There’s no question that distance education is on the rise and the demand for online instructors will follow suit. However, to get the most of your online teaching experience and to make your online class a success use these five tips for online instructor success in a virtual classroom setting.

1. Preparation is key to Online Instructor success – In an online environment you cannot ‘wing it’ and get success. Preparation beforehand will allow you to conduct your class with ease. It is best to get familiar with the topic you will be teaching and become familiar with the format, operation and design of your online classroom.
2. Be organized – Organization is essential in an online setting. This will remove anxiety and create a smoother transition for you and your students. Design and implement an online course that is clear and organized. Make sure students are clear on what is expected of them. If you are lacking in time management and organizational skills, get the experience you need to succeed in the online classroom.
3. Give feedback and get feedback – Students like to feel wanted so get suggestions and feedback about the online classroom, online degree programs and courses and if there’s anything that needs improving. It is very important that students are given an opportunity to make their voices heard– Students like to also get feedback from teachers, so give constant encouragement and positive feedback so students can get the motivation they need to succeed. Students also need feedback on how they are doing in class, so let students know if they are lacking in areas and needs improvement.
4. Try to be available and easily accessible – Especially in an online format, students are all alone so let them feel that they can count on you to be there for them when they need you to be. Give them your contact information such as email and office hours, but try to be available as much as possible. And respond to student’s inquiries and concerns as soon as possible.
5. Create a friendly and comfortable online environment – Make sure students are staying connected with their online classmates and working together to get the support that is not necessarily available when attending class online. Remind students to sign up on the internet and participate in online discussions, chat boards and join online groups. Also design your course to promote quality interaction between students, classmates and teacher. Keep the class fun and interesting. Students that are involved and engaged in the online classroom, tends to do better.

Making the transition from the traditional classroom to an online learning format is not easy and can be intimidating. I hope these five tips for online instructor success will bring you the success you need.

Teens earning college credits before graduating from high school is becoming a new trend in the US. These teens are taking advanced courses that are relevant to their postsecondary field of study. In most cases college credits earned before high school graduation reduces the time it takes to earn a degree and also increases the chances of students graduating from college. Students also tend to do better academically when participating in such programs.

Consult the School Guidance Counselor and Admissions Office

During the last year of high school, career planning is essential and teens are encouraged to talk to college advisors. They can get accurate information on accelerated programs that can be simultaneously taken while in high school, earning credits for high school completion and credits towards earning a certificate or degree.

Benefits of taking College Courses while in High School

• Fast tract to earning a degree
• Increased academic performance
• Accelerated education opportunities
• Money saved with free tuition and textbooks
• Challenging coursework
• Educational attainment
• Motivates students to pursue a college education
• Help students make a better transition to college

College Classes much Different than High School Classes

Students must meet college readiness by showing a high GPA and a high score on their college placement test. However, before enrolling in college classes, students need to understand that enrolling in both high school and college courses is challenging and requires much more than in high school courses. All courses taken during college will be placed on student’s permanent college transcript and goes towards student’s permanent postsecondary grade point average (GPA), so it is important for student to keep up with academic performance so that their GPA will not be affected. It is also important to check with the college student plans to attend to make sure that credits earned in college while in high school are transferable and will count towards the specific requirements of your major.

Sample Courses students should take in High School to prepare for College

• Mathematics- Geometry, Trigonometry, Pre-calculus, Geometry and Calculus
• English- Composition, English Literature and American Literature
• History and Geography – Geography, U. S History, U. S. Government, World History, World Cultures and Civics
• Laboratory Science – Earth Science, Chemistry, Physics and Earth Science
• Foreign language, Visual and Performing Arts and one to tree electives like Computer Science, Communications or Economics among others.

Be prepared for your College Degree!

US teens preparing for college with online classes seem to be beneficial especially for the high-achieving students and even for students who may not see themselves as college bound. This gives students a chance to see what lies ahead after graduating from high school. It prepares them to do well academically and also an opportunity to complete their degree much faster.

A Curriculum and Instruction degree holder review and evaluates a school’s current program, measure student achievement and progress and suggest enhancements to the school’s curriculum if necessary. Individuals interested in an online curriculum and instruction degree program can earn their degree through programs available in accredited online colleges.

Goals of Curriculum and Instruction Degree Holders

Online Curriculum and instruction degree graduates are extremely knowledgeable about what to look for when reviewing and evaluating curriculums. Their main goals are to ensure that state and federal standards are met, to improve the quality of education in the classroom, and ensure online students are equipped with the tools necessary to perform better in school and beyond. They are also required to make sure that curriculums are kept current with any new development in education and teaching.

Other duties and responsibilities of curriculum and instruction majors include:

• Develop curricula
• Review and select textbooks and other educational materials
• Develop questionnaires
• Interview school staff about the curriculum
• Monitor how teachers use materials in the classroom
• Assess the quality of educational programs
• Assess the educational programs adherence to regulations and standards
• Assist in implementing new technology in the classroom
• Recommend improvements
• Research teaching methods and techniques

The Need for Curriculum and Instruction Specialists

Many private and public institutions and school districts rely on curriculum and instruction specialists to ensure that their current curriculum and programs are up to date, effective, and meet governmental and institutional requirements.

Career Options for Curriculum and Instruction Professionals

Graduates with an online degree in curriculum and instruction qualify for many exciting and rewarding positions including training and developing advisor, curriculum developer, course designer, learning consultant, education consultant and more.

Curriculum and Instruction Degree Qualifications and Training

A master’s degree in education is a good starting point for those seeking positions in public schools and is usually preferred for jobs in other areas as well. A State teacher or administration license is also required in addition to an online masters degree or higher. Additional training and experience besides curriculum development and instruction in a specific field is recommended, also staying abreast with current developments in teaching is a plus.

Career and Salary Outlook for Curriculum and Instruction Degree Holders

According to various sources, curriculum and instruction degree holders may earn an average salary ranging from $31,000 to $93,000. A large number seek career in private or public educational schools. The need for curriculum and instruction job opportunities is expected to grow over the next decade, especially for those with knowledge and experience in math and reading curriculum development and specialize in a specific field.

Online curriculum and instruction degrees offer you the opportunity to get the professional edge you are looking for. Take classes online and begin your journey to earning your degree.

Are you thinking about getting your teen ready for college? Today, more and more parents are beginning to get their teens ready for college by having them take online classes. As you teenager begins high school, they should be well on their way preparing to take the required classes to be accepted at college. Making the transition from high school to college can be both an exciting and scary process. But with adequate planning and preparation your teen will manage just fine.

Take Courses Recommended For College-Bound Students

Your child should take challenging courses in academic subjects and maintain a good GPA throughout high school. Your teen will need to take core classes. No matter what your teen is majoring in, they need to take classes in general education areas, which include math, natural sciences, social sciences, art, English and humanities.

Do You Know What Your Teen Enjoy Doing?

You’ll need to discuss with your teen their skills and interests and what they enjoy doing to help them go in the right direction. Here are some ideas you can begin discussing:

• What did they enjoy doing this past year?
• What types of activities they find interesting?
• What did they enjoy about these activities?
• Do they enjoy any scholastic or athletic events?
• Is there a particular club or organization they would like to belong to?
• What are their likes or dislikes?
• How do they like to relax?
• What would they like to do for a living?
• What kind of work they find interesting?

Now, with this information you can help them determine possible career paths and appropriate online classes to begin taking. Have your teen talk to a school guidance and career counselor and have them do a bit of research on their own to help them determine what they want to do.

Guidance Counselors Can Help

Preparing for college is a major step and will require the help of a school counselor to help guide your teen as they make plans for online classes and future career. School counselors can help your teen map out their class schedules, provide career advice and counseling among others.

Transformation of the US Education System

Online learning is taking over and is now one of the most powerful mediums for US education. Almost every university in America is online offering online courses, online certificates, Bachelor, Master and even online Doctorate degrees without having to attend a brick-and-mortar classroom. Even high school students are jumping aboard and taking advantage of preparing for college with online classes, with over 700,000 high school students taking one or more courses online.

It’s convenient, it’s flexible, it’s affordable, and it’s practical. This is why so many teens choose to take courses online.

Do you have financial goals but are finding it hard to reach them? Maybe you could use some help. Never fear, you can always get help online. The internet has made training available that can help you reach your goals. The good thing about the help that is here for you online is that it is FREE. Here are some free online finance classes, in no particular order.

1. CNN Money

CNN’s Money 101 bills its self as a; “a step by step guide to gaining control of your financial life” and it pretty much covers it all. The course has 23 different lessons, from setting priorities to 401(k) plans. It is very useful and the best thing about it is that it can be followed step by step or you can simply go to the area you feel will help you the most.

2. Planning for a Secure Retirement

Planning for a secure retirement course is just for you if you actually want to retire one day. The goal of this course is to assist you in planning your retirement. There are 10 different modules of information that you can use to answer the questions you need answered when planning your retirement. The modules have special goals for each module, different things for you to do, and places where you can get more information. It is brought to you by the Purdue University Extension Campus.

3. The Tax College

Nothing is more important to your financial outlook than how you handle you taxes. There is a free course online to help you with this. TheTaxCollege.com has just what you are looking for. The home study online income tax course shows you what you need to know to become a tax guru. This online income tax course gives you the knowledge you must have to prepare tax returns like an expert, even if you’re not that bright. If you want to make extra doe as a tax preparer this online income tax course is what you want. It makes learning tax preparation very easy and did I mention it’s free?!

4. Taxes and Business Strategy

Most finance and average business courses focus on a large array issues. This course given by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will narrow the focus to taxes and business strategy that affects businesses day to day. It is made available by IT’s OpenCourseWare.

5. Family Finance

Utah State University’s Family Finance course wants you to be able to establish financial goals, develop financial plans, implement your plans, evaluate options for financial security and recall and apply facts concerning finances. Let’s hope this is true. It least the price is right!

6. Financial Security

In this course, Michigan State has collected information to help you with financial problems and strategies. From personal finance, estate planning and retirement there are a number of things that can help you learn more about important financial issues that everyone needs to know about.

7. Investing in Your Future

This course was created by the Rutgers Extension for investors just starting out with little money to invest at any one time. It teaches the basics and it shows certain types of investments in detail.

8. Person Financial Planning

The Fundamental of Personal Financial Planning is another set of open courseware brought to you by the University of California in Irvine, California. It is presented in eight modules and says that it will not make you a professional financial planner. However, the course will help the Average Joe understand financial planning.

9. Financial Education

Money Management International serves up a free webcast that is broken down into eight parts covering a range of subjects like bankruptcy, savings and family finances. They feed you the information in small, bite sized pieces for those with short attention spans.

10. MIT’s Principles of Microeconomics

This is more Open Course Ware provided by the boys and girls at the MIT. It is of an introductory nature and gives you a basic understanding of topics like market equilibrium, producer theory and monopolies.

Online College

The trend of online education has given rise to a number of online colleges. While online colleges where originally meant for those who really could not attend to regular colleges due to various limitations, taking up online course of study has become the order of the day. Considering the benefits of flexible class timings and classes with no restriction on the place of study students who would otherwise take up regular colleges are shifting their focus towards online colleges. In order to choose the right online college you should remember to check out some of the requirements before enrolling for the course.

Remember the do’s while choosing the right Online College

1. Be aware of the requirements – Choosing the right college for study greatly depends upon your awareness about the college and their requirements. Some colleges offer wide variety of courses but finally end up forcing you to take up certain subjects that are irrelevant to the course of study you have taken up or may end up not offering you the elective which you would wish to take.

2. Are you sure of getting into your choice of course? - With more and more students enrolling for online course of study it is important that you ensure you finally get place into a course of your choice. Due to insufficient student faculty ratio many students are wait listed until they get faculties for handling them.

3. Flexible conditions - Colleges normally tend to have a number of requirements before admitting a student. The choice of schools also depend upon how flexible they. It could be choice of subjects or switching over to different courses or preference over one particular course of study.

4. Writing requirement? – Well number of schools often have a writing requirement which is quiet common. It indicates the school’s intention in making you better equipped in writing. Learning to write is probably one of the important skills to be learnt in a college

5. Do graduate teach courses? – Well it has become a norm where students who have graduated from the college often take classes. Some schools ensure that such graduates have sufficient experience and cater to certain requirements such as completing the coursework for PhD. More often, schools happily take their graduate students for taking classes, inspite of their insufficient experience.

6. Do they have the course of your choice? – Not all colleges offer all courses. It is becomes more important when you have specialized courses in mind. While some colleges offer as many as 170 courses some others offer only 50 courses. Again admission for some of those courses are either restricted or offered on a first come first served basis or on a case to case basis.

7. Student Faculty Ratio - Range of 11 to 15 students per faculty is common. Any number exceeding this might not fetch you the individual attention you need.

8. Who is your teacher? – In order to save on cost many schools conduct computer taught classes in place of online classes. Ensure you know their teaching methodology.

9. Percentage of students who graduate every year – Where the percentage is above 80%, it would be one of the most desired schools. Pass percentage between 60 to 80% is pretty common. Where the percentage is less than 60% probably you should be more careful.

Have you been through the process before? Then please do pour in your experience.