Myths of Online Colleges

6 Common Myths of Online Colleges As online classes play more of a role in earning a college degree, myths about online learning remain. From personal accounts to research, we've learned that most of these myths just aren't true. Some Facts About Online Colleges It's growing: 8 to 20% From 2002 to 2008, the percentage of students taking distance learning courses, which include online courses'. 32% 6.7 million of the approximately 21 million college students in the U.S. were taking at least one online course". It's going to keep growing: College presidents predicted in a Pew Institute survey that by 2021, most of their students will be taking at least some of their courses online". It's popular with a variety of majors: The most popular online fields of study include": 27% 24% 23% 22% 22% Computer and Information Sciences Business General Studies Education Health Care Debunking the Online College Myths Myth Online course credits are not # 1 accepted or respected by employers. Technology has become more a part of business life, from smart phones to online conferences and training. Online learning doesn't seem so different anymore. From a 2010 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management": 79% of organizations surveyed had hired someone with an online 87% agreed that online degrees were viewed more favorably than five years prior. degree in the preceding 12 months. agreed that individual courses taken online (as opposed to online degrees) were equally credible to traditional university 55% said it would not matter in 73% hiring whether an applicant's degree came from a traditional or online college. courses. Myth Good professors don't want to teach online. With stories about some online classes having hundreds of thousands of studentsvi, the question about faculty and the quality of teaching arise. Experienced teachers are just as likely to be teaching online as those with less than 10 years of experience.* 64% 17% of faculty says it takes more time and effort to teach onlineix. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projected growth rate for post-secondary teachers between 2010-20vii. 34% of college faculty have taught online coursesvi. Myth Online classes are easier than in-person courses. As more students take online courses, the demand for quality in those courses has increased. Percentage of academic leaders surveyed by the Sloan Consortium who said learning results in online courses were equal to or superior to traditional classes. Percentage of faculty who say it takes more time and effort to develop an online course than a traditional class*. 85% Myth Respected schools don't W' offer online courses. Online learning is becoming more mainstream. More traditional colleges and universities aren't just offering online courses, but complete programs online. of academic leaders say online classes and degrees are key parts of their İong-term plans. of traditional colleges and universities offer online degree programsil. 69.1% 64.2% Online students aren't smart enough for traditional colleges. Myth As more colleges and universities offer online courses and degree programs, this myth is being debunked. Traditional students as well as non-traditional students are taking advantage of online courses. have some college education, but no associate's or bachelor's degreevi. 32% of all college students have taken at least one 47% course online. of undergraduates are "non-traditional" - living off-campus, financially independent, working as well as taking classes*. have a bachelor's degree and/or some graduate or post-graduate education*v. 73% 32% Myth Online courses are for anti-social people. People take online courses for a variety of reasons. Not liking people tends not to be among those reasons. A 2010 Distance Education and Training Council survey reported the top reasons people take courses onlinexix: 35% Accommodate work schedule Y 27% Convenience 12% Accommodate family needs * 10% Study at own pace 6% Lower costs The Bottom Line: More and more traditional as well as non-traditional students are taking online courses. A 2011 Pew Institute survey of college presidents found that half of them believe that a majority of students at their schools will be taking some of their classes onlinexx. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012154.pdf " http://educationdynamics.com/getattachment/Market-Research/White-Papers/ONLINE-LEARNERS-2013.pdf.aspx " http://pewintemet.org/Reports/2011/College-presidents/Report/Overview.aspx * http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012154.pdf V http://www.shrm.org/Researchy/SurveyFindings/Articles/Pages/HiringPracticesandAttitudes.aspx " http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/18/education/masters-degree-is-new-frontier-of-study-online.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Vi http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Education-Training-and-Library/Postsecondary-teachers.htmatab-6 Vill http://sloanconsortium.org/publications/survey/APLU_Reports IX http://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=1879 * http://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=1879 XI http://www.onlineleamingsurvey.com/reports/changingcourse.pdf k http://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=1879 xill nttp://www.onlineleamingsurvey.com xiV http://www. .com/reports/changingcourse.pdf leamingsurvey.com/reports/changingcourse.pdf http://sloanconsort org/publications/survey/changing_course_2012 http://educationdynamics.com/getattachment/Market-Research/White-Papers/Aslanian--Aduit-Students---CALEM-2013.pdf.aspx xvii petn: http://educationdynamics.com/getattachment/Market-Research/White-Papers/Aslanian---Adult-Students--CALEM-2013.pdf.aspx *vill http://educationdynamics.com/getattachment/Market-Research/White-Papers/Aslanian---Adult-Students---CALEM-2013.pdf.aspx http://www.detc.org/downloads/publications/DETC_Graduate_Survey_2010.pdf ** http://pewintemet.org/Reports/2011/College-presidents/Report/Overview.aspx