Guide to Online Education

Before enrolling in any online courses or degrees, you must be able to identify certain traits and characteristics that you will need to be a successful online student. Some traits are as follows:

  • Computer Literacy and Access

  • Organization

  • Motivation

  • Study Habits

Let’s consider the salient factors for each one.

Computer Literacy

Obviously if you are considering an online route to education, you must have evaluated your computer skills. Asides from using simple word documents, you might need to be familiar with hardware/software that is relevant to your course.

Internet literacy is a huge component of taking an online course. Web conferencing, chatting, email, social networking pages such as Twitter, Facebook, might all play a role in your interaction with your instructors.

Reliable and constant access to the internet should also be another consideration for you. Before signing up for any course, you should check out the number of contact hours that require internet access and time that you might need the web to research.

Organization

Since there is a chance that you might be involved in more than just your online course, being organised is a very important. Multi tasking and prioritising your schedule will be invariable demands on you that cannot be ignored.

Motivation

Without the competitive and camaraderie driven atmosphere of a classroom, some people find it hard to remain on track with the same enthusiasm that they started with. Intrinsic motivation (one that comes from within as opposed to external stimulus) will play an important role while you take an online course.

Study Habits

Even if your online course is a synchronous one, invariably you will be studying on your own. One common quality amongst typical online students is the ability to learn and retain material independently. In order to achieve this, you must be able to create and meet your own deadlines successfully.

Accreditation

Be it high school or college, it is always wise to check the validity of the degree and the quality of education being offered. Why would this be any different for online education?

With thousands of online schools, it is hard for the consumer to keep track of the standards being offered. For this purpose, there are accrediting bodies that set a standard to be followed by the academic institutes, online or otherwise. In the US, the Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation maintain lists of legitimate accreditors.

Before enrolling, you should ensure that your online school is accredited by a legitimate body.

Choosing “your” kind of online education

Once you have decided that you possess what it takes to be a successful online pupil, you should explore the different paths online education offers. Some of these are explained below.

  • Online Course

    • Like taking a regular course in a classroom, this is a student centred process where the instructor creates course outlines, conducts discussions and assigns evaluating term papers.

  • Blended Learning

    • This allows those people with mobility problems or other difficulties to reduce travelling time to school by adding an online component. Blending Learning gives you interaction with other students while creating a flexible online schedule for you to complete the rest at home.

  • Online Certification Program

    • Take courses in one area that you wish to specialise in and earn certification. These courses give you a skill set that can be set to use immediately. For credentialed status, you can sit for an exam with the relevant board or associated organization.

  • Online Degree Program

    • Enrol in your undergrad, masters or business degree through a virtual university or a campus based university that offers online degrees.

  • Online Continuing Education

    • If you are a doctor or a professional in any area, chances are there have been developments in your field since you graduated. Continuing Education Units (CEU) provide you with a chance to update your degree which might be a requirement for you to practice. Doing it online means you can continue your job and update your skill set at the same time!

    There are many other options to look into for online education: Online Training, Military Online Education, Non-credit Online Learning and Non-credit Online Courses. Once you have established what’s right for you, the opportunities are endless!