Job Discussion Forums

simon44 · Joined: 15 Mar 2013 Posts: 118

I looked for previous posts about on-line courses for educators. Of course, there are many separate posts about specific courses, but I couldn't find a post which collated details/links for different courses.

Perhaps members can contribute links to on-line courses, but with minimum discussion about each course in this thread - a new thread can be opened to discuss a specific course.

Especially of interest for me are short courses, such as TEYL, and CPD courses, such as Learning Difficulties, SEN.

I'll start off with a couple of interesting courses:

1 - MA Adult Learning & Global Change
http://www.liu.se/utbildning/pabyggnad/L7MLG?l=en

This course is FREE if you hold an EU passport. You do not have to live in the EU right now.

2 - PhD in Education
http://unisa.ac.za
UNISA (University of South Africa) offers a wide range of on-line PhD studies in Education, at a very affordable price.

3 - IB Certificate
http://gs.bethel.edu/academics/certificates/international-baccalaureate/

4 - TEYL Certtificate
http://www.teyl.com/

Please contribute your own links!

Simon

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

simon44 · Joined: 15 Mar 2013 Posts: 118

Nomadsoul, you sound very negative in your outlook. Is your glass always half-empty? You point out negatives (which is good), but fail to point out positives.

Yes, there are many on-line courses that relate to teaching and education. My purpose in starting this thread was to highlight some of these courses which offered something different, such as free of tuition fees, or being the only on-line course of that type.

Yes, one can find this information on the internet by doing an (sometimes advanced in some cases) Google search, but it's polite to others (perhaps not so experienced with Google), to give them a friendly point in the right direction.

I highlighted the MA course for the main reason of the zero course fees for EEC passport holders. It is a respected course which is run in collaboration with several universities in Sweden, Canada and Australia. I'm sure an MA in Education is a much better choice, but I'm also sure that there are some (many?) of us who simply cannot afford the normal MA tuition fees. What is better? No MA or an MA in a subject that's directly relevant to teaching in the developing world?

UNISA PhD? On-line PhD courses are not common, and this university has a good reputation, as do the Education PhDs..

The IB certificate course from Bethel is (AFAIK), the only complete, on-line certificate course in IB. (There are of course, the short IB CPD courses available on-line). Bethel is indeed a Christian university, but I'm not sure how relevant that is to the actual course content, (it would be difficult to have their religion rammed down your throat when you're studying 10,000km away from the campus...)

Simon

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

No, I don't have a negative outlook; I'm a pragmatist and tend to look at the bigger picture.

Anyway, I never stated that those programs were bad or that no one should pursue a relevant masters program. (Seriously?) My point was that there are potential issues or factors that need consideration if the goal is to improve one's future employment prospects. And yes, even a relevant degree from a non-English speaking country can limit employment opportunities; some forum members can personally attest to that. Ditto for a doctorate that's obtained via online learning since not all employers value online learning. And that IB cert program from Bethel? Their website states: "Christian faith is not a requirement, although all programs are taught from a Christian worldview." Food for thought.

I'm just pointing out what others need to be aware of---that the appeal of a program or course shouldn't be about convenience and low cost alone.