Online Continuing Education Courses – Advantages Over Classroom Courses
There has been an upward trend in online education for the last six to eight years. The stigma of online education started to disappear when large, accredited schools starting offering online degrees. Many adults returning to school take online classes. A typical online student works full time and has a family. They cannot attend classes on a weekly basis but, still need additional education to advance their career. Online classes have a lot to offer students. First and foremost, they are more flexible than classroom courses. Many programs are asynchronous, meaning you do not have to be online at a specific time for an online chat or lecture. Most classes consist of case studies, discussion board postings, and quizzes. Second, you can complete the online courses from anywhere in the world with internet access. You can do your assignments from your home, office or even automobile! This feature is very beneficial because you are able to save money on gas, not worry about parking and complete your homework no matter where you are located. Finally, for most Universities you are learning the same information online as you would if you were sitting in a classroom. Meaning, you are not getting any type of discounted degree. This feature is probably the most important. Many professors actually teach both online and classroom courses making sure the content of the courses are the same. This is also important because you will be receiving the same degree and diploma as a student who did all of their coursework on campus.
Expense is another factor to consider when looking into online courses. Many times colleges and Universities will drop their tuition rate for online classes. Since there is no real overhead they are able to offer the same degree programs at a lower cost. Students really appreciate this and take advantage of it all the time. They receive the same education and degree at a discounted price. As long as the school is accredited any employer should accept the degree. It should not matter if the program was done online or on campus. Regional accreditation will allow a student to transfer classes from one school to another or pursue higher education; such as a master’s degree or PhD. This is very important since you never know where life could take you in the future. Don’t waste your time and money completing a degree from a school that is not regionally accredited!