Distance Learning Systems Blog

College Level Examination Program and Prior Learning

Prior learning has been around for years, disguising itself in the form of College Level Examination Program or CLEP exams or military credits. But it’s just now recently that it has burst upon the scene of the modern college experience. Now, with hundreds of universities offering prior learning programs, its rivaling web based programs in terms of how busy adult learners are acquiring college degrees. Human resources staff is poised to matter in their organization by promoting prior learning evaluation as a feasible option for members looking to return to school and continue on with the organization as a college graduate.

Prior studying evaluation (PLA) is a means by which adults get credit for the experiences they have had while gainfully employed or through military programs. It turns years of sales experience, a company-mandated computer training course, or even a skill mastered eventually into college credit, thus lessening the cash a college student spends on college studying. The fewer classes a college student has to register for, the less cash is needed. From an economic standpoint, a semester’s value of credit adds up after factoring in tuition, books and travel time to campus. In a nation stuck by education and student loan debt, this is an inviting perk to a non-traditional college student looking for a cheaper way to get a degree.

Another major player in PLA is the aforementioned CLEP. This has the potential to give a college student with multiple credit hours. Common College Level Examination Program exams include general education, like the entry-level math programs. For learners who work in a technical field, this could be a quick 3 hours earned. Also at an advantage are multilingual adults. A steadily growing Hispanic population in the country means an increase in the number of adults who are fluent in both Spanish and English. CLEP exams could offer these multilingual adults the opportunity to get all their language requirements. Schools can be finicky when it comes to transferring prior college credits, with many science and math credits stuck with an expiration date. College Level Examination Program bypasses assists here as well: if the college student still can demonstrate mastery in a class credit score does not transfer, there is still an opportunity to get that class credit.

The World of Distance Learning Systems

Distance learning is a mode of providing education and training, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a conventional setting such as a class room. Distance learning systems provide “access to education when the source of information and the students are separated by time or distance, or both.” Nowadays, online learning, usually in college-level, where students work on their own at home or at the office and interaction with faculty and other students via e-, digital forums, video chat, message boards, instant messaging and other forms of computer-based communication. Most distance learning systems include a computer-based training (CBT) program and communication tools to produce a virtual class room. Because the World Wide Web is accessible from virtually all pc systems, they serve as the foundation for distance learning methods.

The first online learning course in the modern era was provided and developed by Sir Isaac Pitman in the 1840s, who taught a system of shorthand by mailing texts transcribed into shorthand on post cards and receiving transcriptions from his students in return for correction, the element of student feedback was crucial advancement of Pitman’s program.

There are different types of distance learning systems:

Audio Based – It is distance learning method utilizing one-way or two-way interaction. This includes everything from radio broadcasting and phone conferences to pre-recorded audio CDs.

Video Based – There are two basic types of video distance learning courses:

Prerecorded Video – videotaped courses are sent to students who can view them at an off-site location.
Two-Way Interactive Video – Satellites, cameras, and computer monitors allow teachers and/or students at another website.

Internet Based – Web centered applications require a web based accessibility and little else. Students of online distance learning applications often receive training through websites, email, digital forums, and messaging systems. These applications generally offer the same program as on-site applications and usually come with an adjusted price tag. Perhaps this is why internet distance learning is becoming so popular. Distance education and learning technologies are separated into two ways of delivery: synchronous learning and asynchronous learning. In synchronous learning, all members are ”present” simultaneously. In this regard, it appears like conventional class room teaching methods despite the members being located remotely. It requires a schedule to be organized. In asynchronous learning, members access course materials flexibly on their own schedules.

Fundamentals of Nursing

The nursing education that a nursing professional has obtained will play a large part towards the critical thinking abilities that he or she is going to use at work. But before any nursing expert should think of studying the advanced course on the world of nursing, they must first master the fundamentals of nursing before going for areas of expertise and further credentialing.

A lot of nursing staff are considering a better job right away when they step into the world of nursing. Everyone is so qualified that they feel that the need of a high level nursing education and studying or applying for RN programs is a must for them to have as soon as they can, so that they can move up the corporate ladder in the healthcare field. This attitude somehow delivers a beneficial feel, but there is still a flaw to it whenever the nursing specialist overlooks the essential areas of indulging on advanced nursing programs. It is essential for the nursing professional to master the fundamentals of nursing first before he or she is able to relocate from their present profession in nursing. This thought is often neglected, but it will become a large aspect as they achieve the end line of a better job and they will understand that they have gaps that were not able to fill up all along.

The high quality of nursing education from the training organization is also an essential aspect towards the nurse’s skills and potential. As long as he or she was able to obtain a top quality nursing education, then it will most likely show up with his or her efficiency as a nursing professional in nursing care facilities. There are just factors in nursing that have to be learned properly and cannot just be dictated by common sense. This is why they must value the nursing education that they are going to get out of their bachelor’s degree, because all of the topics and subjects trained in there are not just given to give themselves a hard time, but it is because they are going to be needed by them once they are at the professional level.

Anatomy & Physiology Study Tips

1) Study your course curriculum properly. Keep a duplicate of it handy throughout the term. There is a lot of essential info there that will make much more sense to you as the course continues, information that you will not keep in mind if you do not keep it handy.

2) Gather up your courage and talk to your trainer. Do it early in the term well before your first midterm examination. Knowing your instructor’s educating technique and what factors of the topic he/she feels are most essential will provide you with a jump start on getting a good grade in Anatomy & Physiology.

3) After the first or second class in your course, show your class notes to your teacher. Ask if you have written down the significant things. If not, ask your trainer for help in determining how to take better notes. Pay attention properly to what you are taught, even if you do not agree with it. Repeat back to your professor what you think you heard to validate that you got it properly.

4) Do not let what you think you know about anatomy & physiology get in the way of the ideas your teacher is teaching. Living in a connected modern world, you already have information your brain about anatomy & physiology. Some of it may be very precise information. Some of it may have given you incorrect opinions. Consider what you think you already know and cross check your information with your books, not Search engines. You will be tested for information as it is provided in your anatomy and physiology textbooks.

5) The first thing to do is to focus upon the words that explain alignment and orientation in space of parts of the body. Be particularly cautious not to mix up left and right. Our use of computer programs has taught us some habits. We left and right justify material on the display screen without thinking much about it, the reference always being our own left and right side. However, in anatomy, you need to always think in terms of the specimen’s left and right part.

Transition from CNA to LPN

It is good to start your profession in the healthcare field as a CNA, but to advance in your profession and to take up higher patient care obligations, a CNA to LPN (licensed practical nurse) program will be of excellent help. Although both the CNAs and the LPNs work under the guidance of a nurse (RN) or a doctor, the obligations managed by them are different. Typically, an LPN must finish one year of training before getting hired. However, a CNA can find work after attending a course for 6-24 weeks, based on the schedule of classes chosen, that includes 75 hours of approved training.

In a CNA to LPN program, you get trained to work as a licensed practical nurse through classes and clinical experience in medical centers. You learn to take vital signs such as blood pressure and help doctors with various surgical procedures. You can enroll for a CNA to LPN bridge course at a college or a vocational training school. Online CNA to LPN bridge programs are also available. In order to get registered into a CNA to Licensed Practical Nurse program, you must have a secondary school degree or GED. You should also have excellent scores in college placement exams and must complete background checks. It is not essential that you have training as a CNA to seek admittance to a CNA to LPN training course, but you stand a better chance of getting selected if you have experience as the entrance process for an LPN program is very competitive. Some institutions may require you to clear the ACT test.

The CNA to LPN education and training specifications vary from state to state. For example, you need to have 51 months of experience in an acute care hospital in the state of California. Clinical specialty requirements consist of 200 hours in pediatric medicine, 200 hours in genitourinary or maternity and 64 hours in Pharmacology. 64 additional hours in one of these specialized areas is also needed. After finishing the CNA to LPN program, you need to take the NCLEX-PN to get qualified as an LPN. To be able to get employed in any wellness care facility in any state, it is important that you get licensed as an LPN. As an LPN, you will find perform in nursing care features, residential care features, physician’s offices, out-patient care centers, medical centers and also with home nursing services.

Taking a Look at Advanced Placement Courses

More and more learners are getting Advance Placement courses. Most of them are unable to pass the tests. Is that progress? Should more New Haven children get the opportunity to be a part of the college-going track? At the invites of New Haven’s educational institutions superintendent, high school students on the citywide student council are trying to answer those questions. They are getting a wide look at Advance Placement courses, courses for which learners can get college credit if they score at least a 3 out of 5 on a standardized end-of-year examination.

Students first came to Superintendent Garth Harries with an issue that the region would quit spending for the AP tests. Harries pushed them to analyze larger concerns, including: How are children recognized for AP classes? Do all learners have an equivalent probability to take them? And what is the part of advanced placement courses in placing children on a successful college-going track? Harries said he is also meeting with instructors and other employees to talk about how the school district markets sources between AP and non-AP courses, such as the class size and the quality and seniority of the instructors. The evaluation occurs as some teachers are rethinking the part of AP programs in high schools. School district employees shared some early results in a meeting with the citywide student council at Cooperative Arts and Humanities Magnet High School on College Street.

More and more town children are taking AP tests. The number of New Haven public students who took AP tests increased from 415 in 2006 to 724 in 2013, according to the district. The number of examinations taken has nearly more than doubled, to 1,208, during that same time frame. In New Haven, every student who takes an AP class has to sign an agreement accepting to take the examination.

Value of Technology in Nursing Education

Solutions for an improved nursing education include increased use of online learning, college tuition settlement, versatile scheduling and end of the week classes. For example, the MSN program at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, CA, provides college tuition reimbursement; onsite master’s and bachelor’s degree programs and a work-life balance office. Reconcile nursing education with compensation and marketing possibilities. Health professional incomes vary according to state, job title, work setting, and number of service beds, service type and level of unionization, according to the 2012 wage survey information from Advance for Nurses.

For example, in the South, nurses with a BSN make an average of $61,956 yearly, while those with an MSN make $77,370 yearly. Nursing staff are entitled to know the value to train and learn and extra technology training by hearing genuine reviews on career routes, marketing possibilities and wage development. Sell the C-suite and opinion management on the value of highly knowledgeable and technically smart nurses. CNOs in particular, can play an important part in positioning nurses as knowledgeable professionals who help enhance quality and safety, build a lifestyle of quality and responsibility, and offer low-cost, easy-access primary care through newly created models, according to the 2013 American Hospital Association Environmental Scan.

To accommodate the estimated nursing shortage, every school of nursing must make more students ready to take the NCLEX licensure exam. However, to ensure that nurses continue their education and learning after achieving initial licensure, requirements for further education and learning must be clear, simple to get around, rather than appearing a hurdle to the nurse’s future course work. For example, ADNN prepared nurses who join BSN programs often describe architectural limitations to further education and learning. The variety of requirements and general education and learning programs in both general and nursing education often require students to complete more programs than they expect. To deal with these issues, individual associate degree and baccalaureate nursing programs are integrating to standardize specifications through articulation agreements or dual enrollment programs. The new requirements must deal with the importance of training nurses in electronic medical records (EMRs) and information research using informatics that can be used to help enhance care synchronization.

Credit by Examination and CLEP

According to the Department of Education, only 40% of learners graduate in 4 years, with the average closer to 6 years. This can mean a large number of extra dollars of additional college tuition, room and board, and even lost pay. Here is some smart ways to generate college credits, guaranteeing you graduate on time and within your college budget.

AP/IB Programs in High School: Take AP (Advanced Placement) or IB (International Baccalaureate) courses while in High School. These double credit ranking courses can mean that you actually start college with credits already gained. Be sure to check which is approved by your colleges of choice and know that you must successfully pass the final examination with a passing grade to get the credit. Please note that for IB courses, many universities and colleges only give credit for exams at the HL (Higher Level) courses and examinations.

Earn College Credits over the Summer: Spend summer season before you begin college or between semesters by making credits. Whether you are studying to take a test for credit (like a CLEP or DSST test), or making some General Education credits at your local college, a large number of universities agree to a passing test or course score for credits.

Test for Credit: Speaking of credit by examination, did you know that there are over 50 college courses that provide you with credit if you successfully pass a test? Called CLEP (College Level Examination Prep) or DSST (originally created for the military), these courses can reduce your path to a degree and are approved by over 3,000 universities in the United States. Here are some pretty great reasons to consider testing for credit:

Test for credit saved an average of over 6 months toward their degrees.
91% of CLEP test-takers said CLEP made a distinction in helping them finish their degrees.
70% of CLEP test-takers said their CLEP credits made a distinction in their ability to finance college tuition and other costs.
CLEP learners have considerably greater collective GPA than non-CLEP learners when controlling for demographics and prior accomplishment.
Students who receive credit by examination through CLEP for an introductory course are much more likely to get an A or B in succeeding courses than learners who finish the introductory course.

Revolutionizing Patient Care

From airlines trying to do something different, to a police department seeking to evaluate its effectiveness in the roads, Google Glass is constantly applied in many useful ways, even if there have been several difficulties. Even so, you can add Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) to the list of useful Google uses. On his blog, BIDMC chief information official John Halamka shared that his medical center ran a lead program that used Glass for an in-house patient information system that was designed in the emergency department. Here’s how they used Glass: A QR code is placed outside an emergency department room, which a physician can check out using Google Glass. After checking, Glass shows the physician everything there is to know about the individual in the room, such as vital signs, lab results, issues, and other info. This re-imagines the status quo up until now, which includes having to redirect attention away from a patient in order to use a computer and read any related details.

Integrated with the ED Dash panel, a program that medical centers use to observe patient circulation, the customized application uses Glass’ action support to communicate with the user interface, its camcorders to evaluate QR requirements and execute various speech instructions. The medical center made a few variations to Glass, such as iPhone pairing, including an exterior battery pack, allowing straight scrolling by slanting your head, and other optimizations.

Fortunately though, BIDMC is not the only medical center in the country that plans to change the way physicians take care of their sufferers the Rhode Island Hospital, which will use Glass in its emergency department. Both plan to provide their applications using Glass in the E. R., though RIH will originally restrict the program to E.R. sufferers affected with skin rashes or other skin-related issues and who are okay with a Glass-wearing physician.

Ultimately, both hospitals’ programs provide a lot of potential in enhancing patient care while also improving doctors’ performance. All of a sudden, having an ambulance team equipped with Glass, which would let a physician back at the medical center know exactly what to prepare to immediately provide patient care the moment they step in the medical center, is not that far-fetched of an idea. BIDMC will move out the program, which was in testing up until now, in a matter of weeks, while RIH will most likely move out its program after its following six-month study is over.

Challenging Hospitals to Improve

Challenging medical centers to take charge of the changing healthcare techniques in its communities, the Healthier Hospitals Initiative has added six Massachusetts medical centers to its initiative in the past month, expanding upon its goal to enhance patient care in a hospital. The program, which involves 800 medical centers nationwide, began two years ago. Forty-three institutions in Massachusetts are currently participating in the initiative, including Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Plymouth, Boston Medical Center and Lawrence General Hospital. Nine of these 43 are located in Boston.

“The Healthier Hospitals Initiative is a national campaign to lead change in the health care sector,” the initiative’s sales brochure said. “Twelve significant U.S. health systems have signed up with to provide a free way for medical centers to incorporate eco-friendly practices into daily functions.” The Healthier Hospitals Initiative asks medical centers to commit to any number of difficulties in their six focus areas: healthier meals, leaner energy, less waste, safer chemicals, wiser purchasing and engaged leadership. “As a group leader offering health care services, we felt it was our obligation to be part of the solution to what is becoming a national epidemic,” said Vanessa Kortze, manager of marketing and communications at LGH. “We strive to ensure healthy outcomes every day for our sufferers and our group, so it’s a natural fit for us to promote a healthier environment by offering healthier options.”

Lawrence General signed up with the initiative in late February, hoping to enhance patient care by participating in two of the initiative’s healthier meals difficulties, the Sugar Sweet Beverage Initiative, which changes high sugar drinks with healthier options such as water and seltzers and the Balanced Menu Challenge, which removes high calorie menu options with healthier options, Kortze said. “These healthier options are now more accessible to our patients through the room service and menu options and in our cafeterias so that whether you are a patient, visitor or employee, you can make better choices,” she said.