You know the game: One person whispers a secret to someone else, they whisper to the next person, and by the time you hear the remark out loud, there's no resemblance to the original remark. The same goes for lingering myths about the quality and validity of the education you receive from online degree programs. While shortcomings may have existed in the earliest years of Internet instruction, today's online college and trade school education programs are accredited and their degrees and certifications are accepted by employers.
Back in the early 1960s, the first computer-based education system was created at the University of Illinois. The PLATO (Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations) online learning system could only reach 1,000 computers around the world. Today, more than 227 million Americans are connected to the Internet, an increase of 118 percent since this decade. Whether you live in the heart of New York City or on a hilltop in remote Wyoming, you have access to accredited, online college degree programs throughout the globe.
Students working online at the time of their choosing can enroll, pay fees, log-on in the virtual classroom, attend lectures, watch streaming presentations, participate in class discussions, and email peers and instructors. And they have access to libraries and Web-based resources 24 hours a day, every day. There are colleges and universities completely devoted to an online education, while nearly every major university in the land offers coursework online or combines online assignments with on-campus learning in a hybrid curriculum. The Sloan Consortium reports that more than 20 percent of all post-secondary students -- more than 3.9 million students -- were taking at least one online course in 2007.
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Let's examine the top-five myths about online adult education and college degree programs:
1. Online courses are easy
Really? Try some. Online colleges offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate-level courses in the sciences and liberal arts that are rigorous and demanding. The online associate, bachelor's, and master's degree curriculum at an accredited college or trade school maps directly to long-held standards established for brick-and mortar schools. They're not like the slam-dunk beginning pottery or intro to golf classes you enrolled in to fill out your course load years ago. Expect to work hard for your grades and log on to your classes consistently, lest you fall behind.
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2. You need to be a computer technician
Nonsense. If you're reading this article, you already have the hardware and software tools and skills you'll need to access learning on the Internet. Most colleges use standardized software in presenting their courses, exchanging email, downloading assignments, uploading papers, and chatting with peers and faculty.
Depending on your institution of choice, you may need to use brand-name word processing or spreadsheet software. Many colleges offer deep student discounts on well-known programs. You may need to update multi-media programs already on your computer or Web browser or learn proprietary school bulletin board software. But your courses are offered in formats you should easily recognize from the start.
3. Online students are isolated
If you won't play well with others, it's your own fault. Online students are connected by email, chat, messaging and bulletin board software. Many choose to swap telephone numbers, participate in conference calls or meet for coffee. Collaborative work is not only encouraged by online institutions; it's most often required. You'll work with peers and have regular communication with your instructors. You can't disappear from the virtual classroom very long, or your grades will suffer.
While the courses are often available 24/7, you'll need to team up with your fellows to conduct research, review findings, prepare presentations, revise written or multi-media drafts, and prepare for exams. Students often remark about building a community that extends beyond the day they earn their degrees. You'll build career contacts and networks that thrive throughout your working life.
With college resources at your fingertips, you'll also find that class advisors, financial-aid representatives and career counselors are just an email away.
4. Online credits won't transfer
That may be true if you enroll in an online college that lacks accreditation. Each college or university in the land establishes its own policy regarding transfers. Many colleges have few limits on transfer from accredited online institutions; others may set a limit on the total number of course credits that you can transfer from another degree program. Online colleges often have what are called "articulation agreements" with other schools and universities regarding courses and transfer credit. Ultimately, it's up to you to investigate transfer policies with your online and potential post-online school to ensure the maximum transfer rate applies.
5. Employers don't recognize online degrees
If that's so, why do so many business and financial organizations provide educational incentives like tuition reimbursement and book and materials funding to employees who want to enroll in online M.B.A. degree programs? As early as 2007, surveys of employers returned a 62 percent favorable response to online learning, citing it on par with campus-based degree and certification programs. Today, many employers understand that online students have to be devoted, committed, focused and collegial. Those are skills immediately transferable to the work environment where collaboration and use of email and software are routine, and evidence of self-motivation and time management is an invaluable asset for a job candidate. Many online programs require students to develop portfolios that show marketable skills to employers. Online students can get a career boost by taking internships with companies in their field. Some coursework is immediately applicable in the workplace, and you can focus on real-time issues for your assignments. Or, take your new skills to your current job and win advancements.
That should settle it. Save the mythology for your Greek literature course.
