At first it seems easy, stay at home, relax, use the computer and in a short time receive your diploma. There are great advantages to online education such as leaning from a particular school even if it is far away or receiving a diploma faster than a regular bricks and mortar school. But here are a few tips one should know before enrolling in an online university.
- Find out if the career requires a license or other certifications. If it does find out from the licensing authority what the requirements are and if the online university is capable of meeting those requirements.
- Don’t assume that because it is distance education it is easier. This is a big misconception. In the majority of cases, the content of the courses online are similar to those of on-campus programs.
- Develop a realistic schedule for managing time spend studying the course material. Online universities also have scheduled test and due dates on assignments. Therefore, it is extremely important that students are disciplined enough to manage their time effectively.
- It is important to determine if distance learning is the right decision for you. Do you like being in a classroom stetting, do you learn better studing by yourself or do you prefer group studying, are you self motivated to do the work required? These are all questions you need to ask yourself before enrolling in an online university. Some universities offer a quiz to help with the individual’s decision making process.
As a student at several online universities, I can tell you that discipline is a must. In a classroom setting you always have the pressure of the teacher checking on you or asking questions, however, online it really makes you grow as a person and focus of why you are studying. How will it help you professionally? If this something I will use in the real world? And this circumstance makes the motivation endogenous/from within, which at the end is a much more satisfying way to lean and advance in your education and professional preparedness.
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