Introduction
Today’s world caters to the demands to every individual specifically, providing them with high quality services in different environments. Hence, the advent of online degree universities came about, catering to those who can’t manage the travel and abroad living expenses, so they relive the next best thing. These degrees are convenient methods of gaining foreign education, from the comfort within one’s home and all that is required is a good internet connection along with a laptop. Yes. It is as simple as that, keeping aside the requirement of course being granted an admission first.
History
This trend rose in popularity when hectic schedules and faced paced lives become a characteristic around the globe. So, in order to increase qualifications and knowledge base people enrolled in part time online degrees. These universities were created only a few years ago, when internet connections became reliable and stable, and also when their need was established. Usually, reputed universities that Rank amongst the Top 20 or so, don’t provide these services. Developing nations, including, Pakistan, India and Cambodia also lack these facilities; hence, locals are attracted towards foreign universities to avail such facilities. Harvard, University of North Carolina and Penn State Universities all offer credible online degree universities dealing in the Under and Post Grad sector.
Features
There are three types of online degree universities, those who provide cohorts, webinars or synchronous courses. Cohorts are majorly associated with Master Degrees, where a student is assigned a group of team members, with who the individual is required to coordinate for completion of research papers and projects. Webinars are the most common form of online degree universities, and consist of students viewing lectures from a professor, or just experiencing them through a phone call. These technological advancements also allow students to ask questions by typing while the lecture is still in session, and receive responses as well. Synchronous courses are the closest comparison of online degrees to normal ones. However, they are the least common due to informal personalization and lack of coordinated schedules. Students and teachers are both required to go online at the same time, where the professor gives a lecture either via typing or, a phone call and lastly, video conferencing. Teachers, must keep in touch with their students by giving out email addresses and phone numbers etc. Students must realize that even though online degree universities might be convenient only a few actually offer these services, and some might offer a combination of all three.
Tips and Comments
Online university degrees are subject to recognition by appropriate educational authorities; therefore, students must carry out a detailed survey over the internet and only choose that university which provides attested certificates. The whole point of a university is enjoying the college experience of spending time with fellow students and meeting new people, while enjoying the benefits of the campus. This major attraction is absent in online degree universities. So, those who are socially dormant should rely more on such universities otherwise motivation will be likely to fall. Some lecturers due to time constraints are willing to provide their services for online degree universities, which makes their learning experience, suffer. This complex form of education incorporating tremendous amounts of technology, still needs a considerable amount of time before it becomes a norm for today’s generation.
