A Degree From an Online College Means a Giant Leap Into the Future

A bachelor's degree might allow students to makenoted. Some have suggested that students might
more money, improve the quality of life foreven advance their technology skills by participating in
themselves and their children and enjoy greater jobonline college classes.
security, as well as have higher levels of savings andStudents who learn better through visual offerings,
more hobbies and leisure activities, according toexperiential tasks and those who are introverted or
reports in an article from the Washington, DC-basedrequire more time for studies might particularly fare
ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education. Studentswell in online college classes, Hansen suggested. And
with a college education from a traditional or an onlineworking students might find themselves more easily
school, might also become less authoritarian and moreable to schedule studies with online bachelor's degree
open-minded, cultured, rational and consistent, passingprograms where they can control the pace, according
these traits on to future generations, the 2002 articleto information he provided.
noted.Online bachelor's degree offerings have grown
College attendance might also be good for thesubstantially over the past several years, allowing
economy in that the benefits include increased taxstudents a variety of programs from which to
revenues and consumption and decreased reliance onchoose. Online college enrollment for fall 2008 alone
government financial support, according to 1998increased by 17 percent over the previous year, with
Institute for Higher Education Policy information cited4.6 million students taking at least one online college
in the article. And students these days can workclass, according to a Sloan Consortium study.
toward their bachelor's online, enjoying severalWith online college classes, face time with instructors
advantages in the process.might be limited to non-existent, students might have
The benefits of online college classes includeto learn new computer skills, social interaction might
affordability, convenience and flexibility, according tobe restricted to e-mails, chat rooms and discussion
career author, publisher and Web site founder andboards, Hansen noted. If students procrastinate, they
CEO Randall S. Hansen. Students enrolled in amight have a difficult time to making time even for
bachelor's online don't have to worry about mealonline studies, he suggested.
plans, housing costs or commuting back and forth toStudents interested in enrolling in a bachelor's online
campus and instead can participate in online collegemight take note of reports and studies suggesting
classes from wherever they have an Internetthat some of the most successful online college
connection, Hansen suggested. With no set classclasses include those where instructors maintain some
times, students can also complete assignments andform of personal contact with students, let them
readings on their own time and in some instances canknow what's required of coursework, respond quickly
even design their own degree plans, he reported.to their questions and concerns and offer interaction
Online college advantages also include the ability tothrough message boards and similar technology.
study from remote locations, to save on commuteSome online college class formats are reportedly also
time, to enjoy diverse classes with multimediamore flexible than others, providing students a
components and to interact through technology suchgreater ability to schedule studies between work and
as message boards, Community College Reviewfamily responsibilities.