate’s degree.
“Finances are a big part of it,” Braswell said. “Students are very cost-conscious. A percentage of our students didn’t meet the criteria at the four-year-college [they were interested in], but well over half are here because it’s cheaper”.
Students at four-year colleges can save money by heading home for the summer and taking low-cost credits at a local community college. Every credit earned there rather than at the four-year institution can cut hundreds in tuition. .
Moreover, many community colleges offer courses to high-school juniors and seniors. If courses are dual-enrollment, students can earn both high-school and college credits simultaneously.
“Community colleges are an underfunded community asset and an invaluable resource for first-generation college students, low-skilled adult workers and immigrants aspiring to enter college, and downsized workers and mid-career changers transitioning to ar recession-proof career,” according to Phil Ciciora, education editor of of illinois.edu.
Since first-generation college students and adults with a high-school diploma often have little knowledge of what higher education is about or what their career goals are, “Community colleges can be a gateway to an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree, at a fraction of the cost of entering a public four-year college and just about any private institution”, said Debra Bragg, a professor of higher education and the director of the Forum on the Future of Public Education at the University of Illinois.
Moreover, she added, aside from community colleges, there aren’t many affordable alternatives with a successful track record at preparing students and adult learners.

From figuring out how to help a child with a learning disability manage their homework to dealing with public behavior outbursts on even the best of days, raising a child with a disability is challenging. Special education experts have years of expertise when it comes to handling academic and behavior situations. Use our expert tips to handle everything from homework to dinnertime.
Homework Help
Set Structure. Ellen Arnold, education consultant, suggests using a visual schedule with movable parts to help your child see what’s going to happen, and any changes in the routine. Choose a daily Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) or a more general magnetic calendar depending on what your child needs (both options found at Amazon.com).
Set Structure Within Structure. When it’s homework time, Dr. George Giuliani and Dr. Roger Pierangelo, executive directors of the National Association of Special Education Teachers, suggest ranking assignments to help kids prioritize. Have your child check in with you every five problems or five minutes so you can check their progress and correct mistakes early, without pressuring them.
Use a Timer. For easier transitions, Mary Z. McGrath, PhD, former special education teacher and author, recommends using a Time Timer. This timer has a red section that shows time passing and gives kids a visual idea of how much time they have left.
Figure Out Your Child’s “Smarts”. Figure out which kind of “smart” your child is by watching him play. What toys does he choose? Which activities is he most successful at? If he’s older, ask about a time when he was successful and how he stayed focused enough to succeed. Once you figure out how kids learn and what keeps them focused, says Arnold, you can adapt any homework assignment or project to make them more successful.
See the Big Picture. If your child gets stuck during homework time, don’t worry as much about the details of the assignment as what your child is supposed to do, says Arnold. Once you know what skill your child is supposed to demonstrate, adjust the assignment so your child can meet the same learning objectives using her strengths.
Make it Multi-Sensory. “Research indicates that the more sensory input children receive, the greater the chance the information will be retained,” says Giuliani. Find audio books, record textbook passages, or invest in a set of math manipulatives to help kids get more information into their brains.
Behavior Busters
Acknowledge the Disability. The first key to understanding your child’s behavior is to understand him as a person, including his disability, and set behavior expectations he can meet. It isn’t fair to expect that if your child works hard the disability will disappear, says Arnold. But, he can learn how to compensate for his disability and succeed.
Take Notes. Special education teachers use notes to track patterns of behavior and come up with ways to change them. Take notes on the behavior you want to change and answer these questions: What is the purpose of the behavior? What need does it meet? What environmental conditions might affect the behavior? What socially acceptable things could your child do to meet that need? Once you have your answers, use them to create a plan to address the behavior.
Keep Your Cool. If you do get into a behavior “situation” (think: public tantrum), breathe. “I tell teachers to breathe every time they hear the bell,” says McGrath. When you hear your child starting to get upset, take it as a cue to breathe. Then, give clear, calm directions and explain what will happen next. Your calm voice will tell your child that you’re in control.
Use Limited Choice. Instead of open-ended questions (What do you want?) give your kids two acceptable options to choose from (Would you like to drink from a pink cup or a blue one?).
Don’t Over Invest. Save energy and pick your battles by treating energy like money, advises Giuliani. Decide which behaviors are worth $2 and which are worth $200 and you’ll deal with the behaviors that matter the most.
Use Punishment Effectively. Make sure that punishments aren’t too harsh or too long (one minute of “time out” for every year of a child’s age, for example). And, make sure you bring the punishment to a close with a debriefing so your child understands how to behave differently the next time.
Choose to Wait. Instead of dealing out consequences when you’re fuming, Giuliani and Pierangelo recommend waiting. Use this script to buy yourself some cool off time: “I am so angry now that I don’t want to deal with this situation. Go to your room and I’ll deal with you in 15 minutes.”
Special education professionals know the tricks to keep kids like yours moving in the right direction. Use these tips, and you’ll be tapping in to a lifetime of ready solutions that will make your life easier, and your child more successful at school and at home.

Ten years ago, the students enrolled in online education courses came from all over the country. Many of them were beginning degrees for the first time, finishing where they left off, or taking selected courses in order to enhance their career options.
In most cases, these students were “nontraditional students.” They were older than the students on campus, and they took courses online because their careers and families made it difficult for them to add regular classroom meetings and assignments to their busy schedules. Online education offered nontraditional students flexibility. They could do the work for their courses whenever and wherever they wanted.
Often the term “online education” was synonymous with “distance education.” This reflected the fact that most students taking courses from an online degree program didn’t live or work in geographical proximity to the university in which they were enrolled. Online education isn’t as distant anymore. In fact, it is becoming an increasingly important component of every student’s college education as more and more campus-based students enroll in online courses that are offered by their universities.
A new survey indicates that one in five college students is currently taking at least one course online, and this number is predicted to continue to rise. From ivies, to large state universities, to small liberal arts colleges, more campus-based students are taking online courses as part of their traditional college education. Many universities are now claiming that increased demand from on campus students fuels the expansion of online education programs as well as technological innovations in education.
Campus-based students are attracted to online courses for many of the same reasons that “distance students” once were: they allow greater flexibility, especially when it comes to balancing work and study. The cost of a college education continues to rise and surpass inflation, government aid, and household income.
Not surprisingly then, more students need to work while in college to help pay their tuition. Elizabeth Farrell reports that a survey conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute of UCLA revealed that “almost half of college freshmen — a record 47.2 percent — said there was a ‘very good chance’ that they would have to work during the academic year.” For these students, now almost half of all students, online courses free up their course schedules and make it easier to balance work and education.
Additionally, universities now find themselves with more students and less classroom space. Providing instructors and classrooms to meet the demands of more students has proven difficult. As a result, many students are frustrated over conflicts in their schedules that can slow their progress towards graduation. For example, the only open section of English 101 may conflict with the only open section of Business 101, and the student will have to choose which requirement to take now, and which to defer until next semester.
Consequently, many students would welcome having the option of taking one of those courses online. Traditional bricks and mortar universities are responding to these problems by increasing the number of courses students can take online. Some universities now require students to take online courses as part of their degree requirements because there just isn’t enough classroom space to accommodate increased student enrollments.
Financial difficulties have also driven increases in online education offerings at the high school level. Michigan has recently passed legislation that requires all high school students to take at least one online course. Other states are sure to follow Michigan’s lead. Many legislators recognize that online technologies allow students to have access to educational opportunities that are under-funded in their own local school districts. Additionally, educators and legislators alike are confronting the fact that online education is the way of the future. The sooner high school students can become familiar with the technologies they will encounter in their college-level courses, the better.
Universities with traditional on campus programs continue to create more opportunities for online education. Even students who meet in classrooms for traditional face-to-face instruction will find themselves engaged in online course activities. These can range from downloading lectures as podcasts, to posting responses to course material on a discussion board, to completing and submitting assignments online.
Some classes are simultaneously conducted in virtual as well as bricks and mortar classrooms. These hybrid classes allow students to choose from a set of prescheduled face to face meetings while still completing a portion of the course online. Students get the best of both worlds: face time with the instructor and other students in the class, and the convenience of online learning.
In some exceptional cases, classrooms have entirely moved to virtual reality. For example, a recent survey found that over one hundred universities have campuses in Second Life. Peter J. Ludlow at the University of Toronto recently taught a course in Second Life to real life students enrolled in a real life university. As avatars, they met in a virtual classroom on a virtual campus in a virtual world to discuss the philosophical and social aspects of online worlds. They were assigned real grades that counted towards their real degrees.
While Professor Ludlow found the educational experience in Second Life somewhat dissatisfying, he nonetheless acknowledged that students’ personal learning preferences fuel technological advances in education. College students, referred to as “millennials,” are coming to universities “wired,” eager to use their technological skills for educational purposes.
Professors are increasingly seeing the value of a hybrid education. Many instructors find that by adding online aspects to their classroom courses, creating hybrid classrooms, and in some cases transforming their courses into entirely online courses, they create more opportunities for students to master the course material. For many, this is because students themselves extensively rely on web technologies for entertainment and education, and businesses will expect their new college graduate employees to have an unprecedented familiarity with technology.