You might want to open college textbooks.

And we don’t mean that in the traditional sense. It is still summer after all.

Open textbooks are free textbooks available online that are licensed to allow users to download, customize and print any part of the text. Professors can change content to fit their teaching styles. Some authors offer a print-on-demand service that produces professionally bound copies for $10 to $20.

That means students can lower their total college costs by saving money on textbooks which can go up to $300 per textbook or beyond, with the average cost of a new textbook around $150.

According to an article in the USA Today, “textbooks account for 26% of tuition and fees at four-year public universities and nearly three-quarters of costs at community colleges.”

Open textbooks are a great way to lower prices. Besides the cost, online textbooks support the new trend in ‘going green’ and that open textbooks bring open knowledge through open access to information.

This trend is catching on. More and more profs and students are ‘opening up.’ 1,200 professors in all 50 states have signed a petition in favor of using open college textbooks.

Distance learning is becoming a trendy option in undergrad college education. But just because something is in style doesn’t mean it’s right for you. All you have to do is think about the latest craze of  neon fluorescent pants. They might be right for some but definitely aren’t for everyone. So how do you figure out whether an online college degree would be a good fit for you (even if you pass on the pair of highlighter yellow skinny jeans)?

To help you out, here are some benefits and drawbacks to distance education:

Benefits to going the distance

• An online bachelor’s degree means that you aren’t bound by physical disabilities, geographic location or socioeconomic status. In other words, if your college is too far and moving away is too expensive, or you have a physical disability that prevents you from attending, then you can still be a part of the college network. Plus, if you have traditionally been homeschooled, you might feel more comfortable with a distance learning option.
• An online bachelor’s degree education should not cost as much as attending a physical university because colleges do not need to pay for buildings, and instructors from all over the world can be in the same digital classroom—so tuition fees decrease. Plus you won’t have to pay for extra expenses such as room and board or transportation.
• With online courses, you can set your own schedule and work at your own pace. If you need to work part time, or if you stayed out late one night with your friends, you don’t need to show up for a 9 a.m. class. You can work when you want. (This may actually be a disadvantage if you are easily distracted by the Internet, which you are actually supposed to be using to study. Right?!?)
• Another definite plus, is that you can work at your own pace, according to your own needs. If you have learning disabilities, you can spend more time on specific areas and even repeat lessons as needed without slowing down the class. Also, if you already know the course material you can skip ahead!
• To some people, listening to a teacher or looking at a blackboard is boring. Online education allows you to look at colourful graphs, charts and hyperlinks. You can look up and further explore the topics you are particularly interested in.
• And maybe one of the cushiest advantages is that you can wear your PJs to class and no one will know. (Don’t worry, we won’t tell on you!)

Distadvantages

• The most important factor to look out for is whether the online college will actually provide you with a legitimate valid degree. You don’t want to spend all this time and money and having nothing to show for it. There are online colleges that are fraudulent or lack proper standards and are considered completely useless, and in fact may even lower your chances of getting a job. Therefore, it’s important to check whether the school is accredited, which means that they are registered as ”real” online colleges and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Watch out for diploma mills ( a.k.a. degree mills) which are organizations that award academic degrees and diplomas with little or no academic study, and without recognition from official accrediting agencies. Sometimes diploma mills even set up their own accreditation agencies to pretend that they are accredited. So double check that the accreditation agency is recognized by the Department of Education to make sure that your school is in fact legitimate.
• Another drawback to online learning is that you get little support from your peers. You can’t peek at your neighbour’s test, or ask them what the reading was about just before class. No teacher is going to look over your shoulder telling you to go to class or turn in an assignment. So you are going to have to seriously motivate and discipline yourself.
• There is also a lack of face–to-face interaction. You don’t actually get to see your professor or your peers. That means you lose the personal and social aspect of what it means to be in college. College is not just about coursework - it is also about socializing. You just have to watch films like Old School, Stomp the Yard or Van Wilder to know that half the fun of college is about joining clubs, making friends and partying– which you will most definitely miss out on if you go to college virtually. (Although if you are a loner, then online learning might actually be a benefit!).
• Student assessment and feedback are limited. Although in most online courses you can email your professor for help, you may have to wait for a response, and you can’t ask them a question every time something pops up. In other words, you have to figure out most of the material on your own.
• Last, but not least, online college degrees tend to have a heavier workload compared to traditional classes. Since you are typically not spending time in a specific weekly class, professors have to justify that time by giving enough work to compensate. So, if you think online courses are a “get out of school free” card you may want to rethink your navigation plan.

Getting Connected? Closing in on Distance Learning and Online College Degrees

Do you spend more time browsing and chatting online than you do attending classes? Heck, do you even surf the net while you’re in class?

Then you may consider teaming up these two activities in a more productive way.

Many schools now offer online college degrees —which means the time spent on your computer can actually benefit your education!

Unsure if you want to plug in?

You don’t need to make a full commitment right away. You can get connected slowly. For instance, let’s say that you have to return home from college during the summer months to visit your family; you can stay ahead of your class by taking online summer courses. So, you don’t have to go the distance with your distance learning. You can blend online learning with traditional courses as well, and take the time to see if it is right for you!

If you are thinking about digitizing your education, here’s CampusCompare’s guide to online bachelor’s degrees. (more…)