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Online Degrees Or Offline Degrees?

May 3rd, 2008

Whether pursuing a two-year, four-year or a post-graduate degree, you may have considered an online degree program. Online degrees programs offer students the convenience, flexibility, and individualized learning while being able to keep their day jobs to attend school. Everyone has different interests when it comes to career goals and everyone learns at a different pace. Some students are more motivated to succeed than others and may be stimulated by a variety of factors that lead them to success. What is good for one student may not be good for the next student.

To discover what type of classroom setting is right for you - online versus offline, there are a lot of considerations. Take a serious look at the two types of learning options. One consideration with learning online is convenience. There are many other benefits to online learning as well.

In the past, students who learned through correspondence courses were considered of lesser value than those who attending traditional classes on the same subjects. This is not the case anymore. Online education is becoming more accepted in the workplace and academic world. It is no longer a last resort. Employers are starting to realize that employees and potential employees can benefit from online degrees - particularly those who work full time and may not have the luxury of taking a leave from employment to attend school. There are many benefits to obtaining an online degree and the fact that a person can learn at their own pace and during private time are at the top of the list.

One study done by Drexel University compared students who studied online and those who studied in a more traditional setting. The study indicated that the people who took the online courses appeared to be more relaxed than those who were taking traditional courses. This can be conjectured to mean that those who were bound into a tight schedule of studying and learning that was not of their own determination were more stressed out than those who were learning at their own pace.

Online students in the Drexel University study were less stressed and more able to complete their work in a shorter time than the other traditional students. This was attributed to life demands and aspects of campus and university life which were not present in an online setting. Off-line students stretched personal limits in an attempt to fit their lives into a pre-set schedule. Online students, on the other hand, scheduled their classes into their regular schedules and routines.

The camaraderie at traditional colleges and universities is not an aspect that some students are willing to eliminate. Although many colleges and universities are offering online courses that compliment regular classes, younger learners seemed to prefer the more traditional setting. The offline traditional educational setting may be better for students who are not self-motivated and unable to adhere to independent studies.

There are pros and cons to obtaining an online degree. For the most part, if you are looking to fit class schedules into an existing regular schedule and if you are the type who is self-motivated, you will do well with online academic studies. But if you need constant stimulation and individualized attention, you may fare better with a traditional program.

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