Posted on 06/21/2006 5:56:34 PM PDT by G. Stolyarov II
Enrollments in online courses are increasing 10 times faster than traditional enrollments.
Let's see, every time someone visits a campus, takes a tour, visits a book store, eats in a cafeteria, looks at an empty gym or stadium, and then sits with a counselor for an hour or so, and then finally signs the enrollment form...10 people sign up online!
Uh...gee...I wonder ...If I were a school, where should I apply my time and effort? Hard question.
Schools like Arizona State University expect enrollment in at least one online course to soar from 15,000 to 100,000 within the next five years.
ASU now has students from New Hampshire, Iowa, Mexico, India, and China.
Online education is now accessible to anyone who has high-speed internet. I just recently completed a degree with a friend who made it through with the old fashioned dial-up connection. (She's much more patient than I.)
There is one more thing that drives the online learning surge: it is very lucrative -- emphasis on very.
People earning degrees online are older than most traditional graduates; they work full-time and already have families. They also choose the web because it is convenient.
Online learning is now part of mainstream higher education, and if it's not part of your school, it should be.
Online learning is also more profitable.
One can be sure the fopros will capitalize on it.
What do you think?
Ping.
I completed my BA online a couple of years ago. Overall, the experience was great. I was able to move at my own pace (within the constraints of assignment deadlines), and could log on to submit school work 24/7. Since you don't have anyone breathing down your neck, you really need a lot of discipline to do the work. If you're considering this path, you should keep that in mind.
I also found that online classes were more expensive than the classroom variety, and the entire amount had to be paid up front, because the school used an outside service provider for the online classroom.
I'm glad that more schools are offering online classes. I'm also starting to see more class and major choices online.
One last note: If possible, you should take your lower level courses from a community college (either classroom or online). They cost only about 10% of what the same class costs online from a university.
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