| Sloan Consortium, an organization dedicated to quality | | | | graduate-level degrees. |
| online education, stated in its fourth annual report on | | | | This clearly points to a rising trend among students |
| the state of online learning in U.S. higher education | | | | to take the online route for earning an advanced |
| that nearly 3.2 million students were taking at least | | | | degree and gaining expertise in their field. The |
| one online course during the fall term of 2005. | | | | reasons could be many - greater acceptance, |
| The report went on to add that more than 96 | | | | improved quality, unparalleled flexibility, better |
| percent of the largest institutions - those with over | | | | work-life balance, greater affordability, and a chance |
| 15,000 total enrollments - have some online offerings. | | | | to earn even as you learn. |
| According to the report, public and larger institutions | | | | With corporate supervisors also shedding their |
| have constantly been the frontrunners in offering | | | | skepticism about online degrees and treating them at |
| online courses. | | | | par with classroom degrees, online students no longer |
| Without a doubt, online education has traveled a long | | | | face the same prejudice in the job market that they |
| distance away from the days when degrees earned | | | | used to a few years ago. |
| though this mode faced bias from academic and | | | | Many fields, that were once considered a bastion of |
| corporate leaders. An increasing number of chief | | | | classroom type traditional learning, now have online |
| academic officers today believe that the quality of | | | | offerings. These include nursing, healthcare |
| online education is superior or at par with the quality | | | | administration, business administration, accounting, |
| of classroom learning. | | | | graphic arts, etc. Students who complete these |
| So, who constitute this growing online student | | | | degrees online find ample employment opportunities |
| community and what are they studying? | | | | once they graduate. Moreover, institutes of repute |
| Interestingly, according to the Sloan report, the mix | | | | also offer employment assistance to help their |
| of students who prefer online mode is different from | | | | students find job openings in their chosen field. |
| the traditional student community. Online students | | | | In today's competitive job market when employers |
| often tend to be older, working full time, and have | | | | are looking to hire people who have the entire |
| family responsibilities. Online education has opened | | | | package of academic knowledge, hands-on |
| new vistas for these students, who otherwise would | | | | experience, and industry expertise, online degrees |
| have found it difficult to get a college education. | | | | offer an excellent opportunity to enhance job |
| According to Sloan-C, majority of online students | | | | prospects. |
| study at the undergraduate level. Within the | | | | In fact, many modern day employers understand |
| undergraduate bracket, the number of students who | | | | that online degrees often need students to be more |
| earn an associate degree online is higher than those | | | | disciplined, motivated, and self-starters adept at |
| who enroll in an online bachelor degree. | | | | multi-tasking. And which manager wouldn't want |
| The proportion of students who complete online | | | | someone with those characteristics on his or her |
| master's degrees is comparatively lower. But what's | | | | team? The writing on the wall is clear - online |
| interesting to note is that more students enroll in | | | | education is here to stay and all set to change the |
| online master's degree as compared to traditional | | | | education landscape of this country. |