There are many differences in the setup of online colleges and campus-based colleges. These are the top four things you should take into consideration when you are trying to determine the best fit for you. Do not settle for a college just because it is convenient.
Discussion Forum Versus Physical Attendance
Online colleges typically base their attendance policy on the number of times you log in each week and the number of discussion posts you make in their forum each week. Work is typically given at the beginning of the week and is asked to be turned in by the end of the week so you do not lose points.
A campus-based college requires actual physical attendance. For many, this is the best way to learn. But many people cannot be at a physical college two to three times per week for an hour or more.
Self-Teaching Versus Instructor
Campus-based college provides an instructor for every class period. You can physically see this teacher and speak to this instructor and get a direct response. But with an online-based college, you email your instructor to ask a question, or set up a phone meeting with them. Basically, by the time you get to actually speak to your instructor or receive an email back from them, you could have found the answer 100 times over.
Because of this, it is very important to take your personal learning style into consideration. If you learn independently, you would be a great fit for an online college. If you need to actually see the face of your instructor, you may want to look into campus-based classes.
Price
With convenience, comes price, and this is the worst part of online classes. The price is dramatically higher per credit hour. This is because technology fees and forum fees. Also, many online instructors also teach campus based classes and the addition of extra classes is not really a treat.
This price is something you must consider extremely well before you take it on. An Associates of Applied Science can end up costing you $50,000 quickly, and that doesn’t include interest on your student loans.
Quality
Before accepting either type of college, quality is something you may want to consider.
If you are looking for a quality online education, there are some schools you may want to avoid. I cannot tell you exactly which ones to avoid because it changes all the time. It is ideal to find out how their work is set up for each of their classes. Asking whether the classes are set up in multiple choice or essay format may help. If the classes are multiple choice based, chances are, they are not going to give you or anyone else in the class a quality education. I have seen some colleges that all you have to do to pass, is know how to work google. You can type in the first question word for word, and pull up an exact replica of the exam with the answer key. All you have to do is rearrange the order.
This type of college will get you nowhere. You will end up with a degree in something you cannot do, and will just make yourself look like a yutz in the workplace. Also, it is important to look up many different reviews for your chosen program, this can help you decide on a college for the quality and reputation instead of the pretty name or decal.