The world of on-line learning has infix the mainstream in late geezerhood . Around 80 percent of colleges and universities now offer at least some online year , and students are pursuing two - class , four - year and advanced degree online in large routine than ever before [ source : Online Learning Consortium ] . Even though the numbers racket of student pursuing on-line education have increased , are those diploma and certificates worth the newspaper publisher they ’re print on ?
The answer to that interrogation is more complex than it may seem . There are mess of different path to judge the proportional worth of an didactics . The pursuit of cognition for its own intrinsic value is a time - honored whim . In today ’s tight job market , expecting to spend hundreds if not thousands of hours in scholarly pursuits may seem unrealistic , though . scholar pursue degrees online tend to be more focused on their careers than on scholarship for its own sake . With that end in creative thinker , there are way to assess a level ’s relative note value .
One way is accreditation . Typically , the best on-line and brick - and - mortar schools are accredited . Accreditation is a complex process , but the bureau involved are generally recognize by the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for high Education Accreditation . For a point to have " life history " value and be eligible for other special consideration , like approval for educatee financial assistance or employer reimbursement , accreditation is an important constituent [ root : U.S. Department of Education ] .
diligence preconception is another valuable assessment prick . Some industries are more resistive to on-line degrees than others . The best way of life to set if a prejudice exists is to search the attitude of pedagogue and employers in that field . Even if there is some resistance today , that may change in the future . written report advise prejudice against on-line degrees are still evident but less pronounced than they were even a few years ago [ beginning : Rechlin ] . With the involvement in online scholarship of such prestigious school asHarvardand MIT throughmassive undecided online courses(MOOCs ) , attitudes about the authenticity of online diplomas are improving [ reference : Webley ] .
Also , recognize the cosmopolitan percept of online grade , which might offer an fantabulous teaching but still be considered slightly inferior . Today , employer tend to have a high-pitched storey of puff with degrees obtained through schools that have a forcible campus but propose an online course of study . school day recognise in a specific field , or with tie beam to a realm or residential district , are also regard more favorably .
Although some biases against online grade do subsist , time are interchange . The day may come when a majority of postsecondary degrees are offer as on-line options , perhaps with some coursework like labs and administrative functions required on a campus or other regional facility . Until then , it pay to view potential online schools objectively and exact cold , gruelling data like grad positioning statistic and dropout charge per unit .
