Right Here, Right Now.//: ONLINE CLASSES OFFER FLEXIBILITY AND CONVENIENCE thanks to technology, you can earn continuing professional education credits whenever you want them and wherever you are whether it's in your office, at your home, or on a business trip to Singapore. You don't have to schedule a hotel seminar several weeks in advance or wait for days for self-study materials to arrive in the mail. All you need is a computer with an Internet connection, and with the click of a mouse, you can accumulate credits. Several vendors market Internet-based courses as well as computer-based self-study programs that you can download through the Web and review while offline. Bisk Education  Bisk Education, Inc. is a United States corporation, founded in 1971 to provide distance test preparation for accountants. at http://www.cpeasy.com, for example, offers more than 300 self-study courses that are approved by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy For the technique in nucleic acid amplification, see . The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) is an umbrella group for the 55 state boards that regulate the accountancy profession in the United States of America. under its Quality Assurance Service. Positive Systems' PASS program (http://www.passonline.com) has scores of online and download-able CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) Communications equipment that resides on the customer's premises. CPE - Customer Premises Equipment courses. At the end of each class, the student takes a competency exam that automatically grade itself. Through its InfoBytes program, the AICPA AICPA See American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). (http://www.aicpa.org/temp/infobytes.htm) offers about 1,000 hours of CPE training in one to two-hour segments that you download over the Internet. The California CPA (Computer Press Association, Landing, NJ) An earlier membership organization founded in 1983 that promoted excellence in computer journalism. Its annual awards honored outstanding examples in print, broadcast and electronic media. The CPA disbanded in 2000. Education Foundation uses the Internet to provide more than 100 CPE alternatives. Many of the courses are offered through its partnerships with eMind.com, Online Learning.net and the University of Phoenix, which offer online CPE courses or provide online instruction in accounting and other fields for non-CPE credit. The Foundation itself currently administers two online self-study courses and three online instructor-led classes. Each of the three instructor-led online courses is limited to a maximum of 25 students to keep them manageable for both the students and instructors. (See sidebar, Page 28.) Kurtis Docken, director of program development, says the Foundation hopes to increase its online offerings in the future. "CPAs have busy schedules," he says. "They often can't take the time to travel to a seminar to earn their CPE credits. Online instruction offers members flexibility. They can take an online course while at home or at work and at any hour of the day or night. Online education is designed to meet the student's schedule." Education Foundation President David Cieslak agrees that online education can be a godsend god·send n. Something wanted or needed that comes or happens unexpectedly. [Alteration of Middle English goddes sand, God's message : goddes, genitive of God, God to busy CPAs. "It makes highly technical training available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And it is location independent so you can train in or out of state." Cieslak himself has taken the Foundation's online self-study professional ethics professional ethics, n the rules governing the conduct, transactions, and relationships within a profession and among its publics. professional ethics liability, n 1. review course and was quite pleased with the result. "It was convenient and dead-on-the-money in terms of training. I definitely didn't need to meet with an instructor or other students." DIFFERENT ONLINE TECHNIQUES Self-study programs that use the Internet, computer disks or CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). for information transmission are basically the same as the mail-ordered self-study programs of the past. Sure, today's students can view colorful graphics, obtain streaming video A one-way video transmission over a data network. It is widely used on the Web as well as company networks to play video clips and video broadcasts. Computers in home networks stream video to digital media hubs connected to a home theater. or audio, and access various Internet resources, but they are essentially studying solo without interaction from other students or instructors. Instructor-led online courses, however, provide an electronic-classroom experience. How such instruction is conducted varies according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the institution. Some schools broadcast video lectures An excellent website for viewing streaming video lectures free - Physics videos, Biology videos, Chemistry videos,Maths videos, Computer Science Videos, medical videos. www.learnerstv.over the Internet. Others use a bulletin board in which instructors post lectures to a Web site and students correspond electronically with the instructor to ask questions. The University of Phoenix, one of the world's largest online universities, has students and instructors interact through a specialized version of the Outlook Express e-mail program Software in the user's computer that can access the mail servers in a local or remote network. Also known as an "e-mail client," "mail client," "mail program," and "mail reader," it provides the ability to send and receive e-mail messages and file attachments. . The Foundation's three online instructor-led CPE classes use a program developed by Blackboard.com. Before beginning the class, students take a tutorial that guides them through the Blackboard program. Docken says it is simple technology and should be no trouble for anyone familiar with computers, the Internet and basic e-mail. OnlineLearning.net hosts the three Foundation courses and provides an "online concierge," or help desk. If students experience difficulties, someone is available to resolve the problem. Jackie Patterson, one of three instructors who last year taught the Foundation's initial online estate planning Estate Planning The overall planning of a person's wealth, including the preparation of a will and the planning of taxes after the individual's death. Notes: Contrary to popular belief, estate planning involves much more than preparing a will, and it is not only for the course and who also will teach the class beginning in June, says she posts weekly lectures on a bulletin board--a Web site that allows messages to be viewed by authorized individuals. She then requires students to respond to at least two of three discussion questions she provides each week. Students can read the answers submitted by others and can interact with their classmates Classmates can refer to either:
At least one Foundation online instructor hopes to add some "face time" to his class. Danny Santucci, who holds CPE classes around the country, will teach the Foundation's online federal tax course. During his regular classes, Santucci sometimes appears as Julius Caesar Julius Caesar: see Caesar, Julius. or Zorro zorro: see fox. Zorro masked swordsman, defender of weak and oppressed. [Am. Lit.: comic strip (1919); Am. Cinema: Halliwell, 794; TV: Terrace, II, 461–462] See : Disguise to enliven en·liv·en tr.v. en·liv·ened, en·liv·en·ing, en·liv·ens To make lively or spirited; animate. en·liv  en·er n. the proceedings. For his online class, he plans to video record himself in costume in 15 to 80-second bursts that students can view on their computers with Windows Media Player Digital jukebox software for Windows from Microsoft that plays a variety of audio, video and streaming formats including MP3, WMA, CD audio and MIDI. Starting with Version 6.2 in 1999, the Windows Media Rights Manager was added for securing copyrighted content. or similar technology. IN-DEPTH LEARNING OPPORTUNITY Some students find that taking instructor-led online courses is a lot of work. Says Heather Hall, CPA, one of Patterson's students, "I put in three to six hours of reading a week, then two to three hours online answering the two discussion questions and the quiz. Another student, Shevin Wong, CPA, says that fellow online students who were partners in firms eventually dropped the course because they couldn't handle the time commitment. "There weren't any shortcuts See Win Shortcuts. ," she noted. "If I were taking the course as a seminar, I probably could have just sat there for eight hours and not have done a thing." Which is why attorney and fellow student Mona Shulman thinks that instructor-led online courses may be better than standard seminars. "I think the online experience is more useful for a working professional because you are getting something in-depth. You have the ability to put things in perspective and ask questions of the instructor when you think of them. In an eight-hour seminar, your mind tends to wander, and you think of other things. If a question occurs to you after the seminar is over, you can't go back to the instructor." Both Wong and Shulman enjoyed taking the online estate planning course, but Hall, who did appreciate the flexibility offered by online instruction, has doubts about taking additional instructor-led online courses, especially any that are about technical subjects. She thought the estate planning reading material should have been presented in more understandable language, and she missed direct communication with other students. TRADITIONAL VS. ONLINE CLASSES Even Cieslak doesn't think online or computer-based classes are the answer for everyone, or work with every subject. "Internet training is great, but it has its place, as does regular classroom training. In a regular classroom, not only is there an opportunity to interact more with the instructor, but you can interact with other students in class and over lunch. Sometimes you get as much out of the side conversations as you do in class." Kathleen Wright, a California State University Enrollment  , Hayward professor and CPA, who will teach the Foundation's California taxation online course, agrees with that sentiment. "In an online program, you lose the interaction between instructor and students as well as the camaraderie among the students themselves," she says. "But convenience is also important," Wright adds. "And an online program allows someone to take a course that he may not have normal access to because of time or geographic constraints. If you have the self-discipline for an online course, it is a better alternative than nothing at all." Computer-based and instructor-led online courses aren't for everyone. But as technology improves, more and more educational institutions will incorporate such instruction. Most of today's high Today's High The intra-day high trading price. Notes: In other words, this is the highest price that a stock traded at during the course of the day. More often than not this is higher than the closing price. See also: Today's Low school students--our future CPAs and other professionals--already are used to working with the Internet to research homework assignments. And, as they enter college, they will increasingly find that many of their courses will be conducted at least partially online. So they will naturally expect their professional organizations to offer the latest in educational techniques once they embark on their careers. Bill Spaniel spaniel: see sporting dog; toy dog. spaniel Any of several breeds of dogs used to flush game. Spaniels originated in Spain, but most modern breeds were developed in Britain. Breeds range from 14 to 20 in. is CalCPA's public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most manager, and moonlights as an online instructor for the University of Phoenix. //: Time for You to Take an Online Class? Most students- whether they are CPAs pursuing CPE credits or working adults in a degree program-take online or computer-based education courses because they don't have the time for a traditional classroom program. However, once they start online or computer-based instruction, some students are overwhelmed by the time demands and decide that they are better off in a regular classroom. What's going on What's Going On is a record by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. Released on May 21, 1971 (see 1971 in music), What's Going On reflected the beginning of a new trend in soul music. here? How can time be both an advantage and disadvantage? Consider the following. Advantages: * It is convenient. You save time because you don't have to travel to another location for instruction. As long as you have access to a computer, you can do course work in your office, at home or on a trip. * You can attend class almost anytime. For online classes, Internet access See how to access the Internet. is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Unless the class has a "real time" segment that requires you to be online at a certain hour to discuss topics with the instructor or other students, it doesn't matter if you log in at midnight or noon. Self-directed programs that consist of installed software and don't have an Internet component are, of course, available whenever your computer is on. * You can work at your own pace. If you don't understand a concept, you can easily go back and review the material. * Ancillary expenses are less for online and computer-based instruction, To attend a traditional class, you would need to pay for travel costs such as gas, parking, restaurant meals and, perhaps, a hotel room. Of course, you'll need a computer and Internet access for online instruction, but most professionals are set up to do this both at home and in the office. Incidentally, while the fees for many online or computer-based courses are less than their regular classroom equivalents, others may be more expensive. Disadvantages: * Coursework may take up too much time. A regular class lasts for several hours in a physical setting. When the bell rings, students leave. But since an online or computer-based course doesn't have that feature, some students get so absorbed in the material they forget the clock. * There's no one to talk to. In instructor-led online courses, you can write e-mails or post bulletin board messages to your fellow students and the instructor, but that isn't the same as talking with others in a regular classroom setting. And if you are doing self-study, there's just your computer screen to talk to. Some people learn better in a social situation rather than solo. * Writing messages takes longer than talking. Facial expressions facial expression, n the use of the facial muscles to communicate or to convey mood. and body language are essential to good communications within a physical classroom. But online students writing to their instructor can't show a quizzical quiz·zi·cal adj. 1. Suggesting puzzlement; questioning. 2. Teasing; mocking: "His face wore a somewhat quizzical almost impertinent air" Lawrence Durrell. look. So to be clearly understood, online students must carefully craft messages. And usually it takes a few hours or days to receive the instructor's response. * There may be technical glitches. What if your ISP (1) See in-system programmable. (2) (Internet Service Provider) An organization that provides access to the Internet. Connection to the user is provided via dial-up, ISDN, cable, DSL and T1/T3 lines. goes down? Or what if you fall victim to extended rolling blackouts? You may spend a lot of time working around such problems. Before you decide if an online or computer-based course is right for you, you should consider these benefits and disadvantages. Also, talk to your colleagues who've taken similar courses and ask what they liked and disliked. Online or computer-based instruction may not be for everyone, but it does offer additional educational options to CPAs who want to advance in their careers. A Brief Guide to Online Courses Interested in advancing your career by studying over the Internet? You can earn CPE by taking online or computer-based instruction through several organizations. The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy provides a service called cpemarket.com (http://www.cpemarket.com) through which you can find available CPE courses, regardless of format. Here's a brief guide to online or computer-based instruction. Education Foundation The Foundation (http://www.educationfoundation.org) offers five online classes for CPE credit in the areas of family tax planning Tax planning Devising strategies throughout the year in order to minimize tax liability, for example, by choosing a tax filing status that is most beneficial to the taxpayer. , professional ethics review, estate planning, California tax and federal tax. The family tax planning and professional ethics review courses are self-paced with no instructor. The family tax planning course is free and offers two CPE credits. The professional ethics review, which offers eight CPE credits, costs $89, but is free to members of the Foundation's value-priced program. Each of the two estate planning course modules, as well as the two online tax courses, costs $1,000 to CalCPA members or $640 to VP members. The VP program costs $975 up front ($1,095 after June 30) and enables CalCPA members to take 11 free or discounted Foundation classes between now and April 2002. eMind eMind, a Foundation partner, offers about 60 CPE courses over the Web (http://www.emind.com). CalCPA members can pay a flat annual rate of $445 to take an unlimited number of courses during a year. VP members pay just $295 for the same opportunity. If you don't want to take advantage of either prepaid plan, CalCPA members can purchase courses individually for 10 percent less than what eMind.com charges other customers. OnlineLearning In addition to hosting the Foundation's online estate planning and taxation classes, OnlineLearning (http://www.onlinelearning.net) offers nearly 200 courses in business, computer and information systems, education, writing and general interest topics in affiliation with UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX Extension, the University of San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. and Houghton Mifflin Houghton Mifflin Company is a leading educational publisher in the United States. The company's headquarters is located in Boston's Back Bay. It publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers . Foundation members save $25 on every non-CPE online course. AICPA InfoBytes AICPA members can pay just $95 a year to have unlimited access to 1,000 hours of computer-based self-study courses through its InfoBytes program. Each course lasts one or two hours. For more information, visit http://www.aicpa.org/temp/infobytes.htm. Positive Systems Positive Systems at http://www.passonline.com offers online, CD-ROM, diskette The official name for the floppy disk. See floppy disk. diskette - floppy disk or downloadable self-study courses. Costs range from $39.95 for two hours of CPE credit to $109.95 for eight credit hours. Various discounts are available. Bisk Education Through http://www.cpeasy.com, Bisk Education has Internet-based self-study courses, some of which feature streaming audio A one-way audio transmission over a data network. It is widely used on the Web as well as company networks to play audio clips and Internet radio. Computers in home networks stream audio (mostly music) to digital media hubs connected to home theaters. or video. Costs range between $8 and $15 per CPE credit hour. It also has group plans. University of Phoenix The University of Phoenix, a Foundation partner, holds classes in traditional classrooms and online. Phoenix (http://www.phoenix.edu) has instructor-led online courses leading to bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting, administration, business, management, marketing and technology. Costs per credit hour for a master's is $495 for the online program. |
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