KaplanOpenLearning.org.uk is a specialist UK online higher education division. Kaplan Open Learning has been established as an affiliate college of the University of Essex. The College provides university level education, offering programmes of study for students who wish to obtain a university Foundation Degree or top up that degree to an Honours Degree. Kaplan Open Learning offers a range on online distance learning Foundation Degrees in Business Management, Entrepreneurship, Sales Management and Internet Marketing. Kaplan Open Learning courses are entirely online replicating a real university classroom environment and provide students with the flexibility to study from anywhere: work, home or on the move. Our work based model approach ensures that you tailor your studies to real life work experience.
Distance Learning Online with Kaplan: A virtual tour
Advantages and disadvantages of learning online
There are advantages and disadvantages to distance learning. The advantages are making this online alternative very popular. But, before you decide to choose distance education over traditional learning, you should be aware of the disadvantages, too.
Advantages of Distance Learning:
Convenience: In this economy, it is difficult to take time away from work to further an education towards a more secure future. An advantage of distance education is that it makes it possible for you to maintain employment without a conflict in schedule. Distance learning allows students to attend class anytime day or night.
Availability: Another advantage of distance learning is that you are not limited to only courses offered by local colleges. With personal responsibilities already in place, attending schools at a greater distance away from home is not always an option. Distance education makes it possible to take almost any course from any higher learning institution.
Increased Resources: Distance learning not only provides advantages of broadening the courses and programs available at your convenience, it also provides more opportunities for feedback and interaction with instructors and fellow students. Since email and forums are integral components of distance learning, interaction can all be done as needed - not limited to class or campus time or playing phone tag and voice mail.
Disadvantages of Distance Learning
Deadlines: As with any course, there are deadlines to be met. Because you aren't attending a scheduled class, deadlines may get away from you. This can be a disadvantage of distance learning if you aren't good with time management.
Studying: It may be difficult to find enough online time without interruption since you'll be attending class at home. Instructors provide a syllabus so you should be able to create a schedule around the course schedule. You may need to make arrangements with a sitter or spouse to watch the kids plus remember to turn off the TV and the phone.
Testing: Testing may need to be supervised or timed online to keep you honest, especially for the final exam. Your instructor will make arrangements with local educators or provide you with timed online tests so you can't rely on using your text book to pass. If you live close to the school, you may be required to take the exam at the testing center. You'll need to be sure to spend as much time studying as you would learning in the traditional way, but there may be more distractions.
Interaction: Discussion board posts and replies are usually included in the course requirements. Sometimes, you must interact in a forum discussion during a set time so you may interact with your instructor in real time. Again, you need to be able to manage your time to be available without distractions.
Learning Style: Another disadvantage to distance learning is that the course may not include instruction for the auditory or visual learner. If there are lecture and supplemental videos included, then it may work for your learning style. Be sure to check the instructor's style to teaching before you decide on the course. The course may be offered by more than one instructor - each of whom may have different teaching styles.
Successful Distance Learning
To be successful as a distance learner, you must weigh the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning. For your first time as a distance learner, enroll in just one course that you will enjoy and see how it goes.
Find more info about distance learning courses at Kaplan Adult Education
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Is the UK loosing it's grip in the Top 200 Universities in the world?
The position of UK universities in the 2008 Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings has deteriorated as the US elite cement their place at the top of the table.
The best-rated institution in the UK is the University of Cambridge, which fell one place to third, while the University of Oxford, which last year shared second place with Cambridge and Yale University, slipped to fourth.
For the fifth consecutive year Harvard University has topped the table, while Yale has broken away from its Oxbridge rivals to claim second place uncontested.
Among other leading UK institutions, Imperial College London fell from fifth to sixth place, while University College London, the last UK institution to make the top ten, rose from ninth to seventh place.
Of the top 100 institutions, 17 are from the UK, two fewer than in 2007 after the University of Leeds fell from 80th to 104th and Cardiff University from 99th to 133rd.
The UK's position across the top 200 also weakened, with the total number of institutions making the cut down from 30 to 29.
Of these, 22 slipped down the rankings, six improved their position and one, the University of Edinburgh, retained the same spot.
The shifting picture has raised questions about the strength of the sector and its funding.
Spending on higher education in the UK, as a proportion of gross domestic product, is below the average for Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries and less than half that of the US.
By John Gill
Read more here: timeshighereducation.co.uk
Check out the Top 200 World Universities
Mae Jemison: A bold vision for teaching arts and sciences -- together
Mae Jemison is an astronaut, a doctor, an art collector, a dancer ... Telling stories from her own education and from her time in space, she calls on educators to teach both the arts and sciences, both intuition and logic, as one -- to create bold thinkers.
Mae Jemison is a poster child for an education that combines arts and sciences. As she says, "I always knew I'd go to space." Trained as an engineer, Jemison is a medical doctor, and she practiced in LA before becoming the Peace Corps' Medical Officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia. While running that effort, she researched Hepatitis B, schistosomaisis and rabies with the CDC and NIH.
Back in the US, she'd returned to her California practice when selected in 1987 for NASA's astronaut program. She was the science mission specialist on STS-47 Spacelab-J (September 12-20, 1992), a cooperative mission between the United States and Japan. From NASA's factsheet: "The eight-day mission was accomplished in 127 orbits of the Earth, and included 44 Japanese and U.S. life science and materials processing experiments. Dr. Jemison was a co-investigator on the bone cell research experiment flown on the mission. The Endeavour and her crew launched from and returned to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In completing her first space flight, Dr. Jemison logged 190 hours, 30 minutes, 23 seconds in space."
In 1994, Jemison founded the Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence, which runs an internationally-known science camp called The Earth We Share. She also founded BioSentient Corp. to explore bringing NASA biofeedback technology to public market. Jemison is also the first real astronaut to appear on Star Trek.
Medical sales jobs are still going strong
There are some industries where success has little to do with the state of the economy: Medical sales jobs and healthcare sales jobs are definitely among them.
1. The industry
The UK healthcare industry as a whole is worth billions of pounds and employs around 2 million people.
The National Health Service (NHS) is the largest employer, with a workforce of 1.3 million. A further 21% work in the private sector, 1.9% in the voluntary sector and the remainder in local authorities and other organisations.
The pharmaceutical industry employs around 70,000 people. It develops and produces drugs, equipment and products, and is a major provider of medical rep jobs and healthcare sales jobs.
Medical rep jobs play a crucial role in the industry, closing the gap between pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals. They ensure clients are aware of, buy and use their company's pharmaceutical and medical products - whether in general practices, primary care trusts or hospitals.
In terms of jobs in medical sales, the top five leading international pharmaceutical companies in 2007 were Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi-Aventis, AstraZeneca and Novartis (Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry).
2. The current climate
While more people are now seeking new work, there is a string of industries where success has little to do with the state of the economy. Drugs companies in particular are where investors pile their money to wait out a recession.
Why? Because people need dentists, doctors and other healthcare professionals regardless of the state of the economy - just as they need the right drugs and equipment to make people better. Because when things go wrong they have to be fixed; it's not discretionary spending. Medical sales jobs and healthcare sales jobs are an integral and invaluable part of this process.
What's more, skill shortages in the public services sector will always fuel demand for high-calibre professionals - particularly in the drive to find new, more effective drugs to fight disease and in caring for an older population.
3. What medical sales jobs are out there?
The healthcare jobs market is awash with a wide variety of titles and terminology. Some of the most common are healthcare sales jobs, medical sales jobs, medical rep jobs, medical equipment sales, wound care sales jobs, laboratory sales jobs and theatre sales jobs.
While medical rep jobs mostly involve promoting prescription products, successful candidates could find themselves selling anything - from wound care products, surgical tools, implants or large medical devices into large NHS trusts, private hospitals, dentists or even veterinary surgeons.
Opportunities may also occur in related medical sales jobs fields, such as medical disposables and equipment. Additionally, some experienced healthcare sales jobs lead on to working as field trainers - training and developing juniors in healthcare jobs.
Since at least one-third of the pharmaceuticals produced in the UK are exported, there are also international medical sales jobs opportunities.
4. What do recruiters look for?
There are many jobs in medical sales to be found, across a very wide range of specialist areas and geographical locations. Competition for jobs in medical sales can be high, particularly with company mergers and the tightening of finances within the NHS. However, there are lots of ways to stand out from the crowd. Certain attributes that employers look for include:
* Individuals who can successfully work as part of a team (medical sales jobs will often involve sharing territory)
* Graduates or trainees, or individuals with nursing, marketing or ethical sales experience
* Candidates with a science degree (approximately 50% of the 9,000 medical sales reps in the UK have one; the other 50% are mainly graduates from other academic disciplines)
* Experience in selling to the medical market, or a medical background
At SalesTarget.co.uk, there are a huge range of healthcare jobs and medical sales jobs for you to explore, spanning all skills and sectors. Search by location or keyword to browse the latest roles, or upload your CV and let the top healthcare and medical sales employers come straight to you.
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Marketing Jobs in London
London is a major centre for the UK financial and media industries, but is also offering considerable employment for those in the service and manufacturing sectors. It may come as little surprise that the capital is also a prime destination for those with an interest in pursuing a career in marketing, and that many leading marketing people, companies, and exhibitions call London their home. Let’s have a look at some of the leading businesses currently offering marketing jobs in London.
O2, now owned by Telefonica Europe plc, is a telecommunications company that has existed in some shape or form since 1985 (born as a partnership between British Telecom and Cellnet). Product-wise, the company is best known today for its broadband and mobile services, and subsequently through its acquisition of The Millennium Dome (now The O2) and its sponsorship of all Academy Music venues cementing its definitive brand. As the company continues to expand, it now employs 6000 people across the UK with marketing opportunities in Slough.
Virgin Media Inc. (formerly ntl:Telewest) is currently the biggest competitor for BSKYB in the UK and has its base in Hook (admittedly, not strictly London but near enough). The compnay now operates in a range of areas, including: TV, mobile and landline telephones, and even a pay-to-play online game AWOMO (A World of My Own). Despite announcements in November to cut jobs in some areas, their marketing team is undergoing continual expansion.
LexisNexis are perhaps less known than the other brands mentioned thus far. The name refers to an online searchable archive for journalists, lawyers, and academics – and considers itself to be ‘the world’s largest collection of public records, unpublished opinions, forms, legal, news, and business information.’ Recently, the company have also opened up marketing opportunities across the UK including Croydon, Central London, and Wembley.
Camelot Group plc are perhaps best known for operating the UK National Lottery, and is currently run by five key shareholders: Cadbury Schweppes, Thales Electronics plc, Fujitsu Services Ltd., Royal Mail Enterprises Ltd., and De La Rue Holdings plc. The consortium have just embarked on their third franchise period, and subsequently increased the money it gives to good causes as well as commission for retailers. Camelot’s internet marketing team is situated in Watford.
Sarah Maple writes about home learning and home study
What Does a Foundation Degree in Entrepreneurship Teach Me?
Entrepreneurship is a growing subject of study in the UK. With foundation courses and the opportunity to take an online degree popping up at an increasing number of institutions, it seems logical that one would ask exactly what a course in entrepreneurship entails. One of the first areas a typical UK entrepreneurship course might focus on is the business environment. What is the state of the economic environment within the UK and how does this affect business therein? What of the continual increasing affects of being part of the European Union? These questions will no doubt be explored with further focus on the importance of trade among businesses in the UK and internationally.
There will also no doubt be some in depth study of the nature of marketing. What is the importance of marketing in regards to the company or organization itself, as well as the wider society in general? Who will buy the product or services? And how will it be distributed, promoted and priced? These are all factors that have to be agreed upon, sometimes by several parties, and sometimes by one person alone. But of course, the decision can be of the utmost importance for the success of the business.
Business and project planning will also likely be addressed to some degree of examination. Many aspects make up this area including: financial planning, study of the managerial role and widely used techniques, as well as how to raise and use funding fairly and wisely. Business planning will take in a degree of competitor analysis in order to ascertain the movements and operations of those who already exist within the market you have an interest in. There will also no doubt be an analysis of the market in general, with a focus on trends already apparent.
It is of obvious importance that any contemporary and forward thinking adult education course in entrepreneurship has a module of study on web design and internet marketing. This is due to the extreme importance of any successful business having at least some internet presence, and that is using the avenues most suited to them. Research will also need to focus on markets and innovation in certain industries, and the need to learn how to conduct and present market research will need to be analysed and evaluated in some depth.
By Sarah Maple
The Top 4 Things You Won’t Miss – If You Do Your Degree Online
Time at university is an important rite of passage, and one that many consider to be ‘the most fun years of your life’. Today, however, the temptation to do your degree online seems to get stronger for young people and mature students alike – whether it’s for the sake of convenience, saving money, or simply because more subjects become available to study each year. Whilst reflecting on my time at university, there were certainly many great times, but I realised quickly that it wasn’t for everybody…and to be honest, it wasn’t all tequila slammin’ and Monopoly tournaments. Here are four things you probably won’t miss.
4.
Halls. Yes, the social aspect of halls can be great, but these places are strange. Typically, there will be several students to one kitchen/living area…and that is usually a very small area which can cause some strain amongst comradeship if certain people aren’t pulling their weight in regards to washing up etc. Most modern halls are fairly nice aesthetically, unlike the breeze-block monsters of the past, but if they have been lived in for more than a few years it will surely be hard to ignore the wear and tear. The two worst things about halls: 1. It’s impossible to make your room homely. 2. There’s a warden …and he loves his authority.
3.
Shared Housing. Surprisingly, shared housing has its own drawbacks. Firstly, it is far more likely that you’ll have a nightmare landlord, and you may soon realise that your excellent rent deal might not be so excellent. For instance, electricity key metres are the most infuriating thing when you live in a house with several other people. Some housemates will pay at the right time, others won’t…and there is nothing worse than waking up on a dark winter’s morn in a house with no electricity. Actually there is, just think about how fun an electric shower can be when your metre’s continually running on empty.
2.
Transport. Transport problems certainly don’t affect everybody (especially not if you’re lucky enough to have your own car), but in certain areas they can be a nightmare. In my first year we had little reason to complain because bus travel was free for students. But by the second year, and with an increased influx of students, being packed into a First Great Western like a sardine whilst trying to finish your recommended reading is incredibly frustrating. But not as frustrating as not being picked up at all, which was also a regular occurrence.
1.
Morning Lectures. I know what you’re thinking, laziness, and yes you’d be right. But the fact of the matter is student life and being expected to be on top learning form at nine o’clock the next morning just doesn’t make sense, especially after spending all night trying to make your room homely, then waking up in an electricity-less house, and then being left at the bus stop for an hour. Frankly, the option of being able to take your lecture at any time via online learning seems like the greatest advancement in higher education in recent years. In fact, I’ll be surprised if, in the future, recorded lectures aren’t made available for normal students who simply can’t be bothered to attend early lectures.
By Sarah Maple