Taking an online course may seem like the perfect solution to your time-management problems, but beware.
While online learning opportunities are proliferating, the perception of such courses is actually on the decline.
A study put out by Sloan Sloan Consortium, an institutional and professional leadership organization focused on online learning, found that a cyber learning is exploding:
* Over 4.6 million students were taking at least one online course during the fall 2008 term; a 17 percent increase over the number reported the previous year.
* The 17 percent growth rate for online enrollments far exceeds the 1.2 percent growth of the overall higher education student population.
* More than one in four college and university students now take at least one course online.
Alas, while more and students and schools are jumping on the online bandwagon, such courses are getting fewer props from the very faculty that’s supposed to embrace the concept.
The survey asked chief academic officers as these schools whether their faculty accepted online learning, and the numbers actually dropped by nearly 3 percent to 30.9 percent last year, from 33.5 percent in 2008.
Why the drop occurred is unclear, but it could be a host of factors. The poll’s researchers surmised there may be a “pushback” on the part of faculty as more institutions try to implement such programs.
Or it could just be that educators don’t think it’s as good as a class with face-to-face interaction.
Researchers asked faculty directly whether they thought e-learning had inferior learning outcomes compared to face-to-face learning and 70 percent thought it was inferior or somewhat inferior. Only 7 percent thought cyber learning was better than classroom learning, and 23 percent said it was comparable.
Experts have told me in the past that it just doesn’t stack up:
“Right now, pound for pound, I don’t think it carries the same weight,” says Warren Arbogast, a higher education and technology consultant, when asked about an online degree vs. a degree from a traditional college.
And what about hiring managers? How do they perceive such degrees. That’s really what counts for most of us in the end.
“A recruiter evaluates the caliber of a university or college,” says Angela Pertrucco, director of the career center at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University. “While many schools are providing online degree formats for students, not just any school with an online degree will be attractive to a recruiter. It still depends on the strength and national recognition of the program as a whole.”
So, I’m not saying online degrees are not a good thing. You just have to know the facts about how they might be perceived by educators and hiring managers, and you have to do your homework.
Scams in online learning are on the rise, and you don’t want to end up with a fake degree.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
* Make sure that the school you’re interested in has accredited degree programs. The last thing you need is to spend years finishing up a degree only to find no one recognizes it. Experts suggest checking for accreditation on the Council for Higher Education Accreditation Web site.
* Beyond a school’s credentials, it’s up to you to figure out what a degree from a particular institution will do for you career aspirations. Petrucco suggests doing a bit of homework to find out what the “perceived value of that degree is in the marketplace.” That means calling alumni from the school and also recruiters. The institution, she says, should be more than willing to share this information with you. If not, then forget them.
* Also, if you want to advance at your firm, or want to get a job someplace else, it’s a good idea to find out which degrees are held by the people in the jobs you want. Finding resumes of individuals online these days is easy thanks to social networking sites like LinkedIn, so do a bit of snooping.
I know, taking classes at home in your fuzzy robe is tempting, but make sure you’re really going to get what you need for your career.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:34 am
This one really stirs my coals, Eve. I’m working to complete my M.A. degree at a private college not far from my home. I really enjoy classroom learning, but since I’m an IT guy who spends a lot of time (at work and at home) online, I figured that I’d enjoy taking some courses online. The program sounded great because it was an on-campus program, but they also offered an online option. The thought of being a more free schedule (sign on and work whenever you are able) appealed to me, so I tried a couple of online classes.
It was a rude awakening. All of the content was in an online learning system. It was entirely text-based–there were no videos or even audio recordings. Instead of being a more flexible learning tool, I soon learned that I was expected to submit different assignments on different days of the week (including participation in online discussion boards). Instead of being able to make sure all of my work was done before a set class night, I had to scramble to get work done every night of the week. With the once-a-week on-campus classes, I typically had the weekends to let me catch up on my reading and get my assignments done. The schedule of the online environment typically had me working into the weekend, and then I had to start over the assignments due early the next week.
I could adjust to the course schedule, however. The real problem for me was that I’m primarily an auditory learner. I internalize information upon hearing it, or upon asking questions about it. The online format never allowed me to ask clarifying questions while the material was being discussed, and it never let me (as I often did in the classroom) voice questions for my peers when I noticed their body language suggested they were having trouble with the material. I’ve had so many thank me, over the years, for being willing to ask such questions. Online classes also miss out on student interactions before class, during breaks, and after class (and, admittedly, sometimes during class). There were no discussions asking “Did you agree with what s/he said about open systems?” or “What focus are you taking for the final paper?” Those informal interactions are, in my opinion, a key part of the educational experience.
In addition, I can honestly say I don’t remember anything from those initial courses I took online, apart from details about what assignments were due when and details about how those assignments had to be submitted. In contrast, I have many vivid memories from all of my earlier college experiences, including all of the courses I took (spanning 17 years). I’m not suggesting I have perfect recall of all that was studied in each of those classes, but I am saying that I retained much, much more in a traditional classroom that I have in any of the online courses I have taken thus far (currently at four, plus a hybrid class {classroom every other week, online every week}). Only one of the online classes has included any audio content, and many of them use grading rubriks that appear to award more points based on the number of messages you post to the discussion than for the quality of the student’s contribution.
I’m in the midst of a struggle with my institution right now, because after I began the program (an on-campus program with an online option), the college changed it and is now requiring all students to complete their coursework online. Thus, I’m being forced to complete my degree in an environment that I know to provide me a lesser educational experience. Unfortunately, its so late in my program that transferring to another school isn’t really an option since graduate schools require that a minimal number of credits be earned at the school conferring the degree–it basically would have me starting over and redoing nearly 75% of my degree work. I’ve voiced my concerns and objections through all the proper channels, but could not get any attention from the college administration until I started posting comments on the college’s Facebook page and the college president’s Twitter account. As of now, I’m still in limbo. I’m registered for two of three of my final classes (online, of course), but have not registered for the final one since it is being taught by the college president and I have concerns about my being able to be graded fairly given the current conflict.
I don’t deny the usefulness of online courses–many will find them meaningful and very helpful in their educational pursuits. I just don’t believe they are the best fit for everyone. I also have concerns about how these degrees will be viewed by hiring managers, especially if more stories like mine emerge that criticize the methods used and the level of knowledge retention imparted by the classes.
I’m sorry for hijacking the podium. I see this as a serious issue for all, but am currently absorbed in my fight with my institution, and for what I perceive to be my right to a meaningful education in the format that was initially offered.
January 27th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
you can hijack the podium whenever you like, especially when you can share such a useful story.
January 29th, 2010 at 4:29 pm
I’m glad to see that this is the case, I wondered about the value of the online courses. A co-worker often bragged about his Masters in my last job. He even talked about going on for a PhD. Of course, these degrees were through the most popular online college available, name excluded here. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was perceived, rightly or not, as a valuable degree? It sounds like there is a perception issue, and I wonder if it is factual as well?
I started my MS at a local state school last Fall. It is cheaper than online options, and it’s a school that I know will still be around in 20 years. It also has virtually no online classes in my discipline. With a 40 minute commute, it’s not ideal, but I think it will be the better option.
February 3rd, 2010 at 5:16 pm
I do know someone who got an MBA with an MIS concentration through the University of Phoenix. He knows his stuff, and, like any good grad program, it built upon the experience he already had in the workplace. He was tapped for a good job before he finished the program (before the economic downturn), and has been moving steadily upward since. For him, the online program worked out well, and his employer (a leading national bank) has been very pleased.