There are a lot of misconceptions about online education that are constantly in need of debunking. In the past, very few classes were offered online at major universities, and most of the schools that offered online degrees were not highly reputable. However, these days that couldn’t be further from the truth. Many people are now earning their degrees online from highly competitive universities and are being recruited and hired by diverse industries. The old stigma of an online degree is beginning to wane, but myths about online education still need to be debunked.
Here are 5 common myths about online education.
- Lower Accreditation: Some people think that online education is inferior to earning a degree in-person at a standard University, but it all depends on which school you choose. For example, you can earn USC’s masters degree in communication online, and you’ll take the same courses, only you don’t have to live in Los Angeles. This means that your degree will carry the same prestige as it would for any other graduate of USC.
- Easy Courses: Just because your courses will be attended online doesn’t mean that they will be any easier than they would be if you were attending lectures in-person. Oftentimes, you will not only be doing tons of reading independently, but you will also be watching lectures independently. This means that you won’t usually be able to ask questions at the moment, but you will be able to rewind and go back to any part of the lecture that you like, and you can send all of your questions to your professors online.
- Too Impersonal: Just because you are not actually meeting with your professors and your classmates face-to-face doesn’t mean that you won’t be developing close relationships with them. Some people feel very shy about asking questions and participating in discussions while they’re in a public classroom setting. However, online education allows you to ask your professors and fellow classmates as many questions as you want without having to feel like you’re on stage.
- Limited Curriculum: A lot of colleges used to have very limited online course selections because the world of online education was just emerging on the collegiate scene. However, these days, most online programs offer almost all of the same courses as standard colleges do. Plus, sometimes they offer even more. It all depends on what you want to study, and how you prefer to work. If you like to speed through things independently, then online education is definitely the way to go.
- Lacking Real-World Applications: Most people spend their first 12 years of school taking classes on a campus, so it can be hard to believe that online courses offer just as many real-world applications as normal colleges courses. When in fact, taking a course online can often mimic the real world much more than a normal class because many jobs these days require people to work remotely and collaborate with people that they may never meet in person.