In Brief
With more people wanting to get educated, but not having all the options available to them, there are newer ways to get the required edification, such as degrees offered by online colleges.
An online college can either be a virtual arm of a standard college, or it can be only an online college.
Many people do not consider online degrees as worthwhile propositions. They think that online degrees are a waste of time and money. They also believe that such degrees are not recognized anywhere.
There are many distance education schools (namely online colleges) available today, and you need to investigate which college is the best for you.
Here is some information that may help you, if you plan to earn a degree online.
Are these online programs worth anything?
It is quite natural to have apprehensions about something that you do not know about. In fact, when online courses were newly launched, they were widely rejected by many corporations and campus based educational institutions. But the situation has now changed.
Online degrees are gaining popularity. As per a recent survey conducted by Distance Education and Training Council, more than 70% of corporations consider online degrees as ‘more valuable’ and worthwhile than traditional ones.
Should you go for it?
The first question is – What is the real value of online degrees?
Is the Online Degree Credible?
Although surveys mark online degrees with a certain amount of credibility, how does one confirm the value attached?
The answer is: check the accreditation! The accreditation attached to the online degree is the key to its worth.
As for any campus based degree program, there are accredited online degrees and non-accredited online degrees. Therefore, the accreditation of the online educational institution must be checked carefully.
Let us acquaint ourselves with the merits and demerits of online degrees for understanding the value attached.
Merits of online degrees:
1. Ease of Access: The course material and instructions can be accessed anywhere across the globe, via an internet connection. It provides greater freedom to students and working professionals to study the course material.
- Genuine interactivity: Online courses provide students with a high level of interactivity. How? Since the students are geographically far from the teachers, they have more time to ponder over the facts and respond with logical reasoning and viewpoints. This is not so in case of traditional classes where intercommunication is immediate.
- Dissemination of information: Online courses have the advantage of reaching out to larger masses as compared to traditional studies. Furthermore, additions and amendments can easily and more quickly be disseminated to students.
- Documentation: The best part of online courses is that every material, discussion, presentation and interaction is electronically documented. Thus, a student can refer to such documents anytime, anywhere.
Perhaps the only drawback of an online degree is the kind of infrastructure it requires. An online course requires a sound IT infrastructure that can support the smooth functioning of online classrooms.
Employers’ Perspective
How do employers view online degrees and online educational courses?
Employers have begun to value online degrees. They feel that online degrees are much better than traditional classrooms.
The main reason for this is that employers have realized that online degrees cater to students who are self-starters, web savvy, well adapt to new technologies (e-learning), well-disciplined, and are punctual in meeting deadlines.
Comparing online Degree Programs Side by Side
The process of comparing online institutions and the online degree you earn is identical to any traditional college evaluation you would make. If you start an online research, you would probably make a short list of the comparison parameters.
You would essentially consider the following aspects:
- College accreditation (the most important)
- Program infrastructure
- Cost
- Program of study – minors/majors and subjects/courses learned
- Time-to-degree: the number of academic years it takes to earn the degree
- Recommendation – what other students say about this online college
Let us discuss some of the above aspects.
- College Accreditation
Different regions have different rules and regulations regarding colleges and education. For example, in the USA, online colleges are accredited nationally and regionally. To compare colleges side by side, you should investigate which of the colleges is accredited in your area (regional accreditation) or whether it has national accreditation. You may also want to verify whether the degree is recognized internationally.
In some cases, even though the college is recognized, some degrees that the college provides in that particular education stream might not be recognized.
Therefore, you should check which online college/university/school offers the degree that is accredited and accepted by other educational institutions (graduate schools) and by employers.
Further reading: College Accreditation
- Infrastructure/organization – Is the procedure simple?
The process of online education can either be simple or very complicated, depending on the college that you go to.
Some colleges have strict documentation, paperwork and other rules and regulations, while others have a relaxed documentation and atmosphere. Try to compare the simplicity of the procedure that you would need to follow in the case of both online colleges.
- The cost of the degree
Another aspect is the cost. Some colleges charge a small amount, while others charge a huge amount, depending on the amenities and services that they offer. You should consider whether you need the features and amenities that they provide. Although education is a costly affair, you should not risk your degree because of a cheaper option.
These are four of the most important aspects that you should consider before you decide on which online college you enroll in.
What else to check?
You would want to understand every aspect of the online degree. Such aspects include:
- Initial qualification requirements
- E-learning tools required
- Curriculum
- Learning time flexibility
- Schedule
- Technical support
- Examinations
How to proceed:
- Request detailed information – Every online college provides information about its degree programs. Download this.
- Contact the online college by phone – After you complete your online research, contact the online college and prepare a list of your own questions.
Good Luck!