Do Online Degree Programs Lead to “real” Degrees?

Posted by admin | Posted on 28-12-2010

Category : Pharmacy Students

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Do Online Degree Programs Lead to “real” Degrees?

Most of us are used to the traditional concept of education. You search for the right program, or at least the closest program that offers something close to what you need. You stand in line for hours waiting to register, fight for parking places to rush to class, and stay up all night trying to cram for the next big exam. Now that you are “all grown up” the idea of going back to school and trying to juggle all of your responsibilities of a family and some how managing to keep your job so that you do not starve to death while you pursue the means to that next big promotion, is well…a bit overwhelming. And it seems that every where you go online you are seeing another ad about some new online degree program which, given the importance of continuing education in the job market today, sounds rather tempting. However, what can you expect from an online program? Are they legitimate degrees from accredited universities?

The simple answer to those questions is…yes, you can obtain a legitimate degree from a regionally accredited university right from the comfort and convenience of your own home. Understanding the high demand for continuing education, professional development, and advanced degrees in the ever changing and increasingly complexed job market today and given the challenges for many working adults that would prevent them from obtaining further traditional education, many universities and academic institutions have started offering programs online. Distance education providers includes colleges, universities, and other schools from all over the country including some top ranked universities like The University of Florida, The University of Cincinnati, Eastern Kentucky University, Mountain State University, and the University of Saint Mary just to name but a handful.

The types of degrees that you can earn online vary from professional certifications that can be obtained over a short period of time to more traditional bachelor’s degrees. Online degree seeking students are not limited to only undergraduate work either, many universities offer graduate certificates, Master’s degrees and even doctorates all online. Once such example is The University of Florida’s Doctor of Pharmacy online degree program which has been “ranked as one of the top 10 in the nation by US News and World Report”.

The different fields in which online degrees are being offered also leaves students with a lot of options. With online programs being offered in field such as Education, Criminal Justice, Management, Health Care, and Fire and Safety just to list a few, you have almost as many educational options online as you have had with traditional, on campus education in the past. The cost of online degree programs are fairly comparable to that of more traditional degree offerings. Most universities have kept the tuition costs for the online programs of study at around the same amount that on campus students are paying. And since a lot of the course material is all online or maybe included in the cost of tuition, you may actually end up paying less in the long run for your degree.

So if you have been debating on furthering your education but were worried about finding a “real” degree program, do not worry- there are plenty out there to choose from.

Bailey Smith writes about masters in educational leadership. Visit http://mastersed.uc.edu to more about masters in educational leadership


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Korean artists to lead CG Blockbuster

Posted by admin | Posted on 06-12-2010

Category : Region V

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Korean artists to lead CG Blockbuster

Anyone who has been paying close attention to the end credits of Hollywood blockbusters for the past several years will have noticed the occasional Korean name scroll by. Today, there are actually quite a few Korean VFX artists working on some of Hollywood’s top productions and at some of America’s leading studios. These talented men and women represent the future of the Korean VFX industry. Koreans had a hand in Avatar (2009), James Cameron’s epic 3D motion picture that has fundamentally altered the movie industry. The list includes lighting technical director Jung Byung-gun(above), digital modelers Chang Jung-min and Lo Eung-ho, senior facial modeler Lee Jin-woo, modeler Lee Sun-jin, visual effects artist Im Chang-eui, FX ATD Sean Lee, motion editor Kim Ki-hyun and senior animator Park Jee-young. A total of nine Korean artists were involved in the historic cinematic project, two of whom sat down to talk with KOREA about their lives and the VFX industry.

Q How did you end up working overseas?

A Jung Byung-gun After graduating from Hongik University with a degree in Department of Art Studies, I enrolled at the Academy of Art University (AAU) in San Francisco in 1996. I then worked on three feature films and one short animation at the Walt Disney Studios before landing a job at Weta Digital. In the past, I’ve also worked for Paramount Studios and Sony Computer Entertainment, the maker of the Sony PlayStation. Early on in my career I spent three or four years in the field of game cinematics, working for
companies like SNK, Activision and Sony.

Park Jee-young In character animation at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), I started work at an indie movie production company as a 2D key animator. At the time, many 2D animators were transitioning into 3D, and I was no exception. Three years ago, I saw an announcement saying James Cameron’s Avatar was going into preproduction, and, of course, that’s when I applied to join Weta’s animation team.

Q What exactly did you do on Avatar?

A Jung In November 2008, for the first eight months of production, I worked as a texture artist, developing colors and textures for CG character backgrounds and objects, and then for the last four months I worked as a lighting technical director, designing the lighting for scenes to create the final images. This transition between departments enabled me to experience a wider range of the movie’s production process. Park I worked on Avatar as a senior animator. All of these creatures, none of which exist in the real world, were created from scratch through nothing but animation.

Q What did you think was special when you first saw how Hollywood productions were made and became a part of it?

A Park The first things that come to mind are the massive amounts of capital investment, the systematic production pipeline in place, and the abundance of trained professionals. A particular focus is placed on preproduction and planning, during which an efficient production plan is drawn up, while developing the necessary software and technologies and creating a coherent storyline at the same time. Such thorough preparation, combined with an efficient work environment, saves a lot of time. During the preproduction of Avatar, which lasted several years, James Cameron and 20th Century Fox developed a new camera technology called the Pace Fusion 3D camera system. Another strength of the Hollywood VFX industry is that there are so many artists who know how to use all these new technologies really well.

Q How do you think Korea’s VFX technology is coming along?

A Park Thanks to Korea’s soaring interest in VFX and how it’s revitalizing the entertainment industry, investment in VFX movies is growing every year and movies out there are becoming more and more expressive. The use of VFX is only going to increase in Korea in the future. It’s also noteworthy that there are a growing number of professionals who are well-versed in this field.

Q What do you think about Korea’s intention to take its VFX overseas?

A Jung It’s great that Korean VFX companies are collaborating on overseas projects and making inroads in other markets, and they should definitely keep up with this. It’s difficult to expect the Korean VFX industry to grow if companies just target the limited domestic market with its small number of moviegoers. Producers in Hollywood are turning their attention outside the country to cut costs. So as long as you have solid qualifications and a good command of English, there’s a good chance you can sign some kind of a deal with an overseas company for VFX or animation production. We have to figure out what our strengths and weaknesses are, and deal with the particular problems we face. Korea has a domestic movie and game market base, and a professional workforce. On the other hand, there is a lack of experts with high-end production experience and a language barrier in place. You also have to keep in mind that most of the countries doing VFX and animation work for the US right now are English-speaking ones like Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, India and the UK.

More Information for Korea culture check Korea Culture here.


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Strenuous Exercise May Not Lead To Weight Loss If Diet Is Not Controlled

Posted by admin | Posted on 28-11-2010

Category : Region III

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Strenuous Exercise May Not Lead To Weight Loss If Diet Is Not Controlled

The answer to why your weight does not budge despite all those hours spent on the treadmill, in the swimming pool, on the yoga mat… the list goes on — may lie in a new study conducted by US researchers which says that people who work out for long durations often tend to lose the advantage through ‘‘compensation’’ of the predicted weight loss by increased calorie intake. Think of the umpteen times you rewarded yourself with that post-exercise piece of pizza.

The study, conducted by researchers from Louisiana State University, University of Missouri and University of South Carolina on 464 postmenopausal overweight women, randomly divided the women into four groups. While three of the groups
were assigned various doses of exercise, one was the control group.

The first two groups — which did 72 and 136 minutes of exercise per week — showed the same weight loss as predicted but the third group which exercised for more than 194 minutes per week showed only half of the predicted weight loss. All the women though showed reduction of waist circumference. The study was published in the peer reviewed journal PloS One (PLoS stands for Public Library of Science).

What the researchers in their staccato scientific terms call ‘‘compensation’’ may actually mean the oily samosa, worth 150 Kcal, which can be offset by 25 minutes of running on the treadmill or that one scoop of ice cream, worth 120 calories, that may be neutralised with 30 minutes of table tennis that you occasionally reward yourself with. Predictably city experts do not appreciate what they call an attempt to undermine the importance of exercise but at the same time accept the inherent finding of the study that diet is as important as exercise in achieving weight loss.

It does not take away in any way from the known advantages of regular exercise like prevention of diabetes, heart disease fatty liver etc. As for weight loss, we are always very clear that diet and exercise go hand in hand and there are various combinations of the two that work for different people. It is a fact that exercising does not mean the licence to eat what you want and unhealthy eating will show. Who are prone to abdominal obesity, the international standards of exercise of 30-40 minutes a day have been revised to 60 minutes. ‘‘It is true that exercise enhances the appetite but adjustments have to be made in the diet for that. For example, instead of a bar of chocolate, drinking a glass of nimbu pani with salt with five almonds is far healthier and it has calories too.

Study reinforces the message that diet is as important, however,  We would take the findings ‘‘with a pinch of salt principally because it does not deal with the quality of weight loss. There is no mention of the changes in metabolic rate. In fact, for people who are obese because of a hormonal imbalance — a condition which is called metabolic obesity — weight loss is impossible without exercise. In case of simple obesity, merely watching your diet can cause weight loss but then you would also end up losing a lot of muscle mass in the process which will lower your metabolic rate because muscle spends more energy.”

According to figures published in medical journals, a kg of muscle burns about three kilo calorie a day in the resting body while fat burns just a third of that. Which means 5 kg fat replaced by muscle will help you burn just 40 kcal extra per day. One small glass of cola has 110 kcal.

If you want more information about weight loss and yoga tips log on to Health and Beauty Secret.

As a profession I am a content writer and I write for different companies. I am writing for big portals i.e. India Academic Health and Beauty Secretand Astrological Signs Info


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Can College Equine Programs Do a Flying Lead Change?

Posted by admin | Posted on 22-07-2010

Category : Region III

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Can College Equine Programs Do a Flying Lead Change?

 

       The only constant is change!

It wasn’t too many years ago that only a young woman from a wealthy family could attend a “private college” which offered “equine activities” while she studied English literature.

A degree in Equine Studies was nonexistent.

But by the early 1970s, innovators such as Meredith Manor and Pacific Horse Center had recognized that young women wanted horse careers as trainers, riding instructors and competitors.  These “vocational schools” brought about changes at colleges, such as Salem in West Virginia where a young woman could earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Equestrian Studies.  Post College in Waterbury, Connecticut, began offering an Associate Degree in “horsemanship”, as did Findlay College in Ohio.  Other colleges saw the opportunities and “horse schools” went “public.”

Once in the herd, colleges soon had to decide where they “fit.”  Old established private schools often had the land and the facilities to allow students to bring their horses to college.  Such schools were both exclusive and expensive…they still are today.

State colleges and universities make up the main part of the herd, offering a variety of credentials, including certificates, Associate and Bachelor degrees.  Frequently the degrees are in fields such as business with an “emphasis” on equine studies.

Community colleges generally offer the most affordable traditional programs awarding both certificates and Associate degrees.

Today there are nearly 50,000 students enrolled in equine study programs at 200 U.S. colleges and universities; most are women who plan on a career.  A typical program consists of 60 units of general education credit and 60 units of equine science.

But change is constant; there is so much more information available today, traditional colleges are having a hard time keeping pace using a traditional program.  And while the traditional student still exists, the non-traditional student is becoming the “majority.”

Today’s equine studies student is more often than not a woman who has always loved horses, enjoyed working with horses and has had a career in another field.  Now she wants to know all there is to know about horses—their care and training—plus she wants credentials.

Scottsdale Community College in Arizona offers a traditional Associates degree in Equine Science while the non-credit department offers a Horse Sense Success Series certificate.

 In an innovative move, Scottsdale opened its program to the community by offering English and western horse training classes on a “bring your own horse” to evening sessions.  While they are not “core” courses, they still earn full credit.

Midway College in Kentucky, established 1847, is a private girls college that has a successful traditional equine science program.  But to meet the needs of change, the school has purchased 94 adjacent acres and plans to build a “boarding stable” open to the public.  This innovation will change the traditional to the vocational.

Stephens College in Missouri, also well know and successful with traditional, is considering “internship credits” for “specialized, non-traditional courses.”

Today’s horsewoman is both young and more mature and she wants a lot more….meeting her demands for convenience and affordability are new “online programs.”

Breyer State University (www.equinedegreeonline.com) is the first to offer an accredited Bachelor of Science in Equine Studies degree completely online and with no general education requirements.  The open entry program offers 120 units of equine study credits, allowing the student to work at her own pace with no completion deadlines.

The costs of college have also changed with technology.  Because “brick and mortar” schools are limited in the number of students they can handle, tuition keeps rising.  The cost of a degree at a community college averages ,000 for the two years.

A degree at a state university, for a state resident, averages ,000, while degrees from private colleges can easily cost 0,000 for the four years.

Not having “limited seating,” and the costs of maintaining buildings, Breyer State University can offer the Bachelor’s degree at a cost of less than ,500 including books.

Iyuptala University takes the convenience, plus “personal enrichment” concept even farther.  At Iyuptala, a student takes a series of courses of her choice, earning a certificate for each.  The desire of these students is to be a better horse owner, trainer or rider.  

Change has gone from one lead to another and back again.  Today’s woman wants the most current information available about horse health, nutrition, training and riding, because she wants to enjoy her horses.  In addition, she wants her information to be so good, that she can get college credits just in case she decides she wants a career.

Today’s woman wants it all, education, convenience, affordability and the credentials for success; and she gets it.  Colleges are responding to the cues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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