Online Education
By Liz Smith
Editor-in-Chief
Trouve Online Publishing

Many adults are waiting for their children to grow up before they will go back to school. Balancing a career, an education, or even both with the demands of family life can be extremely difficult if not impossible. No doubt your children have a plethora of daily activities: soccer practice, band rehearsal, girl/boy scouts, etc. Or maybe they’re still too young for school so you’re home with them all day. Either way, it’s hard to find time for yourself, let alone time to earn that degree you’ve always wanted. However, there is a solution that could be perfect for your circumstances: gain your degree online.

With most online colleges you, the student, are able to decide when and where you “attend” class, so you can set your own pace and ensure that you won’t miss important moments with your children. Since distance learning is still a relatively new phenomenon, many people have questions about what the classroom experience is like, how to choose the right program, and how you can tell if the degree program you are interested in is appropriately accredited. This article will delve into these areas in an attempt to increase your understanding about online education and thus help you to make an educated decision about earning your degree.

Earning an online degree is still that, an earned degree—which means that you will have to work hard. You may have the option of taking your time with classes, and setting your own pace, but you will still need to “attend” all the lectures and complete all the assignments. You’re able to do this because even though class typically “begins” at a certain time, you won’t necessarily have to be there. You can communicate with your instructor by e-mail, chat rooms, bulletin boards, and instant messenger. Your classroom will reside in a special software program that utilizes text, chat, and bulletin boards, as well as streaming audio or recorded lectures. This contact with other students and the instructor is useful and oftentimes essential to your education.

Most instructors will respond to e-mail on a regular basis (within 24 to 48 hours) and can offer either synchronous (live) or asynchronous (non-live) class sessions. Transcripts and notes from these lectures are archived for your convenience. You will always be able to access previous discussions, live or not. Assignments can be completed using these archives and turned in to your professor via e-mail. Since instructors usually team up with web designers and instructional designers to create this high tech classroom, the result is an interactive and highly effective learning environment. Not only will you receive an excellent education utilizing the latest technology, but, if you’re child’s occasional dance recital or big baseball game falls on the same day that you’ve scheduled yourself to work, you can miss a day of class without missing a thing.

Now that you’ve had an inside look at the online classroom, you might be wondering what to look for in a quality online college. Different programs do have different teaching techniques and it’s important to find one that compliments your learning style. There are also a variety of aspects to consider depending upon the field you are looking to enter. For example, you may be aware that IT and computer schools offer online classes, but perhaps you didn’t know that you can attend art schools and fashion design schools online as well. You’ll have to consider the specifics of each field and program yourself, but typically there are 5 important questions to ask about the online colleges that you’re considering:

How is the course presented?
Since there are many ways that an instructor can lecture (online as text, with slides, with or without student interaction, video, audio, etc.), it is important to find a program that presents material in a dynamic and engaging manner for you. Be sure to ask whether exams are given and how assignments are turned in.

How do students interact with each other?
Find a program that facilitates and even requires student interaction and student-instructor interaction (via instant messenger, chat rooms, teleconferencing, etc). How the online community functions should be very important to both the instructor and the institution.

Are the instructors qualified?
Ask about the credentials and the degrees the instructors hold and find out what they know about online learning. Find out if there is technical support available in the event you or your instructor encounter problems online. Remember that both you and your instructor must be able to easily adapt to changing technology.

What kind of library facilities are available?
Ensure that the school you are interested in has a good system for providing reference materials and texts—you should be able to access most material from your computer at home.

How are students evaluated?
You may only take exams, you may only write papers, etc., but you must ensure that you will actually be doing work that is appropriately evaluated. If the school hands out degrees with little or no verification that its students have actually learned anything, the program is not likely worthwhile and even less likely to be accepted as legitimate by employers.

These questions will help to ensure that you have chosen a quality online institution that fits into your overall goals and your general learning style.

While all the questions above are pertinent to your decision, question 5 is probably the most important because it is vital that you ensure that the program you choose is accredited. There are non-accredited institutions that essentially sell degrees and, although it is a quick and easy way to get a degree, the degree will be completely worthless and no employer will take it seriously. Students who enroll in these types of institutions end up wasting a lot of time, money, and effort on a meaningless diploma. However, there is a simple way to determine whether an institution is accredited. The U.S. Department of Education (www.ed.gov) maintains a list of accreditation agencies that it considers acceptable. First, check with the institution that you’re considering to determine which agency accredited it, and then look at the DOE list to guarantee that the agency is suitable. It’s an easy but essential step to the online degree process.

Online colleges are a great option for parents with very little time on their hands. They make balancing family and school obligations easy because you will never miss a lecture or a discussion—you’ll be able to access class information at any time. Enhancing your education is an important step towards securing your future, and now you can accomplish your goals without sacrificing your most important commitment: your family. However, online education is not for everyone, so don’t forget to consider studying part-time at your local community college or even vocational or technical schools if online college doesn’t sound right for you. Regardless of the route you take, your education is not something you should put off if you can help it. Seriously consider your options, learn as much as you can about different programs, and make an educated decision about your education soon.

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