Online Colleges - Thoughts

[drakethib]

For some reason I saw something about online colleges and just kind of sparked up some interest.

I will preface that after going to several traditional colleges I finished my degree from University of Phoenix and I can understand some folks distrust as it is a "for profit" college but with that being said my wife graduated from a very large university and they are the biggest money makers / hounders that I had ever seen. Also, I am seeing many traditional universities starting to offer online programs as well.

I have also heard people say that many employers do not look favorable on some of these programs.

So with all of that being said, what is your thoughts on online colleges.

Hopefully there will be no flaming on this thread, I am just trying to see what the general consenses is.

I will start by saying that education is what you put in it but I can see where there are some online that seem like a diploma mill. I also know of local universities throughout the US where anyone with 2 brain cells can graduate.

 

[ckret01]

No flames here! I actually was taking online classes to finally earn a drgree I never got (unfotunately my boss made me quit b/c he wanted me to learn my job as I had just started there but thats a whole other story). Anyway, some people would say to me that it must be so easy to take online courses rather than go to an actual college. But honestly it was harder. I felt there was more work and t was harder in the sense that you had to kind of teach yourself. One of my courses I took online was accounting and I found that to be very hard. My professor only checked his emails here and there so if you had a question about an assignment it might take a few days before he responded. We had assignments due everyother day, quizes every friday and final exams etc.

I decided to take online classes b/c I travel an hour each way to work and there were days I had to work late at work and didn;t want to risk taking regular classes at a college and missing them so this worked out well for me.

During that time I was taking online courses I was interviewing at new jobs as I had gotten laid off from my original job and at most interviews people were pretty positive about it. They were always intrigued to hear more about it and what I thought about it so I have to say that they didn;t frown upon it at all.

Good luck to whatever you decide and if you ahve any questions just let me know

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I think they make total sense in today's day and age. I can't speak to the reputation of colleges that offer only online degrees (though hope to learn more here), but a lot of mainstream colleges are now offering online courses too, so doing a degree mostly online will be becoming more of the norm in the future. From people I know who've taken online classes, it's no walk in the park; just more convenient.

 

[Caradana]

It's my impression that the University of Phoenix gains more respect every year.

 

[MushyMushy]

My DH got his degree from an online university, and I don't think he'd do it again. He went through AIU Online (American Intercontinental University, I believe). He was drawn to it mainly because the school didn't spam e-mails and websites with advertisements and seemed more "legitimate" to him. Shortly after enrolling, however, they started advertising more.

He worked very hard for his degree, and the coursework was challenging enough! BUT, his company didn't want to give him total tuition reimbursement for it because of the way the school did its credit hours. Plus he started to find out that his employer didn't take the degree seriously, AND he's worried that he might not get into a graduate program with it.

Personally, I think they're okay. I took quite a few online courses and they aren't easy. They're convenient, yes, but not easy.

 

[dementia412]

I would never hire anyone with an on line degree (If I was in the position to)... most are bogus, and the ones that aren't, imo, do not teach as well as traditional schools. I've taken on line courses from school, and they are terrible. On the other hand I do like web assisted classes where some material in on line, you can have chats, do quizes, submit papers, ect. People learn best when they can hear, see, write, and interact all togther... on line just can not do that.

 

[MassJester]

I think it's fair to say that people place their own "relative value" upon the same degrees from different institutions. An applicant could come to an interview with an Associate in Science degree, but we might place a differeing value on that AS depending on its source (e.g., Harvard University, the University of Massachusetts, or Bunker Hill Community College). Some of the difference in value assesment is fair, and some of it may not be.

Looking back at my undergraduate degree, I think there were certainly a percentage of classes whose content could have been safely delivered via some manner of on-line experience rather than forcing us all into a large lecture hall. That said, I don't believe that the same is true for all of the content, and therein lies my principal concern with an on-line degree. This concern is magnified when you go from the undergraduate degrees to advanced degrees.

As a hiring manager, someone would need to show me that the total quality was comprable to a traditional experience before I can accept that they should be treated equally. It is the conventional wisom that a degree earned predominantly through online participation is absent important qualities. To that end, it is harder for those graduates to pursue graduate and professional training.

I think that there is likely genuine value to online education, and I would never discourage anyone from seeking to better themselves through such a program. I would, however, suggest that the experience and result might not be comparable to a more traditional approach.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

It is the conventional wisom that a degree earned predominantly through online participation is absent important qualities.

Could you expand on what you think those are? I'm curious.

I guess you could also put a different spin on it and say that someone who managed to earn a degree while working two jobs or raising a houseful of kids as a single parent (or whatever their circumstances are) was disciplined enough to do the work and see it through, regardless of whether it wasn't done in a traditional setting. I think other factors need to be considered, too, like what field you're in, and whether you're already in a job but need a degree to advance, etc.

I would never hire anyone with an on line degree (If I was in the position to)... most are bogus, and the ones that aren't, imo, do not teach as well as traditional schools. I've taken on line courses from school, and they are terrible. On the other hand I do like web assisted classes where some material in on line, you can have chats, do quizes, submit papers, ect. People learn best when they can hear, see, write, and interact all togther... on line just can not do that

I didn't realize there was much difference between "online classes" and "web based classes". Can you explain more? What was terrible about them? Again, I'm curious.

It just seems to me online is the way of the future, but maybe I'm wrong.

 

[MushyMushy]

I didn't realize there was much difference between "online classes" and "web based classes". Can you explain more? What was terrible about them? Again, I'm curious.

It just seems to me online is the way of the future, but maybe I'm wrong.

I didn't know there was a difference in the terms either -- I use them interchangeably. I've had some good online classes and some bad. They were all through my university. Some of them were run in a way that the professor gave the assignment and we e-mailed it back. Some had chats for discussions, and some had extensive message board participation. They were all a helluva lot more work than what I did IN the classroom! I had one class where I seriously couldn't keep up with the reading, and that's saying a whole lot because I'm an extremely fast reader, AND I was doing school full time. Students who had to work and/or had to focus on other things found the class impossible.

My husband was very fortunate in that, where he works now, they hired based on knowledge and experience rather than a degree. He was in a position to hire, and there were many times that guys would come in with degrees from excellent colleges, but they were worthless in the workplace. On the other hand, some of the self-taught guys were awesome (I say guys, but really men and women). I think in some fields, a business will really do themselves a disservice by overlooking someone who has what they feel is a sub-standard degree or no degree at all. DH is in computer programming, and he taught himself everything he knows. He's absolutely brilliant. I think it's great that he did the online school just to have that piece of paper. He certainly has the know-how to back it up!

 

[drakethib]

My DH got his degree from an online university, and I don't think he'd do it again. He went through AIU Online (American Intercontinental University, I believe). He was drawn to it mainly because the school didn't spam e-mails and websites with advertisements and seemed more "legitimate" to him. Shortly after enrolling, however, they started advertising more.

He worked very hard for his degree, and the coursework was challenging enough! BUT, his company didn't want to give him total tuition reimbursement for it because of the way the school did its credit hours. Plus he started to find out that his employer didn't take the degree seriously, AND he's worried that he might not get into a graduate program with it.

Personally, I think they're okay. I took quite a few online courses and they aren't easy. They're convenient, yes, but not easy.

This is one of the things that ticks me off about UOP, they have more web advertisements which I can understand why someone would associate the school with a "diploma mill".

Many grads and students feel they same way as I do pertaining to this.

 

[drakethib]

I would never hire anyone with an on line degree (If I was in the position to)... most are bogus, and the ones that aren't, imo, do not teach as well as traditional schools. I've taken on line courses from school, and they are terrible. On the other hand I do like web assisted classes where some material in on line, you can have chats, do quizes, submit papers, ect. People learn best when they can hear, see, write, and interact all togther... on line just can not do that.

We had a lot of "e meetings" and conference calls which is the same thing that many people do at their jobs. I think the interaction is there, but just in a different setting.

Just wondering, where did you take the online courses?

 

[drakethib]

Just a follow up, here is a list of a few traditional colleges (well known) that now offer online degree programs:

Notre Dame
Tulane University
Vanderbelt
Villanova
Loyola
Duke
Indiana State University

There are countless more

 

[MushyMushy]

Just out of curiosity -- and this is a question for everybody. What degrees do you think are okay to get at an online university, and what aren't?

I think we can safely agree that I wouldn't want my physician having his medical degree from UoP.

What about teachers? Computer programmers? Accountants? (any more you can add?)

 

[blue_eyes5212]

I took a couple of online courses from my local community college. It was kind of like taking classes where everything was open book, so there was no need to "learn" anything. Just look up the answers and submit them. Like a previous poster said, I wouldn't want my physician or nurse getting this type of education.

Lets say I needed an I.V. or catheter........

ME: "I guess you've done this before"

Nurse: "Well no, I've never placed a catheter, but I read about it online!"

Seriously though, I've considered online schools/courses to get the degree necessary to get a better job. Since I work full time, being able to set my own schedule would be better than trying to go to classes.

 

[WatchinCaptKangaroo]

Just a follow up, here is a list of a few traditional colleges (well known) that now offer online degree programs:

Notre Dame
Tulane University
Vanderbelt
Villanova
Loyola
Duke
Indiana State University

There are countless more

Penn State University

As the demand for a degree is starting to take presidence over experience more career established adults must go back to school. Since they more ofthen than not work full time and have families the online route is becoming the only feasible option. Quite a few well known traditional colleges are offering online programs.

University of Phoenix got in a lot of trouble with accredation a few years ago - teachers were passing out As to students who didn't go to class, who didn't turn in work. It was a degree mill. Since then they have become a lot more strict in their work and attendance requirements. I found through my experience there (I took 5 classes there) that teachers still handed out As like candy.

Penn State has a World Campus that caters to working adults and the military. The classes are the same that are offered at PSU except they are online. They are very demanding and require hard work to pass.

Just out of curiosity -- and this is a question for everybody. What degrees do you think are okay to get at an online university, and what aren't?

I think we can safely agree that I wouldn't want my physician having his medical degree from UoP.

What about teachers? Computer programmers? Accountants? (any more you can add?)

I think technology, accounting, and certain business degrees are OK to get online. University of Phoenix offers psychology and sociology degrees. I think that if you are getting that degree to work in that field you will have a hard time finding a job.

 

[AC7179]

I teach 8th grade, and my worry with colleges that are TOTALLY online is that some of these helicopter parents who still dress their children every morning in the 8th grade because they "need all the sleep time they can get" will end up doing the degree in the child's name. How do you prove that that is not happening?

 

[lesroi]

Just a follow up, here is a list of a few traditional colleges (well known) that now offer online degree programs:

Notre Dame
Tulane University
Vanderbelt
Villanova
Loyola
Duke
Indiana State University

There are countless more

You can add Cornell to that list as well. They offer a very nice online curriculum in HR.


Tracy

 

[azgal81]

Online college programs are hard well depending what you major in. I don't have one but I do have some friends that have graduated from online only programs. I would give that degree has much credibility as a standard degree.

 

[WatchinCaptKangaroo]

I teach 8th grade, and my worry with colleges that are TOTALLY online is that some of these helicopter parents who still dress their children every morning in the 8th grade because they "need all the sleep time they can get" will end up doing the degree in the child's name. How do you prove that that is not happening?

Where I go you have to have a procter for your exams. They cannot be family (there is a list of acceptable proctors) and they must submit photo ID and a letter from their direct manager stating they are who they say they are.

Exams are pen and paper and are mailed directly to the proctor and mailed back by the proctor.

 

[elijahpep]

My DH is doing on line course study with U of P right now. He previously
was taking classes at night at UK in KY (before we moved ) to finish his degree.
3 yrs ago we were relocated to a small town area by his company that
hasn't any nearby univerisities. After talking to his company they approved to pay for him finsihing his degree with Uof P as they had done with
UK. He's with an huge international cooperation and after they looked into
it they were pleased to accept him taking classes to finish his degree with U of P in Business Management.

I can tell you personally, between the two, night classes and on line courses,
he puts much more time and effort towards the online. FWIW, anytime you
want to do well and achieve certain goals, much effort on a personal level
will have to be put forth.



There is attendence requirements (posting on daily basis), in depth assignments indvidually and group projects, and you also agree
to an honor code prior to being admitted that you, the student will do your own
work and no one else will assist in those assignment. The professors he has studied under thus far have been very attentive and are very detailed as to evaluating his work product. Bottom line, he puts alot of time into his schooling and it's what you put into something that amounts to what you will get out of it.


Personally, we are very grateful to his company and for online courses,
being that in our location there were no other options to be had. JMHO

~DW