Let’s assume that you’ve just decided to sign up for a college course online. You’ve researched schools, compared their offerings, and picked the course you want. So, your next step is to pay by credit card and fire up your first lesson, right? Maybe. Maybe not. Because before you start studying, this would be a good time to review your computer setup to see whether it will support your online work, or get in your way. The fact is, your course could require you to log a lot more hours online than you have in the past. So with that in mind, here are some questions to answer: Is a laptop or desktop best? It depends on where you will be studying. Of course, a laptop lets you take your online college classes anywhere ...

Are you thinking of taking college courses online? If so, you already know that online study is a time-efficient, cost-effective way to earn college credits. But how can you be sure that the credits you earn will be accepted if you decide to continue your studies in a degree-granting institution? Here are some steps to help assure that the credit from your Internet studies will be accepted by your new school. Start out by picking the right provider of online courses. They are not all the same. Some have invested extra effort to have their courses reviewed and recommended by governing bodies like the American Council of Education. Others have not. If you ask questions first, you will have taken an important first step toward ...

“Homeless Dropouts from High School Lured by For-Profit Colleges,” an article in the May 3 edition of Bloomberg BusinessWeek magazine, paints an appalling picture of how some institutions of higher learning are targeting America’s homeless. The article, by reporter Daniel Gordon, relates stories like these . . .  One university staged a seminar in a homeless shelter and made a pitch for higher education before 70 homeless men. Then it moved in to give the hard sell to a handful of them who expressed interest. Gordon writes: “Such disadvantaged students are desirable because they qualify for federal grants and loans, which are largely responsible for the prosperity of for-profit colleges. Federal aid to students at for-profit ...

Summer is a terrific time to take college courses online. But don’t hit the road with your laptop until you’ve reviewed this pre-departure checklist: Is your laptop up to the task? With the cost of laptops and netbooks at a record low, this could be the time to buy a new summer study machine. Are you protected from theft? Hotel robberies do happen, so take a security cable or – even better – stay at a hotel where you can keep your laptop in a hotel safe behind the front desk. Another thing? Take the extra time to cable-lock your laptop to something solid if you will be leaving it in a parked car. Car thefts are common these days. Will you have decent Internet access while on vacation? Even though Internet access is provi ...

In the coming weeks, we’ll be serving up a stream of posts about why the summer is such a great time to take college courses – both online and in the classroom. Today, let’s take a look at some reasons why summer is such a good time to sign up, log in, and start learning. Reason one:  You can front-load the courses you’re required to take in September. Let’s say you’ve just been admitted to the college of your choice, and you’ve gotten a list of the courses you’ll be required to take. Why not take some of those college courses online ahead of time – either to clear them from your schedule in the fall or get practice before you enter the “real” college classroom? Reason two:  You can turn vacations into learn ...