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Sounds like the name of a Stephen King novel doesn’t it? And, in the story the computers come to life and chase the protagonist through his apartments. Well fiction may not be far from reality reports from all over the country have been coming in about computers attack users…just kidding… let’s start with the good shall we 
In a report recently released by the United States Department it is stated the “on average, students in online learning conditions perform better than those receiving face-to-face instruction.”
The report studied students that did part or all of their online courses versus student that did the same courses in a classroom for over 12 years at all levels of education (grade school, high school, and college). It also included courses like military and medical subjects. Students with online experience outclassed campus student in testing.
The study explained the results by saying that the mixing of online learning helped because it resulted in extra learning time for online students and that online education was more useful and interesting for students. Online learning also added new elements of learning more easily than classroom education and online education fit the need of individual learners better.
The stubborn bias against online degrees still refuses to die in the workplace. As the above study show one could reasonably argue that there is no difference between online education and traditional education, but bias hiring practices still are being clung by some hiring managers.
The prejudices that persist against online degrees are as stupid as racism. Let’s face it not hiring someone because they have an online degree is just wrong.
The increase in fraud at traditional colleges are becoming alarming with the discovery of Eamonn Daniel Higgins and others being paid big money to attend class at big name universities in California as reported by various news agencies.
Eamonn Daniel Higgins attended 10 different colleges from 2002 to 2009 the list of schools he earned degrees for other is staggering.
Official say that Higgins was not even registered on any of these campuses he was just being paid to attend classes for students who were out golfing or doing who knows what. Higgins is being charged with earning degrees for over 120 people in 7 year time.
One report even mentioned that a woman was attending classes and took test for male enrolled students. The ring was only caught because a policeman made traffic stop and discover Higgins had way too many drivers license the schools never caught on and the establishment looks at my online degree and with disdain! Who regulates these “traditional colleges” anyway?
Tags: Campus Colleges, Online Colleges, Online Degree, Online Learning
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Online College, Online Degree, Online Learning |
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4 Comments
In researching this debate I have found a similar trend in thought. Based on the studies you have mentioned from the department of education (http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf) and from many other contemporary sources it seems that in some cases “online” students are in fact performing better than “traditional” students and that “blended” (both online and traditional) students performed better than both “online” and “traditional”. However one must be cautious since these studies hold a strong bias and only a few have been conducted, essentially the largest bias is that the “control” group and the “experimental” groups can never be the same (since learning it over again would inevitably lead to a learning curve) and thus different people are being weighted together equally (with differing backgrounds, cultures, experiences, etc.,). However being a college student who has experienced all three versions of education I would have to disagree with some of the convictions.
Ultimately this is a battle between convenience and the college experience (the brick & mortar, person to person contacts, friendships, and feel of a school). There is also a job security issue with teachers and professors (namely this applies to fully online classes). On the one hand online classes and degrees cater to adults who either work full time, have a family, or own a business, etc., since that person can perform the tasks at virtually any location and with less limitations on time. On the other extreme the traditional class has greater constraint but it also ties in the social layer where one has to utilize non-verbal communication and handle real world applications (such as an challenging test) and maintain dexterity. And the Blended incorporated both the physical experience of the lecture and the benefits of online when it comes to completing assignments and tests (it also helps with professors job security).
It is my conviction that based not only on my own personal experiences but also on the statistics that the mean or majority of classes in college should be blended or “flex” (flexible, where one may have a choice of seminars or lectures at some colleges) classes which obligate students to experience the real world college yet can focus on assignments and tests at a more reasonable time and make the grading process more efficient. I do of course feel that there should be online classes for adults with busy schedules, however I feel that the advent of online degrees which are entirely online may undermine alumni and current students who are challenged by the “real world” experiences of college in obtaining their degree. Considering that a student is willing to contribute an immense amount of resources (sometimes tens of thousands of dollars, hundreds of hours, and mental concentration) they should be committed enough to at least take a semesters worth of traditional or blended classes for a degree from a university. I also feel it cheats the student from the many benefits of collegiate experience which I have come to find as almost an education in itself (I was once a club president and a current honors student) and would recommend any degree seeking student to at least spend a semester or a few on campus classes for that degree.
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@ Kyle Petti: Thank you so much for sharing very thoughtful points on Online Degree versus campus colleges. I agree with you it is really a battle between convenience and the college experience. Online Degree brings with it convenience never imagined & experienced before, but on the other hand we cant say farewell to campus colleges, they are definitely here to stay. The social interaction traditional college system brings with it is something online students would miss, but the ease & flexibility that comes with online education is definitely not available with campus students. So it’s just the alternate means of acquiring education & one should go for whatever that’s more convenient without any prejudices.
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Thanks for writing this post, Christine. It’s great to hear a well-balanced opinion of online degrees because usually people either bash these type of degrees or praise them to the sky. However, like you pointed out, online degrees come with their own set of benefits and drawbacks and one needs to be aware of all the positives and negatives before enrolling for distance education programs. If you’re convinced that online education is for you, I suggest you browse through the programs offered by Independence University. Accredited by the DETC, the university has over 30 years of experience in offering education at a distance.
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We were only just discussing this with my associates last night. These were my beliefs exactly…. Great job.
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