The Reality of Online Education
Online education has grown significantly in recent years, quickly establishing itself as a valid educational option for busy professionals, working moms and dads and even typical college students.
Today, more than 12 million students are enrolled in college-level distance education courses, while 97 percent of two-year public institutions and 89 percent of four-year public institutions offer such courses, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Despite these numbers, some individuals might still be leery about seeking their college education via an online program. They might wonder whether the education a student receives through an online program can be as beneficial as one provided by a traditional brick-and-mortar school.
Fortunately, there is substantial evidence pointing to the legitimacy of online education programs that can dispel many of the inaccurate assumptions about distance learning.
Online Education Quality
Many people might assume that students can obtain a higher-quality education from in-person classroom instruction than they can from a distance learning course.
However, there is significant evidence disproving the assumption that the education received from classroom-based courses is better than the education received from online courses.
One popular reference demonstrating the overall quality of online education is the book "The No Significant Difference Phenomenon" by Thomas L. Russell of North Carolina State University.
The book is a collection of studies addressing whether taking a course via distance learning lowers a student's chances for success compared to the same student taking the same course in a face-to-face format.
An overwhelming number of studies included in the book show that when course materials and teaching methodology are held consistent, there is no significant difference between student outcomes in distance learning courses compared to face-to-face instruction.
Value of Online Education
Another assumption about online that many people mistakenly make is the notion that employers do not value degrees earned from online programs of study as much as degrees from traditional programs of study.
However, a growing number of employers believe that the education and training received from a distance learning course can be just as effective as face-to-face instruction.
In fact, more than 62 percent of employers valued distance learning instruction just as much, if not more so, than traditional instruction, according to a study by Eduventures, Inc., a research and analysis firm that works with the higher education industry.
Furthermore, some employers favor distance learning courses over those taught by traditional institutions because online learning is less likely to get in the way of the company's business operations. Whereas an employee might need to miss work in order to attend a classroom-based course, that same employee could avoid missing work by taking an online course that offers the flexibility of "attending" the class in the evening or on the weekend.
A Sense of Classroom Community
Many students who are considering enrolling in an online program of study might be nervous that they will lose a sense of community achieved through interaction with one's peers.
In reality, there are a number of online courses designed to bring about this sense of community between students and their teachers and classmates.
Course components like virtual team projects and online study groups actually encourage interaction among the students, sometimes more so than traditional classroom-based classes.
Some students might even participate more in an online course versus a classroom-based course because they might feel less intimidated to speak. An online environment could be ideal for timid students - such students might be more comfortable participating in a virtual classroom versus in front of an actual classroom full of people.
