The debate about the quality of online learning is over. Every major college and university in the country has an online program or is developing one. You'll get a good education at a good online school; now the challenge is selecting one. It starts with your career interests and with cost. But in terms of the learning experience it makes sense that those schools for which online education has been a mainstay are going to be the schools that are best at working in the online environment.
It's important to look at distance learning as a relatively new academic option. The key to a quality online education is the technology used for teaching and for supporting active students, and accreditation. The school that has probably succeeded in developing quality academic offerings in both the campus and online environments more than any other seems to be the University of Phoenix.
The University of Phoenix Online won the accreditation battle some time ago and has had their teaching technology in place for quite a while. It improves as they grow in attendance and expand in their academic offerings, but it has been proven and standardized through upgrade after upgrade. Their eight colleges and academic divisions offer a comprehensive set of degree options that are designed to meet today's career needs. But what really sets UOP Online apart, in my opinion, are the student services that are provided to distance learners.
1. Their tutorial center is comprehensive and well thought out. The Center for Mathematics Excellence provides online tutorials for algebra, statistics or any other area where you're in need of a little renewal. The same is true for their Center for Writing Excellence which offers tutorials in writing and language, and a program that will proofread student papers for grammar and proper usage. There is also live help available from instructors or other personnel as necessary.
2. The University Library is a serious attempt to provide e-books and copies of relevant professional journals to students who are seeking reference materials for their work. It has been steadily expanded and will have a revamped, simplified home page shortly. The school is always working on the mechanics. You won't be alone in your quest either; the school maintains a library staff who know the library's catalogue and can assist with research projects. There is also a collection of over 200 tutorials for both the business and technology programs - the Element K Tutorials.
3. University of Phoenix Online has established schools for both ends of the academic spectrum. One of the divisions is Axia College, a school that is devoted entirely to online associate's degree programs. The academic options are just about as broad as with their baccalaureate and master's programs, but Axia's entire orientation is distance learning at the associate's level.
4. The same is true of their School for Advanced Studies, which is dedicated to providing the academic material and personal support for students pursuing online doctoral degrees, available in education, business, nursing psychology or technology. They have chosen to provide a more focused learning experience for students at these levels by developing special programs, unique teaching methods and by providing dedicated staff.
5. There is a range of services that many online institutions offer such as financial advisors and credit transfers. However at UOP you can begin either process through the use of tutorials on their website and then proceed to personal contact with their staff. Their efforts to go the extra step are exemplified in their willingness to evaluate corporate training as transferable college credit.
6. The use of their website to make things orderly for students and manageable for the staff is impressive and if it's working properly, relatively seamless. Their technology continues to evolve: they are using the social networks for student communications and this year, you'll be able to link in to your student learning group via iPhone. All the little things at this school add up to a real plus in the online academic world.
Bob Hartzell writes about careers and education for Get Degrees.
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