Online College

[Llama231]

I was considering attempting one of these...

Does anyone in the playground know about or have opinions on any specific ones of this new thing?

[golentan]

The general advice I've found is "Avoid it." The prices are higher than local tuition, the teaching is frequently of dubious quality, and even when these are not true the stigma remains and looks bad for advancing to further steps. The ones that advertise MOST are generally worse, throwing off effective online research.

My advice: Go to community college night school. OR take online classes with a college that offers them but also has a physical location. Some are offering that option now.

[THAC0]

I am not a big fan of them.

That said, there are a few things to consider.

1. What are you planning on studying? Online colleges are more likely to be accepted in some fields than others.
2. Accreditation, accreditation, accreditation.
3. An online program associated with a brick and mortar school is more acceptable, especially as many of these there's no way to tell by your diploma whether you took your courses online or in person.

[Llama231]

I am not a big fan of them.

That said, there are a few things to consider.

1. What are you planning on studying? Online colleges are more likely to be accepted in some fields than others.
2. Accreditation, accreditation, accreditation.
3. An online program associated with a brick and mortar school is more acceptable, especially as many of these there's no way to tell by your diploma whether you took your courses online or in person.


1. I was not specifically planning on taking major courses, but more modest classes like business management or something.
2. How so?
3. I was also considering partial online classes with an hour at the college, than an hour or so online.

[golentan]

1. I was not specifically planning on taking major courses, but more modest classes like business management or something.
2. How so?
3. I was also considering partial online classes with an hour at the college, than an hour or so online.

Accreditation is the most important. If you're not getting a degree from an accredited school, your best bet is to go down to kinkos and print off your own diploma. It has the exact same value, weight, and worth in finding a job. And you've saved thousands of dollars and a few years of your life. Or, for extra flair, have your deli print out the diploma.

Edit: Accreditation is the power to grant diplomas in the eyes of the state and local collegiate organization.

[THAC0]

1. I was not specifically planning on taking major courses, but more modest classes like business management or something.
2. How so?
3. I was also considering partial online classes with an hour at the college, than an hour or so online.

2. Accreditation is important - it's basically the quality control for colleges. Needless to say, there are plenty of non-accredited online schools out there, or ones that are only accredited at the lower level. You probably want regional accreditation, or at least national.

[SDF]

Research the quality of the school even if it is accredited. I've heard stories of people doing these courses then having the program lose accreditation part way through.

Or if you are not going for a degree right now, but want to take some classes or get them out of the way for later you can take one or two online classes from a university as a non-degree seeking student. I for instance plan to take a calculus class from a different university online this summer so I don't have to deal with my uni's math department and transfer the credit over.

[snoopy13a]

Or if you are not going for a degree right now, but want to take some classes or get them out of the way for later you can take one or two online classes from a university as a non-degree seeking student. I for instance plan to take a calculus class from a different university online this summer so I don't have to deal with my uni's math department and transfer the credit over.

Make sure you clear it with your university first.

I took a calc II class over the summer back in the day (a long time ago :smalltongue: ) at a local college while home on summer break. My university almost didn't allow a transfer as the cirriculums were slightly different (the local college had stuff in calc III that my college taught in calc II).

Luckily, I wasn't a math major and I only needed two semesters to fulfill my major's requirement so the math department head allowed it.

[Mando Knight]

Make sure you clear it with your university first.

Do so especially if you're looking into classes somewhat-more-than-tangentially related to your major (i.e. physics and mathematics for almost any engineering major). The closer the class is to your major, the less likely you're going to get the credit carried over from a community or online college.

[Zeb The Troll]

I have my BS in Information Technology from American Intercontinental University Online. I found the instruction to be very helpful, current, and appropriate for undergraduate learning. I enjoyed the experience and learned a lot, made some connections with other classmates, and it was very helpful to be able to have some flexibility about when I attended classes (it's not a self paced kind of thing, I just mean that I didn't have to worry about what time of day I was "in class"). This school is accredited by Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the same body that accredits Duke University.

I'm currently taking online graduate courses through University of Maryland University College. It's a part of the University System of Maryland that focuses on online courses, though it does have a brick and mortar campus. To put the myth to "online education = bad", this school, in particular, is one of less than 100 institutions in the country that the NSA and Dept. of Homeland Security considers a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education.

As far as advertised online schools like the University of Phoenix, I doubt you'll find one with a decent advertising budget that isn't accredited, so if you've heard of them go check them out. Every accredited institution will be more than happy to tell you who their accrediting body is and will probably even help you get in touch with them to prove it if you want to make sure.

Also, as others have mentioned, many brick and mortar schools are expanding their student population by offering online courses in order to woo would be students that can't commit to coming to a classroom on a schedule for various reasons. For instance, those near military installations tend to offer them in order to appeal to soldiers and spouses with the promise that, should they need to move before they get their degree, they'll be able to continue at their new location without needing to hassle with transfer credits and mid-semester transfers.

I honestly don't know where online education got the bad wrap that it has, but it's becoming less so all the time as more and more traditional schools offer online coursework as well. From an employment perspective, no employer has given me grief about where my diploma came from, or even raised an eyebrow for that matter. It's true that it matters what you intend to study, though. I doubt many people would have faith in an online medical or law degree, for example. But for the vast majority of subject areas an online education is perfectly suitable.

[Felixaar]

I personally would not want to do this, mainly because I would hate to miss out on the social aspect of college.

And no, I'm not talking about the frat parties. More just enjoying the experience with other college attending friends.

..."Okay guys, new rule! Whenever you take a drink, you gotta take a drink!" "YES!!"

[Serpentine]

My university is some sort of a leader in external classes. I didn't really realise that that was unusual...

[Rawhide]

There are "online colleges" and there are universities that offer distance/external education.

Many of the "online colleges" I have seen issue degrees that are not worth the paper they are printed on. You have to be very careful about what they offer and how they are accredited.

On the other hand, many very good and reputable universities offer quality distance/external education. Some even focus on this as their main/core business. As long as you believe you can study by yourself without ever meeting a teacher or other student (this can be very hard and is definitely not for everyone), then there is nothing wrong with distance/external education for most degrees. I know that for some degrees, you can study with the Australian university Charles Sturt University without ever having to set foot in Australia, they will provide testing centres within an hours drive from where you live. Keep in mind that there might still be a "residential school" that you have to attend for a week or two each term in a distance course.

Accreditation, reputation and recognition is key. If you are going with a good education provider, you will not have a problem with the degree and future employers. The fact that you say "online college" specifically and not distance/external education makes me a bit wary of which education providers you are considering though.

[Dallas-Dakota]

Rawhide, can I go do that, please?

I want to be able to say I went to a austrilian university....

[Rawhide]

Rawhide, can I go do that, please?

I want to be able to say I went to a austrilian university....

Well, there are several distance education universities in Australia, but the one I mentioned, Charles Sturt University (http://www.csu.edu.au/), is the largest provider of distance education university in Australia. Be aware that some of the courses will have optional or compulsory residential schools (http://www.csu.edu.au/study/distance-education/distance-res-schools.htm), but others will not. Search for the course you are interested in, see if it is offered as a distance education course, see if there is a residential school requirement, then apply for the course. They have multiple intakes a year, so you can start your course mid-year.

Also of note, Charles Sturt University and Sothern Cross University are jointly undertaking a feasibility study into forming a new National University of Regional Australia (http://www.nura.edu.au/) together.

[Dallas-Dakota]

Waaaaaiit,

Australia has a flag?

Why did I not know this sooner?

Edit : *has read sites stuff* Ah! What I'm wanting to get into, or better said, what I can get into would be called going for a associates degree. So just a level down.:smallfrown:

[Rawhide]

Waaaaaiit,

Australia has a flag?

Why did I not know this sooner?

Countries do tend to have flags, you know. (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/docs/flagsoftheworld.html)

[Dallas-Dakota]

Yes, I know.

I have a book about flags.


...

I should probably actually read it sometime instead of glancing through it....

[thubby]

I'm just going to mirror many of the sentiments here, take online courses from a brick and mortar school.

[InaVegt]

Note:

Never, ever, go pay the Leidsche Onderwijs Instelling (LOI) for any degree.

They have less quality than fake rolexes.

I know someone who works for them, and he's told me this.

[Deathslayer7]

I met a guy once who had a PHD in accounting. Couldn't count worth crap.

Asked him where he got his schooling. Online he said.

>.>

[Dallas-Dakota]

Ina, nah. I've seen too many commercials for it.

Seriously.

[purple gelatinous cube o' Doom]

I would highly suggest against going with an online college. The University of Phoenix, which is easily the most popular/widely enrolled online school, and I've heard from multiple sources that many employers don't even consider degrees from them a valid college degree. Most online school are pretty awful and should be avoided.

[RS14]

I met a guy once who had a PHD in accounting. Couldn't count worth crap.

Asked him where he got his schooling. Online he said.

>.>

Reminds me of a story my aunt once told me. She was a substitute teacher at a school someplace, and discovered that all of the teachers there had PhDs. She asked around and discovered that all of them got those degrees at the same week-long summer program.

[Zeb The Troll]

The University of Phoenix, which is easily the most popular/widely enrolled online school, and I've heard from multiple sources that many employers don't even consider degrees from them a valid college degree.See, that's the benefit of accreditation. UofP is an accredited university and there's no "considering" whether a degree from them is real or not. It is. And schools that are accredited to grant degrees have to meet several criteria, including most importantly standards of education, in order to stay accredited. These accreditations are periodically reviewed in order to make sure that the accredited institutions are maintaining these standards. Online schools have to maintain these same standards and be accredited by these same organizations. (Here (http://www.ncahlc.org/download/Overview07.pdf) is a synopsis of the accreditation criteria by the body that accredits UofP. On the list of schools accredited by this same organization are Kent State, the Colorado School of Mines, and Purdue.) Furthermore, I've never, ever, had an employer question the validity of my online degree. Up to and including my current employer who saw fit to hire me to monitor and maintain a global enterprise for the US government and is currently paying for me to continue my education online.


Most online school are pretty awful and should be avoided.And here I vehemently disagree. A couple of horror stories (most of which, I might add, could just as easily have happened in brick and mortar schools) does not make the entire system faulty. What makes most of them awful? Rumors? Hearsay? Attend a class or two first before you condemn. Every course I've taken has had losses because not everyone could hack it. :smallannoyed:

Distance education got a bad rap early on because there were a handful of disreputable businesses who were selling "degrees" without even requiring coursework. That era is long since past and needs to be disassociated with the current reality.

[Don Julio Anejo]

The big problem with online courses and employment... HR people are going to be biased and think "online course? pschhhh.."

Basically they'll think less of it than from a similar degree from a brick and mortar university. It's not a matter of being officially recognized and accredited, it's a matter of people being prejudiced against it. Whether the education itself is good is beside the point.

[Ganurath]

From firsthand experience, I speak against online courses. I figured it'd be good for me, since I spend so much time on the computer... Turns out waiting a week to know the teacher got the assignment doesn't sit well with the part of me that's used to a bright flash and fanfare after completing the quest or gaining a level, let alone the wait to get back the actual grade. All I wound up getting from that business class was the right to say "I told you so!" when the economy jumped off the slippery slope.[/mixedmetaphor]

[Supagoof]

The big problem with online courses and employment... HR people are going to be biased and think "online course? pschhhh.."

Basically they'll think less of it than from a similar degree from a brick and mortar university. It's not a matter of being officially recognized and accredited, it's a matter of people being prejudiced against it. Whether the education itself is good is beside the point.
Aaaaand the best thing to do about that.

I have a degree from "Charles Sturt University" of Australia.

You don't have to specify whether it's an online degree or not. Why give them something to be biased about. Just like padding your resume, you only need to give information that is truthful and relevant about you.

Gotta go with Zeb and Rawhide on this one.

And Rawhide...Do you have a flag? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEx5G-GOS1k)

[Don Julio Anejo]

Aaaaand the best thing to do about that.

I have a degree from "Charles Sturt University" of Australia.

You don't have to specify whether it's an online degree or not. Why give them something to be biased about. Just like padding your resume, you only need to give information that is truthful and relevant about you.

I'll give you it'll work great with Charles Stuart University but that's not always the case. A lot of my dad's clients (he's a hedge fund manager) wouldn't touch University of Phoenix or University of Arizona graduates with a 10 foot pole, whether online OR brick and mortar... Because they used to be online MBA factories and whatever they've done after to atone and get attested hasn't repaired the bad reputation they got 6 or 7 years back.

[Serpentine]

Also of note, Charles Sturt University and Sothern Cross University are jointly undertaking a feasibility study into forming a new National University of Regional Australia (http://www.nura.edu.au/) together.I think University of New England (mine) might be getting involved in that. I know we're real cosy with SCU. I'd check the site, but my net's being screwy...

Waaaaaiit,

Australia has a flag?:confused:

[Zeb The Troll]

The big problem with online courses and employment... HR people are going to be biased and think "online course? pschhhh.."

Basically they'll think less of it than from a similar degree from a brick and mortar university. It's not a matter of being officially recognized and accredited, it's a matter of people being prejudiced against it. Whether the education itself is good is beside the point.My experience in the work force tells me that this is patently untrue. My employers did not, and do not, care where I got my degree so long as I have one from an accredited institution and it is in an appropriate field.


Because they used to be online MBA factories and whatever they've done after to atone and get attested hasn't repaired the bad reputation they got 6 or 7 years back.Further proof that it's not "online" that needs to be examined, but the school you wish to attend and that's the case no matter whether you intend to learn in a classroom or from home (using the same textbooks, I might add).

[Alarra]

I'm of the opinion that online universities and distance learning from brick and mortar university are just as good as attending class traditionally, depending on what you're getting your degree in. It would not have been a realistic option for my degrees because the clinical work with patients and hands on experience was too important, and similarly in undergrad, I wouldn't have had the materials at home to do things like ceramics, lithography, etc. For business, computer degrees, etc., however, it's becoming a much more feasible alternative.

That being said, with any school, online or traditional, there's going to be different levels of prestige, reputations, etc. and it's important to research each school you're looking at carefully.