To study online or not to study online? Is that even a question?
I’m cautiously thinking of entering into the world of online education. I’m not doing it blindly, though. There are many things to consider and many fallacies to overcome. The misunderstandings that many people have are caused by three major fallacies that a lot of people assume are true. These are the reasons which actually result in online learners to dropping out of their chosen courses and ultimately failing to obtain the qualification. Yesterday I looked into the myth that online masters programs are substantially easier than site-based qualification. Today I’ll ask you to reconsider the fact that such courses like mph programs aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on.
Fallacy 2: Employers don’t recognize the value of online degrees
This is probably the biggest concern of anyone considering online qualifications. Even though it’s in many way advantageous to take online degree programs, as I mentioned yesterday, the worry is that such qualifications won’t by accepted by a future employer. This is probably why site-based institutions have managed to maintain as much of the degree market as they have, even when so many people are now working on masters degrees while maintaining a full time job.
The truth behind this fallacy
OK, fair enough, it would be wrong to say that employers don’t have a problem with online degrees, especially as there are many unaccredited online universities and even worse institutions that offer no real education whatsoever. The fact is, though, that employers are recognizing the value of online courses and are also pretty savvy about which ones are the best.
Students shouldn’t be concerned about this as long as they are taking an online program like a master of public health from an accredited school (a school that has its courses accredited by an agency recognized by the particular Department of Education in the country where you work). Basically, what you need to do is make sure that the online course provider is accredited.
What do you think? Do you have any advice? Have you been through the experience?
Hi Adam,
All I can say is “I know what is to be an online learner”
I have already written a guest blog post on Dave’s blog. It is definitely demanding but totally rewarding.
Good luck with your studies
Işıl
Thanks, Işıl. I was hoping to get some ideas from people who have chosen online courses and I remember your great post over at Dave’s blog: recommended reading!
Hi Adam, I really enjoyed reading the two articles below which helped me increase my awareness of myself as a student:
Schrum, L. and Hong, S. (2002) From the field: characteristics of successful tertiary online students and strategies of experienced online educators. Education and Information Technologies 7/1, 5-16
White, C. (2005). The contribution of distance education to the development of individual learners. Distance Education, 26(2), 165-181.
Glad to hear it, Işıl. To be honest, these blog posts were just to help me clarify my own thoughts about online learning as much as anything else.
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Interesting post, I just wanted to add my two cents to the discussion. I received an online degree about two years ago from a relatively well known “online only” college that has been regionally accredited (not a typical Brick and Mortar school). I recently retired from the military and applied for a job at one of the three letter agencies and had no problem getting my degree accepted as part of my justification for my entry pay grade. The importance of the degree and where the degree come from may be more relevant to younger, twenty something’s, that are competing with many other, twenty something’s, for entry positions. But for guys like me with real world experience in management, leadership and critical thinking; where I got my degree from was not as important as the experience that came with it. The degree just allowed me to come in at a higher pay grade. So I guess my answer is, it depends. If you’re just starting out with no real experience where you get your degree from may really matter. If you have experience and just want to get a degree to open doors to positions that require a four year degree, then online degree programs may work for you. The key either way is to ensure that the degree is regionally accredited and not just nationally accredited. Believe it or not the latter carries less weight and is normally looked at as a loose accreditation with minimal value. Regional accreditation means the school has met the highest standards. For instance my college (Excelsior College) receives the same accreditation as Penn State, University of Maryland and the Naval Academy.