College students across America have been dropping out or taking a few extra years to complete their degrees due to lack of time. Often family or work responsibilities will cause students to abandon their education half way through a degree program, or it will take them longer than anticipated to complete one. In either case, these students are wasting money. Online degree programs from Potomac College offer busy students the flexibility to study and attend online classes at their own speed and convenience without running these risks.
Breaking it down?
When you enroll in an online degree program you will be given access to the educational portal through which you will be able to interact with teachers, gain access to study materials, your courses and other resources. You will also be able to engage in discussions and debates with other students in the virtual classroom. Students will have their books and will be given deadlines to complete any assigned work. However, these assignments can be done whenever and wherever the student pleases.
What is the quality of an learning via online education?
The world of online learning has made leaps and bounds in quality. Colleges and universities all over America have recognized the importance of offering a virtual classroom to working students or single parents who can’t commit to the campus environment. A study was conducted by Ithaca University that examined the quality of online educations in comparison to campus-based learning. The study found that students who utilized online learning produced equivalent and sometimes better results than students participating in face-to-face education. Researchers also noted that students who completed online learning programs had slightly better scores when it came to taking final exams. Furthermore, the online learners had better overall pass score rates.
What’s missing?
Online courses offer the same principals and demand the same standards that a traditional classroom setting holds students to. The only thing that’s missing is the face-to-face aspect. Online learning offers lecturers, class discussions, group projects, tests, exams, and tutorials as enjoyed by traditional students. What online courses offer students that the campus setting can’t provide is the flexibility to attend classes on their own time. Also, tuition costs are significantly lower for online degree programs.
Stuff your piggy bank
In addition to online courses costing less than degrees offered on campus, there are other savings to be had. Transportation costs may not seem like much, but they add up quickly. By utilizing the virtual classroom from home, you will be saving money on gas and train or bus tickets. When you do the math and look at the total cost over the year, you will be pleasantly surprised on how much you can save.
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, students often face dropping out of their degree programs or they take more time to graduate in order to accommodate their need for more time. If you don’t finish a course the tuition costs are non-refundable. If you take longer to graduate, your tuition costs skyrocket. By attending school online you will not run these risks.
Further education is similar to investing in yourself
Given the advancements in telecommunications and the innovative pioneering in online higher learning, getting an online degree is a safe investment for any busy student to make. Once you enroll and classes begin, you will only be moving forward into a better future, and time will be on your side.
