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Avoid schools that are completely online. Examples: Capella University, Walden University, University of Phoenix and any other school that is completely online and you can't visit in person. Believe me... it doesn't matter if you're studying online or not, during the course of your studies, from time to time you'll want to visit the school in person to solve a problem or for any other reason.
This is not accurate. University of Phoenix has campuses all over the country that offer in-person courses.
If you choose to attend a brick and mortar university that's far away, chances are that you are never going to visit it in person. I took online courses at a local community college that was not set up to handle problems by distance. So, I had to be inconvenienced by having to drive up there, stand in long lines, and sometimes deal with incompetent employees. In contrast, I attended a state university that is about 3 or 4 hours away from me. They were able to handle all of my problems easily by distance.
I have completed a bachelors and masters online. I've just completed a year in an on campus doctoral program. I don't see what the hype is about on campus courses. I'm at a higher-ranked school in a higher-level degree program, and I've found the work to be easier. Even with small class sizes, I've found that the amount of group discussion is much less than what I experienced in online programs. The only helpful thing about lectures is that they can allow you to skip the readings depending on the instructor and the course.
[*]If you're working and a longer semester program doesn't work for you, choose an on campus quarter program.
This is not an option for a lot of people. Quarter hour schools are in the minority and are becoming rarer. I'm not even sure there is a regionally accredited school near me that operates on the quarter hour system, and I live in a large city. If someone is trying to hold down a job, it's not like he or she can just pick up and move closer to a quarter hour school.
A lot of good info on here already. I will only add that if you do decide to go with a brick and mortar school's online program (accredited only of course) then make sure you set a schedule for yourself to,do the coursework. The graduate program I am in has a few online courses - mostly elective classes. I had one at the beginning of the program and have one this semester. I was really on the ball at the beginning of the program (almost 2 years ago) for my first inline class but of course now I am getting a bit tired of it and have slacked off on doing the work in a timely manner. It's like cabin fever or something.
Make a schedule so you don't become a slackard like me.
I did both online and on campus classes and here is how I see it.
- Take the classes you have little to no interest in online if possible. I did this with things like humanities, anthropology and sociology. They are usually easy to "crack the code" for if you pay attention. At my school, most online classes weekly work consists of a reading assignment, online discussion post(s) and a short 10-15 question quiz. It doesn't require much commitment and you can breeze through with an A if you want.
- Math and science courses are a mixed bag. I used to think that taking math on campus was the way to go, but I've since discovered that online seems to work better as you generally have a lecture video that you can re-watch if necessary. With science courses, I think they are better to take on campus unless you have a professor who posts video lectures and/or really good PowerPoint outlines.
I didn't like the online stuff. There was no interaction, didn't feel there was any real learning, the tests were 10x easier than on campus ones.
I feel in general, schools are becoming increasingly simply degree mills, and as a result you see the levels of actually educating declining.
You know most students don't participate in on-campus classes either right? You generally have that 10% of students who are highly motivated answering the questions for everyone while everyone just sits back and listens. At least with my online college (Penn State), its a requirement to post a 600 word response to chapter questions and than response to 2 other students response. Yes, at times I feel as though some students get away with it, but its no different from a physical classroom either way.
I will agree that going to an online college straight out of high school would generally be a bad idea, but some colleges offer gen-eds online now as well. I think once you get the gen-eds knocked out, its not so bad of an idea, especially if you are working full time. The way the online program is designed has a lot to do with its effectiveness as well (in addition to the actual student). For example, Penn State's online format for my masters is very well laid out compared to Arizona State's online format for my second bachelors which is not as organized, albeit it is a much newer program.
Also, the one advantage online schools have in terms of difficulty is the lack of multiple choice tests. There are much more essays, briefing papers, and response type questions than multi choice format that you get in an actual class. But then again, it completely depends on the types of classes you take. The highly technical ones like engineering or science might be harder, but there is little difference between the social studies and liberal arts ones on campus.
For me personally, I'm a highly motivated individual, so by not wasting time driving to/from class and listening to a lecture, I can listen to it online at my leisure and for ever how many times I want. Then I can simply read the book myself. When you think about it, most people don't even pay attention to or brain dump PowerPoint lectures as soon as they are done in class. I rather just save the time and essentially teach myself much of the material with a little help from the professor. I can understand if others need actual face to face interaction though.
Graduate students have more school experience, so they're more suitable for online schools. However, it depends on factors such as learning style, individual goals, etc.
Avoid schools that are completely online. Examples: Capella University, Walden University, University of Phoenix and any other school that is completely online and you can't visit in person. Believe me... it doesn't matter if you're studying online or not, during the course of your studies, from time to time you'll want to visit the school in person to solve a problem or for any other reason.
Sorry, but most of what you wrote here is false. Don't list schools like Capella, Walden, or Phoenix as "completely online" schools. Phoenix actually has physical campuses, but the problem is it is a diploma mill like the others. There are actual brick and mortar schools with VERY good completely online degree programs now that do not differ from the actual on campus ones. Penn State, the one I am attending, is probably the best laid out format right now IMO. But you also have George Washington University, University of Florida, Arizona State, University of Southern California, University of North Carolina, Florida State, and even an ivy league school in Columbia University going completely online for some programs. You'll never have to go to these schools ever either unless you plan to attend graduation which is an option.
Also, graduate students don't need more school experience, its actually the opposite. Grad students are selected "in theory" because they are supposed to be bringing their real life work experience in their sector to the classroom. Online is actually better for us because we are focused more on our careers than just school. The schooling is just to get us to another pay scale or advance our careers, not start it. So why can't a grad student just contribute from online and basically teach themselves? They are just applying theory to their practical work experience after all. I'm in an MPA program and I've had government workers, FBI agents, military officers, local cops, non-profit workers, healthcare officials, local government workers, etc. all in my classes who obviously have busy work schedules.
I have 3 young children, so it was either put off college until they are much older, take out loans to pay for daycare and after-school care... or go online. I'm about 2/3 of the way through my associates degree, and I'm taking it through a my local community college. Since I'm not a particularly sociable person, and I need to maximize my time, online is right up my alley. The easier classes to take online are the ones that require little direct instruction, like a humanities type of course, but otherwise it really depends on how your professor conducts the course. I had a class where there was no involvement from the professor, no lectures, no discussion board; just "here's your textbook, learn the material and turn in your assignments every Saturday." I spent most of my time googling You Tube tutorials to learn how to do the work. The other disadvantage I found is in filling out scholarship applications: it's tough to ask for a professor's letter of recommendation when you haven't even met him/her.
I was actually planning on transferring to a brick and mortar university after I graduate, but even though I am fortunate to have several local universities to choose from, none of them within an 1.5 hour drive has a good accounting program.
I've done both and my experience was in class courses were more challenging and enjoyable than online. Online definitely has a spot in education, especially with some subjects, but overall I had a better experience and enjoyed the classes more in person.
Is there a list of reputable online distance learning programs?
Leery of those for-profit diploma mills.
Western Governors University is non-for-profit. It's also regionally and nationally accredited. However, I would not recommend it right out of high school. Otherwise, solid option, and online only. For those of us already in our respective fields (mine being a healthcare) I'd say it's hard to beat the value of time and money.
Western Governors University is non-for-profit. It's also regionally and nationally accredited. However, I would not recommend it right out of high school. Otherwise, solid option, and online only. For those of us already in our respective fields (mine being a healthcare) I'd say it's hard to beat the value of time and money.
WGU let its national accreditation lapse, but it doesn't matter because national accreditation is useless once you attain regional accreditation. Continuing to pay DETC would have been an unnecessary expense.
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