How Are Online Degrees Perceived?

I often get into Linkedin group discussions about the pros and cons of online learning. I address it in depth in my book, The Online Student’s User Manual. I thought eLearners.com had a pretty good article about the acceptance of online degrees. To read the entire article click here.

via elearners.com

In that article, hiring managers were asked how they felt about strictly online learning environments. It was close to 50/50 in terms of whether they felt it was favorable or not. The acceptance got better with the schools that had both regular classes and online classes offered.

I have taken both traditional and online courses. I personally prefer online learning. I think it will become more and more the norm. I feel I learned more and had a much better experience in my online business classes because I was not forced to be in as many group-related activities. In my traditional university experience, I witnessed a lot of business majors getting their bachelor degree based on being in groups where they contributed nothing and got A’s because the rest of the group did the work.

I think a lot of people are slow to accept technology because it is a big change. However, online learning is here and it is growing. I work for many online universities where I see very strict guidelines enforced. I have people monitoring my classes constantly. I get feedback and direction to be sure I am staying on track and offering only the highest in quality education.

Perhaps a lot of the perception is due to the profit or non-profit status of schools. I think a lot is name recognition. Big-named schools like Harvard now offer online courses. To find out more about that program, click here. I think as more schools like Harvard add distance education, it will only improve the perception of online education.