Archive for the ‘Online Education’ Category
Recognia Fills Education Gap with the Launch of Education On-Demand™
Posted: February 16, 2012 at 5:24 pm
OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Recognia, an industry leader providing independent investment research for online brokers and self-directed investors, announced today the launch of its education platform, Education On-Demand™.
In May 2011, Recognia fielded a survey completed by self-directed investors to determine their needs, requirements and uses of investor education. They found that investors greatly value education yet are not satisfied with their broker’s offering. As a solution to the need to provide brokers with valuable education, Recognia created Education On-Demand™. The first module within the product delivers objective educational content produced by well-known educator and technical analysis expert Martin J. Pring in the format of video lectures, self-evaluations, text tutorials and glossaries.
“We’re extremely pleased to roll out our Education On-Demand™ product today,” said Recognia CEO Rick Escher. “The product is a perfect solution for brokers and end users alike. Our aim is to make trading knowledge attainable and accessible to all investors, and to empower them to gain confidence in their trading decisions.”
“This partnership to create the Education On-Demand™ product has been a great opportunity share my trading knowledge and provide highly focused, professional and objective education to brokers and their account-holders,” said educator Martin J. Pring.
Lightspeed Trading will be the first broker to offer Education On-Demand™ beginning this month and will provide one of the education modules, technical analysis, free-of-charge to its clients. Additional modules can be added to Education On-Demand™.
“Trader education remains one of the most important elements of our offering,” said Michael Sedek, managing director, Lightspeed Trading LLC. “We have a longstanding partnership with Recognia and are eager to work with them to bring Education On-Demand to Lightspeed and help give our clients on-demand access to some of the most effective educational services available.”
The technical analysis education module will feature beginner, intermediate and advanced content designed to increase self-directed investor knowledge which can be accessed at the user’s own pace. The module includes video and text tutorials and offers users the ability to test their progress along the way.
About Recognia
Recognia (www.recognia.com) provides intuitive, easy-to-use investment research for both institutional traders and self-directed investors. Founded in 2000, Recognia today has more than 20 million provisioned accounts worldwide, with products servicing the largest and most successful institutions, stock exchanges and online brokerage firms, including Bloomberg, NYSE Euronext, Saxobank, Fidelity, Charles Schwab, TD Waterhouse, ICICI Direct, Lightspeed Trading, and many more.
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Recognia Fills Education Gap with the Launch of Education On-Demand™
Gazette.Net: Online education company opts for Landover
Posted: at 5:24 pm
2tor �2tor is changing the way people think about post-secondary education,� says CEO Chip Paucek.
A fast-growing online education company has picked Landover for its headquarters and plans to hire 100 people over the next year.
2tor partners with universities to offer online degrees. The company has grown from 15 to 350 employees, with 250 in Maryland, since it launched four years ago.
�2tor is changing the way people think about post-secondary education,� said Chip Paucek, the company�s former COO and recently named CEO.
Unlike primarily online schools such as DeVry University and the University of Phoenix, 2tor�s model offers graduate programs from major universities. It has partnerships with the University of Southern California, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Graduates receive their degrees from the university.
�Today, we�re happy to be breaking that ice,� Paucek said.
2tor also has locations in New York, Los Angeles, Chapel Hill and Hong Kong. Its headquarters previously were in New York.
Backed with $70 million in venture capital investments, including funding from Bethesda�s Novak Biddle, 2tor plans to hire 100 people in Maryland over the next year and announce new partnerships, Paucek said.
The privately held company would not disclose its annual revenues.
2tor works with the universities to develop its online curriculum and then presents it to students through a combination of social networking and video conferencing, Paucek said.
Typically, 10 students participate in each course and converse with each other and their instructors through a multimember Skype-like system. 2tor�s main interface also functions similar to Facebook, with notifications for assignments, walls and a �friending� system.
Paucek said Landover was chosen as 2tor�s headquarters because of its proximity to Metrorail and Amtrak transportation, which not only take executives to the New York offices but provide mass transit for most of 2tor�s employees in Maryland. Most of 2tor�s senior executive staff already worked in Maryland and 2tor also plans to hire a new chief of revenue for the office, he said.
�It�s a great place to populate the business,� Paucek said.
County officials have met with 2tor and say they are excited by the announcement.
�The good fortune of having a technology-based company that is connected to the local work force and higher education is a big win on all fronts,� said David Iannucci, assistant deputy chief administrative officer for the county�s economic development team. �Higher education is a vital part of economic development and strengthening the work force.�
A November survey of 2,500 colleges and universities nationwide showed that 65 percent view online learning as a critical part of their long-term strategy, according to Babson Survey Research Group of Babson College in Massachusetts. This is a 2 percent increase since 2010. More than 60 percent of these institutions are in the for-profit sector.
About 6.1 million students took at least one online course during the fall of 2010, although the 10 percent rise since 2009 represented the second-smallest enrollment growth since 2002, according to the survey.
Georgetown had long considered launching an online program and was encouraged to do so, given the current state of the available technology, Jeanne Matthews, interim chairwoman of the nursing department, wrote in an email to The Gazette. 2tor helps guide prospective students through the application process and provides the university with a learning management system, she said. The company also helps market the program, which started in March.
�2tor remains at the forefront of online learning technology, and we are excited by the opportunity to utilize the company�s dynamic platform to bring our longstanding graduate program to life in an online format,� Matthews said. �A major reason we launched this online format was to bring our values-based, academically rigorous nursing program to students throughout the country, especially to those in rural and underserved areas.�
To date, 320 students have enrolled in Georgetown�s online graduate nursing program, with the first graduates expected this fall.
2tor offers programs in nursing, social work, education and business, and plans to expand to areas such as public administration and engineering, Paucek said.
�We�re one of the highest-funded education startups in the U.S. and expect to grow aggressively in the next 24 months,� he said.
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Gazette.Net: Online education company opts for Landover
Why I Chose Online Education: David Gowel
Posted: at 5:24 pm
David Gowel is pursuing a master's degree from the Harvard University Extension School.
College education takes all sorts of shapes these days, as students more often choose nontraditional routes to a degree. Many people of different ages, backgrounds, and career goals are now looking to online education programs. Here's why one person chose an online degree.
Former platoon leader David Gowel used to be leery of the value of online education. "Especially being a military leader, the face-to-face interaction, I felt, was always very important in teaching and training," the United States Military Academy graduate says.
But after serving in Iraq and Germany, Gowel found himself stationed in Fort Knox, Kentucky, weighing the value of a graduate management program offered through the Harvard University Extension School. In addition to being able to start courses remotely, the program offered the flexibility to switch between online and on-campus courses, an attractive option for the on-the-move Gowel.
Since enrolling in the management program, he cofounded RockTech, a software company that offers LinkedIn training to corporations, and currently serves as its chief executive officer. Gowel also authored The Power in a Link: Open Doors, Close Deals, and Change the Way You Do Business Using LinkedIn, moved to Massachusetts, and has graduation from Harvard on the horizon.
Age: 31
Online program: Harvard University Extension School (part online, part on-campus)
Degree pursued and graduation year: Master's in management, expected December 2013
Why an online degree: "I felt that, basically, I was going to need an advanced degree to be able to compete in the job market coming out of the military, not having the skills I felt were translatable enough to the business world," Gowel says. The flexible course selection options at Harvard were an added bonus; after he moved to Massachusetts to complete his active service as an assistant professor of military leadership at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he also switched to taking on-campus, evening courses at Harvard.
Degree impact: Though he hasn't graduated yet, Gowel says his future degree has already impacted his life and career. "I basically used the degree and the courses to help me figure out what I wanted to do," he says. "It helped me realize that starting a business was something I felt comfortable doing." One of his favorite parts of the program, he says, was the flexibility to select courses that coincided with the growth of his business, allowing him to tackle real-world problems with the help of his professors and classmates.
Biggest challenge of earning an online degree: "I was really skeptical about how valuable [an online degree] would be; I didn't know if it would be worth it to invest the cost, and if it would be good enough," Gowel says. "In retrospect, I wish I had started this in Germany, because it was very valuable."
Advice for future online students: "I think the key bit of advice I'd give would be to think what your specific goals are—what the outcome you want is," he says, "and then tailor the courses as best you can."
Searching for an online program? Get our complete rankings of Top Online Education Programs.
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The Wheel for Successful Business – Video
Posted: February 15, 2012 at 6:44 pm
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The Wheel for Successful Business - Video
Go For Greater! Day, Evening
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Lower Enrollment Hurts Capella – Analyst Blog
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Capella Education Company ( CPLA ), the provider of online education, recently delivered fourth-quarter 2011 earnings of 91 cents a share that dropped 16.5% from $1.09 earned in the prior-year quarter due to fall in students' enrollment. On a reported basis, including one time items, earnings came in at 85 cents, down 22% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter was 91 cents.
Behind the Headline
Total active enrollment dropped 4.5% to 37,704 during the quarter. Management had earlier guided enrollment to fall by 4% to 6% in the quarter. New enrollment tumbled 9.4%, reflecting tough market conditions, changes with respect to program accreditation, and stringent admissions criteria.
The quarterly revenue of $110 million came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate but fell 4.1% from $114.7 million in the year-ago quarter. The decline in the top line dovetails with management's guidance range of 3% to 4.5% fall. Capella now expects revenue to drop by 1% to 2% in the first quarter of 2012.
Operating income, adjusted for charges related to workforce reduction, plummeted 28.7% to $20.2 million, whereas operating margin contracted 640 basis points to 18.3%.
Capella now expects operating margin in the range of 15% to 16% in the first quarter of 2012, down from 20.2% in the first quarter of 2011, reflecting planned investments in learner success initiatives, rise in depreciation charges and expenses related to Resource Development International, acquired in July 2011.Management's target is to attain operating margins between 15% and 17% for 2012.
Enrollment Falls, Forecasts Softer Declines
We observe that Capella is witnessing a fall in enrollment. After falling 7.5% in third quarter of 2011, total active enrollment dropped 4.5% in the fourth quarter. However, Capella now projects total enrollment to decline between 5% and 6% in the first quarter of 2012. Management expects that the rate of decline in total enrollment will decelerate as the year progresses due to improvement in new enrollment.
The potential risk looming over the education sector is the regulation proposed by the Department of Education that is weighing upon students' enrollments and the company's profits. The Department of Education proposed that an educational program could only qualify for Title IV funds, if it helps in achieving gainful employment, which includes the criteria of loan repayment rate and debt-to-income ratios.
The institutions are under the scanner due to the rise in the default rate of student loans, and are now being asked to submit information relating to recruitment procedures and use of student's grant.
Capella hinted that new enrollment in the first quarter of 2012 is expected to decline marginally, following a drop of 9.4% in the fourth quarter and a fall of 36% in the first quarter of 2011, as it expects re-registration of existing apprentices to remain robust.
Capella generally focuses on working adults, and in order to draw students it is also ramping its marketing and promotional expenditures. To counter sluggishness in students' enrollment, education companies are also resorting to restructuring their cost base. The company lowered its headcount by about 63 non-faculty workforces, and for this it incurred a charge of about $1.3 million in the quarter. Management hinted that the eliminations will result in cost savings of approximately $5.2 million per year.
Other Financial Details
Capella boasts a healthy balance sheet with no debt. It ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $62 million and shareholders' equity of $162.6 million. Cash flow from operations for fiscal 2011 period was $80.3 million.
During the quarter under review, the company repurchased 775,000 shares, aggregating $25.2 million. In fiscal 2011, it bought back 2.5 million shares for a total amount of $103.4 million. Capella indicated that it has $59.6 million at its disposal under its share repurchase authorization.
Currently, we have a long-term 'Neutral' rating on the stock. However, Capella, which competes with Apollo Group Inc. ( APOL ) and Strayer Education Inc. ( STRA ), holds a Zacks #2 Rank that translates into a short-term 'Buy' recommendation, and it well defines the company's initiatives to improve students' enrollment; its diversification strategy as evident from the acquisitions of Sophia, a social teaching and learning platform and Resource Development International, an online provider of UK University qualifications by distance learning; and introduction of new products offerings and new program accreditations.
APOLLO GROUP ( APOL ): Free Stock Analysis Report
CAPELLA EDUCATN ( CPLA ): Free Stock Analysis Report
STRAYER EDUC ( STRA ): Free Stock Analysis Report
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Lower Enrollment Hurts Capella - Analyst Blog
DigICTjobs: online industry/education collaboration for next gen Digital Media and ICT professionals – Video
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Online Education is Perfect For… – Video
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Episode 6 – Case Study – The NH 90 Training.mp4 – Video
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Professional Development Resources Announces New Online Continuing Education Course on Child Abuse
Posted: at 4:28 pm
Professional Development Resources, a nationally accredited provider of continuing education (CE) to psychologists, social workers, counselors, speech-language pathologists, registered dietitians and occupational therapists, has released a new online CE course on child abuse.
Jacksonville, FL (PRWEB) February 15, 2012
Professional Development Resources has announced a new addition to its online continuing education (CE) curriculum for mental health professionals: Domestic Violence: Child Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence. The course, which is presented in two parts, is intended to help mental health professionals maintain a high state of vigilance and to be well prepared with immediate and appropriate responses when abuse is disclosed or suspected.
Part I deals with child abuse, which unfortunately remains a pervasive part of contemporary life in the United States. Recent government data indicate that in just one year in the U.S., substantiated cases of child abuse totaled over 700,000 children – about 1.3% of the population of children. To make matters worse, the long-term consequences include a wide range of serious effects, such as physical injuries, impaired brain development, behavioral disturbances, substance use disorders, and a variety of psychological disorders. In addition, there are a number of mechanisms by which children who are abused may grow up to become abusers themselves.
Child abuse can take place within the family, by a parent, stepparent, sibling or other relative; or outside the home, for example, by a friend, neighbor, childcare worker, teacher, or stranger. More than half of the perpetrators of child abuse are women, and about two-fifths are men. When abuse has occurred, a child can develop a variety of distressing feelings, thoughts and behaviors. Sadly, the most vulnerable children – those younger than 1 year of age – have the highest rate of victimization.
Another category of abuse that should not be overlooked is bullying, which generally happens at school, and can include emotional aggression, such as name-calling and exclusion from groups. Teachers and other adults may be at least partially aware of what is going on but do not intervene. Certain children can be at higher risk of being bullied by virtue of being different in some way. For example, children may be more likely to be bullied if they are: new at school, overweight, delayed or disabled and/or homosexual. A contemporary extension of the concept is cyber-bullying, in which the aggressive behaviors can extend to harassment via electronic communication media like email, texting, and social networking sites.
“It is critical that mental healthcare providers appreciate the potential for any child to be a victim and any adult to be a perpetrator,” says Leo Christie, PhD, president of Professional Development Resources and the author of the new course. “Although there may be some signs and symptoms, there is no victim or perpetrator profile that can serve as a reliable predictor of risk for any given child. In other words, there is no simple universal presentation of children who have been abused. We – as health professionals – simply have to be vigilant and prepared to take immediate and appropriate steps at any time.”
In all 50 states, reporting suspected child abuse is mandated by law. In some states, specific professions like health care workers, psychotherapists, teachers, daycare center workers, and law enforcement officers are named as mandatory reporters. In addition, all mandatory reporting laws use intentionally vague descriptors of the level of concern or certainty the reporter must have in order to initiate a report. Some laws specify “cause to believe…” or “suspect…” in order to achieve the threshold for reporting. However, any individual who suspects a child is being abused can report it by calling the National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453.
About Professional Development Resources, Inc.
Professional Development Resources is a Florida nonprofit educational corporation founded in 1992 by licensed marriage and family therapist Leo Christie, PhD. The company, which is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association) – as well as many other national and state boards – has focused its efforts on making continuing education courses more cost-effective and widely accessible to health professionals by offering online home study coursework. Its current expanded curriculum includes a wide variety of clinical topics intended to equip health professionals to offer state-of-the art services to their clients.
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Leo Christie, PhD, CEO
Professional Development Resources, Inc.
904-645-3456
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Leo Christie, PhD
Professional Development Resources
(904) 645-3456
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Professional Development Resources Announces New Online Continuing Education Course on Child Abuse