WASHINGTON, DC, Aug. 20, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has partnered with Pearson to launch USGBC's online workforce education program for the LEED Green Associate credential. The program includes online courses to help learners successfully prepare for the LEED Green Associate exam and learn green building strategies and techniques.

USGBC's LEED green building rating system is the foremost program for the design, construction, maintenance and operations of green buildings. Nearly 190,000 professionals have earned LEED professional credentials, demonstrating their knowledge of green building and the LEED program. The new online education program will annually target 3,000 first-time LEED learners and more advanced students seeking their LEED credentials.

Pearson is providing nine LEED online courses in healthcare, business, construction and hospitality and tourism. Course content covers knowledge assessment, remediation, self-paced material and practice exams. All online courses will be available in fall 2012.

Pearson is also providing two of USGBC's print titles to prepare students for the Green Building Certification Building Institute's LEED Green Associate Exam: Green Building and LEED Core Concepts, which explains the fundamental tenets of green building, offers strategies for implementation and provides specific case studies; and USGBC LEED Green Associate Study Guide. These titles are available now.

"Buildings across the globe offer us a significant economic and environmental opportunity. Greater building efficiency can meet 85 percent of future U.S. demand for energy, and a national commitment to green building has the potential to generate 2.5 million American jobs," said Beth Holst, VP of Strategic Alliances for USGBC. "Partnering with Pearson ensures proven content and substantial market reach so that together we can equip an eager and enthusiastic workforce to meet green building demand head-on."

"The rapid growth in green energy and building underscores the strong need for workforce training in this area," said Leah Jewell, President of Pearson Health Science and Careers. "We're honored to partner with an organization that is helping to spur job growth while contributing to a healthier environment in communities across the nation."

About U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USGBC works toward its mission of market transformation through its LEED green building certification program, robust educational offerings, a nationwide network of chapters and affiliates, the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, and advocacy in support of public policy that encourages and enables green buildings and communities. For more information, visit usgbc.org.

About Pearson

Pearson, the world's leading learning company, has global reach and market-leading businesses in education, business information and consumer publishing (PSO). The company provides innovative print and digital education materials, including personalized learning programs such as MyLab/Mastering, education services including custom publishing, and content-independent platforms including the EQUELLA digital repository and Pearson LearningStudio online learning platform. Pearson Workforce Education offers comprehensive workforce education solutions, including jobs market research analysis, curriculum design and development, customizable, modular online courses, and professional development for instructors, that enable workforce education program managers to offer courses that match the specific employment needs of their local area.

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USGBC and Pearson Partner to Launch Online Program for LEED Green Associate Credential

THE lecture at the centerpiece of higher education since Johannes Gutenberg's printing press in 1455 is about to get a massive upgrade.

The University of Washington is partnering with an elite group of top-tier schools to offer free online classes through Coursera. And it's only part of a larger change taking place in higher education.

The move to online classes is natural given the digitization of society. Before the printed books, students got their education by sitting in a classroom while the professor read to them from a handwritten book. That was the lesson -- taking dictation. The wide availability of books that Gutenberg ushered in brought in the lecture. Now the lecture is about to give way to the TV show.

If this sounds crass, in a way it may be. We are creating hierarchy in education with far-reaching implications.

Universities need the revenue that online courses will bring. The courses are free for now, but probably will not be in the near future. Like all of modern life, education is becoming increasingly monetized.

The college degree may soon be divided into three options: on-campus degree, hybrid on-campus/online degree or online degree. This gives more choices to students as well as to family budgets. If students still value direct interaction with professors, then they must pay for it. It's a pay-as-you-go model.

What young learners miss in direct contact with human professors, they will make up for by learning at their own speed and in the time of their own choosing. This will liberate us from the dreaded 8:30 a.m. lecture class.

It also forces professors to be much more tech savvy. And here we may find resistance from purists. They will argue, effectively and in many ways rightly, that education cannot be industrialized. It is an altogether different experience to teach someone face-to-face then via a software program and an online video.

But for many students who can't afford to attend a campus class -- because they work, or are far away, or simply don't see the need for it -- should they be cut off from quality education?

This is not a simple elitist-versus-populist argument. Education in any form, whether it's a children's cartoon or a lecture on astrophysics, is ultimately an elitist activity. Almost all of human history is about working and slaving away under a hot sun. Education is a privilege and it always will be.

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Pro: Are online courses good for higher education?

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lfzp7a9BnU

17-08-2012 12:33 Distance education workshop by Geoff Cain emphasizing the Seven Principles of Effective Undergraduate Education (Chickering and Gamson) and how they can be applied in online classes.

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Online Teaching Techniques (College of the Redwoods Workshop) - Video

NEWARK In just over a week, 80 sixth-graders will walk into a brick office building in downtown Newark, flip open their wireless laptops, and log on to class in one of the states newest schools.

Merit Preparatory Charter School will begin classes Aug. 27 on one floor of a Broad Street building, with walls removed to create a large open space, glass partitions defining classrooms, and wireless routers dotting the ceiling.

Students have been using computers to learn for years, but Merit Prep, and Newark Prep, a new charter high school, are unique in that students will primarily learn math, language arts, social studies and other subjects online. They will spend only half the school day working with one of seven instructors in small groups to sharpen their knowledge of the class material.

At a time when online learning has become commonplace in workplaces and colleges, and when students routinely use Powerpoint for homework or collaborate with classmates online, many say virtual teaching seems like the next step in education.

"I think New Jerseys overdue. Colleges are starting to insist students take online courses to help prepare them for the global economy," said Sr. Elizabeth Dalessio, assistant superintendent of Monmouth Ocean Educational Services Commission, which provides online classes for grades 6-12 through the New Jersey Virtual School.

Dalessio said students from 100 districts across the state that use the commissions courses work at their own pace, and even get more teacher contact, often via e-mail.

"I had one student say I feel like Im in the first row of the classroom," she said.

Merit Prep and Newark Prep are not the first in the state to try virtual teaching; a few districts run online alternative schools or summer schools and a "hybrid high school operated briefly in Newark, but they are leading a wave of charter schools planning to offer online education in New Jersey including several proposed full-time virtual schools.

New Jersey is one of only 10 states that does not yet have a statewide virtual school, which would allow students to take classes from home. That may soon change.

Next year, the Monmouth Ocean commission hopes to open New Jersey Virtual Charter School, one of two virtual charter schools awaiting final approval from the state whose students would take all classes at home.

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Strides in online education pave way for virtual charter schools in N.J.

By Matthew Stolle The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN

This fall, for the first time, Rochester parent Lizzi Clobes plans to "send" one, if not two of her three school-age children, to an online school.

The biggest reason: an online school, Clobes says, offers a more conducive environment for the unique learning style of her eldest son, Dawson, who has special needs and was occasionally overwhelmed by the sheer size of the Rochester middle school he attended. He was also occasionally bullied at school, she says.

Clobes reached her decision Thursday after attending an open house hosted by three public online schools whose growth has mirrored the growing popularity of virtual education. Thursday's event was held at the Ramada Hotel and Conference Center in southwest Rochester and drew about 80 parents and children, organizers say.

The open house, called "Discovery Day," underscores the changing landscape of K-12 education. Parents today have a diverse array of educational options to choose from. Where once parents were limited to public or private schools, that menu of options now includes choice schools, charter schools, online schools, home-schooling or schools outside their home district.

"I think it's absolutely phenomenal," Clobes said about the online options now available to parents.

Online schools capture only a tiny fraction of the students who reside within the Rochester School District. According to figures compiled by Rochester Public Schools, only about 100 Rochester students attended a virtual school in 2010-2011, the latest year for which figures are available. While only a small demographic blip, it stands in contrast to the fact that eight years ago there were no Rochester kids going to online schools.

Online options growing

Events like the one held Thursday attest to the potential for growth among online schools. Jennifer Houghton, marketing manager for K12, the Virginia-based company that supplies curriculum to the three online schools, said that when she first hosted open houses four years ago, "no one came to my visits." Now an average turnout at metro-area events is between 400 and 600 people.

The three online schools represented Thursday were the Minnesota Virtual Academy, Insight School of Minnesota and iQ Academy Minnesota. The virtual academy, a Houston-based school that opened in 2001 with 30 students, enrolled 2,100 students last year, Houghton said.

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Families explore online education

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Capella Education Company, a provider of online post-secondary education through its wholly owned subsidiary Capella University, has partnered with Brandon Hall Group to offer a series of free webinars on how online learning solutions enable critical training programs to move from the physical classroom to the virtual classroom.

The four-part series, titled Distance Learning for High-Stakes Applications: Beyond eLearning to Online Learning Institutes, will cover the following topics:

Our recent research clearly demonstrates this growing global trend towards distance-learning institutes, said Mike Cooke, CEO, Brandon Hall Group. Organizations need to find more cost-effective ways to meet their critical learning goals for large, geographically dispersed workforces.

The webinar series begins on August 23, 2012, with the remaining sessions following at approximate two-week intervals concluding on Oct. 10, 2012. Details about specific dates and times, along with registration details, will be available at http://www.brandonhall.com/events/webinars/categoryevents/1.html.

About Capella Education Company

Founded in 1991, Capella Education Company is a leader in online education, primarily through our wholly owned subsidiary Capella University, a regionally accredited online university*. In addition, Capella Education Company offers online education through Resource Development International Ltd. (RDI), an independent provider of United Kingdom (UK) university distance learning qualifications; and owns Sophia, a first-of-its-kind social education platform that offers students many ways to learn by making free, credible, academic content available to anyone, anywhere, at anytime.

Capella University offers online graduate degree programs in business, counseling, education, health administration, homeland security, human resource management, human services, information technology, nonprofit management and leadership, nursing, psychology, public administration, public health, public safety, and social work; and bachelor's degree programs in business, information technology, nursing, psychology, and public safety. These academic programs are designed to meet the needs of working adults, combining high quality, competency-based curricula with the convenience and flexibility of an online learning format. Currently, Capella University offers 44 graduate and undergraduate degree programs with 149 specializations. More than 36,000 learners were enrolled as of June 30, 2012, from all 50 states and 59 other countries. For more information about Capella Education Company, please visit http://www.capellaeducation.com. For more information about Capella University, please visit http://www.capella.edu or call 1.888.CAPELLA (227.3552).

* Capella University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), http://www.ncahlc.org. Capella University, Capella Tower, 225 South Sixth Street, Ninth Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55402, 1.888.CAPELLA (227.3552), http://www.capella.edu.

About Brandon Hall Group

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Capella Education Company and Brandon Hall Group Announce Series of Webinars on Online Training Solutions for Businesses

BEIJING, Aug. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ --China Distance Education Holdings Limited (DL) ("CDEL", or the "Company"), a leading provider of online education in China focusing on professional education, reported today its unaudited financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2012 ended June 30, 2012.

Third Quarter Fiscal 2012 Business and Financial Highlights:

Commenting on the results, Mr. Zhengdong Zhu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer said, "In the third quarter, we continued to focus on enhancing our students' learning experience and results and on executing our growth strategy. However, as anticipated, our results were impacted by the delayed timing of the Accounting Professional Qualification Examination, or "APQE", and CPA exams. The delay has shifted the timing of enrollments and a certain amount of GAAP revenue from the fiscal third quarter into the fourth quarter and the next fiscal year. We believe the impact from the delay is primarily a matter of timing dictated by external factors, and does not reflect on overall market demand for our products and services, which remains strong. Our results excluding the examination timing issues remain healthy, as we achieved revenue growth towards the top of our guidance range while enrollment and average selling price ("ASP") remain strong across most of our other accounting and non-accounting verticals.

"Going forward, we will continue to focus on integrating cutting edge online and mobile learning technologies in our delivery model and on our content and platform development to continue to enhance our students' learning experience and attract new students to our programs. We expect to continue to grow at a healthy pace for the remainder of this year and into fiscal 2013."

Ms. Ping Wei, Chief Financial Officer of CDEL, commented, "Due to the fixed nature of a significant portion of our costs and expenses, the delay of certain APQE and CPA revenue from the third quarter to later quarters had a material impact on our net income as compared to the prior year period. We believe that this impact is due to examination timing issues which are temporary in nature, and as a result, we expect to deliver increased profitability in later quarters."

Fiscal Third Quarter 2012 Unaudited Financial Results

Net Revenues. Total net revenues from continuing operations for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 were US$13.1 million, representing a year-over-year increase of 8.1% from US$12.1 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2011.

Online education services net revenues for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 were US$9.3 million, an increase of 4.6% from the third quarter of fiscal 2011. The increase was a result of increased revenue in accounting test preparation courses and healthcare courses. Such increase was partially offset by decreased revenue from APQE and CPA courses due to delayed timing of examinations, and accounting continuing education courses, revenue recognition for which was impacted by the delayed timing of course completion by students.

Net revenues from books and reference materials for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 were US$1.1 million, an increase of 10.1% from the third quarter of fiscal 2011, after reallocating the online course services deliverable of US$0.5 million, which are included in online education services net revenues.

Net revenues from others increased by 21.2% to US$2.7 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 from US$2.2 million in the same period of last year. The increase was a result of increased revenue in platform production services, offline business start-up training courses provided by Zhengbao Yucai and other offline supplementary training courses. Such increase was partially offset by decreased revenue from magazine content production services and courseware production services.

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China Distance Education Holdings Limited Reports Third Quarter 2012 Results

Online registration is now open for the Kalispell Hunter Education Course. Beginning this year, everyone must register online, and students must pick up pre-course materials before the course begins.

Pre-course materials are available at the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks office on 490 North Meridian Road in Kalispell.

Everyone born after Jan. 1, 1985, must complete a hunter education course before buying a hunting license in Montana. Only individuals 11 years of age or older at the day of sign-up may be certified upon successfully completing the course.

Classes will run 6-9 p.m., Sept. 17-20 at Flathead High Scholl in Kalispell. The field day is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 22 at the Flathead Valley Trap Club north of Kalispell. Test night is Monday, Sept. 24, 6-8 p.m.

To register online go to the FWP website at http://fwp.mt.gov, follow the links through Education and Hunter Education to Sept. 17 and select a classroom at Flathead High School.

After registering, students must pick up a course manual and other materials which are available at the FWP office at 490 North Meridian Road in Kalispell. All students must read the manual and complete the exercises at the back of each chapter before class begins on Sept. 17.

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Online registration opens for the Kalispell hunter education course

DeVry offers Alberta students the flexibility to take diploma classes online or onsite

CALGARY, Aug. 15, 2012 /CNW/ - DeVry Institute of Technology is pleased to announce that it has been approved by Alberta Enterprise and Advanced Education to expand its Diploma in Business Administration program into the online education realm. Beginning in September, students will be able to complete courses online, in the classroom or a combination of the two, as they work towards a diploma.

"The expansion of our Diploma in Business Administration program is part of DeVry's ongoing commitment to making post-secondary education more accessible to Albertans," said Ranil Herath, president of DeVry Institute of Technology. "Not every prospective student is able to spend their days in the classroom. By providing an online diploma option students, who in the past have not been served by the traditional education experience, will now be able to receive the training needed to enter their chosen career path."

DeVry's online offering of its Diploma in Business Administration program provides students the flexibility to earn a diploma in 10 months.

Students graduating with a DeVry Institute of Technology Diploma in Business Administration will be qualified for careers in Albertan industries, such as finance, hospitality, operations and service, among others. Courses are designed with employer needs in mind. Students in DeVry's diploma program take courses that provide them with fundamental skills needed for their chosen career path, including business management and computer applications for business and accounting.

"We are not just interested in getting students into the workforce, but also ensuring that they have open pathways to further post-secondary education," explains Ranil Herath, president of DeVry Institute of Technology. "Students have the ability to apply select credits from both online and classroom courses towards continued education in a bachelor's degree program at DeVry and at other Alberta institutions."

DeVry's Diploma in Business Administration program allows students the flexibility to continue onwards to a degree program after graduation. Qualifying credits from this program can be transferred to degree programs at DeVry Institute of Technology, the University of Calgary, the University of Lethbridge and Athabasca University. These credit transfers are part of the ACAT framework for post-secondary transfers (www.acat.gov.ab.ca).

For more information on DeVry Institute of Technology's new online Diploma in Business Administration program, please visit http://www.devry.ca/diploma-program/diploma-program.jsp.

About DeVry Institute of Technology DeVry Institute of Technology in Alberta is part of the DeVry University system, one of the largest degree-granting higher education systems in North America, with more than 90,000 students enrolled in the United States and Canada.At more than 90 locations, DeVry University delivers practitioner-oriented undergraduate and graduate degree programs, onsite and online, that meet the needs of a diverse and geographically dispersed student population. DeVry Institute of Technology offers degree programs in Business Administration, Computer Information Systems, Electronics Engineering Technology and Network Communications Management. In Canada, the government of Alberta grants approval for baccalaureate degrees awarded by DeVry Institute of Technology. In the United States, DeVry University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, http://www.ncahlc.org. DeVry University, a part of DeVry Inc. (NYSE:DV - News), is based in Downers Grove, Ill. For more information about DeVry Institute of Technology, find us on Twitter @DeVryCalgary or visit http://www.devry.ca.

SOURCE: DeVry Calgary

Original post:
Alberta Education Approves Online Offering of DeVry's New Online Business Administration Diploma Program

TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The University of St. Thomas in Minnesota has selected Bisk Education's University Alliance division to assist in developing and delivering online degree and certificate programs.

The university, which offers more than 90 undergraduate and 60 graduate degree programs on its campuses, plans to launch its first online degree program, a Master of Arts in public safety and law enforcement leadership, in March 2013. The program will be offered by the College of Education, Leadership and Counseling at St. Thomas.

Bisk Education is the leader in developing and delivering online degree and professional certificate programs for top-ranked regionally accredited universities. Bisk has helped nationally ranked universities expand their reach and advance their mission since 1996. Through the partnership with Bisk, St. Thomas, consistently ranked one of America's Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report, will bring 127 years of academic excellence to adult learners everywhere.

"The University of St. Thomas selected Bisk Education as its online vendor of choice because of a mutual interest in offering rigorous academic programs online for graduate students," said Dr. Sue Huber, Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer at the university.

Online programs will follow the same comprehensive curriculum requirements in other St. Thomas programs, and online students will receive the same diplomas. The university plans to offer additional programs online from its Schools of Social Work and Engineering, and its Opus College of Business. Bisk's state-of-the-art, video-based e-learning platform will bring these programs to professionals across the country who need the convenience of online education.

Bisk's unique value proposition focuses on six areas -- or principles of excellence -- that ensure the development and execution of online programs that help universities increase enrollments while maintaining their academic standards and traditions. Bisk provides universities with a comprehensive suite of services based on these six principles of excellence and continuously develops and enhances each online program to meet best practices and support student retention.

St. Thomas faculty will provide all course content and will retain the sole right to hire and dismiss faculty. The university also will have complete control over admissions, tuition rates, academic records, copyrights and intellectual property rights in course content.

"We're proud to be selected by such a highly respected institution as the University of St. Thomas," said Nathan M. Bisk, Founder and Chairman of Bisk Education. "We are committed to delivering St. Thomas' rich tradition and unmatched academic excellence to students anytime, anywhere online, enabling them to reach their personal and professional goals. The addition of St. Thomas' degree programs to Bisk's University Alliance division brings diversity to the current graduate level offerings and provides that audience with new opportunities."

To learn more about Bisk's comprehensive services for creating scalable online learning programs, please visit http://www.Bisk.com.

About Bisk Education, Inc.

Original post:
University of St. Thomas in Minnesota Selects Bisk Education for New Online Degree Programs