Online College Degrees: Unplugged
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.
The Nuts and Bolts of Online College Degrees
Distance learning for higher education (a.k.a. online college degrees) is becoming an increasingly popular option at colleges and universities. Just a few years ago, an online degree was generally targeted towards adults who wanted to change careers or make more money at their current jobs, the disabled, students who were hospitalized and institutionalized or to those who lived too far away to attend a college physically. Also, online college degrees tended to be online sites that were not affiliated to traditional colleges.
Now traditional colleges and universities are offering all different kinds of online options. Many colleges are now offering online bachelor degrees and courses in addition to Master’s or PhD options. Distance learning is losing it’s negative stigma and becoming a part of mainstream learning. In fact, 63% of undergraduate courses learned in a traditional classroom setting are now offered online and many colleges now let you get your bachelor’s degrees entirely online. Even Ivy League schools have plugged into the trend. For instance, Harvard University has 100 online courses and two certificates which can be completed entirely online.
So What is Distance Learning Anyway?
Distance learning means that instead of having to show up to class, you get course material the old-fashioned way, through snail mail or more popularly through the Internet. Generally, you listen to the lecture online, read the assigned text and post comments to a discussion board that is monitored by the lecturer. You are then expected to respond to at least two comments from other students. You can even work on group projects, write exams (open book, obviously) and do your term papers online.
Is an Online Bachelor’s Degree Right for you?
Online learning has the potential to make college education available to virtually everyone (pardon the pun!). But that doesn’t mean that a distance learning higher education is right for you. No set class time, a flexible schedule and working alone may or may not fare well with you depending on your own unique needs. Check out the blog on the benefits and drawbacks of distance learning to help you decide if you want to go the distance.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 12th, 2008 at 2:56 pm and is filed under Hi-Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:47 pm
[…] not hard finding online schools offering distance and e-learning. What is hard is finding one that is accredited and legitimate. But what’s even harder is […]