The success of online education has grown significantly and receiving a degree via the Internet has becoming increasingly more acceptable. Once an idea that was regarded as highly unusual has come to the forefront of education. Most major colleges have an established online program in place that is easily accessible and carries a variety of accredited degrees. According to last year's Sloan Survey of Online Learning there was a 22.9% overall increase in the number of students taking one or more online courses, growing from 1.60 to 1.98 million students. The overall percent of schools identifying online education as a critical long-term strategy grew from 49% in 2003 to 56% in 2005.
This shift from teacher-centered learning to student-centered learning has provided a world of educational opportunities. Adult students can now enroll in a learning center that once was too far or whose schedules did not allow for on-site schooling. The current online technology can provide an effective, personalized education for non-traditional students around the world. Online courses offer the opportunity to customize the learning experience to best meet personal and educational needs in the most flexible way possible. A person can change their life with the benefits of online learning.
Although the rewards are easily recognizable there are some aspects that should be explored. The online student in many cases is coach, teacher and pupil at the same time. The student must be self-motivated, disciplined and able to multi-task every day life, family and work responsibilities with coursework, homework and exams.
Common sense must be applied before joining any online degree program. The Council of Higher Education Accreditation warns about diploma- and accreditation mills that offer certificates and degrees that are considered completely bogus. Contact the organization to find out what is really legitimate and confirm the quality of the online training courses. Those institutions who went through the process and are approved will always have their program's accreditation status visibly posted on their Web site and online course catalogs.
