Why go to a physical school or campus? Well, if you're over the age of 23, it isn't necessary anymore. The gas costs too much to go back and forth. Most of the major campus schools offer most of their classes online anyways. Why would they do this?
Well, first - it saves the school money and makes the schools more money. They can have 5,000 people taking a macro-economics class as opposed to trying to squeeze 1,000 people into a theatre class. Hence, the online education arena allows schools to have more student and therefore, make more money.
The ironic aspect of online education is that it was not these major campus schools that are experts on how online learning best works. There are numerous online schools that have been around prior to the “online education” boom that have been working in distance learning or correspondence classes for years. These are the best online schools to go to - they are the experts.
There are a myriad of benefits of online learning. First and foremost is the flexibility. As America's stock market is falling, jobs are being lost, and we are nearing a recession, many individuals are seeing that it is time for them to go back and obtain their degree. Unfortunately, they work 50 hours / week and have 3 kids at home. Online education solves your problems. There are differing formats one can choose from. If one likes to interact, they may choose an online platform in which they have chat rooms. If one does not like interacting, they may choose a learning platform in which all classes are live, videotaped, and archived. There are hundreds of programs out there and one should fit everyone's needs.
Another surprise that most people don't know - these online programs are regionally accredited. This is the most widely recognized accreditation there is; analogous to schools such as the University of Michigan, University of Florida, and any other major university you may have heard of. Because of this accreditation, schools do offer title four funding or “financial aid” just as campus schools do. Many of the online institutions even offer free tutoring and are much more student friendly than campus schools.
As Ivy League schools such as Cornell have picked up on the online education trend, it is becoming apparent this is the route to go and wave of the future.
