Get Your Bachelor's Degree Online

The advent of distance learning has opened up a whole new classroom in America: A virtual classroom. A way for working adults, older students and financially strained students to log into virtual classes and get a Bachelor's Degree online. Busy Moms can go back to school, military personnel can prepare for civilian life, college drop-outs can drop back in; senior citizens can get a Bachelor's Degree right at home; ambitious types can advance their careers. They have the flexibility to study at their own speed and be responsible for their own learning, while still having access to course instructors via email or even real time online chat. Getting their Bachelors' Degrees online lets students keep up with present jobs and home responsibilities while improving future prospects.

Online Bachelor's Degree: The Benefit of the Two-Second Commute

You can take your finals in your jammies while you get your Bachelor's Degree online. You can eat a pizza in "class." You can turn in an assignment, take a nap, and turn in another one. All because your virtual classroom is wherever you and your computer may be. All the time you would have wasted getting ready, remembering which books to bring, driving and parking, is replaced by a two second commute to your computer. OK, two minutes, if you keep it at the other end of your house.

Online Bachelor's Degree: The Night Owl Benefit

No more fighting to prop those eyelids open so you can see a tiny professor way down in front of a gigantic lecture hall first thing in the morning. If you want to take class at night, you can. Or study at night. Or take a test at night. Getting an online Bachelor's degree means you can finagle your class and study schedules to fit around your day job, your other responsibilities, and your own nocturnal brilliance.

The Drop-Back-In Benefit: Get Your Bachelor's Degree Online

The infamous College Drop-Out is part of a growing demographic, and not because of laziness or lack of ambition. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 60 per cent of students drop out of four year institutions before completing their studies. Gee, wonder why? Let's see, in the last 25 years, cost of college has increased 400 per cent, while incomes have increased only 150 per cent. Students have to work. A study by Public Agenda reveals that "working students said that more flexible class scheduling would have enabled them to meet their working and family responsibilities while continuing to study, with 57 percent suggesting moving more classes online." Don't drop out, drop back in and get your Bachelor's Degree online.

The Learn a Little Bit Better Benefit

"And if you're worried about whether online education is as effective as traditional classroom teaching, don't be. A 2009 Department of Education meta-analysis, "Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning," found that online education actually results in small but significant improvements in performance over traditional classroom instruction."

The Techno Buzz: Another Benefit of Getting an Online Bachelor's Degree

Online students get to choose whether they want their course materials delivered by podcast, by video on demand, by webinars, etc., while being encouraged to interact with instructors and fellow students by email and by real time chat. Click, learn and love it.

Online Education Doesn't Let Anybody Off the Hook: The Challenge Benefit

Sure, it's more convenient to study online, but that doesn't mean earning your Bachelor's Degree online is a breeze. At respected and accredited institutions, "an online degree program will be just as demanding academically as a traditional classroom-taught degree," according to a Tyndall Tribune & Register article. And, "online education costs about the same as on-campus education. Schools still have to pay instructors, house servers, produce course materials (including videos) and provide administrative as well as academic support to students." The savings come from not having to pay for transportation, parking, eating on campus, book fees, as well as eliminating the need for child care and work reduction.

Zoom-Zoom, the Benefit of Accelerated Learning

Let's face it, when you're in lockstep with the rest of the class, you're going to go at their average speed. When you get a Bachelor's Degree online, you go at your own speed, taking accelerated courses. Because the sooner you have that degree, the sooner you'll be worth more to your employer, and the sooner you'll be eligible for an improved career path. Of course you can also de-accelerate, if you're not in a hurry. The point: Your pace, not theirs.

Mobility and Assistance, a Benefit to Military Personnel and Other Movers and Shakers

Military personnel don't have to switch schools just because they change bases or get deployed. As long as they can get online, they can get to class. That also means soldiers don't have to worry about transferring credits, and meeting different requirements at different schools. They may receive tuition assistance for an online college accredited by a U.S. Department of Education-approved agency. "The Army conducts most of its education administration through its GoArmyEd portal. All students must begin there to apply to schools, register for classes and take care of tuition assistance matters. They can explore income-based Pell grants, individual scholarships offered by each school and the recently expanded G.I. Bill."

Twisting Your Employers' Arms: Going Back to School on Their Dime

"Thousands of companies offer tuition assistance programs. Even if your employer does not have a tuition program in place, you may be able to convince him or her to pay for your schooling if you can present a compelling case," says Jamie Littlefield, Distance Learning Guide at About.com. Think about it: "Your new skills will make you more productive at work. You will be able to take on additional assignments." You, Ms./ Mr. GoGetter, will be a leader in the workplace. Out there in the business world with your shiny new Bachelor's Degree, polishing your company's professional image when you work with clients, you'll be more valuable than ever. (This is the part where you don't wear your jammies.)

Sources:
Department of Education study: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008159rev
Increased earning potential http://blog.testdrivecollegeonline.com/2010/04/15/online-college-students/
College Drop Outs http://www.tyndallsdnews.com/ara/education/10007.txt
Tuition Assistance http://distancelearn.about.com/od/payingforschool/a/Tuition_Assist.htm
Army Tuition Assistance http://distancelearn.about.com/lw/Education/Home-schooling-Nontraditiona/Army-Tuition-Assistance.htm
Online Degrees for Military: http://blog.testdrivecollegeonline.com/2010/05/10/online-degrees-military/
Online Degree Programs and Education for Seniorshttp://aginggrandparents.suite101.com/article.cfm/senior_citizens_going_to_college#ixzz0ouEsVyV2