Put Education Right at Your Fingertips With an Online University Program!

Online universities offer you associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees over the Internet, and some have doctoral and certificate programs as well. The university awards you your degree or certificate after you have completed all required coursework. Since lectures occur almost exclusively online, you will never have to rush miles across campus or schedule your personal life around your classes. Attending a university online means having education right at your fingertips!

Futuristic Learning:

The Institute for Global Futures predicts that online education will soon feature virtual reality teaching, where fantasy meets real-world situations; “teachbots” that offer personalized help on demand; and increasingly interactive, multimedia and multidimensional educational experiences. Online education has enabled countless students to advance their educations and learn the skills that can help them land a new job. But does an online degree or certification change an employer’s view of a candidate’s qualifications?

How Employers View Online Education

Traditional colleges and universities have simply been around much longer, so some employers may not be as familiar with online degree and online certification programs. However, awareness is growing, and hiring managers, recruiters and small business owners increasingly realize that traditional schools offer online programming in addition to on-campus classes. The institution’s name, accreditation status and reputation for quality are often important factors when considering a potential employee’s degree or certification. Many recruiters see no difference between degrees earned online and those earned in traditional classroom settings – as long as the institution is appropriately accredited and reputable. Professional certifications earned online or on-campus are typically viewed equally. With some employers, an on-campus degree might carry more weight if all other qualifications are equal. Recruiters and employers don’t typically know if a candidate’s degree was earned through an online or traditional program, unless it’s from an online-only institution. It’s clear that the quality of a job candidate’s education is of greater concern to employers than the method of delivery. So how does online education stack up to traditional classroom instruction?

The Quality of Online Education

As the demographics of their students have changed to include older and working students, colleges and universities have stepped up to meet their needs with high quality, flexible online programming. In most institutions, the same faculty members teach both traditional and online courses. Online curriculum is often equal to on-campus courses, but enhanced for the online environment, with interactive and multimedia features to better engage students. Some say the quality of online education will soon exceed traditional campus instruction. In fact, a survey of online education experts, published by Educause Quarterly, revealed that 86% of respondents expect that by 2013, the quality of online education will be the same as or better than traditional instruction.3 For the vast majority of accredited and reputable institutions, online education is of equal quality to on-campus programs – and students can be assured that the degree or certificate they earn through an online program is equal to those awarded to traditional students. The only differences are in the convenience of 24/7 accessibility, where students may schedule classes around a busy schedule, and instruction that is specifically geared toward online learners.

The 21st Century Education

We often hear that technology has changed the face of education. But what does that really mean to today’s college student? Here we’ll explore some education trends you’re likely to see, how the quality of online education compares, and how employers view online degrees and online certification programs.