Online Degrees - A rising trend in Education

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} SloanConsortium, an organization dedicated to quality online education, stated inits fourth annual report on the state of online learning in U.S. highereducation that nearly 3.2 million students were taking at least one onlinecourse during the fall term of 2005. The report went on to add that more than 96 percent of thelargest institutions – those with over 15,000 total enrollments – have someonline offerings. According to the report, public and larger institutions haveconstantly been the frontrunners in offering online courses. Without a doubt, online education has traveled a longdistance away from the days when degrees earned though this mode faced biasfrom academic and corporate leaders. An increasing number of chief academicofficers today believe that the quality of online education is superior or atpar with the quality of classroom learning. So, who constitute this growing online student community andwhat are they studying? Interestingly, according to the Sloan report, the mixof students who prefer online mode is different from the traditional studentcommunity. Online students often tend to be older, working full time, and havefamily responsibilities. Online education has opened new vistas for thesestudents, who otherwise would have found it difficult to get a collegeeducation. According to Sloan-C, majority of online students study atthe undergraduate level. Within the undergraduate bracket, the number ofstudents who earn an associate degree online is higher than those who enroll inan online bachelor degree . The proportion of students who complete online master’sdegrees is comparatively lower. But what’s interesting to note is that morestudents enroll in online master’s degree as compared totraditional graduate-level degrees. This clearlypoints to a rising trend among students to take the online route for earning anadvanced degree and gaining expertise in their field. The reasons could be many– greater acceptance, improved quality, unparalleled flexibility, betterwork-life balance, greater affordability, and a chance to earn even as youlearn.   Withcorporate supervisors also shedding their skepticism about online degrees andtreating them at par with classroom degrees, online students no longer face thesame prejudice in the job market that they used to a few years ago.   Many fields,that were once considered a bastion of classroom type traditional learning, nowhave online offerings. These include nursing, healthcare administration,business administration, accounting, graphic arts, etc. Students who completethese degrees online find ample employment opportunities once they graduate.Moreover, institutes of repute also offer employment assistance to help theirstudents find job openings in their chosen field.   In today’scompetitive job market when employers are looking to hire people who have theentire package of academic knowledge, hands-on experience, and industryexpertise, online degrees offer an excellent opportunity to enhance jobprospects.   In fact,many modern day employers understand that online degrees often need students tobe more disciplined, motivated, and self-starters adept at multi-tasking. Andwhich manager wouldn’t want someone with those characteristics on his or herteam? The writing on the wall is clear – online education is here to stay andall set to change the education landscape of this country.

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