| For many people considering the option of pursuing an | | | | prize. Still, it is hard to see how missing out on the |
| online college degree, the main question on their minds | | | | latest homecoming party or the Greek life in any way |
| has more to do with the overall experience of an | | | | diminishes the value of the online educational |
| online education than with the merit of the degrees | | | | experience. For many online students, campus life and |
| they will receive. Serious students understand that | | | | its many dramas and diversions can be a distraction |
| online college degrees offer educational foundations | | | | from the important classroom work that forms the real |
| every bit as concrete as those provided within a | | | | core of their educational experience. |
| traditional brick-and-mortar campus environment. In | | | | Differences in Perception |
| many case, the online experience can be even richer | | | | The real differences between the two types of |
| in depth and tone but admittedly void of many of the | | | | education are differences in perception. And nowhere |
| more socially-oriented campus activities. Here is a brief | | | | are these perceptions more biased than in the |
| look at some of the main similarities and differences | | | | educational field itself. Ten years ago, the country's |
| between the two educational experiences. | | | | educators decided that they were unimpressed by |
| Similarities in Quality | | | | online college degrees and refused to acknowledge |
| The most important similarity between online college | | | | their merit. However, most experts who have |
| degrees and campus degrees is simple: the course | | | | evaluated not only the coursework of both online and |
| material is often identical. In fact, when you look at | | | | campus programs have uniformly held that those |
| accredited degree programs - many of which are | | | | educators were obviously more interested in |
| offered by some of the largest and most prestigious | | | | protecting their own campus turf than in providing more |
| universities in the country - the coursework is the | | | | educational opportunities for students. |
| same. Of course, that should come as no surprise. It | | | | Of course, the really important perceptions are those |
| would be unlikely that Notre Dame or Cornell would | | | | of potential employers. In this area too, online college |
| offer inferior coursework for their programs of online | | | | degrees have made great strides in recent years as |
| college degrees than they offer on campus. They do | | | | more and more employers are exposed to the quality |
| have a reputation to uphold. In fact, the simpler | | | | of these programs. Though they were once viewed |
| explanation is that the lectures observed by online | | | | with skepticism, these degree programs are now |
| students are the same lectures seen by students on | | | | better recognized as being the functional equivalent of |
| campus. Only the medium has changed. | | | | classroom-oriented degrees. The fact is that if it is an |
| Differences in Atmosphere | | | | education without social distractions that you are |
| The main differences in atmosphere between online | | | | seeking, online college degrees can be the perfect |
| college degrees and campus life generally involves the | | | | solution for you. |
| extracurricular experience that so many educators | | | | |