Some questionable sources look for the easy way around getting a degree. Some questionable sources fill that market demand with degrees from online degree mills. Who knew that was a billion dollar industry or that terrorists have got fake degrees? Worse yet, some high level members of the government also bought into these schemes, which undermine the value of a real education AND the safety of our country.
According to an article in the Journal Gazette, the newspaper featured on Fort Wayne Indiana’s Internet home page, distance learning is booming. As more and more students are signing up for not only Internet classes but full-fledge degree programs, more and more colleges and universities are getting on the distance learning bandwagon and offering dozens of majors online.
The article notes that in Indiana alone, there were 104,000 students enrolled in distance learning classes during the 2003-2004 academic year with nearly 90,000 of those enrollments for online classes.
Higher Education via the Super Highway
Distance learning is nothing new. Many colleges and universities have been offering distance learning classes via cable television since the 90s. However, even though that method of distance learning is still alive, online classes are definitely the majority when it comes to off-campus enrollment.
It can be and often is more expensive per credit hour to attend school online but in almost every instance, the money saved in gas, clothing, lunches out and other incidentals is going to offset the increase in tuition. This is especially true whether you’re serving in the military halfway across the world or an hour or two away from campus.
Scholarships
What about scholarships though? You’re sure not going to save any money if you turn down a scholarship just to sit home in your pajamas. Well, the good news is with some scholarships it just doesn’t matter. If you’re accepted at the University of College, they don’t care whether you’re in class or in front of your computer at home. You’ll find private as well as institutional scholarships that will be awarded to the student enrolled in distance learning as well as both kinds that will not award scholarships to the students enrolled in the distance learning program. It all depends on who is awarding the scholarship and the criteria they have established.
The William S. Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University offers scholarships for distance learning. Check with the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.
Southwestern Oklahoma State University has a comprehensive distance learning program offering undergraduate and graduate programs. Their website states they do offer scholarships for distance learning but don’t state which ones. They do offer contact information though. You can read all about it here.
Non-Resident Savings
The per credit hour costs for distance learning can double if you’re an out of state resident, depending on the institution however many of them offer the same exact per credit hour cost for online attendance. This could end up saving you big bucks if you’re an out-of-state student.
After getting so many calls and questions from distance learners, Oklahoma University’s College of Liberal Studies created online tutorials to help students navigate through the website. Soon they realized that the tutorials were not just for distance learners, but for everyone.
OU’s College of Liberal Studies has provided a 100 percent online degree program since 1996. Other distance learning courses offered by OU are provided through:
There is a growing demand to accommodate distance learners, and this is just one example.
To access the tutorials, go to libraries.ou.edu and click on the Help section and find ‘Tutorials’.
Search through our distance learning section if you are or plan on taking online classes.
From OUDaily.com
The Statesman (requires registration to view) reports about Central Texas Community College located in Killeen, TX and its role of educating memebers of the armed forces. It’s the second largest college to contract with the military, along with being the nation’s fifth largest offering online degree granting programs.
74% of enrolled students are members of the military. Notably, the Army offers $4500 per year to pay for tuition.
College degrees are increasingly becoming a prerequisite for promotion. The Chronicle reported that the Navy in August adopted a rule effective in 2011 requiring all sailors to hold at least an associate degree to qualify for promotion to senior enlisted ranks.
If you are currently serving or thinking of signing up, check out Central Texas College’s website for enrollment, tuition, and benefit information.
For other military options for active duty, reserve, and veteran servicemen and women take a look at our military grant section.
There’s an article on distance learning in the NY Press entitiled, “The Dawn of Distance Learning“.
I found some cool information and statistics. Let’s examine, shall we?
The Good: On average, a college degree nearly doubles annual earnings
The Bad: According to a Washington Post article, it’s harder than ever to be accepted to college
The Distance Learning: Provides higher education to those students not accepted or others who enjoy the other multiple benefits.
In 1999, the National Center for Education Statistics found that, in 1997-98, almost 44 percent of all higher education institutions offered courses via distance learning. Today, many prestigious universities are counted among that figure but most don’t actually offer a degree. Harvard and MIT are such institutions.
MIT’s Open Courseware resource is an amazing collection of knowledge. It’s completely free and available to anyone. MIT does not offer distance learning diplomas, and believes the internet should not be used to monetize education and replace traditional physical campus education.
I guess it’s in the eye of the beholder. Some people can learn more efficiently via a computer than actual classrooms. Others may need the personal attention that professors, tutors, and other classmates provide. In my opinion, knowledge is knowledge no matter how it is acquired.
There are plenty of exceptions where distance learning cannot provide proper experiences since you can’t be ‘hands-on’ if you are only in front of your computer.
Certainly anyone wanting to broaden their knowledge should check out MIT’s Open Courseware. It won’t get you a degree, but who cares, it’s free!
The Akron Beacon Journal has some figures on the colleges and universities in Ohio and the increasing popularity of distance learning. The article, entitled ‘Distance learning attracting full-time students‘, goes through some stats about who’s using these modern class methods.
Of the 37,000 students taking distance-learning courses in the state, more than half are full-time students.
..and, a majority are community college students, with fewer than one-third attending main university campuses, according to the Ohio Learning Network of 72 colleges and universities.
An increasing trend is to attend a local school, and take distance learning courses at other schools and then have them transferred over. This clearly shows a demand for more online classes, and many schools are adding to their list of internet classes.
Wright State, where 1,500 students have enrolled in Internet courses, offers five online degree programs and 17 general education courses. The school plans to expand general education courses and create three additional undergraduate degrees and eight additional online graduate degrees.
