Online Colleges; How good are they?

Online education was born in the 1960’s. It’s welcome was lukewarm at best.

Students wondered if online degrees would be worth the time and effort. And, they had ample reason for concern, as few employers put much, if any, credence in online degrees.

In addition, traditional colleges and universities were outspoken about their objection to online education. How could college level learning take place without the traditional educational interaction that takes place in a classroom, they asked. How could distance education offer real academic quality?

Today, attitudes about online education are entirely different. Students have no fears about the value of online degrees in the workplace. After all, almost all kinds of employers, small and large, view an online degree as equivalent to a traditional one. Even colleges are perfectly willing to employ faculty and staff with undergraduate and/or graduate degrees earned online.

In addition, the same colleges that were opposed to distance education currently offer online degree and/or certificate programs. Even PhD’s and professional degrees may be earned online.

Of course, a few online degree mills do exist. But state legislation has shut most of them down, and five minutes on the U.S. Department of Education website will tell you which colleges are accredited and which are not. In additional good news, students have an extremely diverse selection of online education programs.

As late as the middle 1980’s, there were an extremely small number of accredited universities with online education offerings. And, none offered more than a few degrees. Now there are hundreds of accredited American colleges which award online degrees at all levels.

And here’s the best news of all. Financial aid and scholarships are now widely available to distance education students.

Online education is now an option worth the careful consideration of anyone who wishes to continue his or her education. And, with its flexibility and convenience, it is the fastest growing sector in higher education.

Ira Barron is an educator and journalist currently enrolled in a PhD program online. He writes on online degree programs, financial aid, and online colleges.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.