FIELDS OF STUDY

A field of study or academic discipline is a branch of knowledge which is taught at university level or thru some other method. Academic disciplines are defined and recognised by the academic departments or faculties to which their practitioners belong. Each field of study normally has several sub-branches. Some examples of broad areas of academic disciplines include the natural sciences, mathematics, computer science, social sciences, humanities and arts.

In Medieval Europe, there were only four faculties in a university – Theology, Medicine, Jurisprudence and the Arts. Today’s fields of study originated in the middle to late 19th century when universities were transferred from ecclesiastical to civil supervision. The traditional curriculum was then augmented by non-classical languages and literatures, physics, chemistry, engineering and biology. In the early 20th century, education, psychology and sociology were added to the university curriculum.

NON-TRADITIONAL EDUCATION

Non-traditional education or alternative education describes certain methods of teaching and learning other than the traditional public or private schools. Students of all ages and all levels of education can avail of these methods of teaching and learning.

Non-traditional education includes charter schools, alternate schools, independent schools and home schools. A charter school is a publicly funded elementary and secondary school free from certain rules and regulations that govern public schools. An alternate school or remedial school is a public or private school that has a special and flexible curriculum. A school that is not dependent upon the national or local government for funding its operation but relies on gifts or in some cases the investment yields of an endowment is known as an independent school. Home schooling is a process by which children receive education at home rather than in an institution.

Non-traditional education puts a premium on small class size, close relationships between students and teachers and community atmosphere. For some, the term non-traditional education refers to educational set-ups adapted to students whose needs cannot be met in a traditional setting such as the underachievers. If you want to improve your language skills you can do a language class abroad: sprachreisen englisch Cork.

TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION

Technological advances have a significant impact in education. In developed countries, computers and other similar gadgets are being used vis-à-vis established education methods. New ways of learning such as online education (a type of distance learning) have been developed. The proliferation of computers has given students a plethora of choices on how to acquire knowledge and skills. Technology clearly offers powerful learning tools that also require new skills and at the same time provide new means to engage students. Technologies such as Powerpoint and the interactive whiteboard are now used as an effective medium of instruction to better capture the attention of students in the classroom. Another innovation, the Audience Response System allows for instant feedback tests and classroom discussions.

For most families, the annual trek back to school is one event in a year that mobilises all the planning, effort and resources the entire family can afford. Education is on top of the list of priorities of a family especially the parents.

Within the confines of the classroom, kids are supposed to learn not only academic subjects but also values and principles that are the basic tenets of being a righteous citizen and a good person. The values of truth, honesty, fairness, patriotism and service to others and family are highly regarded. When kids graduate from high school, it is hoped that they have imbibed all these values as they continue to pursue higher education in college and eventually their own lives.

But what is it that schools really teach kids in grade school and high school? Is their education just really confined within the four walls of the classroom? Shakespeare once said, “All the world is a stage.” In this day and age, all the world is a classroom would be more appropriate. This is one reality everybody needs to be aware of. Schools alone do not produce excellent students. The home, the family, the schools, the churches, the community and the nation as a whole are all responsible for making kids better persons, better citizens and better workers. Everybody is in the business of teaching kids together.

Parents send their kids to school because they believe that they owe it to their children to equip them with the necessary knowledge, skills and values to better compete with others once they leave the school campus. Parents take comfort in the knowledge that the school and its teachers will provide the kids with proper education and teach them how to be honourable citizens and productive workers.

In truth, kids start their education in the home, learning from parents, their siblings and their neighbors. Kids get the affirmation of their values and principles from the daily happenings that transpire around them, thus, the need for elders to set good examples.

Going to school should be a positive influence on kids to at least offset some of the unpleasant things that, sad to say, surround them in the real world. It is undoubtedly a tough job for schools these days. Needless to say, the school is not a fortress where students are protected from the harsh realities of the outside world. It is a place where kids are taught how to deal with them and how to be better persons to make the world a pleasant place to live in but this calls for concerted efforts from everybody around.

After years of working at your company, you are now ready to take the next bold step – study for a Master in Business Administration (MBA) degree. Taking your MBA will demand a lot of your time, effort and money so you have to be very sure if you really need it or not. Going back to school can be a challenge, what with balancing work, studies and family.

Although potential MBA students assume that more educational credentials are always better, it is crucial to reflect on whether an MBA is necessary. You should already have had enough work experience at the time you study for your MBA. You also need to decide what you want to get from your MBA. Do you need more skills? What do you need to focus on? If you want to take the MBA programme to specialise in a particular area of business such as finance, you can also consider a non-MBA course that will allow you to do precisely. MBA programmes vary. Depending on your age, work experience and work flexibility, there is an MBA programme that will suit you. An MBA programme can be part-time or full-time, regular or executive, online or traditional.

To provide training for a student without previous business experience, the traditional full-time MBA programme was made a two-year degree. The first year tackles business fundamentals. For most professionals, the full-time programme is impractical as it leads to loss of income and at times loss of career opportunities. A more practical choice is the part-time programme. This prgramme fits professionals who want to remain at their jobs even while attending school.

The choice between the regular or the executive MBA is dependent on the number of work experiences a prospective student has. The regular MBA is best for professionals who have had two years work experience. For someone who has six years of supervisory experience, a different programme is offered. For the busy CEO, an executive MBA will be an ideal choice. An executive MBA is typically offered on a one day a week basis over two years or on alternate weekends for a year or two. This programme is not suitable for those who are relatively weak in the field of management.

With the Internet now an essential learning tool, MBA education has also gone online. Developed for those who are too busy to attend school, the online MBA programme offers a convenient and inexpensive way to acquire an MBA degree. Instead of physically going to school, an online MBA student needs only to log on his computer as class activities are conducted through the Internet. However, in an online programme, face-to-face interactions do not exist. Some critics say that the completely online approach is not suitable for management development. Online learning is convenient but there is a need to combine this method with the traditional face-to-face teaching method.

Anyone interested in obtaining an MBA degree should choose a programme that will maximise his growth potential.