Maximizing an Online Education
Rebecca Kern

 

How to choose a program wisely and succeed at earning a degree in cyberspace

With a slowly recovering economy and high unemployment, more people are using online educational programs to learn new skills in order to transfer into new careers or advance in their current fields. Approximately one fourth of the 19 million students enrolled in higher education were registeredenrolled in at least one online course during the fall of 2008. This was a 17 percent increase from the previous year, according to a 2009 report by Sloan Consortium and Babson Survey Research Group. Today, online education programs have become commonplace, with more than 3,300 of the roughly 4,500 U.S. colleges and universities offering at least one online course. More than 1,700 of these schools offer completely online degree programs, according to a 2009 survey by Babson Survey Research Group.

Online education experts weigh in on how to find the right online program and how to successfully complete a degree or certificate program online:

Accredited. First and foremost, make sure the program is regionally or nationally accredited by an established accrediting agency. The online degree and certificate programs should meet the same standards as traditional brick-and-mortar higher education institutions. The standards are determined by six regional accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Most online universities list their accreditation visibly on their websites. If it's not listed on the site, find the school's physical headquarters and contact the accreditation association for that region. Another consideration is the reputation and experience a school has within your specific career field of study. In addition to overall academic accreditation for the school, you should make sure that the department and degree programs have specialized accreditation by reputable professional associations, such as the American Bar Association and the American Dental Association. You can search for the regional, national, and programmatic accrediting agencies in the Department of Education's database (http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.aspx)or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation's list (http://www.chea.org/search/).

Accreditation affects a student's ability to transfer credits to another institution. If a student attends a nationally accredited school and wants to transfer to a regionally accredited school, it may be difficult to transfer credits, says Scott Traylor, the director of admissions for online education at Bryant and Stratton College, which offers online courses and has 17 campuses across four states.

Access to a physical campus is another factor to consider when choosing an online program. Some universities, such as Walden University and Capella University, offer online instruction only, with no physical campuses. Other schools, such as the University of Phoenix and DeVry University, offer "blended" instruction that includes both online courses and classes at campus locations across the country. "Some people are more comfortable taking online courses when there is an on-site location, knowing there is a physical location they can go to," says Steve Riehs, the president of online services at DeVry University, which has more than 100 campuses nationwide. In fact, the Department of Education released a study in June 2009 that found that blended instruction was more effective at improving student achievement across a variety of subject matter than purely online or face-to-face instruction.

The quality of the faculty is also a key consideration in selecting a program, says Kenneth Hartman, the academic director for Drexel University Online. He recommends that prospective students research the background of the school's faculty, the number of full-time and adjunct professors, their accessibility, and their experience teaching in specific subject areas. He advises students to select instructors who have received training to teach online. "The quality of the faculty is ultimately what you're paying for," Hartman says. "You're paying for a knowledgeable person who's able to take the available technology and help you learn."

Online students are likely to face the same tuition and fees as students on campus, according to Babson Survey Research Group. It found the expenses the same for online versus traditional students at 55 percent of 1,700 institutions surveyed in 2008. However, students can save money by going to school online because they do not have to pay for the expenses of commuting to and from campus. Furthermore, many companies offer tuition reimbursement for employees who enroll in an education program that is relevant to their field of work, if they maintain a certain grade-point average. This could save money for those who take programs online. The eLearners Advisor is an assessment tool that is a good resource if you're unsure if you're a good match for an online education program, says Andrew Gansler, the website's president. This assessment determines your preparedness to enroll in an online degree program and helps you find online degrees that match your educational and career interests.

Motivated. One of the strongest indicators of success in an online program is a student's level of self-motivation. "If you're looking at adults going back to school online, the most successful are those that are highly motivated. They also are engaged in the process and where it's leading to and understand that it is a career steppingstone," says Lisa Gualtieri, the editor-in-chief of eLearn Magazine, a publication by the Association for Computing Machinery.

Students have to be technologically capable in order to perform well in an online course. Students must have access to an up-to-date computer with Internet capability and basic technology proficiency to navigate the learning management system that the school uses to run the online course. In addition to being adept at E-mail messaging and typing, they must be competent at creating pdfs and combining video, text, and chat features within an online presentation, Gansler says.

Online courses are typically delivered asynchronistically, allowing students to watch recorded course lectures on their own time schedules. The other course format is synchronistic, in which students attend virtual live course lectures at scheduled times. Under both formats, students can view recorded lectures, talking PowerPoint slides, readings, and videos online. Chat rooms and discussion boards are often used for students to discuss homework or coordinate group projects. "For asynchronistic courses, because you don't have to be there for the live lectures, it makes it more important that you are self-disciplined," Gansler says. "Students also need a support structure from their friends and family to ensure success."

Other keys to success: Students have to set a weekly time commitment to do well in an online course. Maria Andersen, the higher education editor for eLearn Magazine, suggests allotting at least eight to 10 hours a week for a three- to four-credit class. And check college E-mail, as essentially all communications are via E-mail, Andersen advises.

A major factor is being involved in online class discussions. "The beauty of taking courses online is that you can't hide online. A good instructor is going to monitor and evaluate you on the degree that you participate," says Hartman with Drexel University Online. "The tools to access learning and participation online are light-years ahead of what you can do while teaching face to face."

Students are finding that the skills they learn position them well in the job market. "With employers, online schooling wasn't a problem," says Nicole Stephens, who earned her bachelor's in business administration online through Bryant and Stratton College. She got a job in the billing office of Kaleida Health in Buffalo the same month she graduated. "A lot of people are starting to go to school online now because it is more convenient. I don't think it's looked at any differently."

 

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