Benefits of Accredited Online Degree Programs

Online education has been a driving force for many Americans that want to improve their lives through education. In 2018, over 3.3 million people were registered for distance education programs. Programs such as accredited online MSN programs have seen a significant increase in registrants, due to the many benefits an online program offers. 

It's natural to wonder if an online degree is as useful to employers as other degrees would be. The answer is yes, when the degrees come from an accredited institution. Learn more about the many benefits of accredited online degree programs here.

More Affordable Education

Online education is considerably more affordable than in-class learning. You will save on residence and dormitory expenses, in addition to other expenses of living on or around the campus of your choice. Additionally, tuition for online programs is significantly less than they are when you are taking the same courses on campus.

When you attend a brick and mortar school, your tuition is paying for the operating costs of the brick and mortar buildings, staff, infrastructure, and resources on site. For online learning, you will have to pay for your own infrastructure and resources, but you are choosing the bills you pay.

Accessible Education

Nursing degrees such as accredited online MSN programs along with hundreds of other degrees are more accessible online. You will still need to meet the admission requirements to get in, but online schooling is easier to access for millions of Americans. 

You don't have to worry about transportation or transportation costs. For many programs, you can take the courses on your own schedule at your own pace, and still get your degree. The education is more flexible for Americans that want to work and go to school at the same time. It is also more attainable for Americans with disabilities that can't attend a brick and mortar campus with the same ease that those without disabilities have.

Improved Quality of Education

For many online students, learning online helps them to retain information more successfully. They find that it is easier for them to learn what they need to learn without the distractions of a classroom and the social scene of a campus. If the program you are considering is a nurse practitioner program, you need to learn the material well.

An online program eliminates the potential for your mind to wander in class and forget everything that you are there for. The quality of your education overall is improved when you control every variable.

Enroll in Online Classes Today

If you are considering taking a program like accredited online MSN programs, do the research today to learn more about learning this way. Enroll in classes and see the difference for yourself. Your future might be just a few online courses away.

3 Critical Requirements for Getting into Medical School

Medical school is a challenge worth learning about. As an aspiring med student, you’ve probably heard that the requirements are strict, and if you get something wrong, you’re out of luck. To save you time and energy, here are the three most important requirements you need to meet to be accepted in many medical school programs.

1. Earn 90 credits and demonstrate strong performance

So, what are the Caribbean medical school requirements regarding prior course completion? Most medical school students should know they need to demonstrate mastery in biology, chemistry, physics, English, and Mathematics. Taking these courses will help you enter medical school with confidence as you know you can use prior knowledge from previous courses to excel from the beginning.

Additionally, you need at least ninety credits and a strong academic performance. According to U.S. News, most universities believe that a GPA of at least 3.3 is suitable to move forward into medical school. That said, it would be a mistake to underestimate the MCAT exam. Here, if the maximum score is 528, and you score 512, you’ve scored in the eighty-five percentile, which doesn’t set you apart from the brightest most competitive students. So students should remember to do their best at every opportunity.

2. Get electronic transcripts

Electronic transcripts are an official document proving a student attended a certain school and earned a specific grade. Your transcript will probably look similar to a screen in your student’s online portal if one existed. Many schools partner with Parchment or the National Student Clearinghouse to deliver official transcripts to students. Check with your university to find out if any special circumstances must be met. For example, the American University of Antigua med school won’t allow students to transfer credits.

3. Get letters of recommendation

If you’re a non-traditional student who may have taken breaks, enlisted in the military, or have studied abroad for many years, you definitely need a letter of recommendation. Generally, you can approach a science professor who knows of your academic excellence, or a medical colleague or employer. Do so with confidence and if needed, persistence.

But if there is more information you need regarding your application, an admissions counselor can help. These employees are responsible for visiting schools, working with alumni to find the best students, and studying and implementing quality changes to improve the admission process.  Remember that in some cases, even without letters of recommendation, some students may be granted provisional acceptance, meaning they can enter the program on the condition that other requirements are later met.

By the time you complete your degree, you’ll be glad you took the time to make it through the first step: the admission requirements. It’s unfortunate that not all students take medical school requirements seriously and end up paying the consequences. But knowing what to expect in the beginning is a critical part of being successful in medical school.

Five of the biggest benefits SEL can provide students

Social-emotional learning (SEL) has been shown to benefit students in numerous ways. If you're interested in how to incorporate SEL in the classroom, you should be aware of what some of these benefits are. The benefits of SEL that you're looking to provide to your students can help you devise the right SEL educational programs and practices.

The following are five of the biggest benefits SEL can provide students. 

More motivation

Probably the biggest benefit brought by SEL and social-emotional development is the motivational benefit. One of the hardest parts of being an educator is motivating students. SEL can lead to greater levels of motivation because it helps students to feel more accepted and has a greater sense of purpose when they're learning. SEL uses social and emotional skill development to help kids learn. Being social in learning and emotionally engaged in the subject matter are important parts of feeling motivated. 

Friendlier classroom environment

SEL fosters an environment where students are encouraged to work together with one another. In this environment, students learn to respectfully express disagreement and to develop relationships. This creates a more friendly learning environment. Students feel more confident about participating and more comfortable providing their input. 

Improved classroom behavior overall

Behavioral problems can be among the biggest obstacles to learning for young students. Fortunately, SEL can help to prevent and stop behavioral problems. Students are taught to work productively with their teacher and their fellow students. Because they are more motivated and confident in their study, they are less likely to act out. 

Development of problem-solving skills

Another thing to focus on when exploring how to incorporate SEL in the classroom is developing problem-solving skills. SEL is effective for teaching young learners to be better problem solvers. That's because SEL is focused on identifying problems and finding solutions to them. Problem-solving skills are important for academic success. That's why SEL leads to better academic performance among students and entire classrooms. 

Higher levels of empathy among students

One way that SEL can not only facilitate learning but also develop life skills is by teaching students empathy. Unfortunately, young students often don't naturally grasp the concept of empathy but need to be taught it. SEL is focused on achieving a positive collaborative environment between students. This helps develop teamwork skills. It also encourages students to see things from the perspective of others. Empathy is not just important in academic environments, but also in personal and professional relationships later in life. 

Supporting Your Learning

Whether you have been taking a course for a while, or are just about to start one, you’re probably looking for ways that you can support your learning at home. Learning in school is typically very structured, and you know what you’re going to get out of each and every session. But moving on from that, learning how to self-study and what you need to achieve your best is all on you.

Not everybody learns in the same way, so this does mean that if you know your learning style, you can improve the speed of which you learn and the retention rate. So let’s take a look at a couple of ways that you can support your own learning process outside of the school or classroom environment.

Organization tools

You might think the organization tools are only for people who are running small businesses or freelancing. But actually many of the organisations tools that you can find online can improve your weekly output and productivity. 

When you have a good overview of how much time you have available, you can use it for better. This includes things like making sure you have scheduled in free time, block booking study sessions, and more.

Online tools

Just like when you are studying for your driving exam, you might use online tools to improve your performance. Typically, these online learning resources will have many more questions than you will have in the real tests. This means you will have a much broader knowledge base to work from. 

And one of the huge boxes is that you can do it in your own time and at your own pace. A great example of this is medical assisting test prep. Not only that but getting used to the start of the exam will be taken in the number of questions and the time will be when it comes to the real exam, you have a huge advantage.

Whether it’s GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing) courses to help entrepreneurs within the manufacturing industry or it’s a soft skills course to help employees develop their abilities in a working environment, as many courses are now done online to allow the learner to go at their own pace, the learning platform can be an invaluable online tool.  

Rest

Well, you might be tempted to try and do as much as you can at all times. It is actually better for you to take points of rest. Planning and rest will mean that you’ll give your brain time to work through what you have learned, categorize it, and you will give yourself a greater chance of recall. Rest is essential for your body and your brain. And if you aren’t getting enough rest, you will find that you do not absorb as much information as you need to. 

Tiredness also has a knock-on effect for the rest of your life outside of studying. If you find you have trouble sleeping due to things like anxiety, then you might like to consider looking at the Calm app. It has a range of guided meditation, daily calm, and sleep stories to help you drift off in the evening. 

And finally, what you eat will have a huge impact on how your brain handles information. So spend some time researching food that is great for your brain and incorporate them into your daily life.