YOUR GUIDE TO ONLINE SCHOOLS AND ONLINE DEGREE PROGRAMS
Available
to US and Canadian residents only
Find an Accredited Online
Degree Program in 3 Easy Steps
Degree Program in 3 Easy Steps
Traditional classroom-style learning is probably still the most efficient because it is more personal and allows immediate feedback both to and from student and teachers. However, many working adults are unable to to study at on-campus courses because of long or irregular working hours, frequent traveling, family obligations, or financial constraints. Online programs are useful for working adults who are seeking continuing education and who are enough disciplined and self-motivated to take classes from home.
HOW ONLINE SCHOOLS WORK
Online education uses a wide variety of technologies and types of media. A distance education is often based on so called course management systems (CMS), also known as a Learning Management System (LMS) or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). The examples of such systems are Blackboard, eCollege, and Moodle.
An online school normally delivers lectures via the Internet with streaming media or download options. Lectures are asynchronous, which means that they are recorded and posted to the Internet. Students log in to access the lectures at a convenient time. Students interact with teachers and other students primarily by e-mail or at online forums. The teachers may also establish time for telephone consultations. In average, you will need 2-3 hours a week for every credit you are enrolled. For example, a 3-credit course could require 6-9 hours per week of online learning and completing assignments.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most employers place a premium on some formal college education. Although in US private companies tend to pay more attention to experience and ability than to formal degree, federal and state organizations are more degree conscience. That's why it is important to assure your degree will be widely accepted.
The acceptance of the degree generally depends on accreditation of your school. In the US, accreditation of higher education institutions is a voluntary process that is implemented by private nongovernmental accrediting agencies. It is not conducted by the US government, but the US Secretary of Education publishes a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies that the Secretary determines to be reliable accreditation authorities. US Department of Education also recognizes the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), a nongovernmental organization that scrutinizes the quality of accrediting agencies. Particularly, USDE has a list of Accrediting Agencies Recognized for Distance Education, although online schools can be accredited by regular recognized accrediting agencies as well. Although each employer may have its own degree policy, if a school is accredited by an agency recognized by USDE or CHEA, its degree is equivalent to a degree granted by a traditional college and generally should be accepted by employers the same way as any other degree. For example, in US senior officers in fire departments are required to hold a bachelor's degree. The US National Fire Academy (NFA) sponsored an online degree program in cooperation with several accredited colleges and universities, that offer bachelor's degrees with concentrations in fire administration and fire prevention technology. In many cases, the same school may offer both on-campus and online education and its degrees are not even noted as online or on-campus, because they are the same degree. For example, Columbia University has a distance learning program called Columbia Video Network (CVN). At CVN the students earn the same credits as their on-campus counterparts, and that all CVN's graduate degrees are identical to, and indistinguishable from those earned by students on-campus at Columbia University.
Likewise, most higher education schools may accept accredited online school's credits through transfer.
Another reason to seek a school with proper accreditation is to be eligible for federal student aid or other benefits, although not every accreditation enables the schools they accredit to establish eligibility for the Federal student financial assistance programs. Also, in some states, it can be illegal to use a degree from an institution that is not accredited by a recognized agency. Finally, a proper accreditation will assure you are dealing with a legitimate college rather then with a diploma mill.
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USEFUL EDUCATION RESOURCES
Free online course material by OpenCourseWare Consortium
Distance learning guide