An online education has convenience on its side. After all, it’s much easier to get home from work, sit down at your computer and get your assignment done rather than travel to a physical classroom. In addition to convenience, many online colleges are fully accredited, making the degree you earn there recognized by employers and other colleges and universities.
One of the most important things to keep in mind when registering at an online college is whether the school is accredited. According to the U.S. Department of Education, "The goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality."
Be wary of schools with minimal admission standards and contact a school official if you can’t tell whether the school is accredited. In addition, many universities won't accept credits for courses in which you earned less than a C. If a traditional college admissions committee sees on your transcript that you were barely getting by at an online college, they may choose not to accept transfer course credits at all.
Online colleges are evolving to create high quality, virtual classroom standards. Many of the best online colleges and universities use Blackboard, an online learning tool that allows students to post to a discussion board, submit assignments and even take tests online. In addition, online assignment features and other online social media features allow students in the same class from around the world to meet and discuss the reading and assignments.
However, online learning can’t offer the face-to-face interaction that many students find so valuable to the learning process. The traditional classroom setting tends to promote lively discussions, and questions are often raised that enhance the material. By simply engaging with a work of literature or historical essay, students often retain the information better, whereas online learning can be more passive despite its convenience and ease of use.
Online colleges and universities continue to grow because of the high demand for convenient education that is as rigorous and challenging as a degree from a brick-and-mortar school. The price of earning a college degree continues to grow, and an online schools can be less expensive than traditional schools when considering the cost of travel and housing, allowing students to earn an associate's or bachelor's degree for less money and transfer their academic credits later on if they wish to do so.