Online Education: The New Way to Obtain a Degree

I consider myself well-educated when it comes to secondary schools. I have taken online and live classes, so I would like to give my opinion about the benefits or advantages of attending online schools or taking online courses. First of all, as a busy person, like most adults these days, online schools are a blessing. The online courses allow students to fit school into their busy schedules and still work toward completing their degrees. I will tell you as a graduate student, it is very difficult having a full-time job and trying to complete an education. The fact that most graduate classes are in the evening still doesn't provide the flexibility as online classes. After working all day who wants to sit up in a class for two to three hours? I sure don't.

Also, many classes are not available every semester, which lengthens the completion time even more. Online classes allow the students to log in when he or she is able. Students can also receive and turn in assignments online and take tests without the need to attend a physical class. Some would say the interaction a live class provides is beneficial; however, most online classes provide chats and discussions as well. Attending an online school or taking online classes is similar to working from home. No one is standing around telling you when you need to log in - you have to be disciplined and self-motivated enough to do it yourself. That may be an issue for some. Some people need to more direction and guidance than others, not saying that they are less motivated, but just have more difficulty succeeding under self-directed studies. Finally, some students like to receive live input from professors and other students.

Also, some courses need to be held in a live setting. I firmly believe my course of study, Criminal Justice, is not one of those courses that should only be available in a live setting; online courses are just fine. Because of the Internet and increasing advanced technology, students from anywhere are able to attend a certain college and receive a degree by taking online courses. I don't have any major problems with schools like the University of Phoenix , Kaplan, and other online schools that are entirely online. Most are accredited, which is important, and most offer a variety of degrees. However, the cost seems to be very high for some of these colleges. I once had been interested in attending one of the online schools, but the tuition was almost double that of traditional schools.

Why would the cost almost be double are even the same of what a traditional school offers when there are no physical classrooms, bookstores, equipment provided, or in-house professors? I don't understand this at all. Another problem I have with some of these completely online schools is that they seem very pushy, like pushy salespeople. You call just to get some information and they want to enroll you right then and there. Are they that desperate for students? Although it may not be true, I get that impression. But, overall, I think the majority of these schools provide a great opportunity for those who want to continue their education but can't attend traditional live classes.

Besides these schools, there are many traditional schools that either offer online degrees or offer some classes for certain degrees online.