Could online learning soon replace the traditional face-to-face method?
Distance learning is not a new concept, with the first course being sent by mail in Boston, USA in 1728. Online learning however, is a relatively new concept with the first full online curriculum introduced by CalCampus in 1994.
In 2014, 98 per cent of all public colleges were offering online courses. Today, 90 per cent of academic leaders believe that in 5 years time the majority of college students will be taking at least one course online.
Studying abroad does not mean compromising an all-American education. (CC BY-SA 3.0)
While students from around the world tend to study abroad for at least one semester, many American expats still refuse to complete higher education abroad.
A huge number of universities now offer online courses, giving students the freedom to study wherever they want. This allows them to live internationally without compromising the American education that they have always dreamed of.
Chapelle Ste Ursule by En-Bateau CC BY-SA 3.0
In the last few years France has become one of the top destinations in Europe for foreign students, with nearly 300,000 enrolled annually. For EU residents, applying for a higher education course is relatively simple. For non-EU applicants there is a little more red-tape to navigate.
EU citizens
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can all study without a visa in a French university, providing that they have a European Baccalauréat or equivalent qualification giving access to higher education.
If you meet these criteria, you can apply to different universities via the admissions website, which offers a lot of information about degrees, conditions, important dates and much more. You will need to enter several choices, as some courses have limited capacity.
England can no longer rely solely on its reputation to attract international students.
This month the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) published Global demand for English higher education; a report analysing international student statistics in 2014.
Looking specifically at English universities, the findings reveal the number of international students enrolled has decreased for the first time in nearly three decades.
The 25% fall in the number of EU students coming to England in the past year is arguably in response to high tuition fees. In contrast, university education for EU students in Scotland or Denmark, for example, is free.
Russia aims to ensure its graduates remain in the country.
The Russian government has recently started a scheme to encourage its highest achieving students to continue their academic careers abroad. The catch? After completing their studies the participants of the scheme must return to Russia to work for at least 3 years, or face mammoth fines.
The government has allocated 4.5 billion rubles from its budget for the program, and it is estimated that 1,000 students each year will be awarded the grant over the next three years. Eligible graduates will be those looking to study courses in technology, medicine and other scientific fields at some of the world’s most prestigious institutions. Those wanting to benefit from the grant will have to apply to their institution of choice and only upon being accepted will they be able to apply for the funding.
China’s school pupils are surging ahead in maths
Great strides being made by East Asian nations in the field of education can be largely put down to improvements in teacher training, a new report from the OECD states. While the level of European teenagers’ ability in maths, science and reading has continued to stagnate, Singapore and Hong Kong have shot ahead according to the France-based organisation’s findings. Many have pointed to the increased value placed on education in Asia by both families and governments.
The OECD formulates its own tests to measure 15 years olds’ aptitude across the three subjects. These are distributed all over the world every three years, with the results used to form a ranking.
Students who have done Erasmus consistently perform better in the job market.
For over twenty years the Erasmus Programme has acted as the European Union’s flagship student exchange programme. It’s easy to understand it’s popularity – students have 32 countries to choose from, can learn a new language and culture, gain new freedom and even receive a grant to do it.
But research shows that there is one more good reason for students to consider taking part in the EU programme. According to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), Erasmus students go on to achieve better degrees and secure better jobs than their less adventurous stay-at-home counterparts.
East Asian countries are rapidly increasing their numbers of international students.
Studying abroad is slowly becoming the rule rather than the exception – international students increased by 1.3 million between 2002 and 2009 and the growth shows no sign of stopping.
It’s no secret that students from Asia, especially China, now make up an enormous proportion of international students studying in Europe and North America. But what about the reverse? China, Singapore and Malaysia now play host to 12% of the world’s international students and together represent one of the most important emerging markets for international study in the world.
MOOCs are very accessible, but still lack recognition.
The rising prices of higher education are making many prospective students question whether it will offer them a worthwhile return on their investment. Ever increasing fees generally aren’t reflected in a rising standard in the quality of education. Instead they’re more to do with ballooning bureaucracy and the administration costs needed to serve the constantly increasing number of students. This is leading many people to wonder, what are the alternatives?
One option which has sprung up in recent years is massive open online courses, also known as ‘MOOCs’. This phenomenon sees university courses uploaded to the Internet, where they are freely available to anyone who might want to study them.
With more and more students getting an MBA, is the qualification worth the hard work?
With more than 250,000 students opting for an MBA in the US alone, this expensive qualification leaves many in hope they will manage to obtain a high-flying job in the business world.
An MBA graduate degree involves providing business graduates an education in standard business practices, from accounting to marketing, which in turn aims to increase their analytical and problem solving skills.