How do online college programs differ from one another?
Online colleges offer great opportunities and education, but not all are the same. Many different criteria can be used to judge the quality of an online college's program. It's important to understand these criteria as they will likely affect the education received and undergone with an online college program. Many schools have rigorous, challenging coursework that truly require students to master the material covered throughout classes. Others are not much more degree-granting institutions where you can pay and you'll almost inevitably receive a degree. It's important to use a few criteria to examine schools to ensure you'll attend a respectable institution both you and a potential future employer will look favorably upon.
Perhaps the most important factor in any comparison between online college programs is whether or not the college offering the program is accredited. Accreditation is a process whereby the U.S. Department of Education certifies that a school meets minimum requirements of academic standards and expectations. If a school lacks accreditation, degrees from that institution will generally not be respected. Schools that have been accredited longer often have more name-recognition and are afforded more respect than just recently accredited schools.
Another important criteria that can be used to examine online college programs is the percentage of students admitted to a school – its acceptance rate. A lower percentage means that many students applied (many students wish to enroll in its online courses), but fewer got into the school (the most competent students were chosen). A low acceptance rate can, but is not necessarily, a good indication you will have engaging classmates and a high level of academic content.
Retention and graduation rates are another important consideration when evaluating the differences between online college programs. Both percentages offer a good indication of student satisfaction with a program, along with their ultimate success in it. Retention rates show what percentage of students who started an online college program ultimately stayed at the college for the duration of the program. These figures can give a sense of the overall support given to students, and students' pleasure with the instruction and academics provided. Some online college programs have shockingly low retention rates – with some having barely one in four students stick with the program for its duration! The graduation rate of a college is also important in seeing how many students ultimately reach their academic goals.
Online college programs can differ drastically in the faculty to student ratio of the college. Some schools have one faculty member for every forty students, while some have as low as ten students per one faculty member. The difference can be very large – as a common complaint of online courses is the time it takes for professors to respond to emails. Be sure to check the class size to try and determine whether the professors at the online college program where you may enroll will have the time to help meet your individual academic needs and goals.
