Online College Degrees: Is Traditional Still Best?
Online College Degrees: Is Traditional Still Best
?
A lot more students have been getting into pursuing their educational degrees, and taking various educational routes to get them completed. The debate on whether a traditional campus setting would still work best compared to an online college education has been an ongoing topic in most forums. Some feel that taking an online college degree will not give you the same college experience and learning as that of a conventional environment. Others cannot afford to relocate from their homes to spend a considerable amount of time and money to get into an actual classroom. Let's take a closer look at some aspects of education and how each compare:
Material
What is great about both alternatives is that the instructional materials would be exactly the same. The syllabus and coursework are no different whether you are taking this course virtually or with a live professor. In fact, some educational institutions even use the actual lectures by their teachers to online college degree students by means of video podcasts. One of the reasons for this setup is that a lot of highly reputable schools would want to make sure that the learning from their institution (be it a Cornell or a Notre Dame) is the same regardless of the means used to relay it.
Atmosphere
Another good way to differentiate an online college degree from a traditional school is not having any extracurricular activities. Someone who may be taking their courses online would most likely have a job and other responsibilities to take care of. A traditional student would still be able to allot some time to go to bake sales or be part of a society with a Greek designation, but this should not in any way reduce the value that both educational options bring. In some cases, the activities outside of the classroom can even serve as interruptions from what a student can learn.
Reputation
While online college degrees may be accredited and would have the same coursework, much is to be said about how companies perceive online education. Some corporations are not very keen on hiring someone with an online college degree; they feel that it lacks the merit that goes with graduating from a traditional college or university.
If you are trying to decide between taking a course virtually or traditionally, you should also have your potential employers in mind. Maybe it would help to do some initial research and see how they feel about online college degree holders before taking the courses. If you want higher learning that can be done with flexibility and less distractions, online college degrees may be your more suitable option.