Why Learning Online ?
| There
is an extraordinarily fast-growing number of students nationwide and
worldwide who are turning to online
degree programs to complete or advance their educations
while they work, decisions that are driven by economics as well as by a
society that is increasingly mobile. Congress passed a law in March that drops the requirement that colleges offer at least half their courses face to face to receive federal student aid. The new law will undoubtedly attract more students and schools into the fledgling online industry. |
Foundation, reports that 65 percent of universities offering face-to-face graduate courses also offer graduate courses online. By early 2008, Eduventures predicts, about one in 10 college students will be enrolled in an online degree program.
"It's only going to grow," said Richard Garrett, an analyst with Eduventures. "The largest high school graduating class in U.S. history is expected to be 2009. There is going to be a lot of pressure on these students to get education in a competitive market."
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The key factor of this trend is the " flexibility ". Online learning is a wonderful and innovative way to obtain a degree without any change in the lifestyle and family responsabilities. Yet, success occurs most often when flexibility is on one hand and pared closely with discipline on the other.Most of online classes are scheduled like traditional classes. There are due dates and timelines. For those students who want to attend college but need more flexibility than the campus can offer, online learning is a wonderful alternative. But, "Discipline" is required to ensure the success that is necessary to complete curriculum goals. |
Critics
of e-learning have long said that learning alone through a computer
does not provide the enriching intellectual exchange that in-person
classes offer. In addition, they say that because the industry is so
new, naive consumers may not know the difference between accredited
institutions and fly-by-night operations that imply accreditation and
charge steep prices.
Most educators and industry executives acknowledge
that e-learning may not be right for young learners who have not
developed the discipline needed to work independently.
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Some college administrators predicted that the online learning trend would explode a decade ago as the Internet became more popular, but some traditional schools over-committed before they understood the market. With much fanfare, Columbia University and New York University both launched online learning programs between 1998 and 2000, but they did not offer what some students wanted: a degree. Both programs closed. Stanford University today offers online master's degrees in certain sciences, but most elite schools have looked down their noses at online degrees. |
The University of Phoenix, the nation's largest for-profit online school, initially catered just to distance learning, and it is one of the few that has grown dramatically, by advertising heavily and targeting adult students. But it does not offer what some consumers want: a degree from a traditional brick-and-mortar institution.
At the University of Massachusetts, administrators knew from the beginning that there was an adult market that wanted and would pay for a brand name. "We really understand our audience," said Jack M. Wilson, the president of the university, who started the online venture in 1999. "Students are very different when they are older."
Wilson said his average online student is between 24 and 50, and working. The key for the school, he said, was to create an Internet entity that would blend seamlessly into the university -- admission standards are the same, degree requirements are the same, and the regular faculty is used and paid extra to teach online courses.
Massachusetts's online program offers 61 degree programs, having added 21 this year, and it has quadrupled its enrollment since 2002. In fiscal 2006, revenues for the online school grew 28 percent, and enrollment jumped 20 percent.
Schools that have taken on e-learning in a serious way say producing good, organized courses is labor intensive and expensive. For example, Massachusetts and Maryland's University College provide 24-hour library and technical support to students.
| In
1999, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities launched
JesuitNet, a collaborative effort in distance learning that allows 28
Jesuit schools to consolidate expenses and share coursework. They
started with half a dozen degree offerings and now offer 45 degrees and
380 courses. One of the schools, Fairfield University, found that by offering summer classes online, it was able to keep revenues that students would otherwise have spent elsewhere. Within three years, the school went from 20 online summer courses to 40 -- all fully subscribed. |
The decision to attend college online is a big decision. Get start today for your future. In a very short time you will have your General Education Diploma in your hands. Just remember: Discipline is one of the main factor of success when learning online.