The Online Degree Dorm Room

Do You Need an Online Associate Degree?

Posted by bposton on November 10th, 2008 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

Hey there my dorm room buddy. Hope that you’re having a great fall.

Somebody stuck their head into the online dorm room a few days ago and asked:

“What can you tell me about online associate degrees?”

They came to the right place, of course  

OK, so here is a primer:

Online associate degree programs are two-year general programs that are accessible completely over the Internet.

This degree is best for people who want to give their college careers a head start or wish to complete their two year degree prior to moving on to a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
There have been studies that show that folks who start out by getting a two year degree and then move on to a 4 year college tend to have a much better transition into the college world. Most even finish on time!

You don’t need any previous college credits to start your quest for an online associate degree. But if you have them, great - you can try to transfer them to your online college or university in order to acquire your degree quickly. The basic requirement for enrollment in an online associate degree program is that you must possess a high school diploma or G.E.D.

At a traditional campus-based college or university, it takes about two years to earn an associate’s degree, while the same can be earned in merely six months through an online or distance education process (assuming you can handle the workload). This major difference in “study time” is beneficial for those who aspire to enter the job market as early as they can, or those who do not have money to spend on a traditional college. All that is needed for an individual to study via online education is a computer with an Internet connection that can download software and study material.

Much more to come…

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Associate Online Degree Programs | Are we really non-traditional?

Posted by bposton on November 26th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

I really dislike the “labels” that some people give others.

One “label” I really don’t like is the label called non-traditional…the one that all of us in the online degree dorm room seem to get.

That’s because everyone beleives that we’re not the typical college student.

Well, that may be true, but here’s what the latest Sloan Foundation report found:

There’s a lot of information to suggest that online degrees appeal to a different type of student from those who go with face-to-face classroom instruction. 

Online students tend to be older, and often hold additional employment and family responsibilities, as compared to the more traditional student.

OK - you got me - that description fits me to a T

However, do those differences mean that online students are taking different types or levels of courses or are they studying at different types of institutions?

Accord to the study, the the general population of online students is a close match to the overall higher education student body, but the mix of schools where they study is not.

Students getting their degree online, like the overall student body, are overwhelmingly undergraduates.  And the amount of graduate-level students is a little higher in online education relative to the overall higher education population.

Now, who was it that said online eduction is not for undergrads? A dean from Stanford, I beleive. - HA! - take that, Stanford!

One difference the study did find is that online undergrads are more likely to be studying at Associates institutions than are their face-to-face contemporaries.

More on that later…

Ben

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Here’s an example of a “non-traditional” program

Posted by bposton on October 18th, 2006 — Posted in engineering degree online

Here’s a little information about one college that has an interesting degree program.

Unlike traditional colleges, the average age of a student at Thomas Edison State College is 36.
They can try a handful of different ways to earn credits because they often work full-time jobs while studying

Aside from the normal courses and transfer credits, students can be also be tested on their knowledge of subjects,
and take online lessons or enroll in independent study.

They can also earn credits from taking classes that have no schedule or regular exams,
but instead give one test at the end of the term.

Pretty interesting wouldn’t you say?

 Ben

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