How do online degree programs work?
The main difference between an online degree and a traditional one isn't how hard the courses are, how much technology you need to know, or even whether you have to wear pants to class. Instead, the key difference between the formats comes down to flexibility.
Online degrees allow you to complete your studies without having to fit a rigorous class schedule into your life. But that doesn't mean online degrees are any less demanding than their on-campus versions, according to Karen I. Pollack, director of academic affairs, undergraduate programs, at Penn State Online, The World Campus.
Students at Penn State who have taken courses online and on campus "consistently report online classes are more challenging and more difficult than they thought they would be, but they learn more and benefit from added technology skills," Pollack said. "They engage on a deeper level with the content. They have to be active participants with the learning process."
The virtual campus: How it works
Online degrees are virtual versions of campus-based programs and are typically designed and taught by the same faculty--most transcripts don't even note where classes were taken.
You can take online classes synchronously--meaning the professor and students log on at the same time and interact via video or chat--or asynchronously. That second option is a self-paced format in which you log in at your convenience, as long as you meet requirements for participation and assignments.
Most online courses require students to complete assignments, which are emailed or uploaded to a course website, and many include participation requirements as well. Students may be asked to post a comment or question to a class forum, gather online for real-time chat, or respond to others' questions via email or message board. Just like in the real world, professors hold regular office hours, except you interact with them by video- or text-based chat.
Many online exams are open book--or open web--but incorporating a time limit helps ensure that students don't rely too much on looking up answers. Other professors ask students to complete final projects, research papers or internships instead of an exam.
Newest generation of online degrees tap into social media tools
Online degree programs have come a long way since their debut. Limited by technology, online education in the 1990s was primarily asynchronous, relying on email, audio and video recordings, and message boards. As technology improved, synchronous functions such as instant messaging, streaming video and web conferencing enabled students and professors to interact in real time.
Today, online degree programs are tapping into the web's latest trend--social media. A number of online platforms and applications allow professors and course designers to incorporate interactive and social technologies into their courses.
MBA@UNC, the online version of the MBA at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, takes its cues from social networks like Facebook for the design of its interface for students, according to Harrison Kratz, its community manager. The program, managed by third-party company 2tor Inc., uses so-called "push notifications" to alert you to information about the program, news feeds to follow your contacts' activities, and groups for studying and socializing.
"If you are familiar with social networks, you will be able to navigate around the site," Kratz says. "We have incorporated an algorithm, so you're seeing the things that are most relevant to you at the top."
At Penn State, faculty work with professional designers to determine the best media mix for their courses. Some use video vignettes shot by the university's public broadcasting unit, while others incorporate virtual field trips or demonstrations. A criminal justice class might review a building for security concerns, or a nutrition class might allow you to add or subtract ingredients in a sandwich to determine the healthiest option.
Online programs, real world experience
Some online degree programs include real-world encounters between students. MBA@UNC schedules several weekends for networking, classes and lectures by special guest speakers. Penn State's iMBA program features a one-week internship in which students might collaborate on a project for a business, such as QVC or the Pittsburgh Pirates.
"Most of the programs tend to be accelerated programs," Pollack says. "Moving together in lock-step fashion, they have bonded together online. The opportunity to meet face to face for a week is exciting."
With online degree programs catering mainly to adult and nontraditional students, they offer the best of both worlds--the opportunity to learn at a respected institution that otherwise might be impossible to attend because of its location.
