Sloan Consortium, an organization dedicated to quality online education,stated in its fourth annual report on the state of online learning in U.S.higher education that nearly 3.2 million students were taking at least oneonline course during the fall term of 2005.
The report went on to add that more than 96 percent of the largestinstitutions – those with over 15,000 total enrollments – have some onlineofferings. According to the report, public and larger institutions haveconstantly been the frontrunners in offering online courses.
Without a doubt, online education has traveled a long distance away from thedays when degrees earned though this mode faced bias from academic andcorporate leaders. An increasing number of chief academic officers todaybelieve that the quality of online education is superior or at par with thequality of classroom learning.
So, who constitute this growing online student community and what are theystudying? Interestingly, according to the Sloan report, the mix of students whoprefer online mode is different from the traditional student community. Onlinestudents often tend to be older, working full time, and have familyresponsibilities. Online education has opened new vistas for these students,who otherwise would have found it difficult to get a college education.
According to Sloan-C, majority of online students study at the undergraduatelevel. Within the undergraduate bracket, the number of students who earn anassociate degree online is higher than those who enroll in an onlinebachelor degree.
The proportion of students who complete online master’s degrees iscomparatively lower. But what’s interesting to note is that more studentsenroll in onlinemaster’s degree as compared to traditional graduate-level degrees.
This clearly points to a rising trend among students to take the onlineroute for earning an advanced degree and gaining expertise in their field. Thereasons could be many – greater acceptance, improved quality, unparalleledflexibility, better work-life balance, greater affordability, and a chance toearn even as you learn.
With corporate supervisors also shedding their skepticism about onlinedegrees and treating them at par with classroom degrees, online students nolonger face the same prejudice in the job market that they used to a few yearsago.
Many fields, that were once considered a bastion of classroom typetraditional learning, now have online offerings. These include nursing,healthcare administration, business administration, accounting, graphic arts,etc. Students who complete these degrees online find ample employmentopportunities once they graduate. Moreover, institutes of repute also offeremployment assistance to help their students find job openings in their chosenfield.
In today’s competitive job market when employers are looking to hire peoplewho have the entire package of academic knowledge, hands-on experience, andindustry expertise, online degrees offer an excellent opportunity to enhancejob prospects.
In fact, many modern day employers understand that online degrees often needstudents to be more disciplined, motivated, and self-starters adept atmulti-tasking. And which manager wouldn’t want someone with thosecharacteristics on his or her team? The writing on the wall is clear – onlineeducation is here to stay and all set to change the education landscape of thiscountry.
Stevens-Henager College was established in 1891 and is distinguished as oneof the oldest colleges in Utah offering degree programs,both on-campus and online for Master’s, Bachelor’s, and Associate’s Degrees.Working professionals can enhance their career and qualifications with thein-demand online degree programs offered byStevens-Henager College.