Because online education is a relatively new institution, there has been some question as to whether or not the GI Bill, a military institution begun in 1944, would apply. The answer: It does. Considered an IHL or institute of higher learning, many online education programs are covered under the GI Bill, including non-degree programs like HVAC or other vocational certifications. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs:

The GI Bill is available for attendance at IHLs such as:

• Four Year Universities
• Community Colleges
• Advanced Degrees
  

Payment is based on the number of classes you attend:

• 12 hours or more – fulltime
• 9 – 11 hours – ¾ time
• 6 – 8 hours – ½ time
• less than 6 hours – reimbursed at a rate not to exceed the tuition & fees charged for the course(s).

For graduate level training, the training time is determined by the college – for example, if a 2 hour class is considered full time in a graduate program at your school, the VA will pay you the full time rate.

The GI Bill will allow you to attend more than one college at a time, as long as the classes at both institutions count towards your degree, and the school granting your degree accepts the classes at the second school as part of your requirements. However, the GI Bill will not pay you to take the same classes twice unless you receive a failing grade in a class that is a graduation requirement.

The GI Bill can pay you for more than one degree, for example: it will pay you for a degree in Business and then for a second degree in Computer Science, or for an AA, BA, MA in the same field. Once you have a degree, you could pursue another one provided you have remaining entitlement on your GI Bill. If you are enlisted, you may be eligible for GI Bill benefits for your education. Family members may also be eligible for financial assistance through the GI Bill.If you are enlisted, you may be eligible for GI Bill benefits for your education. Family members may also be eligible for financial assistance through the GI Bill.If you are enlisted, you may be eligible for GI Bill benefits for your education. Family members may also be eligible for financial assistance through the GI Bill.If you are enlisted, you may be eligible for GI Bill benefits for your education. Family members may also be eligible for financial assistance through the GI Bill.If you are enlisted, you may be eligible for GI Bill benefits for your education. Family members may also be eligible for financial assistance through the GI Bill.If you are enlisted, you may be eligible for GI Bill benefits for your education. Family members may also be eligible for financial assistance through the GI Bill.

If you are enlisted, you may be eligible for GI Bill benefits for your education. Family members may also be eligible for financial assistance through the GI Bill.

No more must potential law students send out a dozen lengthy and expensive law school applications and wait with bated breath for an opportunity to move across the country, uproot their families, give up their jobs and endure 80-hour weeks full of law classes, study groups and exams. Now, future lawyers need go no further than their computer to gain a fully accredited law degree and join the legal ranks. The South Florida Business Journal reports:
Distance education becomes instant learning. Concord Law School, created in 1998 as the country’s first virtual law school, may rock the foundations of bricks and mortar legal education fortresses. Concord thinks it can radically change the way law is learned. Its strategy harkens back to the pre-bricks-and-mortar era, when the … | Read the rest of this entry »

Online learning is still a relatively new concept and in public schools notoriously two steps behind in the latest technology even in the most well-funded school systems and in an attempt to help clear up any lingering mystery in the process of K-12 e-learning, North American Council for Online Learning has come out with a guidebook for parents and school officials. NACOL’s guidebook, “A National Primer on K-12 Online Learning,” offers answers to many common questions about K-12 online learning. eSchool News reports:
The report answers questions such as what an online course looks like, how students will interact with their teacher, and whether online instruction really works. (The short answer: Yes, if done correctly.) It also addresses issues for educators and policy makers who are … | Read the rest of this entry »

Online learning isn’t just a matter of email and chat rooms. Most e-schools require students to download their software to enable them to easily access class assignments and turn in homework. It’s this software that is causing a ruckus in the legal system:
Blackboard-the company responsible for the software many institutions use to manage their online education courses-announced that it had been awarded a U.S. patent for E-learning technology. The same day, the company filed a patent-infringement suit against Desire2Learn, one of its primary competitors. For the first time on a major level, the potential conflicts of E-learning’s two main influences clashed, the freedom-of-ideas model of higher education facing off against the intellectual property practices of the tech industry.

The two sides are scheduled to meet with … | Read the rest of this entry »

Signing up for a class online is a great way to check out a new career interest without giving up any other schedule commitments. However, it’s not always the most financially savvy way to figure out how much you’re interested in a new career.
One entrepreneur, boggled by the high costs of textbooks, has built a web site where curious students can take a look at potential course topics by perusing free textbooks online at TextbookRevolution.org. Meant to ease the financial burden of textbooks for enrolled students, it can also serve to assist a prospective online student in getting a feel for the material before investing the bucks.
Here’s what U.S. News reports:
The net result for students is that their book bill now averages about $900 a … | Read the rest of this entry »