Article: Perspectives on Online Degrees

I was searching for programs, and discovered a scholarly article which discusses the perceptions of employers on online degrees. I thought this might be of interest to my fellow members.

 

A good article published in one of my favorite journals. Since it is based on a literature review, it follows pretty much what I have experienced in the field: Acceptance of DL degrees is increasing, though at different rates in different areas. Those looking for full-time tenure-track faculty positions at brick & mortar universities will find the lowest acceptance. Some of the reasons for lower acceptance of DL degree stems from ignorance, while many people still prefer traditional degrees because that they are more comfortable with the familar.

 

From the article:

I know that DL is a popular delivery method for continuing education within the health care sector. They also have interactive programs that simulate lab work. Not so far fetched when you consider that pilots and astronauts are trained with flight simulators.

 

This sentence from the introduction caught my eye;
Adams and DeFleur (2005) state, “although there are some 678 non-resident degree programs available online, only a handful of these are fully accredited or taught from recognized institutions” (p. 72).
Then I found the Adams paper on Google Scholar - I believe these numbers refer to doctoral degrees.

 

That is probably correct. The majority of online doctoral degrees offered by regionally accredited university are, in fact, blended programs or programs where a face-to-face residency is required. Relatively few are 100% online.

 

I think it's going to depend on the kind of degree as to how well it's accepted. I think more people would be willing to accept a DL English or History degree than a DL Chemistry or Biology degree. I'd think many people would be wondering about all the science labs and how a DL student could have completed them. Most people think humanities degrees are all about reading and writing papers.

 

Nearly every time that I hear this line of reasoning (which is legitimate), chemistry has always been the discipline that is citied. My institution offers 20 online degrees--none of which is chemistry. Does anyone know of any regionally accredited institution that is offerring a fully online degree in chemistry (for science majors, not for teachers)? If not, then the argument is moot.

 

The UKs Open University has distance learning degrees in the sciences including chemistry:
http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/science/chemistry/index.htm
My brother-in-law obtained his bachelors degree in Biology there. He did have to travel to specific locations to take exams and I do not know how labs, if any, were conducted..
And there are other schools that offer DL chemistry degrees in the UK.
Of course these are not RA schools but are the equivelent of RA

Back here in the USA I knew of a couple of Ph.D. candidates who were attending a UC school but all their research work was accomplished in their work place. In practical terms they were distant learners.

I believe there is opportunity in the US for schools to offer a combined company research centered doctorate. Several UK schools now offer a Eng.D. that uses this approach.

 

Thanks Ian,

I took a look at the program (Molecular Science), which seems similar to a chemistry degree, but I do not see the provisions for labs. It appears to be a good foundation for research involving genome computer modeling.

I wonder if there is a more "traditional" chemistry B.S. offered online in the U.S.

 

Anthony,

Closest to an U.S. online program in chemistry I was able to locate:
Ashford University offers the B.A. in Health Care Studies w/a concentration in Chemistry; however, the 12-hours in chemistry must be transferred in.

http://www.ashford.edu/online/degrees/bahcssummary.php

 

Yes, to date, chemistry is one discipline in which I have been unable to find a fully online B.S. degree at a U.S. regionally accredited unviersity.

 

Here is a non-scholarly article that discusses employer perceptions of DL degrees:
https://www.excelsior.edu/Excelsior_College/Publications/Online_Degrees_Gaining_Ground.pdf