College Network Reviews

Recently, I had an interesting conversation with a customer of The College Network regarding her study habits and how she prepares for exams. She had progressed at a moderate pace and is doing quite well with her exams. She is like most of our customers, a working mother pursuing her degree who has to balance her job, family, and schooling.

She mentioned the other day that she found a creative way to study. Apparently, she has her children (who are between the ages of 10-14) read her Comprehensive Learning Module lessons to her while she is preparing dinner or cleaning the kitchen. She divulged that she does this mainly as a “punishment” option; however I advised this is a creative use of time for all!

As I explained to her, while she gains the benefits of hearing the module information (as she is an Auditory learner), her children are also gaining practice with building their reading comprehension and fluency. Winners all around! Not only are there educational benefits, but she is able to spend time with her children.  I also advised that she can keep this practice going with reviewing key terms. She can quiz her children on their vocabulary words and they can quiz her.

Pursuing any education program does take a huge time commitment, however with a little creativity, you do not have to let the other responsibilities in your life fall to the way side.

If you need assistance with other creative study suggestions, please contact our Customer Support department at 1-800-634-1443.

Let's talk about the number 6. It's my lucky number. But it's also much more than that. Here are some very interesting facts about the number 6.

Did you know?

• 6 is the smallest perfect number.
• 6 is the atomic number of carbon.
• The cells of a beehive honeycomb are 6-sided. 
• There are 6 strings on a standard guitar. 
• LeBron James wears the number 6 on his jersey.
• Every Braille cell is made up of 6 dots.
• John Quincy Adams was the 6th president of the United States.
• Insects have 6 legs.
• 6 points are scored for a touchdown.
• The standard term of office for a United States senator is 6 years.
• It is said that there are no more than 6 degrees of separation between any two people on Earth.

So, why bring up the number 6?  Did you know that with our EARN program, when you refer 6 people to The College Network who enroll into a degree program, we will pay for your remaining TCN loan balance? It doesn't matter if you are currently obtaining your Associate Degree in Nursing, Bachelors in Business, or any other degree offered through The College Network and our leading university affiliates online--you can take advantage of the EARN program.

Here's how it works. When you refer someone to The College Network and they become a customer, you receive $200 for that referral after 90 days from when they started in their program. Then you continue to receive $200 for each referral you make after that. If you add it up, 5 referrals=$1,000.  Then when you reach your 6th referral TCN will pay for your remaining contract portion of your program. Or if you have already paid for your program in full, we will pay for 75% of your contract amount. Pretty amazing, isn't it? Click here to review the full program guidelines. 

Take advantage of the EARN program and you'll see why 6 is a magic number too. (And, you can still refer someone after your program is paid for and continue to EARN $200 for each referral.) If you're ready to start adding up your referrals, feel free to contact me at 317-566-2647 or email at tfernkas@collegenetwork.com.  

So you want to become a registered nurse. But how do you do it? It seems like it might be an impossible goal. You work, take care of your family--when are you going to find time to go to school?  Here are 10 easy ways you can become an RN with help from The College Network.

1. Call the The College Network to learn more about online nursing degree programs.
2. Set an appointment to meet with one of our Program Advisors. They can answer all your questions and set you up with a program that is right for you.
3. Make the decision to move towards your goal of becoming an RN and get started in your program.
4. Take our Learning Styles Survey to find out how you learn best. 
5. Complete your Academic Guidance call with our customer support team to review your learning style and develop a study plan for your Comprehensive Learning Modules.
6. Start studying.
7. Schedule your first TCN Exam.  Then go ahead and schedule the rest of your exams on your calendar.  This will help to keep you on track and give you a timely goal to work towards. Keep studying and passing your exams. 
8. Enroll with the university and complete any other requirements for your program.
9. Graduate! Plan to walk with your fellow nurses in the graduation ceremony.
10. Take and pass the NCLEX exam and receive your new RN License!

It really be done in these 10 steps.  You just have to make a commitment, set your goals and take action.  We are here to help every step of the way.  Call us today at (800) 39-LEARN and check your first item off your to-do list.  

As an Academic Advisor, I speak with customers on a daily basis who ask for more information on how to study best. As a visual learner myself, I have a ton of tricks and tips for similar learners. I thought it may be helpful to provide some suggestions for those of the auditory learning persuasion.

Below are some effective study tips for auditory learners:

* Read explanations out loud.

* Make up songs to go along with the subject matter.

* Say words in syllables.

* Record notes/new material on a tape/MP3 player and review while driving or  exercising.

 * Use mnemonics and words links.

* Make up and repeat rhymes to remember facts, dates, names, etc.

* Explain the material you are trying to learn to a study partner

If you are a current customer of The College Network, I encourage you to peruse our Discussion Forum to locate a study partner working on the same program and/or Comprehensive Learning Module as you. You can access the Discussion Forum through the Online Resource Center (http://tcnrc.collegenetwork.com).

As always, if you need study assistance in preparation for your exams, please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Support team at 1-800-634-1443. 

I don’t know about you, but I never jump in the water without testing the temperature first. I learned my lesson the hard way when I was younger and dove into a lake on a warm day, not realizing that the temperature had been below 60 for the last few months. Can you say, cold? 

In order to be successful with your studies, you have to “test the water” first by creating a plan for your study sessions. The time and effort you place on preparing to study is almost as important as the time you will spend studying. Below is a guide for how you can create an effective study plan for yourself. The information is tailored for use of our Comprehensive Learning Modules:

1. Determine how much time you would like to spend on your module. On average, most modules can be completed within 4–6 weeks. However, in order to successfully master the content in preparation for passing the exam, this time frame may need to be extended depending on your study schedule availability.

 2. Determine frequency and length of study sessions. Each learner’s availability varies, sometimes from week to week. Do not overextend yourself in regard to  your study sessions as this will be counterproductive. If you can normally study five days a week but find that in one particular week you have many work and family obligations, restructure your study sessions to two days that week.

3. Organize the material into “chunks”. It is best to look at the material on a weekly basis. If you are able to study five days a week for at least an hour each day, it is very possible to complete 3–4 chapters a week. If you know you will probably need to review more for a particular subject, you may want to aim to complete two chapters in a week as you will spend more time reading and   reviewing each chapter.

4. Prepare to study each chapter. Remind yourself that you will want to cover the chapter objectives and key terms for each chapter. You will also want to study in    an appropriate environment and have all the necessary tools available to aid in your studies (pens, highlighters, sticky-notes, etc.).

5. Read. Simply put, determine how much you plan to read each study session. Remember, you want to limit each study session to 45 minutes. You can have multiple study sessions each day if needed.

 6. Review: It is best to start off each new study session with a review of the previous session. If you completed a chapter your last study session, review the previous chapter’s end-of-chapter questions prior to starting the next chapter. If  you are in the middle of a chapter when you stop a study session, you will want to  review the chapter objectives and key terms before resuming the chapter.

As always, you can contact The College Network's amazing Customer Support team at 1-800-634-1443 for further explanation or to create a specific plan for courses. 

For once, traffic was not too congested on my way to work the other day, so I was afforded the luxury of stopping by the Starbucks near the office for a caffeine lift. While waiting on my drink, I noticed a young woman studying. I was surprised to see someone focusing on academics at 7:30 in the morning, but impressed nonetheless. That is, until I glanced at the textbook and realized it was covered in brightly colored markings in its entirety. It looked as if this individual highlighted every sentence, in every paragraph, on every page. And that reminded me of a technique that I share with customers at The College Network that I’d like to reiterate here.

Highlighting doesn’t automatically connect the dots for the learner. There has to be a purpose for the highlighting otherwise you just end up with pages that look as if Rainbow Bright herself hijacked your text book. Below are some suggestions pertinent to our Comprehensive Learning Modules in regards to effective Highlighting:

• Highlight information that is difficult to comprehend at first or is surprising or brand new information. This will cue the learner to revisit the particular section during review.
• Color-code the objectives with different color highlighters or pens. When the answer to the objective appears in the chapter section, then mark, highlight, or underline the information. This also makes it easier for learners to go back and review information later.
• Highlight the main ideas (“thesis statement” or gist) of paragraph or section. This works best when learners can then reword this section in their own words.

Remember: Highlight with a purpose! 

While you may have successfully completed the act of reading, you didn't absorb the information at a level which would allow you to comprehend and retain the information. This happens quite frequently with scholastic endeavors which is why periodic assessment is paramount! 

The wonderful aspect about our Comprehensive Learning Modules located in our Online Resource Center is that they contain a variety of self assessment tools that learners can use to gauge their level of understanding. From an interactive-key term feature to end of chapter quizzes and comprehensive practice exams, our modules offer each independent learner the opportunity to determine how well they understood the material they reviewed versus believing they think they understood. Even having an internal dialog with yourself asking, “What did I just read?” periodically while reviewing your information can be most helpful in progressing with your studies.

As always, contact our amazing Customer Support team at The College Network by calling 1-800-634-1443 if you ever need assistance with your Comprehensive Learning Modules. 

• Dental and medical appointments
• Create a list of things financial goals for the year
• Update my résumé and professional connections

This is a rather standard list of very basic tasks but you’d be surprised how many people don’t take care of their physical, financial, or professional wellbeing.

The medical appts probably don't surprise you and the review of financial goals probably makes sense to most people. But being proactive about your professional wellbeing is also one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your loved ones. So, every January I take an inventory of where I am professionally. This is a practice one of my mentors taught me long ago. Some years I am more on top of things than others but I try to ask myself these 4 questions every January. 

1. What did I achieve in the previous year?
2. What did I learn in the previous year?
3. Am I on the right path to reach my professional goals?
4. Am I still pursuing my professional ideal?

The answers to these questions tell me if I need to continue on the same path or make changes in order to reach my personal and professional goals. This approach has worked for me for many years. I have even passed this approach along to those I mentor so they can use it as a tool to help keep them on track.

Take a few minutes and ask yourself these 4 questions. Consider the answers thoroughly and determine if you are on the right track to reach your professional ideal. If you find that you haven’t achieved what you’d like or that you didn’t learn as much in the previous year as you needed to reach your goals, consider a change in direction. That change may mean returning to school or earning a professional certification.­ The College Network can help you earn your Six Sigma Green Belt, a Paralegal Certificate, or one of many degrees offered by our partner institutions.

Give The College Network a call at (1.800.395.1014) and talk with one of our Program Advisors about earning the education that will allow you to achieve the answers to these questions that will take you where you want to be professionally. 

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…it’s hard on some days to keep your head above water. How do you keep everything moving forward when so many people need so much from you?

If you have ever had this thought—let’s face it, we all have at one point or another—then you probably need to take a quick inventory of what you’re balancing on your proverbial plate by engaging in this simple exercise.

The Exercise

1. Stop everything. I know this seems impossible, but make it happen or the suffering continues.
2. Examine what's on your plate. Really think about how you spend your time and what truly matters to you.
3. Remove anything that shouldn't be on your plate. This might honk some people off initially, but those who care about you will understand. Everyone else will get over it. :-D
4. Now, consider how you approach work. Are you approaching work, tasks, and life with a plan? Do you know how to develop a plan that puts you where you want to be in life?
5. Develop a plan to get the things that matter done and done well.
6. Approach life with renewed energy as you put your plan into action.

If you get stuck on item 4 you're like many people (young and old) who are being limited by the way they think or how they approach situations that require reasoning skills.

In order to accomplish MORE, BETTER, FASTER, a person has to have strong cognitive skills so that they can effectively examine, evaluate, sort, decide, plan, implement, review, and revise.

By now, you probably see where I’m headed with this post. Everything we do in life is affected by how we think. In the very near future, The College Network is going to launch a powerful new web site to help our customers become more skilled in the area of thinking and learning. If you would like to know more about how to hone your skills and increase your ability to achieve more, better, faster call The College Network (1.800.395.1014) and speak with one of our Program Advisors about steps you can take to complete your education online or earn a certificate from a leading university.

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• Open-ended review questions (with immediate feedback)
• Multiple-choice quizzes
• Multiple-choice practice exams

In addition to these mastery assessment options, The College Network's customers are also provided with instructional objectives (accompanied by appropriate behaviors/responses) for each chapter/lesson. This approach allows us to demonstrate the level of cognitive processing required for learners to adequately prepare for their end-of-course exam. The diagram below provides a visual representation of the relationship between the instructional objectives, the mastery assessment options, and the end-of-course exam.

The College Network works hard to ensure that our learners not only earn credit toward the completion of their degree but also receive instruction on how to learn more effectively and efficiently. This allows each of our customers to experience success when they transition to their institution of choice as well as in their everyday lives.

For more information on how you can earn your degree working with The College Network and our partner institutions, call 1.800.395.1014.

It's no secret that the creation and evolution of the Internet has been one of the greatest things to ever happen to our society, and the virtues of the web (information, communication, convenience, opportunity, etc) are virtually endless. 

However, for all its greatness, the Internet does a poor job of telling us how to process the information that it provides -- and this is especially true in regards to consumer review sites.

Let me digress for a second...

It's likely that you found this blog through a search engine like Google, Yahoo, or Bing and in addition to our corporate website and blog popping up in the results, there may have been a consumer review site listed as well. If you're not too familiar with these sites, they are forums for people to anonymously express their opinions regarding a particular company or service. 

While I completely applaud the idea of keeping corporations in-check by allowing consumers to post their thoughts about the services they have received, I have to constantly remind myself of the following un-written truth:

People are much more likely to express negative opinions than positive opinions about a product or service they have received (especially when they can do it with anonymity).

Business intelligence is, by its very nature, dynamic; ever changing; and fast paced. A hybrid between teaching and forensics - my job provides the truth in a world of chaos and urgency. The data drives falsehood and lies from business decisions and provides the team the guidance needed to accomplish purpose.  Business Intelligence allows managers to see things more clearly.  In fact, the goal of Business Intelligence is to illustrate the picture so clearly that the picture is more than what it was originally. 

The College Network is more than just a resource to online degrees from leading universities.  Just as the picture to the left is more than a couple enjoy a view of a lake.  We are a team of adults like you who want more.  We believe there is more to education than just books.  We believe eduction should be inspired by life and integrated into our lives, whatever the circumstances!  We strive and push one another to:

• Make a difference
• Challenge the routine
• Have an impact

I encourage you to view the College Network Reviews.  You will find there are lots of educational opportunities.  Some like Associate Degree in Nursing ADN, Online Paramedic to RN Program, accelerated RN to BSN, MS in Nursing Management, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, and PMP Preparation course, but if you look through the surface, I hope you will see more than educational opportunities.

Some would say the purpose of Business Intelligence is to provide information as to what has been accomplished and how we are doing; key performance indicators.  Business Intelligence is so much more.  The goal is to use the data and information to go beyond the numbers.  Business Intelligence is clearly painting the picture so the future can be predicted.  The College Network is more than an educational services company.  The College Network is your team and support to finding a new life through education.