The common learning environments for college level studies are the following: community colleges, universities, and online or distance learning opportunities. Community colleges tend to offer smaller classrooms with more discussion-oriented styles of learning and discourse. Universities tend to be more lecture oriented while distance and online learning opportunities are quite often self-directed learning opportunities that require a great deal of discipline in order to be successful.
When trying to identify the college that will work best for you, you should keep in mind your personal learning style. Beyond that you should also consider the type of environment you expect from your college education and the amount of time you wish to devote to the pursuit of your education and degree. Some people find that university life is far too distracting while others find that the solitude of online and distance learning is a distraction in and of itself.
You will find all kinds of cultural opportunities at a university that you will not find through home studies or on the community college level. For some students, these opportunities are icing on the cake and an important part of the learning experience as you delve into other cultures, art, music, and history. Others find these opportunities to be far too plentiful and far too distracting for their study needs. Whichever student you tend to be will make a huge difference in the best situation for your learning needs.
Another important consideration is housing. Most universities have ample on campus housing for their students while a few campuses experience on campus housing shortages and rely on housing that is located in and around the college area in order to fill in the gaps. Some universities will even offer limiting housing opportunities to students who have spouses and children. While housing on community college is seen, particularly in rural areas where there is limited housing available in and around the schools, these are more often the exception rather than the rule. Most community colleges are largely commuter campuses with very limited if any housing opportunities. Online and distance learning programs offer no housing to students.
Another concern that most also be considered carefully is the distance between classes and any special needs you may have. Universities tend to be large and spread out. It is quite possible to need to get from one end of campus to another (a mile or more in some cases) with a 10-minute window in which to get it done. For students with special needs or physical disabilities this can be quite problematic, especially on days of inclimate weather. Community colleges tend to have smaller campuses, which mean less real estate to cover in between classes. Online and distance learning classes go with you wherever you have access to a computer. This means that they are as portable as you need them to be if you have your own laptop and wireless Internet access.
You must consider all these things and so much more when narrowing down your college choices. Do you really want to take the personal responsibility required in order to succeed in online and distant learning courses? Do you want to be limited by the meager offerings of coursework available at the community college level? Is it worth it to you to pay the high price involved in a university education? These are all questions that you need to consider carefully before making the decision as to which college environment is the most desirable for you.
Many people are still a bit skeptic about the credibility and quality of knowledge and skills online learning offers. They still think the traditional method is best.
Some believe that interaction with other classmates and teachers is a vital component of an efficient learning process. While this might be true, the fact that most skeptics overlook is that online learning hasn't omitted these factors and has incorporated them quite well.
Online learning platforms allow you to learn, and keep in touch with your teachers and your "virtual" classmates.
If you ever have a problem understanding a certain concept from your courses you can just chat with your instructor and the matter is explained. This works a bit better than with regular learning, since you can address the issue in an instant, via the click of a button, as opposed to waiting until the next time you see a professor and need to clarify your issue.
Another thing that's being implemented in an effort to cement the acquired skills, relevant knowledge and experience is the requirement of work place training as part of the curriculum.
Online education is a better way of learning nowadays since it brings the advantages of internet interaction to your fingertips and the possibility to further your research on the subjects you are studying.
Interaction is not excluded, but encouraged using several tools like chat or discussion boards.
This new learning experience brings out more people, who are familiar with newer communication technologies. This set of skills is very well perceived nowadays in job interviews by employers.
Enrolling in an online college will cut the costs associated with travel and commuting, along with allowing you to learn at your own pace. You can have your very own study plan and not feel pressured by the schedule imposed by the school.
If you're currently employed this is the best opportunity to advance in your field of work. You can juggle both work and study, since you don't have to attend any classes during working hours and you can learn whenever you feel like it. Just remember to set some time for learning during the week, and you should be prepared when exams roll your way.
The other benefit is the lowered cost of an online education. You don't have to travel to your classes, you don't have to get a rent near a physical school and you don't have to pay for books or any writing materials. Everything you need is provided to you via the online learning platform.
Before I get into the schools I would like to go over some options you have thanks to web 2.0 for keeping track of your online school life. Since you're not under the pressure of being in a live classroom surrounded by students and teachers, it can be easy to get off course during your studies at home. A few of the things you'll miss out on are the lectures, in class notes and interaction with real students.
Within the past 4 years there have been a few great websites that are all web based apps and usually free or charge for students. You can find everything from class notes to practice tests to help out with your studies at home. Most colleges and universities are also offering their lectures for free in both video and audio formats. Finding these is just a search away on Google, or you can check Feed My App for education related web apps.
5 Great Online Colleges & Universities:
1) The University of Phoenix - Kicking things off with one of the best known online educators with both online and offline campuses across North America. With over 350,000 people enrolled in Phoenix you'll have no shortage of online classmates to chat with and interact on all levels. The University of Phoenix has a fully interactive online student area with access to class material, teachers, students and of course notes.
2) California Coast University - An accredited university by the Distance Education and Training Council of America. It is a smaller online school that makes up for it by allowing students to go at their own pace. They don't have semesters so students can start at anytime and finish in tune with their busy life. This is a great place to look into if you're a busy single parent or in the Military.
3) Florida Tech University Online - Florida Tech Online has been ranked as one of the top national universities in the country and continues to push the boundaries of online education. Specializing in technology you can bet you'll find a top notch student learning area online filled with everything from notes, live chat, forums, practice tests and 1 one 1 interaction with teachers.
4) Baker University - Another university that offers both online and offline studies and on top of that, relatively low tuition costs. Baker has taken a big step in regards to online educating and developed something they call "Blackboard". This system does its best to replicate a classroom setting and lets you interact with students and teachers in real time which feels like the real thing.
5) Kaplan University - One of the most web 2.0 online schools I've come across which reflects greatly to the tech enhanced crowd. From their website you can check out their heavily updated blog, take a class online for free to see what it's all about and check out an abundance of online media. They also offer other course specific certificates for business and technology that can all be done online.
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