The Weight of an Online Degree: Students and Faculty Discuss

With their ever-growing prevalence these days, many students are finding themselves weighing the pros and the cons of online colleges versus their brick-and-mortar counterparts. Are they worthy competitors, or does the former pale in comparison to the latter? Student reporters at Florida A&M University took to the campus streets to get some opinions on the matter, and found that perceptions at the moment are quite mixed.

Even though thirty-two schools offer legit online degrees in southern, central and northern Florida, the debate still remains about the equivalence of an online degree to that of a four-year university.

The allure is there: Students have the luxury of obtaining a higher education, while still maintaining their daily routines and deciding for themselves what their schedules should consist of.

"It was easier for me," said Michelle Eckels, 28, junior magazine production student from Jacksonville. "I have two sons and I was also working full time, so it was a faster way for me to receive my degree."

Illustrated designs.com has stated that entire corporations are collaborating with online schools to offer specialized degrees and that can be done entirely online and at the pace of the student seeking the degree.

Everything sounds great so far, so what's the concern? That can be found in the stated ease and convenience of the design, as some students have their doubts about the legitimacy and fairness of degrees achieved at home.

"I think it's unfair, there is no visual proof that the student actually did the work for themselves," said Lester Stevens, 21, a junior economics student from Tallahassee.

Unlike the courses taken at a regular university, online courses usually take about half the time to complete a desired degree and can also be cheaper.

The Chronicle of Higher Education, the number one source of news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty members and administrators, has stated that some professors complain that they have no way of seeing whether their far-away students are following the lectures - or whether the students have fallen asleep at their desks.

Concerns also arise about students not doing their own work -- a concern, it seems fair to add, that has enjoyed a long and ugly tradition at traditional universities as well.

So, what's the verdict? It depends on the student. Whether you attend a traditional college or pursue an online degree after work, it all depends on what you make of it. Students who need that structure and constant guidance will flourish best between the four walls of a classroom, where sufficiently self-driven students will have the internal motivation to make the most of distance learning. No matter where you are, faking assignments and falling asleep at your desk (school or personal) will hurt yourself more than anyone else, so it's up to you to pick the college system that's the most right for you.