| Over 1.2 million students were enrolled in online higher | | | | charge, to anyone in the world. |
| education programs at the close of 2005 according | | | | Getting in Synch with Your Online Education Options |
| to Eduventures, a leading education market research | | | | With so many students turning to online degree |
| firm. As students across the nation flock to online | | | | programs, how do they sort through the many |
| degree programs, educators and prospective | | | | different options available to them? Online degree |
| students alike are wondering: Is online education here | | | | programs fall into two broad categories: |
| to stay? | | | | asynchronous learning and synchronous learning. |
| Experts agree that online education is very much on | | | | Synchronous Learning |
| the rise, and it seems to be here for the long run. | | | | For synchronous learning, students attend classes at |
| Eduventure predicts, "By early 2008, around one in | | | | set times via the Internet. You and your instructor |
| ten college students will be enrolled in an online | | | | get together and communicate in real-time for |
| degree program." | | | | lectures, class discussions, or question and answer |
| Online All the Time | | | | sessions. Online programs may use a number of |
| A large number of schools offer only online classes, | | | | technological tools to provide students with |
| and have little or no campus-based component but | | | | synchronous learning such as: |
| are formally accredited according to the same | | | | • Instant Messaging |
| system as traditional campus-based colleges and | | | | • Real-time voice conferencing |
| universities. Students can choose from hundreds of | | | | • Real-time video conferencing |
| accredited degree programs ranging from business to | | | | Asynchronous Learning |
| Web design to health sciences and more. New | | | | For asynchronous learning, students access their |
| programs apply for accreditation each year, and | | | | online classes whenever they want. They attend |
| many non-accredited programs offer their own | | | | classes, study the material, and complete |
| certification for completed coursework. | | | | assignments on their own, with little if any real-time |
| Until recently, colleges that offer more than half of | | | | interaction with an instructor or other students. |
| their courses online could not receive federal student | | | | Asynchronous learning allows students to |
| aid. In March, however, Congress passed a law that | | | | communicate with each other and the instructor, but |
| dropped this requirement. The new law marks a | | | | communication happens over the course of a few |
| transition for the fledgling online education industry, | | | | hours, or even a few days. Asynchronous online |
| and will undoubtedly prompt more students and | | | | programs use a variety of technological tools, |
| schools to tap into this growing trend. | | | | including: |
| Off the Campus and Onto the Web | | | | • Email |
| Many campus-based colleges and universities have | | | | • Message boards |
| questioned the legitimacy of a degree program that | | | | • Educational management systems |
| does not center on face-to-face learning. Still, a | | | | • Forum posting |
| growing number of traditional schools are making the | | | | Choosing the Program that's Right for You |
| leap from on-campus to online. The number of | | | | Some online degree programs use only synchronous |
| colleges that offer some sort of distance learning | | | | or asynchronous learning, and others use a |
| program rose from 62 percent in 1998 to 87 percent | | | | combination of both. Choosing a program with the |
| in 2004, according to the International Data | | | | right learning style can be important to a student's |
| Corporation. A study funded by the Alfred P. Sloan | | | | eventual success. Asynchronous learning allows |
| Foundation reports that 65 percent of universities | | | | students to work at their own pace and at times |
| with in-person graduate programs also offer graduate | | | | that work for their schedules, whether at 5:00 a.m. or |
| courses online. | | | | 5:00 p.m., but it also requires self-motivation. Students |
| Some employers remain slow to accept online | | | | need to carefully consider their personal schedules |
| degrees, according to the Chronicle of Higher | | | | and working styles and pick a program that best fits |
| Education. However, a number of high-profile | | | | their needs. |
| traditional colleges are playing important roles in | | | | Students around the world are taking advantage of |
| making the Internet an accepted platform for higher | | | | online degree programs to complete or advance their |
| education. Later this year, the Massachusetts | | | | education. As technology improves and society |
| Institute of Technology will complete its pioneering | | | | becomes increasingly mobile, experts expect online |
| "OpenCourseWare" project, which makes all MIT | | | | education to keep growing fast, spreading higher |
| course material available on the Internet, free of | | | | education far outside the classroom walls. |