Online University: Is it worth it?

Often when high school juniors begin the college process, some of the things they look for in universities or institutions include the quality of education, the location, size, and, of course, the social scene. From a more personal perspective, I can honestly say that while I looked at a variety of traditional universities, I never once considered an online university. I’ve always been wary of online universities, as they simply don’t seem as “legitimate” as traditional universities. Many of these online universities are for-profit universities, meaning that they are run by private businesses that are ultimately trying to make a profit.

Online education offers the possibility of having the classroom be anywhere you want it. 

What does this mean for students who are looking for a nontraditional path to gaining their degree from a post-secondary institution? Do your research!!! Most for-profit’s pedagogy is often completely market-based. They’re trying to turn a profit. That doesn’t mean that they are necessarily bad universities nor does it mean that their degrees aren’t worth anything; in fact U.S. News reported that many non-for-profit universities, like University of Southern California and University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, are adapting some “online-centric” programs. Even New York University offers online courses through the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at both the graduate and undergraduate level.

While many students may be striving to complete a postsecondary education, traditional universities can often be very costly and push students to look for more unconventional paths to a degree. I believe that these paths can sometimes be dangerous for the students, though they have the potential to be an innovative learning method.

There are all sorts of horror stories that go along with online education. For instance, there are stories of “degree mills”, where unaccredited universities or plain con artists create fake universities that offer degrees in very short amounts of time, the consumer is able to purchase a degree with honors (one sales pitch said that for an additional $75 dollars, you could graduate Summa Cum Laude). In an article by Dhirendra Kumar called “Pros and Cons of Online Education”, she says that the four main cons of online education are “limited social interaction, technology cost and scheduling, effectiveness of education, and that it can be problematic for instructors” (Kumar).  While everything seems very negative about these online educations, there are some pros to pursuing a degree online.

Parody of a fake degree from a "degree mill" shows how easy it is. 

Kumar also lists the four main pros of an online education like convenience, less expensive, the fact that it incorporates technology, and other benefits that include a global classroom and creative teaching. There is also evidence that online education can make you a better student. In a study reported in the U.S. News article “Your Professor, Your Computer, and You”, by Brian Burnsed, “the Department of Education study, revised in September 2010, analyzed more than 1,000 other studies of online education conducted since 1996. While the analysis found that students in a strictly online setting performed marginally better than in a classroom-only setting…” (Burnsed). Perhaps online education really does make better student, even only if marginally.  More studies definitely have to be performed, as technology is always changing and performance can always be evaluated in different, more meaningful ways.

Students today are really taking to the idea of online education. In another article by Brian Burnsed, “Online Education May Transform Higher Ed”, he notes that  “Already, about 30 percent of American college students take at least one course online, says Elaine Allen, statistical director of the Sloan Survey on Online Education, which monitors student involvement in online higher education” (Burnsed). With an estimated 19.7 million students enrolled in college in the United States in Fall 2012, that means, according to Burnsed and Allen, about 5,910,000 students will take an online course. As more and more top tier universities offer courses online, we can only expect that number to increase.

So is online education really worth it? For some people it is. For-profit online universities tend to market to working class people who want to get a higher degree and advance their careers. Of course, this runs risks, as some may be scams and therefore it is very important to do research on accreditations, specifically those on United States Department of Education’s database of agencies that can give universities accreditations. This database offers users the opportunity to look up any institution by state or accrediting agency in order to avoid these “diploma mills”. Like in any college process, research is key to finding the right fit for you as a student, but it’s especially necessary when thinking about online education. Online education has the potential to transform classes, but it’s still in the process of going about it at this point.