Overview
Some people are total introverts. They are more interested in staying in their rooms and exploring opportunities on the internet than socializing with fellow students. If this description fits you, then distance education is something that would interest you.
If you are looking forward to obtaining a high school diploma online, this article will provide the vital information required.
Let us first understand if obtaining a high school diploma is really the right thing to do or not.
Is it worth spending your time and resources? It actually is – you can earn a high school diploma online without being asked to attend classroom lectures!
Who needs this program?
Obtaining a high school diploma online is best suited for those who do not wish to or cannot attend regular classroom studies. This could be for any reason, such as physical constraints, or inability to study in traditional settings.
Students enrolled in online courses can easily achieve the required grades and start college or obtain jobs while most of their peers are still studying in traditional colleges. This is simply because traditional colleges require students to be physically present in classrooms whereas online colleges do not.
Thus, students have more independency in studying and submitting the assignments for the course they have enrolled in. Furthermore, online diploma courses enable students to pursue their hobbies in their spare time – quite a rarity in traditional settings!
Earning a high school diploma online
1. Where can you study for a diploma?
An individual can opt for private online high schools. These online schools function independently of government protocols. They have their own set of rules and regulations, processes and academic programs that vary from online school to school. However, the tuition fees are generally higher than traditional high schools as these schools charge parents for hardware and software requirements as well.
2. How does it work?
Online high schools are online institutions that enable students to learn the curriculum vie the internet. An online high school does not require students to be present in classrooms for lectures, seminars, presentations or tests. Students can review educational material online (on the website), attend webinars and online chat-rooms, discuss problems with teachers and professors online, and take examinations online.
3. Are online high schools legitimate?
Are they genuine? Are they recognized by academic institutions, government organizations and private industries?
Answer: Verify their accreditation.
It is imperative to know if the private online high school that you have chosen is accredited by a regional or national accreditation agency or not.
If it is not, it is not worth your while. Although a the level of a nationally accredited online high school is as high as a regionally accredited one, and both are well recognized by future employers, regionally accredited online schools are better if you would be transferring your credits to another college later on.
This is because credits from nationally accredited online high schools are not as widely accepted as the regional ones.
IMPORTANT NOTE: There are many online high schools that are not accredited and their fees are much less than the accredited ones. Are they worth enrolling in?
Obtaining a high school diploma from a non-accredited online high school might get you into trouble; such diplomas are unacceptable across government offices and even in the private sector. Their academic programs do not follow standardized guidelines and are thus not exhaustive enough to be considered for obtaining a high school diploma.
4. How is accreditation granted to an online high school?
Accreditation is a process by which an external agency reviews and evaluates the academic procedure and programs of an online high school as per standard guidelines. If the online high school meets its quality standards, it is granted accreditation.
An online high school diploma program can be accredited by a regional accreditation agency or by a national one. Both of the accreditation agencies are recognized by the United States Department of Education and Council of Higher Education and Accreditation.
There are six regional accreditation agencies and two national accreditation agencies in the U.S. But there is an important difference between them. Credits obtained from a regionally accredited online high school diploma program are easy to transfer across other states in the country. This is because the credits are accepted across other regional and national online high schools as well. However, very few schools and colleges accept credits attained from nationally accredited online high school programs.