E-Learning provides many different opportunities for delivery. Professional Education creates a variety of e-learning solutions to meet the needs of a wide student base. We have created single course offerings, certificate programs, cohorts, and utilize both synchronous and asynchronous methods to meet the needs of the class. Every class we deliver utilizes many different components which are determined by the content and technology levels of the student base.

Individual Online Courses

We have developed many educational offerings that are delivered in a single course ranging from one day through several months. A typical course will require 4-10 hours of student participation per week which includes participation in discussion and assignments, readings, and viewing presentations.

Certificate Programs

Our certificate programs consist of multiple online courses, usually four to eight, and take 6 – 18 months to complete. Our flagship, the Online Certficate in Nonprofit Management has been in existence since 2000.

Cohorts

We regularly have groups with similar interest that seek to take a course or entire certificate together. This enhances the learning environment by adding a networking and collaborative component that can carry on long after the courses have been completed. The first successful cohort was created in partnership with Steans Family Foundation

Synchronous and asynchronous

Two key terms in e-learning are synchronous and asynchronous, both which refer to when a student needs to be online. Synchronous courses have scheduled times that the entire class is expected to be logged in and participate in a specific activity. Asynchronous does not have a specific time for students to go online, but the courses still have deadlines which must be met with for assignments.

For more information on e-Learning, please visit:

UIC Online
The Sloan Consortium
American Distance Education Consortium
University of Illinois Online