With increased interest from hiring managers towards candidates who upskill and reskill through open online courses, and big gains in online enrollment at public colleges and universities since earlier this decade, the rise in online learning is a notable development for both job seekers and employers. Join Geographic Solutions’ corporate trainers Dan Fitzgerald and Ron Fish as they discuss technology’s role in lifetime learning, and share their favorite tips for leveling up your career in 2019.

1. Online Learning:
So Many Options, Where
Do You Start?
Building Integrated Workforce Development Systems

2. 2
Dan Fitzgerald
Trainer
DFitzgerald@geosolinc.com
Ph. 727.786.7955
Ron Fish
Trainer
RFish@geosolinc.com
Ph. 727.786.7955
Meet the Presenters

3. 3
Presentation Goals:
• Learners have dozens of online
options available that most of us
didn’t have in our Wonder Years.
• What are some of the top online
learning sites?
• What distinguishes one from the
other?
• How do students make intelligent
decisions when a world of options
are currently available?
Online Learning Options

4. 4
Who can forget the pivotal moment on Gilmore Girls when Rory decided to
go to Yale. Little did she know there were online options for Yale where
classes could be taken from the comfort of Starrs Hollow.
Online Learning Options
https://youtu.be/436h_1wuAd4

5. 5
Alison: Founded in 2007 in Galway, Ireland. Quickly developed into a
significant contributor to the online learning options available.
Online Learning Options: Alison

6. 6
• Over a thousand courses
• Course topics vary markedly from Microsoft to Safety in
the Workplace
• Courses are free. “Parchments” cost $75 to $150 US
• No true course certifications, no intention to seek
certification
• Courses vary in quality (Some IT courses date back to
2010)
• Significant success in lesser developed countries
• Ability to improve employability skills there but depends
on a number of factors
• Limited number of languages available
• Currently used for training with TANF, SNAP, WIOA
Online Learning Options: Alison

7. 7
Microsoft’s contributions to online learning
• Founded 2009.
• Originally offered free with vouchers to first 1 million people
• Grants available but courses
• Focus on improving IT related skills
• Elevate America expanded to Microsoft Non-Profits
• Platform now encourages Digital Transformation on a global scale
• Conclusions? Not what it used to be.
Online Learning Options: Elevate America

8. 8
Southern New Hampshire University
• Effective advertising, focus on adult education
and promoting employable skills
• Accredited programs through New England
Commission of Higher Education
• GradReports: 62% Degree Improved Their
Career
• Great reviews about online advisors and
faculty
• Tuition rates competitive: $52.62 per credit
hour
• Rated #1 in Most Innovative Schools
• Yes, SNHU bus travels the country to personally
deliver diplomas for online students
Online Learning Options: SNHU

9. 9
University of Phoenix
• True pioneer in online adult education and the
baseline for online learning sites since.
• Accredited programs thru Higher Learning
Commission
• Certifications, adult professional development,
certification programs, teacher recertification
• Undergraduate, masters, doctorate programs
• 2019 Top 5 Online Universities
• 400,000 students
• Annual cost to attend is $15,818
Online Learning Options: Univ of Phoenix

10. 10
edX
• 1,900 courses, including computer science,
business, other courses from 100 sponsored
institutions, including Harvard, MIT, Brown.
• 14,000,000 learners worldwide
• 52,000,000 enrollments
• Undergraduate, Masters, doctorate programs
• Many courses can be audited for free, but no
certifications
• Founded by MIT and Harvard
• Verified track courses range in price from $50
to $300.
• MOOCs, interactive online courses
Online Learning Options: edX

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Udacity
• Emphasis on building IT skills for employability
• Courses offered in AI, Data Science,
Programming, Autonomous Systems, Business
• Catch phrase: Build skills for today, tomorrow
and beyond
• Courses built by leading employers, including
Google, Amazon, IBM, Mercedes-Benz, DiDi,
AT&T
• True emphasis on increasing your skillsets,
including assistance with resumes and cover
letters
• 200 courses that are free. Offers Nanodegrees,
which cost from $199/mo or $2,000 10 mos.
Online Learning Options: Udacity

12. 12
Cognitive Class.ai
• AKA Big Data University
• Data Science, AI, Blockchain, Cloud
Computing
• Free, Earn Badges towards a
portfolio. Badges identified with
levels of course attainment
• Practical hands-on upskill
knowledge
• IBM initiative to spread big data
literacy
• Course limitations, earn badges
Online Learning Options: Cognitive Class.ai

13. 13
Code Academy
• Community Page with forums indicate trouble
in process flows for the classes
• Concept is optimistic at best
• Paths include Computer Science, Web
Development, Data Science, Code Foundations
with coding classes in four different
programming languages
• Free except for Pro Tier which is $19.99/mo
• Pro Tier allows users to track their progress
and get live support
• Live support is a good thing for self-paced
coding
Online Learning Options: Code Academy

14. 14
Skillcrush
• Another learn to code online site
• Starts with a 3 minute quiz to
determine if this site is right for
you.
• $549 or 3 payments of $220
• Special 9 mo program for $1,900
• Digital Marketing, UX, Web Design,
Word Press, Coding
• Webinars on related topics
• Courses receive high reviews
• No mention of certifications
• Courses seem well developed, but
degrees or certifications lacking
Online Learning Options: Skillcrush

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ed2go
• Strong emphasis on careers and upskilling;
“Career Certification Company”
• Wide assortment of courses: IT,
Construction, Arts, Business, GED, Computer
Programming
• Certification training
• Courses start at $149 each but go up from
there.
• Includes a Job Search link on the Home Page
• Catch all for a lot of careers
Online Learning Options: ed2go

16. • Am I just trying to understand the subject or prove a level of
competency?
• When searching for jobs you would like in the future, do they mention a
specific certification?
• How current is the curriculum? How much does that matter to your
specific situation. Time vs. Cost
“…there is a huge human-made gap between learning something and
demonstrating to the world that you have learned it sufficiently to be
“certified” as competent.” – Forbes magazine
When picking a program
16
Questions to consider:

17. • Resume - Favorably impress an employer
• Networking - Potential for networking with similar types of workers
• Resources – Access to additional information
• Self discovery – Find out what you really like and have an aptitude for
• Industry language – Learn how to talk the subject
Advantages of Online Learning
17
Being able to put an additional line on you resume isn’t the only
advantage

18. • If someone is willing to put in the effort to get the certification, that is 90%
of it.
• Shows making a commitment to a certain field.
• Accreditation is from somewhere that we have heard of.
• Nice if they know the institution, but not necessary.
• Know that we can research and may test your knowledge.
• In technology, a changing world is a given, expect to continue to go back to
keep up your skills.
• More than 80 percent of hiring managers report that IT certifications are a
medium or high priority in making hiring decisions.
Human Resources Survey
18
Thoughts from a recruiter:

19. • An online course aimed at unlimited participation and
open access via the web.
• Contains what traditional courses have, recorded lectures,
readings, and problem sets.
• Many MOOCs provide interactive courses with user
forums to support community interactions among
students, professors, and teaching assistants as well as
immediate feedback to quick quizzes and assignments.
• First introduced in 2006, a popular mode of learning by
2012.
When picking a program
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A Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is:

20. • ALISON
• Coursera
• Khan Academy
• Lynda.com
• Open2Study
• Peer to Peer University
• Stanford Online
• Udacity
• Udemy
MOOC
20
MOOC Examples:

21. • PMI, the Project Management Institute, an association of
Professional Project Managers.
• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Microsoft
• Most recognizable
• Cloud, Mobility, Data, Productivity, App Builder, Business
applications.
Types of Certification
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Who is certifying the credential?

22. Questions and Contact Information
Corporate Headquarters:
1001OmahaCircle - Palm Harbor, FL 34683
Ph: 727-786-7955 – Fax: 727-786-5871
Dan Fitzgerald
Trainer
DFitzgerald@geosolinc.com
West Coast Office:
234 Capitol Street, Suite A – Salinas, CA 93901
Ph: 831-757-4400 – Fax: 831-757-4401
www.GeographicSolutions.com
Ron Fish
Trainer
RFish@geosolinc.com
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23. Building IntegratedWorkforceDevelopmentSystems
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