The League for Innovations 10th anniversary conference in New Orleans.

The League for Innovation in the Community College has announced the location and dates of the 10th anniversary of the Innovations Conference. Over the past 10 years, they have featured some of the most innovative, thought-provoking, and cutting-edge programs featuring leaders and trendsetters in the community college field. The conference is being held this year from March 4 - 7th in New Orleans. Click here to learn more or to sign up.

Freight Broker Training Program demo is now available.

This will be the last in our series of posts about our new online Freight Broker Training Program for a little while. Students are saying a lot of good things about this program already. Interested students can try a free demonstration of this course by clicking here.

Great continuing education conference for California Educators.

The Association of Community and Continuing Education (ACCE) an organization of California Community Colleges is holding the annual meeting February 21 - 23, 2007 at the Holiday Inn Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, California. Interest parties can read their mission statement to learn more about the organization.

AutoCAD 2007 online training program is now available!

We are pleased to announce our AutoCAD 2007 online training program is now open for enrollment. This nationally recognized AutoCAD 2007 online course and certification training program is an essential tool for those seeking AutoCad Certification. AutoCAD 2007 is used many industries including mechanical and civil engineering, architecture, and facilities planning and management. More employers using AutoCAD, and need workers skilled in AutoCAD, than any other CAD system. Textbook and student software included!

Launch of our new freight broker training program is a huge success!

The launch last week of our new freight broker training online program was a great success! More students signed up for this training program during the first week than any other brand new program we have developed recently. This Gatlin Education Services EXCLUSIVE online program provides students with the necessary skills to succeed in the freight brokerage and logistics business. Freight Brokering is currently one of the top home-based businesses as well as the largest growing sector of the transportation industry, according to Entrepreneur magazine.

A recent search at MSN Careers shows eight job openings posted in the past three weeks for freight brokers. Virtually all of the salary ranges show the potential to earn six figures! Freight brokerage is an ideal business for anyone with good organization skills and a desire to work with people. If you’re a self-starter who enjoys fast-paced work, you’re perfect for freight brokering. Our program is open enrollment and financial aid is available for qualified students.

UCEA Workforce Development Forum 2007.

We want to give equal time to our University and Community College partners. The next conference we recommend you consider attending is the (UCEA) University Continuing Education Association's, "2007 Workforce Development Forum" is entitle, "Connecting, Creating and Competing: Advancing Economic Development with Education and Training." It will be held January 10 - 12, 2007 at the Hyatt on Sarasota Bay, Sarasota, Florida.

A Surprising Secret to a Long Life: Stay in School.

James Smith, a health economist at the RAND Corporation, has heard a variety of hypotheses about what it takes to live a long life — money, lack of stress, a loving family, lots of friends. But he has been a skeptic.

“If you were to ask me what affects health and longevity,” says Michael Grossman, a health economist at the City University of New York, “I would put education at the top of my list.” Click here to read this great article by the New York Times.

First conference of the year we recommend attending.

We intend to feature a number of Education conferences this year. The first one we are featuring is the 4th Annual NACCE Conference being held January 8 -11 in Orlando, Florida. The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) was created to establish entrepreneurship education as a core offering to foster economic development through community colleges. NACCE focuses on increasing economic development through entrepreneurship education and student business incubation at the community college level. Collaboration through NACCE had begun to increase entrepreneurship education and student business incubation for participating community colleges.

Six ed-tech trends to watch in 2007.

We are going to finish our posts for this year with another article from eSchoolnews. Accroding to them, "Educational technology at last has progressed to the point where differentiated, individualized instruction clearly is possible for students anywhere on the planet. It can be delivered at any time, in just the right form, with whatever frequency might be required. This has long been the dream of educational technologists. And today the dream has come true--at least in terms of the technology. The barriers to universal access are no longer technical; they're political and financial.

So while governments and society grapple with the challenges of making what's already technically feasible universally available, let's take a look at what's next on the ed-tech horizon. Here are six emerging ed-tech trends that could have a significant impact on schools and colleges in 2007. " Click here to read the remainder of this article.

The top 10 ed-tech stories of 2006: Part 2

In this two-part special retrospective, the editors of eSchool News highlight the ten most significant educational technology stories of the past year. Click here to read part two of this series.

eSchool News presents the top ten tech ed stories of the year, part 1.

One of our favorite sources for information about eLearning trends has been eSchoolnews. They just posted part 1 of the top tech ed stories for the year and you can read it by clicking here.

We will be posting almost daily in 2007, so please bookmark our blog and tell your friends and co-workers about it!

Happy Holidays!

Gatlin Education Services: online career training courses

Ruling: Schools must archive eMail.

eSchool News online recently reported that, "according to new federal rules that went into effect Dec. 1, schools, businesses, and other organizations are required to keep tabs on all eMail, instant messages (IM), and other digital communications produced by their employees. " To read the entire story click here.

Training Experts to Convene at Online Educa Berlin

More than 2,000 participants from 86 countries are expected at the 12th Online Educa Berlin, the world's largest international conference for ICT-supported learning and training. The event is taking place at Berlin's Hotel InterContinental from November 28 - December 1, 2006. Gatlin Education Services is one of the U.S. based participants. To learn more about this international conference click here.

Number of students taking online courses rises!

According to a recent AP article posted by CNN.com roughly one in six students enrolled in higher education -- about 3.2 million people -- took at least one online course last fall, a sharp increase defying predictions that online learning growth is leveling off. A new report scheduled for released Thursday by The Sloan Consortium, a group of colleges pursuing online programs, estimates that 850,000 more students took online courses in the fall of 2005 than the year before, an increase of nearly 40 percent. Last year, the group had reported slowing growth, prompting speculation the trend had hit a ceiling. To read the entire article click here.

Virtual-school enrollment explodes!

From eSchool News, "Enrollment in K-12 online courses in the United states has exploded in the past year, increasing by as much as 50 percent in some states, according to a new report from the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL). " To read the entire article click here.

Gatlin course author to be honored by the Queen of England!

Tom Whittaker, the first person with a disability to reach the summit of Mount Everest, will be awarded the Most Excellent Order Member of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. Tom is the instructor for our, "Seven Steps to Leading High Achieving Teams" program. Click here to read the full story.

How to pay for distance learning!

Education and training can give your career a tremendous boost. Chances are pretty good that your employer will help pay for classes that enhance your career.

In many cases your employer may be willing to help pay for a distance-learning class that improves your skills. And even if your company can't help, the government often can. Professor Michael R. Simonson, distance learning expert, explains why funding a distance-learning program might be easier than you thought.

Q: How can I convince my employer to pay for my distance training?

A: Many companies and organizations provide qualified employees with support for education. First, it is important to know your company's existing policies. Start by asking your HR representative about any subsidies available for work-related training. If an employer is reluctant to accept distance education, try providing them with as much information about your proposed course of study as possible. With a little extra work, it is often possible to convince a skeptical employer that distance education not only provides quality learning that makes employees more qualified, it also permits the employee to stay in the workplace and not have to take days, weeks, or even years away from the job. You might also point out to your employer that many distance education programs stress the applicability of the course material to the workplace.

Q: Are there any government grants that would help me pay for a distance-learning program?

A: That depends on the program you choose. Start your search for financial assistance at the school, college, or university where you plan to enroll. Scholarships and student loans are available, but most can only be applied toward courses at accredited institutions. Most such institutions will have an office dedicated to finding financial assistance for students who need it.

Branding Options For Distance Learning Programs: Managing The Effect On University Image.

This is a very interesting article on branding by Nita Paden and Roxanne Stell of Northern Arizona University.

Abstract:

Although university goals for adding distance learning programs vary, decisions about development and marketing of the programs can have an impact on traditional on campus programs and influence overall perceptions of the university. As universities develop distance programs, it is important that (a) there is a clear understanding of the university’s brand image and the elements contributing to that image; (b) the university ensures that the distance program maintains/improves the image of the university; or (c) the university makes a decision to develop a separate identity/brand for the distance program that will stand on its own merit and not harm the university’s image if it malfunctions or fails. This paper explores issues relating to the application of branding strategies to distance learning programs.

To read this entire article click here.

Online catalogs bring in more enrollments.

At Gatlin Education Services we have been surveying where the students of our partners come from each year. This year we have noticed a significant increase in the amount of students who find their desired Gatlin course via their school's online catalog instead of the school's traditional paper catalog. This trend is consistent with what others have shared at national conferences like the UCEA and the ACHE.

If you work at an educational institution, it is important to make sure you take these things into consideration to maximize your potential to convert these potential students into enrollments.

1. Make sure students can find your contact information and how to register on your main landing page.

2. Provide compelling copy that concisely describes each course.

3. Make sure you have someone who is knowledgeable about your courses answering the phones and return calls the same day.

4. Make sure your department’s home page can be accessed in less than three clicks from your institution's home page.

5. Search engine optimize your HTML page titles with course related keywords, if your website design allows you to.

Following these simple steps will help students and you to get the most out or your online catalog.

Online Courses Fuel Growth in Continuing-Education Programs,

Online Courses Fuel Growth in Colleges' Continuing-Education Programs, Survey Finds.

Online-course enrollments now account for about a fifth of all continuing- and professional-education enrollments at the typical college or university, and online courses continue to attract more students to continuing education, according to a new report. The report, which is based on a survey of 43 nonprofit institutions, predicts that online continuing-education enrollments will grow by about 20 percent each year for the next few years.

"What gets a lot of attention in this area is the for-profits, but just in our sample, we have about 175,000 enrollments, so that's a big chunk of the market," said Sean R. Gallagher, a senior analyst at Eduventures Inc., the research and consulting firm that conducted the survey and produced the report.

A 2005 report issued by the Sloan Consortium, a collaborative of colleges that offer instruction online, estimated that online enrollments reached 2.35 million nationwide in 2004, the most recent year for which survey data is available.

The 43 institutions that participated in the Eduventures survey are part of the company's Continuing and Professional Education Program. About three-quarters of the participating institutions are public, and the rest are private.

The typical continuing- and professional-education division offers 150 for-credit courses, eight degree programs, and 24 noncredit courses online. Fully online courses and programs dominate the online continuing-education market, but about two-thirds of the colleges surveyed also offer hybrid courses, which combine online and classroom instruction.

About half of the institutions surveyed said they outsourced at least some aspects of their online continuing-education operations. About a quarter of the colleges had licensed noncredit courses from a third-party provider, and some had completely outsourced their noncredit online operations.

The report is available only to members of Eduventures' Continuing and Professional Education Program, and those interested in more information should contact Eduventures.