Anonymous
07/28/2012 16:55
Subject: S/O why are online degrees useless?
Anonymous wrote:
I had a TON in college. Maybe I'm showing my age, but this was done "back in the day."
I find this whole thread depressing.
I don't understand what is so depressing. Have you ever taken a good online class? Maybe they aren't as useless as you seem to think.
Anonymous
07/28/2012 15:59
Subject: S/O why are online degrees useless?
This thread is now standing on its head.
Anonymous
07/28/2012 14:26
Subject: S/O why are online degrees useless?
I'm an instructional designer, so I have my biases. But it seems to me that there really are two issues: 1. For Profit schools vs. Non Profit schools and 2. In Person vs Online classes.
On the first issue, Non Profit schools (traditional public or private colleges) have a very clear mission to their students and to education. For Profit schools (which have names that might sound traditional, like University of Phoenix) might have that mission as well, but they also have to make a profit. Quality education takes a back seat to profit at many of these institutions. There have been some scandals about student loans at these schools.
Many of the For Profit schools run their courses online, so online classes have gotten a bad rep in the general population. However just about every public university and many private universities offer some classes online. And in many of these cases, the education is pretty much the same between the online and in person class. Think about a 200 student Psych 101 lecture course. Is there really any difference between seeing the lecture on a video or seeing it from the back of a crowded room?
Online classes have been really important in some countries where access to education is very limited. Botswana, for example, has no medical school in the entire country. All doctors must be trained outside the country. So the Harvard AIDS Institute set up online classes in HIV education for the medical profession in that country. So that's a great use of online classes.
I'd also expect that adults in the US looking for professional development would also be a good for online classes because they tend to be more self directed and understand how they learn, what they want/need to learn, etc. For the traditional college student, 18-22, who is still figuring out what they want to learn and how they learn, I'd guess that online classes might not be as effective for them.
Anyhoo, this is probably too long winded a response, but oh well. The kids are napping and I don't feel like doing laundry.
On the first issue, Non Profit schools (traditional public or private colleges) have a very clear mission to their students and to education. For Profit schools (which have names that might sound traditional, like University of Phoenix) might have that mission as well, but they also have to make a profit. Quality education takes a back seat to profit at many of these institutions. There have been some scandals about student loans at these schools.
Many of the For Profit schools run their courses online, so online classes have gotten a bad rep in the general population. However just about every public university and many private universities offer some classes online. And in many of these cases, the education is pretty much the same between the online and in person class. Think about a 200 student Psych 101 lecture course. Is there really any difference between seeing the lecture on a video or seeing it from the back of a crowded room?
Online classes have been really important in some countries where access to education is very limited. Botswana, for example, has no medical school in the entire country. All doctors must be trained outside the country. So the Harvard AIDS Institute set up online classes in HIV education for the medical profession in that country. So that's a great use of online classes.
I'd also expect that adults in the US looking for professional development would also be a good for online classes because they tend to be more self directed and understand how they learn, what they want/need to learn, etc. For the traditional college student, 18-22, who is still figuring out what they want to learn and how they learn, I'd guess that online classes might not be as effective for them.
Anyhoo, this is probably too long winded a response, but oh well. The kids are napping and I don't feel like doing laundry.
Anonymous
07/28/2012 13:47
Subject: S/O why are online degrees useless?
Anonymous wrote:At the expensive brick and mortar university I attended in DC, a bunch of profs would read word for word from their Power Point slides then post the slides online.
Showing up to class offered zero benefit. So I could often skip class and read the slides on my own then show up and pass the tests.
How does that differ from an online class?
Real learning happens on the job anyway.
THIS exactly!!
This is how I felt going to a brick and mortar college. Now I am pursuing another degree online and I have learned a lot more already. I don't waste my time commuting, parking, paying for gas and I can use my time more efficiently.
Anonymous
07/28/2012 13:19
Subject: S/O why are online degrees useless?
I recently finished my masters with a mix of online and in-person classes. The online classes were much more difficult. Have you heard of D2L, Digication, Voicethreads? Having to post multiple projects/papers/discussions to these sites is time consuming and really sucks.
Anonymous
07/28/2012 13:18
Subject: S/O why are online degrees useless?
At the expensive brick and mortar university I attended in DC, a bunch of profs would read word for word from their Power Point slides then post the slides online.
Showing up to class offered zero benefit. So I could often skip class and read the slides on my own then show up and pass the tests.
How does that differ from an online class?
Real learning happens on the job anyway.
Showing up to class offered zero benefit. So I could often skip class and read the slides on my own then show up and pass the tests.
How does that differ from an online class?
Real learning happens on the job anyway.
Anonymous
07/28/2012 13:00
Subject: S/O why are online degrees useless?
I took many online classes at NVCC and some in person classes. The classes that were online were just as difficult as the in person ones. There are Professors who are very dedicated to their online students and put a ton of effort into their classes.
When you take online classes you have to have a lot of determination to finish the work on time.
I feel very thankful that I have been able to take classes online. I am a very busy mother of four and I want to have a degree. I feel like I am prepared to go to GMU sometime next year. I hope that future employers will look at me a know I worked very hard to attain something that seemed impossible at one time.
Online classes are the way of the future. The push back against online classes seems to come mainly from older people.
When you take online classes you have to have a lot of determination to finish the work on time.
I feel very thankful that I have been able to take classes online. I am a very busy mother of four and I want to have a degree. I feel like I am prepared to go to GMU sometime next year. I hope that future employers will look at me a know I worked very hard to attain something that seemed impossible at one time.
Online classes are the way of the future. The push back against online classes seems to come mainly from older people.
Anonymous
07/28/2012 12:53
Subject: S/O why are online degrees useless?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Why they're not respected?
Because there is no guarantee the work is yours. Because there is no writing component, no research projects, no laboratory experience, no presentations, none of the "stuff" that employers actually give a sh*t you can do. Unless your job is to be on the other end of an email "help desk." Oh, and we don't need BAs for that job. We can send that job to India.
Maybe diploma mill type online classes are as you say, but other online classes have a great deal of writing and research required. True, the instructor has no way of knowing that you actually did the writing but isn't that true of bricks and mortar classes as well? PLENTY of plagiarism going on in colleges today....[/quote]
This makes no sense. So obviously you're not an educator.
In the classroom, I can quickly assign a pop quiz, asking students to write a brief analysis of a reading passage. If I do this enough times, I have a feel for writing style and level of analysis. Furthermore, I can read body language, which tells me quite a bit about a student.
So if a student turns in a paper and the writing style and analysis suddenly blow me away, I will obviously question whether s/he has done the work. There is also Turnitin.com, which is a great help to educators.
Many of you don't get it. By accepting these online programs, you place little to no value on GOOD instruction.
how pathetic
I am an educator, with a degree from an Ivy for what it is worth, and I can tell you that no professor assigned a "pop quiz" in any of my classes! We turned in papers, yes, but certainly could have had someone else write them. I'm afraid that happens a lot, even in the best universities.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/01/college-plagiarism-all-ti_n_944252.html
I had a TON in college. Maybe I'm showing my age, but this was done "back in the day."
I find this whole thread depressing.
Anonymous
07/28/2012 12:48
Subject: Re:S/O why are online degrees useless?
I wish they would require our bosses to take some online classes. They may actually learn how to communicate in ways other than having face to face meetings. They could work with international countries and not worry about time zones. They would be able to teleconference without calling the help desk.
I think online learning -at least some classes should be required.
I think online learning -at least some classes should be required.
Anonymous
07/28/2012 12:29
Subject: S/O why are online degrees useless?
I don't think that I applied anything I learned in a classroom in my work. I have a Liberal Arts/General Studies type degree. Honestly, I hated school and look back wondering if I learned anything related to my job while there.
Anonymous
07/28/2012 11:46
Subject: S/O why are online degrees useless?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Why they're not respected?
Because there is no guarantee the work is yours. Because there is no writing component, no research projects, no laboratory experience, no presentations, none of the "stuff" that employers actually give a sh*t you can do. Unless your job is to be on the other end of an email "help desk." Oh, and we don't need BAs for that job. We can send that job to India.
Maybe diploma mill type online classes are as you say, but other online classes have a great deal of writing and research required. True, the instructor has no way of knowing that you actually did the writing but isn't that true of bricks and mortar classes as well? PLENTY of plagiarism going on in colleges today....[/quote]
This makes no sense. So obviously you're not an educator.
In the classroom, I can quickly assign a pop quiz, asking students to write a brief analysis of a reading passage. If I do this enough times, I have a feel for writing style and level of analysis. Furthermore, I can read body language, which tells me quite a bit about a student.
So if a student turns in a paper and the writing style and analysis suddenly blow me away, I will obviously question whether s/he has done the work. There is also Turnitin.com, which is a great help to educators.
Many of you don't get it. By accepting these online programs, you place little to no value on GOOD instruction.
how pathetic
I am an educator, with a degree from an Ivy for what it is worth, and I can tell you that no professor assigned a "pop quiz" in any of my classes! We turned in papers, yes, but certainly could have had someone else write them. I'm afraid that happens a lot, even in the best universities.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/01/college-plagiarism-all-ti_n_944252.html
Anonymous
07/28/2012 09:39
Subject: S/O why are online degrees useless?
Taking an online class right now and there is a ton of reading, writing and research involved. We also just completed a group project which was a great challenge.
Took another class at a school with a professor a few weeks ago and it was hell. He could care less, never answered questions and frustrated the hell out of us. He never gave us a straight answer about anything. His tests were a joke and I was surprised that this guy was a professor and has been teaching for 8 years.
I also find that most professors don't add much to their lecture and read right off of their notes that they've written. Sometimes line for line. I can read someone's lectures notes and the book at home. Why do I have to sit in a classroom for someone to read to me?
Took another class at a school with a professor a few weeks ago and it was hell. He could care less, never answered questions and frustrated the hell out of us. He never gave us a straight answer about anything. His tests were a joke and I was surprised that this guy was a professor and has been teaching for 8 years.
I also find that most professors don't add much to their lecture and read right off of their notes that they've written. Sometimes line for line. I can read someone's lectures notes and the book at home. Why do I have to sit in a classroom for someone to read to me?
Anonymous
07/28/2012 09:20
Subject: S/O why are online degrees useless?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Because there's no way for an employer to tell that you actually learned anything.
Because many of the programs are really crappy, so you actually don't learn anything.
+1
Yea but ther are tons of bad professors that only care about their research. The drone on in class assign reading and give tests.
On line degrees show some self motivation.
Anonymous
07/28/2012 09:00
Subject: S/O why are online degrees useless?
Anonymous wrote:Because there's no way for an employer to tell that you actually learned anything.
Because many of the programs are really crappy, so you actually don't learn anything.
+1
Anonymous
07/28/2012 08:56
Subject: S/O why are online degrees useless?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Why they're not respected?
Because there is no guarantee the work is yours. Because there is no writing component, no research projects, no laboratory experience, no presentations, none of the "stuff" that employers actually give a sh*t you can do. Unless your job is to be on the other end of an email "help desk." Oh, and we don't need BAs for that job. We can send that job to India.
Maybe diploma mill type online classes are as you say, but other online classes have a great deal of writing and research required. True, the instructor has no way of knowing that you actually did the writing but isn't that true of bricks and mortar classes as well? PLENTY of plagiarism going on in colleges today....[/quote]
This makes no sense. So obviously you're not an educator.
In the classroom, I can quickly assign a pop quiz, asking students to write a brief analysis of a reading passage. If I do this enough times, I have a feel for writing style and level of analysis. Furthermore, I can read body language, which tells me quite a bit about a student.
So if a student turns in a paper and the writing style and analysis suddenly blow me away, I will obviously question whether s/he has done the work. There is also Turnitin.com, which is a great help to educators.
Many of you don't get it. By accepting these online programs, you place little to no value on GOOD instruction.
how pathetic