Distance Learning - Practical?

I am wondering what the practical differences are between going to an on-campus program, verses a distance learning program where the time, cost, and program components are so similar.

I have yet to discover what the big advantage would be - outside of not needing to travel to campus. The cost seems to be recouped in any "out of state" charges.

Does anyone have any feedback on the matter?

Thanks.

 

I'd be happy to offer my own opinion, knowing that others may have had different experiences based on different circumstances. I am employed on a full-time basis and my salary is essential to the ongoing welfare of my family. I simply can not leave my job to pursue a degree program. Therefore, DL is my option of choice as it allows me to pursue my academic goals without compromising my family's needs. You comment regarding "...outside of not needing to travel to campus..." seems to minimize this issue. I'm guessing that you are neither a husband nor a father. In any case, I've found that it is not that difficult to find programs that do not charge extra fees to out-of-state students. I hope the ball bounces your way.
Jack

 

Which Philo?

 

Hello Jack,

I did not mean to belittle the idea of DL. That was never my intention.

No, I am not a husband (not in any traditional way anyhow) or a father. I can understand the idea of DL programs for those times of not wanting to be away from one's home life and so forth. Outside of that, I have yet to discover any significant advantage to DL programs.

I mention this current lack of optismism because I am searching for an accredited program in Philosophy that is short and cheap. It would appear that DL takes just as long, (if not longer) than the traditional schooling programs.

Of course, I'm also still looking for proof of water on the moon, of which I think I might have more luck in finding...lol.

 

The advantage to me is that it makes it possible for me to pursue a degree at all. I dropped out (well, really, I was kicked out, but let's not argue sematics) at the age of 20, and by the time I was ready to get serious about college again, I was 24 and working a demanding full-time job. I attempted to go back into the classroom, but work "emergencies" caused me to miss so many classes that I earned a C in a class that I should have been able to sleepwalk my way to an "A" in.

After looking around at the options available, I decided that unless I was going to be able to fit my education to my schedule, I wasn't going to be able to pursue it. I was lucky to fall into the eCollege website, where I found the University of Wyoming's Bachelor of Science in Business Administration program. After a couple of false starts, I finally enrolled as a student in the summer of 2003, and with much inspiration from both this site and (especially) Lawrie Miller's BAin4Weeks, I used CLEP and DSST exams to eliminate some of the "roadblocks" that stood between me and the classes I needed to complete the program.

Distance Education is the only way I could complete my degree without giving up many of the other things in my life that are important to me to go to school full-time. It's also been affordable, as UW charges in-state tuition rates for online and correspondence students. Next semester, I'll finish my bachelor's degree, 11 and a half years after I started. Without DL programs, that would be just a dream.

 

WHICH PHILO?

 

Hi,

I think you can ask the same question for traditional, classroom based learning.

Being longer than traditional learning isn't a problem with distance learning. The school has to make sure that FT/PT and DL students have enough to learn. You won't see any traditional learning programme can be finsihed much shorter than the other.

As for price, I think there are some economical schools in the world, though it is always in a relative sense.

BTW, one thing that DL is good about is the online discussion. A discussion can last longer than a discusssion in a lesson and more people can participate.

Another advantage is that the teacher would never be able to see you fall asleep when you should be learning. LOL

Regards,

 

I travel 75% of the time (out of state) so a traditional program would be impossible for me. I signed up for a class at the community college that met Tuesday and Thursday. Within one week of signing up for the class, my schedule changed so much that I was going to miss the first six classes.

The travel time to and from campus is not the issue, being in te state when the class is being taught is the problem.

 

As Jack and others said, from a purely instructional basis DL should not be considered better, in fact IMO it is worse. It takes more dillegency on the part of the student and you get less interaction with the others.

DL's advantages come in being able to taske courses and programes that are not avialable where you live. If I had my choice I would be doing this in the traditional way, but for the economic reasons I still have to work.

If you have the luxury of affording to go to school the traditional on-campus in-classroom way DO IT!

 

Many people live in small towns and rural areas where higher education simply isn't available.

And even if you live in a metropolitan area, your local colleges and universities might not offer the particular subject that you want to study.

Distance learning offers flexibility for those who are unable to physically attend local classes for any reason, be it frequent work travel or scheduling conflicts, physical disability or whatever.

And Degreeinfo is fond of associating distance learning with other forms of non-traditional higher education, such as prior learning credit.

 

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Janko,

I'm not sure I understand your question - posed two different times. Can you elaborate on it for me?

 

I would not be attending college if there were no distance learning programs. I am working towards a second bachelor's degree in Computer Science. The times that I am available to take a class on campus are from 3:00pm - 6:00pm, Monday to Friday. I am also available anytime on Saturday. As you can see, my availability is limited. Most of the classes that I have to take are not offered during the times that I am available to take classes. I checked several colleges in my area and their on-campus programs would not fit my availability.

 

If it weren't for DL, I would not be pursuing my Ph.D. I live in the Middle East, where there are no doctoral programs, period, and, as many degreeinfo regulars remember, I was planning to return to the U.S. to do a bricks-n-mortar, when my husband got seriously ill, and I decided I didn't want half the globe between us for three-plus years.

I've given up one of my dreams by going DL -- I always had a strong desire to be tenured at a strong research university, like my father. However, DL allows me to fulfill another, just as important dream: still getting my Ph.D. whilst keeping my family intact.

 

My wife could have completed her regionally-accredited MA in philosophy in eight months if she had wished. Being an otherwise busy person, she spread it out over three years. She did visit the campus (Cal State, Dominguez Hills) once, just out of curiosity to meet her professors in person, but it was not necessary to do so. The degree was accepted for admission to doctoral programs at Harvard, Princeton, Pittsburgh, Berkeley, and Wisconsin . . . although, as it turned out, the doctoral school she chose (Vanderbilt, because Alisdair McIntyre was there) was more cautious: they said they wait to see how she did in her first year of the Ph.D. before deciding whether her Master's training was good enough. (It was.)

 

Which Philo, Shawn? Philo of Alexandria or Philo of Larissa? I thought if it was P-of-L maybe you could help me with something. (I'm assuming it's not Philo Farnsworth.)

BTW, Bill Dayson pretty well spoke for me on the general issue. As a rural person with some medical adventures (!), it's DL or nothing for me. My prior degrees are all B&M, but only through DL has the possibility of doc work opened up for me.

Best wishes.

 

While I do not want to lessen the validity of the many reasons one might choose a DL option, it appears you explicitly wish to discount the most paramount reason people choose a DL program.

You say besides the ability to be unconstrained by time and distance, why would one choose a DL program - precisely because of the significantly diminished impact of time and distance. That is huge to many folks.

 

Oh. OK.

 

For me there were a few things that go into the mix to make distance learning better for me at this point in my life (after doing the traditional part time college thing for 96 credits).

#1. Time:
I kind of liked going to classes at the 3 on-campus schools I went to (lots of pretty women ) but I really like the convenience of not having to be at a particular place at a particular time every few days. I do everything on my own and when I want to do it.

#2. No Semester breaks:

I take classes at thomas edison state college and at tesc a new semester starts on the first of the month Jan-Dec. I finish a semester and start a new one almost right away. Sure, it's exhausting, but in the past year I've been through 8 classes instead of the 4 I would have gone through at my last traditional school (www.monmouth.edu). Doing it this way I've literally moved up my graduation date by 2 years. At age 35 and after going to college part time for 16 years, that is very very very valuable to me.

#3. No requirement to complete a certain number of credits at the school.

At tesc there is no required amount of credits that I have to earn at tesc itself. Most schools want you to earn at least around 30 credits at that particular school before you can graduate. That's all fine and good unless the need arises to transfer after you've earned 110 credits and only need another 13 or so. Although I enjoyed my classes at Monmouth University (they were free because I worked there) I didn't like my job and was starting to look for a new one. Monmouth is a private university so it's fairly expensive (undergrad is around $400 per credit I think) and I knew that once I quit my job I wouldn't be able to afford the school... enter TESC, which is cheap for me as an NJ resident.