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Distance Education - Pros and Cons?
xvrd asks: "I'm Swiss and got an Associates Degree in the US. Now (back in Switzerland) I'm thinking about getting a Bachelor Degree. Going back to the US on a student visa is not an option for several reasons and the programs offered in Switzerland either don't offer the flexibility I want or the classes I'm looking for. After some research I found some online colleges that looked trustworthy and offered interesting programs (Kaplan would even let me transfer all my credits). I've looked into the following colleges:
Kaplan Colleges,
University of Phoenix Online, and the
University of Maryland University College. Before enrolling anywhere I'd like to ask the Slashdot community about their thoughts on Online Education. Any experiences you want to share? How does HR look at Degrees completed entirely online?"
It depends entirely on what you're doing with the degree. I can tell you right now that as a PhD student at a big school, it's not the type of degree but the institution that granted it. In other words, somebody with a BA from a good school is more regarded in academia than someone with an MA from a bad school.
The unfortunate thing is, none of the correspondence/online degrees are from highly regarded schools yet. This is changing slowly - some good schools are beginning to teach online and correspondence courses, but none of them allow an entire degree program that way.
If you're a working stiff looking for a degree for pay/promotion reasons, then probably any would be good but Kaplan is probably the least desirable. However, if you plan ever to go on in academia or really expect your degree to be worth more than just a one-time pay raise, you may consider the investment of a traditional degree.
I did not design this game/I did not name the stakes/I just happen to like apples/And I am not afraid of snakes-AniD
If you are looking for technical, factual, resume-building experience, go for it.
However, in my experience, one of the most important aspects -- perhaps the most important -- of education is peer interaction. Whatever you learn from a textbook and a lecture, you'll learn ten times as much hearing your fellow students' questions, struggling with them over the assignments, and just chatting and exchanging ideas. Education is deeply social.
An online setting can accomplish some of this (as we are now!), but it's no substitute. If you do go the distance route, make sure that you're doing lots of work on the interpersonal side to make up for that missing piece. Be aggressive about getting online with your classmates. Find other people at a similar level or with similar interests in your area. Don't get isolated. Interact.
I think Virginia Tech has a remote campus in Switzerland. I don't know if it's open to Swiss students or just to students going abroad.
it's probably best to choose a school that also has a traditional brick & mortar component.
The Maryland school mentioned might be affiliated with UMD -- but it's not clear whether they're two different schools or not. U of Phoenix is like the Internet equivalent of DeVry. I see commercials on TV for both, and they look like clones and use similar pitches. As for Kaplan, I've only ever heard of them back in high school for SAT prep materials, which are typically useless, IMO.
The One Rule Of Chess You'll Ever Need: Don't play someone who carries a kit in their bookbag.
The University of Maryland University College?
Can I get a Computer Science Degree in the Science of Computer Science Technology?
(BTW, the name of that college *isn't* a typo)
"Moderate drinking can help prevent amputated limbs" -- Abigail Zuger, NYTimes, 12/31/02
This is the path I would take. The UK's Open University (www.open.ac.uk) - which was founded in the 1960s by the British Government to pioneer distance-learning courses - takes students from Switzerland for all its courses.
The degrees - both arts and scientific - you get from the OU certainly are not "toy" degrees - they are run and marked by top academics, and given full weight by (UK) HR deptartments. For example, the OU regularly wins prizes for the quality of its students. It also has taken great pains to combat the disadvantages of distance learning by encouraging online collaboration.
Drew
...but depends on your goals and what you expect to achieve from a degree program. There are more and more "traditional" universities offering online programs, Univ of Maryland at Univ College is one of the good ones. I am currently attending a graduate program at Regis University, and have been very pleased with the experience thus far. Online discussion forums and group activities allow you to interact with other students.
The important thing to note is that in an online setting the mode of teaching is different than a traditional classroom. The professors are more akin to "facilitators" that guide you through the education process, which will typically involve a lot more reading/writing than a classroom based program (at least this has been my experience at Regis). Since you don't show up at a pre-set time to hear a professor in a lecture, you learn from reading, applying what you have read to individual or group projects, and/or on-line research activities, and getting feedback from the on-line professor.
For me, the online choice was the only one possible due to Monday-Friday travel related to work. I have found that is the case with many, but not all, of the classmates that I've had online. Some individuals that I have met dislike online education because of the lack of physical presence of other students, others prefer it over a traditional classroom setting, because they have more time to aborb knowledge over the course of a week while reading on-line forums/books/etc., vs. capturing a significant amount of information during class times.
Just watch out for fly-by-night operations, or "degree mills" - before you join any program I would suggest making sure they are fully accredited by a regional accrediting agency (I believe there are 5 regional boards in the U.S., such as the North Central Assocation of Colleges and Schools).
In addition, search the alt.distance.education newsgroup for information on specific schools/programs that you are researching. You can find a lot of interesting related web sites in that forum.
How do HR departments treat online degrees? Depends on the organization. If the degree is from an accredited university that also offers the same program in a traditional classroom setting, this shouldn't be an issue. If you are interested in more "pure" academia - going back to get a PhD from a traditional university - I get the sense that you might face some resistance, but I think that attitudes are slowly changing. Again, the newsgroup offers a lot of information/opinions on this.
Good luck with your studies.
I think here in the UK the Open University (http://www.open.ac.uk/) is pretty well regarded. It has been around for a long time doing remote degrees.
The Open University generally caters for those who have regular jobs and want to study for a degree in their spare time. Needless to say, that takes a long time and a great deal of motivation and self discipline. Accordingly, as an employer I'd have a lot of respect for anyone who managed to do it successfully.
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After an argument with higher calculus I dropped out of university, got a job, and later picked up my studies part-time by correspondence - the traditional mail, books and paper kind.
If you are a good learner and/or have time to dedicate to your studies (a couple of hours a day, preferably), I think this is an excellent way to go.
I completed my degree through UNISA (the University of South Africa). They offer a number of excellent courses in all faculties, including postgraduate studies; have over 110,000 students, are recognised worldwide and examination centers in many countries.
Some of the faculties are most suited to international students than others. The computer science department, for example, accepts most tutorial submissions online. I see their home page has links for online registration and payment as well.
UNISA will allow you to transfer credits from recognised institutions (up to a maximum of half the total needed for your degree).
This is a bit of a shameless plug, but if you're going to get a qualification, it is worth getting it from a known, recognised and respected institution.
Some information on requirements for foreign (non-SA) students
i-name =twylite [http://public.xdi.org/=twylite], see idcommons.net
First, note that not every distance degree screams "DISTANCE." I went to the University of Waterloo on-campus for one of my Bacholer's degrees, and am completing my second Bacholer's via UW's Distance Ed program. Degrees completed by UW's distance ed. program simply say "University of Waterloo".
Personally, I feel I learn more on-campus than through distance. On-campus learning allows a lot more room for discussion (with the prof and with other students) which I find very valuable. Plus, because on-campus classes require me to be in class at set times, I find it a lot easier to keep attending and keep up with the material.
Distance Ed is a lot more flexible, but this can be dangerous if you procrastinate. It's much harder to stay on top of all the material when it's completely up to you to do so. However, if you get through that, you can turn it into an advantage during interviews -- it's a great example of self-motivation, independant work, perserverance and organization.
I can spell. I just can't type.
The University of London was founded by Royal Charter, and is therefore (AFAIK) completely accredited. It's External Programme is open to anyone, anywhere in the world. Part of the charter of the school is that degrees are treated exactly the same, no matter where or how the degree was earned. That is, a degree earned by distance learning is treated the same as a degree earned brick-and-mortar. It's the largest university in the UK, so it can't be all bad...:)
Just my two cents. And, for the record, I'm an American and former expatriate in Europe.
...but it's being eaten...by some...Linux or something...
My previous employer implemented a policy shortly before I left requiring that all new hires, even down to secretaries and receptionists, had to have a college degree.
Nothing like over-qualified, bored workers spending all day sending out resumes.
Opinions on the Twiddler2 hand-held keyboard?
I'm in ACCIS. They've been great. I've also got friends in it. You can email me brent@bmetzler.org if you'd like more details.
-Brent