Oil Price Is Up? Students Move to Online Colleges
With gasoline at more than $4 a gallon, more students are considering getting a college degree in their home, without having to drive.
One student for example is Christy LaBadie, which is starting to learn medical administration in Northampton Community College. She estimates that getting her degree online saves her about $50 a week on gasoline. According to the Sloan consortium which represents more than 2,500 colleges and universities around the country, 20% of the students take today at least one online course.
via [Pocono Record]
5 Tips before you start an Online Degree
A great Q&A article from the New York Times features common questions about online degree programs.
The five tips that can be taken from the article are:
1. Make the time to learn – You’ll need 10-20 hours of work each week for a year or two, in most online programs. So take that into consideration before enrolling. Will you be able to make the time in order to learn.
2. Be prepared to sit a lot in front of the computer – recorded lectures, discussion groups with other students, reading a lot of material. In the core of online education lies the participation of the students.
3. Online degrees can cost as much as regular degrees – but there are savings in the form of gasoline from the unnecessary trips to the university. Anyway, you can always find programs that meet your budget. Take into consideration that you will might want to take a few days off from work from time to time, so you might need to consult with your employer first.
4. Check if the program is recognized by your employer – you will also want to find a program that will show the added benefit of education to your current position. Many online program are recognized by employers for tuition reimbursement.
5. Beware of fake programs – You can check the accreditation of the programs with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Don’t be fooled by promises to a quick and easy online degree. If it looks too easy – it’s probably not the education you want.
More [NY Times]