Online degrees eliminate the need to travel to classes and give busy students the accessibility of completing their assignments at home on their own time. Students pursing their graduate degrees are often working in the field they are obtaining their graduate degree in, so online coursework allows students to continue their normal work schedule uninterrupted. Since schools do not have to pay overhead costs that are associated with normal classrooms, online degrees can offer affordability as well. Online degree programs offer a unique style of virtual learning that puts the user in charge of when and where they choose to learn and complete class assignments. Unlike traditional classrooms, students are able to replay the lecture or reread the posts that students and teachers have written. The ability to review and re-read increases memory retention and understanding. Online graduate degree programs also provide the opportunity to learn at your own pace; if it's hard for the student to sit through two hours of information and lecture, it's easily eliminated when the learning is conducted online. You have the ability to spread lectures and information throughout the day or week.
Online degree programs, especially graduate degrees where the curriculum is typically more specialized and difficult, are limited in teaching methods. With online degrees, there is no professor waiting at the end of class to answer your question or visually draw out diagrams on the dry erase board to help you understand a concept. Diagrams can be uploaded to the site where students pull their work from, but the ease and availability of face-to-face interaction with professors is diminished. Online programs usually require students to own a reliable computer, printer and have access to high-speed internet, all of which is expensive. In addition, an ongoing debate is circulating of how much actual learning occurs with online degree programs. Since you are on the internet for class, it is easy to look up answers online while talking tests and copy other students' work. Traditional college programs are often viewed as more prestigious than online degrees.
The format for online programs varies by school, but usually consists of an internet portal where students can log in. Different tabs within the site allow students to download documents that the professor has uploaded, post responses to assignments and upload completed papers for the teacher to review.