A longtime friend of mine, Bob, recently opted out of returning to his “brick and mortar” college for the winter semester of his freshman year, citing that, no matter how accommodating the faculty and staff were to his needs, he simply could not make a schedule that would allow him to progress upwards in his career outside of school while remaining a full-time student. Bob had his eye on a promotion, and changing jobs was just not an option. He knew that he would have to do what was necessary within his company to be granted that promotion; at the same time, he had always been aware of the importance of a college degree. After doing some research, Bob found that online education would allow him to create a schedule that would not interfere with his job and still provide him with a college degree in his preferred area of study.
What is unique about Bob’s situation is that, unlike most college freshmen (or any college students, for that matter), he is planning for the future by not only choosing post-secondary education, but by taking on the responsibilities of the workforce in a position that serves more of a purpose than providing him with “a little spending money”. He received the position he had been pursuing shortly before his first semester of online education began, and is having no trouble taking on the roles of both a full-time employee and a student. When summer comes and most college students look to return to a summer job, Bob will already be holding a secure position for which he worked hard. He will still be continuing his education right on track with other students his age, except he will be doing so solely because of the benefits that online education provide.
Contributing blogger: Adam M.
I attended college immediately after completing high school. A few years into my studies I decided to take a semester off; or should I say, the “infamous” semester off. Of course I was discouraged by many from taking a break because of the risk of not going back. I didn’t listen though because education was a very important part of my life and I was confident that my “break” would not last for more than a semester. Well many years later and still no degree, I wondered how I had gotten myself into this situation.
Throughout the years, I periodically looked into local universities that offered what I needed in order to complete my degree. Unfortunately, all of the classes conflicted with my work schedule. It was not possible for me to simply go back to school and stop working. Life had somehow crept up on me. The saying, “if I had known then what I know now” kept popping into my head. I started to get a little frustrated, but was determined to finish my studies. That’s when I decided to complete my degree by enrolling into an online program.
It was the perfect solution! I was able to participate in class, study, and complete coursework at any time of the day or night. I didn’t have to worry about my class schedule interfering with my work schedule. Online learning also afforded me the opportunity to collaborate with other students who were located throughout the world. This collaboration enhanced the learning experience more than any traditional classroom had ever done for me. The convenience of online learning is what allowed me to continue my studies and finally earn my degree. The quality education that I received from my online learning experience helps me to be successful in all aspects of my life!
Contributing blogger: Tracey J.
The good ole’ days of “brick-and-mortar” institutions being the only option for achieving your education are long gone. Online colleges, career schools, and courses are becoming popular and are proving themselves to be a viable option for prospective students (or at least so say the experts). In a study conducted by Shelia Tucker titled Distance Education: Better, Worse, or As Good As Traditional Education, she researched 47 undergraduate students taking a business communications course. The students were broken into two groups, traditional and online, and were examined on pre-test scores, post-test scores, age, learning styles, homework grades, research paper grades, final exam scores and final course grades. The study showed significant differences between the two groups when it came to age, post-test scores, and final exam scores with the distance education students scoring the highest in all three categories. The study states that these results may have been related to the fact that the course delivery method can be catered to the individual students’ learning style, as well as, the fact that this method gives them more freedom allowing them to work independently.
Does this study hold any water? In my opinion, yes it does. My personal experiences have involved both methods of learning. I attended a “brick-and-mortar” university where I achieved my 4 year degree and my husband is currently working on achieving his Master’s Degree online. There are positives and negatives regarding both methods; however, I can say without a doubt that my husband definitely has more flexibility and independence with his online courses. The best part about it is that he can study where and when he wants without guidelines or restrictions but it does require an incredible amount of self-discipline and dedication.
So, I ask you – my faithful readers – is one method better than the other or is it just a matter of personal preference? What do you think?
Source: Tucker, Sheila. (2001). Distance Education: Better, Worse, Or As Good As Traditional Education? State University of West Georgia, Distance Education Center. (http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/winter44/tucker44.html)