With that said, the most important thing Troy University does is serve its students. Today, the University provides excellent classroom instruction through its talented faculty and programs to help students develop and hone their leadership skills. Troy University seeks to prepare students to earn a living after graduation while also building a flourishing life.

Empowered by Robust Foundation

In 1887, Troy University was founded by an act of the Alabama Legislature which established Troy State Normal School as an institution to train teachers for Alabama’s schools. Almost a century later in 1982, the Troy State University System was formed, as the campuses in Dothan and Montgomery were granted independent accreditation status.

In April of 2004, the Board of Trustees voted to drop ‘State’ from the University’s name to better reflect the institution’s worldwide mission and from August 2005, all TROY campuses were again unified under one accreditation. Currently, Troy University has grown into an international university. At the main campus in Troy, it serves students from more than 70 countries with partnerships around the world while preparing graduates to be competitive on the global stage.

Accredited Study Programs

All study programs offered by Troy University are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges Schools and Commission on Colleges. The University offers degrees at four levels: associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral.

Students can choose from more than 170 undergraduate majors and minors and more than 110 graduate degree options. These include high-demand fields such as business, management and accounting, human resource management, criminal justice, education, psychology and counseling, social work and nursing, among many others.

Degree programs are spread across Troy University’s five colleges:

• College of Arts and Sciences
• Sorrell College of Business
• College of Communication Fine Arts
• College of Education
• College of Health and Human Services

Student-First Philosophy

In the educational landscape, Troy University stands out with its mission of serving its students. Its faculty and staff are dedicated to a student-first philosophy. This enables the University to create a distinctive culture of caring where TROY knows every student by their name and not just by their number.

Additionally, students at TROY benefit from the plethora of services and opportunities offered. Troy University is a place of value and values where students receive quality education at an affordable price including opportunities to be engaged with and in service to others. The University prepares students for the world of work while equipping them with the skills necessary to be leaders within their communities, across the nation and throughout the world.

Effective Distance Learning Programs

Troy University is a pioneer in online education, with nearly 25 years of experience. Its online programs are consistently ranked among the nation’s best by publications such as U.S. News & World Report, which stands as a testament to its commitment to academic excellence through its online programs. Moreover, a major part of this commitment is found in TROY’s efforts to have the online experience mirror its in-class offerings in class content, instruction and interaction as well as quality.

TROY’s effective distance learning programs focus on service to students as well as offering the highest level of instructional engagement possible. The University enables its students to interact with peers and faculty. It also provides intuitive instructional elements that allow for easy navigation in every aspect of their educational journey.

Equipped with High-Touch and High-Tech

The global COVID-19 pandemic was a major disruptor, especially in the field of education. It

caused a transition from classroom teaching to digital learning and resulted in dependency on online modes of learning. Moreover, the post-pandemic world became educationally geared toward digital social interactions.

Troy University is equally equipped with high-touch and high-tech where traditional students seamlessly blend in-class and online courses with a high degree of success.

TROY’s Flex Classes

The University provides the latest in course offerings called Flex Classes that provide the best of all learning formats, offering in-class along with asynchronous and synchronous (live) course content. Highly skilled academic advisers work both within traditional and online formats and ensure students continue to stay successful and on target for degree completion.

Classes offered in the Flex format are held in regular in-class sessions and each class session is streamed live online at the same time. Additionally, recordings of each class session are made available for on-demand viewing later. Students enrolled in Flex Classes can freely switch between formats based on their needs. They can attend in person if they prefer the face-to-face experience, watch online from a location convenient to them, or catch up on classes they missed by watching them later.

Moving forward, Troy University is focused in its efforts to ensure that its online offerings will reflect its in-class course inventory.

Clear Cost Plan Structure

To make its upcoming academic sessions even better, Troy University recently adopted a new pricing structure in the fall of 2021. Called the Clear Cost Plan, the structure eliminates most fees and sets only three tuition rates, one for undergraduate, one for graduate, and one for doctoral. The goal was to create a transparent and easy-to-understand billing structure for the benefit of students and parents. 

The new pricing structure enables a clear picture of the cost to attend for students as well as their families or individuals interested in attending Troy University. Moreover, the University recently announced a tuition freeze for the 2022-23 academic year, marking the third consecutive year without a tuition increase.

A Place of Value and Values

Since its establishment, Troy University continues to be a place of value and values. The University embraces the concept of teaching servant leadership to its students — setting an example as well as in formalized leadership courses. It emphasizes the value of civility, patriotism and respect, ensuring its decisions are ethically grounded.

Troy University seeks to prepare its students to Lead Change and be difference makers after stepping into the real world. Its founding motto resides at the heart of the culture of caring that exists at TROY—“Educate the mind to think, the heart to feel and the body to act.”—and its founding principles continue to guide it in the present day.

Note to the Students:

ALSO READ: The 10 Best Distance-Learning Institutes to look out for in 2022

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Many universities have started providing online education in which students can study asynchronously at any time from anywhere in the world. However, there are very few universities that offer affordable as well as excellent quality online education for all students. 

University of the People (UoPeople) is one such educational institution that makes higher education available to all qualified applicants. It is the first online, tuition-free, American, accredited university that provides affordable quality education.

Inspired by a Visionary Founder

With the belief that education is a human right, educational entrepreneur Shai Reshef established the University of the People in 2009. He decided to create an entirely new university that provides affordable, equitable, and accessible education opportunities to the maximum number of people around the globe.

UoPeople also serves the purpose of promoting world peace and global economic development. Over the last five years, the institute has seen significant growth in its enrollment. It has doubled its enrollment every year with an increase from 44,000 students to more than 117,000 students during the past year. Today, UoPeople is recognized as the fastest-growing online university in the world.

Effective Academic Programs

University of the People is popular for its online tuition-free university programs that are designed by leading academic minds to help the students advance in their careers. All courses are led by qualified faculty members and they guide and support students throughout each course. The university offers associate and bachelor’s degree programs in business administration, computer science, and health science as well as graduate level MBA, M.Ed. and MSIT programs.

Additionally, UoPeople offers a variety of certificate programs in business and health sciences. These programs enable students to gain a comprehensive education and extensive understanding of business and the tools needed for the industry as well as science related to community health and development. In addition, the computer science programs provide theoretical and practical knowledge of analyzing and managing IT networks and systems for the constantly changing IT industry.

All learning materials and textbooks at UoPeople are Open Education Resources (OER) and are available for free. The courses are designed using reading assignments and other OER materials carefully selected by the faculty and course developers. An online Learning Management System (LMS) is used by the university to deliver the courses.

Exclusive Approach to Online Education

UoPeople aims to provide access to higher education globally and helps qualified high school graduates overcome financial, geographic, political, and personal constraints that keep them away from education. The university’s mission and educational model differs from other online universities. It is dedicated to providing higher education opportunities to as many people as possible, regardless of their financial state. Instead of offering a variety of programs, it offers education in the sectors having the greatest demand in the job market.

Known for its affordable education, UoPeople’s innovative and sustainable higher education business model provides quality accredited programs that cost up to 95% less than the fees charged by other American universities. The university does not charge any tuition and all the course materials are free to use.

The university must charge some fees to keep its operations running and to maintain high-quality academic programs and services to students. UoPeople charges a one-time $60 application fee and a nominal assessment fee of $120 at the end of each undergraduate course and $300 for each graduate-level course. Students can complete their bachelor’s degree for $4,860 or less than $4,000 for a graduate degree. To fulfill the mission that “no qualified student is left behind,”UoPeople offers various scholarships for those who are unable to afford the modest course assessment fees.

Effective Distance Learning Programs

To be effective, online learning programs need to offer accessible and quality education through flexible, affordable and accredited degree-granting programs. The learning methods need to be adjusted in order to build communication and cooperation among students.

With that said, UoPeople’s idea of effective distance learning involves employing peer-to-peer learning. Peer-to-peer learning pedagogy makes sure that students spend time learning together and interacting with each other on a regular basis while assessing each other’s work and collaborating on group work.

Robust Online University Culture

There is a significant difference between face-to-face and digital social interactions in education. Faculty need to be trained on how to teach online and how to best address the challenges online students face that include motivation, self-discipline, and the ability to learn independently. A robust university culture needs to be created online so students do not feel isolated. This includes providing students with support services and academic advising.

Ensuring a smooth learning process and students’ success, UoPeople strives to create a balance in online education with human touchpoints that include student advisors, study spot-checks, and well-trained faculty.

Boosting Student Participation

UoPeople’s robust learning environment results in maximum student engagement. All the courses are taught by qualified and experienced faculty. They also guide and support students throughout each course. On an average, each class has 20 students and the student to faculty ratio is 14:1. These small classes and the international composition of the student body encourage student participation. Compulsory online discussion forums and peer-to-peer reviews in small classes with personal attention increase students’ engagement. Additionally, students make connections from all around the world that boosts their participation in online classroom discussions.

Strengthening Future Education

UoPeople provides an array of excellent online programs in numerous disciplines. It is constantly looking for ways to strengthen its academic courses and enhance the quality of its programs while adding value to its degree programs. In addition, the university consistently reviews and makes assessments of its courses to ensure they meet high standards.

Message to Students:

ALSO READ: The 10 Best Distance-Learning Institutes to look out for in 2022

The post University of the People: Offering Quality Tuition-Free Online Education to More Than 117,000 Students Around the Globe appeared first on The Education Magazine.

Based in Fort Worth, Texas, Texas A&M School of Law is one such institute that is catering to the needs of 21^st-century students with its innovative programs. It allows distance learners to benefit from a combination of up-to-date legal education and real-world skills required to unlock new opportunities in their industry. At Texas A&M Law, students build career-focused legal expertise while engaging in professional development and networking opportunities designed to prepare for global success.

Unparalleled Rise and Growth

Originally established in 1989 as the Dallas/Fort Worth School of Law, the School of Law became a part of Texas Wesleyan University in 1992 and was acquired by Texas A&M University in 2013. Since then, the law school has witnessed an unparalleled rise in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, recently rising 30 places in just two years.

Texas A&M University was established in 1876 as the state’s first public institution of higher learning. Today, it is one of the largest universities in the United States that sends leaders out into the world prepared to take on the challenges of tomorrow.

Innovative Academic Programs

Texas A&M Law offers distance learning programs in areas where knowledge and skills are currently high in demand. These areas include,

• Business Law & Compliance
• Cybersecurity & Policy
• Energy, Oil & Gas Law
• Energy and Environmental Law
• General Legal Studies
• Health Law, Policy & Management
• HR & Employment
• International Tax
• Real Estate & Construction Management
• Risk Management
• Wealth Management

J.D. Program: An Innovative On-campus Learning Program:

Although not being a distance learning program, the J.D. program is one of the most popular programs offered at the university. Besides trying cases in the courts, a 21^st century lawyer has to have the ability to negotiate agreements, draft contracts, craft settlements, and mediate disputes. Texas A&M Law equips students with all these quintessential skills through its J.D. program. The program emphasizes the importance of real-world legal skills that will fully prepare students for all aspects of a global career. Year-by-year, the program focuses on different aspects like,

1. First year: Building a solid foundation
2. Second year: A flexible curriculum for developing advanced skills
3. Third year: The Capstone Experience–putting your skills into practice

A Robust Network

As a land, sea, and space-grant university, Texas A&M is motivated with discovering and developing solutions to global problems that pose the greatest challenges to society and the planet. Moreover—with an Aggie network of over 500,000 active former students, more than 62,000 current students, 11,000 faculty and staff, along with parents and friends of Texas A&M—nearly 600,000 Aggies stand ready to support the students around the globe.

State-of-the-Art Distance Learning

Distance learning is one of the many pathways to education. Although virtual classrooms cannot yet be called the successor to traditional, in-class education, virtual classrooms provide an advantage of high-quality instruction accessible by anyone who is seeking it. Accessing coursework digitally gives working professionals and students who have personal obligations the flexibility they need to learn and obtain new skills with minimal disruption to their already full lives.

Texas A&M Law is committed to creating online flexible learning, using state-of-the-art distance learning technology to deliver an educational experience that rivals what its students receive on the campus. In its distance learning programs, Texas A&M Law does not only put the camera in the back of a classroom to record a lecture—which is an outdated and ineffective approach. Instead, it uses state-of-the-art pedagogical techniques, taking advantage of the latest in online technology. Every course is specifically prepared keeping distance learning students in mind.

Additionally, the distance learning experience at Texas A&M Law serves students from orientation through the end of the final examinations period with support from any technical issues. All the students regularly meet with an advisor at the School of Law to help guide their studies and their approach to learning. Faculties are engaged and work closely with the course designers who deliver student-centered learning environments. The staff monitors student activity in the courses and reaches out to students as necessary. Students also have the opportunity to provide feedback about technical issues and course administration.

Student-centric Approach

As a major land-grant university, Texas A&M has both an extraordinary opportunity and a special responsibility to create and maintain a campus climate that affirms diversity of thought, background, ethnicity, and perspective. Applying the Texas A&M core value of mutual respect is the key ingredient to developing and sustaining a university community in which diversity is valued. The university works together to harness the power of diversity. It provides students, faculty, and staff with a university experience that is rich in perspectives and opportunities to learn from each other and succeed in a diverse world.

Seeking Feedback

Texas A&M is continuously seeking student and industry feedback to provide the most up-to-date and high-quality education possible. Students meet with their advisor before each term to plan their upcoming semester and provide feedback on the current term. This feedback is utilized to determine where strategic changes might be made to improve the curriculum. Additionally, it seeks feedback from employers in the relevant industries to ensure they are covering up-to-date and relevant topics.

Note to the Students:

Read full Magazine here: The 10 Best Distance-Learning Institutes to look out for in 2022

The post Texas A&M School of Law: Nurturing the Trailblazers of Tomorrow appeared first on The Education Magazine.

The University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law is one of those schools Since its establishment in 1973, UNH Franklin Pierce has been dedicated to innovation to ensure that it meets the latest and future educational needs and expands access to such programs for its students, notes Associate Dean for Administration and Enrollment Shane Cooper.  UNH Franklin Pierce has expanded accessibility of legal education on several new frontiers, including a unique specialized mostly-online JD program – the first of its kind – and graduate online certificate, Masters, and LLM programs designed for working professionals located around the world. All of their online courses are provided asynchronously to meet the needs of these professionals and are supplemented by in-person learning opportunities.

Meeting the Future’s Educational Needs

The Hybrid JD in Intellectual Property, Technology, and Information Law is designed for working professionals in the tech sector so that they can learn while staying in their homes and jobs. The Hybrid JD in IP is designed to launch the leaders of tomorrow.  Intellectual property is the legal framework surrounding human innovation and creativity, and is the primary driver of the global economy.  UNH Franklin Pierce has had a top-10 program in intellectual property law for the last 30 years, and has launched the careers of lead tech and IP attorneys at companies like Samsung, Bayer, Microsoft, LG, Disney, WeWork, Turner Broadcasting, Mastercard, and Fox Studios.  The Hybrid JD provides an innovative way to expand the accessibility and reach of a law degree through a carefully designed schedule of select residential periods and combined synchronous and asynchronous delivery platforms. The program offers parity in teaching and services with UNH Franklin Pierce’s residential program. By offering a specialized JD degree in a mostly online format, UNH Franklin Pierce is making a gold standard legal education accessible to people wherever they are located.  

As for the school’s LLM, masters and certificate programs, UNH Franklin Pierce is committed to making them accessible worldwide, says Sarah Dorner, Director of International and Graduate Admissions. “We have online options that allow lawyers and nonlawyers to pursue a postgraduate degree in specialized areas of the law. These programs assist our students in acquiring skills to be a leader in their field with our innovative curriculum and practice-based approach to a legal education in the areas of intellectual property (IP) law and international criminal law and justice.” UNH Franklin Pierce’s masters programs offer the flexibility today’s online learner needs; they can be molded to suit each student’s individual situation so that they can effectively balance career, family, and educational commitments. 

A Variety of Programs

UNH Franklin Pierce has been offering various trailblazing courses for the last 50 years. The school has maintained its top ranking in offering US legal education in global innovation. It ranks fourth in Intellectual Property program offerings in the US. In total, the law school offers the following programs:

1. Juris Doctor (JD)
2. Hybrid JD in Intellectual Property, Technology, and Information Law
3. LLM in Intellectual Property
4. Masters in Intellectual Property (MIP)
5. LLM in International Criminal Law and Justice
6. Masters in International Criminal Law and Justice (MICLJ)
7. LLM in Commerce and Technology
8. Masters in Commerce and Technology (MCTL)
9. Intellectual Property Graduate Certificate
10. Commerce and Technology Graduate Certificate

Graduating from the law school also enables students to join its alumni network in 80 countries around the world while pursuing online education. It also offers clinics, institutes, and immersive programs for students to take advantage of the many benefits of a US-based education. Students praise the innovative and interactive education and opportunities provided by the school.

Simplified Learning Process

There is a considerable difference between distance learning and physical learning, but UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law has closed that gap by ensuring social interaction and student engagement through group tasks in online learning. The online platforms help the faculty to focus on each student and their learning style. Professors at UNH Franklin Pierce arrange individual meetings for students, and each student has own faculty advisor. In the first two weeks of the semester, professors spend considerable time with each student and have a conversation regarding online learning, the challenges faced by the students, and the solutions. To increase the participation of students in the programs, professors may assign group tasks. According to Prof. Albert “Buzz” Scherr, chair of the online International Criminal Law and Justice program, online learning gives more opportunities for group work than face-to-face learning. Discussion boards and topic arguments boost participation significantly. Moreover, a personalized feedback system ensures the students acquire confidence and perform well in their education.

“One of the great advantages of online teaching is that you have more tools at your disposal for teaching to different learning styles than you do with face-to-face teaching.” says Prof. “Buzz” Scherr.

Distance learning comes with a long range of advantages where time is not a constraint. Physical residential classes can only cover one topic while online classes often require more detailed explanations. With such conversations, the flow of information exchange continues and helps the students to acquire more knowledge. Several online tools help different learning styles and students can understand the importance of written assignments, research projects, and discussion forums.

Plans for a Bright Future

As Rebecca Purdom, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, states: “Our online program builds on the law school’s long history of innovative work, providing a point of entry for students from around the globe who wish to be part of UNH Franklin Pierce’s legacy of IP innovation and instruction. The alumni network of UNH Franklin Pierce graduates span the globe and with an online program students can now be part of that network and legacy while pursuing an online degree.”

UNH Franklin Pierce, is continuously upgrading its educational programs for its students. Moreover, it aims to provide rich and interactive guidance for a healthy atmosphere. UNH Franklin Pierce builds up confidence in its students, assuring students they can and will achieve their educational and professional goals.

Read full Magazine here: The 10 Best Distance-Learning Institutes to look out for in 2022

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