How to Avoid Online Education Mistakes

Online education has come a long way in a very short time.

15:49 26 January 2017

Now, it's perfectly feasible to obtain relevant qualifications from world renowned institutions without having ever set foot on campus.

You can study in your own time and from the comfort of your own home, which is why the idea is so appealing. However, there are some pitfalls for the unwary. Take a few minutes to go over the following list and find out what you need to be aware of, so that you make the right decision for your online education.

 

You Must Make Sure That the School Is Accredited

Employers won't be impressed with degrees or other qualifications from a low quality school that churns out online degrees. If you're going to invest your time and money to obtain a qualification, you must make sure that the college that offers your course is accredited with the federal government.

If you were looking to study for an online civil engineering masters degree, for example, then you might want to consider an accredited school like the New Jersey Institute of Technology. But if you wanted to study for a masters in psychology, then you could opt for George Washington University.

You can easily find out a school's accreditation status by checking with the U.S. Department of Education.

 

Ensure That You Have Enough Free Time for the Course

Studying in your spare time sounds like a great idea. And it is. Instead of spending hours watching TV or playing video games, you can use your time in a productive way that will help to succeed in your career. But don't forget that you will still need time for rest and relaxation.

If you don't get home until 7 p.m. and you need to be in bed by 10 p.m., then you might not have enough down-time to avoid hitting burnout.

You'll need to budget at least 10 hours a week for your course - and that often includes participating in course discussion or live classes on weekdays. If you only have weekends available for study, then check with the college before you sign up, to make sure that you can study in the time that you have available.

 

Don't Think That You Can Copy and Paste

This is a common misconception that people have about online courses. Colleges use anti-cheating software and will easily catch plagiarism and other attempts to game the system.

 

 

Check That Your Teacher Has Taught Online Before

Find out if the teacher has previously taught the course online. Face-to-face teaching uses a different skill set than the one needed to successfully teach at a distance. Don't be the guinea pig. Tuition costs a lot of money, and you want to spend your money on a teacher that can teach you well.

 

By thinking things through and doing some research before you commit to your degree program— whether that's an online civil engineering degree, a psychology degree, a computer science degree or any other rigorous study program, you will avoid embarking on a course that you can't keep up with, that isn't well taught, or that isn't worth the paper your degree is written on.