Online education: is it worth it?
Legal LawThe online education market is growing “33% a year,” according to Salary.com. This expansion is due to the many opportunities offered by the Internet. Earning a degree was once a pipe dream for the housewife with 3 kids or rural farm worker, but a degree is now available to anyone with an internet connection. With this increased access also comes increased risk, with so many universities offering degree programs online, there are also many crooks offering you quick and easy programs that take your money and leave you with nothing of value. Choosing the right degree program can open new doors, increase your income, or simply allow you to fulfill a lifelong dream. How do you avoid thieves and how much will an online degree be worth when you’ve completed it?
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Most scams can be divided into two categories; the “Grade Factories” and “This is an easy way to be a university student.” The Degree Mill is very simple, you send them an exorbitant amount of money and they mail you a very nice official looking piece of paper with your name on it saying you have a title. Grade mills are worthless. You get no education from them. Don’t just look to buy a title, you need to earn it. The other con is what I call “This is too easy for a college kid.” You may have seen spam email from these so-called universities. They usually advertise getting a degree in a radically quick time frame (6 months) or only taking a small number of classes. If you were to go to one of these schools, they still require an exorbitant fee for what you learn and the classes require little to no work/study. In the end, your title may still be worthless. So how do you choose a degree program that will be worth something?
When choosing an online degree program, make sure it is accredited by an authorized agency. Accreditation helps ensure that the curriculum and instructors are of a high caliber and give you the best learning opportunity. Accreditation also adds more value to your degree in the eyes of employers, and if you want to use that degree as a springboard, you’ll get to the next degree. You still need to be careful, all accreditations are not created equal, you need to make sure that the accrediting agency is recognized. Who are the recognizers? “Washington, DC-based Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), a national private non-profit organization, and the US Department of Education (USDE)” From jobs.aol.com
When researching an online program, US News & World Report suggests the following:
Don’t limit your research to classified ads or scour the Web for the right course or program.
See if the online school is accredited and by whom. Check to see if the accreditation agency is officially sanctioned. Lists are available from various accrediting organizations.
Check with licensing boards and professional associations to see if the program offers an acceptable level of training.
Call or write the Better Business Bureau and the attorney general’s office to make sure the school is operating legally in a state and to see if anyone has filed a complaint.
Find out if the school is connected to an established and reputable parent company.
If you intend to transfer earned online credits to another college or university, check with that institution ahead of time to see if they accept those credits.
Ask about the faculty? Who teaches the courses? What grades do they have? What is your area of expertise?
Consult published course guides for online, correspondence, and other distance courses.
What value will your degree have online? The value of an online degree depends on each person’s particular situation. The highest value will depend on how you will use the title. According to Howstuffoworks.com, industries like Internet/New Media, Technology, and High Tech are the most supportive of an online degree. While an online degree has the least value in the medicine, law, and healthcare/biotech industries. Even though “Thomas L. Russell of North Carolina State University conducted studies that revealed that there is little to no difference in the quality of education received through online distance learning versus traditional classrooms.” -howstuffworks.com
With this mixed result; An online degree is still a great option for those who have few options or those who just don’t like traditional classrooms.
For example: “The cost-benefit of online programs lies primarily in the opportunity costs saved, since most students can keep their jobs while taking classes online.” – Salary.com
“Tonya Gordon landed her dream job, doubled her salary, and feels challenged and fulfilled every day. This all happened within a few months of receiving her online MBA through Texas Woman’s University (Denton, Texas)” – jobs.aol.com
Without a doubt, the popularity of online titles is exploding. The mass adoption of this form of learning will cause less accepted industries to value the online degree as much as a traditional degree. The online degree requires the student to be more aware of the school and the degree she chooses to ensure that it will have value to them. Online accredited degrees have value and will improve your marketability in the job market and can increase your salary range.
Works Cited
Kneram, Caitlin. “The value of online learning”.
salary.com
May 5, 2007
Tellefsen, Robyn. “Will your title have value?”
jobs.aol.com
May 5, 2007
Obinger, Lee Ann. “How Online Titles Work”.
howstuffworks.com
May 5, 2007
Manix, Margarita. “Buyers beware. Choose reputable distance learning programs.” US News & World Report, October 15, 2001, p68.