Wow, I’ve seen a lot of clueless people, but this post takes the cake.

I teach onground for a college and also online courses. People that take online courses are usually in the military, working 45+ hours, have familiies, and / or don’t have a college nearby that offers the courses they need. They are much more motivated than the traditional students I have onground, and generally score higher in comparable courses.

First thing that you need to do is find out if the college is regionally accredited, you can check at http://www.chea.org. This means they have been reviewed by an independent third party, so that you can rely on their program.

For something like medical transcribing, you’ll have no problem having your degree accepted, we have no problem with placement. Keep in mind, a degree is just one component of the hiring process.

My background: I have taken online courses (through a UC and a community college), and I teach at a community college and half of my courses are offered online. In answer to your questions:

1) Accreditation: Yes, it means something–big time. If one goes to an unaccredited school, the units won’t transfer; the degree is simply an expensive piece of paper; public funding is not available; the units earned will not count toward licensure or certification, as required in some fields; and the minimum standards necessary for what is considered a "quality" education have not been met. "Quality" refers to specific educational standards. See this link to the US Dept. of Ed. for more information, and links to accreditation agencies: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html

2) Online education: Just as or sometimes more rigorous than traditional brick-and-mortar courses, so long as they are offered at an accredited institution. At my college, the research department found that the students who select online courses are the better students in the institution (earning higher grades) in BOTH the courses they take on campus and the courses they take online. In other words, the students choosing to take online classes are the ones who, in the traditional class, tend to set the curve I think this is because the online courses require more discipline, and thus, a higher level of commitment and perseverance, so those students with those qualities select the online challenge. But I digress.

3) Fortune 500 company: No, I do not work for a Fortune 500 company; however, given the competitive nature of those businesses and the demanding nature of the online learning environment, I can see how those compliment one another.

I hope that information helps you some.

Our local community college has been offering online classes since 1997 and offers currently 9 Associate Degree programs completely online along with 100+ classes online. They also have traditional classes. The online classes have students from all over the country.

These programs are not like the self paced ones you see where you order a kit and do it all on your own and then get some certificate. These are real accredited junior college degrees.

I bet your local community may even have a college with online degree programs.

And as a note our school has both high transfer rates and high employment in field rates.

If the child has the opportunity to attend a brick and mortar institution, I would suggest that. However, if this is in a combination of home schooling, then there are still networks of home schoolers that allow the interaction with other children. Children need to learn communicable and social skills.

That would be my main concern. So, if it is an issue of distance or you have already decided in home schooling, then enhance it with an online program. However, if it the b&m school is available and it is a decent school, stay with the traditional format.

I hope this helps a little.

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