Employee motivation and performance are critical factors that directly impact the success of any organization. As businesses strive to stay competitive and achieve their goals, investing in employee training becomes paramount.

Training not only enhances employees’ skills and knowledge but also boosts their motivation, engagement, and overall performance.

In this article, we will explore effective strategies to drive employee motivation and performance through training initiatives.

Identify Training Needs

Before implementing any training program, it’s essential to identify the specific needs of your employees and the organization.

Conduct a thorough assessment to determine the skills and knowledge gaps that exist among the workforce and then invest in your employees.

Understanding these gaps will help tailor training programs to address the specific areas that require improvement.

Develop Relevant and Engaging Training Content

Effective training content should be relevant to employees’ roles and responsibilities, providing practical insights and actionable information. Utilize various training formats, such as workshops, webinars, e-learning modules, and on-the-job training, to keep employees engaged and interested in the learning process.

Offer Continuous Learning Opportunities

Training should not be a one-time event but an ongoing process. Provide employees with continuous learning opportunities to foster a culture of growth and development within the organization.

This can include workshops, seminars, conferences, and access to online learning platforms. Create an employee training plan to have an organized and effective learning process.

Encourage Employee Ownership of Learning

Empower employees to take ownership of their learning journey. Encourage them to set personal development goals and provide resources and support to achieve those goals. When employees feel in control of their learning, they are more motivated to excel in their roles. Use flyer templates to create your own designs for promoting the training to engage more employees.

Offer Mentoring and Coaching

Pairing employees with mentors or coaches can be highly beneficial for their development. Mentors provide guidance, support, and encouragement, helping employees apply what they learn in training to real-world situations.

Create a Positive Learning Environment

Establish a positive learning environment that fosters open communication, feedback, and continuous improvement. Encourage employees to share their thoughts and ideas about the training programs, and use their feedback to refine and enhance future training initiatives.

Get feedback during one-to-one meetings. Schedule those meetings via small business employee scheduling solutions.

Connect Training to Career Growth

Help employees see the connection between training and career growth within the organization.

Communicate how the skills and knowledge gained through training can lead to new opportunities and advancement in their careers.

Emphasize Continuous Improvement

Encourage a culture of continuous improvement, where learning and development are viewed as ongoing processes rather than one-time events.

Employees should be encouraged to seek out new challenges, learn from their experiences, and continuously enhance their skills.

Empower Remote Workers with Training Opportunities

In the age of remote work, businesses must extend their training initiatives to manage remote workers.

Providing virtual training sessions, webinars, and online resources allows remote workers to access the same learning opportunities as their in-office counterparts.

This inclusivity ensures that all employees feel valued and equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in their roles, regardless of their location. If you don’t have remote workers yet, you can hire a VA from a good platform.

Provide Opportunities for Skill Development

In addition to job-specific training, offer opportunities for employees to develop soft skills that are crucial for personal and professional growth.

Skills like communication, leadership, problem-solving, and time management can significantly enhance employee performance and motivation.

Foster a Culture of Collaboration

Encourage collaboration and teamwork among employees by organizing group training sessions or team-building workshops.

When employees work together and support each other’s learning, it creates a positive and motivating environment and keeps your team and business organized.

Tailor Training to Different Learning Styles

Recognize that employees have diverse learning styles and preferences. Some may prefer hands-on training, while others may thrive in a self-paced e-learning environment.

By offering training in various formats, you can cater to different learning preferences and maximize engagement.

Implement Gamification in Training

Gamification is a powerful technique that adds an element of fun and competition to training. Introducing quizzes, challenges, and rewards can make the learning experience more enjoyable and motivate employees to actively participate and excel in training.

Recognize and Reward Learning Achievements

Recognize and reward employees who actively participate in training and demonstrate improved performance as a result.

Celebrate their achievements and highlight the positive impact of training on individual and organizational success.

Recognitions and rewards act as powerful motivators for continued engagement in learning and development. You can choose custom award designs for workers to motivate them even more.

Measure Training Impact

Implement mechanisms to measure the impact of training on employee motivation and performance. Use key performance indicators (KPIs) and feedback surveys to assess the effectiveness of training initiatives and identify areas for improvement.

Address Work-Life Balance

Recognize that employee motivation and performance are influenced not only by training but also by work-life balance.

Encourage employees to maintain a healthy balance between work and personal life, as it can have a significant impact on their overall well-being and performance.

Provide Training Resources and Support

Ensure that employees have access to the resources and support they need to succeed in their training endeavors.

This may include access to relevant books, online courses, workshops, or even financial assistance for pursuing further education.

Generate Check Stubs to Track Training Investment

Check stub generator can be a valuable tool for businesses to track their investment in employee training. As companies allocate resources for training programs and workshops, these expenses can be recorded in the payroll check stubs.

This documentation helps management and HR departments monitor the training budget and make informed decisions on future training investments.

In conclusion, employee training plays a pivotal role in driving motivation and performance within organizations. By incorporating a comprehensive approach to training that addresses diverse learning styles, fosters collaboration, and provides opportunities for both skill development and soft skill enhancement, businesses can create a positive and engaging learning environment.

Just like investing in stocks, employee training is a sound investment that yields valuable returns for businesses. By allocating resources to enhance the skills and knowledge of their workforce, companies can expect increased employee productivity, improved job satisfaction, and ultimately, a more competitive and successful organization.

Emphasizing continuous improvement, aligning training with organizational goals, and offering mentoring and coaching further enhance the impact of training on employee growth and success. As businesses continue to invest in employee training and development, they position themselves for long-term success and competitiveness in a rapidly evolving and challenging business landscape.

If you liked this article, check out Career Prospects for Graduates in Singapore. 

Featured image: Paperkites, iStock.

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The creation of a perfect event proposal is an art, not a science. It requires you to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise in the field while also highlighting how your event can benefit the host. The goal is to create something that they cannot refuse!

Background Information

If you are looking to write an event proposal, it’s a good idea to include background information in order to provide the reader with context. This could be presented as a bulleted list or table.

Example:

• What is the topic of the event?
• When and where will it take place?
• Who will be involved in organizing, planning and executing it?

Scope of Work

The scope of work is the first section you’ll want to address when creating an event proposal.

This section answers the following questions:

• What do you want the event to accomplish?
• Who is the target audience?
• What is the purpose of this event and why should anyone care?
• Are there any resources needed for this event? If so, what are they, who will provide them and where will they be used during our proposed time period (e.g., food service). Also, how many people does it take to create a successful production and how much money can be estimated for labor costs based on previous projects’ budgets or historical data from similar events that have been held in similar venues with similar audiences? This section should also include information about any sponsorships or partners involved with this project; find out what their expectations are regarding marketing efforts within promotional materials such as flyers, posters etc.

Timeline

You can go through the list of action items and leave each one with a resolution date. If you’re trying to get a big event off the ground, it can be nice to have an end goal in mind. But don’t forget that there are many little steps along the way.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help! You might want someone else on your team to take care of something so that you can focus on other things. Or maybe you only need an hour or two from them over lunchtime, but they won’t need much time at all!

If you’re working with a client who isn’t sure how long each task will take (or if some of them are contingent), give yourself some buffer room in case something unexpected comes up—you never know what will happen during events planning!

Project Management

Project management is a process that includes the initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling of projects.

Project management involves five key areas: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling and closing.
You must prepare a detailed plan for each phase of your event. Start by creating an outline for how you want things to go; this will help you stay focused on what needs doing when it needs doing. It’s also important to establish clear deadlines—these will give everyone involved confidence in knowing where they stand at all times throughout the project timeline.

A good rule of thumb is that if there are people working on a particular task with different deadlines (for example one group has three months while another has two weeks), then make sure those deadlines line up so there isn’t any confusion about where each stage stands in relation to other groups working toward similar objectives within the same time frame.

Budget and Terms

• Include a payment schedule.
• Include a list of estimated expenses.
• In addition to the above information, also include a list of project milestones and any other relevant details (ex: what will happen at each stage).

If you are not the main contact for this proposal, it’s important that you include information about yourself and why you’re qualified to take on this project in the first place. This means highlighting your experience with similar projects as well as how much time you’ve spent working on them.

Submit a Professional Event Proposal to Win Over Your Potential Clients

Creating an event proposal template can help you win over your potential clients and show them that you’re the perfect choice for their next event. If you want to learn how to create a professional proposal template, check out this tutorial for tips on making one that puts you at the top of their list!

Here are some tips on how to make sure your event proposal is complete:

• Include all the details about what will happen during the event. Don’t leave anything out! Make sure they know exactly what they’re getting when they hire you. This will make them feel confident in choosing you as their caterer or planner instead of someone else who doesn’t explain things clearly enough (or might not even think about it).
• Proofread every single word before sending it off into cyberspace so there won’t be any mistakes or typos making people think poorly about what kind of business owner/organizer/etcetera that might be because then maybe nobody would hire me again after reading my poorly written email—oops! It happens sometimes when we get excited but doesn’t take time out from our busy schedule just yet…

Remember, Communication is Key

If you’re able to create a detailed and thorough event proposal, you’re well on your way to securing new clients for your business. But don’t think of it as the end goal—it should be the beginning of an ongoing conversation.

By communicating clearly with potential clients about what they can expect from their event, what kind of timeline they should expect and how much money will be involved, you can ensure that everyone is clear on what is expected from each other. This will also help them feel more confident in hiring someone like yourself who has experience planning events similar in size or scope!

Featured image: kasto80, iStock. 

The post What is an Event Proposal? A Quick Crash Course appeared first on eLearningInside News.

You have been working hard at school for years, listening to your teachers, putting in the hours of homework and assignments and now here you are! Ready to apply to college and start off on this incredible journey into adulthood and hopefully the career of your dreams! It is an exciting time. What will the future hold? Who will you meet? What will you learn? But, before you allow the daydreaming to begin, here are 6 tips to make the step into college that little bit closer. The hard work is not over yet!

1) Plan for your SAT or ACT test.

The great thing about the SAT and ACT test is that there is technically no limit as to how many times you can take them – pass or fail – however each test costs money. Although some colleges have dropped this as a requirement since Covid made life so difficult for people at school, it can still be useful to get this one under your belt. This multiple-choice exam provides colleges with a single result which they can compare all students across the country with. It acts as a barometer for colleges to see how well you perform in the context of all your peers from across America. Normally done in the spring of your junior year or fall of your senior year, whenever you choose to take it, be sure to leave enough time for a retake if you want to elevate your scores and give yourself a better chance of getting that college spot.

2) Build up your portfolio of extra-curricular interests.

These days, it simply is not enough to study and get grades. Although grades will always be the most important criteria guaranteeing entry to colleges, increasingly, top colleges all over America look for applicants who have an extra string to their bow: something that shows they are really willing to go the extra mile and knuckle down to achieve success. However, it is important to bear in mind that it is definitely quality over quantity here, with assessors looking for significant extracurricular achievements in their applicants, rather than those who try to cram in as many activities as possible into their time. So, don’t get stressed trying to do something active every moment of the day either. Choose your preferred extra-curricular activity wisely and remember to rest too! If you wanted to, you could even take a gap year before college to travel and give yourself extra time to build up your experience. Have you considered teaching abroad? Plenty of people use this as a way to add interest to their application in time for college. This can be a fantastic way to show you mean business when it comes to applying yourself. Take a look at this course which can help you to earn while in college.

3) Get organised.

You are going to have a lot on your plate as you approach the end of your school career and get ready for your college career. Multiple subjects to think about and various school and extra-curricular commitments will mean you need to design yourself a schedule. Time to get your highlighters and squared paper out! Sit down and put some time aside to make your own study timetable. Organise your week so you know when your extra-curricular activities happen, when you’re likely to have the most assignments and when you might need some free time. Remember you need to rest too! Planning your week can work really well, but remember that you might need some flexibility. Perhaps you’ll plan your math slot for Monday evening, but once you get home from school you find yourself preferring to do your English assignment instead. You could try having some blank hours planned for study, but which you can fill as you need.

4) Choose a way to organise your study time.

Now you have your timetable to guide you through the week, have a think about how you work best. Do you naturally find yourself working for longer periods of time stopping only for lunch and comfort breaks? Or are you easily distracted and need a little self-discipline? For those of us in the latter category, you might find the Pomodoro Technique helpful: chunk work in sessions of 25 minutes followed by a 5-minute break. Complete 4 of these chunks in a row and you earned a 15-30 break!

5) Study, study, study.

Now you have your schedule and desired time management system in place, it is time to get your nose to the grindstone. Unfortunately, there is just no substitute for putting in the hours and keeping that learning fresh. You can make things easier and more exciting for yourself by throwing in some practice papers, researching for study guides and games and asking your teacher for suggestions. More and more colleges are also giving their students the flexibility of e-learning.

6) Get familiar with your desired colleges.

Learn what your colleges like to see. Have a look at their website, send an email to a college tutor or see if you can speak to someone who is at that college already. Perhaps someone in your family has gone there, or a friend or a friend is studying there. Use your contacts! How was their application process? What made it easier? People usually want to see you succeed and will be willing to help you with a little advice. You can then use all this advice to tailor your personal statement.

Featured image: leightrail, iStock. 

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SEATTLE, WA– Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has published a survey report to examine hiring practices and how companies manage education background checks. Research experts analyzed responses from 1,250 senior management professionals.

According to the study, 47 percent of hiring managers say they sometimes or never check a candidate’s degree status. In contrast, 53 percent of employers report that they always verify the educational background of job applicants. Managers who typically perform background checks say they are most interested in verifying candidates’ degree titles, graduation year, and the schools they attended. Likewise, 73 percent of employers say they always or often notify candidates about confirming the information on their resumes.

The survey shows that 57 percent of employers verify education credentials to ensure that candidates have the necessary knowledge and skills for the position. However, 52 percent of respondents say they conduct education background checks to make sure that candidates aren’t lying. Only 11 percent of employers who verify degree status say they never catch applicants lying, while 24 percent say they frequently catch applicants, and 22 percent report that they sometimes catch candidates lying. Despite this, 40 percent of employers admit they would hire a candidate even if they misrepresented their educational qualifications on a resume.

“Higher education is still a strong requirement for many positions, and continues to serve as a ticket for entry to most professional roles,” career strategist Carolyn Kleiman says. “This is especially true for the first job or two out of college. Over time, employers may value the experience and skills you bring over where you went to school and what kind of degree you have, but those things are key when starting out.”

The report also indicates which industries are most likely to verify a candidate’s educational background. Industries that tend to verify credentials include 77 percent of employers in the computer and IT industry, 70 percent of business and finance employers, 64 percent of healthcare employers, and 63 percent of education industry employers. Only 41 percent of community and social services employers, 36 percent of office and administrative support managers, 30 percent of media and communications employers, and 30 percent of personal care services claim to verify educational status.

Intelligent.com commissioned this study, which was administered via the online survey platform Pollfish. The study was conducted from February 8 through February 10, 2022. Respondents were selected through Pollfish’s screening tools and include senior-level staff members, such as HR managers, business owners, CEOs, directors, and C-suite executives.

Intelligent.com provides unbiased research to help students make informed decisions about higher education programs. The website offers curated guides that include the best degree programs as well as information about financial aid, internships, and even study strategies. With comprehensive, user-friendly guides and hundreds of program rankings, Intelligent.com is a trusted source among students and prospective students. To learn more, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/.

Featured image: Sora Shimazaki, Pexels. 

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Stationery supplies have a use in any office, home and school, as well as in various child development centers.

It is important to choose the right office supplies, based on many factors. Nobody wants to overpay for office supplies of low quality. If you need stationery supplies for school, garden, or creative work, it can be difficult to parse. On top of this, countless distractions will take you off course.

For example: children. Just turn away for a minute, and the baby is already dragging pencils, felt-tip pens, colored paper, and erasers across the walls. That is why all the world’s brands that produce stationery supplies, also produce a line of products for children and adults.

Stationary Supplies Support Creativity

Children are open to the world. They are just beginning to learn the environment around them, and they need to use all their senses. In this way, a harmonious and versatile personality is subsequently formed.

When choosing stationery for your young creator, be extremely attentive. You should thoroughly study the composition of materials, shelf life, and storage rules. It is also recommended to ask the seller to show you a quality certificate for the products of a particular manufacturer.

People often buy office supplies in different places for themselves, without being worried about minor nuances. If a person needs markers, ballpoint pens, or files, they go to the first point of sale on their way. Of course, this is not always the case, but the daily fuss leaves us with no choice sometimes. We have to make this choice when it comes to buying items for school, kindergarten, and children’s art. When choosing office supplies in hypermarkets, you can forget about the quality certificate.

Benefits of Specialized Stationery Stores:

• Use a more responsible approach to the selection of suppliers and check their quality certificates for compliance with international environmental standards.
• By choosing a reliable stationery shop for your child, you can be safe for their future health.
• It is worth keeping in mind that prices at the offline stores are always higher than at the similar online stores.
• At the same time, you will always receive a consultation without leaving a counter.

Benefits of Online Stationery Stores:

• They also choose with whom to work carefully. Many online shops place copies of certificates of conformity on their sites so that the buyer can check the quality of  purchased products. It is convenient and fast.
• Everybody knows about the relatively low prices of stationery supplies shops.
• Online consultants will give you comprehensive information that is as valuable and useful as at the ordinary store. Some online sites have their own customer support service, which is available 24 hours a day.

Although it is impossible to check children’s stationery online, most people try to buy them remotely. The benefits speak for themselves, but the choice is made only by the buyer.

Featured Image: Tim Gouw, Unsplash.

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Remote learning can be a very effective tool for learning. Although it can sometimes be more difficult than other types of learning, especially for people who learn best from others, remote learning can be a great way to maximize your time if you’re unable to attend a school directly. However, there are still certain things that you might need to do if you want to make remote learning even easier. Here’s how to make remote learning better for your needs.

Craft a Schedule

A schedule can work wonders when you’re trying to keep yourself dedicated to your task. For example, you might want to set aside a few hours every day before you go to bed for homework. If you make sure you stick to that schedule every day and genuinely do homework for a few hours every day, you’ll eventually develop a habit. That’ll make it even easier for you to do your homework every day, even if you typically don’t feel like it.

Make Your Workday Feel Like a Workday

One of the reasons some people have a difficult time with remote learning is that many people have a hard time convincing their brain that they need to be working. At home, most people’s brains have a predisposition toward relaxing. That means doing your homework sporadically throughout the day from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep might not be the best option. Instead, set aside distinct times that you will only work, and distinct times that you will relax instead.

Set Aside a Place to Learn

This ties into the previous point. More than likely, your brain figures that you should be relaxing when you’re at home. If you’re not guiding your brain toward the right path, it’s very easy to get disengaged and distracted. Try to avoid doing your classwork while sitting on the couch or laying in bed. Instead, pick a spot that will function as your learning place. This can be as small as a corner of the room where you set up a simple desk. As long as you relegate classwork to this corner of the room, you’re likely to be able to maintain your class headspace.

Find Engaging Teachers

This isn’t as easy as the other ones. Most of the time, you don’t really have an option when it comes to your teachers, which means you just have to make the best with what you have. That’s when it’s time to seek out other teachers. Solutions like OneClass livestream offer access to talented teachers who know how to connect with students. Every time you attend one of these livestreams, you can obtain knowledge from a teacher who works well with you.

Conclusion

Most people prefer to be in a classroom learning things as opposed to remote learning. However, whether you’re just unable to attend classes in person or there’s a short-term issue that’s impeding your ability to attend classes, remote learning can be a genuinely positive experience. The most important thing to do is make sure you’re treating remote learning as a “real” form of learning. From there, you’ll be able to learn about as well as you would in any other situation.

Featured Image: Fabian Grohs, Unsplash.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the world upside down with countries going into a state of extended lockdown. In an effort to control the spread of the virus, social-distancing measures and quarantine protocols have been put into place.

Many events were cancelled, from the NBA, to the Kentucky Derby horse race.

Schools, colleges and universities have also been forced to shut down for the foreseeable future. Because of this, online learning programs have taken off with classes and tutorials being conducted remotely.

While this may seem to be a rather radical idea, online learning has actually been around for much longer than many of us care to think about. From math or IT tutorials on Youtube to Skillshare’s hydroponic growing tips and tricks, the connectivity of the internet has made it possible for just about anyone to learn anything with just a few clicks.

While some may have doubted over the effectiveness of online learning, the COVID-19 pandemic may just be the tipping point for the future of learning. In this article, we’ll take a look at how you can make the best out of your online learning experience.

Keep to a Routine

With many of us being confined to our homes for longer than expected, many have found themselves struggling to adapt to this new “normal.” Whether you’re working from home or taking online classes, it’s always best to keep to a routine.

Here’s a useful tip for staying productive when learning online; start your day like how you normally would when you’re attending classes on campus. This helps your mind make a mental association with getting ready for a day of learning thus helping you stay focused.

As an added benefit, daily routines provide you with a sense of control and can work wonders for your mental health – something especially important nowadays.

Minimize Distractions

Losing your train of thought can be disastrous when you’re trying to concentrate on the finer aspects of advanced Chemistry of the principles of Macroeconomics. So when you’re getting into “class” switch off your phone, keep pets in another room and put up a sign requesting not be disturbed for the next few hours.

The lack of distractions helps you get into the zone and ensures a conducive learning environment. Being distracted every few minutes is annoying and makes absorbing information that much more difficult.

Be Comfortable

Get ready for a day at class by showering and getting dressed but do yourself a favor and keep yourself comfortable. Most of us undoubtedly want to look good when on campus, but now that you’re home, it’s better to stay comfortable.

While dressing and looking good does have it’s fair share of benefits, studies have shown that wearing comfortable clothes have been proven to improve test score results – probably because your mind is better focused on performing then feeling uncomfortable.

Ensure That You Have Good Internet Access

This is something that should come as no surprise to just about anyone. You’ll likely be struggling to get anything done if you keep getting dropped from the lecture room. And chances are nobody likes waiting around for 5 minutes to buffer a video.

Besides upgrading your internet, you can also work out an arrangement of sorts with your family or housemates to stay off the internet when class is in session to help reduce bandwidth consumption.

Set Up a Dedicated Study Space

Yes, you may be studying from home, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have a “home classroom”. Besides being a haven of quiet where you can learn in peace, a dedicated study area gets you in the right frame of mind to study and boost learning.

Ideally, your space should be free of clutter and distractions and located in a private space in your home. This allows you to focus on the task at hand and make the most of your learning experience.

The new normal doesn’t mean the end of things as we know it. Instead, it should be used as an opportunity to change up the way we think and get things done.

Featured Image: Allie, Unsplash.

The post 5 Useful Tips to Get The Most out of Online Learning appeared first on eLearningInside News.

Maybe for many years, you’ve wanted to start an online course and become better in your line of profession, but you never found the right time to do it. Maybe you tried finding time during your holidays and off-days, but something within you keeps telling you to do it some other time.

The time has come. You have now made up your mind. You have decided to undertake this noble course, and you need to complete it within the shortest time possible. Due to the pandemic, as many people are still on quarantine, online learning has gradually become more and more popular.

There is only one stumbling block on your way to academic excellence … you have a fulltime job!

Factually, you don’t have to quit your job to take an online course. However, you will need to devote about 9-10 hours a day for work and still find time for your course work. This is not a walk in the park.

So, how do you strike a balance between your duties at work and the demands of eLearning? Below are a few tips that might help you out. Read on!

Sharpen your time management skills.

Contrary to what most people believe, online school is not any different from regular school in terms of dedication. If you want to learn a certain craft and graduate, you need a particular number of classroom hours so that you can qualify for an exam.

On the other hand, you need to complete all your duties at work. This is something you cannot overlook unless you are willing to take unpaid leave or lose your daily hustle.

One of the best strategies to strike a balance between these two critical undertakings is to work on your time management skills.

If you are working for an 8-hour shift, for example, you can take a one-hour break after work, and then focus on your coursework for about three hours or so.

However, don’t forget that work without play can be toxic. Therefore, when you have a long work shift, focus on other things, such as spending time with your loved ones later on instead of diving into your computer for school.

If you want to understand your craft, don’t study when you are tired. Instead, reserve your coursework for when you have less intensive or shorter shifts at work.

Ask for help when necessary.

In case you have a big lecture coming up, and you cannot afford to miss it, don’t treat it as something that is of less importance at the moment. Consider requesting your boss for a flexible schedule or for some time off so that you can interact with your trainer, ask questions, and complete course-related tasks in a satisfactory manner. You won’t go gambling on the MLB without looking for expert advice on baseball online betting, right?

If you have young children and you have to juggle between school and work, ask your friends or family members that you trust to take care of them for you. If you embrace the culture of asking for help when necessary, you will stay mentally keen and effectively manage your workload. Ultimately, you will not risk losing your job and/or getting poor grades in your education.

Review your course syllabus as soon as you get it.

Don’t leave your course syllabus lying on your computer, and look at it when course work time comes. Review it as soon as you receive it. This way, you will be able to determine the deadlines of all your assignments, papers, and group projects so that you can know when you need to ask for some time off and when you have to ask for help.

When you stay ahead of the syllabus, you will not be forced to pull an all-nighter to complete a paper you didn’t have an idea about or burn the midnight oil to cram for an upcoming exam.

Get used to working on your mobile devices.

Online learning courses are highly optimized and can be accessed through mobile devices. Therefore, learn to work on your smartphone or tablet. This will allow you to complete tasks when on the go.

With your mobile phone, you can reply to your tutor’s email or submit a paper when taking lunch with your colleagues, or during your tea break. Also, you will find it easy to watch a training video when you complete a task at work, or as you focus on a less-intensive task.

Studying online gives you the flexibility of when to get work done. However, you need to have the right strategies in place so that your time and money cannot go down the drain. If you practice the above tips, you will find it easy to complete tasks at work and still manage all work-related tasks. Good luck!

This article has been submitted by a third party.

Featured Image: Nick Morrison, Unsplash.

The post How to Develop a Work/School Balance When Studying Online appeared first on eLearningInside News.

Several state university systems have recently launched online colleges. These states include Indiana, which recently launched Purdue Global, and California, which is in the midst of launching its own online community college. Now, the University of Massachusetts system has announced plans to launch its own statewide online college. Given the obstacles faced in other states, however, it seems likely that UMass President Marty Meehan will have his work cut out for him as he attempts to persuade current stakeholders that the system’s future may be online.

President’s Plans for Online College

On March 4, President Meehan outlined plans to launch a new online college in the UMass system. The college will aim to meet the needs of adult students. Specifically, it will focus on offering degree-completion programs designed to respond to workforce demand and may also offer customized credential programs for employers. Meehan hopes the online college will help the UMass system remain competitive as enrollments among traditional college-aged students drop.

To date, Meehan has offered few details about the actual rollout of UMass’s proposed online college, but this is likely deliberate. Before any major decisions are made, Meehan plans to engage in an extensive consultation. Over the coming months, he will meet with senior officials and faculty on all five of the university’s campuses to discuss the proposed college. The real test of the college’s viability will likely become evident during this process.

UMass President Should Brace Himself for Backlash

Both in California and Indiana, faculty continue to raise concerns about their statewide online colleges. At Purdue, for example, faculty have raised concerns about a range of issues, including faculty at Purdue Global being forced to sign away their intellectual property rights on curricular materials. While some faculty concerns have been resolved, the new college remains fraught with conflict.

In California, efforts to create an online community college have also raised concerns. Faculty and leaders at California’s existing community colleges worry that the new online college may simply end up duplicating courses and programs already on offer and drain their student body.

It seems likely that at least some of the concerns expressed in Indiana and California may also be raised by UMass faculty. It also seems likely that questions will be posed about the new college’s start-up cost and delivery method.

In an article exploring UMass’s announced plans for a new online college, Mark Lieberman of Inside Higher Education, noted, “California allocated $100 million to fund its new online community college, as well as $20 million renewed annually.” Lieberman further reported that in the case of UMass, Meehan plans to draw on university reserves as the new online college takes off but to pay back any borrowed funds with interest at a later date. Despite the fact that Meehan has promised to pay back any funds borrowed to launch the college, it seems likely that faculty and students in the already beleaguered UMass system will question the wisdom of taking money out of the university’s operating budget to start a new online college at this time. If UMass opts to partner with an OPM, other questions will presumably be raised about what it means for a public university to partner with a for-profit online provider. As recently reported on eLearning Inside, some OPMs, such as 2U, take up to 65% of revenues for the services they provide.

To make matters worse, the timing couldn’t be worse for Meehan. Many UMass faculty are already upset about the university’s recent acquisition of Mount Ida College and the university’s failed search for a new chancellor at UMass Boston. Last May, faculty revolted against the university when they were shutout of a search for a new Chancellor.

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Over the past twelve months, concerns about virtual charter schools have been on the rise. Most schools are coming under scrutiny for false or deliberately fabricated enrollment reporting practices, but enrollment reporting problems are not the only issues plaguing virtual charter schools. Last week, after a drawn out investigation that first made headlines with a FBI raid back in 2012, Nicholas Trombetta, the founder and former CEO of PA Cyber Charter School was charged with fraud and sentenced to 20 months in prison.

Trombetta Used Revenues Used to Purchase Jet and Vacation Homes

Trombetta, who is no longer formally connected to PA Cyber Charter Schools and now describes himself on LinkedIn as a “senior consultant and independent contractor,” was sentenced to serve 20 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $400,000 in restitution.

On July 24, CBS Pittsburgh reported that Trombetta was first indicted nearly five years ago when he plead guilty to tax conspiracy and admitted that he had taken up to $8 million from the charter school. Trombetta faced 11 counts of  fraud, theft, conspiracy and tax offenses connected to his work with PA Cyber Charter School.

What was Trombetta doing with money that should have been supporting students and teachers? As it turns out, Trombetta was using school funds to indulge in some of the finer things in life, including a corporate jet and a $933,000 Florida condominium. He also reportedly used $180,000 to purchase houses for his mother and girlfriend in Ohio.

Trombetta wasn’t the only person complicit in the PA Cyber Charter School fraud. Earlier this year, Neal Prence, a 62-year-old former accountant, was sentenced to a year and a day in prison for his role in the fraud. In 2013, Trombetta’s sister, Elaine Trombetta Neill, also acknowledged that she was part of her brother’s scheme. At the time, Neill admitted that her company, One2One Enterprises, was simply a shell company that her older brother was using to funnel millions of dollars to himself and other family members.

Early Success and Marred Legacy

While Trombetta’s legacy will no doubt be tainted by last week’s ruling, at one time, Trombetta was a rising star in the world of virtual charter schools. Opening in 2000, PA Cyber Charter School was an early player in the K-12 virtual school market.

Trombetta, a school superintendent, opened PA Cyber Charter School when Midland, Pennsylvania’s local high school was shuttered after a nearby steel mill closed and the region’s population dwindled. At the time, he had no background in online education, but was looking for a viable way to ensure all district student had access to a secondary education without traveling long distances. The school was meant to simply serve the district’s 50 remaining secondary students, but in its first year, 500 students enrolled. Trombetta evidently recognized the potential of his district’s new virtual school and soon turned his attention to building the concept.

Over the next decade, PA Cyber Charter School continued to gain students and endorsements. In 2004, U.S. Senator Rich Santorum enrolled his own child in the school. In 2009, the authors of Liberating Learning: Technology, Politics, and the Future of American Education reported that PA Cyber Charter School was the largest virtual charter school in the nation, serving approximately 8,000 students. The authors further noted that the school and its affiliates had created an estimated 800 jobs in the local community.

In many respects, Trombetta’s story is a cautionary tale for virtual charter schools and the edtech industry at large. From all accounts, Trombetta’s initial success was driven by his ability to see how emerging technologies might be used to solve an educational problem. His eventual demise had little do with concept and everything to do with his gross lack of accountability.

The post PA Cyber Charter School Founder Sentenced to 20 Months for Fraud appeared first on eLearningInside News.