Simple Steps That Will Help You to Find the Right Online Programme

Are you thinking about pursuing an online degree programme? But confused about which programme to choose? Well...I can assure you that you are not alone? Most students I encounter ask me how can they determine which online degree programme will be right for them.

Apparently there are numerous online programmes offered by innumerable online colleges and universities from around the world. Many institutes even offer the same programmes but with different course and credit structures.

So How Do You Choose the Right One?

The only effective way is to invest some time and do proper research. In case of brick and mortar colleges, you can easily visit the campus, read the guidebooks and brochures and even consult with the alumni. But in case of online degree programmes there is no such established path that will help you to find and choose the right programme and school.

In fact, it can be even more challenging as most online schools introduce new courses and programmes almost every week. If you search the internet for an online advanced diploma in business, you will find an abundance of websites that will guarantee to offer the best online courses and programmes.

Assistant Dean (for Graduate and Online Programs) at the Washington State University College of Business, Cheryl Oliver, says “There is so much static out there...It's really hard for people to know what is a legitimate degree and what programs are just going to take their money and put them through the motions.”

So what do you do? Simply follow these steps that experts believe will help you to filter information and find the most appropriate online institute and programme-

Check Individual School Websites and Reliable Sources

It is imperative that you check the websites of all relevant institutes in order to find the required information. An official website will provide you with detailed information about the institute and the programmes they offer. Websites that simply rank different schools and online programmes cannot provide you with comprehensive information. In fact, some websites will even ask you to pay money to get the information. Moreover, as some schools pay different portals to get featured, they get more online exposure. Hence the reliability of such information sources becomes doubtful.

Oliver says, “Some schools are paying to be on every one of those sites and now they are prolific. So students are going to continue to see that school when maybe the best bet for them is in their own backyard.”

If you want to get unbiased information and balanced statistics then simply visit the College Navigator tool of the U.S. Department of Education. It can provide you information about graduation rates, tuition fees and other valuable data.

Find Out If Your School is Accredited or Not

According to the Senior Vice President of OnlineSolutions at Pearson, Todd Hitchcock, accreditation is extremely important. The first thing you need to do is to check if your school is regionally accredited and recognised. You should also find out if the degree you want to pursue has programmatic accreditation (if eligible). You can check out the Council for Higher Education Accreditation which maintains a list of all approved accrediting organisations.

Executive Director of Online Learning at Regent University, Todd Marshall, says “Accredited schools tend to mention their accreditation in a prominent place...If you really have to dig to find it, or worse yet, can’t find it at all, that is not a good sign.”

Get Advice from Professionals in Your Field

It is often a great idea to speak with established professionals in your desired field and industry. You can call up HR professionals in your field and ask for their opinions about the institutes that you are currently considering. This will add to your initial research as you will get real-time feedback from industry professionals about your online programme and school. It will give you confidence about your qualification and you will be able to plan ahead for your future.

Speak to the Faculty and Students at Your School

The experts believe that after you have filtered your search to a handful of programs and institutes, you need to contact the staff, faculty and students at the schools. The officials at the schools will be pleased to respond to your queries and provide you clarifications about their services. They can also help you understand if the programme you are considering will be suitable for you or not. Moreover, you should also speak with the officials at the student service and find out about remediation and tutoring services.

Apart from these, the experts also suggest that you get in touch with the faculty members as this will give you an idea about the involvement of the teachers in the class. Bobbie Harris, Online Instructor at West Virginia University, says “You really want to vet the type of professor they are using because a lot of them are adjunct and the quality of those professors can range.”

However, the most important part is that you contact the recent or current students to find out the relevant information. According to Assistant Clinical Professor at Northern Arizona University, Corrine Gordon, “I don't think all programs are going to be 100 percent honest. Have that peer-to-peer conversation. That's something we think is very important.”

Check Tuition Fees of Different Institutes

Apart from the steps mentioned above, you also need to find out about the tuition fees as it may vary greatly depending upon the institute and programme. If you want to get enrolled in a reputed online International Business School, then find out about the tuition fees charged by different online business schools for your desired programme. This will not only help you to get a better idea about the fees, but you will also find the most affordable programme that will meet your requirements.

These steps will guide to find the most suitable online institute and programme and make the selection process simple and more effective.

Is Studying Online a Wise Solution to Cut Down Costs of College Education?

Who likes facing issues that relate to increasing college costs? Affording college education today has no doubt become a daunting task and the same has been felt by a good number of US colleges and universities. They have clearly revealed their financial inability to educate their students. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the most popular technology-intensive research university reported that they spend three times more to educate undergraduates that actually stands equivalent to that spent in taking tuition.

Is MOOC the ultimate solution to rising college costs?

For educating innovators in science and engineering and thereafter pushing the research frontier, an institution requires making lump sum investments. Students must be provided expensive instruments and exclusive facilities, and to meet all these demands, it’s pretty obvious for a university to become financially stable. In this respect, what people have started wondering is whether a Massive Open Online Course can be the ultimate solution.

Undoubtedly, MOOCs have gained supreme significance at almost every nook and corner of the world in the past few years. Today, thousands of students can access these courses right from their native lands and that too within their means. However, academic administrators still keep raising questions whether these courses would really be able to help career aspirants achieve their respective goals at a comparatively low cost. Can MOOCs act as the best substitute for a university education?

MOOCs are a possibility

MOOCs might indeed create a possibility. However, what should be done first is to know how to make use of digital tools that can make higher education better and more effective. Imagine what would happen after 10 to 12 years from now if instructors start applying digital learning tools in their respective classrooms and train their students accordingly. The classrooms in the year 2025 then will receive education that will score high in all aspects, whether it’s related to accessibility, effectiveness or budget.

The MIT success story

It was the year 2002 when MIT initiated OpenCourseWare with the intention to post all their course materials online for free. The result was brilliant. About 150 million learners from far and wide enrolled in this course. Today, career aspirants from almost every state in America as well as from other corners of the world are taking MIT classes online.

In regard to the education costs, the ones who also fall prey to financial challenges are the business management course pursuers. Some are either led to quit jobs to enrol in a pricey course while some relocate abroad to get admitted in reputed business schools. Well, digital learning once again can play a key role here in bringing tremendous opportunities to:

• Help students obtain similar learning experiences like those obtained in brick and mortar business schools
• Make use of new learning tools and smarter business approaches
• Access interactive modules that involve rich communication between students and instructors

source: ti.me/1b8yuVR

Online business schools are doing wonders

Interestingly, students are now taking pleasure in studying from business schools under UK universities online. In fact, these institutions are scoring high in not only making students study flexibly but ensuring that they acquire quality learning experiences within an affordable budget. An online business school gives the undergraduates and postgraduates the opportunity to pay per module and save a considerable amount of money which they would have otherwise invested in a full-time business management course. They can pay their fees for the next module as and when they complete each module. This concept is quite helpful for those unable to pay the whole fees at one go.

Other than students, working professionals wanting to further their qualifications in the field of business find this to be a very apt solution. Their busy schedule does not permit them to undertake further study through full time mode. By undertaking their course through an online business school they are able to adjust their work and study quite easily.

So, you can see how digital or online learning can act as a great saviour in helping your develop your career prospects within your means. In fact, what can be a better option than choosing to study in an accredited online learning institution that gives you the flexibility to pay for only those modules and assessments which you require? Don’t you consider it a smarter option than attending classes for hours in a brick and mortar institution and paying a huge course fee? Think about it before you take a leap!!