Monday, September 24, 2012

Support Required From Your Employer When Pursuing Executive Education


The workforce of a company is undoubtedly the most important asset that it possesses. It therefore becomes necessary to invest in the workforce wisely. Whether the investments are of time, money, or trust, they pay off in the long run. Able and well talented employees will stick around if you give them ample support and opportunities to grow and better themselves. Growing professionally and intellectually gives an employee the motivation to do his best and perform well in his job. This also lends him the opportunity to apply innovative strategies and take his company to a higher pedestal. So, it is an established fact that supporting employees in their quest to improve their skills is bound to provide rich dividends to their employers.
There is a growing number of professionals who are going in for executive education today, in order to enhance their skills and improve their work ways as well as their associates and links in the their domain of work. This is a good move as it benefits employers in the long run. There are certain formalities that must be fulfilled in order for the employee to apply for the course successfully. These formalities generally relate to coming through on the application criteria. For this, the employee seeks the support of his employer.
Most executive programs require that the applicant solicit the approval of his / her employer and obtain an explicit statement of support from their company. This is an important condition levied by various institutes and admission is not approved unless this letter is received by the institute authorities. As simple as it sounds, this letter is more than just a letter recommending the applicant for a particular program. When signing off this letter, an employer is agreeing to release the employee for the given time in order for him to effectively participate in the classroom teaching, projects and other initiatives and travel (if need arises) to the location where the classes are held.
The employer might also be required to commit financial aid and support in the form of covering up the entire cost of the program. This, however, is not a mandatory condition and depends and varies from person to person and also from company to company. The extent of financial commitment is a matter that is left to the participant of the course and his / her employer. In some cases, tuition reimbursement is given to the student when he / she rejoin the company after finishing the course; in other cases, employers make special arrangements to cover all the costs as per the compensation package of the employee. In still other cases, the participants of the course assume the responsibility of covering up the education cost on their own.
In most cases, the employee is subject to be bound by a contract, so that after completing the course with set goals, he returns to his job and works for the company at a contract for a pre-decided period of time.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Starting a Career With a Masters in Healthcare Administration


Getting a hospital management degree is one of the best things you can do if you would like a career in healthcare. Honestly, there are not many jobs out there right now, but this career path truly will help you gain a position in a hospital or other healthcare organization. How many people have been laid off during the recession and are curious about what they should do next? Look no further, a Masters in Healthcare Administration degree will help you find a new job quickly.
The first thing you need to do is research every MHA degree program. Many of these programs can be done online from your home. The advantage of doing an online degree is that you still have the ability to work if you need to. If you do not need to work, then most of these programs get you in contact with other people in the field to help you find a job while you are pursuing school. After doing your research you need to decide on what type of degree you want, whether it is a residential or online program. Most residential programs are fulltime and do not allow you to work. In addition, something you should think about is whether the degree requires a test. If it does, then you will need to prepare yourself for the test to gain admission.
Next you need to take the proper steps to get admitted into one of these programs. You should develop a list of maybe 5 or 10 schools that you are interested in attending. Request information from those schools and begin your application. Most of the time these programs admit students in both the spring and the fall so that way you will have the option once you begin looking into these programs. Once you have your list of schools, you need to make sure that you focus on the requirements for each application. Create different folders for each school and keep all of the information for each program in the individual folder. That way when you are going to send out your application you will have all of the information in one place.
The next thing you need to do is simply wait. Often times admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis which means that you will get the decision in the order it was received. This can be a tough time for students because normally you do not have a job and you are not sure what will happen in the future. For now, I would suggest looking into volunteer programs at hospitals to help you understand more about how a hospital works. You can also send a letter to the individual schools telling them that you have gained a position in a local hospital or healthcare organization.
Once you have waited for the admissions decision, you will now start to see some decisions being made. However, while you are waiting you need to decide what program you would like to attend if you are admitted to the program. This can be tough, but the biggest thing you need to do is really evaluate each program individually. You should look at the reputation of the school, where people work that graduated from the school, and the courses that you need to finish to graduate. You also need to decide whether you want to be in an online program or a residential program.
Once you get into a school, you will notice that it is much easier to look for jobs. Just being in a Masters in Healthcare Administration program helps you be able to apply to very different jobs that you normally could not have applied to. Many students in degree programs do work while they are attending them as long as they are not fulltime. Remember, these types of programs are giving you a skill that not many people have and there is a tremendous need for health care administrators.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

5 Proven Strategies of Effectively Managing Classes


Effective class management is one of the biggest challenges that a teacher has to face at the beginning of each academic year. Students come from diverse backgrounds and thus some turn out to be polite while some others may be loud and noisy. It becomes really difficult to maintain discipline in the classroom at times. To overcome this problematic situation, teachers need to employ effective organizational practices to bring in an atmosphere of peace and calm in the classroom.
Establish Rules
On the very first day, instructors usually tell the students to introduce themselves and most just tend to quietly give their names. However, this doesn't mean they are going to remain silent and disciplined for the rest of the academic session. A good teacher will always establish some efficient ground rules for pre-empting class behavioral patterns.
Promote Greater Interaction
It is the responsibility of the teachers to create a positive friendly ambiance in the classroom. Teachers should start interacting with each learner on a more personal level. For those shy students who feel uncomfortable to speak out in a packed classroom, they should be encouraged to email their problems or queries to the teacher or meet him/her outside class hours. A great way of constantly staying in touch with your students is through setting up of an online private social network. Another tried and tested method would be via social media channels.
Introduce Fun Elements
While reading through text books can be a bit boring, introducing slide shows and online presentations as part of the lesson can be really fun. It adds excitement to the whole learning experience and motivates students to stay focused. You can create educational based audio-visual slide shows and show it to the kids to enhance their attention levels.
Include Debates in the Classroom
Debates have a positive side to it; they help to gain in-depth knowledge in a specific subject or area. For example, I have seen many teachers taking a debate class for one or two days a week to encourage students to discuss various learning issues and how they can best address the same.
Review Students' Performance Regularly
It is essential to keep the students on their toes and for that you need to regularly keep on giving assignments and homework and see to it that they finish them on time. You can encourage students to start their own blogs where they can post their written articles, assignments, and project works for you to review. The school should also maintain a blog to provide all sorts of information and updates on a daily basis.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Various Forms of Continuing Education


Professional continuing education can be completed in a variety of ways. The most important thing is the professional learns something from the course(s) they take. Hopefully, the course will education them and help them provide better services for their clients. The worst thing a professional could face is a waste of time and money. If the course doesn't help them provide better services or make them more knowledgeable in their field it is a big waste of time. In this article we are going to discuss some different professions and ways continuing education is completed. We are going to cover online education, classroom education, and self-study.
Online continuing education is becoming more and more popular among adult learners. It doesn't matter if you are looking to go back to school for a master's degree, get continuing education credits for your insurance license, or need help budgeting a large project. There are classes online for everyone! These courses are usually the most flexible and easiest for full-time working adults to complete. They are mainly asynchronous so the student does not have to be online at a specific time. Many times the course can be spread out over time as well. So the student may start the course on Wednesday and complete it on Sunday. This allows for even more flexibility for the student.
Another popular form of continuing education is sitting in a classroom and listening to a lecture. The classroom is very interactive and conducive for visual learners. Sometimes they need to see and read things multiple times and ask questions. Live chat is not always an option in online learning. Insurance agents in Florida for example do have to have to complete an examination if they sit in a classroom for their continuing education credits. But, if you are an adult learner looking for a master's degree you will be writing papers, completing case studies, and taking exams to get your degree. Classes are held at a specific time on a specific day so they are not as flexible as online courses.
The third type of continuing education is self-study or correspondence courses. This is where the student will order study materials online and have them delivered to their home. This is not available for every type of profession. Students can study at their leisure then take an exam either online or at a testing center depending on what is required.
As you can see there are many different ways you can continue your education, you will just have to find the easiest and most convenient method that fits your needs.