Online Education?
I am looking for some real answers here, what is everyone’s deal with online education? Honestly, most of the people who answer questions regarding online education have you ever done it? Do you work for a major fortune 500 company and know how employers perceive the degrees? There are many fortune 500 companies that will reimburse your tuition for online education through programs at Capella or University of Phoenix, so why would they pay for them and then not accept them, that doesn’t make any sense. If you really read alot of the reviews people always seem to complain about the cost of tuition, who cares if someone is willing to pay it. A college education is very expensive no matter where you earn it. If a school is accredited then it is worth something. I read a post that someone wrote that accredidation is just a piece of paper and any school can be accredided, so if that is the case, then aren’t all schools pointless since accredidation means nothing. Any thoughts?
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February 17th, 2010 at 2:40 am
It looks like you got a lot of misinformation previously, and that’s not unusual on this site. Try to ignore the lame answers and focus on those with some actual knowledge to share.
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.