Select An Online University

I have shared before that when I first enrolled at an online university, I did so as a compromise, not expecting the educational experience to be as thorough as traditional onground programs.  It did allow me to keep traveling for business and further my education, so I thought it a fair compromise.  Further, I knew I would get out of it in proportion to what I put into it and I was very motivated to excel.

Imagine my surprise when I found online classes to be more satisfying than the classrooms of my past.  They offered convenience to accommodate a hectic schedule while being rigorous.  My involvement with classmates and instructors was much deeper, meaningful, and enjoyable than I had typically experienced before.

Go figure – I was learning in online classes and still learning well – no compromise here.

To add credibility to my experience and that of many others I have talked with, several credible research studies have explored how effective online courses are compared to traditional onground courses.  The Department of Education studied these studies, creating a composite view of them and answering the question, “How does the effectiveness of online learning compare with that of face-to-face instruction?” 

They concluded, “Students in online conditions performed modestly better, on average, than those learning the same material through traditional face-to-face instruction.” 

View the full report by the US Department of Education or a helpful summary of the report published by the New York Times.

So, if you are concerned with the credibility of learning online, you now have credible evidence to know better.

Many people enjoy the convenience and quality of online classes.  Below are four reasons why people are furthering their education with online universities.

Ease of Access:  with a computer and an Internet connection, you can attend class from anywhere – while at home, working, traveling, vacationing, camping, etc.  Attending a traditional onground class requires reliable transportation and the time to travel to and from the school.  As an online student, only a reliable computer and Internet access is needed, regardless of where you are, including at home in your pajamas.  Many adults, including those with physical disabilities, value this ease of access.

Never Too Far Away:  often the best choice for a traditional onground program is not where you are.  If you are in a city, you will likely find a good traditional school you could commute to, but it still may not be your first choice or ideally fit your educational plans.  If you are in a rural area, commuting to a school becomes a greater challenge and burden.  Instead, online classes are never too far away.  Further, with the numerous schools offering online learning options, you are likely to find a program that is a very good fit with your objectives.

Schedule Flexibility:  this is a personal favorite with most online students.  Most (not all) online programs provide complete schedule flexibility so you can “do school” when you want.  A hectic work and home schedule makes attending traditional onground classes difficult.  Further, if you need to travel for a job, attending onground courses is seldom practical.  Instead, online courses allow you to get the work done when you can.  Assignment and participation deadlines still need to be met, but most people can make an online course work for them even with a hectic  or unpredictable schedule.

Effectiveness:  those new to the concept of online learning may be surprised that online universities are more effective in helping people learn than traditional onground courses.  Attending an online course is not a compromise in educational value, but likely will result in better learning.  In fact, a Department of Education study found online education beats traditional classes – online learning works!  If you want to know more about this study, the New York Times wrote a summary titled “Study Finds That Online Education Beats the Classroom”  and the full report is available here.

There are many other reasons for choosing online courses, but these four are very compelling.

I often have the pleasure of teaching students who are new to online learning.  In these first-timer courses anxiety and apprehension is frequently expressed early in the class.  Part of this is because the students are new to online learning and part is because the “students” are typically adults that are returning to university courses for the first time in several years.   A few representative statements shared when the students introduce themselves show a mix of feelings:

• I am very excited yet nervous about the new journey I have embarked on.  I don’t know what to expect.
• It’s been almost 20 years since receiving my undergraduate degree.  I am both nervous and eager to continue my education.
• I am excited and admittedly nervous about returning to school. I already burn the candle at both ends, but I need to continue my education to improve my career.
• After much thought, I decided that I needed to go to the next level and pursue an MBA. While I am very anxious and nervous about this decision, I am excited by the opportunities it may provide.
• I am thrilled about beginning my journey back into the “class room.”  It has been almost ten years so this should be a true adventure.
• This is my first experience with online education and I am a bit nervous.  Also, I have been out of school for over 20 years, making me more nervous!

Being anxious, excited, and nervous about becoming an online student is expected.  It is a new experience and not one that can be fully understood until it is tried.  Then again, this anxiety is short-lived.  First-time online students typically get comfortable within the first or second week of their initial course.  It only takes a little exploring of the online courseroom system, reviewing the syllabus, and learning the expectations.  After participating in the class for a week, you will know how to navigate the online courseroom, view lecture materials, participate in discussions, submit assignments, and more.

Further, many online universities have orientation courses to help the first-time online student.  This course prepares you to use the online courseroom system and typically models what a real course is like, complete with discussion boards for students to participate in, assignments to submit, material to read, etc.  Also, universities have lots of resources to help you be successful, such as the course instructor, student advisors, a writing center, tutoring, and more.  It is in the best interest of the university for you to be successful – use the resources they provide.

So, while it is normal to be anxious about beginning an online education, know that the anxiety will subside quickly as you gain experience. 

I like ice cream.  Many people do, including my young son.  He heard about ice cream but didn’t know what to expect at first.  His big sister shared some useful information.  “It is cold, but no so cold that it hurts your mouth.  It is also creamy and sweet.  But, be careful to not eat too big of a bite or you might get brain freeze and that hurts.”  This last piece of information created some concern and required additional coxing.  “Don’t worry, just eat it slowly.  It is really good.  Try some!”  Try he did and ice cream immediately became a favorite treat.  Going to an ice cream store brought new adventures – so many flavors to try.  It took a few visits and some trial and error on his part, but he soon found a few favors that are now his favorites.

Let’s break down this experience:

1. Hearing about ice cream – created interest
2. Someone shared what ice cream is like – created expectations
3. Tasted ice cream – met expectations, but likely a bit different than envisioned
4. Discovered several varieties exist – found which flavors were favorites

Now, how in the world is this anything like online learning, or more specifically, selecting an online university or program?  My experience is fairly representative of what many adult students experience.  I became interested in an online degree after starting other graduate programs and not being able to finish because of unpredictable work travel.  I couldn’t afford to leave my job to attend school full-time and an online program became an appealing option to deal with my hectic schedule.  I collected information from several online universities, but having little real idea of what to expect, I talked with existing students to found out what learning online is like.  They convinced me it was worth trying and I did.

See any similarities with ice cream?  How about:

1. Heard about online learning as an option for completing a degree – created interest
2. Talked with actual students in online programs – created expectations
3. Enrolled and tried online learning – met many expectations but was also different than envisioned
4. Later I discovered that not all online universities operate the same way – what!

Step 4  was an unexpected and uncomfortable discovery.  While I enjoyed the “flavor” I had, I wondered if another flavor of online university would be my favorite.  However, at this point, it was not easy to try other flavors – I was already enrolled in one program and changing that involves time and money.  No thank you.

Instead, I should have realized that not all online universities are the same.  They differ greatly in very important ways.

As with ice cream, my favorite flavor may not be yours.   That doesn’t make either of our favorites bad, only different.  I am a chocolate chip cookie dough-person while someone else might be a cookies-n-cream lover. We have our favorites because we like them – they make our taste buds dance with excitement and say yummy!

The same is true with online universities.  The factors I prefer in an online university – my “favorite” – may not be the same as yours.  This doesn’t make one university better than another, only different.  What we like is a reflection of personality, learning preference, constraints, and much more.

Hopefully you see the point – picking an online university is like finding an ice cream flavor that is your favorite.  You want to select a university that fits you well just like you want to select an ice cream flavor that is yummy.

So the big question is how to find your favorite “flavor” for an online university.  Keep reading the blog to find out more …

Does everyone like ice cream? Some people may choose not to eat ice cream, but many people do like it.  Of course, those who like it tend to eat it.  The same is true for online learning.  Most of the people who selected an online university did so with some thought about what it would be like.  Consequently, I am not surprised that the vast majority of students  I work with find online learning to be useful.  Many students share that it is more interactive and challenging than the traditional onground courses they have taken.  They refer to it as “valuable” and exceeding their expectations, being convenient while not being easy.

However, online learning is not for everyone.   Here is one example.  This summary is the result of a discussion I had with a working adult student taking her first online course….

Why did you choose the online program:  I received an incentive from my employer to attend the online program the university offered.

What is your impression after your first few weeks in the online course:  I miss the face-to-face social interaction I have had in my previous courses.  Also, I have many demands on my time between family and work and I had no idea how much time would be required as an online student.  It requires more work than I expected.  (Editor’s note:  many students do say online courses take more time each week than traditional courses, but we need to consider how many weeks are in a course.  Often, online courses use an accelerated pace.) 

What has been most difficult:  you really need to be a self-motivator and self-disciplined.  If you procrastinate you have to schedule deadlines for yourself.  It has been easy for me to fall behind – I prefer the self-discipline a traditional course provides.  Also, I am a person who likes to help others and to be a mediator in discussions.  I know how to do this face-to-face but not in the online classroom.

What did you miss most compared to your face-to-face courses:  seeing teachers and other students and interacting in real-time – getting instant feedback.  I expected more instant feedback in the online course.  (Editor’s note:  online classes do provide feedback and interaction, but it is often not real-time nor instant.)

While online learning is not suited to everyone, most online learners find the benefits far outweigh any negatives they encounter.  However, just like ice cream, not everyone is a fan.  Before pursuing an online education and selecting a university, consider if online learning itself is a good fit for you.  More on that later…

To balance the example above, another student in the same class sent me a note about his experience as a first-time online learner:

“Dr.Chad – I love the class, everything is great with the exception of my computer problems.  I never thought distance learning could be this good!”  Yes, a reliable computer is important for online learning, just like reliable transportation is important for traditional onground classes.  As this student shared, I found most adults who are new to a quality online program find the experience to be valuable.

How about you – if you are an online student, what have you liked and disliked about the experience?  Please avoid sharing names of specific universities.