Online College Degrees

[shootingstar]

I had some online courses through the college I was going to and loved them. I actually think online learning is more productive than classroom lecture when done right.

ABOVE ALL ELSE

Pick whichever institution of higher learning floats your boat but make sure the program you enroll in is accredited or it may come and bite you in the butt. Accreditation is key.

+on accredited institution. You want some basic value out of your educational dollar investment, at least. I don't know the U.S. but probably there must be a national organization on the internet accreditation process.

To me, the differences between online vs. in-class courses, depends on what the core subject matter of the course is, followed by the instructor's teaching capabilties that effect how I would benefit best from online vs. in-classroom course. Or split time.

For instance, I saw a online course on presentation skills.. well, nothing beats the rigor and lively, learning challenge (I almost said "stress") of live in-class coaching, trial and error presentation exercises and automatic critiquing by instructor and classmates.

However if it was course on online instructional skills for distance learners, that's diffferent...

I know for myself, most of my learning AFTER UNIVERSITY, seems to thrive best in-class because I learn more quickly from interaction with others, live discussion, in addition to the course content. I need the slight competitive edge of others around me, to push myself further and stay discplined.

[uforgot]

As a flip side to learning from interaction, I completed my physics certification at home. Having no one to ask around here, I had to dig and dig and think it through myself to understand some things. I found that I learned so much more when I had a struggle. As a teacher, I also find that students tend to remember and learn more if the answer doesn't come easily through friends or the teacher. I give a hearty thumbs up to online learning, but only through accredited institutions. Mine was through the University of Utah and I'd do it again through there. It was a terrific experience.

[short cut sally]

I started one of those programs. Started it say 7 years ago. I bought into their whole deal of "if you sign up with us, we don't do any homework or projects, and it's really easy". They said that and I along with several other people signed up. I didn't realize it was a series of prerequisite "clep" books that they sent me, you read these books on a subject, go to a local college and take a test. They didn't explain that was how it was going to be. They made it sound like one reads these small books, there was participation, and you won't be alone and can get help anytime, and its a highlight of your course and you just test out, easy as that. I am a horrible test taker and I need that actual class structure. I was under the impression everything was online and the books that were being sent were on line stuff and it wasn't at all. It was a do it yourself home study to attempt to get out of classes. I passed my first exam in ethics, attempted government but didn't pass that, and that's where all my interest stopped and that was the end of getting my BSN. I got suckered by the salesman point blank. IT cost me a small fortune to get these manuals as they called them. Which were xerox copies stuck in a notebook. AND that wasn't even the cost of the actual college courses that had to be taken online. ( The college was accredited and similar to Un. of Pheonix but a tad cheaper). I never made it that far so I can't comment on the online courses at all. I was very disillusioned by the whole thing. The other girl that I know that signed up with me, she never completed one exam, as she didn't realize how it was going to work also. I do know another lady that is getting her BSN online thru U of Pheonix and seems to be doing okay with it.

[uforgot]

I had to go to a certified testing center also. It was a long time ago, but that's the reality in class or at home. You have to take tests. I can't imagine it has changed much, though, because they have to verify WHO is taking the test. If it was really easy to get a degree, they really wouldn't be worth much. We all struggled through our Bachelors, etc.