Online vs. Traditional
Does an online degree carry the same weight as a traditional degree?
By Kathleen Ganster

Online degrees have made pursuing a college degree a reality for many active duty and student veterans faced with balancing hectic work schedules, family obligations and general life activities – especially for those not located near a traditional college campus. With the fast-paced lifestyles, the bleak financial picture of the last few years and the growth of the Internet, it is no wonder that online education has grown far faster than education in the traditional classroom settings.

According to a report released in 2009 by the Sloan Consortium, there were more than 4.6 million students taking at least one online course in the fall 2008 semester – a 17 percent increase over 2007. The growth rate of online studies reported in “Learning on Demand: Online Education in the United States, 2009” eclipses the 1.2 percent growth of the higher education student population. The Sloan Consortium is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to integrate online education into the mainstream of higher education and help to maintain the quality of online education, according to Dr. John Bourne, executive director.

The Advantages of Online Education
There are numerous advantages to an online education. “Access to being able to learn when and where you are is the main issue,” Bourne said. “Particularly for those who aren’t near or can’t come to a college campus.” Bourne points out that it is also an advantage for the colleges and professors. “They (colleges) can reach more students. And the professors can have guests come into one class from all over the world.”

He recalls a guest lecturer from another continent. “We had a speaker who came to class from tomorrow,” he said, noting the time difference.

Are Online Degrees Credible?
But while online classes have eased the time and location issues for many students, how do you know if the classes and the degrees are legitimate? Bourne said that just like “brick and mortar” campuses, students should make sure that online universities are accredited by agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. “You have to watch diploma mills just like any other student,” he said.

Most colleges and universities, including Ivy League schools, offer some form of online classes, Bourne said. “It’s the quality of teaching that matters, not so much the delivery method of teaching,” he said.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) released a study in July 2009 that found that 76 percent of the Human Resources professionals surveyed felt that an online degree is viewed more favorably today than just five years ago. Sixty-eight percent felt that online courses were equally credible to those taken in a more traditional setting, although 53 percent of the HR professionals were more likely to prefer job applicants with traditional university degrees to applicants with online university degrees.

It Worked for Her
Jan Baxter, former human resources director at College of Western Idaho who now serves as president of the Human Resources Association of Treasure Valley, has seen both sides of the online degree coin. She obtained both her master’s and Ph.D. through online programs. “When I went back to school for my master’s, I was working full-time and it was more convenient. When I was getting my Ph.D., I had an infant so I did a lot of my coursework when I was up in the middle of the night with her,” she said.

From the employers’ standpoint, the origin of the degree is not that important, Baxter said. “Most places don’t ask how you got the degree, they just want to know that you have the degree,” she said.

In some cases, it can work in the job seeker’s favor. Baxter said when the College of Western Idaho was hiring a president, officials there looked for someone with online degree knowledge. “We knew we would be offering a lot of online courses and that was the direction we were taking. Our new president had to have online experience,” she said.

Acceptance is Growing
Like her SHRM colleagues, Baxter said she believes online education is well accepted in today’s work force. “It (online education) has come a long way in the last few years,” Baxter said. “Technology has made so many things possible and has improved online delivery.”

The Department of Education has also taken a favorable approach to online education. Hal Plotkin, senior policy advisor to the under secretary said, “Our administration is determined to transform higher education from a system that weeds people out to one that lifts people up,” he said. “Online education and degree programs and others that blend online and in-classroom experiences can help us meet President Obama’s 2020 goal and we are doing everything we possibly can to expand the reach and ensure the quality of these efforts.”

For more information about the Sloan Consortium study, visit http://sloanconsortium.org. For more information about the SHRM study visit www.shrm.org.