There was a time where you would find it hard to get an association that the teachers to be could get encouragements and professional support from. Gone are the times when aspiring teachers would join one of the several, associations that would allow them to share ideas with their colleagues around the world and in the process learn to be at the best level possible.

There are many things that can be learned through sharing hence making the would be a teacher to get the necessary encouragement that would enable him or her face the future with confidence.

We are a community of educators networking for mutual growth and support in the teaching profession. With the free teacher resources, teachers are empowered and provided with the necessary strategies that will not only enable them be great teachers not only in the classrooms but also in the general society.

New teachers are also trained and mentored hence equipping them with the practical tools that are necessary to succeed in the ever dynamic classroom setting, is necessary. By being a member of these organizations, you can be empowered to lead and develop people who will look up to you as a role model in the future. Since a teacher has an impact in the life of a student even after graduating from school, it’s important that the teacher gets these important skills.

So it’s important for every teacher or every aspiring teacher to join the members of this organization who work around the world to ensure that everything is done well. As a member, you will gain a lot of professional support that will enable you excel.

Americans seem to be at a loss today to find an answer to the question, “who are we”? We have associated ourselves to be the leader in the world of many things. This has been true since about 1948 when the west surged upward and away from the rest of the world in many different categories including being the reserve currency for the entire world.

And because the USA was leading the way it gave the rest of the world something to strive for and set an example of how to achieve the goals set out.

In the past few decades the structure of the world has changed, the Asian and Latin American countries began to “catch up” and living standards started to converge. Now thanks to the incredible reductions in poverty, the United States is not the winner “by a long ways” many countries are hot on our heals.

I think that this equalization of the world is a good thing but the change in global social structure has created a psychological crisis in the U.S. Since WW II all of us in the U.S. has built our national identity on our rank among the nations…….at the front with everyone else trailing behind. In the world of converging sociology there are not many countries left in the dust, everyone is experiencing this social growth.

Many are moving from poverty, living on less than $2.00 per day to the standard of middle class. That means they have money to spend on non-necessities but it also involves a shift in values. People in the middle class have fewer children but spend more time and money on the children they do have.

They teach their children to lead different lives than their own instead of expecting them to come into the family business or a family tradition of certain types of careers. to learn new ways to live that will make us feel like our life is “crash-proof”. It reminds me of something that Karl Marx observed and wrote about, he said, “it (education) unleashes a relentless spirit of improvement and openness that alters every ancient institution”.

This shift to the middle class is good because according to the Pew Research Center, when they interviewed middle class people they found that they are more likely to value democracy, free speech and objective judiciary. They were found to embrace pluralism and believe that you don’t have to believe in God to be a good person.

The new Paradigm is in educating the population of the world and the United States has a distinct role to play in that education. We have been the leaders of the world for over a half century and we have produced the likes of Benjamin Franklin, one of the original spokesmen for the middle class.

The U.S. produced Horatio Alger who told stories about poor boys and girls who rose up to the middle class by being serious about their education. We have produced such self-help guru’s as Dale Carnegie to Oprah Winfrey not to mention the U.S created the suburbs and a new sort of middle class dream.

The dream they created was in owning a home, getting to know your neighbors, working hard at a job, raising a family and retiring with a pension.

For many the economy has destroyed the dreams of security and financial stability as more and more people become un-employed and so many houses are being foreclosed on. What happened to the American Dream?

We have a lack of confidence in our leadership which leads us to believe that we need to take the future into our own hands. If we do not do this immediately we may just see the entire middle class wiped out. Even though it seems indestructible with the huge numbers of people who have risen out of poverty to middle class. We need to remember that the middle class has the biggest tax burdens and because of higher education and hopes for a bright future for our children we will go into tremendous debt for the sake of that education.

Education is the key, how do we “crash-proof” our wealth? How do we put our self into a position that the recession doesn’t affect us, the devaluation of our dollar isn’t an issue and inflation won’t take the food off of our table?

Because the old paradigm has been “disrupted” never to return we need to look to new ways to educate ourselves. The universities are not teaching us what we need to know, who we can trust, what to invest in because they are stuck back in the old paradigm.

Everyone wants the answers on how to “crash-proof” their future and prosperity. There is really only one way and that is to shift into the new Paradigm of thinking because things have changed drastically as you know and so this shift is needed. There is so much that can be done but we need to educate in order to see these tasks through.

Taking care of your own finances, health, personal development may seem like a small shift but think of it on a massive scale and what we could accomplish if every man and woman takes responsibility for these three things. That is how we “crash-proof” our lives in every respect.

The “acid test” of every successful civilization or movement is in its capacity to make lasting and positive impact with respect to changing the world, shaping its politics, economics, social and cultural values and operative dynamics. This is the kind of impact Christ actually expected of the church when he said; “ye are the light of the world and the salt of the earth”.

The world in this context embodies humanity together with its politico, socio, economic and cultural systems and structures, while the earth speaks of the environment. The impact and influence of the church was intended to impact, culture and shape the above, through the dissemination and practice of the truth. This has not happened for over two thousand years. Instead, the church stands in the midst of a desperate world, deeply confused, greatly divided and struggling to recover from her own deprivations, confusion, degeneration and moral and social bankruptcy.

The question is who is to be blame? For such outright failure, after all that has been given to the church to equip her for her mission. Reasons why church has not change the world uncover the mystery to the church failures. It is written in hope of getting the church out of her cripple condition and changing her into a 21st century force of change. Read and be inspired.

THE ONLY THING NEEDED FOR EVIL TO TRUIMPH IS FOR GOOD MEN TO DO NOTHING.

CHAPTER ONE – CHURCH’S UNCONSCIOUSNESS OF HERGLOBAL MISSION

The “acid test” of every successful civilization or movement is in its capacity to make lasting and positive impact with respect to changing the world, shaping its politics, economics, social and cultural values and operative dynamics. This is the impact Church is yet to make for over two thousand years of her existence.

This failure is partly as a result of Church unconsciousness of her mission. Nothing empowers like a sense of mission. When a movement is unconscious of its mission, it will wander aimlessly in empty activities, wasting resources as it goes, without making any serious impact with respect to changing the world. This is the sad situation church find’s her self in.

Church is conscious of every other thing but of her mission. Ask the average church goers, what the global mission of the church is? You will be embarrassed with the ignorance they will exhibit. It may be surprising that the situation may not be different with the church leader. Church unconsciousness of her global mission has left the church helpless in the phase of unprecedented opportunities to impact change in the world. Church has planted herself everywhere, increased her population yet her impact on humanity and in the politico, socio, economic and cultural arena is yet to be felt. If the church was 2% mission conscious as the one the church proposed to follow, (Christ) the world will not have been in the state she is in right now.

Read for yourself the expected impact of the church as defined in the divine constitution.

“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt has lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men”.

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid”.

Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Reading through the above scriptures, it is clear that the latter seems more obvious.

“But if the salt has lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men”.

Church was to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Salt is an agent of preservation and taste. Light is a symbol of intelligence, wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Which implies, as salt of the earth, the church was to make her impact in the preservation of the environment and she was to give taste and quality to earthly life and existence through her impact.

As light of the world, church was to be the highest centre of learning, where profound and prolific knowledge bearing illumination is dispensed, to culture and shape humanity and the politico-socio-economic and cultural values of the world. Pondering on the above leaves one in despair and perplexity of what must have really gone wrong with church.

It’s sometimes difficult to sleep in a neighborhood where a church is located because of the noise which stems from her worship centers. The question is, what has really come out of all that noise as compensation to the disturbance of the quiet existence of people? What has changed? What has been improved upon? Iniquity is on a rise everywhere. The church was to be a voice as John the Baptist and not a noise as the prophets of Baal. The time has come for the church to re-assert her global mission or she risks becoming irrelevant.

“But if the salt has lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men”.

CONTRADICTION BETWEEN CHRIST AND CHURCH

With respect to missions to the world, there exists real contradiction between Christ and “church”. How come that the one the church proposed to follow has little or no bearing with church. Read the words of Christ, and feel his passion and touch his mission to the world.

“Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work.

I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

To Christ, his mission was his meat. Which implies, just as food is imperative to the physical survival of a human being, so was Christ’s mission to him. To Christ, his mission was work he must do and finish before night comes, when no man can work. He was bold to declare, as long as he is in the world, He is the light of the world (source of intelligence, wisdom, knowledge and direction.) Christ was married to his mission even to death. With such intensity of mission And singleness of purpose as Christ exhibited; can the church really say her mission is her meat? Or is the church conscious that she has wasted a lot of time and invested most of her energy and resources outside of her mission.

In the midst of the world’s greatest confusion and perplexity, can the church stand and boldly declare as Christ did that she is the light of the world? With the contradiction between Christ and the church with respect to consciousness of mission, can the church still be confident that she is still the representative of Christ on earth? Can Christ attend any of our Sunday services with the shallowness by which church explains and proclaims the eternal truth of Christ’s mission to earth? Like the Laodecian church, Christ is now standing outside the door of his own church, knocking if peradventure the door will be open to him by religious, theological and philosophical leaders who like the Pharisees of the Bible have failed to enter into the kingdom or to go out of it, but are standing at the door depriving those who could enter.

And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Rev 3:14-20

The church must reassert her mission to the world in the 21st century or she forfeits her opportunity to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. For the church to achieve this, she must rediscover her global mission, invest in the education of all persons who makeup the church with respect to her global mission. The mission of the church has to be the focus and the main stream project of the church.

Online education is contributing a lot towards reducing carbon footprint an institution can create otherwise. Providing education through internet and e-learning methods radically reduces energy consumption. According to a research conducted by the Stockholm Environmental Institute (SEI) and the UK’s Open University Design Innovation Group (DIG), it has come to light that distance learning courses and online college degrees consume around 90% less energy. So by earning your degree online rather than commuting to a traditional classroom, you are conserving energy in your own little way.

Given below are 7 important ways in which you conserve energy and reduce carbon footprints by earning your college degree online. You are really doing your part in saving the world and making it a better place to live.

Drive Less
Online education eliminates the requirement of traveling to a classroom. Of course, you don’t need to drive to get to your home office or kitchen table. Therefore, getting a college degree online dramatically reduces the emission of carbon dioxide. According to DIG, it leads to around 92% reduction in environmental impact which is travel-related.

Use Less Campus Resources
Campus education adds much to the creation of carbon footprints. SEI records that the UK school system emits 9.25 million metric ton of carbon dioxide annually. As compared to a separate educational infrastructure, your home office uses less energy, thereby contributing hugely towards reducing carbon footprint.

Use Less Paper
In online education, learning happens on the screen rather than using a large amount of paper in the traditional learning methods. By earning your college degree online, therefore, you are saving trees. There is no need of expensive books, writing notes and submitting essays in online education. It is a great way to reduce carbon footprints and make world better and greener.

Promote Large-scale Conservation
A single online class can cater to the learning requirements of a large number of students. Nearly the same amount of server space is required to provide online education to one student or several students. Therefore, online education also promotes large scale conservation.

Increase Awareness on More Civic Responsibilities
Due to the flexible format of online education, larger number of students including non-traditional students can access the learning programs. Online degree programs has raised the level of education immensely, thereby educating more and more students and making them aware of world’s environmental problems.

Create a Global Network
Through online education programs, students from far across the world and several cultural backgrounds can share their experience together. This, in turn, creates a huge global community. Virtual classrooms result in the creation of large global communities who can all work towards reducing the carbon footprints, saving the world and making it a greener place to live.

More and more young people are choosing non-traditional education to start and advance in their careers while completing and furthering their formal education. “Typical distance learners are those who don’t have access to programs, employees who work during scheduled class hours, homebound individuals, self-motivated individuals who want to take courses for self-knowledge or advancement, or those who are unable or unwilling to attend class” (Charp, 2000, p. 10). Three key elements surround the online learner: technology, curriculum, and instructor (Bedore, Bedore, & Bedore, 1997). These elements must be keenly integrated into one smoothly and operationally functional delivery tool.

While an online method of education can be a highly effective alternative medium of education for the mature, self-disciplined student, it is an inappropriate learning environment for more dependent learners. Online asynchronous education gives students control over their learning experience, and allows for flexibility of study schedules for non traditional students; however, this places a greater responsibility on the student. In order to successfully participate in an online program, student must be well organized, self-motivated, and possess a high degree of time management skills in order to keep up with the pace of the course. For these reasons, online education or e-learning is not appropriate for younger students (i.e. elementary or secondary school age), and other students who are dependent learners and have difficulty
assuming responsibilities required by the online paradigm.

Millions of students use e-learning solutions in over 140 countries: corporations such as Kodak and Toyota and education providers like ExecuTrain, New Horizons, the Enoch Olinga College (ENOCIS), Phoenix University amongst the hundreds of schools and colleges.

Studies have shown student retention to be up to 250% better with online learning than with classroom courses. Several recent ones have helped frame the debate. The Sloan Consortium published a widely distributed report titled “Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States in 2005” that examined the growing prevalence of online education across U.S. institutions.

In addition, a study conducted by the Boston-based consulting firm Eduventures found that, while about half of institutions and more than 60 percent of employers generally accept the high quality of online learning, students’ perceptions differ. Only about 33 percent of prospective online students said that they perceive the quality of online education to be “as good as or better than” face-to-face education. Ironically, 36 percent of prospective students surveyed cited concern about employers’ acceptance of online education as a reason for their reluctance to enroll in online courses.

But what actually drives quality? A March 2006 report released by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education identifies six quality indicators: mission, curriculum and instruction, faculty support, student and academic services, planning for sustainability and growth, and evaluation and assessment.

The debate rages on while the Pros and Cons of Online Adult Education for today’s international students are constantly analyzed to determine if this type of education platform can deliver predictable and measurable results.

The Enoch Olinga College (ENOCIS) is one institution which uses this type of delivery system. ENOCIS enhances their learning experience by offering many other “value added”, cost reducing benefits to students. Online pupils can apply for scholarships available to students of excellence and other financial aid programs like the Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), with attractive interest rates. They also provide convenient payment facilities, on line banking, Western Union Quick Collect, bank cards and a student who is granted a loan can start repaying it after two months if they have a corporate guarantor.

Pros of Online Education:

The key advantages of the online education experience are briefly explained below:

1. Cheaper: Online courses may be more affordable than those offered at colleges or trade schools. You may also save on transportation costs like gas, bus passes, and parking permits because you don’t need to commute to school and there are no housing or meals plans to worry about since you do not need to live on or near a college campus. Housing expenses and other costs associated with living expenses are usually the most expensive aspects of a college education, so by taking an online course you could save quite a bit of money.

The best part of online education is the absence of travel and immigration problems. Some students may prefer not to pursue traditional on campus education, as it involves traveling to attend lectures. With online education, an applicant does not need to travel. Courses simply require accessing the internet in order to begin the learning process.

2. More Convenient: By taking courses online, you’re able to decide when you study and for how long. You are also able to schedule your studying around your work or social schedule.

Since you’re not bound to a classroom, you may do your work wherever you have access to a computer and the internet. You’ll be able to set your own pace and decide exactly how fast you want to go over the material.

Take online courses when you need them, not based on some college’s annual or semester schedule. You can learn when you need it (Just-In-Time) A course is as close as a computer with an Internet connection.

3. Flexibility: with no set class times, you decide when to complete your assignments and readings. You set the pace. In some programs, you can even design your own degree plan. The online students can carry out their private or official work, along with the online education. As it provides the convenience of time flexibility, a student can login and logout as per his desire whereas, the traditional education do not provide such flexibility in learning.

Flexibility of online education allows the student control over their studies. They can allot more time in the topics, which they feel comparatively hard and vice versa. The speed of learning depends solely upon the students.

4. Technology: With the help of the scientific technology, students can do their online education at any place. The only mandatory pre-requisite is the availability of computer along with an internet amenity. Side benefits include the learning new technologies and technical skills

5. Availability: distance-learning opportunities have exploded over the past few years, with many accredited and reputable programs.

6. Accessibility: with an online course, you can work on the course just about anywhere you have computer access. Your learning options are not constrained by your geographic location. The new virtual classrooms have created a myriad of learning opportunities for global learning and education center. On line education is a new era experience adapting to the needs of the world citizen.

7. Self-Directed: you set your own pace and schedule, so you control the learning environment.

8. Time Spent in Classroom: now you can take a course on just about any subject without ever having to be in, or travel to, a classroom so you have very little wasted time. Note, however, that some distance-education programs still do have an in-class component and normally to receive a fully accredited US university degree an international student must spend one or two semesters on campus.

9. High Quality Dialog: Within an online asynchronous discussion structure, the learner is able to carefully reflect on each comment from others before responding or moving on to the next item. This structure allows students time to articulate responses with much more depth and forethought than in a traditional face-to-face discussion situation where the participant must analyze the comment of another on the spot and formulate a response or otherwise loose the chance to contribute to the discussion.

10. Student Centered: Within an online discussion, the individual student responds to the course material (lectures and course books, for example) and to comments from other students. Students usually respond to those topics within the broader conversation that most clearly speak to their individual concerns and situations resulting in several smaller conversations taking place simultaneously within the group. While students are expected to read all of their classmates’ contributions, they will become actively engaged only in those parts of the dialog most relevant to their needs. In this way, students take control of their own learning experience and tailor the class discussions to meet their own specific needs. Ideally, students make their own individual contributions to the course while at the same time take away a unique mix of information directly relevant to their needs.

11. Level Playing Field: In the online environment learners retain a considerable level of anonymity. Discriminating factors such as age, dress, physical appearance, disabilities, race and gender are largely absent. Instead, the focus of attention is clearly on the content of the discussion and the individual’s ability to respond and contribute thoughtfully and intelligently to the material at hand.

On line adult education can be more effective and better for certain types of learners (shy, introverted, reflective, language challenged, those that need more time). Distance education courses are often better for people who learn through visual cues and experiential exercises.

12. Synergy: The online format allows for a high level of dynamic interaction between the instructor and students and among the students themselves. Resources and ideas are shared, and continuous synergy will be generated through the learning process as each individual contributes to the course discussions and comments on the work of others. The synergy that exists in the student-centred virtual classroom is one of the unique and vital traits that the online learning format posses..

13. Access to Resources: It is easy to include distinguished guest experts or students from other institutions in an online class as well as allow students to access resources and information anywhere in the world. An instructor can compile a resource section online with links to scholarly articles, institutions, and other materials relevant to the course topic for students to access for research, extension, or in depth analysis of course content material in the global classroom.

14. Creative Teaching: The literature of adult education supports the use of interactive learning environments as contributing to self-direction and critical thinking. Some educators have made great strides in applying these concepts to their on ground teaching. However, many classes still exist which are based on boring lectures and rote memorization of material. The nature of the semi-autonomous and self-directed world of the virtual classroom makes innovative and creative approaches to instruction even more important. In the online environment, the facilitator and student collaborate to create a dynamic learning experience. The occasion of a shift in technology creates the hope that those who move into the new technology will also leave behind bad habits as they adopt this new paradigm of teaching. As educators redesign their course materials to fit the online format, they must reflect on their course objectives and teaching style and find that many of the qualities that make a successful online facilitator are also tremendously effective in the traditional classroom as well.

Cons of Online Education:

Briefly explained are some factors that could negatively affect your success with distance learning courses:

1. The Technology:

a. Equity and Accessibility to Technology: Before any online program can hope to succeed, it must have students who are able to access the online learning environment. Lack of access, whether it be for economical or logistics reasons, will exclude otherwise eligible students from the course. This is a significant issue in rural and lower socioeconomic neighborhoods and educating the underserved peoples of the world. Furthermore, speaking from an administrative point of view, if students cannot afford the technology the institution employs, they are lost as customers. As far as Internet accessibility is concerned, it is not universal, and in some areas of the United States and other countries, Internet access poses a significant cost to the user. Some users pay a fixed monthly rate for their Internet connection, while others are charged for the time they spend online. If the participants’ time online is limited by the amount of Internet access they can afford, then instruction and participation in the online program will not be equitable for all students in the course. This is a limitation of online programs that rely on Internet access. Equity of access to learners of all backgrounds and parts of society

b. Requires New Skills/Technologies: if you’re not computer-savvy or are afraid of change or new technologies, then online education will probably not work for you. The online students are required to learn new skills, such as researching and reviewing the internet. For the online students, they need to learn the techniques of navigation on an online library for necessary information. Technical training and support of learners and instructors

c. Computer Literacy: Both students and facilitators must possess a minimum level of computer knowledge in order to function successfully in an online environment. For example, they must be able to use a variety of search engines and be comfortable navigating on the World Wide Web, as well as be familiar with Newsgroups, FTP procedures and email. If they do not possess these technology tools, they will not succeed in an online program; a student or faculty member who cannot function on the system will drag the entire program down.

d. Limitations of Technology: User friendly and reliable technology is critical to a successful online program. However, even the most sophisticated technology is not 100% reliable. Unfortunately, it is not a question of if the equipment used in an online program will fail, but when. When everything is running smoothly, technology is intended to be low profile and is used as a tool in the learning process. However, breakdowns can occur at any point along the system, for example, the server which hosts the program could crash and cut all participants off from the class; a participant may access the class through a networked computer which could go down; individual PCs can have numerous problems which could limit students’ access; finally, the Internet connection could fail, or the institution hosting the connection could become bogged down with users and either slow down, or fail all together. In situations like these, the technology is neither seamless nor reliable and it can detract from the learning experience.

2. The Institution: Many online education facilities are relatively new with many courses and hence, lack in modern instructors for instructing the new curriculum. Estimates show that there is still a need for an increase of more 50% of qualified instructors for online education.

b. The Administration and Faculty: Some environments are disruptive to the successful implementation of an online program. Administrators and/or faculty members who are uncomfortable with change and working with technology or feel that online programs cannot offer quality education often inhibit the process of implementation. These people represent a considerable weakness in an online program because they can hinder its success.

3. The Facilitator :Lack of Essential Online Qualities: Successful on-ground instruction does not always translate to successful online instruction. If facilitators are not properly trained in online delivery and methodologies, the success of the online program will be compromised. An instructor must be able to communicate well in writing and in the language in which the course is offered. An online program will be weakened if its facilitators are not adequately prepared to function in the virtual classroom.

4. Perceptions/Reputation: while slowly changing as more and more mainstream colleges and universities embrace distance learning, there still is a stigma attached to distance education to the student’s interaction in the online education. Some of the students believe that, there are few opportunities with regards to face-to-face interactions and feedbacks.

5. No Instructor Face Time: If your learning style is one where you like personalized attention from your teachers, then online education will probably not work for you.

6. Little Support: students are expected to find their own resources for completing assignments and exams, which is empowering for some, but daunting for others.

There is little support and limited guidelines provided in online education system. Online students are required to search as per their own imaginations for completing exams and assignments.

7. Lacking Social Interaction: while you often interact with classmates via email, chat rooms, or discussion groups, there are no parties or off line get-togethers.
If you enjoy meeting new people and learn better while you’re interacting with other people, you may want to reconsider online education.

8. No Campus Atmosphere: part of the traditional college experience, of course, is the beauty of the campus, the college spirit, but you have none of that with distance-education courses.

Since you’re not on campus or in classes, you may lack opportunities to meet other students. You will not have many opportunities to interact face-to-face with your professors, so they may not have a real sense of who you are as a person.

9. Making Time: if you are a procrastinator or one of those people who always needs an extra push to complete work, you may have a hard time making time for your online classes. On line learning requires new skills and responsibilities from learners

10. Academic honesty of online students: requires a new mindset to online assessment. Most education experts agree that rote memory testing is not the best measure of learning in any environment and new measurement and evaluation tools are evolving.

11. Types and effectiveness of assessments: The importance of outcomes in online learning cannot be over emphasized. Does the program have measurable results? Are students learning what you say they should be learning? Then there are institutional outputs: course completion rates, job placement rates (if that’s the goal of the institution), graduation rates, student success on third-party tests, and student satisfaction scores.

These factors, both the pros and cons, contribute greatly to making an informed decision about the direction of your career path and how you are going to accomplish your goals: on line, in the classroom or a combination of both.

Institutions and companies that use continuing education to meet their needs also face similar decisions. Institutions that deliver online education are confronted with a series of challenges, including the search for good faculty, use of technology, and provision of adequate student services.

The Sloan Consortium report “Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States in 2005” found that 64 percent of chief academic officers and faculty believe that it takes more discipline for a student to succeed in an online course than it does in a face-to-face course.

More and more major business and industry is turning to on line continuing education as a viable and cost effective resource for training its personnel. Hilton Hotel has 380 hotels worldwide and is represented in 66 countries.

When you weigh the benefits and advantages of on line adult continuing education the cost of study and flexibility of scheduling tip the scales of programs like the Enoch Olinga College, Capella and Phoenix University’s distance learning program on line adult continuing education is becoming a world wide respected form of education.

However, as with any situation, there are both pros and cons with the concept of online education and the benefits of the virtual or global classroom. You may want to evaluate both before you decide on an online education program. By examining the advantages and disadvantages, you will be able to make a more informed decision. But, at the end of the day, online learning is independent learning. A lot of structure has been put into online programs, but it still comes down to a learner sitting in front of a computer by him or herself. The knowledge you receive or the benefits it will generate either in development of self esteem or increasing earning capacity will depend sole upon you the student.

Leading by example is precisely why leaders focus on always doing exactly what they say. Your actions should be aligned with what you are saying. Although, it’s tough to practice what you preach; you need to model the change in behavior you want to see. The core of focusing on the walk not the talk is to be the change you want to see in others.

In other words, you need to assess your own behavior first before communicating these changes to your fellow because changing habitual practices isn’t as easy as simply making a choice. It’s very important for a leader to be consistent with their actions. The single most essential component to effective management is trust. Everything will go out the window when trust is lost. And in the eyes of most people, a lie is a lie.

Too often leaders want to run and/or hide from their mistakes. Don’t make excuses, but be clear that you recognize where you went wrong. Being sorry isn’t admission of defeat. It revisits the human aspect that people screw up for a superfluity of reasons. You are not an exemption. It is a great start to admit your mistakes and apologize. However, be clear in asking for support in moving forward. If you choose to ignore it than acknowledge it, don’t be flabbergasted if things don’t get better.

Show people what the organizational values mean through your behaviors. People learn by observing their leaders. You must focus on your walk more than your talk. Bringing values to life is a behavioral issue because you are a role model for your people. Your values can be seen in terms of your behavior, where you go, what you say, how you spend your time and how you deal with problems and crises.

Actions speak louder than words. Everyone has lapses. Make sure that you acknowledge whenever you find yourself off track and in breach of values. When problems catch you off-balance, your immediate reaction might be contrary to your personal or organizational values system. Remember, subordinates follow your lead.

As a leader, you need to help your people succeed. You must smooth the way for them because there are always impediments and obstacles to achieving goals. You must identify these barriers, remove or lessen them, or show your members how to deal with those that can’t be removed.

People desire for recognition. The main reason why people leave their jobs is that they don’t feel appreciated. Recognizing a worthwhile behavior is the single best way to ensure organizational commitment. Although none of us would work for less money than we feel is fair, money alone isn’t enough for encouraging long-term high performance. People cannot be motivated when they feel that what they are asked to do is worthless or contrary to their fundamental values.

Most of us want to feel that we are valued as people, not just mere staff. We want to be respected for who we are, not simply for what we do. We also respond positively to be with others who share similar beliefs and with whom we can build relationships. That’s the very reason why we need to focus on the walk not the talk.