A Life Unabridged

Online learning has finally come of age. Once the domain of free – and generally poor quality – courses in everything from photographing flowers to weaving, online schools have now been now to a community of reputable and rigorous course. Graduates from online graduate programs are now helping people expand their skill set without leaving their careers. In fact, schools are finding that there is no shortage of individuals looking for an affordable and flexible schooling option. In 2010, online colleges and distance learning programs saw their enrollment increase by 17%.

While online college programs certainly have their advantages, consumers should consider shopping for a virtual university just as seriously as they would if they were attending school on a traditional college campus. The costs for an online vs. brick and mortar university may be less, but it is also much more difficult to find accurate information regarding a college’s programs. In a New York Times article titled “The Online College Crapshoot” virtual learning expert John B. Bear warns potential students that “The differences among schools are significant, but hard to find.”
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Rural areas represent areas that are the most in need of high-speed internet service.  Not only does high-speed internet increase the options for day-to-day communications, but it increases options and opportunities for the school and health care systems in rural areas.

However, these rural areas also represent the areas most often left out of the reaches of high-speed internet coverage.  Because of the greater expense, internet companies often choose not to provide service as readily in these rural areas.  Currently, only around fifty percent of rural comes have high-speed internet, while around seventy percent of urban homes have high-speed internet.

Some lawmakers, like Mark Udall from Colorado, have been working to remedy this discrepancy.  The Department of Agriculture has recently passed legislation that will increase the amount of money given to rural Colorado residents by close to nineteen million dollars.

In order to keep up with the changing pace of the world, resident in rural areas of America should have access to high-speed internet.  Living away from the city should not mean living away from technology.

Reputation, when it comes to cars and people, is fragile.  The quality of a car is difficult to truly determine, due to the multi-faceted nature of that word.  But quality and reputation are intimately linked.  To ascertain “quality,” you have to ask people what they think, by giving customer surveys or asking for reviews and opinions.

Recent surveys by auto research company ALG measure the car buyers’ subjective feelings and connections with their cars.  Good marks were given to Toyota and Lexus, even after the recalls of late; Ford, Mercedez-Benz, Honda, and BMW also look good.

Some brands do not look quite so good, in terms of reputation and quality.  Sometimes the quality reputation is tied up in visibility; sometimes, it results from reliability issues.  Here are the worst of the worst, in terms of perceived quality:

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When Stanford put one of its classes on the Internet for free last year, many people were interested.  Is it the same class?  How is it fair that some students are taking the course for a cost, and some students are taking the course for free?

While this might seem like “free education,” it’s not.  Colleges are businesses, and their product is education.  Colleges have to sell academic credit hours in order to operate, and in order to exist.  Even if some aspects of their educational offerings are free, the idea of a completely free degree or education is impossible.

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For an increasing number of students considering a college degree, the possibility of an online education is an exciting one.  The benefits of the online degree are numerous, and we will investigate a few of these more fully.

1.  Flexibility:  The flexibility offered by an online degree is perhaps the most obvious, and most attractive, benefit.  Gone is the thinking that the only real way to achieve a good college education is by conforming to the traditional college structures and timelines.  With an online degree, you can be a part of the college experience without driving long distances and without contorting your schedule to fit the college’s schedule.  You can keep your job and listen to lectures at night; you can stay with your children during the day and study while they take naps; you can attend the same school even if you have to move around for your military posting requirements.

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