Educating yourself on the web!
Educating yourself on the web!
As online degrees become more common they are starting to become more and more like real life degrees. Online degrees have gained greater acceptance in recent years and graduates are by and large treated the same as graduates of traditional universities. However there are still some differences between the two types of education. General there are no differences in what is taught, the subject matter is usually the same. There is also not normally a difference in the quality of education. There are however some very fundamental differences in the way online and traditional university students learn.
The biggest difference between a traditional degree and an online one is the obvious one that is where you study. A traditional degree requires attending class while an online degree you can study for anywhere that you have an internet connection. There are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches. The advantage of studying online is that you can set your own schedule and aren't required to be at school at a specific time. The disadvantage is that when you study online you don't have the support and assistance of your professors and classmates the way you would with a traditional university.
The other big difference is the requirement for independent learning when you are studying online. When you attend a traditional school not only do you have professors and classmates there to help you but you also have a fairly structured environment. You attend class at certain times, assignments are do on a specific date, they pretty much hold your hand throughout. This isn't the case with an online degree. Not only will you have to figure a lot of the material out on your own but you will also have to have the discipline to force yourself to study. Many online courses are self paced which means that you can work at them as quickly or as slowly as you like, within reason. The independent nature of online learning tends to suit students who are thoroughly motivated, students who need to be pushed to do their work are unlikely to succeed.
Online universities also tend to lack the social aspect that you see with a traditional university. Most people think that this is one of the most important parts of attending university and many people met lifelong friends while they were at university. This isn't going to happen if you are studying online. There are no extracurricular activities for you to participate in, there is no football team. In addition many people make acquaintances who become business contacts in the future while they are at school. In fact many people's first real experience of networking is with the people they met at university. Again this won't happen if you earn your degree online.