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Get a college degree while staying home
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If you dread the thought of going to college with fresh-faced 18-year-olds, there’s good news: You don’t have to.
In fact, you may not have to set foot on a college campus to get a degree.
Say hello to distance learning, where students can earn everything from certifications to doctorates at far-flung colleges and universities, public and private.
They pay the same fees, buy the same books, and do the same work as on-campus students, but without the hassle of trucking to campus or squeezing into uncomfortable plastic chairs.
These are not the bogus diploma mills that churn out degrees on life experience. These are accredited colleges that are increasing their outreach and making it easier for students to go to school.
“This provides more flexibility for learners,” said Kate Carey, executive director of the Ohio Learning Network. “It’s a strategy to adapt to Ohio’s learners, especially adults.”
Distance learning combines technologies that were only dreams just a few decades ago. Instructors use videoconferencing, the Web, interactive video, and videotape, as well as on-campus meetings to instruct, test, and guide students.
In Ohio, it’s a state Board of Regents strategy to reach a tantalizing market, the 1.5 million Ohioans who have some college education but no degree, Carey said.
And the results have been dramatic.
In 1999, state distance learning’s first year, 17 institutions offered 519 courses. Today, 65 institutions offer as many as 3,500 courses.
It appeals most to independent students 25 to 35 years old, even those who live close to campus, said Karen Swan, a professor of educational technology at Kent State.
Busy students with families and jobs and household chores don’t like to waste time driving to campus, she said. Students who may be shy or overshadowed in class can shine online, she added.
“Every student gets a voice, and every voice can be heard,” she said.
Many colleges and universities also use distance learning to expand the opportunities at two-year colleges. The University of Akron has one such arrangement with Columbus State Community College.
The difference is, once they earn a two-year degree from Columbus State, they can stay there and get a four-year degree from UA via distance learning without ever setting foot on campus.
Carol Biliczky
KRT Wire Services