Completely uninterested in online courses. I’m one who needs to be present in a classroom environment. If it were up to me to sit in front of a computer to learn in addition to the time I spend in front of one at work, I’d never complete a course…online courses = waste of my $/time

Self-motivation has never really been a problem for me. If I want to do something badly enough, I do it. I would have no problem sitting in front of a computer to complete a course. It would be an added bonus that I could do the work on my own time, which is usually limited do to being employed both full and part time. I am just not sure I would get the same attention from an instructor I would get in a classroom. Much easier to raise my hand and ask a question in class than call an office or e-mail. Not many people these days respond to messages quickly. Plus all the technical things that could go wrong. Let’s face it, sometimes online service providers are not that reliable.

It is very convenient for many students who would not otherwise have the opportunity to take classes, or for those who need to fill in a class or two, or for introductory level material. It really does not hold a candle to taking a class in a traditional setting. I have taken both, and even if you meet once a month, it is better than all distance learning.

It seems like every time i go online, i get a popup add for online degrees based on “life experience”. I figure this means if i pay enough I can get a “degree” at whatever level or in whatever subject I want. I’m sure there are more reputable online programs, but the online education industry should really start regulating the diploma mills if they want to be seen as equal in quality to traditional education.

jana :
It seems like every time i go online, i get a popup add for online degrees based on “life experience”. I figure this means if i pay enough I can get a “degree” at whatever level or in whatever subject I want. I’m sure there are more reputable online programs, but the online education industry should really start regulating the diploma mills if they want to be seen as equal in quality to traditional education.

Would online degrees get a better rap/reputation if the “diploma mills” were to be regulated? Many accredited traditional bricks and mortar colleges and university have online degree programs/classes available.

I was enrolled in an on-campus M.S. program at Texas A&M when I unexpectedly had to move overseas. I was able to finish the program on-line from overseas and I actually preferred it to the on-campus program. The bulletin boards, chat rooms, and responsiviness of the professors combined to make the on-line classes educational, convenient and, in my opinion, at least as effective as the on-campus classes.

I think the key is to find a reputable school with a good on-line program.

In math and science classes contact with other students is probably not important. In the social subjects, contact with other students is as important as contact with the teaching material.

My spouse had the good fortune to be in school with others who would go on to become innovators in their fields. Nothing can replace being there to share and feed on that energy. Decades later, we are still drawing from that very deep well.

I think the value of on-line education depends upon the individual student. We don’t all learn in the same way or at the same speed. I hated sitting in a lecture class, trying to write what the instructor just said while at the same time listening to him saying something else. I cannot write and listen at the same time, and my notes were useless. But if you have a video that you can replay to catch whatever you missed, or even better, if you can print out the lecture and review it later, you hsve, in my opinion, the best learning tool, with a few exceptions.

Of course there are classes where you would want hands-on experience – Chemistry, for example. But for History, English, Math, foreign languages and some basic science courses I think that for many students video classes would be ideal. The Teaching Company publishes many college-level video courses on a wide variety of subjects, and while you don’t get college credit for viewing them, they are a good example of what I mean.

I took a paralegal certification course from Washington Online Learning Institute a few years ago and I thought it was great. I learned a lot, and got a good job afterward, so yes I would say that online learning is excellent. I’m a believer based on my experience at WOLI.