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The online education setting mirrors tomorrow's corporate
environment.
The lessons of online learning extend far beyond the subject
matter. Ask those involved... especially since there are striking
similarities between eLearning and the workplace. In fact,
the online delivery model of education mirrors today's - and
more importantly - tomorrow's corporate environment.
1. It helps you think globally.
According to Rich Baich, CISSP, CISM, chief information security
officer at ChoicePoint Inc., a provider of identification and
verification services, earning his online graduate degree broadened
his horizons. The University of Maryland University College
(Adelphia, MD) student was encouraged to think of territory
as "boundaryless," a thought process frequently associated
with online degrees and virtual corporate offices.
"We often get caught up in international vs. domestic
leadership," Baich explains. "Motivating an individual
in Georgia is different from motivating an individual in California
or Germany." The 2004 recipient of Georgia's Information
Security Executive of the Year Award had the opportunity to
lead a global team in his classroom and spend time getting
to know the students. "Their countries and cultures have
been enlightening," he notes.
2. It enhances your critical thinking.
While the majority of eLearning focuses on deadline-oriented
projects and online bulletin boards, Lee Junkans, director
of career services at Kaplan University
(Davenport, IA), indicates that weekly "live" seminars
emulate weekly meetings in a boardroom. "Critical thinking
is required on the spot, not unlike a business meeting at
work," he says. In addition, as in other online courses,
Kaplan students find themselves constantly corresponding via
computer, and are required to hone their communication skills
via e-mail, instant messaging, and message boards, an attribute
of value in today's cyber-powered corporations.
3. It strengthens your electronic business communication.
For Linda Couch, the virtual aspects of her MBA studies at
the University of Maryland University College, which she pursued
while working in Japan, were nothing new. She was accustomed
to working remotely in her global role as position business
unit strategist for IBM.
The challenge, however, was coordinating a virtual team that
did not have experience working with colleagues from around
the world. As such, Couch frequently took a leadership initiative
and sent specific e-mails to elicit efficient and timely responses
to team assignment duties. Most importantly, she learned to
plan ahead. If a project were due Monday morning, she would
complete it prior to the start of her workday and have it
done by Sunday night to factor in the 14-hour time difference
of her fellow students. She often took such a lead with succinct
communication, a characteristic she says has already translated
into accolades at work.
4. It promotes active participation.
Similar to the way those heading up corporate environments
and meetings typically expect employees to actively engage
in their work, online education officials require students
to be actively involved, perhaps even more so than in a traditional
classroom. "In order to be 'seen' in an online environment,
you have to actively participate," Couch explains. In
other words, you can't sit quietly in the back row of a classroom
(or the boardroom), especially when everyone is expected to
post weekly responses on class bulletin boards based on the
reading assignments.
5. It builds your time management skills.
According to Frank Mayadas, president of Sloan-C, a consortium
of online schools, the online delivery model of eLearning
mirrors today's corporate environment, specifically in its
efforts to help individuals strike a balance between work
and life. In addition, juggling various assignments and deadlines
is not dissimilar to meeting the demands of a full-time job
while maintaining outside family and financial obligations.
"You save time by logging in when it's convenient for
you - late at night, early in the morning, weekends, whenever
and wherever - 24/7," he says.
6. It fosters flexibility.
As more and more employees telecommute, studying online in
a remote location increases one's self-efficiency as a solo
learner/worker. "One of the most important factors in
online communication - for a job or for education - is flexibility,"
says Virginia Lofft, who recently earned her master's degree
in professional studies from Thomas Edison State College (Trenton,
NJ). There's the flexibility of being able to shift your daily
priorities around what's most convenient for you, she points
out, but there's also a more important element to the shift.
"When is your mind in gear? When are you mentally most
productive? In other words, how does your diurnal clock work?"
Lofft asks. The ideal situation, she says, is the flexibility
demonstrated in eLearning, similar to her telecommuting work
at home. "If you're in an 'e' situation, you work when
you're at your peak, at your optimum level of performance."
7. It highlights a virtual team environment.
Lofft also notices one of the significant benefits of eLearning
is the ability to work with people remotely and build strong
bonds. "You find yourselves e-mailing each other outside
of class to discuss issues, swap ideas, or gain more data,"
she shares. When Lofft earned her bachelor's degree, she attended
brick-and-mortar classes at night after a long workday, and
recalls that she basically wanted to "get there, sit
in class, and go home." "No one chit-chatted,"
she says. "I don't remember a soul from any of those
classes. Because of the special atmosphere of eLearning, however,
I've made real friendships with kindred souls."
8. It sharpens your tech savviness.
ELearning incorporates the latest technology tools that also
spill into the workplace, such as Instant Messaging from remote
locations, or posting ideas and feedback in a virtual conference
workgroup room.
"A corporation will choose a meeting room platform like
Breeze, WebEx, or LiveMeeting. A university will choose an
asynchronous bulletin board system like Blackboard or WebCT,"
says Dan Smith, president of Management Simulations, Inc.,
an eLearning business simulation company used at more than
500 campuses and corporations such as GM, Allstate, Johnson
Controls, and John Deere. All have similar functions. According
to Smith, constant use of technology - whether it's in the
classroom or the workplace - is becoming the norm. "To
use a comparison, five years ago we talked a lot about 'eBusiness'
in our curriculum. Even then, academics said to each other,
'By 2004 or so, we will have dropped the distinction as just
another way to do business.' And, of course, that happened,"
Smith explains. "Something similar will happen with online
education. It will become a 'positioning' alternative in a
university's strategy."
9. It allows you to stay abreast of industry advancements.
The information you learn in an online classroom is current
and connected with industry trends, all of which can be applied
at the office.
"Anyone can enhance their IT skills with online discussions
by paying attention to what other students do in their perspective
industries," explains Debra Wall-Czech, who is earning
her master's in project management from Keller School of Management
of DeVry University (Oakbrook Terrace, IL). The software executive
points out that she learns much from others in different positions.
"I happen to be in software development for the health
care industry. Someone else may be in hardware. You ask and
learn about other forms of industry from your peers,"
she says. In addition, says Junkans, since Kaplan's course
developers are industry professionals, curriculum is constantly
updated. As the industry changes, so do online lessons.
10. It accelerates your advancement.
Simply stated, pursuing an online degree or certificate more
often than not equates to long-term career success, as it
did for David Moore. A staff sergeant in the Army Reserve,
Moore pursued a master's degree online at Temple University
(Philadelphia, PA) when he was deployed to Bosnia. The civil
affairs officer didn't want to put his education on hold while
on assignment, so he enrolled at American Military University,
an institution of the American Public University System. He
completed a course to earn his certificate from the United
Nations, something he says set him apart when interviewing
for his current position at a private security firm.
"The United Nations certification I received at American
Public University System and my graduate work in international
politics at Temple University impressed my new employers,"
he recalls.
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