Distance learners have many online schools to choose from today which makes it difficult to choose the best one for you.Choosing an online school is not unlike choosing a traditional school. That means you need to do the same amount of research to choose the school that best suits your needs. What are the factors that you should consider when choosing an online school? The following six are the most important ones.
- Does the school offer the program you are interested in studying? Not all schools offer all degrees. Some schools specialize in technology, nursing, or business. You may prefer one of these specialties or you may prefer to attend a school with a more general focus. Make a list of the schools with the program(s) you feel will help you meet your goals.
- Is the school accredited? Check the accreditation of all the schools in which you have some interest. It will need to be accredited by the U.S. Department of Education or by CHEA and possibly by the professional association that you will be a member of. It is not worth spending your time to get more information on any school that is not accredited, so eliminate them right away.
- What is the cost to attend the school? For some students the cost of their education is extremely important – it may make the difference between the ability to attend college or not. However, if there is a particular school you would really like to attend, then you should consider all your options to make that possible. One example of that would be to work part time while you study. That kind of flexibility is one of the big advantages of distance learning.
- What are the qualifications of the instructors at the school? The minimum degree held by instructors of lower level courses is a master’s degree, and most instructors today have a PhD. If instructors have experience working in their field, then that is a great sign that your learning will be applicable in the real world.
- What kind of student support is available? Are there student advisors, tutors, and technical support? If so, when is the help available to you and through which method – phone, e-mail, or chat?
- What do other students say about the instructors and the school? Often there is a forum on the school website and there are usually at least some testimonials that will give other students’ opinions about the school. Read these critically to get an overall feeling about the school. A few complaints compared to dozens of good reports probably signals overall student satisfaction. However, the reverse would probably indicate some real problems at the school. There are many other sites on the internet in which students give their opinions of the school they attended. Read as many opinions as possible to get a feel for the colleges you are most interested in attending. Pay special attention to the opinions on student services, since it is helpful to know how any problems you may have, will be handled.
You might begin your research by visiting each school’s website to find as much information as possible online. After that you can ask them to send you further information and finally, you can call them to get more detailed information and answers to any remaining questions you have. Reading school rankings can be helpful as they rank the schools based on specific factors, and you can decide if those factors are important ones to you. Some of the factors used are graduation rate, retention rate, teacher-student ratio, tuition rate, and percentage of students receiving financial aid. Remember you are investing much time and money into your education and your degree could have important consequences in your future career. It is important for you to get as much information as possible about the schools that you are thinking about, in order to choose the best online school for you.
