Is Online Learning Right for Me?

IS ONLINE LEARNING RIGHT FOR ME? Online education is the fastest growing form of education today. ШЦ But, this innovation in learning is causing people to question whether online schools are less advantageous than traditional face-to-face institutions. The answer varies depending on the prospective student's situation. We are here to help you decide if online schools are for you. PROS AND CONS OVERVIEW: PROS: CONS: • Minimal Life Interruptions • No Travel Time/Cost • Convenience • Flexibility • Overall Cost • Accessibility • No Instructor Face-Time • Negative Reputation or Perception • Technology Requirements • Limited Support • No Campus Atmosphere • Lack Of Personal Satisfaction IП THE ADVANTAGES 61% OF BEING ENROLLED IN ONLINE SCHOOLS: of CEOS and 2$ • Typically, you pay less in tuition and books than you would at most small-business traditional face-to-face colleges. owners in the • More flexible class schedules help accomodate existing time commitments United States who are such as full-time work, or odd job shifts. familiar with • No time lost in commuting to and fro a college campus, also saving you online money on gas and parking costs. programs • Online schools are able to offer programs not always available locally. • Whereas regular college degrees could take four or more years to complete, RARE! 83% Online College Degrees can be completed at an accelerated pace. • Managing your online education will sharpen your organizational skills as of them find well as your technological savvy, both of which are great resume offerings. online • Having classmates from different walks of life as well as from various degrees as credible as geographic locations allows for an exciting exchange of social and cultural traditional information. degrees. IN 2009, A STUDY RELEASED BY THE US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FOUND THAT, ON AVERAGE, STUDENTS PERFORMED BETTER THROUGH ONLINE COURSES THAN IN TRADITIONAL FACE-TO-FACE CLASSROOMS. THE DISADVANTAGES OF GOING TO SCHOOL ONLINE: IN ADDITION TO THESE DISADVANTAGES, THERE ARE JUST SOME SITUATIONS WHERE ONLINE EDUCATION IS NOT A GOOD OPTION- USE THIS CAUTIONARY FACT LIST TO SEE IF THIS IS TRUE FOR YOU: • If you have the financial means and credentials to attend a traditional college, do it: Studies show that traditional colleges get more respect from employers and people in general than most Online Schools. • Most of the time, degrees earned online won't earn you • Studies show that for entry-level jobs in the fields jobs that are capable of paying off your financial aid: of accounting, business, engineering, and Studies show that less than half of students enrolled in informational technology, companies will more likely choose someone with a traditional degree online programs are able to repay their debts. over someone with an online degree. • It's easier to start and stop an online education because • Some Online Degrees are from non-accredited of it's flexible nature, and because of this you're likely schools, which are of little value to employers and to accumulate further debt the longer you stretch it out: companies. Studies show that online school students are twice as • There is no valuable face-to-face time with likely to take on debt for an associate's degree as classmates and professors, potentially dulling opposed to committing to paying off the tuition up social interaction skills necessary for the front and in full. workplace. • Not having the right credentials such as a high school • Also, the lack of face-to-face time takes away a hands-on, demonstrative approach that could be a diploma or GED can still get you an "online degree": better learning style for some. There are students who don't check the reputations or • Going to school Online requires a great deal of accreditation of lesser online schools, and as a result self-motivation and organization, and without pay a huge amount of money for a useless degree. these you are likely to fall behind and potentially • Going to school online means having a basic level of not complete the program. technological literacy: if you don't know the basics of • At the end, students who graduate from a using a personal computer, nor own your own, then the traditional school seem to exhibit more personal purpose of substituting learning ONLINE for satisfaction from their alma matter, whereas traditional means is wholly defeated. students enrolled online do not. DEMAND INCREASE FOR MORE OF EXISTING PROGRAMS IN 2009 TRADITIONAL ON-LINE 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% DEMAND FOR MORE: DEMAND INCREASE FOR NEW PROGRAMS IN 2009 Traditional vs Online Courses TRADITIONAL Even during our economic downswing, there is still an increased demand for more college courses; however, studies show that the demand for online offerings is ON-LINE greater than the demand for face-to-face ones. 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% GROWING ONLINE ENROLLMENTS FROM 2004-2008 13.5% 18.2% 19.6% 21.9% 25.3% fig. 1: 2004 fig. 2: 2005 fig. 3: 2006 fig. 4: 2007 fig. 5: 2008 TOTAL YEARLY ENROLLMENT ENROLLMENT FOR ONLINE SCHOOLS XX% GROWTH IN PERCENTAGE YOUR AVERAGE DISTANCE LEARNING STUDENT: 81* 77% 53% • 85% hold a high school of Distance Learning Students are diploma or GED certificate FEMALE • 40% hold an associate's degree complete their academic work 34 40% 71% employed at the time they enrolled. • 20% hold a bachelor's degree • 2% hold a master's degree 47% AVERAGE AGE MALE (Largest percentage of students are aged 41-45, is the average graduation rate of these students have their employer pay their tuition. and earn $60-70k year.) Sources: HELPFUL QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN DECIDING BETWEEN ONLINE SCHOOLING VERSUS TRADITIONAL PROGRAMS: http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/ev idence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf http://articles.cnn.com/2010-03-29/living /cb.employers.online.education_1_online- programs-online-degree-excelsior-college/ 2?_s=PM:LIVING • How much can I financially afford for my desired degree? • Are my local options cheaper or more expensive than available http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pros-cons -online-degree-programs.html online programs? • Are my online options accredited? • How experienced are the instructors with successful online http://sloanconsortium.org/publications/s urvey/learning_on_demand_sr2010 http://www.insidehighered.com/news/201 o/01/27/online teaching methods? • In addition, what are the instructors' credentials and resume? http://www.detc.org/corporate/about.htm • What are the prerequisites for the degree program online? • Is the online degree being offered officially recognized as http://articles.cnn.com/2010-03-29/living /cb.employers.online.education_1_online- programs-online-degree-excelsior-college? _s=PM:LIVING legitimate within my profession? 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