Education Articles from College Matching Service

This first impression process occurs in every new situation. Within the first few seconds, people pass judgment on you – looking for common surface clues. Since Distance Learning is a new concept or idea to some individuals, it is possible that they may have some common on the surface ideas on what this kind of education is all about. However, just like first impressions, they might be able to pick up some common fictitious beliefs on distance learning. One fictitious belief that people usually have is that distance learning schools aren’t as good as traditional schools. Another common fictitious belief that people usually have is that if you come from a distance learning university, employers will not accept your degree. Let’s see why these two beliefs should be corrected.

A common mis-belief is that distance learning schools aren’t as good as traditional schools. Online universities can offer as good an education as any traditional school. You just have to choose the right online program. Many quality programs allow students to interact with expert teachers and learn through multimedia software. Distance learning can help students develop skills, build a portfolio, and advance in their careers.

One other mis-belief is that employers won’t accept degrees from distance learning universities. While this may be true of “diploma mills” and other fake schools, degrees from properly accredited schools are accepted by employers in the same way that traditional degrees are accepted. In fact, there is usually nothing on a diploma to indicate that courses were taken online.

Before you enroll to take classes through an online school, check to make sure distance learning is really right for you. Earning a degree online can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. But, distance education is not for everyone. While some people thrive on the independence and freedom offered through such classes, others find themselves regretting their decision and wishing they had enrolled at a traditional school instead. Successful and happy distance learners have a few characteristics in common. Successful distance learners do just as well, without people looking over their shoulders; they never procrastinate; they have good reading comprehension skills; they can resist constant distractions; and finally, they feel alright about missing the social elements of traditional schools.

Through Distance Learning Centers (DLCs), it is possible to bring together development practitioners and experts at an unprecedented level—to share their experiences and learn from each other as they design and implement ambitious reform and change programs in developing countries. By eliminating the need for experts and practitioners to travel, training or other forms of knowledge exchange do not need to be delivered in a concentrated period of time. This gives more time and flexibility for participants to read more background material; prepare real, rather than simulated assignments related to their actual work; and to learn with their own (local) colleagues as a team. That is why it is deemed very important to get yourself an evaluation first and check whether distance education is the right kind of schooling for you.

Distance education has long had trouble with testing. The delivery of testing materials is fairly straightforward, which makes sure it is available to the student and he or she can read it at their leisure. The problem arises when the student is required to complete assignments and testing. Online courses have had difficulty controlling cheating in quizzes, tests, or examinations because of the lack of teacher control. In a classroom situation a teacher can monitor students and visually uphold a level of integrity consistent with an institution’s reputation. However, with distance education the student can be removed from supervision completely. Some schools address integrity issues concerning testing by requiring students to take examinations in a controlled setting.

Assignments have adapted by becoming larger, longer, and more thorough so as to test for knowledge by forcing the student to research the subject and prove they have done the work. Quizzes are a popular form of testing knowledge and many courses go by the honor system regarding cheating. Even if the student is checking questions in the textbook or online, there may be an enforced time limit or the quiz may be worth so little in the overall mark that it becomes inconsequential. Exams and bigger tests may be harder to regulate.

Used in combination with invigilators, a pre-arranged supervisor trusted with overseeing big tests and examinations may be used to increase security. Many Midterms and Final examinations are held at a common location so that professors can supervise directly. When the Internet became a popular medium for distance education many websites were founded offering secure exam software and packages to help professors manage their students more effectively.

Getting into an online course may be very simple; however, there are numerous educational aspects to consider that the enrollee should think about and ponder on.

Class size is as important in online education as it is in a traditional college classroom. Investigate average class sizes at the institutions you are considering.

Find out about the faculty in the program(s) of interest to you. What degrees do they hold and from what institutions? What experience have they had “in the field”? How long have they been teaching? Have they had prior experience teaching online classes? Get answers. And, if more than one or two faculty hold degrees from the college at which they are teaching, be careful. It is often a bad sign.

How easy does a college make it for you to contact your instructor or a tutor if you have questions or need help? The level of support offered to students varies considerably from college to college. Choose one in line with your needs and expectations.

One of the great things about online degree programs is that you can begin almost anytime. So, don’t let anyone (including a college admissions officer) rush you into beginning until you are ready to put in the time and effort required for success.

It is very important that you do the proper research and really think about what you want for your online course because it will dictate the way things will work out during the duration of your study. Taking into consideration the different aspects above will greatly help you in this endeavor.

Regardless of what some websites or online colleges ask you to believe, accreditation is very important because it ensures that an institution meets or exceeds an established set of educational standards. As a result, courses from an accredited online college are most likely to be transferable to other colleges and universities, and degrees from an accredited college are far more likely to be valued by both your current employer and prospective employers considering you for a position. Online education can move you ahead in your career, but only if you attend a credible, accredited college or university.

Beware of accreditation claims. Many questionable “accrediting agencies” exist. Some are outright frauds, offering “accreditation” to any institution willing to pay a fee. In fact, operators of some well known degree mills also run these so-called accrediting agencies. State licensure, by the way, generally means little more than a minimal investment in assets and/or registration as a business entity. While most colleges offering online education are wholly legitimate, beware of those that are not…many exist. Your safest bet is to trust only accrediting agencies approved by the United States Department of Education. Be sure that the colleges and the degree program(s) you are considering “fit” with your long range educational plans. For example, if you are thinking about enrolling in an online associate degree program and later hope to earn a bachelors degree (online or on campus), find out how likely it is that your associate degree coursework will transfer by asking for a list of colleges which have accepted such credits.

There are certain questions that students ask when looking for a good online program:

How is the course presented?

Investigate the method by which the instructor gives lectures. Does the instructor simply put the lecture online as text? Are there accompanying slides? Is there any interaction? Is there video or audio? Are exams given? How are assignments turned in? The format of the course is sometimes as important as the content. Great content is more easily absorbed if it’s done in a dynamic and innovative manner that involves interaction between the student and instructor as well interaction with the content itself. Online learning technology provides many opportunities for innovation. Find a school that takes advantage of it.

How do students interact with each other?

Is there an established method for interaction and congregating? Online programs can use chat rooms, instant messaging, teleconferencing, and video conferencing to communicate. The key is to find a program that has this interaction built into it and even requires it. How the online community functions should be very important to both the instructor and the educational institution.

Are the instructors qualified?

Check out the credentials and degrees the instructors hold, as well as their knowledge of online learning and its differences from classroom learning. What kind of support do the instructors get for their online courses? If technical problems arise, is there someone to turn to? A school that is dedicated to its online programs will have the development staff and the support staff to make it successful. Instructors (and students) have to be able to adapt to changing technology.

There are ways in which online degree holders can defend the quality of their education. Information is available to those who are being hesitant about getting a degree. But how do you make employers aware of these studies and the quality of online education? How do you convince someone evaluating your credentials that your master’s degree, earned late nights in front of your computer or sitting in airports, was as rigorous and thorough as one earned the old-fashioned way?

As more and more people get online degrees and use them in the workforce, HR managers and hiring managers will begin to feel more secure about the quality of education these people have. If the studies that were done by Thomas L. Russell and John Losak — showing the quality of online education to be as good as or better than that of traditional education — hold up on a larger scale, then the future of getting jobs and advancements based on online degrees will be bright.

Until then, choose schools carefully, and check for accreditation and strong programs. When you’ve completed the degree, go to job interviews armed with information to counter any questions about the quality or validity of your degree. Make sure the interviewer knows how you achieved the degree, how you worked it into a busy schedule, how you overcame any obstacles. If you demonstrate the skills and abilities that you have learned from the online course during the interview, it will show a self-motivation and discipline that may be just the qualities the company is looking for.

The big question in everyone’s mind is, “Is an online degree from an accredited college or university seen by potential employers as a lesser degree?” The jury still seems to be out on this. On the plus side, the IT fields appear to place more value on online degrees because of the nature of the work itself. As would be expected, human resources (HR) professionals tend to place more value on degrees from established universities rather than virtual universities they’ve never heard of. A career network Web site did a survey of 239 HR professionals and found just that. According to the results, which were released in February 2001, 77 percent of respondents believe that an online degree earned at an accredited institution like Duke or Stanford is more credible than one earned at an Internet-only institution.

Here are some other findings from Vault’s study:

Twenty-six percent believed that online bachelor’s degrees were as credible as traditionally earned bachelor’s degrees, while 37 percent believed that online graduate degrees were as credible as traditionally earned graduate degrees. This perhaps follows the idea that people seeking graduate degrees are doing it online because it’s their only or best option due to current job demands. These people may be seen as more driven and self-motivated.

The most commonly cited drawbacks of online education were the lack of social interaction with peers (61 percent), lack of data about the effectiveness or quality of the education — it’s too new to gauge (53 percent), and loss of real-time teacher/student exchange (39 percent).

The three industries most likely to embrace online degrees were Internet/New Media (70 percent), Technology (46 percent), and High Tech (44 percent). Media and Marketing (29 percent), Telecommunications (29 percent), and Consulting (22 percent) followed.

The three industries least likely to embrace online degrees were Medicine (68 percent), Law (56 percent), and Health Care/Bio Tech (52 percent). Academia (44 percent), Government (22 percent) and Finance (18 percent) followed.

Earning a degree if you’re working (or simply busy) isn’t as hard as it used to be. A lot of people are becoming poorer nowadays. The current upheaval in the global financial system causes people to become more careful about spending their money.

With many people facing a clear and present danger of losing their jobs, the smartest move would be to stretch one’s money as much as possible. Because you’ll never know if tomorrow you will still have a job. They tend to purchase the cheaper brands of basic necessities such as food and clothing. With this kind of financial crisis, students are also becoming wary of the amount of money they will be spending when going to college. Nowadays, not only prices of basic needs and commodities are going higher, but the price of matriculation for college education keeps on increasing as well. That is why new means of acquiring education came into being. This new way is getting an online degree. Online degrees allow you to get the kind of education you need without ever stepping into a classroom.

All that you need is a computer with internet connection and you’re all set. It may require some technological know-how, current computer equipment, and a lot of self-discipline, but it is definitely easier and more effective than it used to be. The time, distance and financial constraints of higher education have all but disappeared with the arrival of online degrees.

If you’re already in the workforce but would like to earn a degree, then the opportunity is there.

In response to the escalating cost of higher education, many people have begun questioning the value continuing their formal learning beyond high school. Questions as to whether the high cost of tuition, the accumulation of thousands of dollars in debt, and the opportunity cost of choosing college over full-time employment weigh heavy on the minds of those who are wondering if the investment will be worth it in the years to come. The expense of high-priced tuition and other college fees poses an especially significant threat to families living on a low-income, already struggling to make ends meet. In an effort to decide whether or not higher education is actually worth the investment, facts regarding the value of higher education and the rates of return on the investment both to the individual as well as to society should be examined.

Taking into consideration the monetary problems people interested in further studies face, new alternatives for formal education has come about. One substitute for going to regular universities is through taking up a formal degree in the internet. Online degrees are specifically designed for aspiring career professionals and working adults who want to further their education without placing their career on hold. There are many colleges and universities that provide a large variety of continuing education, associate, bachelor, master and doctoral degree programs that can help you achieve your personal and career goals as quickly as possible. These online degrees not only help people acquire the type of education they need without the disruption of their careers, but they also provide extra convenience to those who don’t have enough resources to be able to afford the commute of going to and from the school.