Taking online college classes might not be for everyone, but more and more students are signing on for this means of bringing education into the home. The advantages include being able to study between work and family responsibilities and saving money and time on commuting. Some online college, university and technical school offerings might even be “accelerated,” so that students can earn a certificate or a degree more quickly than they otherwise would.
Many students have viewed online learning as a godsend by many students, according to a July 2010 report in Inside Higher Education. Adult learners, the article noted, especially find them appealing. These learners particularly might have responsibilities that would otherwise prevent them from boosting their credentials, the Inside Higher Education article suggested.
The quality of online college offerings has substantially improved over the past few years, the US Journal of Academics reports. Students also tend to do well in an online college setting, according to at least one study. The U.S. Department of Education in 2009 reported that students who took all or part of their program courses online performed better than those in classroom settings. Those who performed best combined online learning with on campus studies as part of what’s known as a blended setting, the study noted. Some schools, however, might struggle because of online classes and online degree programs, an Inside Higher Education report suggests.
Students these days have an array of online degree programs from which to choose, and enrollment has been growing substantially. Online enrollment over the past six years has actually grown faster than that of higher education overall, according to a Sloan Consortium study. The study, with results released in 2009, reported that more than 4.6 million students during the fall 2008 semester were taking at least one online college, university or technical school class.
The advantages of online school participation include the ability to receive individualized attention, an article on the web site for a Maryland college noted. Students communicate directly with their instructors through the Internet, the article suggested. Some students might find communicating through the computer easier than in person, according to reports. They might interact with instructors and fellow students through bulletin boards and chat programs and enhance their technical skills simply by participating in online studies, reports have suggested.
Online college studies might also be more “earth friendly,” in part as a result of reduced commuting. They provide opportunities to meet a diverse array of people. In addition to students with family and work responsibilities, those in remote areas or with restricted mobility might find online college classes and online degree programs more accessible.
Graduate students and industry partners might also benefit from online college, university and technical school offerings, an Arizona university report suggested. One of the university’s three online engineering degree programs allowed a graduate student to continue his education and, according to the student, allows opportunities for research that can benefit employers as well. Online master’s and doctoral degree programs were added to the institution’s mining and geological engineering department, since mining companies consistently need engineers, the report noted.
Online learning has been described as “student driven.” In order for students to succeed with online university degree program studies, they must make time for them, the US Journal of Academics article noted. Students who fared well with programs at online colleges and universities apparently reported spending two to three hours per credit per week to school work, according to the Journal of Academics article.