Online School of Business Classes Offer Convenience

By Mauricio Minotta

Ann Socolofsky was feeling pretty ambitious when she enrolled for half of the classes she needed to receive her Jewelry Business Management diploma from GIA. A single mother of two children and a former family physician, she is used to working a heavy schedule.

As a student taking Accounting Basics, Ethics and Law, Principles of Management and Entrepreneurship, she spends her days completing reading assignments in the morning, discussing the latest class topics with classmates in the afternoon and working on her homework at night – all while juggling her family life and without setting foot on GIA’s Carlsbad campus.

Socolofsky is among the first group of students to enroll in GIA’s Online School of Business. The Topeka, Kansas, native says it was the best option available to her to work toward her goal of starting a retail jewelry business.

“There aren’t very many classes for the jewelry industry available in Topeka. And since I have my kids, it’s very difficult to pack up and go somewhere for a year or two to do any studying,” Socolofsky says. “So Distance Education works out really well for me.

“I was pretty ambitious this time around, but next time I probably won’t take as many classes at once,” she says. “That’s another good thing [about the program]. You can fit it into your life schedule like that.”

How It Works
Students must successfully complete four required classes and choose an additional four out of 13 electives to receive the Jewelry Business Management diploma. Each 10-week class is offered on a quarterly basis and all coursework, homework assignments, tests and class discussions are conducted entirely online through the Web-based eCollege platform.

The software is designed to simplify Distance Education students’ experience by organizing all course materials in a single area of the site. Students find the various sections and content that will be studied and discussed on each class’s home page. It also includes each week’s assignments and the deadlines for completion.

In addition to the required textbooks, online students also have access to EBSCO, a virtual library and database that houses up-to-date academic and business journals – many of which contain articles pertaining to the jewelry industry and are the subject of virtual classroom discussions, says Vilma Vallillee, assistant professor for GIA’s School of Business.

“The students learn the concepts and theory from the textbooks, but they are designed to complement their assigned readings of articles in EBSCO,” she says.

Much like a real classroom, Vallillee posts various topics or concepts to consider before students start their reading assignments.

‘Classroom’ Discussions
Participation counts online, too, so students are required to join in virtual classroom discussions on the message board by typing in their thoughts or opinions on any given topic for the week – all of which is monitored by the professor.

“Chats are fun,” Socolofsky says. “It’s nice to have the discussion where we’re able to actually discuss things with instructors and other students.”

On occasion, and depending on everyone’s schedule, students and the instructor participate in real-time chats, which provide a more classroom-like experience, Socolofsky says.

“That’s a lot of fun because it’s more interactive. Our instructor usually has really good points to make that we can go over in more detail,” she says. “We can ask questions and get them answered directly.”

The online chats and discussions have proven to be especially beneficial because they provide the opportunity for dialogue and perspective from students who come from different areas of the jewelry industry, Vallillee says.

For someone like Socolofsky, however, who has no experience in the industry, but has plans to start a business, the chats are an invaluable window into the industry.

I get a lot more input from people who are in the jewelry industry and the instructor e-mails us with lots of information on current events,” Socolofsky says. “These are things I probably wouldn’t read about from my resources in [Topeka]. So it gives me a much broader perspective about what’s going on.”

Students also take their quizzes and tests online, and, again, much like a real classroom, they are timed and graded by instructors.

“Tests range from multiple choice and true/false, to short answer and essay. It just depends on the class,” Vallillee says. “But it can be timed, and the system allows us to monitor the length of time it took each student to complete their test.”

Socolofsky expects to complete her studies within the next year. It all depends on her schedule. But so far, the classes she’s taking online have offered her the opportunity to conveniently work toward a new career from the comfort of her home.

“I’ve taken some accounting classes before, but I’m probably doing the best in this one,” Socolofsky says. “In a previous class, I probably left feeling more confused. But on this one I feel like [GIA] has a good textbook and the instructor does a good job. So I’m learning a lot better.”

How To Earn Your GIA Business Diploma
Required:
     Accounting Basics
     Ethics and Law
     Fundamentals of Marketing
     Principles of Management

Electives (choose 4):
     Economics
     Entrepreneurship
     Finance
     Human Resource Management
     International Law and Trade
     Leadership
     Managerial Accounting
     Marketing Management
     Merchandising Management
     Retail Management
     Sales Management
     U.S. Business Law
     Visual Merchandising