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Online learning has seen an explosion in popularity in recent years. According to an annual report published by the Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C), nearly 3.5 million students were taking at least one online course in 2006. They also reported that one in five higher education students were taking an online course in the fall of 2006. The growth rate reported for online learning was nearly 10%.(1)
To meet the demand, as of 2000 over half of the degree granting institutions in the U.S. offered some type of distance education (2). By 2002 the number was expected to rise to 84% (3).
Access is the reason most often cited for the increase in both interest and the number of online offerings. Online course offerings and programs provide greater access to education for potential students. This is especially true for working adults who are looking for ways to further or change careers. Access is also the number 1 reason cited by educational institutions for the increase in their online offerings, followed by attracting students from beyond their traditional service area, and growing continuing or professional education (4).
There are also studies by groups such as the Distance Learning and Education Council (5) and Eduventures (6) that indicate growing acceptance of online education programs. An Eduventures study indicated that more than 60% of managers or human resource professionals view online degrees favorably. Studies including Sloan-C's indicate increasing levels of acceptance of online learning among professional educators as well.
There are, however, still prejudices against online programs and degrees within both the academic community and the hiring community. A study conducted by Jonathan Adams (Director of Interactive and New Communication Technologies at Florida State University) and Margaret H. DeFleur (Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at Louisiana State University), indicates a much lower degree of acceptance of online education and degrees on the part of hiring managers and educational institutions (7).
Given the increasing popularity and proliferation of online learning and courses, as well as varying degrees of acceptance, it is important for individuals to have a framework with which to evaluate online learning offerings. Prospective students need to evaluate programs to maximize their potential for getting a good, sound, education that will be looked upon favorably by the academic and hiring communities. This paper will highlight the top factors that individuals should take into consideration when evaluating online learning.
Sloan-C defines an online course as one in which at least 80% of course content is delivered online. Courses with less online content are considered to by blended or hybrid (30-79% online content) or "web facilitated" (< 30% online content).
Top Considerations When Evaluation Online Learning
Is On-line Training Right for You?
Probably the best place to start is with a little introspection and self examination. Questions that you should ask yourself include:
Many people look into online learning because they think it will be faster or easier. Both are common misconceptions. A quality online course or program should be every bit as demanding as its classroom counterpart. Also, because many online courses are self-paced, they may actually take longer for a student to complete, especially for working adults who are juggling other life commitments.
Online learning is a fairly solitary and self-directed undertaking. This is especially true of online courses that progress at a student's own pace as opposed to those on a schedule with specific deadlines. Online learning also requires some facility with a computer. If you are an individual who needs structure or direction, or who thinks that the social aspects of an education (live interaction with other students and faculty, campus events, etc.) are appealing or important, than online learning may not be the right vehicle for you.
Expectation issues may be the reason that so many students (15% at post secondary and degree granting post secondary institutions) actually never start their distance education course (2007 Distance Education Survey, DETC). Once over the initial hurdles, however, course completion rates (75% or better) and graduation (65% or better) are fairly high for distance education (2007 Distance Education Survey, DETC).
What is the quality of the institution offering the online course/program?
One of the main indicators of the quality of an educational institution is accreditation. Accreditation is a process of peer-review of educational institutions and programs against established quality criteria by an independent, non-governmental, private educational association known as an accrediting agency. At a minimum, a prospective student should consider programs that are nationally accredited by an agency that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Even better is to consider the programs of an institution that is accredited by one of the 6 regional accrediting agencies, and their 8 commissions. The regional accrediting agencies are generally believed to be the highest form of accreditation in the United States.(8) For more on accreditation see: Understanding Accreditation of Online Education Programs.
Quality of the Program
Prospective students should spend some time trying to ascertain the quality of a particular program of study. They should ask the educational institution to provide statistics on the programs completion rate. A high drop out rate can be an indication of a poorly designed program. Prospective students should ask if they can sample a course so that they may assess for themselves the quality of instruction. They should also ask for the names of graduates of the program so that they my gain additional insight into the program. Any institution not willing to provide vital statistics or graduate "references" should probably be eliminated from consideration.
Quality of Instructors
Similar to assessing the quality of the program, students should spend some time assessing the quality of the instructors. They should ask for the educational credentials of the instructors, whether they are full or part time, and what levels of industry experience they have. Adult students typically are the happiest with programs that provide a good mix of theoretical foundation and "real world" application (9).
Financial Aid / Employer Reimbursement
A very important consideration for many students is the availability of financial aid. Here, again, accreditation comes into play. An institution must be accredited by an accrediting agency that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be eligible to participate in Federal student financial aid programs that are administered by the United States Department of Education (USDE) under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (10). Students should also check with their employer to see if they will provide employer reimbursement for the online program that they are considering. According to a 2005 study by The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), 29% of corporate reimbursement went to blended or online programs. (11). The same study, however, indicates that employers expect that online programs will increase in importance with 58% of the ASTD survey participants indicating that they expect the role of online higher education to increase in the next 2-3 years.
Some employers will not reimburse for online programs or the online programs of certain educational institutions (for example, Intel excludes the programs of some very popular large national educational institutions (12)). For this reason, it is important to check that the specific program being considered is eligible for employer reimbursement.
What Credential do You Receive?
Online programs can provide a wide range of "credentials" or indications of completion. These can range from a certificate of completion, to a degree (not to be confused with an Associates, Bachelors, Masters, or Doctoral degree), to a traditional degree (Associates, Bachelors, Masters, or Doctoral). While some programs may not provide traditional degrees, they may prepare the student to take necessary certification exams for their chosen profession. Many come with some level of guarantee of success and offer additional training to those who do not pass the certification exams.
Credit Transfer
Not all course credits received at certain educational institution will be accepted by other educational institutions. If a student intends to continue their education at other educational institutions upon completion of their online program of study, they should check to make sure that those institutions will accept the course credits and/or degree earned in the online program.
Is it Applicable?
Perhaps one of the most basic questions that should be asked is whether or not the program is applicable to the profession that the student is in or looking to start. A quick survey of the individual's current or prospective employers should provide them with information about the applicability of the online program to their chosen profession.
Delivery Mechanism(s) Employed
Students should thoroughly understand the delivery mechanism or mechanisms employed by educational institutions they are considering. Is the course fully online or blended (a combination of online and traditional classroom). If fully online, how is the course delivered? Is it asynchronous, meaning that a students interacts with faculty and other students by posting at different times. Is it synchronous, meaning that students and faculty interact "live" at a given time as would be the case in a webinar.
It is also important to understand if the program is self-paced or scheduled. A self paced course is one where the student may complete the course at any time (usually within loose parameters). A scheduled course has a specific timeline (usually coinciding with a semester) with scheduled assignments, exams, and completion dates.
It is important for a student to select an online program whose delivery fits best with their learning style as well as their other work and family time commitments.
Interaction with Instructor and Other Students
Prospective students should also understand how they will interact with their professor/teacher. Is access to the instructor via e-mail, phone, or some other means (such as a chat forum). Does the instructor have regular virtual office hours when they may be reached by students?
It is also important to understand how a student interacts with other students. One of the most valuable aspects of higher education is interaction, collaboration, and sharing of ideas with other students. For this reason, it is important for a prospective student to understand what mechanisms exist to foster and support such interaction in an online learning environment.
Support Provided
Support, especially technical support, can make or break an online learning experience. It is very important for a prospective student to understand what support services exist should they encounter problems. Is support 7 by 24? Is phone support available? Is "live" online support available? Less than some form of live support can be very frustrating for an online learner encounter problems.
In addition to technical support, it is important to understand what other support services are offered to online students. Do online students have library access, access to tutoring, access to financial aid counseling, access to registration services, access to career planning and placement services, and more? The more services available to the online student that approximate those of a campus student, the better the educational experience.
Conclusion
By using the outlined framework, a prospective student should be able to develop a complete and clear picture of the programs they are considering and be able to select the program that best meets their needs and has the widest degree of acceptance in both the academic and hiring communities.
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