14 Factors to Consider
Prior to Enrolling in Any Online Learning Program

  1. Cost: What will it cost (tuition and fees)? Is this something that my employer would support? Can I get financial aid?

  2. Accreditation and Reputation: Are you accredited (regional, national and specialized)? Is your institution respected by prospective employers?

  3. Academic Requirements and Rigor: What are the academic requirements for ultimately earning a degree? Is it easier than going to a physical campus to earn a degree? How rigorous are the academic requirements? How do I move through the entire curriculum? Will I need some remedial assistance before enrolling?

  4. Admissions: What are the admission requirements? Do I need to take any pre-admission exams?

    5.

  5. Residencies and Campus Visits: Is it a fully online program in which I will never have to set foot on campus?  Is there any time in which I must attend a course, residency or orientation on campus or at some physical classroom?

  6. Skills: What skills do I need in order to be successful (computer literacy, information literacy, communicating online, writing, working in teams)? How will I do the research necessary for coursework, and what are your library services like?

  7. Transferability: Can I apply any existing credit that I have earned to my degree? Can any of my prior learning and career experiences (including military) be converted into credit that I can apply toward a degree? Can I test-out of a course?

    8.

  8. Courses, Faculty and Time Management: What is online learning really like? How do online courses actually work (asynchronous vs. synchronous, etc.)? Are there any in-depth course descriptions that I can review? Will I be interacting with other students my age? How much homework will I have? How should I manage my time between work, school and personal responsibilities? Is there some kind of orientation I will need to go through before taking a course?

    9.

  9. Faculty: What kind of qualifications do the faculty have (adjunct, part-time, full-time, tenured, on the tenure track)? Can I see any faculty bios, CVs, or other information about faculty?

    10.

  10. Overall Commitment and Scheduling: How long will it take to earn a degree? How much time would I need to put in for each course? How many courses should I take each term/semester?

  11. Technical Requirements: What kind of hardware and software will I need?

    12.

  12. Institutional Type: What is the difference between a for-profit and not-for-profit institution?  How is a virtual institution different than a bricks-and-mortar institution? If the institution has a physical campus, can I attend classes on the ground in addition to taking online courses? Can I meet with faculty and academic advisors and take advantage of other student services if I happen to live close by and can visit the physical campus on occasion?

    13.

  13. Program Specific Requirements (depends on discipline):  How do I get a credential/license in teacher education?
    How do I attend clinical practices/internships in a nursing program?  How do I get certain certifications in an information technology program? What kind of network might I be introduced to in a business program?

    14.

  14. Student Services:  Can you describe all the student services you offer, such as academic advising services, alumni services, career services and book store services?

 


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