Why Adult Learners are Turning to Online Courses

Posted on October 28, 2016

The competitiveness of today’s job market often requires applicants to have more than just job experience. Employers want to see a master’s degree or certificate program on a resume. As a result, students are making the decision to continue learning later in life., often with online courses. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, 40% of college students are 25 years and older. Online courses can be a viable option for adults interested in expanding their education.

Reducing the Stigma

In a traditional classroom setting, adult learners may feel self-conscious about their age. Since online learning limits face-to-face interactions, adult learners often find a comfort zone and actually increase their class participation. Not having to compare themselves with younger classmates can reduce anxiety and increase the level of focus needed to successfully complete coursework.

Flexibility

Adult learners are often juggling a plethora of responsibilities. From raising a family to working a fulltime job, there can be limited time for education. Online courses allow students to work at their own pace and create a study schedule that best fits their hectic lives. Since online coursework can be accessed when the time is right for students, there’s no chance of missing an important appointment or family obligation.

Motivation

Online courses can empower adults to take control over their own personal and professional goals. Acquiring a new skillset while balancing a hectic life will reinforce that they are in the driver’s seat of their education. Reaching long awaited ambitions can provide adult learners with a high level of personal satisfaction.

The Takeaway

Online learning provides a virtual classroom setting in which adult learners can thrive. From comfort and flexibility to personal accomplishment and career advancement, students can enjoy the journey of continuing education!

Here at Corexcel, our Professional Certificate Programs and individual online courses, such as Medical Terminology, give students the benefit of education through online learning.

Why Take An Anatomy & Physiology Course?

Posted on October 24, 2016

Nowadays, the job market is highly competitive. To give yourself an edge, you need a skill set that is both distinguishable and adaptable. Taking a human anatomy and physiology course provides you with essential skills that apply to a number of health careers.

Career Options

Human anatomy and physiology is the basis for numerous jobs in allied health, emergency services, and the medical field. Typically, careers in these areas are in high demand throughout the country and offer stability and competitive salary.

Professions, including paramedics, anesthesiologists, medical billing specialists, physician assistants, and registered nurses, require different educational levels and training, but all share a common basis in anatomy and physiology. In some states, even tattoo artists are required to complete an accredited human anatomy and physiology course.

Applicable Knowledge

Online anatomy and physiology classes offer a foundation in the structures and functions of the human body. When students understand normal conditions for a body to achieve homeostasis, they can begin to identify abnormal functions. Since human anatomy and physiology is a prerequisite for most health education programs, and employers assume your knowledge in this area, passing anatomy and physiology is essential to your future success.

Getting Started

At Corexcel, our Anatomy & Physiology course is online and self-paced. Whether you take it along with your current classes or study around a busy work schedule, you can begin today. To get started, register online or contact us for more information!

6 Tips to Succeed in an Online Course

Posted on October 11, 2016

Online education is more popular than ever right now. It provides various benefits, with one of the most important ones being flexibility. While this flexibility makes it feasible for students from all walks of life to complete the courses at their own pace, being successful requires a bit of structure and motivation.

Below are a few tips on how to succeed in an online course.

Develop a sense of time management: The majority of online classes are designed for students to work at their own pace, potentially making it possible to fall behind. Time management is a key component in finding success with your online courses. Knowing how much time you have to complete a course from the start will enable you to keep a handle on your workload and ensure that you finish in the time given.
Create a study plan: A specific study schedule can help you manage your time wisely and stay on track. Blocking out a few non-negotiable hours a week for online learning is necessary to ensure that you can properly manage both your course workload and personal responsibilities. Keeping track of allotted time on a weekly calendar can make it easier to keep your study date.
Find a study environment that facilities learning: Yes, you can technically study from anywhere, but it’s important to choose a study environment with the least amount of distractions. When in at home, consider silencing your cell phone and turning off the television. If you prefer to study in public, try to choose a quiet space where you’ll be able to concentrate. The library is more conducive to learning than a busy coffee shop.
Eliminate distractions on your computer: When taking an online course, the Internet can be one of the biggest distractions. It’s advantageous to try and avoid any non-related web surfing. Consider closing out all tabs in your web browser and even shutting off email notifications during your study time. You’ll be surprised at how much more time you’ll have to allocate towards coursework.
Purchase course materials that you feel are necessary: The majority of online courses only require you to purchase just the online access to the course. However, if you know that hard copies of study materials help you learn, it may be beneficial to purchase the textbook, study guide job aids, etc.
Utilize all optional resources: Some students may feel detached from professors and classmates without the experience of face-to-face contact and group work. However, it’s important to take advantage of optional resources such as games, flash cards, or case studies that may be provided when taking an online course.. Utilizing these resources can give you the sense of a more traditional learning environment.

With online courses, you’re in the driver’s seat of your own learning. Trying out a few of the above tips can help you to discover how to set your cruise control to success!

4 Advantages of Taking Online Courses

Posted on October 11, 2016

Finding the time to balance life’s long list of responsibilities can be quite challenging. From working 40+ hours a week to daily chores, there’s little time for continuing education. To combat this issue, many people are turning to online learning. According to U.S. News & World Report, roughly six million students are taking at least one online course.

Whether you’re a working professional or a recent high school graduate, there are numerous advantages of taking online courses. Here just are a few:

Convenience and flexibility – Online courses provide you with the opportunity to plan your study time around the rest of your day. You can work a full-time job and complete coursework in the evenings or on the weekends. Need to pick up the kids? No problem, just pick up where you left off the next time you login.
Resume booster – When it comes to your career, you may be interested in getting ahead. Completing online courses can demonstrate to present and prospective employers that you are ambitious and prepared for new challenges. It also shows that you are staying current with new information and technology.
Credits that count – Online courses do not go unnoticed. Most online courses offer a certificate completion with some type of Continuing Education Unit (CEU), which is often required in certain professions.
Comfort of your own home – Online courses can be completed anywhere and at anytime. The atmosphere of your home can be much more relaxing and conducive for learning. Online learning eliminates time wasted commuting to campus and battling for a parking spot. And if you really want to feel like a college kid, you can “go to class” in your sweatpants!

Whether you’re interested in continuing your education or in the midst of a career change, online classes can be instrumental in helping you reach your goal. Ultimately, online courses allow you to be in control of your education.

Are You a “New School” Leader?

Posted on July 12, 2007

You do not lead by hitting people over the head – that’s assault, not leadership.”
– Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th American President

If you pick up a training or human resource magazine these days, you’re likely to find at least one article about how to work with, maximize, engage and otherwise lead the “Millennials.” Millennials are also known as “Y’s” or the “how to engage generation.” Then there are Generation Xers, the boomers, and the echo boomers. Does paying attention to this really make a difference in how things happen at work each day? Researchers tell us it does. What is very certain is that managing is changing and challenging today. You and your leaders cannot afford to be “old school.”

Old School vs. New School

Management speaker, author and trainer Tim Connor describes the old school leader as a “top down autocrat while giving lip service to bottom up responsibility, decision making, goal setting and problem solving.” Further more, he says that these old school leaders are “often aloof and inaccessible. They believe to win means beating someone else.” He goes on, but you get the picture. Does this sound like someone in your organization and in fact, several people? Your organization could be headed for turnover, low productivity and morale, and poor customer service. Maybe you are already there.

On the flip side, Connor explains that the leader of the future, our “new school” version, listens to employees, customers, and suppliers to create partnerships inside and outside the organization. “They empower people by pushing decision making, authority, accountability, problem solving, goal setting and risk taking down through the organization.” This kind of environment is one that is ripe for growth.

Leading the Diverse Workforce as a New School Manager

With all of the diversity in your workforce, new school leadership creates managers who are trained to focus on what people do (their behavior) rather than their attitudes or personal characteristics. They also must possess critical skills necessary to delegate, evaluate performance, deal with complaints and resolve conflicts in a positive and effective way. They support each team member’s sense of self-respect and dignity. As Connor says, new school leaders “create a strong team approach to projects, programs, objectives and solving problems. They encourage cooperation and open, honest communication. They reward creativity, mistakes that contribute to improvements and honest feedback.”

Benefits of New School Leadership

Whether you have leaders who are new, experienced or aspiring there are many benefits to bringing your leadership into a more forward thinking, culturally and sensitive way of approaching work. The benefits of this new leadership are:

Increased employee retention, morale, and productivity
Improved customer and supplier relationships
Open communication and discovery of issues as a chance for positive change
Being known as a great place to work to improve recruitment
Maximization of talent and resources

Leadership certificate programs are helping organizations turn their supervisors and managers into new school leaders who are creating more positive and productive work environments.

About the Author
Don Bowlby is the President at Corexcel, a company specializing in online continuing education and workforce training. For more information about Corexcel and the training materials they offer, visit www.corexcel.com.

Medical Terminology: Investing in Your Future

Posted on November 3, 2006

Ask anyone that has taken medical terminology and they’ll tell you it is like learning a second language. The method for constructing words is similar and some of the terminology can be confusing. The good news is that there is some logic to how medical terms are constructed and many of the terms will be familiar. If you know the meaning of arthritis or pneumonia, then you already know two medical terms. The use of everyday terms makes medical terminology much easier to learn than a second language.

What do you learn in a Medical Terminology course?

Medical terminology courses teach the basic building blocks of medical terms: prefixes, suffixes and word roots. Regardless of the length or complexity of the term, once you can identify the parts of a term, you can decipher the meaning.

Online Medical Terminology Screenshot

In our classes we teach medical terminology using a unique combination of anatomy and physiology, word building principles, and phonetic “sounds like” pronunciations. Since each term describes a different part of the body, a disease process or condition, you need to understand basic anatomy and learn the terms used to describe the major body parts.

However, it’s not practical to memorize every term. That’s why courses teach you how to break down complex words into parts you know. This process saves time and will save you many trips to the medical dictionary. Once you master the word building principles you’ll be able to decipher any medical term.

What careers do you need Medical Terminology for?

Medical terminology courses are required for many careers in the healthcare or pharmaceutical industries. Depending on your career path, you may need the course as a prerequisite for college admission or it may be a part of your curriculum.

Students who complete a medical terminology find that it gives them a competitive advantage in the workplace. If you’re considering pharmaceutical sales, medical billing, medical transcription, court reporting or healthcare-related customer service then a course in medical terminology is a great place to start.

Learning the terminology can also open up new possibilities. Whether you are looking for a career change and want to improve your current job performance, learning the medical language is a great place to start. New careers many students pursue include:

Medical technologist
Medical transcription
Medical billing and coding
Medical engineering
Surgical assistant
Court reporter
Medical sciences
Physician’s assistant
Clinical research professional
Pharmaceutical sales
Healthcare related customer service

What things should I consider when choosing a Medical Terminology course?

Searching for the right course can be a daunting task, but here are a couple things to consider:

The Type of Course to Take

Choices include instructor-led courses, online courses or a mixture of the two which is considered a blended approach. Typically instructor-led courses are only offered to the public by community colleges or universities. Often location and times can be barriers for people who wish to enroll. Organizations teach courses for their employees but this option assumes you already have a job in a company that provides this kind of benefit. If neither of these options fit your lifestyle an online medical terminology course might be your best option.

Credentials of the Organization Offering the Course

Typically these organizations are accredited and provide both instructor-led and online versions of the course. Accreditation is important because it demonstrates that the organization has taken the time to apply for accreditation and has typically been through a lengthy review process. Accredited organizations submit to frequent site visits from their accrediting bodies to review their educational design processes. These organizations are also required to keep records for a number of years. This is important in case you need a transcript or a duplicate certificate for proof of completion.

Learning medical terminology can be an extremely valuable experience. Mastering word building principles will make the process easier and help you to retain the knowledge for a long time to come. Keep in mind to use a reputable accredited company and pick a course delivery option that’s right for you.

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